Climbing harder grades on the front range co

Looking to jump from 5.6-5.7 leads to 5.8-5.9. I have been leading 8s and mock leading 9s at table mountain because I can stand at the bottom and know what to expect. Just wondering we're I should climb next after I am comfy with the harder grade at table mt. I know lots of places get sandbaged hard and some places are just funky or hard to protect. So we're is the most straight forward climbing?

Eldo

I have lead some easy stuff on the wind tower but there is a lot of warnings on the more classics of new leaders getting in a bind. I'm not exactly a new leader just don't know why there are so many who get themselfs in trouble up there. Don't want to join that crowed.

Boulder canyon is a good place to climb

a great skill a trad climber should have is the ability to down climb. If you got up it, you can climb down it. You should also be able to look up and see what available protection there is in the next 10' or so. These two things combined probably account for a large percentage of people getting over there heads at Eldo, that and people lead 5.8 or 5.9 somewhere else (table mtn for example) and then jump on a 5.8 or 5.9 and find it's a different style of climbing that feels more difficult.

Table mountain is probably most closely related to Eldo, but Eldo is 100 times better IMO. Boulder canyon feels nothing like it. Some of the climbing at Eldo is straight forward but a lot of it isn't, "straight forward" is also pretty subjective. Just because you lead 5.9 at table doesn't mean you're going to be able to do it somewhere else, IMO especially the 5.9 grade at Eldo. Figure out where you want to climb and lead 5.6 and 5.7 there, then when you're comfortable starting pushing it with the ability to down climb and you'll be a lot less stressed. When I first moved here I was leading 5.9 trad and 5.11 sport at red river gorge, I jumped on Calypso (5.6) and almost had a melt down.

There is so much beta on the internet, none of the climbing you're looking to do should feel like an adventure if you don't want it to. Calypso is very polished and doesn't offer the ability to place gear anywhere you want like a lot of climbs at the grade. The only part of bastille crack that I would say could be at all tricky is the first 30', and if you climb high and place gear in the crack before you step across there is no reason for it to have any ground falls or be dangerous at all. The rest of the route can be sewn up as much as you want.

I actually climbed it today, and had someone tell me part of the flake broke off between this year and last year as we were racking up. If you're on here and reading this I'd have to say after climbing it today you're wrong. Flake is same as it always was. After today I've probably climbed bastille crack half a dozen times in the last 3 years. Didn't feel any different.

Thanks for the advise. NickinCO I have found myself down climbing before as a natural instinct I just always saw it as (if I was down climbing I am in over my head). It is interesting to me how it does not matter how many routs I climb at the grade I am comfortable at IE. 5.7 in boulder, 5.7 in Lyons, 5.6 in Eldo, 5.8 at table, that next jump is as hard mentally as my first leading experience.

sounds like you're getting in your own head. Maybe stop worrying about grades so much. The west ridge in eldo as a lot of single pitch stuff from 5.6 to 5.9 that you can experiment with. Washington Irving (5.6) as a warm up, Mescaline (5.7) , Dandi-line (5.7) , 1st pitch of break on through (5.8), chianti (5.8+), The unsaid (5.9-), Sister morphine (easy 5.9), 1st pitch of pony express (5.9)

All protect well, that should get you started at Eldo.

I lead Washington Irving, and fallowed Chianti, both with no problem. Your probably right about getting the grades out of my head. Thanks for the list might be just what I needed.

NickinCO would you be interested in climbing with me sometime? I will be gone the next 2 weeks but then I am home for 2 weeks. Always looking to climb with someone who has more experience than me. I would even love to tag along if your going with someone else if nothing more than throwing a belay and learning some new tricks.

sure, message sent.

I was semi-kidding about Eldo as it is for the most part not that straight forward and has some tricky gear. Then again it is also totally awesome once you get the vibe. There are plenty of awesome routes in the lower grades to cut your teeth on as well. Calypso, Wind Ridge, Bastille, Rewritten, etc. All fun and under 5.8.

Also most of those are pretty safe if you know what you're doing gear placement wise. You can sew up the crux of Bastille if you feel like it. Calypso you have a minor run to your first piece but its like 5.2 slab. The gear is bomber the rest of the way.

The start of Calypso is not "mildly" runout if you do the direct start and it is certainly NOT 5.2. Just sayin'.

Count Chockula wrote:The start of Calypso is not "mildly" runout if you do the direct start and it is certainly NOT 5.2. Just sayin'.