Where to live in CO

Trying to be unbiased, the front range has a ton of climbing! But only about 1/3rd of routes would be developed if they were anywhere other than the front range (due to poor quality of the other 2/3rd. There are a ton of people going for said routes as well....even on a Tuesday. If you are a mon-fri 9-5 job type of person, the front range will get frustrating as you will always be competing for snow or rock with the other 9-5ers. Is it a cool place to live? Certainly! I spent many yrs in Boulder but moved a year ago due to everyone in the country moving to the front range.

Ok, Chad, look - when someone asks about the distance from a given town to climbing, it's pretty universally understood that we're talking about driving distance. To say Boulder when you secretly mean Westminster is misleading. To include in your time worst-case scenario traffic, approach, and "finding an open climb" (which has nothing to do with distance by any stretch of the imagination) is both misleading and bizarre. And this 2-star minimum - you can't be talking about guidebook or MP ratings, so are you saying that according to your own personal rating system, nothing in Eldo, the Flatirons, Boulder Canyon, Clear Creek, Lumpy, parts of RMNP, (and more) ranks higher than 1 star for you?

Sounds like you had a bad experience climbing here, and I'm sorry to hear that, but there's no need to hugely exaggerate like this esp. when someone is just looking for honest info.

To the OP - not saying Boulder living doesn't have its downsides, but distance from quality climbing is simply not one of them. Since there is some climbing that's actually IN Boulder, depending where in town you are, you could be 0-20 minutes from climbing in flatirons, eldo, and boulder canyon. Within an hour radius you've easily got a lifetime of climbing. With a variety of quality, difficulty, and styles.

I'm like Tony; I do think the truth is important and some of the opinions expressed here are simply silly.

I live in N. Boulder, and at any time on any day I can get to Eldo in no more than 20 minutes in the very worst possible traffic. I work in S. Boulder, and can literally start my truck, and be in the parking lot in Eldo in 5 minutes.

When Chad Miller speaks of having to accept lower quality routes in order to get the time down to a reasonable level, he doesn't know what he's talking about. I've climbed at your crags around GJ, and every single one of them including Unaweep is a pile compared to Eldo. I like some of those crags, but really let's be truthful.

It wouldn't take me as long as he is suggesting it takes to get to "2 star routes" around Boulder, to get to Lumpy Ridge. 90 minutes?? Really. . again let's be truthful, and your numbers are ridiculous. Heck, I could probably get from my house in N. Boulder to the base of Mickey Mouse Wall in 90 or so minutes, the vast majority of which would be hiking time.

Then there was the claim that there are other localities better for rock than Boulder. Okay, I challenge anyone to name such a place. Again, I'm not advocating for Boulder so much as the truth. *If* a person can solve the housing dilemma in Boulder, which admittedly is quite a crux, there is no decent sized town or city that has near the quantity of world class rock that is as accessible. If you disagree, then name one. Personally, I'm not sure that such a place exists anywhere in the world.

Lastly, on the very worst days coming back onto the Front Range during ski season, the traffic is not as bad as some of these places mentioned such as Boston or Seattle. Try driving back into Boston from N.H. during rush hour traffic, and you will hit stop-and-go traffic that fills 5 lanes for 50 miles. I would compare driving out of Seattle towards Everett to the worst ski traffic on I-70, and that is during any typical time of day in Seattle. While the distance from Seattle to skiing may be an hour away in theory, in reality with the massive traffic that occurs there every single day during all times of day, I'd like to know which ski area is one hour from Seattle.

I've lived and climbed in Boulder for nearly three decades. While I would not say that it is for everyone, and certainly getting settled here is very challenging due to the cost of housing, there is a reason so many climbers and outdoor types want to be here, and that is because access to outdoor opportunities is as good as it gets. If you want to argue Bishop or S.F. because of access to the East side or Yosemite, I would say let me know how it works out looking for a job in Bishop. Let me know how the drive out of S.F. is on Friday afternoon trying to get to the Valley.

I've traveled to and climbed at many of these areas being discussed, and I enjoy all of them for their uniqueness and quality of experience, including Unaweep. But again, let's at least try to stick a bit more to the facts. If you want to hate on Boulder because you think we're all super-liberal trustafarians (which we're not) go ahead. But the truth is important.

Great write up Brad. I've lived in Boulder for a decade, and despite my bitching I love it here. I can hike or climb before or after work within 15 minutes from NOBO, bike anywhere, MTB etc.

That being said EVERYONE is moving here, and the housing marketing is way out of control.

Brad White wrote:Then there was the claim that there are other localities better for rock than Boulder. Okay, I challenge anyone to name such a place.

St George, Las Vegas, Tahoe, maybe SLC. Probably some spots back east, Chat?

We should just ask JCM, he seems to have climbed everywhere!.

I like Boulder too, but not much, if any, of the local rock is genuinely world class.
I agree with Reboot that many of the local routes would be left unclimbed in a less crowded area.

Didn't sound like the Front Range was the best fit for Danomcq anyway.

How bout Squamish? Way better than Boulder... Well Bearbreeder lives there so...

Chatt would have better rock that Boulder by far, but worse weather in general. Maybe less variety of rock types, but still better rock.

Chad Miller wrote:Sorry for the confusion. As stated later in the thread those times where for : Weekend use Living outside Boulder but in the metro area (I was in the Westminster area) Climbing a good route ( say two star minimum ) Included the time it took to park, hike in and find an open route (not including racking time) I'm quite aware that if you live in Boulder and are willing to climb lesser quality routes your time can be way less.

