Chicken Boulder  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  1,383. Good page?    Administrators:  Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Tony B on Jun 6, 2005 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event

Seasonal Raptor Closure MORE INFO >>> The Cathedral Spires area, including Block Tower, Cynical Pinnacle, Snake Buttress, the Dome, Hall of Mirrors, Sunshine Wall, and Poe Buttress, are closed annually starting March 1 for raptor nesting. After careful monitoring of nest sites, Jefferson County Open Space opens certain areas of Cathedral Spires and maintain spot closures for active nests through July 31st. Check back periodically during times of closure for updates. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Scott Anderson cleaning my gear.

Description 

The Chicken Boulder is a small rock facing E/SE it is 100 meters left of the Dome/Bishop parking area when facing the Cathedral Spires. From that parking area you can see the rock as a tall flat wall facing you, but the single route on it ("I, Chicken") is obscured just behind the single tree that stands just between you and that feature.You can recognize the rock by the "keyhole" passing through the bottom of it on the South end, from East to West. The left-offset crack system that starts off as a bulge is the route "I, Chicken" a solid 5.10c. This route gets mid-morning to mid-day sun, as early it is shaded by a tree, and late the sun is over the top and on the other side of the hill and rock.The route can be lead, or toproped from a solid stance/body-belay from up top. A finishing or TR anchor was not easily available, but you can sit behind a huge incut feature that is good enough to belay off of if you are competent to do so. I then ran the rope over a shirt to keep it off of the edge of the feature for the rope's sake.

To walk up to toss down a rope, or to walk off after climbing, follow the ridge N/NW 50 feet to an obvious intersection with the gravely hill and walk back to the base. Perhaps 1 minute total.

The rock is small, that being perhaps 10 meters, but the route is significantly difficult. Perhaps something to be attributed to it's largely unclimbed and uncleaned nature, or due to the crux being right off of the deck. In any case, it is a difficult ascent.

Getting There 

To approach thsi rock, walk down the road left from the Dome area parking lot (the one with the outhouse) ~100 meters to the near the base of the rock, a mere 7 meters vertical and 10 meters horizontal from the road. Again, if in doubt, you can recognize the rock by the "keyhole" passing through the bottom of it on the South end.

The Classics

Featured Route For Chicken Boulder

Full Moon 5.10  CO : South Platte : ... : Chicken Boulder

Scramble up off the road to the start of the route. Getting above the "keyhole" was a bit interesting maybe the crux. pretty sustained for the most part with a few rests thrown in to place gear. It's short but makes you work for it a little. You'll encounter some OW, fist crack, a few hand jambs, thin hands, maybe a few short lived sections of finger size....[more]   Browse More Classics in CO