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Ticklist for Boulder

Original Post
enkoopa · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0

Have 5 days of climbing (mon-fri) for an upcoming trip in May. I'm hoping the weather there shapes up a bit!

Here's what we scoured and came up with... we haven't picked what routes to do yet, just jotted down everything in what we think is our realm of possibility once we figure out the grades.

Any votes for/against any of these climbs? Long moderate multipitches is the name of the game.

Area / Climb / Grade / Pitches

Flatirons

North > First Flatiron Fandango 5.5 4

North > Second Flatiron Dodge Block Variation (Tunnel Route) 5.6 3
North > Second Flatiron South East Arete/Second 5.7 4
North > Second Flatiron Freeway 5.0 6

Central > Hammerhead East Ridge 4th class 3
Central > Hammerhead Yodeling Moves (Arch route) 5.0 3

Central > Royal Arch East Face/Royal Arch 5.4 2
South > Seal Rock East Face North Side/Seal Rock 5.4 4
South > Fatiron East Face/Fatiron 5.4 3
The Maiden North Face 5.6R

Eldo

Wind Tower > SW Face Rewritten 5.7 6
Wind Tower > SW Face Calypso 5.6 3
Wind Tower > SW Face Tigger 5.5 3
Wind Tower > SW Face The Bomb 5.4 3
Bastille Crack 5.7/5.8?
Redgarden Wall Swanson Arete 5.5 3
Daedalus 5.5 4

Lumpy Ridge I can't figure out.. I have Cotton tail, white whale, sundance buttress, lens rock... but the comments talk about it being heavily sandbagged? Meanwhile the pictures on MP are showing kids climbing it?

Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0

What grade do you climb at? Are you primarily a sport or trad climber? That could help us pick some routes for you.

First Flatiron - Do the Standard East Face (5.6) to North Arete (5.4) Route but go early on the weekend. Weekdays won't be too crowded.

Second Flatiron - Not worth the time in my opinion, but if you're quick you could link the 2nd & 1st Flatiron.

Eldo

Rewritten, 5.7 or 5.8 depending on the start you choose
Bastille Crack 5.7+
Calypso to Reggae 5.6 to 5.8
Swansons Arete 5.5 don't get lost in the dark on the descent
Long John Wall 5.8
Gambit 5.8
Ruper 5.8+
Yellow Spur 5.9
Werk Supp 5.8+ first pitch, second pitch is 5.9
Icarus 5.6R

enkoopa · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0

Hey Brendan - I'm recovering from an injury.. things have been going pretty good the last 2 weeks actually, finally back to leading 5.9's in the gym without issue. Trying to regain finger strength, and trusting my shoulder again. Before this setback, 5.8 was our preferred "cruising" trad, multipitch grade.

Given my gym, trad and outdoors grades have historically been pretty close together, we set our planning around a limit of 5.7 to avoid any disappointment. We might bump it up slightly if he wants to lead and have me second, or if things go really well for my shoulder. So well protected 5.8's are not out of the question.. I'll add the ones you suggested to the list.

Mathias · · Loveland, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 306

Brendan's list for Eldo looks pretty great to me.

If you're not up for the 5.10a bit of Yellow Spur, you can just take it to Red Ledge and then do Icarus. That's on my mental list.

Rewritten is fantastic! The first pitch of Great Zot and then Rebuffat Arête up top made this one super memorable to me.

Basically, everything he mentioned in Eldo is on my to do list, or was.

Abram Herman · · Grand Junction, CO · Joined May 2009 · Points: 20

I would skip the second flatiron.

If you're going to do The Maiden's north face you should be very comfortable at that grade, and so should your second. Both of you could be set up for some nasty falls otherwise. But at the same time I don't want to discourage you from doing it, as it's a pretty awesome summit!

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

It would be helpful to know where you usually climb, what type of rock/style you're used to...

For mulit-pitch trad in the grades you're looking for, I'd recommend starting with the direct route up the 1st flatiron. Very mellow climbing, long but not too strenuous, great views from the top. Also good to start with something mellow to get a feel for if/how the altitude might be affecting you. (are you coming from sea level?)

From there, unless you are super enamored with the flatirons, I'd move to Eldo for your other days. There's some trad in Boulder Canyon too if you want to mix it up but nothing terribly long. Lumpy is fantastic granite but it's another few thousand feet higher than Boulder, so if you're feeling the altitude at all in Boulder you may decide it's not the best use of your limited time to venture higher. But if you're feeling fine, check it out. I don't think it's particularly sandbagged, to me the grades seem right in line with Eldo, Yosemite, Gunks... but it is a different style of climbing.

