Angels way
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Hey all, |
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It's a shitty approach. |
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There's actually a ton of poison ivy up in the flats too from all this rain. haha I might not want to bushwack. |
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do you guys have any recommendations for easier routes that arent super crowded. im taking my gf who has never done multi pitch so i wanna do something in the 5.2 range. |
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The fourth flatiron the the seal both feel like 5.2. A bit wandery, and very little pro (as with any east face in the flats). Freeway is cool if you've never been on a flatiron before, don't rule that out if your friend is only climbing 5.2. |
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I would do the East Face Standard on the third. It is 5.4. I have taken several people up that had never climbed before. There are 3 raps though. Only the final pitch is 5.4 and it can be skipped. |
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Oh God yes, avoid anything in Skunk Canyon. In fact, I only went there once. It traps moisture in there and is very lush compared to other areas of the Flatirons. This means tons of undergrowth and lots of poison ivy. |
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Don't be dissuaded by these nay sayers. Just head up Skunk Canyon staying left of satans slab. after you pass satans slab angels way is the next ridge maybe 100 yards past, some creativity will keep you out of the ivy |
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Check out the front porch as well. |
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Highly reccomend the Seal, one of my favorites. The Slab is not bad either. Avoid the 1st/3rd they are ALWAYS packed. |
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is seal rock pretty run out? |
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Seal is better protected than most East Faces in the Flatirons. Most of the east faces in the Flatirons are not crowded at all, except for the first three numbered ones. Skunk is usually devoid of people altogether. It is closed most of the year for raptors so that keeps the trails vague and overgrown, but for some of us, that is a wonderful thing. |
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Most climbs in the flatirons are going to be "run out" in the sense of not much pro -- but the climbing is generally pretty easy so it doesn't feel "run out" if you know what I mean. |
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Yeah they are run out, but not like a dangerous run out. Just enough to make you pucker a bit. If you were 3 feet off the ground you wouldn't think twice. |
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Highly recommend Seal Rock - but it does have a 200ft rappel that is largely free. This could be an issue if your gf has any height issues - it's a very committing step off. Definitely take 2 ropes for the rap if you do this as the intermediate station is fully hanging and I believe you might have to swing into it (not sure - I always take doubles). The climbing is awesome though - the last pitch is a super fun 5.4 finger crack that eats gear. The 1st 2 pitches are more typical flatiron slab for gear. I have never seen another party up there and have climbed it several times. |
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FWI to all you Skunk Canyon haters out there, the flood last year really cleaned it out and the approach is WAY better than it used to be. This is what it looks like as of about a week ago... That photo was taken just past Angel's Way, between the N. Ridge on Dino Mtn and Mohling's Arete. The poison ivy was completely avoidable. EDIT: I would like to add 2 things. First, I believe that the Royal Arch trail is still closed, which without creative approaches can cancel out access to some of the upper formations on Green Mountain (4th Flatiron/5th Flatiron area). Also, somebody above mentioned the poison ivy this year and that should be emphasized. Learn what it looks like! It is much worse this year than it has been for a while. |
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A few notes, with some overlap with previous replies.
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Fandango is a great one as well. Goes at 5.5 but it isn't that bad. |
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Also, not to beat the poison ivy thing into the ground but... |
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Optimistic wrote:also usually not at all reddish.That depends on the season. It's true now, but it won't be in October. The picture posted up-thread by Brian C (with caption "itch itch, scratch scratch") shows a nice growth of poison ivy (the Flatiron variety) at this time of the year. |
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brenta wrote: That depends on the season. It's true now, but it won't be in October. The picture posted up-thread by Brian C (with caption "itch itch, scratch scratch") shows a nice growth of poison ivy (the Flatiron variety) at this time of the year.Ha, memory fading, I guess! Need to get back out there! Pretty fascinating how many forms, even right in our local area, PI can take. There's a particularly devious form that grows in closely-mowed grass, super-tiny leaves and very short plants. There's a vine form too, I found that one by moving a tree that'd fallen down across a bike path here...the rash cleared up in just 5 short weeks! |