Horsetooth Reservoir

This site suggests Bob Horan's bouldering guidebook. It sucks! Get Phillip Benningfield Colorado Bouldering guide instead. Or there was a cover story on Horsetooth in Climbing magazine in the late 90s (cover photo is someone on Pinch Overhang). It has a mini-guide in it.

Yes I would have to agree with Adam. That guide book is really bad. The on I would get is the Colorado Bouldering book, that thing is great for horsetooth.

Due to reconstruction of the dams on the resevoir, traditional access to horsetooth has been closed off for an undertermined amount of time. Tried to go up there a month ago and couldnt access the boulders. Anybody know of alternate access to the good areas while this construction is underway?

As the A.C. noted there is a long term contruction project on all of Horsetooth's dams. Detailed comments on two ways to hike to Rotary are mentioned by Alan and Adam's comments in the Rotary's area description. You can still drive up between the Spring Canyon and Dixon dams and park at the road just above the N end of Spring Canyon dam to access Piano Boulder and Duncan's Ridge - just be very aware of the fenced off construction area. The Torture Chamber Ridge is closed.

I'm a former Fort Fun resident. Is it true that the Tropics have been demolished? If this is true, I'm majorly bummed. I spent a number of happy afternoons there in grad school.

Yes the tropics are gone. I miss them too, especially for the endurance sessions. If we are ever allowed to climb in the area again it looks like all that is left is a ridge of blasted slabs. I don't think that the 'powerhouse rock' has been touched.

What I've heard about the dam's being opening is that they are going to re-open in August of 2003. Until they open it you can either park on the street by the parking lot for Hughs Stadium and walk through the field and up... or park in the neighborhood just northwest of Prospect and Overland Trail and follow a trail up the hill that way.

I heard that the dam to get to Rotary will not open til December. I hope this is not true and I'm not sure.

Does anyone know anything about Aurther's Rock? I can't find beta for it anywhere.

RE HORAN BOOK SUCKING

Guys,

The modern guide is quite nice. Very complete description of the rock and problems that people have established. Bouldering on rock with a road map to problems other people have established, complete with grades and beta, isn't exactly adventure. Its about just wanting to send the hardest problem and know exactly how hard it was so that one can relate this conquest to others.

Some people prefer to approach the rock without knowing such specific things. Without an overly specific guide, they are free to create their own lines. This provides extreme challenges to the faith and epxressive powers of the boulderer. Establishing a hard boulder problem on improbable and unknown rock is a very challenging endeavor, physically emotionally and mentally.

These guides represent two completely different mindsets towards bouldering. They both suck in the eyes of people from the other mindset. The lone zen boulder apostle will despise the modern guide and the punk v10-er will hate the old guide that wastes afternoons will little accumulation of vermin pointage.

I used to boulder at horsetooth, before the modern guide provided the epxlicit list of problems. We, the guys and gals I bouldered with while I lived there, had our own set of problems that we forged, partly our own creations where we thought none had previously been, and partly trying to repeat lines we had only hear vague descriptions of, mysterious echoes from the past. One of the raddest things was meeting someone who had bouldered there long before and having them give you a tour to "their" horsetooth. Inevitably they would show you a whole different set of problems on the exact same stone as you and your buddies had established your own. I'm afraid that the presence of an explicit guidebook listing is only a sample of one generations lines. And, worse, it makes it very difficult for new climbers to approach the stone, thinking they are the first, with a sense of creativity and adventure. This is a bummer.

I hope I see some of you out at horsetooth some day and you'll show me some new problems.

Live long and find some stone of your own, Chad.

I heard that there are some plans for the city of Fort Collins to enact a fee to climb at rotary park. I guess our tax money isn't good enough for those who see an opportunity to make a profit. Fight the man.

Yeah, 6 bucks to get into the park (rotary park) each time is ridiculous. They want you to pay $65 for a year pass! It is not even a state park! There is so much better climbing at Horsetooth, and best of all, it's FREE!!!! (i.e. torture chamber, piano ridge, duncan's ridge)

Actually, Piano Ridge is CLOSED !!. It's part of an Open Space area (open for what I don't know but it's closed to all "off-trail" use including climbing.

I was climbing around on mental block yesterday and i found something on the back. does anybody know what i'm talking about? if so what is it.

BZD ... unless it's a wallet or a very expensive camera, why don't you just leave it there. Picking up someone's stuff they accidentally left behind is not cool. You know, most people come back for things that they leave behind (sunglasses/chalkbag/shoes/keys/etc.)

Just cause someone forgets something does not make it booty. A post on cb.com that ends up in the side comments for Horsetooth is unlikely to be read by more than a handful of us who regularly read the recent comments. cb.com is purportedly perused by 3% or less of front range climbers. I suspect it's much less.

I'm aware the law is on your side in this matter, but do a better job of alerting the person who lost whatever it is if you are going to bother to pick it up and take it home. Post signs at Horsetooth and Fort Collins gyms giving the time and date of your booty grab if you are going to pick it up and take it home.

Bad karma dude.

AC - Get a clue and READ the post by BZD.

All he said was that he found something and asked if anybody knew what it was.

Your self righteous dissertation of things legal, moral and ethical would have had more impact if you had actually read his post before jumping on that keyboard of yours.

If BZD found something of value and took it with him, it appears that he is trying to find the rightful owner by asking for a description.

Bad post dude.

AC- I didn't an item, I found a climb. It starts really low on a small edge. Then you go to a side pull, then to another side pull and out to a sloper, and that as far as I could get, but it looks like there's some finising moves, but I'm not strong enough to do it yet. Sorry about the confusion. Peace out.

Looks like a large variety of climbs in and around the area. Hope to visit up there in the near future.

Lately, someone has decided to garden the landing of Mental Block, removing two large stones that are crucial in preventing further erosion of the landing area. I have spent several minutes moving these rocks back into place with my friends on several occasions but, when I return they are simply moved again. With the increased amount of young climbers entering the sport (myself included) I figured we all should realize that removing rocks from the landings of other people's problems (especially classics like Mental Block) is not only disrespectful to every other climber but is also leaving an impact. To those who moved the rocks at Mental Block; if you are worried about the landing, take the 15 minutes you would need to clear the rocks and set up a top rope!