Help! I want to solo a flatiron but i dont have the betas!

So after just seeing that post of someone needing to bail midroute on the first flatiron, how hard is the climbing? And is the challege more the route finding? Is being guided up the way to go or can a competent, 5.12 climber solo this thing no prob? Im going to visit family at the end of the month and the last time i was in colorado i wanted to solo a flatiron but got rained out the day i was going to solo.. Any info or beta would be great, thanks!

Is this a legit questions? Or are you just picking at someone’s misadventure? Or?

Bill Lawry wrote: Is this a legit questions? Or are you just picking at someone’s misadventure? Or?

Nope im dead serious.. wanted some good beta to get me up and down safely from one of the flatirons. Are they walk offs? Do i need to down climb? But no, not poking fun at anyones’ epic.

Skye Swoboda-Colberg wrote: Mountain project also has a route guide!

Im thinking of climbing up Baker’s Way and down climbing the Southwest Face on the 1st flatiron. Im just concerned about the route finding.. is it easy to get lost up there? The descriptions are pretty good but sounds like it can be a little confusing.. it’s pretty chill yeah?

So there is no walk off , off the first... some do the 100 foot 5.2ish downclimb but its steep and you gotta know where your going. Its spmewhere on the otherside of the rap rings like if you were rapping down, over to the right.

That said be dumb to solo a 1000 foot face then fall on a 100foot downclimb. I just brought my rope in a backpack.

The climbing is super easy. The face is very low angle maybe 60 degrees. Its alotta legs. A 5.10 climber should have no problem onsight solo .

The easiest ways are like bakers way and east face gulley route. I did the east face gulley route and its fun and easy and therea onptions to go different ways...some spots are super exposed and the rock is still 1000 feet tall. These routes start to the right of the direct route. One of the 1st pulloffs to the rock off the trail as these are the routes all the way on the right side of the 1st iron. Theres a wooden bridge going from the trail to the rock and then there are wooden steps going up to the right.

Keep in mind when you start this way, at the top you have to do a ridge traverse super far to the left to get all the way to the left top side of the iron where the rap rings are. This is super fun and easy but super exposed.... 1000 feet in the air... be safe!

P.s. i did car to car in 2 hours flat. 

S2k 4life wrote: So there is no walk off , off the first... some do the 100 foot 5.2ish downclimb but its steep and you gotta know where your going. Its spmewhere on the otherside of the rap rings like if you were rapping down, over to the right.

That said be dumb to solo a 1000 foot face then fall on a 100foot downclimb. I just brought my rope in a backpack.

The climbing is super easy. The face is very low angle maybe 60 degrees. Its alotta legs. A 5.10 climber should have no problem onsight solo .

The easiest ways are like bakers way and east face gulley route. I did the east face gulley route and its fun and easy and therea onptions to go different ways...some spots are super exposed and the rock is still 1000 feet tall. These routes start to the right of the direct route. One of the 1st pulloffs to the rock off the trail as these are the routes all the way on the right side of the 1st iron. Theres a wooden bridge going from the trail to the rock and then there are wooden steps going up to the right.

Keep in mind when you start this way, at the top you have to do a ridge traverse super far to the left to get all the way to the left top side of the iron where the rap rings are. This is super fun and easy but super exposed.... 1000 feet in the air... be safe!

P.s. i did car to car in 2 hours flat.

Thank you!! Do you suggest rapping from the top to the bottom or down climbing down to that 100’ steep section?

With never been up there and not much free solo exp. Id say bring a rope and rap down. Safest bet. The whole thing is very chill. The 3 routes i did on it all went pretty straight up. Its easy to take the path of least resistance bc its all over the place.

On a nice weekend, you can probably see a few people solo Freeway on the 2nd Flatiron. I heard people climb that route wearing hiking shoes. I did that same route last year. Pretty mellow climb.

When i soloed the 1st, i saw many other ppl soloing. Atleast 3 others just in that time frame...positive atleast two of them had tennis shoes or not climbing shoes...seems like the locals litterally run up these things for excercise lile some people drink coffee in the mornong

It’s pretty straight forward... walk up to the bottom face, locate the line of chalk in the middle and follow it until you reach the summit. From the summit, locate the line of chalk that descends the steep west face for four or five moves then traverses a ledge to the south face with steep but easy moves all the way to the ground. That said, you should totally hire a guide and give him or her a fat tip! Have fun but don’t sacrifice safety for style. 

Tim must b a guide
Its funny bc if on a rope you really dont need any chalk to climb this... that said when i was on solo you can bet i brought the chalk bag

The standard route on the First Flatiron was put up by a 15 year old.

Albeit a climbing prodigy of a 15 year old.

