Climbers Pull ‘The Naked Edge’ Speed Record to Near 20 Minutes

The “Naked Edge” is a crown jewel of the sport and a staple of local culture. Completing it fast has captivated climbers for generations. Now, a former record holder has reclaimed his old title.

On Oct. 22, Stefan Griebel and Joe Kennedy roped up below talus guarding the Redgarden wall in Eldorado Canyon, outside Boulder, Colo. Then they turned on their watches and turned up.

Griebel and Kennedy clocked just under 23 minutes from setting the speed record on “The Naked Edge” (5.11b, 460 feet, six pitches).

The duo raced up the steep route, ran pell-mell down the slab descent, and then skidded back onto the South Boulder Creek bridge in a time of 22:44 to shatter (by today’s standards) the existing mark of 24:14.

If 25 minutes seems like a pretty good time on a 500-foot route, consider the rest of the work “The Naked Edge” demands. First, you must grovel up talus to the base of the…