What would be a good first lead in the boulder area?
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What's a fun, well protected route for a new leader? Actually it will be my 2nd lead. My rack is .4-3 Camalots and a set of nuts. |
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Try the Boulderado in Bouder Canyon. There are three or four routes in the 5.4-5.6 range that are failry well protected. You can either rap off from bolted anchors or set an anchor at the top of the wall and walk off to the west. There is some good info on MP about the area. Hope that helps. Climb Safe, |
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flatirons type. first is really good. try calypso at eldo. its like 5.6 and eats pro. good stopper placements. those are both multipitch. the first pitch on the bastille at eldo is good. like 60 feet and one kinda hard move but it is really easy to protect. |
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pranakickass wrote:flatirons type. first is really good. try calypso at eldo. its like 5.6 and eats pro. good stopper placements. those are both multipitch. the first pitch on the bastille at eldo is good. like 60 feet and one kinda hard move but it is really easy to protect. look up sport routes that you can do in boulder canyon. place gear in between bolts to get more comfortable on harder stuff for trad. takes some good falls too. i was falling on a stopper in a verticle roof today and i was comfortable. have fun, MattI aggree calypso is amazing but if this is your first ever trad climb, or even so if you dont have much gear and were a quickdraw fan id start out in eldo on the wind tower hitting up the left side, breezy is a 5.5 over there and heads of the gully, low angle and good placements. Recon is another good one its to the right of calypso( which is great but not one I would do for a first lead) recon is low angle and has a lot of good nut placements. Solid ledges for anchors too. (be careful because someone today fell on it, dont know how, but be cautios for loose rock). Other sugestions are as you go over the bridge take a left instead of the right to wind tower and go past the cave (this is the whales tale) there are some awesome easy 5.5, 5.6 climbs over there after a 4th class scramble up the slope to some nice cracks and gullys. check out Clementine or the east slab or West Dihedral or whales tale.. all great easy lines with good pro. from there just start checking out some other great 6's and sevend in the park, its a great place but done understemate the ratings.. their harder than your gym or sport lines. and dont forget to have fun climb on eric |
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The Naked Edge |
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Definitely not the Flatirons or Calypso. |
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The Naked Edge it is! Thanks for the suggestions |
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Here are few suggestions. These climbs had great variation of rock, style of climbing and gear placement, lots of headcheck break areas for a beginner trad leader. I had my share of experience in following trad and carrying gear, but leading was a whole new game. Have fun and be careful : ) |
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Patty wrote: Boulder Canyon: East slab on the dome. Lumpy Ridge: White Whale was fun.FWIW, In my opinion the east slab is PG-13 for a beginner, there is a little run once the crack disappears. Yes, the climbing is easy but on a first lead you probably want sew it up security. I still think the 2nd pitch of the white whale is weird to protect. The crack is pretty flared. Again, just my opinion, I would second the boulderado. |
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I had a very understanding friend that taught me to lead. The first couple of times he just let me lead the easiest pitch on a multipitch climb, (second pitch Calypso, second pitch Wind Ridge). That way I got to see how he set up anchors and gave me the option of whether I wanted to keep leading or not. It was a great confidence booster, and my next lead of East Slab felt much easier. |
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Calypso and the Bastille Crack as first leads? Are you kidding? Look at the stats down on the board in the parking lot. They are #1 and #2 for accidents. People hit the deck trying to lead the start of the Bastille all the time and Calypso is always such a circus on top of the runnout slab start. |
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The Bomb on the Wind Tower. |
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Killian's Dead at North Table Mountain, 5.6 has bolted anchors
Washington Irving in Eldo, West Ridge, 5.6 has bolted anchors Recon in Eldo, Wind Tower, 5.6 has bolted anchors The Boulderado in Boulder Canyon, 5.4/5.5/5.6 with bolted anchors These climbs protect well and have a secure anchor point so you don't have to worry about building one. Anchor building is probably the hardest thing to get right when you first start out. |
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Twofers Gully (5.5) on Happy Hour Crag. Happy Hour has several good easy lead climbs in the 5.5-5.9 range. The only "problem" here is that you have to construct your own anchor on top. There are no bolts to set up a TR from. There are plenty of big trees to sling though (bring some long slings 10-20'). You could also practice gear anchor setups here and back them up to the trees as you are learning. |
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Malcolm, maybe there should be some bolts added to Calypso & the Bastille Crack. |
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Patty nailed that one. Good trad first leads are West Crack and West Dihedral on the Whale's Tail in Eldo. |
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I'm with Greg...let's bolt those pitches. I'm tired of scraping up broken bodies. Ha! |
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First time leading and placing gear every 20-30 ft? That guy's got some balls. |
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Kevin D wrote:First time leading and placing gear every 20-30 ft? That guy's got some balls.That's what I was thinking. Given the amount of fixed gear usually on that climb I could protect closer than that just by bringing some draws with me. |
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Kevin D wrote:First time leading and placing gear every 20-30 ft? That guy's got some balls.Not balls; ignorance and inexperience. |
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Ron Olsen wrote: Not balls; ignorance and inexperience.Who was belaying him? Good catch, but poor coach. |