The Camp Bird Road area above Ouray, famous for climbs such as the Ribbon, Bird Brain Boulevard, Talisman, and countless others, has seen a recent burgeoning of bold new mixed climbs. In January 2011, Steve House and Hayden Kennedy established Desperado (800’, III M6 R/X), which begins in a prominent orange cleft left of the Ribbon and climbs four long pitches of thin ice and steep, runout rock. House and Kennedy partnered again in January 2012, establishing an additional climb on the Ribbon Buttress, the House-Kennedy Chimney (800’, III M6 R), which tackles a steep wall approximately halfway between Bird Brain Boulevard and Racing Stripes, via overhangs and a prominent right-facing corner on the final pitch.

Three more new routes were climbed in December 2012. Bryan Gilmore and Jim Turner established Dirty Minds (800’, III 5.9 M6 R), just left of the House-Kennedy Chimney. Dirty Minds ascends obvious corners, trending right toward a left-facing corner on a large pillar high on the wall. Phil Wortman and Erik Wellborn established Tasty Talks (1,400’, 5.8 M5 R) on a large buttress downriver from the Ribbon, above and left of Fall Creek. And, lastly, Noah McKelvin and Jason Maki established Wake Up Call (900’, IV M5+ R), which follows a major chimney system two buttresses downriver from the Ribbon.

Erik Rieger, from information provided by Hayden Kennedy and MountainProject.com