Independence Pass

Jensy McNamara following the classic 2nd pitch of ...

Description 

Unless you're a movie star, ski bum or coke addict, the best thing going in the Aspen area is definitely Independence Pass. An often overlooked, but ultra-worthy, granite area, East of town off the super-steep CO Highway 82. The area includes crags between Aspen & Twin Lakes.

The Pass is also historic, offering some of Colorado's earlier forays onto steep (5.7) rock, a handful of Henry Barber and Lynn Hill testpieces, from the Golden Era of free climbing, and some of Colorado's first rappel-bolted sport routes.

While route activity has dwindled as of late, the Pass continues to thrive as an adventure bouldering area, with plenty of potential for those willing to do a bit of exploring. The highway conveniently bisects most of the granite in the canyon, so most crags are never more than 1-20 minutes from the road.

The Grotto Wall with its landmark route Cryogenics Corner is a great place to get acquainted with Pass rock, a sometimes confounding mixture of compact granite and metamorphized gneiss. Because it's so featured, rock at the Pass lends itself to some very overhanging climbing not typically associated with granite, especially on the left side of the Grotto Wall and at Wild Rock.

Though the Pass is considered a summer area because of its elevation (9,000-11,000 feet), the walls mostly face south and can become blisteringly hot under the high-altitude sun. With some planning, you can stay in the shade all day; or if you're lucky, some clouds will roll in and cool things off.

The road is generally closed a few miles above Aspen from late October through mid-May due to heavy snows. If you think the rock might be dry, you can park down low at the gate and bike up the road, making for a true multi-sport experience.

The beauty of the Pass lies in its variety. I would say there is a nearly perfect 50/50 split between trad and sport climbing, and many of the "sport" climbs require that you place gear anyway. To boot, there is some great bouldering up here. John Sherman's "The Ineditable" being perhaps the most famous (and best) problem on the Pass.

While the Grotto Wall offers the highest concentration of routes, most of the crags are more modest in size, typically offering between 5-10 routes each. Thusly, you can visit two or three crags in one day and get tons of climbing in.

Addendum: Aspenclimbingguides.com may provide additional local info.

Getting There 

The crags at Independence Pass are arrayed along Colorado 82 west of Aspen en route to the Pass itself at 12,000 feet. The lowest area is the Difficult Cliff while the highest area is Instant Karma Cliff, located near the summit of the divide.

The vast majority of the crags are on the left (South) side of the road as you drive up the pass, while Lincoln Creek, a valley branching off to the Southeast from the main highway, offers good climbing as well.

Another worthy tick is Monitor Rock on the East (Twin Lakes) side of the pass.

Guidebook 

Independence Pass Rock Climbing II by Tom Perkins, 2006 provides good descriptions. $32.99.

Climbing Stores 

The Trailhead, 707 Hwy 24 N, Buena Vista, 719.395.8001. www.thetrailheadco.com.

The Classics

Featured Route For Independence Pass

Twin Cracks 5.8  CO : Independence Pass : Grotto Wall

Crux is at the top of the two parallel cracks under a roof to traverse right (crux), then pull onto a face onto a ledge to bolted anchor P1, Belay. Then up to the top of the Lower Grotto Wall belay P2....[more]   Browse More Classics in CO

Photos of Independence Pass Slideshow

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Independence Pass. Photo by Blitzo.	Autumn color near Aspen. Photo by Blitzo.	Aspens near Aspen. Photo by Blitzo.
Independence Pass. Photo by Blitzo.	Independence Pass. Photo by Blitzo.	Steve on Thindependence, @ the cliff of the same n...
Instant Karma, June 2007.	Steve Mestdagh on Cryogenics, Independence Pass, p...