One day in boulder 3/27

Hi, I'll be in town for work and have the day off.

Driving in from Denver airport late morning.

If you had 1 afternoon, what would you do?

Hike? Boulder?

Thanks for your ideas!

Drink at Avery. :o)

Oh and climb a flatiron (respecting the closures of course)

Definitely going to hit Avery!

First Flatiron a reasonable solo?

Lots of people solo the first but occasionally people fall too. The second flatiron is a safer bet for an on-sight solo. (Disclaimer: I don't know you and I definitely don't recommend solo climbing anything)

Direct route (5.6) on the 1st is reasonable if you're super solid on friction slab. Fortunately the crux is the first 30 feet. But, there's some heady moves towards the summit ridge, and the downclimb has some routefinding, so you'll want to be a super comfortable soloist, or have someone to show you the way.

Freeway(5.0) on the 2nd flatiron is a super casual solo, if the start of the 1st flatiron seems a little much. And the diving board is fun to jump from.

Lots of other fun, very solo-able 5.0 options in the flatirons, too.

If you can find a partner, go to Eldo!

Brent Kelly wrote:Direct route (5.6) on the 1st is reasonable if you're super solid on friction slab. Fortunately the crux is the first 30 feet. But, there's some heady moves towards the summit ridge, and the downclimb has some routefinding, so you'll want to be a super comfortable soloist, or have someone to show you the way.

In addition, it's very easy to get off-route and end up in 5.6 territory in the middle. Def recommend the 2nd. Really fun and easy.

tks wrote:Definitely going to hit Avery! First Flatiron a reasonable solo?

The Direct East Face?
Rarely a great idea unless you routinely solo at that grade all over the place. It's done regularly in approach shoes, in less than an hour car-to-car, but not necessary by someone first try.

There are easier routes than the DEF on it though - Baker's Way, Atalanta, etc... much easier.

I echo Tony's comment. Don't solo the Flatirons unless you have someone to show you the way. Alternatively, bouldering at Flagstaff mountain is pretty cool, because the views are lovely and the approach is nil. You could do a nice hike in Eldorado Canyon, and give yourself an agenda for a subsequent visit. You could hike/solo the Quartzite Ridge in Eldo. It's truly a scramble and pretty fun. You can always exit to the east if it's not your cup of tea.

I recommend finding a partner thru MP for Eldorado Canyon as others mentioned. If they climb there they will have a rope & gear. Just bring your personal items (shoes, harness, belay device) and a pack & help lug the rope or gear up the approach. It is 30-ish min from Denver and then you have someone to chat with, no fear of getting off route soloing into harder territory. People are always looking for partners.

Btw to the ppl who brought up soloing the flatirons, what route /flatiron is this? Saw five people (guy almost eclipsed by girl with giant pack) soloing this weekend when walking the chataqua bluebell/baird trail, but not yet to ski jump trail.

Hi Anna,

That's freeway on the second, I believe. Super fun and short 5.0 solo

Kevin Lowe wrote:Hi Anna, That's freeway on the second, I believe. Super fun and short 5.0 solo

yeah that's FW. FYI though if you get off route you can take it from the 5.0-5.6 range and get into dangerous territory near the boxcar. Quite a few people solo up and get stuck because they went too far left and didn't take the exit onto the trail.

Another consideration in soloing the First Flatiron is that you'll need to carry a 60m rope for the rappel, unless you have good beta and great route-finding skills for the super-scary downclimb.

Also, a flatiron may take the better part of what's left of the day once you get to Boulder...unless, again, you're tops at route-finding. Better option: find a partner here on MP and hit up Boulder Canyon (sport and trad).

Scott McMahon wrote: yeah that's FW. FYI though if you get off route you can take it from the 5.0-5.6 range and get into dangerous territory near the boxcar. Quite a few people solo up and get stuck because they went too far left and didn't take the exit onto the trail.

I am lucky enough not to have encountered that while running up, but a good warning, I guess

Kevin Lowe wrote: I am lucky enough not to have encountered that while running up, but a good warning, I guess

lol one of them was my friend. He got into the 5.10 range and had to get rescued. Another was last year off a ledge.

Crazy kids.

tks:

We got 4-5" of snow here in Boulder over the last couple of days so outdoor climbing will be on the wet and icy side on Monday. The Spot has good indoor bouldering though ;-)

David I think he's looking at visiting on March 27.

Doh! Failed reading comprehension...

J Marsella wrote:David I think he's looking at visiting on March 27.

March 23rd, 2016. Foot and a half of wet wet snow.

dailycamera.com/boulder-wea…

Freeway on the 2nd FlatIron would probably be your best bet. You could do it easily in approach shoes. No need to carry a rope. Routefinding is minimal. Step off the trail at the bottom. Step onto the trail as you top out. A tiny bit tricky at the top, but do a little research and you'll be fine. Or, you can probably ask one of the people running past you in tennis shoes for directions if you get lost.