It Finally Happened. So says the e-mail I received...
Ice Climbing
This canyon is a couple canyons N of Clear Creek Canyon. Why...because sometimes ice climbers get the itch to go scoping for ice in a cold stretch but can't get to real ice.
It is relatively low in altitude. Occasionally, with the right conditions of good snow, freeze/thaw, and cold temps, some bits of ice can form in this canyon. Certainly not a destination area. Probably ignorable for the great majority. Those who like to play in obscure areas may find some fun here. The ice can be scopeable from the road in spots.
It's probably wisest to keep a lower profile until someone can confirm the access situation.
Someone asked. It is probably better as a separate entry than the original entry in Clear Creek Canyon
Getting There
W of Denver, W of Rocky Flats, N of Golden, S of Eldorado Canyon, Coal Creek Canyon lies up CO Hwy 72. Go W from CO Hwy 93. Drive up into the rocky areas where shade & moisture may result in ice formations.
This is a small flow of ice for those seeking solitude, variety without demanding long, imposing lines. On the day we climbed this with David Coray, owner of the Silver Salmon Lodge on the Cook Inlet in AK, he was sampling ice for the first time in training for an attempt on Illiamna, a 10,000 foot Alaskan coastal volcano in the backyard of his lodge. Short, pleasant, close to the road, probably rarely ever climbed, it could be easily ignored by the great majority of ice climbers. Maybe bette...[more]Browse More Classics in CO
Beware that much of the land along Highway 72 is privately owned although it may appear to be uninhabited. There is a patchwork of Open Space in some area that can best be discerned from Jeffco Open Space's web site.
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