Visiting Denver in July
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slim wrote:lumpy in july is usually brutal hot. nothing like grinding up slabby flared cracks that are broiling in the sun. uggh.Yeah, if you were to rotate Lumpy by 180 degrees such that it faced north, it would be a decent summer crag. As it is...high elevation but south facing is a somewhat difficult combination; it often seems like it is either windy/snowing/baltic or you are broiling in the sun. No one else giving a good word for Independence Pass? |
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JCM wrote: Yeah, if you were to rotate Lumpy by 180 degrees such that it faced north, it would be a decent summer crag. As it is...high elevation but south facing is a somewhat difficult combination; it often seems like it is either windy/snowing/baltic or you are broiling in the sun. No one else giving a good word for Independence Pass?Camping is great at Independence Pass too. There are a bunch or "secret" cragging spots along the highway too. I had to use pliers to pull the info about it from the local guide. That's the areas they take clients and wanna keep it hush hush. It's ok. Nice bolted area. Good moderate trads too. They don't know that ares that's why they don't say anything. I spent a summer in Vail while my boyfriend was on a job contract. That's how I know. |
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JCM wrote: Yeah, if you were to rotate Lumpy by 180 degrees such that it faced north, it would be a decent summer crag. As it is...high elevation but south facing is a somewhat difficult combination; it often seems like it is either windy/snowing/baltic or you are broiling in the sun.Or all of the above in the time it takes to climb a few pitches ;) Tony, I'm just kidding. It seems most people in Colorado are either from California, Texas, or the midwest and Texans are worse than the west coast folks :) |
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Golden Gate SP has really good mid summer cragging that's high enough to stay bearably cool. Check Mt. Torodin or the Grendel. Only an hour or so from Denver. |
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What about Staunton? I have not been yet... |
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Tony B wrote:What about Staunton? I have not been yet...Staunton has the worst possible raptor closures, the vast majority of the climbing is closed from Feb-Aug. You should do us all a favor and call them and tell them how you won't be visiting their park while in Colorado due to their RIDICULOUS RAPTOR CLOSURES. mountainproject.com/v/staun… |
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Locals here are pretty spoiled when it comes to heat and humidity - the stuff we call "too hot" may feel fine when coming from the SE. I know when I used to travel from Missouri in the summer, I climbed at Eldo, Lumpy, etc and had a great time. If you decide you want to do a multipitch route at Eldo, get out early and do it before the hottest part of the day. Just don't wait until 2pm to start your Bastille Crack ascent... |
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Tony B wrote:What about Staunton? I have not been yet...Also, much of that escarpment gets a lot of sun. I've only climbed there on cool days in the fall, and it was still quite warm in the sun. I imagine that, despite the moderately high elevation, summertime there might feel pretty hot. |
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Eldo is awesome although it is probably going to be a bit different than what you're used to. It's not a matter of grades being stiff/soft, just than climbing in Eldo is a different style than a lot of places and can feel a bit insecure/scary if you're not used to it. |
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To re-iterate, the Peanuts walls are cool as a cucumber on summer AM's... |
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Thanks everyone for your quick replies! Really appreciate the input. So much to consider. |
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Well..duh! |
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Bill Wa: said duh. Okay, point taken. Out here we have several seasons: Ship Rock season (Summer), Black Fork season(Fall/WInter/Spring), Laurel Knob season (Fall/Winter). Little Wilson (definitely Summer). |
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JCM wrote: No one else giving a good word for Independence Pass?Great place, highly recommend if all of Colorado is on the list; but one of the OP's parameters was near Denver. |
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Near Denver would probably be best |
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Royal flush is a fun casual outing - don't get scared off by the comments on here about route finding. We did it last summer and found the original description to be just fine. |
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Tev wrote: Andy Novak: So what are the seasons?Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. |
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Thought I would add a little more to this, since it sounds like you are going to be here for a little while. If you are based in the south end of the metro area, The UAC is a fun little after-work crag that sees little traffic; which is unusual b/c anything with moderates close to town is SRO. And there is a group of little-known shady routes at Castlewood. Unfortunately they are only topropes for now, but high quality and powerful lines. |
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What about Penitente Canyon, just north of Del Norte? We found a nice getaway cabin near by and were thinking it would fun for a couple of days. From the photos we've seen it may be too hot in July? |
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Tev wrote:What about Penitente Canyon, just north of Del Norte? We found a nice getaway cabin near by and were thinking it would fun for a couple of days. From the photos we've seen it may be too hot in July?Hot! Hot! Hot! |