With the blistering summer setting in, the search for a cool shady to spot to climb rises up in the agenda, and Keystone offers one good solution to the relentless heat in the Front Range. While Keystone is not a great "destination spot" overall, it does offer a reasonable range of sport climbs at 10,000 ft elevation and as cool as one is likely to find one hour from Denver. The crags at Keystone are South facing but get good shade for part of the day nonetheless. The rock is alpine granite, quite solid overall, and bolted sport climbs range from 5.9/5.10 to middle 5.12. Several years ago all of the old anchors and tree belays were replaced by double bolt lowering stations, however, some these are cold shuts and should be checked for wear. N.B.: if you top rope, do it through your own draws. All of the routes on the main crags can be done with a 60 meter rope, and while the bulk of the climbing consists of bolted sport routes, there are some cracks also available. The hump up the hill is not too strenuous and when combined with the scenic venue is well worth a day's visit. There are at least a couple of routes with enough chatacter that they should not be missed.
Getting There
Keystone crags lie just a couple of miles East of Keystone (the town) on the South flank of Porcupine Peak. The most expedient approach is to drive to Dillon and take 6th avenue East to Keystone. After the last shops in town continue East - as though you were headed to A-Basin. A sharp right turn on to Colo 5 will snake you beside the Keystone lodges. Stay on 5 for approximately 1.5 miles and park in a dirt pullout on the left side of the road. Crags will have been visible from the moment you pass the lodges, and the creek will be nearby and on the right. The key is to find the pullout on the left as you head East. If you come to the FR260 fork then you have gone too far. There will be a short embankment at the pullout and room for six or eight cars. Pick up a trail through the woods, on top of the embankment. This will take you up hill for 10 minutes or less to a short talus field and the trail will continue through the woods for another 5 minutes after leaving the talus field. Along the way you will pass a large boulder with two bolted lines on it and the main crag is just a bit ahead. Route numbering starts on the right and sweeps left along the crag.
A nice place to spend a weekend. There's a few trad climbs and decent bouldering, so don't forget a light rack and a bouldering pad. Most of the routes can be toproped, just scamble to the top of the boulders. You can also camp for free (illegally?), but there's no facilities. Filter water from the stream.
There is a guide book for this small area. High Country Crags by Scott Astaldi and Mike Gruber. It was printed in '93 so the newer routes are not in it. I will try to give a brief description of the new routes that I know of:
Haus Rock is a large boulder about 5 minutes up the trail and it has routes from 5.7 to 5.13. The steep side has the hard routes on it, and I think the guide shows all of these as projects.
I am not sure of all the grades or names, but #3 in the guide is CRYSTAL BALL and it goes at 12d. Some call it 12a or 12b.
The easiest route on this side is the right most route on the wall, and it goes at about 5.9+ and it has 5 or 6 bolts on it. You reach the rock by the right fork on the main trail. Someone wrote "You reach the rock by the LEFT fork on the main trail. There is a small cairn - you head slightly up and across a small talus field. If you reach a boulder with 2 bolted lines on it you have missed the fork/cairn and gone too far up the main trail.." The west side of Haus has 3 short rotes on it.
Number 3 in the guide goes at 10b, and it is identified by its webbing anchor and prominent roof that it climbs.
The next route to the left is called THROWIN' THE DROOL AGAIN, and it was put up by PAT and AZENDA THOMPSON IN THE SPRING OF 2000. It has 5 bolts and goes at 11a.
The next route to the left is called Little Haus and it was put up by the Thompsons. It has four bolts and it goes at 10b.
The north (slab) side of Haus has the best concentration of easy routes. I will describe them from right to left.
The first route is called LITTLE SQUIRT and it is another THOMPSON route. It has 3 bolts and it goes at 5.7.
The next route is called THEY CALL ME SHORTY, it is also a Thompson route. It has 4 bolts and it goes at 5.8.
The next route to the left is a 5.11a/b with 6 bolts on it. I do not know the name of this route, but it is excellent.
The next route is a 10d/11a and it has 6 bolts on it. It is also quite good, it is called the SPINE and it was put up by M. MOORE?
The next route is probably the best 5.8 in the county. It is called FEET DO NOT FAIL ME NOW, and it has 8 bolts on it.
The next route not in the guide is called Lichen this, and it is also a THOMPSON route. It goes at 9+ straight over the bulge or 5.8 to the left and it has 7 bolts.
The next route is also fun, and it has a hard start so I give it 5.10. It has 5 bolts, and I do not know FA information on it.
Then, last and least there is a 5.9 top rope at the far right end of the wall.
The HUMMINGBIRD BOULDERS can be reached via the right fork on the main trail. They all have new anchors on top unless some jerk has taken them again. Please leave anchors in place I cannot afford to keep replacing them.
Also, HUMMINGBIRD BOULDER #2 used to have a short but nice route on it, but someone removed the entire route. I asked around but no one was man enough to fess up to it so be careful with new route activity, because it seems as if some of the locals are still stuck in 70s.
