This area has access issues. Please read the note available on the Vail Ice page.
BETA PHOTO: Dave Gilmore works the crux - 14Jan07 - Firehouse ...
Description
Vail’s Firehouse area is another popular destination offering several climbs from the same approach trail. While the climbs here are shorter and less spectacular than the Designator Area, these climbs offer sustained steep sport-ice climbing on fat water ice or rock as fine as anywhere in the state.
Getting There
Take I-70 West out of Denver to Vail Ski Area. Exit on Exit# and follow residential roads to a dead-end. Park here on the right side of the road clear of the fire hydrant (marked by a flag). Parking here is at will of the residents so be very respectful of private property and leave plenty of room for the residents to access their houses. Parking in the Vail area is already highly restricted. The availability of access to these climbs rests with the behavior of the climbing community. Don’t spoil it for everyone. Continue along a trail parallel to the cliff for a few hundred yards. Follow a steep gully a couple hundred feet directly up to the obvious ice above, Lowe Gravity Day. To get to FireHouse Pillar, move left on a narrow trail around the arête, past an overhung bulge to the ice.
Parking
Eds. Apparently, there may have been a change in the parking situation as of 2008. Please be aware. Anyone with better information is welcome to help update this situation.
Firehouse Pillar forms a wide sustained steep curtain of ice ~70 feet high. The climb is wide enough to accommodate several parties, with varied terrain across the width of the curtain. Because of the many route variations, I believe a range of grades is more accurate than the WI4 rating listed in the Roberts book. The left hand side forms into a vertical chandelled pillar. The middle forms a smoother, less steep ~80 degree curtain. The right sid...[more]
Climbed Pumphouse falls with Ben Schultz on 12/10. Solid WI3 to 3+. Middle section was pretty wet but held screws well, some mixed possibilities to the far left and right. Somebody has fixed webbing and rap rings to the tree at top-thanks!
By Leo Paik Administrator From: Westminster, Colorado Jan 21, 2002
1/19/02 Firehouse/Timber Falls area: Left of left pillar touches down with a cone, very chandeliered, and pretty brittle. Not sure it will take pro but it is vertical. There's a 2000 lb block that fell off not too long ago and a 400 lb mini pillar that fell off with a tool swing in the center. Right of right touches down in 2 spots now.
Climbed Firehouse Left (right, center, & left) on Saturday 2/28/4. Suprisingly the whole area was still in pretty sweet shape. Left of left pillar was a hook fest; I didn't have to swing once. Got stuck in West Vail on my way home to New Castle because of a pile up on I-70; stopped in at "Bullcrabs" right at the exit; happy hour boasts $2 dollar pints, 50cent oysters on the half shell, & buckets of steamed shrimp and crawdads. An unusual after ice feast that I highly recommend...
As usual, the climbing was fun out here 2 weeks ago but what I have to boast about was the descent off of the cliff. We slid on our butts ALL the way down to the base of the trail. It was like an amusement park ride, The Firehouse Alpine Slide. What a kick!
FYI; As of last weekend, two friends of mine received parking tickets at the trailhead parking for the climbs. I myself have always parked in that same spot for the past 5 years while climbing there, as well as other local guides and visitors. I never noticed anyone of us blocking access to the apparent vacation home cul-de-sac. I wonder if the owner complained or something, or the annoying vail PD are just getting more aggro.
Firehouse Area
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