Both Stewart Green and Peter Hubbel consider this route to be one of the best routes on Sheep's Nose. I think it's a great way to get Lost in Space. This route is but one of the many fine lines gracing the southeast buttress up to the 8,894 foot summit of Sheep's Nose. With a short approach through the Poderosa pine and a sunny southern exposure, this route is a year-round classic for everyone.

From the parking on Douglas County Rd. 68, hike along a shaded trail up through the boulders to the prominent southeast face in about 15 minutes. Lost in Space begins on the lowest point along the face in its southeast corner and climbs up into a large, right-facing corner near the summit. To start, look for a ledge system with a small pine tree growing out of a right-leaning corner about 75" off the ground. There are many variations and alternatives to the first pitch.

Pitch 1: 5.7 or 5.9, 80'. Look for a 5.7 hand crack leading up and right into an easy 5.5 corner that continues up to the tree at 70', or run it out over the slabs for Cheap Thrills at 5.9. Belay on a comfortable ledge above the tree. If this pitch has snow or ice on it, try

Lamb's Prey

, a hand and finger crack 30" to the right, 5.9-.

Pitch 2: 5.8+, 130'. Move above the belay, and traverse right for about 10" around an arete to gain a steep fingercrack. Follow this crack straight up to some very airy moves with good holds along the arete and into a shallow dihedral above. Continue up for another 20' to a nice ledge and belay.

Pitch 3: 5.9, 100'. Head up and left in a thin crack. Where the crack ends (crux), move out onto the face, and make a few delicate moves up the slab. Climb up easier ground to a 5.4 corner above. Scale the corner on large holds and belay on a spacious pedestal above the corner.

Pitch 4: 5.7, 150'. Jamalama up the right-facing corner in a clean 5.7 hand crack with perfect protection for about 100". As the angle kicks back and the corner fades, run it out over the summit slabs up to the top. Belay and enjoy the view. There are a few other excellent options to this pitch including

Ozone Direct

which follows the zig-zag corner system to the left of Lost In Space, 10a.

Descent: scramble and downclimb off to the left side. There may be snow on the descent in winter months. Watch out for the Yeti.

Lost in Space Direct

Hard Monkeys

When Sheep are Nervous

Chinook

Seamis

The Pit of Despair

Old Man Route

Sheep with a Silver Tail

Sheep Dipped (open project)

10 Sheep and a Goat

For Wimps Only

Direct Line

Golden Fleece

Southeast Face

Culling The Herd

Friction

Psycho Babble

Sheer Sheep Attack

Unknown

The Golden Spike

Harpoon The Manta Ray

It Is Time to Space aka The Sheep Eat Grass

Ten Years After

The Pimp

Sheep in Wolves Clothing

Lamb's Prey

Army Route

An Apostle or Two

Evening Stroll

Space Cadet

Assassination Slab

Ozone Direct

Surplus Killing

Sheep's Dare

P1. To the left of

Lost in Space's

first belay lie a few hand cracks. Scramble up to the large ledge containing this belay from the left, or climb the first pitch of

Lost in Space Direct

. Choose one of these hand cracks and wander up until you are 40 feet or so below a triangular roof with a crack running through it. This part is kind of dirty. Set a belay here.

P2. Climb a sweet, large flake. Barndoor like me if you want a little excitement. At the rap tat below the roof, place a good nut, then place a good cam (#0.5 Camalot) in the crack under the roof, then figure out how to get on top. It took me a few tries. Then climb up the fun crack to the short headwall, clip my fixed Trango splitter cam, and pull over. From here, the most obvious line seemed to be to traverse right on easy ground until you are at the top of the first part of the last pitch of

Lost in Space Direct

and right of

Ozone Direct

. Set a belay and climb the last part of either of these fine routes.

This is a good alternative when

Lost in Space Direct

is full.

In the long section or the Sheep's Nose between Ten Years After and the Lost in Space buttress there are a good number of single pitch climbs.  Left of Evening Stroll is a giant flake leaning up against the wall.  We climbed behind the flake, in the shade, until we got to the top of the flake where we could escape out onto the face via a "window."  We set an intermediate belay here so the rope wouldn't be snaking behind the flake and then back out onto the face.

From the "window" move right (carefully since there are no pieces between the leader and the belay at this point) and head up the beautiful arching offset crack.  As the angle of the crack changes so it points downward, the angle of the face decreases so you are smearing for the last few moves.  It is at the end here where the extra large piece or two will be appreciated.