I'd find a partner, rope up with or solo, to show you the nuances of the route you wanna do. I'm not a bold climber, and my ex girlfriend led many of the flatiron routes I wanted to do, before I solo'd them later. She climbs about as hard as you do now (I'm nowhere close), but doesn't solo much in the Flatirons, because she's not comfortable with it.

I've guided my housemate up three of the five numbered flatirons in the course of a few months, and we just did all five numbered flatirons in the same day, all solo, and with no problems. Everyone's different (I was certainly impressed).

I guess a lot of it is a head game.

Sometimes, the most dangerous things on these routes are other people doing the most batshit crazy bullshit you've even seen and calling it, "safe climbing". I have nightmares of other people falling on me while soloing. I've helped rescue people who have flubbed up even the rappel off the back. It's a weird, crowded place, sometimes.

Route finding can be a little tricky in a couple spots. But if you’re good at spotting the little things that indicate where most people have been, it’s not too bad. It also helps to be willing and able to feel out sections and backtrack if need be.

Send me a PM when you’re in town and if I’m available, I’m happy to climb it with you. If I’m not available, it probably won’t be hard to find someone else. The end of September has great climbing temps on the front range.

Chris Hatzai wrote:

Nope im dead serious.. wanted some good beta to get me up and down safely from one of the flatirons. Are they walk offs? Do i need to down climb? But no, not poking fun at anyones’ epic.

Fair enough, of course.  And lots of good posts here it seems. 

My buddy and I have done the 1st 5 times. Four of them were roped with 2 or 3 other people. Once we solo'd it, car to car in 3hrs. We brought a rope and did the rappel, of course we are from Florida and climb outside 3-4 days at a stretch only 3 or 4 times a year.  Theres no shame in rapping as far as I'm concerned. 

I've lost count of how many times I soloed the First. I only climbed it once with the rope (after soloing it at least 15-20 times) and it was way harder and way scarier with the rope.  The rope pulls you off balance, your rack just dangles around your legs getting in the way due to the slabby nature of the route.

In general, yes, the crux is routefinding.  The first pitch has about 15' of slick friction moves and a short traverse near the top. And the 3rd pitch has another slick friction move right off the belay. Those 2 sections are the only place you even really "need" climbing shoes. The entire rest of the climb can be done in approach shoes by even a beginner climber.  Of course, it only takes 1 scary move to shut you down (or god forbid send you tumbling down the face).  If you are planning on soloing the First(or any of the flatirons), it's far better to be an ultra well-rounded and level-headed 5.8 trad climber than a 5.12 sport climber with limited multipitch experience, if you get my drift. There is no "hard" climbing, you just need to be confident out all by yourself on a 1000' face and have the mental ability to stay calm and sort yourself out no matter what happens.

Regarding descent, I recommend rapelling for your first time.  The downclimb is easy, but wildly exposed and can be a little hard to find the right path down.  Either take a lightweight rope in your pack, or at the very least, go on a weekend and wear a harness with an ATC so you can hitch a ride down on someone else's rope.  You can inspect the entire downclimb from rappel so you are better prepared for the next time.

Jon H wrote: I've lost count of how many times I soloed the First. I only climbed it once with the rope (after soloing it at least 15-20 times) and it was way harder and way scarier with the rope.  The rope pulls you off balance, your rack just dangles around your legs getting in the way due to the slabby nature of the route.

In general, yes, the crux is routefinding.  The first pitch has about 15' of slick friction moves and a short traverse near the top. And the 3rd pitch has another slick friction move right off the belay. Those 2 sections are the only place you even really "need" climbing shoes. The entire rest of the climb can be done in approach shoes by even a beginner climber.  Of course, it only takes 1 scary move to shut you down (or god forbid send you tumbling down the face).  If you are planning on soloing the First(or any of the flatirons), it's far better to be an ultra well-rounded and level-headed 5.8 trad climber than a 5.12 sport climber with limited multipitch experience, if you get my drift. There is no "hard" climbing, you just need to be confident out all by yourself on a 1000' face and have the mental ability to stay calm and sort yourself out no matter what happens.

Regarding descent, I recommend rapelling for your first time.  The downclimb is easy, but wildly exposed and can be a little hard to find the right path down.  Either take a lightweight rope in your pack, or at the very least, go on a weekend and wear a harness with an ATC so you can hitch a ride down on someone else's rope.  You can inspect the entire downclimb from rappel so you are better prepared for the next time.

Thanks for the awesome beta!

the third is more fun and an easier onsight solo :P get it brother, (1st or 3rd) just make sure you have the headspace right

What’s the worst that can happen?

how many incompetent 5.12 climbers are there I wonder

Brian Goeringer wrote: the third is more fun and an easier onsight solo :P get it brother, (1st or 3rd) just make sure you have the headspace right

Hmm the 2nd has the walk off and is 5.0? You suggest the 3rd? Is there a trail i can walk off from the top on the 3rd? And ya feel totally solid on easy slab terrain..