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Where to climb/find partners end of July?

Original Post
Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Hey all, I have from July 26-August 3 free to climb wherever. I am meeting family in RMNP on the 3rd and am deciding whether to fly out early. My questions:
1) is it easy to get from DIA to any decent climbing area without a car?
2) Where is the easiest place to pick up partners?
3) Weather? Otherwise I'd just hitch to Shelf
4) Anyone here free during that week?

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

Short answer: go to Rifle. Based on your posts here and over at RCTM, I'm assuming that you're looking for sport climbing at ~5.12. Rifle is the best place in CO (and USA in general) for this in the summer. Although they have had a very wet/seepy spring, it should hopefully be dried out by then. The climbing and camping are both excellent, and partners are extremely easy to find. You need a car to get there, unless you can find someone in Denver to go out there with. Flying out a week early and getting a rental car would absolutely be worth it. A week should be enough time to get a taste of the place and adapt (somewhat...) to the style there; I wouldn't recommend less than a week.

To answer some of your other questions:

Jon Frisby wrote: 1) is it easy to get from DIA to any decent climbing area without a car?
Easy? Not really. Possible? Yes. You could catch a bus to Boulder, and then there are various climbing options within walking distance of town, plus you could likely troll for partners on this site to drive from Boulder to other crags. Still, this might be a hassle. Plus, you can't camp easily near Boulder, so you'd need to find someone's couch to sleep on, or shell out for a hotel. In that case, you'd be better off just getting a rental car; this would definitely be worth it and open up a lot more options.

Jon Frisby wrote: 2) Where is the easiest place to pick up partners?
Rifle. There is a lively scene there every summer, and (despite the bad reputation) people are very friendly. The layout of the canyon is such that you can easily roll through and find people to climb with. It is one of the easiest places to find partners that I have visited. You can pretty much just go to the Ruckman Cave/Meat Wall parking in the morning on sit on the bumper of your car, and you will have a climbing partner within a half hour.

You can also find Front Range partners easily through this site. However, I have always found that, when on a climbing trip, it is easier and more reliable to just go to a major area and find partners in-person, instead of doing the online thing.

Jon Frisby wrote: 3) Weather? Otherwise I'd just hitch to Shelf
For sport climbing, Independence Pass is at elevation and is often reasonably cool. Many walls face south, though, so the shade game can be tricky. Devil's Head is high up too and can be nice in the summer; some walls get all day shade. Rifle will be nice in the morning and sweaty but climbable in the afternoon. Due to steepness, the afternoon storms aren't a dealbreaker for many of the walls in Rifle. Shade is easily found at any time of day. Clear Creek and other Front Range foothill crags can be very sweaty, but still climbable with morning shade. The sport climbing on the steep west faces of the flatirons is awesome, and has good shady morning conditions. Shelf will be a furnace.

For bouldering, RMNP and Mt. Evans offer the best conditions, although storms can/will be an issue. Going to that elevation straight from sea level would also be pretty rough.

For trad climbing, the alpine stuff in RMNP and at Evans is best. Lumpy is at elevation, but faces due-fricken-south and bakes. Some of the north/west facing stuff in Eldo can be reasonably nice in the morning.
Sean Brady · · Boulder, Colorado · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 125

Nice beta JCM, have to +1 that.

Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

as always, thanks JCM - will start looking @ rental prices

Mike Robinson · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 251

Sorry to hijack thread, but better here than adding more clutter.

I'll be in Denver for the July 4th weekend and was planning to head down to the S. Platte area. After looking at 11 mile canyon closures, I'm having second thoughts. Any recommendations for moderate multi trad? RMNP/Alpine? Lumpy Ridge? Will be bringing a flyrod, so non-blown rivers would be an added bonus...

Thanks
MR

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
Jon Frisby wrote: July 26-August 3 free to climb wherever
After spending so many words above saying you should go to Rifle, another really good option would be to go to Tensleep. I didn't mention it earlier since it wasn't in CO. It is about 6 hours from DIA, compared to 3.5 to Rifle; still within reasonable driving distance for a 1-week trip. Again, having a car would be mandatory.

If you liked Shelf, you'll love Tensleep. The climbing style is similar but better; at Tensleep the walls are generally taller (in my view, a major improvement), and in places a bit steeper (slightly overhanging instead of dead vert, again an improvement). The temperatures will be a bit cooler than Rifle. Partners will be very easy to find.

Either Rifle or TS would be a good option; it is mainly a question of whether you'd rather climb steep thuggy slopers or vert techy pockets/crimps.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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