Although short, the combination of the shadowy flake start, and the high quality crack above make this worth two stars.

Just right of

Ten Years After

is a thin crack on a less then vertical wall that leads to a one foot roof and onto another face.  It can be top-roped from the top of

Ten Years After

.

Up to the roof, the climbing is an exercise in smearing, balance and micro-crystal edging.  Pulling through the roof is the crux and will have you wondering how you did it, if you do indeed do it!  The face above remains very thin and balancy, but is protected by two bolts.

While the climb will greatly challenge someone who usually manages to nail most 5.11a climbs, it's hard to give it more than one star.  Let's say that if you have just enjoyed

Ten Year's After

, it's a very worthwhile top-rope, but isn't a destination in itself.

On the large boulder just below Ten Years After.  The largest boulder (which contains many problems) almost leans up against a smaller boulder on its north side.  Starting from this boulder, grab the money triangle jug over the void.  Pull on (huge commitment - probably badness if you blow it) and campus up to the lip.  Honestly, a PERFECT boulder problem - powerful, committing, and pure.  Also check out The Dungeon (V5) in the pit below, which crimps up the smaller face on the large boulder to a cool dyno.

P1  5.8.  Ascend the broken chimney system that start off the left end of the ledge that splits the lower wall.

P2 - 5.8+.  Continue up the same system for another long pitch.

P3  9+. Go up and slightly right along a right-facing dihedral to the top.

P1  10b. Follow an arching crack up to a ledge.

P2  10a. Tiptoe up the face to a left-facing corner, then belay, or continue up through roofs and belay.

P3 - 9.  Go up and right to a right-facing corner.

Sheep Dipped: "

(US, espionage) to replace someone's public service in the military and/or intelligence with another pretended occupation in order for them to serve as a covert intelligence agent".

This is a variation that trends right off "

Surplus Killing

".

It features incredibly strenuous and technical climbing that follows a left-facing seam/shallow eyebrow feature before regaining the ear feature on the upper crux of "

SK

".

The entire sequence of moves is likely around

V10

or so, with the exit move being rather low percentage before leading into the cruel, upper redpoint boulder problem of "

SK

".

This is up for grabs for any hardman who wants it!

This is a right-leaning hands-offwidth on the east face. It's still covered in lichen and has some vegetation on it. Offwidth up to an alcove about 80ft up and either rap from a vague horn or continue up the second pitch of hands that continues leaning right. Second pitch has not been climbed and looks like a lichen covered, 10+.

Ascend a left-facing dihedral past a bolt, a slab crux, to a right-facing corner.  Either follow one of the other routes on up or traverse off to the left.

P1  9+.  Begin with

Lambs Prey

and run that up to the ledge system, 9+.

P2  8.  Follow

Lambs Prey

up P2 past the right-facing corner/roof and belay.

P3  9+.  Continue straight up the crack instead of veering left on

Lambs Prey

slab section until the crack runs out past some 9+ slab terrain.

P4/5  7.  Unprotected 5.7 slab leads up to the base of a left-angling ramp/groove system.  Follow that to the top.

This fine route is a singular pitch often combined with

Assassination Slab

for some harder climbing high on Sheeps Nose.  Climb a thin crack to a stemming corner.

I would have given this route one star last year, probably because I climbed it by accident and was a bit disappointed in my route finding failure on Lost in Space.  In retrospect, however, it is a good route well worth doing in its own right.  Ascending the obvious Southeast flank of Sheeps' Nose (right of Lost in Space) in 4 or 5 pitches, this route will challenge you with moderate routfinding issues, significant but generally easy runout sections, a well-protected 5.8d crux, and few loose rocks here and there.  Your reward is outstanding position, sections of very good climbing, and a spectacular summit.

P1-2:  Many variations.  Keep walking right from the start of Lost in Space, and find the path of least resistance moving up to the small roof break.  Or, you can take the first pitch of Lost in Space, climb the heavily chalked crack above the belay, and traverse straight right past a good-sized chickenhead.  Instead of moving up the arete, keep traversing right until you find a funky belay in a corner underneath the small roof.

P3:  Keep traversing right about 20 feet (difficult pro but easy), until you reach a small break in the roof.  Turn the roof (5.4), and ascend discontinuous cracks up the nice slab above (5.7).  An obvious, if small ledge will appear just when you need it most.  Belay on 3 fixed pins in the shallow dihedral above this ledge.

