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Location: CO : South Platte : Wigwam Creek/Lost Creek Wil... : McCurdy Park Tower
By: James Garnett When: Aug 11, 2005 | view comment >> |
Comments: Went back here a week ago and had a few more thoughts about this area---first, definitely don't think too hard about Hubbel's topo. It's seriously confusing... and second, the granite here is *SHARP*. I considered climbing in my belay gloves in a few places. Finally, the reason all the rocks in this area is rounded is because it's a conglomerate of zillions of small granite pebbles that wear evenly and rapidly. Note that last statement: "rapidly." In some places the rottenness of the rock r... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : First Flatiron : Fandango (5.5)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 27, 2005 | view comment >> |
Comments: AC/64.12.117.12:....I don't think that you were on Fandango.....Second, the approach is not a "faint trail": rather, it's well maintained and VERY clear. If you were on granite and approaching from the east side ona faint trail, then you weren't on the first flatiron. Finally, even with a 50m rope, the 6th pitch is on the North Arete---VERY far from "crimpy."Although I'm not a free-soloist, even I drop the rope and simul-free-climb after reaching the arete.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The Wind Tower : Wind Tower - SW Face : The Bomb (5.4)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 26, 2005 | view comment >> |
Comments: No offense Danny, but.... ``May want to consider a helmet?!'' Good GOD---if you're within 100 yards of the Wind Tower without a helmet already on, then you're just asking to die a senseless, random death. This area is a shooting gallery, especially with the hordes of new climbers. Do you REALLY want to be around an area with a bagillion loose rocks and covered with inexperienced climbers w/o a helmet on? No, I didn't think you did.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - Xanadu to Pony... : Duh Dihedral (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 26, 2005 | view comment >> |
Comments: Well, I did say the "crack", William. I suppose that it would be entirely possible to lead this route with RP's, but there are a couple of places where there are some committing moves without protection on the sides (i.e., only in the main crack). If you're okay with that, then go for it: it "is" vertical, so it's not like you're going to deck... but why fall 30' when you need only fall 10'? It's not like it's a ... alpine route---you can afford a few extra grams, if you're leading n... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : Elephant Buttresses : Third Buttress : Standard Route (5.7+)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 16, 2005 | view comment >> |
Comments: The crux on the second pitch is definitely easier for taller people. I lead this route with no difficulty (I'm 6'0"), but my partner on a recent trip (5'3") really struggled, and she leads at a higher grade than I do. As with any roof-ish crux, the key is getting your feet high, but to do that, you must stem wide, and I find myself doing pretty acrobatic splits at this crux.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : South : Shanahan Crag
By: James Garnett When: Jan 26, 2005 | view comment >> |
Comments: What's wrong with the approach beta, AC? It's spot-on. This is a crag that is dear to our (shanahan-lovers') hearts, apparently, because the cairns that occasionally appear are quickly knocked down. Nevertheless, the beta is simple: from the gully between the south & north shanhan crag trails, walk west until you're at the crag: if it's not _totally_ obvious that you've arrived, then you haven't.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : Queen Anne's Head : East Face/Queen Anne's Head (5.4)
By: James Garnett When: Aug 31, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: I followed Rossiter's description for this one, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone else do the same. Make your second belay just *past* the notch. If you follow the pro from there, you'll never find the bolt or a good third belay (it's not south of the overhang). I stayed on the left side of the face, which was definitely fun, but also definitely 5.6 friction. The rappel is a truly amazing photo opportunity for those who go first, if you stop on the slab below instead of descending all the... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : The Dome : East Slab (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: Jul 25, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: George- a couple of easier trade routes in Boulder canyon are the Pine Tree route (3rd Elephant Buttress) and the West Crack (Castle Rock). Both of these are also 5.5, but anyone at their limit on either would feel sandbagged by this one, imho.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - Pony Express t... : Dandi-Line (5.7)
By: James Garnett When: Jul 15, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Come'on, guys, it's not that bad. This is a perfectly enjoyable climb for people breaking into eldo 5.7: it's soft at the grade, has totally bomber protection at the crux, and it's not crowded.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : First Flatiron : Direct Route (5.6 R)
By: James Garnett When: Jun 28, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Joe, yeah, I realized that I was reeling off Eldo routes, but I was a bit stumped when I posted for moderates that felt good for their grade. I suspect, and Leo Paik has suggested to me, that I'm in the minority on this one. That's fair. I think that George has hit the nail on the head, as it were, for a lot of my feelings: extreme popularity. In the summertime, it seems like there are as many people on the Direct Route as there are on the lawn at Chatauqua, many of them with little experie... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : First Flatiron : Direct Route (5.6 R)
By: James Garnett When: Jun 26, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: This is a call to all experienced trad climbers: please comment upon why this is such a great route. Why is it a 3-star climb?! Because, honestly, I still believe that this just BARELY merits 2 stars, and even then, only in winter. I get the feeling that the only people who really lke this one are beginning trad leaders who've done just a few climbs, and those no longer than a few pitches. I grant you all that the first pitch is nice, and the second can be fun if you veer away from the obvio... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The Wind Tower : Wind Tower - SW Face : Tigger (5.5)
By: James Garnett When: Jun 26, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Yeah, pretty darn cool. Like everything else on the wind tower, it's easy to make this a lot harder than its grade, but also a fine line if you stay on route. The varied nature of this climb makes it all worthwhile! Bring your radios if you're unaccustomed to rope signals, though.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : First Flatiron : Zig Zag (5.7)
