This is a 1981 photo of Curt Shannon on the "Littl...
Description
The first rock an out of breath climber encounters upon reaching the East Rampart is the Flatiron, a perfect little boulder reminiscent of its much larger counterparts in Colorado. Two parallel cracks spill down from the top, and the difficulty of the problem lies in attaining these cracks. Easier variations exist on both sides. One hard variation uses only the right crack. Climb this problem on a busy summer weekend, and be prepared to feel like an animal in a zoo.
I hesitate to list this as a "chipped route" despite the rumors that Gill deliberately broke a loose flake out of the upper pocket in the right crack. Gill was bad ass, and it seems unclear why he would chip an already large hold on the easier upper part of the problem. Does anyone know if the rumor is true?
Thw well-researched "Stone Crusade," by John Sherman, says: "...the most famous Gill problem is the Flatiron, the route he chipped and lived to forget..."
Gill is quoted in the book about enlarging a hold on the flatiron. It was not a fabrication of Sherman's. Sherman is very anti-chipping, etc (and if you have read anything he has authored it is obvious) but I don't feel he included it to disrespect Gill in anyway. In the quote Gill speaks of his regret, how it never occured again and why. It may have been included in the book as a fact of history and to show Gill's (the father of modern bouldering) stance on chipping holds to educate climbers of today. I bouldered with Sherman at the lake and had beers at the good old Dale (RIP) - he is definately a character and a very talented writer but not an idiot (IMHO).
Out-of-line comment, perhaps. Still, I'm sick and tired of climbers and their attitudes (in general). I'm against chipping as well, but I'm really tired of the constant mud-slinging or belittling of one's activity. You know, trad is better than sport, this person did this or didn't do that, it wasn't a "valid" redpoint. Who cares? Only morons actually care about this stuff. Just shut up and climb, I say. So, I'll remove my remark about Sherman, promptly.
Yo man, settle down. I including info about the chipped hold in the description of the Flatiron simply to add to the historical record of that boulder problem. There was no "mud slinging" going on. The fact: Gill chipped the hold, and he admitted to it. There has been no ethical, moral, or other judgements based on this fact. Whether or not you agree with Sherman seems a very peripheral issue.
Gill's such a powerhouse that he probably modified lots of holds just by grabbing them.Whether or not the route hase a modified hold doesn't detract from the fact that the route is absolutely incredible. I'll be damned if I can do that problem yet!!! I can't believe how many times i've stopped there and tried it.
this is a stellar boulder problem by john gill,he admits to chipping it ,but so what,its still killer,also consider the year he was doing it.the right hand variation is a bit harder( v ? rating)we use to get pretty jacked here and do it in our tennies.
Flew in from New England to see my parents and decided to take a day and do some bouldering at Devils Lake. In particular to attempt "The Flat Iron". I had been to Devils Lake before when I was young but I wasn't a climber back then so I hardly noticed the properties of quartzite. I knew I was in for something special when I my hiking boots lacked to find friction on some of the stones going up the staircase to the problem. When I finally reached the problem out of breath (yeah, and I thought I was in shape) I instantly wished I had brought a pad or a spotter. Conditions were perfect. 40-45 degrees and low humdity. Not a soul in sight ( weekday ). I felt physically in the best shape to date. After two hours I was happy about the fact that I hadn't seen anyone. I managed to make it to the first vertical crack hold a grand total of 3 times but was unable no matter what I tried to get my foot on the killer foothold ( I got close once ). I humbly put my hiking boots back on with very sore fingers and went in search of easier problems. What a great problem, I look forward to coming back and giving it another try. I never did see another boulderer that day.
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