Getting Oriented in Boulder

I'm moving out to Boulder from Atlanta, GA at the end of this week. I'm staying with a buddy of mine who has lived in Boulder for a while but doesn't climb, so I'm looking for some advice on how to get oriented to the climbing in the area.

I prefer trad climbing, especially multi-pitch, anywhere from easy low-5th class to moderate (for me that's 5.7-5.9). I also like bouldering but again mostly moderate stuff (say up to V3ish).

Where should I be looking for climbing in Boulder? I've tried reading up on the areas nearby, but there are so many of them (definitely a good thing!) it's kind of hard to get a handle on. It also seems like crowds are a major factor at a lot of them, depending on timing I guess (I get off work at ~3pm so maybe I can avoid the crowds on weekdays).

Also as far as partners go, from what I've heard it seems like everyone in Boulder climbs pretty hard. Hopefully I'll get there one day but for now I really just want to do more moderate routes and maybe push the length (e.g. alpine stuff in RMNP) moreso than the grade. Are there certain gyms/areas in Boulder that cater more to this type of crowd?

Any help or other Boulder related beta is much appreciated! Thanks!

Ryan Watts wrote: Where should I be looking for climbing in Boulder?

As you'll see when you're in town, the most obvious features west of town are the Flatirons. Positioned between Boulder Canyon (north) and Eldo (south) they are not to be missed for multi-pitch trad. Most of the east facing routes are moderate and can be as long as 7-8 pitches but are sometimes rather run out. All within a few minutes drive, Eldo, the Flatirons and Boulder Canyon offer three very different types of climbing. As pointed out in another post, there are dozens of other areas within 1-2 hours drive from Boulder. So yes, it can be hard to get a handle on but these three are the closest and most obvious (and hottest in the summer). Get a guide for each of the three.

Ryan Watts wrote:I prefer trad climbing, especially multi-pitch, anywhere from easy low-5th class to moderate (for me that's 5.7-5.9).

Thanks for all the tips!

I'll definitely be picking up the Levin Eldo guide and hopefully I can find a good one for Boulder Canyon as well.

I was just browsing through MP and saw that there looked like some decent bouldering at my level in Mount Sanitas and Flagstaff -- any recommendations on those areas or other good spots for bouldering? Also any tips on additional guidebooks would be helpful -- otherwise I guess I'll just stop in at Neptune and see what they recommend?

Sent you a PM. I'm a southern boy myself (from about 2hrs north of you in Chattanooga, TN) I was in your shoes last may. I'd love to show you around the classics when you get out here.

TRAD MODERATES:
Eldo (Wind Tower) --- Wind Ridge. Breezy. Tigger. Calypso
Boulder Canyon (Cob Rock) --- North Face Center. Empor.
(Castle Rock) --- CurvingCrack. CussinCrack. ComebackCrack. SkunkCrack. BlackCrack.
Flatirons (First Flatiron) --- Direct East Face. Fandango.
Lumpy (Left Book) --- White Whale. Hiatus. Manifest Destiny. The Dog.

BOULDERING:
FLagstaff (Monkey Traverse) --- Monkey Traverse.
(Upper Y Traverse) --- Upper Y Traverse.

Boulder Canyon Guidebook --- Bob D'Antonio
Eldo Canyon Guidebook --- Steve Levin
RMNP: Estes Park Valley Guidebook (Lumpy Ridge) --- Bernard Gillett
Climbing Boulder's Flatirons --- Jason Haas