Kor's Flake is the shortest path up an otherwise imposing wall.  It is a historic route as well as a classic due to it's steep and imposing nature on excellent granite.

Kor's Flake  II+ 5.8 (R)

Sundance Formation, Lumpy Ridge

First Ascent: Layton Kor and partner, early 1960's. 

The southwest face of Sundance is one of the finest in the region and Kor's Flake one of the more sought after jewels within this stunning ring of classic routes.

Description: 

This 700' long super-classic rock route is one of the most sought after in the Front Range and only due to it's longer approach does it not get the traffic that the Bastille Crack and Ruper do in Eldorado.  But Kor's Flake is well worth the walk and to be up there alone on a fine spring, summer, or fall day when the wind is calm and with no one else around - alpine rock climbing can get no better than this!

Kor's Flake is rated 5.7 in most guidebooks, which we often call 7d and not just for the famed "Flake Offwidth" pitch for which the route is named, but for the cruxes before and after this pitch that give this route a solid reputation.  This route can be climbed in four long pitches to reach the saddle in the middle of Sundance where it naturally ends.  On the "flake pitch"  it is also runout for at least 30' between solid placements thus the (R) rating for RUNOUT.  A fall here could result in an injury.

Approach: 

From the Lumpy Ridge parking lot, follow the new trail west over the small pass then down to the original parking lot which has been replanted and for a total of 2 miles total to the turn-off which is well signed for the Book, Bookend, and Bookmark formations.  Do not follow this trail uphill but instead remain in the meadow slowly contouring up on the trail past another trail junction to the Pear and after 3.5 miles total from the parking lot, and once you are in the forest and have crossed a couple of very small streams, turn uphill where a small sign announces the Sundance trail junction.

Follow this rough trail uphill until you are near the cliff ( 30 minutes on the hill, 1:15 total from the car) and then take forks up and left through a steeper, loose section below the cliff.  Once it starts to flatten out again at the base of the rock, Kor's Flake starts in a tight chimney starting at the top of a 30' cliff at the base of the wall, 200' uphill from the big leaning boulder.

Looking at the first 110m of climbing from the ground- the dashed green line represents the inside of the chimney. 

Pitch 1

The initial moves off of the ground involve squeezing up the awful tight chimney- the less gear that is on the harness and back, the better here.  The difficulty eases after just 10' but this is a tough way to start any route.

The route-starting chimney can be protected in the thin crack to the right and facing right seems to be easiest as does taking the rack and pack and pushing it ahead of oneself in this opening chimney section. 

Once through the initial 40' chimney, emerge onto a ledge system and climb straight-up easier ground (5.7) to reach the beginning of the Kor's Flake dihedral.  (185')

Pitch 2

Take this pitch long and save your partner's having to belay in the middle of the wide section.  Start up deceptively difficult small corners to reach the large left-leaning ramp system that is "Kor's Flake".  Save a big piece for the end of the wideness and look for a flake on the right about half-way up that offers a couple of small but solid cam placements.  (190')

                                               Just above the anchor on pitch 2

                               Coming out of the thin corner section above the anchor on pitch 2

                In the middle of the wideness almost at the mid-way cam placements on the right wall.

                                   Enjoying being the second on this very runout pitch.

Pitch 3

The belay at the top of the wide pitch is on a slab with no ledges and from here you traverse left directly into a right-facing corner and up this for a choice of two leftward traverses, higher or lower depending on your preference although higher is slightly harder.  This pumpy traverse and steep handcrack above is straight forward jamming but in an exposed position.

Follow a straight-in hand crack above the traverse until one reaches a ledge below a small, triangular roof.  (170')

Finishing the exposed traverse above the belay at the beginning of the third pitch- the flake pitch below is green

                       Cranking through the steep handcrack above the traverse on pitch three

Pitch 4

Make a few hard moves (5.8) around the left side of the small overhang and then follow easier terrain straight-up for 50 meters to a large tree in a cleft near the top.

                        The tree anchor at the top of the Kor's Flake route

Descent

Walk southeast to the lowest point in the saddle and from there rappel off of trees to the left or downclimb the exposed but easy stair-steps into the gulley behind the Sundance Buttress.  A trail takes one down along the base of the cliff, around the toe and between the big leaning flake back-up to the base of the route and the descent trail.

The route Mainliner in yellow, Kor's Flake just 200' right of it, with the exposed descent in red and the approach/descent trails in green.

Gear Beta:

A full double rack of cams up to #3 camalot, with an extra #4 and/or #5 as well.