In Eldo - Windtower might be a good start - If you want to start out conservative, Breezy is 5.5, Wind Ridge and Calypso are 5.6 and more fun climbs I think, you could easily do all 3 in a day and any can be climbed to the summit. Or you could combine one of the climbs with the Bastille crack, the Bastille formation is a close walk to the Wind Tower. Personally I think the Bastille Crack is overrated and would skip it, but clearly it's popular so that's just my personal preference.

Swanson Arete - 5.5
Icarus - 5.6
Rewritten - 5.7 one of my favorite climbs in Eldo at any grade, but if 5.8 feels like your absolute upper limit right now, the first pitch may feel spicy.
On the other hand, if you are feeling good after a few climbs and want to go for 5.8s, Gambit is fantastic. Also great, but shorter climbs at 5.8: Star Wars, Reggae, V3.
And at 5.8+, Long John Wall and Ruper.

Descents can seem confusing if you're new to Eldo, so leave yourself plenty of time and research where you'll be heading - but you really shouldn't have any problem avoiding getting benighted. :)

enkoopa · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0

Abram - we definitely are on the same wavelength :) Our hopes are that we can figure out the grades. If they seem good, we'll go for it. I guess from P2 we could always bail if we were really shitting our pants? Linking P5 and P6 of cat in the hat comes to mind... ( mountainproject.com/v/cat-i… ) you downclimb slightly and traverse, and then you need to get up 5-6 meters before you put in a piece or rope drag will kill you. Falling is not an option. As always, reading the approach to the Maiden, makes me dread it. Sounds like a cluster fuck!

Em - we are canucks from out east, mostly slab or granite/quartzite stuff on our home turf (what little we have). I've definitely noticed the descents, and it's marked in our sheet!! :) This was my note to myself for Eldo "For Wind Tower, get your walkoff beta and know it well - looks like it's a bitch. You can walkoff if you stop after pitch 2/3... if you summit you need to head north? and then rappel down to the walkoff trail." I definitely plan to bring some webbing and rings on all our climbs, just in case ;)

Thanks everyone so far for your replies! I'm hoping it'll dry out in 2 weeks?

ErikaNW · · Golden, CO · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 410

Sounds like you have a great trip planned! If you climb in Eldo try to track down the Levin guide - it's a beautiful book in addition to having good topos and descriptions of all things Eldo. The descent off the Wind Tower is actually very straightforward once you see it - either walk off or do a short rap off bolts/rings that you will find with some patience. :) I wouldn't climb Calypso - super polished and not that great of a climb- the Wind Ridge is much better climbing (and easier at 5.8 if you do that variation than Calypso at 5.6 in my opinion). Bastille Crack is classic and you should do it for that reason, but again very polished and probably stout for 5.7. It's one of those climbs that you'll be glad you did for the experience/history, but there are much better quality climbs in Eldo. Long John Wall and Gambit are both excellent for multi-pitch and topping out with great views - you should try to hit at least one of those. Bring a helmet - there is a lot of loose rock in Eldo- I've had some pretty big stuff come down on me while belaying at the wind tower.

You mentioned Seal Rock - it's super fun, good flatiron fun and not crowded, nice approach hike- but I think it's closed for raptors through July. Better check as sections of the flatirons do have closures currently.

Weather is a crap shoot. If it does rain it usually doesn't last long. Except for this week of course.

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

The walk-off from the Wind Tower is actually not bad. If you've read the beta and have a reasonable sense of direction you'll be fine. The walk-off from the 2nd pitch ledge is very easy to find. I wouldn't get overly worried about the descents, the levin guidebook has good descriptions. Just plan ahead, read the directions before you head up, and leave yourself some time to be patient and figure it out.

Funny, I think Calypso is fun and am not a fan of Bastille crack...just goes to show. Try them both and see what you think!

Hope you have a great trip!

flynn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2002 · Points: 25

+! for the direct route on the First Flatiron. Be prepared for lo-o-o-ong runouts, and don't bother to bring a big rack on any Flatiron climb: you won't have the opportunity to place it!

The Fatiron is Big Fun if it's open (nesting peregrines). And you're right about the approach to the Maiden: the Mesa Trail will be a freeway, and the last couple hundred yards to the Maiden are an unallayed thrash.

In Eldo: brain buckets are a good idea, especially after all that rain. Rewritten is a longtime favorite of mine. You can do the Dirty Deed chimney to start Rewritten and keep the whole thing at 5.7. Icarus is stellar but again runout. Ruper and Yellow Spur may feel pretty stiff. Definitely look into the descents off all these; they require routefinding and sometimes punish mistakes.

Gambit is another honey. Its 5.8 is very brief and perfectly protected. The descent involves a little scrambling and three one-rope rappels.

Bastille Crack is likely to be cold, since it faces north.

The walkoff the Wind Tower is casual. There are 20' of downclimbing you can avoid via rappel from comfortingly chunky bolts. I've done three or four climbs there in a lazy half-day.

