In
2016, I climbed the first two pitches of
The Gobbler to the first two pitches of
Fiddler on the Roof—including the wild traverse over the roof and the crux 5.10d pitch above. We stopped there, having run out of time after climbing
Ixtlan (5.11c, 700') earlier that day as a team of three. Ever since, I’d wanted to return and climb the full route.
Fiddler on the Roof is a memorable line. It begins with the first two pitches of
The Gobbler, then launches into a spectacular rightward traverse above a massive roof before finishing straight up the wall. The positions are incredible, and the climbing is consistently engaging.
I had spent a few days climbing in Red Rocks and was planning to head to Tucson next to pick up a friend and climb in Cochise. But I had one more weekend to fill. I serendipitously spent Saturday climbing with an old contact from Washington, and after such a fun day, I wanted to squeeze in one more. I checked Mountain Project partner forum and saw that Sean Whelan—someone I had interacted with the previous fall but never managed to coordinate with—was looking for a partner. I reached out, and we made plans to climb
Fiddler on the Roof. I was a bit hesitant about the runout nature of the route, but Sean was comfortable taking the leads if needed.
We ended up having the entire wall to ourselves, aside from a party on
Epinephrine to the right. It was windy and cold—perhaps explaining the lack of climbers for a spring Sunday—but the conditions gave the day a more alpine, committing feel than usual.
The first two pitches via
The Gobbler went quickly, with me leading the first and Sean the second. I started up pitch three—the traverse over the roof—but couldn’t commit to the crux moves to the first bolt, still about 20 feet away. With the lip of the roof just below my feet, it felt especially heady. I knew it might actually be more dangerous for a follower, given the potential for the rope to run across the edge, but I still couldn’t bring myself to go for it. Sean was happy to take over and cruised the pitch without issue. I followed, eventually working my way through.
Sean had a higher tolerance for runouts than I did, so he took the remaining leads. We climbed in a fix-and-follow style, which worked well and kept the rope from flapping wildly in the wind and adding weight at the hanging belays. Sean led smoothly to the top, with only a brief pause on the pitch four 5.10d crux.
Just as we topped out, it started to sprinkle. We hustled over to the anchor at the top of
Prince of Darkness /
Dream of Wild Turkeys and rappelled
Prince of Darkness, which goes easily with a single 80m rope. There’s also a rappel route just to the right that works with a 70m.
(We had brought an 80m rope and an Escaper, giving us flexibility to descend from
Fiddler on the Roof,
Prince of Darkness, or the alternate rappel route. I’m fairly certain pitches four through seven of
Fiddler can be rappelled with a single 80m, though I’m less sure about getting down past the massive roof without double ropes—hence the Escaper, just in case.)
Thanks to Sean for being a great partner! Another great day out in Black Velvet Canyon.
This page includes a route overlay, time stats, and pitch-by-pitch photos for
Fiddler on the Roof.
