Colorado Front Range Practice Cracks?

Howdy,

I, like I suspect many of you, tend to focus more on one type of climbing than others in a given climbing season (e.g. alpine, trad, sport, whatever). I've been doing the mountaineering thing most spring/summers with a little sport tossed in on summer weekends. Now, however, I want to focus on some bigger trad projects which will require honing my rusty crack climbing skills (I could lead cracks comfortably in the 9's and low 10's a couple of years ago). Question: Can anyone list some vertical or near vertical cracks, ideally granite, in the 9/10 range that are reasonably close to Denver that could be set initally with a top rope to run laps, then led, etc? I'm looking to clock mileage for training, not schlep in for a multi pitch route with only a short vertical crack, etc. Any ideas?

Nip and Tuck, Happy Hour, Cob Rock all in Boulder Canyon

Tom, Use the "Destinations" link on this site. Select an area you like in Colorado. Then select the link on the side bar on the left called "Best Routes for You in this Area". You can search for routes based on style (trad, sport, toprope), quality of route (stars) and range of difficulty. I've really enjoyed finding routes this way. It won't narrow down routes to type (crack, face, OW), but many have photos and descriptions. With a little surfing, you can find some gems.

Bucksnort slab in the Platte has Buck Fever (pitch 1) at about 5.8 or 5.9, a route called 5.8 crack (2 pitches) and a bouldering crack that is probably 5.9 or 5.10. It is an hour from town.

The drive is longer, but Turkey Rocks has a crack or two (hundred I mean) to get you worked.

In Eldo (granted, its not granite), Blind Faith on the back side of the Bastille is also great. Green Spur, etc., there are lots of good cracks to work in that canyon.

Country club crack at castle rock in boulder canyon.
classic. Its 5.11 though. The 5.11 is mostly bolt protected at the start :) Worth a shot.

Splatte, Lumpy, Vedauwoo.

I'd suggest that you spend some time up at Vedauwoo crack bouldering

Deaun Schovajsa wrote:Bucksnort slab in the Platte has Buck Fever (pitch 1) at about 5.8 or 5.9, a route called 5.8 crack (2 pitches) and a bouldering crack that is probably 5.9 or 5.10.

What I had in mind was something like Kirk's Corner at Squat Rock in the South Platte. It was perfect: dead vertical, granite, relatively short, etc. Alas, Squat is now closed. Most of the Platte cracks I've done (quite a few, Bucksnort, Turkey Perch, etc.) are what I call "slab cracks," a flaring crack in a steep angle slab. Vertical granite is hard to find in the area with the obvious exception of RMNP. Vedawoo is a candidate but a bit of a drive. Nonetheless worth considering. Many thanks for the ideas.

Turkey Rocks

You could certainly just go to Golden Cliffs and do "eliminate" routes using only the crack features there. Easy top rope set up, close to Denver, and if you don't care so much about particular established routes, just climb what looks good. There are plenty of places there to work on jamming technique.

Been doing that for quite a while now at Golden Cliffs, Patrick. Sans guide book I have found at least four cracks with bolted anchors. There are countless other protectable cracks in the sub 5.9 range all over the place with solid fist, hand, and finger jams of very high quality. The basalt there has zero large crystals to jab into your wrist tendons, so it has a lot of appeal. And on colder Winter days you are nice and toasty. It's probably best for those living nearby.

turkey and vedauwoo, equal drive.