Lumpy? The sandbag debate goes on. Some of its cracks are fine splitters, but many tend to bottom out. White Whale is on the Left Book, which would be a fine place for you to explore. You can do some of the climbs there as single pitches, but many will go two or three pitches to an easy walkoff. Generally perfect pro and outstanding rock. Can get really crowded on a weekend, often with groups (yikes). Ratings are generally accurate on that cliff.

Lens Rock is just okay; Sundance is a long hike in, and its descent is likely still to be snowy in spots.

You're gonna love it!

Brian C. · · Longmont, CO · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 1,100

Flatirons

North > First Flatiron Fandango 5.5 4
- Cool route. The Direct 5.6 is a better route overall but will be more crowded.

North > Second Flatiron Dodge Block Variation (Tunnel Route) 5.6 3
- Not worth your time. Tunnel is sketchy and the only interesting part of the route.

North > Second Flatiron South East Arete/Second 5.7 4
- This is a lot of fun. It really is a 2 move wonder but I really enjoyed this route. Very runout everywhere except the crux.

North > Second Flatiron Freeway 5.0 6
- Only worth it if soloing. Linking Freeway into a route on the First (Baker's Way, Fandango or Atalanta) is a good day out.

Central > Hammerhead East Ridge 4th class 3
Central > Hammerhead Yodeling Moves (Arch route) 5.0 3
- The east ridge into yodeling moves is another great outing but again only really worth the effort if soloing or linking into another route like Green Mtn Pinnacle (Takin Care of Business), Challenger, etc.

Central > Royal Arch East Face/Royal Arch 5.4 2
- Not 5.4, more like 4th class and super not worth the time just to do Royal Arch. Linkup of the Regency to Royal Arch to the Fifth Flatiron is a good day.

South > Seal Rock East Face North Side/Seal Rock 5.4 4
- The East Face South Side 5.4R is a much better route. The Seal is worth the time.

South > Fatiron East Face/Fatiron 5.4 3
- I enjoy this route but have done a lot in the Flatirons. Much better routes in my opinion out there.

The Maiden North Face 5.6R
- Stellar outing and one of the more memorable routes in the Flatirons. It is runout and traversing so is the most "serious" of the Flatiron routes on this list.

Eldo

5.7 and under the best in my opinion are...
Rewritten
Icarus
Bastille
Wind Ridge

fossana · · leeds, ut · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 13,318

Additional notes:

  • Rewritten: Do the Rebuffat's Arete variation near the top if you're feeling up to it.
  • Wind Ridge: In addition to the summit, you can walk off climber's left from the ledge just before the pitch that starts with some bouldery cave moves. It's pretty obvious.
  • Another fun Wind Tower route: West Overhang (5.7)
  • Icarus: Super fun, but spicy last pitch esp if it's windy.
  • Swanson's: I personally prefer to do the first pitch of Rewritten then traverse over instead of the slick W Chimney.
Magpie79 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 0

Just an FYI since nobody mentioned it, Rewritten is on Redgarden, not Wind Tower. It is left of Swanson's Arête.

If you do the Maiden, try to time it so that you are rapping when the sun is low in the west. You will get a cool shadow of yourself on the gorgeous multicolored rock. Bring a camera for a picture!

enkoopa · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0

Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback! This will definitely help.

We leave in a week, and looking at the weather... we may need some recommendations on other things to do in Denver/Boulder area ;) Brutal weather down there right now!

Long Ranger · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 619

The forecast calls for a slight chance of thunderstorms most every day. That happens until about October. Get your day in early, you'll be fine. Things are already dry from the pounding we took for a week straight.

enkoopa · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 0
LongRanger wrote:The forecast calls for a slight chance of thunderstorms most every day. That happens until about October. Get your day in early, you'll be fine. Things are already dry from the pounding we took for a week straight.
This is good to know! Is there any point in checking the weather forecast for the most part? Or just look out the window and kind of go with it?
Shane Zentner · · Colorado · Joined Nov 2001 · Points: 205

Not sure if you're completely sold on climbing in the Boulder area exclusively, however, if you're considering Lumpy Ridge, then perhaps you'd also consider climbing in the South Platte area. You can make a day trip from Boulder (roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes) to Bucksnort Slab and sample a bit of awesome granite and visit the Bucksnort Saloon. Classic Dihedral(5.7) is an amazing climb.

I'm not a huge fan of the Bastille Crack (unless it's used to get to other routes), however, Rewritten in Eldo is super fun and is a classic 5.7 for sure. Looking at your hit list makes me not suggest The Bulge(5.7) in Eldo, however, it is indeed quite fun and the runouts are not too bad.

Good luck and have fun!

Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
enkoopa wrote: This is good to know! Is there any point in checking the weather forecast for the most part? Or just look out the window and kind of go with it?
Check the weather daily. It changes all the time.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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