Boulder Canyon opens today at 5 pm!

topher donahue wrote:While some seem to want to argue over bolt placements, here's the real issue: Front Range climbing terrain never was stable. Now they've closed it all, and from BCC news it sounds like they're sending "experts" to decide what should be open or closed. Well, those experts are about to see a shiteload of loose rock, most of which was probably loose before the flood. Get over the bolting issue for a few minutes and focus on the real issue. Send a note to the BCC telling them to please educate the "experts" that it is up to individual climbers, hikers, hunters, drivers, partiers, fishermen, birdwatchers, deer, eagles and sheep to avoid knocking loose rock down the mountain, same as it has always been. If we don't make some noise here we might just lose access to some really good crags for a really long time. 99% of the area is as safe (or unsafe) for climbing as it's always been, yet is still closed - and now the most managed climbing area in the world is waiting for managers (many of whom are on furlough) to declare it safe when it never was safe - see the issue? (Hint: it's not the bolts.)

Hi Topher.

Boulder Canyon now seems to be open all on the South side according to their own maps on the USFS site. I hope that comes as good news. As soon as the rangers return to work from furlough, the BCC will be working on them hard about the North side.

Second issue: I hope you do not really think that the team is going to suggest closures based on normal conditions, or really, at all? (???)
The OSMP has agreed with the FCC, who is the officially assembled group who represents climbers with respect to Flatirons access (not the BCC) to assemble a team of people who have spent years in the flatirons and climbed almost all of, if not all of, the crags there. It is my understanding, that their charter is to go look at the climbing access trails to assess what can be opened (right now). Admittedly, I didt broker the deal and my understnading is presently limited. But I know that OSMP/FCC brokered this deal to switch the default from "closed" to "open" on this stuff, because the OSMP isn't going to get around to it soon otherwise. I think we are all hoping that virtually everything can open. I think we are all hoping that the city will agree. But frankly, the OSMP people don't even know where all of the access points are and don't have the bandwidth to go figure it out in short order. Deferring to climbers is a big win.
If you want to raise a ruckus about why this would be needed, please direct it to the proper people, the OSMP, not the BCC. I am not going to do that myself at this point because there is a meeting tomorrow that should help illuminate the situation much better.
For my own part, I am entering into this on good faith. If it doesn't work out the way it is hoped to, then you can bet that the FCC and the BCC will be pushing very hard, and using the public to do so, to correct the situation.

If this is something that someone such as yourself feels very energetic about, the BCC has an open board position and would welcome you to come to a meeting and consider if you'd like to contribute in this sort of discussion at that level. We can always use the help and the energy. Really, that invitation goes for anyone.
I am not on the FCC, so I don;t speak for them, but I imagine they would welcome more help at this point too.

CJC wrote: A call to the BCC or FCC is fine but seems a little like preaching to the choir.

Amen.

CJC wrote: If we could present a unified front with all the interest groups you listed we'd have a stronger voice. It's hard to believe but the people we need to convince aren't even allowed to work right now making the situation worse. We need to send the message that we can be responsible for our own safety and that this flood event, while calamitous, isn't reason to close the whole forest down.

Well, there are a few land holders/managers involved. The following are my personal takes on it, educated by some degree by my involvement in the dealing here:
OSMP: They have this gig that starts tomorrow - let's see what a week buys us. We just got this agreement and we'd love not to poison it yet. After the flooding stuff is done, we have some 'legacy' issues that need settled (IE Boudler Falls, Bummers Rock, etc)
County: They couldn't even access their own land or get equipment up there for a while (IE Castle) but are making noise about opening stuff up this weekend. I should get an update tomorrow from Andy and Fletcher, and I send it out to the trail volunteers list with the list of trail work opportunities we've got lined up.
USFS: Well, no holding it against them - they are not in the office. And that's up to congress. You can vote all of the current people in office out and send a message there. No party lines from me. When we have a CR (still not a budget) we'll see what they do and what we can do about that, but meanwhile, we're talking to empty offices.
JeffCo: Not too terribly effected by the floods, but open either way. Really, I just wanted to give a shout out to the folks there who have recently come to be very climber friendly and are now trying to improve access to popular and new crags. The world needs some good news sometimes, right? Anyway, if anybody wants to help get the new trails in at Staunton and make a positive difference in climbing access while Boulder is 1/2 closed, please consider pitching in at Staunton on Oct 19th.

Topher, all of us volunteer "experts" will be hearing from OSMP on how this survey/assessemnt will work tonight so things are going forward. I will report back on what I learn as soon as I can. My impression from going up to the Satellites is that fears of radically destabilized boulders and formations are overblown.

I heard that the north side crags are closed. Is this true? Not such a great thing in Winter.

Tony B wrote:Anyway, if anybody wants to help get the new trails in at Staunton and make a positive difference in climbing access while Boulder is 1/2 closed, please consider pitching in at Staunton on Oct 19th.

Thanks for that Tony! If anyone is interested in participating please contact me, our access for the project will be different than the standard trailhead access so I need to know who is coming.

Enough about that, back to the discussion at hand.

Peter Beal wrote:Topher, all of us volunteer "experts" will be hearing from OSMP on how this survey/assessemnt will work tonight so things are going forward. I will report back on what I learn as soon as I can. My impression from going up to the Satellites is that fears of radically destabilized boulders and formations are overblown.

+1 was just up there on the way to the 3rd last Sunday.
Things are not looking so bad from what I saw. Had to cross one new gully/stream, but save for that... no big deal.

Stich wrote:I heard that the north side crags are closed. Is this true? Not such a great thing in Winter.

It is true - of the land that the USFS owns. My post just 2 above yours covers that topic.
However, the USFS does not own all of that land.

For all I know it had more to do with road crews and worries about that as it did with other things. But we shall see.

Went up Boulder canyon and climbed at Castle Rock today on the west side. Everything looked fine. I think in a short period of time climbers will confi rm that there isn't really that much damage to the land unless it is very steep. But climber trails are usually steep, so there may be a few trail changes. Blanket closures won't last long or be tolerated is my guess. Climb on.

I was up at Easter Rock and Animal World this week. Both are just fine and solid or chossy (depending on whether you're a glass is half full or half empty kinda person) as ever.

The trails were a little loose, but not terrible. Just pay a little extra attention while hiking in and out.

Anyone know if the Dome is open?

Vincent K. posted this on the Dome page and Boulder Canyon page:

As of this morning, the access trail to The Dome/etc. is closed. We went over the bridge a bit and saw that the trail is pretty washed away.

JCM wrote:Any word on the possibility of the reopening of NFS land on the north side of BoCan now that we again have a (mal)functioning government?

The USFS told the BCC that they would communicate with us some time today on the status. Check the website at:
boulderclimbingcommunity.ne…
later today for updates.

According to the BCC website all Boulder Canyon climbing that is not OSMP-managed is now open

Peter Beal wrote:According to the BCC website all Boulder Canyon climbing that is not OSMP-managed is now open

The BCC is in direct communication with the USFS.
Ergo... well, time to go climb something.

RE: The Dome Area

Boulder County has re-opened the pedestrian bridge to allow climbing access. The Dome and Elephant Buttresses are now open. The Standard Route (5.7) on the Third Elephant Buttress is closed due to a large, loose flake.

Boulder Falls Trail winter closure is in effect through May 1.