Hully Gully 

This is on PRIVATE PROPERTY. Please remove this route from the database.

I stand corrected. The following is from Pete G.

Hi Brett,

I am in complete agreement with you about posting climbs on private property, particularly when they are expressly out of bounds, and where the land owner has had people prosecuted for tresspass.

That being said, it is no longer the case at Hully Gully. Three years ago, Rick Gieman, in one of his last efforts before retiring from Colorado Springs Park & Rec Dept., was able to secure an easment for CS Park and Rec. from the Hills, who own Seven Falls, allowing ice climber access to Hully Gully from the Old Stage Road. This easement does not include Ramona Falls, which is still off-limits. The No Parking signs are relics of the previous closure. If the closure were still in place, the Sheriffs Office would be ticketing the cars that are always parked there, and waiting for the perps to emerge from the forest, just like they used to do.

Again, I agree with you a bout private property - I have scolded several people about posting the Ute Pass bouldering area on this site. Hope this clarifies things for you.

Pete Gallagher
Manitou Springs

So, it looks like this route is going to be OK to post. Is there a consensus then about how to describe it, as in should real directions be shared that would be helpful to a user of this site or should they remain as they are?

I didn't post mileage for that specific reason, but it is not a secret as to where this climb lies. When I was down climbing Hully Gully on Tuesday, there was a cat who rapped in and rope soloed the left side as we were climbing on the right. The route is cool but not to make the trip on a weekly basis to the Springs. It would be One thing if there were multiple lines, but this is not the case. There are access issues at other climbing areas as well. It's funny how climbers can be. If this were on private property, why would the company, "summit guides", I believe, do a show on Comcast where the took some cat in there to climb? As soon as I watched it and know the ice that is and around Colorado Springs, I figured it was Hully Hully. I'm sure if I lived in the Springs and wanted to swing tools during the week, that is where I would go.

As much as it disappoints me to see more traffic there I guess it was going to happen and of course it is public access as Pete said. I personally spent two days trudging through that area after hearing about it and after only getting a "it's along Old Stage Road" for approach notes. Let's keep with that. If people really want to climb the best ice in the area, they can at least put some effort into finding it. It's not that hard if you break out a topo and use some common sense. As an aside, there is high potential here for taking a big chunk of ice in the head when there is more than one party on the ice and with four parties (not uncommon), it becomes down right dangerous. If you show up to a crowd, don't risk others safety with too much pressure just come back later or wait on the side.

Oooops. Heard about HG on SuperTopo and gave "Stich" what, in retrospect, after I thought about it, was a poor approach description. Basically referenced Old Stage Road. In total agreement with the published approach philosophy.
Thinking I should get up there Sunday, just for old times' sake and because it's so good for so close to home. Hope I can remember the way.
BTW, in keeping with the aforementioned approach philosophy, there is in Castlewood Canyon a more often than not formed up 60' pitch of WI4 or so that is not obvious to find but worth the search that, based on the tracks over the years, has rarely if ever been climbed by anyone other than my bros or myself. You can see a bit of it from one trail if you look in the right place. We always called it "The Turgid Penetrator."
Yeah, I know that is much ado about not much. But it is kind of off the beaten path when it comes to ice, and when you stumble around the corner and see it for the first time it's kind of like an adventure, only smaller.
Know what I mean?

WTF!!!! Very sad to see this posted. Now that it is, there may need to be a little protocol to deal with increasing crowds. I firmly believe that both pitches should be lead only. It is too dangerous to be blindly throwing ropes off the top of either pitch. If you want to toprope, Silver Cascade is a safer option.

A fun pitch or so of WI 4 and a good lead for someone breaking into that grade. You can check conditions by hiking up the Mt Cutler trail which is a nice little hike. Just look over at Old Stage Rd and if HG is in you can't miss it.

I agree that it would be responsible to only lead here as there really is only room for one party at a time to safely climb this thing.

That being said, climbers will be climbers, so beware!

Phil,
I don't think that you have to much to worry about. The route is okay if you are in the area. By no means is it a destination climbing area like Vail, Ouray, Cody. I was in the neighborhood, and a friend in the springs wanted to swing some tools. The springers are safe from having there two ice climbing areas over run by hordes of people swinging picks into the little ice that is in and around C/S.

Kevin, I'm not sure where you got that I think CS is a "destination ice climbing area," but if you visited here, you probably noticed that we have nearly a million people living in El Paso County. Over crowding at Hully Gully has been an issue already before this was posted and will likely increase now, especially on weekends. This has been the site of at least one fatality, but with proper use (i.e. lead only) we may prevent more accidents.

I could not possibly agree more that this needs to be removed.

I ran into a situation like this, years ago, where I wanted to post directions to a really awesome bouldering area in another state I was living in at the time. I was not a local to the area and for the life of me I could not understand why the hell the place was kept so secret. 10 minutes after saying I was going to put the directions on the site, I got emails, phone calls and more pleading to me not to do so. At the time, I still could not understand what the big deal was, I mean, the place was public and lots of people knew about it.

You know when I finally understood? The day my buddy took me to the Hully Gully. It was at night, after work, and it was “thin but in”. After climbing this thing with headlamps, learning of its history and getting to appreciate some quality “town ice”, I finally understood and pledged never to give too much info away about this. I have since climbed this flow dozens of times and I have always appreciated that of all the times I have been in that gully, I have only ever seen one other party and I have never had to wait in line. Ever been to Silver Cascade on a Saturday? Good luck with that.

I never did post the directions, which probably saved me some past and future friendships (and an asswhoopin’), and I am glad I didn’t.

This isn't like when Brett posted pictures of The Phantom. That thing only forms up like once a decade and isn't exactly the easiest or safest route, so people are not going to be lining up for that. This instance, in my opinion, is a little different. There will always be areas that are posted online and in guidebooks, and there will always be areas that are NOT posted online and take a little adventurousness and resourcefulness to find. Isn't that part of the game? I was blown away the first time I stood at the base of it, my first year ice climbing, to see such an awesome route right in town. I always used to tell people that you can see it from the Mt. Cutler trail. Isn't that enough? I mean, it isn't like us springs locals are preventing people from knowing it's location or refusing to go climb it with an out of towner, but does it really have to be advertised?

Think... what good is actually coming from this?

Some areas are supposed to be kept a little secret, public land or not. Again, it is part of the game.

Remove this shit.

Also, for what it is worth, I think 3+ is a bit of a sandbag. The gully, in my opinion, is the DEFINITION of WI4.

-Mack

I say show don't tell rules should apply. Too late I reckon but it would certainly keep traffic down.

Couldn't agree more Pete. I spent three weeks looking for this thing the first time. For those of us who have business leading back country, this is a great place to kick around. As for setting up top, well it's sketch at best unless done correctly. Would hate to see another accident take place which is bound to happen with this post. The activities of the canyon are frightening enough.

BTW, have never seen a crowd while climbing in the dark.