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Eldorado nightmare (huge crowds today)

KevinCO · · Loveland, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 60

The Flatirons are great for soloing on a busy day, so many obscure routes.

Mike Cara · · Hendersonville, NC · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 21
KevinCO wrote:The Flatirons are great for soloing on a busy day, so many obscure routes.
Can't go there either, apparently there were drones there today.
Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665

There was nobody on the Ironing Boards.

Yeah, I know, Velvet Elvis sucks...
But yeah, I heard it was the Black Friday Free day on the radio & thought:
'Anywhere but a state park today!'
Likewise for the SCFD free days. DO NOT attempt to go to the Museums!

Chad Miller · · Grand Junction, CO · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 150
Chad Miller wrote:You're surprised by this? The Denver area is an urban metropolis that just happens to have mountains in the background. Crowds are to be expected.
pfwein wrote: Aren't you the guy who was asking about things to do in Denver because you've never been there?
I've never been to downtown Denver until last weekend. The Denver metro area including Boulder and Golden I've been to quite a bit. Never visited the metro area just to do things within the city.

Sadly my OP about the Denver area isn't wrong.
sherb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 60

The problem it seems, is that too many people have reproduced, and EVERYwhere is crowded and sucking the life out of the earth.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425
Ana Tine wrote:The problem it seems, is that too many people have reproduced, and EVERYwhere is crowded and sucking the life out of the earth.
I mean that's pretty much the long and short. There are just throngs of people everywhere. Not much we can do other than just try to be responsible stewards and smoke enough weed until you just don't care anymore.
JF M · · NoCo · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 1,823

Or pray to the old gods for an extinction level event.

Comanche Mckee · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 10
Ted Pinson wrote:Eldo climbers are also spoiled. A 2 star route at Eldo would be 3-4 stars most other places.
Pff eldo is garbage. The rock quality is not ideal and the the ethics are from the 70s. Get out of your Boulder bubble
Dan Cooksey · · Pink Ford Thunderbird · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 365

Pssst.....there is a world of climbing just an hour south of Denver where you won't see a soul on the weekend.

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
Eric Klammer wrote:Like most places it seems like 90% of the people exclusively climb about 5% of the available routes. Eldo has many great routes in the 2 star range that are rarely travelled but well worth having a go at. Branch out, explore, have fun!
This.

Remember: You are a part of the crowds too. If there are too many people, help the situation by going elsewhere. I'm sure there were plenty of places in the Flatirons that did not see a single climber all weekend. Or, as mentioned above, the South Platte. Or many other locations.

I have found that 95% of the time I get hosed by crowds the situation should have been entirely foreseeable, and I could have easily planned better to show up earlier or go elsewhere. You have no one to blame but yourself.
Cory B · · Fresno, CA · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 2,577
JCM wrote: This. Remember: You are a part of the crowds too.
+1

It annoys me when people complain about crowds. If you show up at a classic area on a long weekend, it should be no surprise there are crowds.

Don't like crowds? Take up alpinism, and climb obscure lines in the mountains
jason.cre · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 10
Dan Cooksey wrote:Pssst.....there is a world of climbing just an hour south of Denver where you won't see a soul on the weekend.
Wherever it is, its definitely not turkey rocks! Saw far more people this year at turkey rocks than any day Ive had in Eldo.
Dan Cooksey · · Pink Ford Thunderbird · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 365

Haha Jason I wasn't referring to Turkey. But I bet you were at Turkey Perch.

John RB · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 154
Hobo Greg wrote:Let me see, you wrote multiple paragraphs, by your own admission, about NOT doing the sole thing this website exists around.
From what I can tell, this website is about bitching and spraying. I was just trying to fit in
James Hicks · · Fruita, CO · Joined May 2012 · Points: 131

As others have pointed out, if you go to Eldo and expect there not to be folks on Wind Tower then you will be sadly disappointed. I just always go early in the AM, which means no issues parking and I can generally have the pick of routes. If you want to solo there is a HUGE area just north of Eldo that is prime for soloing, and one can find a plethora of routes with no people on them.

And as far as some comments about everywhere being crowded, its simply not true. Expand your horizons outside the Front Range in Colorado and you can find vast expanses of climbing that have no such crowds. If folks hate the crowds, then go where the crowds aren't. It was one of the major reasons I chose to move a couple years ago. Now I can go climb on any given day or even the weekend without really ever having to worry about crowds.

But if you live among millions of other people and choose to go climbing 20 minutes from them then it seems silly to expect things not to be at least a little bit crowded.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

"Arrived at 11am..."

Well, there's your problem. You can either arrive very early or arrive after 2PM, which is about when the early people have had enough and leave. That works for most popular crags you just can't tell yourself not to go to.

And how many times can you even climb The Bomb? Guhhhhh. Just stop.

gspup · · Sweet Ridge, CO · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 5

^Yep. Especially Sunday after 2pm

Giving yourself realistic expectations of crowds will help too...

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

Does anyone even hike up to Mickey Mouse Wall anymore? I would think that place would be totally devoid of people.

James Hicks · · Fruita, CO · Joined May 2012 · Points: 131
Stich wrote:hike
Pshhh...as if...
Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175

climbing friend,

you must intimidate them with your muscles and your icy glare, until they are having the uncomfortable feelings too much and they are moving on from your route.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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