P4:  Ascend the shallow dihedral above the belay (crux, especially if wet), and keep going on easy but runout terrain until you run out of rope and must belay.  At this point you should be just to the left of the obvious and deep gully that bisects the Southeast face proper.

P5:  Many options, all a bit runout.  The easiest way probably goes at no more than 5.4 up the slabs.  We moved slightly left from the line of least resistance, taking a short hand and finger crack on an overhanging, giant "boulder" (5.9).  Easy scramble from here to the top, although you may have to simulclimb a bit or belay.

Enjoy the summit.  Descend as indicated in the Lost in Space route description.

This is perhaps one of the most striking and obvious features of the entire South Platte. Any climber driving out of Thunder Ridge on a late alpenglow afternoon has undoubtedly looked at this majestic wall with suspicion of a line on its face.

For any willing sheep out there, "Culling The Herd" shares the first few moves of "

Ten Years After

" by laybacking the polished crack system. At the third bolt, the shears come out. Break left on a sloping seam where a challenging variable sequenced boulder problem (

V7

) awaits.

Survive the initial onslaught, and bear down for another boulder sequence (

V

6

) utilizing some compression, hand/heel matches, and finesse to gain a decent shake under the small roof.

Don't let up as the wolves are still out, and another (

V6

) problem awaits after the roof pull with a strenuous shoulder move on the large, sloping feature. Some creativity may allow for a rest before dispatching the exit sequence (around

V4

) to the first actual jug shake of the route.

If you've survived the massacre, cruise up the vert headwall on entertaining 5.11 terrain where a final gut check

12a/b

finish move awaits.

This is one of the more unique lines & movement in the South Platte - a true testpiece for the grade in the region. If it were in the Flatirons, it would stand out indefinitely. Around sunset, this wall lights up in an iridescent sheen of colors and glow. It is best to be attempted in winter months/cloudy conditions if warmer.

If you're reading this, go test your mettle and wool, and DO IT!

Begin as for Lost In Space Direct, but break left at a tree and then across a slab to a ledge with a thin crack that soon fades.  Either follow one of the other routes on up or traverse off to the left.

Climb the left-facing corner to a thin RP crack, then follow easier ground on up.

Difficult face climbing leads past a couple of bolts to a thin crack the leads to the same ledge as

Sheep with a Silver Tail

.

This is a short, South-facing route you'll encounter on your walk back to the base of

Lost in Space

from the rappels. It climbs a flared, left-facing dihedral in the off-fingers to tips width, to a walkoff.

Start in a pod with stemming on good feet, and plug your biggest piece. Stem and finger lock up to where the crack tapers into a seam. Make a thuggish move to the "Golden Spike", and get your rest. Moving off the spike may be the crux. From there, we pinched crystals and crimped straight up to gain the right-leaning finger crack above. Note that there is an obvious alternative (maybe original finish??) in the #5-6 offwidth to the left.

Pull over the crystals (or OW) onto a large, clean ledge with a horizontal crack. Either belay your second from here on small gear, or continue around climber's right to the easy-5th hand crack and go up for another 15'.

Descent: scramble off climber's left from the upper ledge.

P1  10d.  Climb the right, then left-facing corner, past the crux in the left-facing corner.

P2  8.  Continue up the crack to the top.

P1: Scramble up a wide break in the rock for 10-15ft put a piece in and make a careful but easy traverse left to a slab and a crack gully that isn't that well-protected but really easy. Find the dirty finger to hand crack and go up. The belay spot is an obvious ledge may have a fixed nut and Friend.

P2: Layback a slabby hand crack for 15' until the crux a bizarre face hold and finger pocket that you will later use for a small standard cam. After this move, it is over.  Easily climb several more feet to a top out and make and anchor anywhere.

Walk off to the right in an obvious gully.

Ten Years After is an excellent, basically one-pitch climb located on the South face of Sheep's Nose. Locating the route is straightforward - it is in the massive, right-facing dihedral on the left side of Sheep's Nose as you approach.

P1 - climb straight up the obvious crack in the dihedral, using a few jams, laybacks where necessary, and a couple of opportune face holds. The entire pitch is fairly sustained, but the crux probably comes in the first 25 feet, until you move past the obvious, wide section. The gear placements on this section are more than adequate but not quite as straightforward as it appears from the base - the crack flares to the inside. The upper section protects well with nuts and small cams. We rapped off from a nest of slings at the top of P1 (60m rope was plenty, I suspect you would be fine with a 50m).