The ALPENGLOW WALL is a 15 minute walk up the hill and it is reached via the right fork leading to the Hummingbirds. I think all the routes are in the guide.
The best route there is Chockstone Arete and it is excellent! The first moves on this route are sort of hard, so a stick clip might be nice.
50 yards to the left of Alpenglow is the SATELLITE WALL and it has 3 routes on it. From right to left, they go at 11d ,11d and 11a? These routes are excellent for the 5.11 leader.
There is another crag called the MORNING GLORY WALL up the road and across the river from the 'zuma areas I just described. It is in the guidebook. There are a couple of new routes there and a couple of descent trad lines. I will describe the routes from right to left.
I have not found #3 and 2 in the guide book, but #1 in the guide is a fun trad lead, rack up to a # 3 cam.
The next route left is called MY NEMESIS a.k.a THE WORLD'S HARDEST 10d. I think it goes at about 11c, but I have not redpointed it yet. It was put up by the Thompsons and it has 6 bolts.
The next route is called Butt Licker, and it is also a Thompson route. It goes at about 5.8. It is actually a mixed route that has 4 bolts and small to medium stoppers and TCUs.
The next route is called Changed Man, and it goes at mid 11, if you stay right on the bolts or at about 5.10 A0 for me.
And just to the left of this route is an old trad line that goes at about 5.8. The first piece of gear is in very dubious rock (read rotten), so I use the first 3 bolts of Changed Man and then start placing the gear and it goes up to the same anchors for changed man. Changed Man has 8 bolts on it.
Well, there you have it. Come on up to the cool country, and enjoy a little summer cragging in good ole Summit County. Also, Swan Mountain boulders has some really fun shady bouldering. This area is also in the guide book for directions. If you boulder here, be very, very cautious as the rock is quite chossy but still lots o' fun.
Patrick, why don't you log on the rocks, set up a verbal or pictorial topo for them and get the routes logged in to their appropriate rock? In 1995/1996 I worked with some other lads to add a few FAs and clean up the anchors and would be glad to chip in two cents worth as needed. richard
Just a quick note on this area - the grades seem inflated. John Sore, Lance Hadfield, and I (Matty O) put up a lot of these routes in the mid 90s, and the ratings seemed to have crept up, which only concerns me, b/c it might deter folks from heading up there. I would knock 2 letter grades off all these ratings. That would make them jive with Eldo, the Flatirons, and older Boulder Canyon sport routes. Great place to get out of the heat for sure!!
Sorry for the wrong information on the climb called Butt Licker at the Morning Glory Wall. It is actually a mixed route that has 4 bolts and small to medium stoppers and TCUs. Also, Richard thanks for the advice. I will post the information correctly, as soon as I can find the time.
Great after work climbing area for the Summit County local.The approach to all the walls gives for a nice warm up. Watch for some loose rock on the south side of Haus Rock. One softball sized rock fell from right side nearly fitting me in the head. Bring DEET, the skeeters are big and hungry.
The name of this area should be listed as Montezuma area to avoid confusion. It is refered to by this name in all guide books of the area. All areas are accessible by Montezuma Rd which is the exit after Keystone but before heading up the hill to A-Basin and Loveland Pass.
MONTEZUMA, or "Zuma" as the local dudes and dudettes call it - be cool, call it Zuma. Easy approach and easy to find crags. Some fun climbs, mostly bolted, and well - Haus has some seriously hard routes (12+ to 14. . . ). Summit County Guide (2nd ed.) shows a newer place called "THE SHIRE". It's a shit approach (developer didn't spend 1/2 a second on the trail) with distant I-70 traffic noise (though not bad), and there are only 3 routes (still). Per the 2nd edition guide, route #1 is 10c, feels like sustained 10a/b, and is dirty, but the moves are nice; route #3 is 10a, feels like 10a XX due to the fact that the top two hangers are missing and the fall from the top would beat you something serious. ALSO, the route setter must be on crack, or new, being that the one (and only) belay hanger wasn't even showing threads flush to the nut, AND it is cockeyed as a Siamese. . . Route #2 is just plain death unless you can run 30' on solid 11 with dirty rock; #3 is a nice run, though a bit dirty (I happen to like it that way), and well worth the climbing, but not worth the approach. Whomever is developing needs to be a bit more considerate and responsible - BTY, the FA in this area is the author of the guide. . . not too impressive. . . but then, if you read the guide, with the bad misspellings and typo's and serious consistency issues, you'd understand the connection. Sorry author/developer, but you can do a lot better than that!
If camping, don't filter water from the stream. I have heard it's full of heavy metals from the old mines above Montezuma.
By courtney.vogt From: Frisco, Colorado Jan 18, 2007
Yes, the Snake is quite polluted. A project was started to clean up the area this past summer (2006), but don't count on being able to drink it! It is possible to hike up the river all the way past some really cool old mines and such to Montezuma, and it's an awesome walk if you find that the rock is still wet from rain that fell days beforehand (which happens too often in Summit County).
Keystone a.k.a. Montezuma
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