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First trip to colorado

Original Post
ChaseSmallwood · · Paris, TX · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 30

Wife just finished paramedic school and we're new climbers. We're wanting to take a trip to colorado. We're from northeast texas so we're very limited on access here. We would mostly be sport climbing, maybe a little trad. I would really like the option for some taller routes. We're used to the 40 to 60 foot range. I would kill for a multipitch true sport route. I can lead 5.9, and she can follow 5.9. Any suggestions on a good location in southwest colorado? Thanks in advance.

Julius Grisette · · Carbondale, CO · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 5

Rifle/New Castle area too far?

ChaseSmallwood · · Paris, TX · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 30

Not too far at all. We're wanting to do a 14er and then climb for a day or two. Just trying to get an idea of where a good spot would be to get it all done in the same area. We have only climbed in gyms or at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, so just getting a plan together.

ChaseSmallwood · · Paris, TX · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 30

I check out the rifle mountain park. Not many easy options. Mostly 5.10 or harder.

coppolillo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 70

if you're leading 5.9, there won't be anything/much to do at rifle.

if the temps come down a bit, then check out Shelf Road---tons of stuff to do there. if you're going to drive all the way to Rifle from TX, then save your time and just come to the Front Range. endless moderates to do. Boulder Can is full of 5.9 bolts to clip. check out the "young and the rackless," multipitch 5.9. Bihedral Arete is 5.10a, couple pitches, with more moderates nearby.

check out rifle before you go--not sure it's the venue for you.

staunton state park, BoCan, Clear Creek, North Table Mountain all have tons of moderate sport.

RC

ChaseSmallwood · · Paris, TX · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 30

Seems like Boulder covers anything we could possible want to do. Thanks for the help. Is there a great guide book for that area?

Jeremy Riesberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 5

All of the crags in Boulder have beautiful up to date guide books. Mountain project does a good job as a reference too.

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

Check out Buena Vista area - there's a lot of nice moderate sport climbing (documented well here on MP). For a sporty multipitch adventure you could do the Davis Face D3 route - well bolted, with great views (you can also watch the weather coming in). Have a great trip!

EDIT: just checked the Davis Face D3 suggestion and it is now a mixed climb - all bolts near gear placements have been removed by the FA, still has bolted anchors.

Guy Kenny Jr · · Boulder, CO · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 10

Boulder is great if you live here, but camping here sorta sucks. So if you're into hoteling it then Boulder is a Great destination, if camping I'd look elsewhere.

My first thoughts were Penitente and Shelf. Then the Poster above mentioned BV. BV and Penitente are some what proximal, plus you have some great 14'ers in that area. Crestone would be a proud 1st 14er. And there are the Sand Dunes, and Hot Springs. Better plan for a longer trip.

Penitente only has 3 or 4 5.9's that I recall, at the end on the right side. Bring some slings so you can quasi aid up to anchors and you'll have a blast on tons in the 5.10 range.

Cheers,

Prod.

aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300

Not in southwest Colorado, but here are two multi-pitch bolted routes I'd recommend.

1. Playin' Hooky (5.8) in Clear Creek Canyon is pretty nice. I'd actually recommend doing the first two pitches of Playin' Hooky (technically the first two pitches/approach pitches to Solid Gold), then link to the last pitch of Black Gold to the top. Rap back down to the base, then do Furlough Day link to the last pitch of Playin' Hooky. This gives you two separate routes, both around 5.8-5.9, and keep both routes more in a straight line.

2. If you get here before it snows up near Frisco, Royal Flush (5.9) is a fun little pseudo-alpine outing for the solid 5.9 leader. Don’t believe the sandbaggers who said it’s 5.5 max, that’s only if you just do the first couple of pitches and rap off. 5 min approach, bolted for rap-off with a single 60M rope, so it’s very low-commitment route. It’s a little discontinuous and scrambly in spots, but a great way to enjoy some easy climbing at a pretty high altitude (9,000 to 10,000 feet).

Chris Schmidt · · Fruita, CO · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 0

Take a look at Independence pass and Hagerman pass (near Aspen and Leadville). You could do Mt Elbert - the tallest 14er in the state.

