Why have they closed the Third Elephant Buttress?

Rockfall? We deal with this whenever we go climbing.

Jesus F'ing Christ.

Maybe they haven't pried it loose yet 'cause it'll demolish the pipe?

My bad. We need to divert water for farming in an arid region that can't support 1/3 of the current population because in 30 years we need to be eating beef fed on human feces mixed with abattoir blood so we can feed the 9 billion humans infesting the planet in 2050 (so says the United Nations).

Yay! Let's have more babies! It's our right!

Sorry to spray, but..

So I was out in canyon yesterday and there was a ranger walking around replacing the "No Trespassing" signs because the Third is still closed. I asked what the deal is and she indicated that they needed to bring in a geological survey to see the best way to remove what must be some huge potential rockfall. She said it may open by the end of the summer.

Apparently people have been pulling down the signs. Not that it's necessarily climbers but it should still be said that makes us look like a bunch of jackasses. Not that I'm psyched about the closure but pulling down closure signs in protest isn't going to persuade them to open it.

On another note I did not know the Boulder Open Space rangers carried guns!

They likely carry guns in the open space areas as a result of all the pot grows that have sprung up. That's usually why park rangers carry firearms. Wildlife and the risk of crossing drug traffickers.

Has anyone noticed how shotty the construction of that pipe is... It's a big piece of junk. The supports are balanced on tiny little, wobbly boulders that are set in loose dirt. I wanted to take a friend up to lead the "Pine Tree Route" a few weeks ago and the pipe was covered with signs about trespassing. The signs were very vague and made it look like it was illegal to be on the second buttress as well. We just got out of there. Not worth the risk.

The irrigation pipe at the base of the Elephant Buttresses is owned and maintained by the Silver Lake Ditch and Reservoir Company, which supplies farmers and has water rights dating back to 1887--Boulder was hardly a populated area back then. They grant you the privilege of crossing /using their pipeline to access routes on the buttresses. So lighten up, it's certainly not worth the wierd rantings of a nasty little furry rodent. If their pipe is damaged, then organic farmers in Boulder County can't grow the pesticide free produce that you all buy overpriced at Alfalfas and the Farmers Market...
OSMP rangers carry firearms to mete out swift and sure justice to the scalawag climbers caught drilling bolts and chippin' holds! Watch out!

Eben Daggett wrote:They likely carry guns in the open space areas as a result of all the pot grows that have sprung up. That's usually why park rangers carry firearms. Wildlife and the risk of crossing drug traffickers. Has anyone noticed how shotty the construction of that pipe is... It's a big piece of junk. The supports are balanced on tiny little, wobbly boulders that are set in loose dirt. I wanted to take a friend up to lead the "Pine Tree Route" a few weeks ago and the pipe was covered with signs about trespassing. The signs were very vague and made it look like it was illegal to be on the second buttress as well. We just got out of there. Not worth the risk.

If you don't want to walk on the pipe, you can easily walk along side the pipe on the S side. The pipe is a bit rusty so that's perhaps the best way to go. I didn't find the signs vague as they explicity said not to walk on the pipe. I had a good day on the 2nd Buttress.

Rob.calm

Is the entire portion of Elephant Butress closed, or is it only a certain part of it?
I was wanting to do the Pine Tree Route and The Chimney, but since there are 3 sections to Elephant Butress, I wasn't sure if it was a total closure, or just a certain section?

Nevermind ... I just found the answer to my question by doing a little bit of research.

For those who don't know, it is the standard route of the 3rd buttress that the closure affects.

"Third Elephant Buttress temporarily closed April 20, 2013
The main climb Standard Route of the Third Elephant Buttress is temporarily closed because of a large, unstable rock that needs to be removed. This notice will be removed when the area is open again."

Found here:
bouldercolorado.gov/index.p…

Karl P:

The sign at the entrance to the Elephant Buttresses says that the Third Buttress is closed. No qualification about which routes. Probably best to stay off it.

There are four not three Buttresses. If you plan on doing Pine Tree and Chimney, you might want to consider Flash Dihedral on the first Buttress (much better description here on MP than in any of the guidebooks).

Rob.calm

I haven't been in the area fro a couple of weeks, but whenever I saw the closure signs at the Boulder Creek trail parking area they merely stated that Elephant Butress was closed, and didn't mention any other specifics. They might have made the closure signs more informative since then?
Thanks for the heads-up, as well as the route recommendation.