The Renaissance, 5.14a
Trango athlete Mike Anderson recently added another first ascent to his resume earlier this year with The Renaissance, 5.14a, a picturesque route in San Luis Valley, CO.
The story of The Renaissance goes back roughly to 1990, when Bob D’Antonio installed an anchor, briefly trying the route on toprope. The route was far more difficult than anything in the area at the time, which presumably led to D’Antonio soon abandoning his efforts. The route sat largely untouched for close to 30 years after his initial attempts.
Nate Liles had been replacing old, rusted hardware in the area when the route caught his eye. He rapped down and immediately knew it was something special; he proceeded to bolt it, clean off a few loose flakes, and brush the holds.
When Liles had to leave the area without time to send the route, he knew that Mike Anderson would be the perfect candidate to snag the first ascent. Liles showed the route to Anderson and belayed him a couple times to get the route sorted out before he had to leave. After a matter of months and significant effort, Anderson managed to redpoint The Renaissance.
Anderson kept the name Renaissance, originally dubbed by Liles, who considers this brilliant route the “Renaissance” of the Rock Garden.
Video by Nate Liles of