There is some easy sport in Durango and Ouray as well. Pretty far out from NE Texas but Ouray is easily a top 3 mountain town in CO.

The Piedra River area under Pagosa Springs looks pretty neat too, never been there but that would be close-ish to Penitente and BV if you wanted to travel a path less taken

Rigggs24 · · Denver, CO · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 45

If you wanted to do a 14er and some sport climbing, the frisco area could work for you. Like the above poster mentioned, there is a 6-8? pitch bolted route on Mt Royal called Royal Flush. There is also Mt Quandary, an easily accessed 14er that is just south of Breckenridge, which is near Frisco. It is super busy on the weekends. In addition there are some single pitch sport crags right off of I 70 in that area as well. The area is called 10 mile canyon and a couple places with routes in your grade range would be white cliff and Officers Gulch West. If you are planning on camping, there are some nice primitive spots in the Quandary area as well.

As far as climbing goes, cant go wrong with the Boulder/Golden area either.

Parker Wrozek · · Denver, CO · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 86

For easy Multi Clear Creek has a bunch. Good stuff in BoCan as well. A bunch of awesome easy multi in Ouray and Telluride area.

Eliot Augusto · · Lafayette, CO · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 60
mountainproject.com/v/the-y…

That one is good. But there isn't much else in the way of moderate climbing there. You can go anywhere in the canyon after going here.

mountainproject.com/v/lost-…

I haven't been to this one personally, an acquaintance has talked about it. But I love the South Platte, and there seems to be a good selection at that wall.

mountainproject.com/v/playi…

Clear Creek Canyon is nice, but it may be quite chilly there for you, it doesn't get much sun.

If you are climbing during a weekday you could check out:
mountainproject.com/v/rewri…

But, the camping is not too great in Boulder. Estes has a fantastic selection of everything. To get a semi-alpine experience you may want to check out, if you do go here be warned that the climbers trail is pretty much invisible from the main trail:
mountainproject.com/v/centr…
coppolillo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 70

indeed, camping in boulder sucks. bummer. the AAC has been flirting with doing a climbers' hostel somewhere near eldo, but it's a ways off, i think.

there's an RV park in golden--but you can camp there, too. walking distance to bars/restaurants/etc. Golden Gate Canyon State Park has camping, too--but you're nearly an hour to boulder, less to clear creek.

anyway---all that said, boulder will still be your best concentration of moderate climbing. finally cooling off, too--perfect climbing weather!

RC

ChaseSmallwood · · Paris, TX · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 30

Been looking at info on Estes park. I'm seeing alot of routes rated "grade 2 or grade 3" what does this mean?

Chris Schmidt · · Fruita, CO · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 0

In lamens terms how long it will take overall including the approach, descent, etc (car to car time)

A grade III will generally take an efficient party around 4 hours and an inefficient party could take over 6 hours. Obviously this is just a ballpark number and may be off in either direction for any given route and/or party.

For your first CO trip you will probably want to avoid Grade III routes mainly because the altitude will likely effect you more than an efficient/acclimated party of CO climbers. The weather moves in quickly up at altitude too and you don't want to have an epic on your first time out here.

NOCO Gear · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 220
ChaseSmallwood wrote:Been looking at info on Estes park. I'm seeing alot of routes rated "grade 2 or grade 3" what does this mean?
This is a good 1-pitch spot. 10-15 minute steep hike up to some 5.7-5.10 climbs:

mountainproject.com/v/jug-d…
Josiah Cooper · · El Paso, TX · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 30
Eliot Augusto wrote: Clear Creek Canyon is nice, but it may be quite chilly there for you, it doesn't get much sun.
Wall of Justice gets a lot of sun, actually. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of roites below 5.10. There is, however, a multi-pitch 5.9 - 5.10 as the first route you come to on the approach to the Wall of Justice. There are 2 5.8's just before the split to high-wire/low-wire approach, but I think they're in the relatively short range. I was there yesterday, and got a nice tan!
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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