Quality, Well-Protected Friction slab areas in Colorado and Beyond

Hi Everyone,

Over time, I have come to the realization that I have not yet found many areas with the type of real slab climbing I am looking for that is sufficiently protected, other than South Platte and Vedauwoo. Both of these areas have slab where it gets thin enough where you actually have to trust the feet, and the feet get thin enough where there are not edges and dishes everywhere. I will share the problems I have had with these areas (though I find them to be the best), and other areas, in hopes that others have some other ideas for other good climbing areas. I mostly climb in Colorado, but also interested in any options in Utah, Wyoming, or New Mexico:

Protection: South Platte and Vedauwoo have great slab climbing as described above, but it tends to have very spaced out bolting, especially on climbs at lower difficulty (below 5.10 ish). I have found an exception with the new bolt routes at Bali dome, and some routes at Devil's head, and I will keep climbing wherever I can at South Platte and Vedauwoo, but I am not willing to run it out 20-30 feet until it gets down to 5.6 or so.

Quality: Others have described lots of other slab options to me, but I don't think they are actual slab climbing, even if the angle of the rock may be slabby. For instance, clear creek may be slabby and have a few isolated slab moves, but it is often just a move or two for the crux, and the rest of the climb is super easy. I have heard Boulder canyon recommended, but again, any slab cruxes are short lived, and any slab at the 5.7-5.8 grade is full of face holds that enable you to not use actual slab technique. Even the long run out slab routes in the San Rafael swell (like 1000' of fun) are easier, like 5.6-5.7, and are more like flatiron climbing than actual friction slab technique. And of course people recommend the flatirons, but if it is easy enough to solo, it is definitely not blank enough to work on true slab technique. Any limestone, like Shelf, Lander, etc, I am dubious if it can ever be blank enough to work on real slab technique.

I am sure I am missing some obvious places, so that's where you all come in! Feel free to break apart my current understanding and let me know where the good quality, well-protected friction slab is.

Thanks so much!

Sam

Upper Dream Canyon is some legit damn slabbing with sane bolting. Not sure why it’s not more talked about?? Well-bolted semi-urban glacial-polished over-hyphated 5.9-5.13 slabs with nudist pan fluters serenading you. 

Hey Sam,

There's a ton of places with reasonable bolting in the Platte - venture out beyond what you're immediately finding. Both Buffalo Creek and the Sheeprock/Goose Creek areas have plenty of very kindly bolted, quality slab lines up to 5.12+. There's a lot documented here on MP but feel free to PM me if you want more specific recommendations per your goals.

Friction --

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106911087/fractured-fairytales  Easy and covers lots of ground. Link to charley Don't Surf for one of the best slabby finger/tips cracks around.

  mountainproject.com/route/1… a little harder but well protected. 

Both are shady in the morning. 

The best pure friction climbing I have found is on the Dome in Cathedral Spires but it is kind of exciting. If you make it up Two Jews Blues something like Bishops Jaggers is reasonable. 

Slabby edging/knobby --

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/117922454/keep-on-slabbin-in-the-free-world Offwidth to slab -- new bolts

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105761775/promised-road hard but well protected

Lady Slipper ( Low anchor and bolts were added so this is a very safe lead now)  -- Ramblin Rose (You can rap after the crux pitch to avoid the 9R pitch if you want) 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106142889/lady-slipper 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105890055/ramblin-rose 

Anything on Inferno Slab

Seems Like Tal has done a ton of new routing too. I bet he has some good info on that water streaked slab he posted photos of, looks great! Perhaps he can DM me a topo as well!

the north face of sheep rock / helen's dome has a bunch of multi-pitch slab routes at various grades, and fairly well protected (for slab at least).  a lot of them are really good routes. that's where i would look first. 

Thanks Adam, never heard of Dream Canyon as a slab area. I looked at a few classic 5.9 lines, and couldn't find any very slabby. I won't be going much above that grade for a while. Any areas or lines to recommend?