I saw a your corrections. 1/2 of my climbing is weekend, I live 20-30 min from Boulder (dep on where in Boulder and traffic, of course), and I'm usually on lead in ~45 min and that's on good routes.
Maybe I just avoid the traffic via early starts?
I dunno, but maybe if I was a '4 latte' before climbing guy it could take me 90 min... but in 90 min I could be on route in Lumpy.

I think either your estimations or your competence is just completely off.
At no time of no day of any year that it was climbable did it ever take me a mandatory 90 min to reach a climb in Boulder... and that includes 20+ min just to GET TO Boulder from Longmont (work) or Erie (home).

Mark E Dixon wrote: St George, Las Vegas,

Great in the winter, miserable by mid-June...

Mark E Dixon wrote:Tahoe

Great from mid-spring-Mid fall. Same with Bishop/Mammoth.

I guess you just need an RV!

Tony B wrote: I guess you just need an RV!

Or a vansion, a boat, and a lobotomy. :-)

St. George? Seriously? Tahoe? It's been a long time since I've been there but I really doubt it. SLC is the absolute best for skiing, but I remember the accessible rock being somewhat limited. Vegas would be the closest thing to actually having world class climbing, but good luck running out to Red Rocks after work in July. I climb good-as-it-gets multi pitch trad climbing 5 minutes from work in Boulder.

Hey if you could live and work in Squamish, absolutely do it. That is IF. N. Vancouver might be okay, but I doubt people get to Squamish except for weekends (during the two months of the year it's not raining).

I didn't even mention RMNP in my previous post. I'm going up there tomorrow. One hour drive to the trailhead to a world class alpine area. Some of the icy-mixed routes there might not be as long as the longest in Chamonix, but the quality is comparable. And then when the snow melts, the Diamond, Spearhead, Petit, Saber, not to mention Lumpy Ridge. . no more than one hour of driving from my doorstep?

St George?? Really?

St. George ?????It's mostly crap. The rock in Vegas is great but the town is the pits and the heat is over the top for a good stretch of the year. SLC is a big city with all the assorted problems( does have great skiing though) Now Tahoe is probably in the ball park of a great playground for outdoor types. Chattanooga probably has more rock but as someone pointed out the weather is miserable and the tallest cliffs are ?
As for getting on routes in Eldo you gotta know when to go ,most of the time Eldo is dead. You can get on almost any of the top routes of which there are many.
And yes housing is expensive in Boulder and the front range in general , that's what happens in places that are desirable to live and play in. Oh yeah and weed is legal soooo every one and their grandmother is moving here!
I forgot to mention that we climb all year long here in Eldo.

So, I'm moving to the front range and timed it out:
Golden to base of werk sup, car parked- 17 min.
Golden to mt Evans (tons of unclaimed mixed lines) 40 min
Golden to clear creek - 10 min.

I would advise to stay the hell away from foh co or Greeley. Suburban hell.

Yo dirt squirrel, can you be a little more respectful to ohio and not call it columblows. Im sorry it doesnt have as many fun geological formations but that's not its fault. Doesnt make you liking CO inherently cooler. A place is what you make of it. Even though i did not grow up in ohio i went there for law school and am moving there in sept. Ohio has given me so much- a law degree, a marathon, discovered climbing there cuz i knew no one, a position in biglaw, my fiance.

Ana Tine wrote:Yo dirt squirrel, can you be a little more respectful to ohio and not call it columblows. Im sorry it doesnt have as many fun geological formations but that's not its fault. Doesnt make you liking CO inherently cooler. A place is what you make of it. Even though i did not grow up in ohio i went there for law school and am moving there in sept. Ohio has given me so much- a law degree, a marathon, discovered climbing there cuz i knew no one, a position in biglaw, my fiance.

As I tell every fellow ex-Ohioan I meet here in Colorado, Ohio is a great place to come from, but a horrible place to live.

Ana Tine wrote:Yo dirt squirrel, can you be a little more respectful to ohio and not call it columblows. Im sorry it doesnt have as many fun geological formations but that's not its fault. Doesnt make you liking CO inherently cooler. A place is what you make of it. Even though i did not grow up in ohio i went there for law school and am moving there in sept. Ohio has given me so much- a law degree, a marathon, discovered climbing there cuz i knew no one, a position in biglaw, my fiance.

Ummm, Ohio gave me a degree in anesthesia and my future wife... Still think it blows. :)
TBH, I'm pretty happy to be leaving except for the gourmet junk food scene here.
And lastly in all seriousness, if you're moving to Columbus/clintonville, I know of a really nice apartment that will be for rent this summer. Our landlord is pretty great and I could get you her contact info.

Eric Carlos wrote:Chatt would have better rock that Boulder by far, but worse weather in general. Maybe less variety of rock types, but still better rock.

Is cragging at Twall really even on the same planet as a classic in Eldo or RMNP?

jason.cre wrote: Is cragging at Twall really even on the same planet as a classic in Eldo or RMNP?

Your question statement is fucktarded by design. You can't compare multipitch to single pitch or alpine to cragging. If we look only at the single pitch routes in Eldo then, yes, Twall is much better.

Chatt is too hot and wet though. It's not really compatible with life in my opinion. I don't understand how places like that remain populated.

I'm from PA and would like to move out in a yr or so... was looking at GJ area. I'm a foreman for a building crew and it looks like building jobs are easy to find. Is GJ that bad? Compared to PA? Looks like there's plenty of cool stuff close by. Here, I gotta drive 3 hrs to get to the New or Seneca.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: Your question statement is fucktarded by design. You can't compare multipitch to single pitch or alpine to cragging.

Very nice. So I guess everyone is a fucktard for discussing the climbing merits of different towns. Thanks for that.