The Sports Wall

Description 

The Sports Wall is an unlikely looking, but quite fine, West facing crag. It sits a tad back of the tunnel entrance. There are at least three good bolted lines at 5.11 and 5.12 along with several moderate trad lines. For many years, The Sports Wall was frequently a climbers first introduction to Clear Creek, and most came away with the sense that Clear Creek was only for the hard core. While that is no longer true, The Sports Wall does not offer much for the moderate climber but a rather uninteresting 5.6 trad line on the left; lots better trad in Clear Creek. The main bolted lines, however, offer some fine tricky climbing on solid rock.

Getting There 

From the intersection between 93 and 58 head West along Clear Creek. Park immediately after the first tunnel at 3/4 mi. There is very little room for parking, usually no more than a few cars. If things do get crowded, more parking can be had 1/4 mi ahead on the South side of the road. The Sports Wall is accessed from a trail that starts on the South side of the road, just where the guard rail begins.

Featured Route For The Sports Wall

Balkan Dirt Diving 5.12a  CO : Golden : Clear Creek Canyon

Here is another excellent route by the master of excellent routes, Ken Trout. Balkan Dirt Diving begins in the middle of The Sports Wall in a smooth yellow plate bounded by a corner on the right.Balkan Dirt Diving, like Generation Gap, delivers its crux right away. A thin seam move and a pair of clips leads quickly to a tricky traverse straight right into a shallow, left facing corner. Hitting the corner dusts the crux at 5.12a. Chase a few bolts...[more]