Alpine Climbing “Lite”

Towering walls of rock surround me on either side. I press my back to the wall behind and swing my tools for some purchase in whatever lay beneath the snow. Finding something, I gingerly move on and continue up the pitch. Up close, I could be in Rocky Mountain Park or some other alpine climbing venue, but the truth is I was only 15 minutes outside of Carbondale on the ephemeral Banzai Pipeline. First climbed by Duane Raleigh, this route only comes into shape for a short window each year, if at all. It’s been climbable the last couple of years, but this year it was especially large, making it much more casual than usual, though still requiring some thoughtful climbing.

We made several trips to take advantage of the fat conditions, and on the last decided to check out the pitches above the 35 meter first pitch, which is the business of the route. The second pitch follows some low angle ice through a small chimney or two, terrain that feels very alpine. We beefed up the anchor at the top of the pitch, from which we continued up a snow filled gully with 100 foot plus walls on either side. Here we encountered the last pitch of the route, but a lack of ice and (the setting sun) prompted us to bail back to our packs.

Overall it was a fun adventure, and we joked that when in condition, it provided an “alpine” climb only 15 minutes from town!