The Boulderado

Another great area for taking groups, especially beginners. Plenty of parking and easy approach. Need to be careful as the bottom has some exposure right above the road (it is possible to fall), same applies to setting up top rope anchors, as there is lots of loose footing. Bring long slings or static ropes to set up anchors.

Definitely a summer crag. Went here in February and froze my ass off! No sun exposure in fall or winter. Cool place, altogether. Qs is an awesome route, even though I froze trying to climb it.

A note on the history of the Boulderado. Up to 1987, no climbs had been described or published for this now popular formation. During the fall of 1987 when I was collecting data for Boulder Climbs North (published by Chockstone Press), I did solo all the routes shown in your photo. I also soloed the nice face left of Idle Hands. I do not know if any of these routes had been climbed previously. It really doesn't matter. I had never seen a soul on this rock, other than myself, until BCN came out the next spring. From that time on, it has been rather well frequented. I have thought more than once about placing some good bolt anchors at the top of each route, but have never gotten around to it. One reason is that for toproping, such anchors would be a little more dangerous to thread than the usual long slings from boulders and trees used until now.

Great area and great for beginners but IGNORE the directions used in the Knapp toproping book! The mileages are completely wrong and the map is largely useless. It took us two hours to find the place. (The route beta in the book is okay AFAIK.)

Boulderado is located about a mile up the road from Boulder Falls at a right-hand bend with a ten-car parking area on the left side. The climbing starts from a sloping ledge 40 feet above the road and the rock is obvious. If you hike more than 50', you've gone too far. The walkup for toproping is on the left.

In mid-March 2007, Richard Rossiter placed four new toprope anchors at the Boulderado, atop Jam It, Ho Hum, Idle Hands, and Mons. The Spot bouldering gym paid for the hardware and asked Richard to install the bolts and rings for the benefit of all users. See Photo.

Richard, who has the first known ascents of these routes, has been thinking about installing anchors here for several years; see Comment.

Please don't toprope directly through the anchor rings; use your own gear instead. And be extremely careful if you are at the top of this cliff and are not anchored in. Personally, I prefer to lead these routes to set toprope anchors.

One of the bolts at the top of "Idle Hands" is missing a hanger as of July 2, 2007. Still plenty of opportunity for anchors with the boulders and trees, but if you were planning on using the new double bolts - you can't.

The missing ring hanger at the top of Idle Hands was replaced with a new quick link set up as of 8/6/07. I also checked the other three anchors for Jam It, Ho Hum and Mons. Everything is tightened down and set with red Locktite...should hold up for a while.

Anybody find a pair of Katanas there 9/8/09?