Colorado easy Classics

Here is a link to my todos for colorado. As of now we plan on going to the Flatirons, Eldo, and Lumpy Ridge. Any additional suggestions for 5.7's to easy 5.10's TR's and V3 and under boulder problems would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brooks

mountainproject.com/u/kevin…;

J Crack at Lumpy Ridge is a classic 5.9 lead. Lovely friction traverse at the top is fun.

Thanks Woodchuck, that route looks like a lot of fun but a little too sustained and long for me right now, but it'll get added to the list.

I notice that you have almost nothing in Boulder Canyon. I would think that The Owl on the Dome, maybe something on Elephant Buttress and Empor on Cob Rock would fit in to your list quite well.

Thanks, we originally planned on going to BC, but now we're not, that's why I have so little for it.

Rewritten classic 5.7 in eldo!
Recomend the great zot start and arete variation on the 5th pitch.

that is one hell of a to do list. How long are you going to be in colorado?

You said you were looking for top ropes, but i see a lot of the stuff is multipitch or you need to lead something to get to it. eldo and lumpy have very little top rope access without first leading a climb, so take that into account. for TR i would go to boulder canyon. most cliffs have great tr access and plenty of trees or nice bolted anchors.

If i were to only be visiting colorado, i would make sure that rewritten with the zot start was on my tick list. one of my favorite climbs in eldo is Vershiedung, a 5.7 dihedral. only if it were like, 2000 feet longer...

Thanks Grant, we'll be in Boulder 4 days and based on the general vibe of what everyone has said, I am considering replacing Eldo with Boulder. As for lumpy, we plan on meeting up with someone there so I can second Batman and Robin.

YDPL8S wrote:I notice that you have almost nothing in Boulder Canyon. I would think that The Owl on the Dome, maybe something on Elephant Buttress and Empor on Cob Rock would fit in to your list quite well.

I would say skip the Dome. I think the routes on it are mostly considered "classics" because they are within walking distance of downtown. If you have limited time in Colorado, there is much better stuff to do. I agree that Empor is a great climb and worth checking out.

Judging by your list I am going to assume your post meant you want to find climbs 5.7 and under to lead and up to 5.10 to top rope.

For easier leads,as others have suggested, Rewritten in Eldo is a must do. I notice that the 5.7 classic Bastille Crack isn't on your list either.

At Lumpy I would get on Osiris. Also, perhaps a little harder at 5.8, Pear Buttress is a classic. You can skip the first pitch which is a bit scary and run out by scrambling up 4th class rock on the left, and the rest of the climb protects very well.

Get on the Maiden (North Face, 5.6) in the Flatirons.

I don't know of too many top roping areas... lots of people top rope over at Happy Hour in Boulder Canyon, but that certainly isn't a must do... There are some classics you can top rope by leading easier neighboring climbs. For example, lead the first pitch of Over and Out (5.8)in Eldo and toss a TR on Over the Hill (5.10b)... just don't do it on a busy weekend.

Judging by your list I am going to assume your post meant you want to find climbs 5.7 and under to lead and up to 5.10 to top rope. </quote

I unfortunately will not be able to lead anything, I might do some sport climbing, and that is a really big might.

When are you going to be here?

I might be talked into taking you up the bastille.

josh

Kevin Brooks Henry wrote: Judging by your list I am going to assume your post meant you want to find climbs 5.7 and under to lead and up to 5.10 to top rope. </quote I unfortunately will not be able to lead anything, I might do some sport climbing, and that is a really big might.

So I'm confused now...do you have someone to lead for you?? Like the above post says, you're picking all multipitch trad climbs.

Check out Lily Lake near Estes... Lots of good easy sport leads and a little cooler in the summer.

mountainproject.com/v/color…

An Iowa City fella. Nice! I spent 10 years in IC before moving to Estes Park a couple years ago. If you are looking for TR's you may want to check out the book Front Range Topropes. By the way, when is your trip? I think Batman and Robin is closed until the end of July.

La Chaim and Magical Chrome Plated Semi-Automatic Enema Syringe on the Pear in Lumpy are both excellent climbs. You can walk up to the top of the second pitch of both of them, lower your partner and belay from above. You would need a 70m rope to do this.

East Slab on the Dome in Boulder Canyon is another fun climb that can be "top roped" from above by lowering on a 70m rope.

Be sure you are comfortable and safe with lowering before doing this. There have been accidents recently when folks lowered partners with ATCs in autolock mode. Be wary of loose rock when being lowered too, although the three climbs mentioned above are pretty clean.

Dave Swink wrote:La Chaim and Magical Chrome Plated Semi-Automatic Enema Syringe on the Pear in Lumpy are both excellent climbs. You can walk up to the top of the second pitch of both of them, lower your partner and belay from above. You would need a 70m rope to do this. East Slab on the Dome in Boulder Canyon is another fun climb that can be "top roped" from above by lowering on a 70m rope. Be sure you are comfortable and safe with lowering before doing this. There have been accidents recently when folks lowered partners with ATCs in autolock mode. Be wary of loose rock when being lowered too, although the three climbs mentioned above are pretty clean.

I must admit that I don't really think it's a good idea to encourage people to top rope sections of multi-pitch climbs. There's PLENTY of single pitch TR lines to do. IMHO not only is this generally a bad practice, but also dangerous as quite often you can't see what parties have gotten on the climb while you were walking. I'm sure we've all either had ropes thrown down on us or seen it done.

With the increasing number of climbers, accidents and general tom foolery, encouraging best practices is ideal. Can you imagine all the classic lines all being TR from the top? Kind of a gym mentality.

Scott,

Please notice that I did not suggest throwing ropes down two pitches. I was talking about lowering the climber. I have climbed all three of the suggested climbs as a single pitch (on lead).

I did regret making the suggestion after I realized the OP was a very young climber (although a big guy, with impressive climbing pics) since lowering from above requires extra experience.

My luck is sufficient that I have only been hit hard by a thrown rope once but it was not something I want to do again, nor would I want to hit someone.

Do me one better and come up with a three star, one pitch TR for the guy. :-)

@ Goatboywonder, we'll be there in august'

@ Dave, thanks, my grandfather took all of them when I went on my first outdoor climb.

Dave Swink wrote:Scott, Please notice that I did not suggest throwing ropes down two pitches. I was talking about lowering the climber. I have climbed all three of the suggested climbs as a single pitch (on lead). I did regret making the suggestion after I realized the OP was a very young climber (although a big guy, with impressive climbing pics) since lowering from above requires extra experience. My luck is sufficient that I have only been hit hard by a thrown rope once but it was not something I want to do again, nor would I want to hit someone. Do me one better and come up with a three star, one pitch TR for the guy. :-)

Thanks Dave...well I know it's cliche but I recommended the Boulderado to a guy today...yeah it know it's easy, but ya gotta earn those 3 stars!!!

And coming back from Lumpy today, I saw some people in over their head and how dangerous it can be. Just judging by grades has nothing to do with how hard or committing a climb can be. Just something to ponder...hmmmmm....