By: James Garnett When: Jun 23, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: It's possible to go straight up from the first belay and follow Kamikaze Roofs, rejoining at the second belay. This will avoid the traverse directly off the first belay, and the climbing is fun (but easy). If you do this, the crux is definitely the roof---but it probably goes at about 5.6 if you undercling left to surmount it. I've been up this route a couple of times now and feel it to be a bit soft for the grade, at least in comparison to Boulder Canyon or Eldo (but perhaps the Flatirons ar... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : The Bihedral Area : The Riviera : Chouette (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: May 28, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Did this in the morning before work; it's just about right for that kind of climb. Short and unsustained, yes, but with some pleasing moves nonetheless. I'll second (or third?) the notion that Aliens and a few stoppers will do the trick for pro here... wear a helmet, though. People wandering around above you will be knocking stuff down.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - Xanadu to Pony... : Duh Dihedral (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: May 14, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: I really liked this line. Important tip: stay OUT of the offwidth crack! You will be much happier if you do. I arm-barred up most of it on my first lead, but you can lieback and friction off the face for almost the entire thing (and avoid that barr'd pump). Re: descent, the rap bolts are now in place, so it's a no-brainer. I'd say that this route is technically no harder than Washington Irving---and perhaps even easier, from a move-to-move standpoint. However, it's much more sustained: alm... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Eldorado Canyon SP : The West Ridge : West Ridge - Long John to V... : Washington Irving (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: May 8, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Don't need anything bigger than a #2 Camalot here; a full set of nuts and a few tricams would probably suffice.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : South : The Matron : East Ridge (5.5)
By: James Garnett When: Apr 21, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Thanks for clarification, George. My mistake was believing the main route description on this page, compounded by my eyeball assessment that the face in my photo "is probably 5.5." Your version corresponds closely to the route description in Rossiter's guidebook. (These problems make me wonder if a higher level of editorial control on climbingboulder.com might not be a good idea....)
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : Gregory Canyon (including T... : ... : South Ridge (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: Apr 16, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Lichen, lichen, lichen. Blech! Gear is adequate, though; they're only thin where it doesn't matter, anyway.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : South : Seal Rock : East Face South Side (5.4)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 28, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: The belay that I typically use at the top of the second pitch on this one could be the mythical chickenhead: it's a smallish flake above a large one, and it leans back at an angle parallel to the main rock. It looks more chickenheadish than flakish, though. I sling it and then slot a couple of nuts above the sling with a large cam below for opposition. From the second belay I tend to go straight up, in order to avoid the slick dark-red rock, but it gets a bit runout thataways; if you... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : The Dome : East Slab (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 15, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: At the risk of starting a ratings debate, I'm adding a bit on this one. The primary difficulty that beginning leaders have on this rock is not that the moves are hard, but rather that they are not obvious. If you go slowly and pay careful attention to the climb---perhaps in a low-threat situation like following---you'll probably see that each move is quite straightforward, but that there is often only one rest stance at any point. It may be necessary to switch feet to be in the correct positi... more >>
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : Castle Rock : West Face (5.5) : Photo (Copy)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 15, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: The line labelled "5.7+" in the photo above is actually the 5.5 dihedral, if I recall correctly. It's nowhere near 5.7, at any rate.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : North : First Flatiron : Direct Route (5.6 R)
By: James Garnett When: Mar 5, 2004 | view comment >> |
Comments: Okay, I redid this route recently in the winter, and liked it a lot more. Loose powder that had drifted as high as the first eyebolt and showers of ice crackling down from the second belay made the trip memorable, but with nobody else on the route it was much more enjoyable. I would say that this is not a single route, though: more like 20 parallel routes. It's possible to go a little bit to the right on the second pitch and wander into some truly exhilarating (and unprotectable) territory!
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Location: CO : Boulder : Boulder Canyon : The Boulderado : Idle Hands (5.6)
By: James Garnett When: Nov 20, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Very fun route! Leave all the mid- and large-sized gear behind, though. I led this with a half-set of wallnuts, smaller aliens, and one #1 camalot. And that was sewing it up.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : South : Shanahan Crag
By: James Garnett When: Sep 22, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: I've never rappelled off the summit of this rock, but always downclimbed through the notch. That way sucks, though, because you have to scramble back through loose talus. My preferred method of descending now is to do a double-rope rappel from the rap station at the top of Prune Face (slings around a block, backed up with a fixed nut). This is a lot nicer and quicker, and with the rock as close to the trails as it is, it's not too much of a PITA to carry the extra rope.
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Location: CO : Boulder : Flatirons : South : Seal Rock
By: James Garnett When: Sep 14, 2003 | view comment >> |
Comments: Some further info on the primary, 165' rappel from this rock: check out Rossiter's topo to find it. Some of the route descriptions here that describe how to get to the rappel can be deceiving; it is actually below the false summit with all the marine life on it, right on the very north edge of the east face. If you go all the way to the true summit you will have to downclimb and return to the rap station.
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