Boulder Falls approach closed on 3/30/09 MORE INFO >>>
Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks has temporarily closed Boulder Falls due to potentially unsafe conditions in the cliffs above the falls. No date was set for reopening the area.
Boulder Falls was still closed as of 5/19/09.
The only legal access to Lower Dream Canyon during this closure is via Upper Dream Canyon.
Fifty feet right of Lucky Strikes on a south-facing wall is a shallow, overhanging left-facing corner. This is Rama. Climb the corner past three bolts up through a short overhanging finger crack. Gain a ledge and follow a right-facing corner up to a steep face to a two-bolt anchor.
Protection
Three bolts protect the initial corner, small to mid-size gear for the upper section.
I think if you follow the bolts directly up the corner, it's 5.11 but if you climb the obvious easy terrain to the left it's about 10a. This would be a really good moderate pitch except for some fairly thin pro up high. Bring RPs or run it out.
This is certainly one of those routes which tempts with nearby easier ground, but you are still funneled into a steep section past the last bolt where most aspirants will certainly want to place some gear.
The dicey upper section can easily be avoided by doing the soon-to-be-popular "Rama Dreaming" linkup. Power over the aforementioned section, place a good stopper, then shoot out right to the obvious bolt on Lucid Dreaming - it is maybe 5.9 to the chains, and all bolts.
The ground to the left is just too close to be avoided on this route. I don't think you should rate the route by calling this stuff (two feet to the left and never out of arm's reach from the bolts) off limits. That's just too contrived to make sense. So, it's not 5.11. 10a might be a bit low, but a lot closer.
Also, the gear section above the bolts is probably 5.8. I placed two yellow Aliens and a green Alien. I could have placed probably eight Aliens if I had wanted. This isn't dicey or thin. No need for RPs or even stoppers if you don't want them.
Ray's idea to head right looks fun. A bit more rope drag that way, but probably no problem.
This was a fun route, but too short. Cool moves in the dihedral and up the steep section.
Stay in the corner if you want... Move left between the 2nd and 3rd bolt. I've done it both ways now and it doesn't matter how you do this pitch, it's a fine route. Probably my favorite on the crag so far (out of about 9). I'll agree it's a little contrived, and it's a committing clip for the 3rd bolt if you stay in the corner, but, fun either way.
For the gear, no RP's needed. You can plug in the smallest thru the red alien in reverse order (starting with the red); all pretty bomber placements.
One last note about this route: I find it pretty funky to get to the first bolt. If you blow the move and come off before the clip, you and your belayer could end up in the creek (far below) if said belayer isn't anchored in. Might be the same for any route along this sloping ledge but this is the only route I've climbed on this side of the wall. Be careful.
Peter, your first comment above leads one to believe that if you don't have RPs, your only other option is to run it out. Not the case at all. Maybe you don't own Aliens but most of the Front Range climbers I know do own at least a set. Small TCUs, micro-Camalots and small stoppers would probably work fine as well.
By Tony B From: Boulder, CO Jul 23, 2003 rating: 5.10b
The top needs narrow cams or RP's micro-[Camalots] are too wide to fit in the low profile crack up there. I consider myself craft with gear and I had all 4 micros... but I had to run it out. I had a ton of nuts in the crack/flake below though. A ledge-fall maybe, but not a grounder. I guess one has the option of stepping left and clipping bolts on The Scientist to [finish] there.
Gool line, but a little flakey still. Needs some more cleaning down low.
I could have gone [straight] up the corner, but since I was already stemming to the left (might my right shoulder on the right wall) it seems natural that what's in for feet is in for hands, so if someone reaches out there, they'd seem on route to me. The climb felt like 10b.
Totally esthetic climbing, use good footwork straight up the corner past the bolts, then finger jam up the crack - awesome! Went well for me... hard 10? A handfull of small TCU's to Camalot Juniors, or stoppers if you prefer, are ample to protect the rest of this great climb.
By Ben Mottinger Founding Father Dec 8, 2003 rating: 5.10c
I stayed in the corner including the crack at the roof, but still consider it only 10c. Going out left at any point seems off route in a sport climbing sense anyway.
I used a green (smallest) Splitter 2cam for the last section to the anchors. Get some if you still can!
I stayed in the corner and stemmed all the way up. Seemed like one dicey move to get to the last bolt but it wasn't too bad. Above, I used one #1 Camalot and a gray Micro Camalot in the finger crack (.5?) My partner thought it was going to be a clip up and didn't bring any gear. She tied knots in slings and sent.