RED ROCKS - APRIL 2011

A lot of people have a certain image in mind when one talks about Vegas, The sin city, the gambling, the shows... the slot machines...the glitter. We think more of Rock. A rock so red, so worked by centuries of erosion, a rock of art.
We are the cliff dancers. At least that is what a sign a the second pullout trail head, in the Red Rocks park, calls us! A strange breed, who, god forbid, would rather play on rock than at a casino table!
We came from the Midwest, some came from the West, some from the Mountains. Team Saucisson and friends!
From Saint Louis:
Yoli, Christian, Michael, Emily, Braden, , Meghan, Sophie, and later on Yusuf, John and Nathalie (from Toronto)
From Colorado:
Tim
From California:
Oky, Brian, Michelle
And then a larger posse from CA who we'll sporadically see during the 5 days. Glenn, Sarah, Mike, .....

DAY 1
Second Pull-out. Black Corridor and Sweet Pain walls.
The rock glows against a cloudless sky. It is going to be warm says Yoli. Oh I'll take the warmth. The Saint Louis winter has dragged on a bit too long, and if that snow storm we had had a few days before was pretty indeed, I was definitely ready to take off a layer or two!
The black corridor is like a gym tell me Christian and Yoli. And they are right. an incredible tight canyon with an amazing amount of routes. It is a good place till it's not! When it gets crowded, yes it is then hard to believe you are in the desert! No more peace. So we'll end up warming up on a series of 10s and a 9 (Burros don't gamble 10c, Nightmare on Crude street, 10d) and head for the next crag, Sweet Pain.
That is a bit of rock I had heard about a few times before the trip. I was already excited about some lines I had never seen.
A beautiful 11a Glitter Gulch, wet my appetite and then we'll all take turn on The Gambler and overhung sweet 11b. A great route Yoli said not to be pumpy. humm we must have a very different definition of the word! :)
Then to the left is Sweet Pain (left on the photo, right, The Gambler), a beautiful angling and steep 11d Yoli had told me so much about. One of her projects. Christian flashed it putting the draws (a mere warm up for him!). I looked at the route and could not help but being a bit intimidated. But since I had hopped on my first line, I was feeling really calm and centered, a good state of mind. A first go pretty much bolt to bolt but, I would be back. Yoli would fall after the crux. so close. Yes we had some unfinished business here. A good first day for everyone. Feeling the rock, breathing in the desert air.

A stop at the legendary IN AND OUT on the way back to the hotel. And then we are, a bunch of very dirty and probably smelly climbers, walking through the ground floor casino of our hotel ( but of course!), meeting the very sad glances of people, cigarette hanging on the corner of their lips, desperately tapping on the buttons of the slot machines.
Argghhh why would you spend your day in such a place? smoke, no window, psychedelic carpet, and the endless ringing of the machine. Insane. This city is insane.