Ginger Cracks, Red Rocks Route Photo

Ginger Cracks 5.9

Ginger Buttress, Juniper Canyon

  • Ginger Cracks Sun ExposureRoute quality:
  • Ginger Cracks First AscentMark Moore, Lars Holbeck, 1977
  • Ginger Cracks Pitch InfoNumber of pitches: 7
  • Ginger Cracks Approach TimeApproach Time: 1-1¼ hours
  • Ginger Cracks Climbing TimeClimbing Time: 4-6 hours
  • Ginger Cracks Descent timeDescent Time: 1-1½ hours to base
  • Ginger Cracks Sun ExposureSun exposure: Sunrise until mid-morning
  • About the Climb

    Ginger Cracks is a superb climb up a prominent crack system on Ginger Buttress. It has consistent 5.7-5.8 climbing on most of its pitches. The 5.9 crux is short and protected by a bolt, making the route perfect for breaking into the 5.9 grade. The bottom pitches all have bolted belays, making the descent easy. If you go to the top of Ginger Buttress, which is recommended, then you descend by Power Failure (5.10b) just around the corner from Ginger Cracks.

    Because the route is just around the corner from the popular Crimson Chrysalis (5.8), it makes a perfect alternative if the lines there are too long.

    Ginger Cracks (Red Rocks) GearLoopTopo {Ginger Cracks (Red Rocks) GearLoopTopo

    Low Resolution GearLoopTopo Preview

    Minimum order of 3 GearLoopTopos

    The GearLoopTopo

    Our GearLoopTopo for Ginger Cracks contains all the information you need for the climb, starting from the Pine Creek parking. This parking is located near the end of the scenic drive. The described approach follows the main Pine Creek Canyon trail, but a shortcut through the Fire Loop Ecology trail is also possible. It is also possible to approach from the Oak Creek parking.

    Possible Combinations

    If you descend by Power Failure (5.10b), you can take advantage of this opportunity and climb this short and varied route. Another options is Unimpeachable Groping, which is just around the corner from Ginger Cracks. This route is a nice and very well bolted face climb, with bolted belays. So if you run out of energy, or daylight, you can rap down from any anchor.

    Alternatively, if you are in for a very long day you can consider combining with Crimson Chrysalis (5.8), located just around the corner only a few minutes away. Because Crimson Chrysalis is very popular and usually busy, and might not be very time efficient if you also want to climb Ginger Cracks.

    Similar Climbs

    Because the crux is so short, Ginger Cracks can best be compared to other 5.8 climbs. Other great climbs of similar grade and length are Crimson Chrysalis (5.8),Frogland (5.8), and Purblind Pillar (5.8).

    If you are looking for a long routes at a slighly higher grade, you should try Frigid Air Buttress (5.9+) or Black Orpheus (5.9+). Both routes have lots of variation and short cruxes, although these cruxes are harder than on Ginger Cracks.

    For a shorter route with more 5.9 climbing, consider climbing Refried Brains (5.9) in Black Velvet Canyon. All the climbing is secure with good protected, and the crux pitch is an amazing crack.

    Ginger Cracks and Juniper Canyon, Red Rocks Back to Red Rocks overview

    1. Power Failure (5.10b)
    2. Unimpeachable Groping (10b)
    3. Ginger Cracks (5.9)
    4. Crimson Chrysalis (5.8)
    5. Black Dagger (5.7+)
    6. Nightcrawler (5.10c)
    7. Armatron (5.9)
    8. Myster Z (5.7)
    9. Geronimo (5.6)
    10. Olive Oil (5.7)

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    Download the Ginger Cracks PDF file or visit the PDF Center.

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