The Piz Badille is a large formation, some 500' from base to summit, which rises from just above the South St. Vrain River on the Peak-To-Peak Highway. Like a majority of the St Vrain Canyon formations, access is pretty easy right off the road. Unlike the majority, however, the Piz is located off Route 72, a few miles south of the Ironclads, not Route 7.
Named for its resemblance to the Piz Badille in the Alps, the rock was first climbed, and named, by Ray Northcutt in 1954, probably by the Ridge Route. The rock saw a resurgence of interest in the nineties when a number of bolt-protected routes were added to the lower slabs. There is still potential on the upper slabs for long moderate routes as most of the bolt protected routes end on the slab after only one pitch with miles of stone above.
The rock on the Piz is dark gray granite that is very variable in consistency. Most routes follow nice slabs split by intermittent cracks and overlaps, except the Ridge Route which follows a prominent ridge on the north of the formation. The rock quality can be quite good on the slab, but loose areas abound.
To descend from the Summit, scramble down the talus slope along the north edge of the mossy North face of the Piz. The more recent bolt routes have rappel anchors.
Getting There
To get to the Piz from Lyons, take Route 7 up the St. Vrain Canyon to the intersection with Route 72. Take a left (south) and after a few miles, the Piz will dominate the left side of the highway across the St Vrain River.
Access to the base of the Piz is very easy, that is, if you don't mind crossing a no trespassing sign. Park slightly north of the Piz at a turnout with a small bridge crossing the St Vrain River. There is currently a chain and _No Trespassing_ sign on this bridge. Cross at your own risk and head upstream to the base of the Piz. If your karma can't bear the thought of trespassing on the bridge, you can park slightly south of the Piz on Route 72 and cross the river at a shallow area. Expect this crossing to be the crux of your day!
A couple points of clearification: the river in front of the Piz is the Middle St. Vrain, the South St. Vrain flows into this river downstream a couple miles...and George Lamb was also on the first ascent party, although it is unclear about the date and the actual route they chose.
Other comments: This crag is not in the South St. Vrain guidebook! In fact the only guidebook I'm aware of that includes this rock is Gillett's RMNP "Crag Areas" guide. Most routes face NE and are in the shade until about 11AM. It is possible to descend the south side of this rock as well, and there are a number of new sport routes on the steep SW facing (climber's right) side. Hopefully someone will add info on these here. Finally, crossing the stream is probably not a big deal in the Fall.
I used to live in this area. The bridge at the parking area is private. The man who owns it(when I talked with him) said he preferred that people not use the bridge to access the Piz. Also, the rocks across the road are off limits!! He owns that too, and said very plainly that he wanted no one up there.
Has anyone climbed those upper routes on the Piz? From the ground, I can't tell if they are total piles or beautiful routes. I'm going to head up there this month, but it would be nice to know what I am getting into!
There are bolted lines on the Piz. Not sure how many. I saw 2 for sure, a 5.9 and a 5.10. I've done the standard route up the Piz (5.6) from the bottom to top and it's lots of fun. Solid rock and easy slab climbing. You can walk off as well so single 60 m rope is all you need. Highly recommended. Beautiful views of the Indian Peaks from the summit.
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