P2 continues up the dihedral. There is one bouldery move right off the belay (you can easily protect the belay though), followed by a long 5.easy ramp for the rest of the pitch that takes you to the walk-off. The first moves are fun, but that's where the climbing basically ends.

Look for a thin finger crack on the very left side of the lower tier, 11a.

Balance up the unprotected slab to the left of

Lamb's Prey

to obtain the thin crack on that route, then follow that route on up.

This is a fun, interesting route with cracks and slabs and routefinding.  The first two pitches are the most difficult.

P1 begins right of

Lost in Space

.  There are two very large trees at the base of the cliff; start to the left of the left tree, climbing through a short chimney up to a large rock with a disappearing grassy crack above you.  Go up the crack, then work left with a big, slanting roof above you.  There is a good belay in a notch, 5.9.

P2 goes up a thin crack which disappears over a bulge.  [On your right is the 10b variation in Hubbel's guide.]  After the bulge, climb up in a wide, blocky crack and belay in a nice alcove with a 5 foot wide roof above you, 5.9.

These first two pitches are 5.9.  After the second pitch, there are several options.  What follows is a moderate option.

P3 goes right around the small roof, then use various crack systems and belay above the 3 very solid pitons, 5.8+.

P4 goes through more cracks and then a 5.7-ish slab runout.  This pitch was around 170 feet.  It has a very nice belay on a grassy/bushy ledge.

P5 goes left around the rock above you along a left-slanting crack, then easy terrain to the summit.  It is 140 feet or so.

Descent:  walk off to the left and the back side.  This is mild downclimbing, no ropes are needed.

P1  8.  Ascend the left side of a buttress in a left-facing dihedral.

P2  9-.  Go up the slab to another left-facing dihedral, past some cracks and up to a ledge.

P3  8+.  Continue up the crack until it fades, then manage the 5.7 R slab to reach the summit area.

Begin with a 5.9, left-facing dihedral, and then branch out right onto the thin face past a bolt and up to the ledge.

This route is found on the South Face of Sheep's nose, on the approach to

Ten Years After

and just right and down from that route. The route is fairly obvious - just look for a short, mostly vertical buttress with two cracks. The right-angling crack to the left is apparently a 5.9, and it looked like it would require some horticultural skills to protect it. Evening Stroll is the far right crack. Perfect hands leads to a short crux (good fingerlock), and then a rest and easy jams to the walkoff. A TR would be very easy to set up here. I give it two stars only because it is so short and leads to nowhere - otherwise it would easily be three stars.

Climb the crack up to the roof (crux) and then on up to the ledge that runs across the east face.  Either follow one of the other routes on up or traverse off to the left.

Ascend leftwards off the ledge at the end of

Golden Fleece

past a thin crack to a bolt protected slab.

This is a very good and nicely exposed alternate finish to

Lost in Space

, ascending the left margin of the left-facing, left-leaning dihedral which is obvious when you are at the third belay of

Lost in Space

(right after the 5.4 corner).  From this belay, move left 15 feet past an ancient buttonhead to an incipient crack in the slab above.  Mantle through the crux to a nice hand jam under the dihedral/roof, move left around the corner and then lieback and face climb all the way to the exit slabs. Alternately, you can take a 5.8 crack to exit from the dihedral about 2/3 of the way up.  This is a long pitch.

Surplus Killing:

"a common behavior exhibited by predators, in which they kill more prey than they can immediately eat and then they either cache or abandon the remainder".

Begin on the left bolt line of "

Culling The Herd

" (a stickclip is advised for the first bolt).

A trivial 5.11 sequence attains the podded/roof feature. Shake out, and prepare for the viscous (

V7),

compression sequence that leads to a mantel/rest ledge.

Catch your breath on the ledge, and cut left to a series of sustained 5.11 climbing on the vertical face where the redpoints crux awaits.

A precarious sequence of detailed footwork and hand sequencing on sloping edges and features culminate with a starfish move high on the face. In all, this seemed about

V6

but can be frustratingly difficult as it's quite delicate movement.

After finishing the crux, climb up and right on easier terrain to the obvious anchor with rap rings.

Due to the rest ledge (although much appreciated), this route isn't as classic as its neighboring line, but it is worth the effort for anyone at the wall. It will definitely suit one who prefers bouldery routes, in comparison to the endurance line "

Culling The Herd

."

Begin on

Lamb's Prey

, but continue more straight up instead of heading left on

Lamb's Prey

. The left-facing corner is ascended on the slab to the left in spots.

Description

Protection

Routes in Sheep's Nose