Thanks Tal, I have heard of Sheeprock and that's on the list. I looked into Buffalo creek, and found a few, mainly Skinner mountain, Long Scraggy, and a couple domes, I'll keep looking.

Thanks Sam. So you think I should do Two Jews Blues before Bishop Jaggers? I had thought other way around due to grades, but I know bolt spacing on Two Jews is way better.

Thanks Slim. I have looked at Helen's dome and heard it recommended before, will definitely try it. Seems like everything recommended here is in the Splatte, except upper Dream, where I am still looking for the slab. Maybe it really is that only Splatte has good slab in Colorado.

Here's a good 10 in BoCan

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105758116/rhodian-shores

Upper Dream has some good slabs but they're all in the 5.11 range I think.

Hey Sam, the spacing on Bishop Jaggers is heads up. There will be places on the second pitch where you don’t see a bolt from where you are and have to quest into a sea of granite. It’s awesome, but it’s a heady lead. I ripped off a crimp (the first one in 200’ haha) in a water streak just before the belay for the 3rd pitch. Luckily I had I just clipped a bolt 5 or so feet below me when I fell. It’s a great route and shouldn’t be missed, but is not beginner friendly.

Check out Sheeprock -Land That Time Forgot in the South Platt:

Many well protected multi-pitch slab climbs.

https://www.mountainproject.com/photo/106790206/topo

Only drawback is a long approach and probably snowed in right now...

I have to chime in and echo Slim and Arlo recommendations for north face of Sheeprock. Shorter route and approach options are Lower and Upper Smoking Sections. Greg Miller has rekindled this area with many fine additions in recent years. Helens/Velcro/Acid is great too, and stick to the newer routes if you want modern bolted spacing. Generally the darker and grey rock has the most features and the lighter colored granite has more true friction slab climbing like you are looking for. 

South St Vrain and other areas near Lyons has some slab climbing too 

Darren Mabe wrote:

Helens/Velcro/Acid is great too, and stick to the newer routes if you want modern bolted spacing.

"Modern Bolt Spacing" is a relative term.  We climbed Knossos and I would consider that modern bolt spacing, especially compared to routes bolted in the 70's/80's.  However, you had to climb where your feet were above the last bolt before you could clip the next bolt. But most falls are clean since there aren't major features to crash into.

The bolt spacing was farther apart on the easier (~5.8 or less) pitches at the top.

On some recently bolted climbs the bolts are so closely spaced you can clip the next one when the last one is at your waist, allowing you to "top rope" on lead.  I'm not complaining (I like closely spaced bolts too!), just pointing out "modern bolt spacing" is a relative term, and has generational differences.

Definitely a spectrum of styles up there Arlo!

Pretty much all of the responses so far are in CO., but there are also good slabbin' options in the other states that you mentioned. In addition to Vedauwoo, in Wyoming, amongst other areas, there is the Sweetwater Granite area and I'm sure that the domes in the Pinedale area on the edges of the Winds have routes that fit your criteria. In Utah, while I haven't climbed there in a long time, I recall some excellent slab climbing in Little Cottonwood--and there is a recent thick guidebook to the area that can likely provide good possibilities. I can't speak to New Mexico, but if you expand your 'search radius' a bit, there are multiple excellent slab climbs in the City of Rocks/Castle Rock area of Idaho. Further north in that state, Slick Rock near McCall is a great option. If you are willing to expand the radius even further, CA just might have a couple of slab climbs!!!!!!

I forgot to list tons of sandstone slab climbing only 5 minutes from my house - Red Rock City Park just south of Garden of the Gods!

Many moderates on most faces which are adequately bolted with a short approach.

The really hard climbs are on Wailing Wall (5.11's and a few 5.12's).

Try Plotinus (Snooze Button, Wake Up Call, the Scientist), Upper Dream (Stained Glass is very well bolted and there are some routes as easy as 5.9), Chairman of the Board and adjacent routes at Avalon, Consilience at Black Widow, or the routes on the Dome (less protected than any of the sport routes I just listed). There’s also an easy and well bolted slab at Bowling Alley.