New Bouldering Opportunities on I-70 in Glenwood

You think if I showed up with a truck they’d let me take that big one home? I have a friend with a truck.

As far as alternate routes, heading south from Gypsum there are dirt roads to El Jebel/Basalt that have permanent residents that I've driven in the shoulder months...the question is if the plows go all the way through or if you'll hit a dead end after 20 miles. See if the guy at the Stop N Shop gas station knows anything: (970) 524-7655‎. If it works, it would save a ton of time.

EDIT: Found out I'm wrong on this one: vaildaily.com/article/20100…;ParentProfile=1062

agreed! and the traffic control person said NO to my request to check out the new problems on the highway canyon boulder this afternoon

camhead wrote:Damn, wish I still lived out West. I predict a week at Indian Creek free of infesting Coloradguys; how often does that happen?

Wow, what a bummer:

Woman killed by rockfall on I70 detour

CDOT seems to have put an end to any bouldering activity rather abruptly, but if you hurry there's still some good trundling to be had:
summitdaily.com/article/201…;ParentProfile=1055.

I was talking to a long time Colorado resident about this today, he claimed that before the Interstate was built through Glenwood Canyon, rockfall was just not a major issue on US 6 where it went through the canyon. Is this just selective memory on his part, or could all the blasting and excavating that was done to build the road have destabilized the slopes on either side? And could the same have happened on I-70 through upper Clear Creek Canyon, and US 6 through lower Clear Creek Canyon? I'm thinking of I-70 from Georgetown to Silver Plume or Baker, and US 6 where they re-routed the road and eliminated a few tunnels back in the late '90s. Any geologists or civil engineers care to comment?

JLP wrote: It's all those damn sport climbers and their bolts.

+1

Hwy 50 may not be the best bet for going west. The thread re: Penitente Canyon conditions suggest winter conditions--and if it's snowy in the San Luis Valley, you can bet the mountains just west of there are not going to be fun to drive through.

When we go to UT, we generally cross on 160, through Alamosa (either 25 to Walsenburg and 160 over La Vita Pass, or 285 down through the San Luis, which is slower but prettier). Take 666 north of Cortez and it takes you over to Monticello, which is about 20 minutes (I think) south of Indian Creek. Maybe a bit more, but not much.

I commuted through Glenwood Canyon for years and it really isn't a problem when the traffic is re-routed to one lane EB and one lane WB. Probably adds less than 5 minutes to the commute. There was a rockfall in the same spot and the same magnitude; it took months to fix the holes in the bridge. But traffic was only slowed a little.

The real problem happens when it gets down to one lane for both EB/WB. This occasionaly happens when they are working on the cleanup and repairs. Still it only adds 30 mins. and is preferable to the 3 hour detour.

1 lane in each direction is now open

TKrosbakken wrote:how long will it be only one lane in each dirrection?

For hours and hours...

It seems to me that they could have designed I-70 a bit differently to avoid most of the major rockfall. Maybe just by raising the highway another few hundred feet or so and by centering it more in the canyon in most places. There had to be a better way than just putting it under overhanging rock walls. My friend says not to blame the engineers because they had to design it the cheapest way possible. So in the end, they are much worse than Toyota because they knew their would be trouble but figured it wasn't worth the extra cost. =(

Jim Gloeckler wrote:It seems to me that they could have designed I-70 a bit differently to avoid most of the major rockfall. Maybe just by raising the highway another few hundred feet or so and by centering it more in the canyon in most places. There had to be a better way than just putting it under overhanging rock walls. My friend says not to blame the engineers because they had to design it the cheapest way possible. So in the end, they are much worse than Toyota because they knew their would be trouble but figured it wasn't worth the extra cost. =(

I actually can't imagine the cost of such a product. It was one of the most expensive sections of interstate ever built. When it was built, I doubt a total construction cost of more than a few billion was really in the cards, since its estimated cost by completion in 1992 was nearly half a billion anyway (having started in 1971, but slowed repeatedly over environmental concerns). Of course, maybe ignoring the environmentalists would've kept the cost down while minimizing rock fall issues.

As I remember, the environmentalists major concern was to preserve the scenery of the drive. As it turns out, it seems that they were not concerned as much for the safety of the public. As for the cost; I think a lot of that was due to the employment of primarily local folks, that wanted to extend the work out for too long. It was great for the Glenwood Springs economy, but not for Colorado. It's a good highway, but it could have been better is all that I'm trying to say.