The Arsenal

Rifle's most popular venue for hauling jugs on a t...

Description 

The Arsenal is a thug's paradise, and with its park-at-the-base of-the-routes approach represents the finest in convenience sport climbing. While seemingly a total pile upon first glance, this enormous cave is actually very solid -- riddled with cracks, pockets and large blocky pinches that make the super-overhanging routes viable in the 5.12-5.13+ grade range. Many of the routes have succumbed to kneebar technology yet all are long and pumpy (The Colinator, the cave's longest and hardest line, has around 18 bolts of 30-35 degree overhanging climbing).

This is a good evening area, though in the summer the air can be a bit still and buggy at this end of the canyon, turning jugs into slopers and kneebars into torture. Nevertheless, this is one of the best "work-out" crags around -- the holds are big, kind, and the in-situ chain link draws make for a totally low-hassle experience.

Must-do's include: Polly-nator (12a), Debaser (12d), Pump-o-rama (12d/13a), Sprayathon (13b/c), Slaggisimo (12c/d) and Pretty Hate Machine (12c).

Getting There 

Drive into Rifle Canyon. The Arsenal is about a mile up from the mouth of the Canyon on the left. You can't miss it. It's the huge cave on the left side of the road with the long-ass chain-link draws hanging from half the routes. Park either in the cave or back down the road at a designated pull-out next to the river (on the right going up canyon).

The Classics

Featured Route For The Arsenal

Pump-O-Rama 5.12d  CO : Rifle Mountain Park : The Arsenal

Pump-o-Rama climbs straight out the imposing middle of the Arsenal and is one of the steepest, longest cave routes in the Canyon. Besides a funky kneebar crux at mid-height, this route is a total jug haul, albeit a very strenuous one at a consistently roofy angle. But the holds are great -- giant underclings, incut rails, slopers, jug huecos and even a crimp or two -- and the climbing stays with you all the way to the anchor.This route can be rec...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO