Dammit! I just moved to Colorado...

[mneagle]

Drop me a line at: neaglemark@hotmail.com

 

Oh, you've punctured my bubble, all these years I've thought of you as Minnesota Eagle (you know, MN Eagle).

 

Others have thought it was "Mountain Eagle" or (my favorite) "man eagle". The truth is it was my log on at my job in Seattle and I just wanted to remember it easily. I do have a lot of family in Minnesota, though.

[JosephH]

Granite climbers whining about Eldo sandstone - classic.

[PhöQ]

[AlpineK]

Granite climbers whining about Eldo sandstone - classic.

 

I'd vote for Eldo head and shoulders above Boulder Canyon even though BC has granite. Mickey Mouse Wall is a must do, especially when you hike through all the train tunnels.

 

The Flatirons are fun too. The Third Flatiron is a mandatory solo, but move past that quickly. There are a lot of less visited features there, and during the working week the trails there are good for vertical elevation gain hikes.

[Chase]

I moved to Colorado almost 4 years ago and was expecting to climb a ton out here. I grew up in Seattle and was used to the climbing up there and I am under the opinion that Washington has some of the best climbing anywhere. I was disappointed with the climbing out here and kind of lost motivation so I dropped out of the scene for awhile to focus on school which meant that I didn't do much exploring. The biggest problem that I have with Colorado is the lack of variety of other things to do than just climbing. In Seattle you can go climb, mt. bike, paddle, dive, go to a museum that is worthwhile, go to an amazing concert, you name it. It is true that Colorado get 300 days of sun a year but I would much rather live in the rain and have more options than live here in the sun. I am moving back to Seattle in a few weeks and will not miss Colorado.

 

Rudy, you were right... Seattle is by far the best place to live.

[Doug Shepherd]

I moved to Colorado almost 4 years ago and was expecting to climb a ton out here. I grew up in Seattle and was used to the climbing up there and I am under the opinion that Washington has some of the best climbing anywhere. I was disappointed with the climbing out here and kind of lost motivation so I dropped out of the scene for awhile to focus on school which meant that I didn't do much exploring. The biggest problem that I have with Colorado is the lack of variety of other things to do than just climbing. In Seattle you can go climb, mt. bike, paddle, dive, go to a museum that is worthwhile, go to an amazing concert, you name it. It is true that Colorado get 300 days of sun a year but I would much rather live in the rain and have more options than live here in the sun. I am moving back to Seattle in a few weeks and will not miss Colorado.

 

Rudy, you were right... Seattle is by far the best place to live.

 

Why were you disappointed with the climbing out here?

 

As to your other complaints, I'll just say I disagree except for the parts about diving and the music scene.

[snugtop]

the music scene...you must have missed NEDFEST!

[mythosgrl]

The mountains are nowhere near as impressive or adventurous in Colorado, but there is a lot more cragging, a lot more climbable days, and very diverse types of climbing.

 

Just because no single area is on par with Index or Squamish doesn't mean there isn't still a lot of quality.

[JoshK]

Colorado has excellent rock climbing, but the mountains/alpine will be dissapointing if compared at all with Washington. It's an older, more worn down range and it features nothing remotely close to the steepness or ruggedness of the Cascades. The lack of glaciers, dense green forests and water also make the range feel "dead" compared to the Cascades. The skiing is also extremely overrated, just as the snow is. I felt the same way when I arrived in Colorado several years back. I ended up coming back to Washington after two years. My major regret was not taking more advantage of the stellar rock climbing. Don't make that same mistake - get out there and take advantage of it!

 

Also, I'm not sure what the comment about lack of Starbucks is supposed to mean. Colorado blows anywhere(Seattle included) out of the water when it comes to posers, yuppies and toolbags. It's full of people that think hiking up "14ers" is climbing. Nothing is funnier than talking to a Coloradan who comes to WA and gets his ass solidly kicked on an approach and never even manages to see the alpine. They are a more soft-core bunch there, that's for sure.

[Pete_H]

Coloradans are just really mountain Texans.

[Hugh Conway]

A common misconception Pete_H.

 

The Front Range of the Rockies serves as the bounce test for cranberries, err US residents. The weak and rotten berries aren't firm enough to bounce over the front range and pool in Boulder and Denver. The firmer, stronger berries bounce progressively further west with the best fruit ending up on the Coast

[AlpineK]

I'd agree with that. The Front Range is an excellent geographic blocking feature. It makes East Coasters and Texans think they're in the mountains by giving them 14ers to hike up. I'm sure they all think they're climbing.

 

The block helps restrict foreigners from getting to the cool places like Cascadia. I remember meeting folks there who didn't know there were mountains in Washington.

[layton]

should'a moved to slc. Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, Lone Peak, American Fork, Maple Canyon, Ibex and the West Desert, and City of Rocks 0 minutes to three hours drive. Desert Towers and splitters close. World class bouldering to 24 pitch mega routes. Zion and Vegas within weekend climbing distance. Wind Rivers and Tetons 4-5 hours drive. Black Canyon and Ouray closer than the front range. Awesome trail running and mountain biking in town. Even the gym is awesome. The 40% mormon population keeps the place from being another boulder or high priced mountain town. Liquor laws just changed so the bars are way better. And the local indie radio staion KEXP is rad. Live concerts outdoors downtown and in Park City. Oh, and the skiing ain't bad

 

Downtown is a ghosttown however which is awesome for parking.

 

 

[Pete_H]

And you never have to buy salt, you just go down to the lake.

[JayB]

I've been away from Washington for ~95% of the last four years, and have to agree that when it comes to variety, scenic beauty, etc that alpine climbing in Washington crushes what's on offer in Colorado.

 

I personally think that Colorado has the edge when it comes to pure rock-climbing, and ice climbing, and since you are already there I'd suggest that you'll be much happier if you spend most of your time taking advantage of what's there as opposed to lamenting what isn't.

 

The guy who chimed in about the South Platte knows of what he speaks. Listen to him and go forth into an infinity of granite. Ever heard of Devil's Head? Plug the name into climbingproject.com and see where that takes you. McCurdy Park Tower? Take a look in the back of the Hubble guide and lug your rack to the base. Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

 

When it comes to alpine climbing, it's no Washington, but there's enough there to keep anyone happy for years and years and years. Corinthian Column on Pikes, Notch Couloir and Kieners on Longs, etc, etc, etc, etc. If you are looking for adventure, go climb the main ridge on Lindsey and take a look at the backside of Blanca Peak. I think some old-school hardasses from the 30's or 40's put a route or two up there and I doubt it's seen much traffic since. Head down to the Crestone Group and look for new lines. Climb all the 14ers in Winter. If you are living on the Front Range and feeling uninspired, drive 45 minutes east and stare at the horizon for however long it takes for you to count your blessings.

 

The only other bits of advice that I'll throw in are to heed Kurt's words of wisdom concerning the nature of the snowpack, and take the lightning hazard out there very seriously. Start early, climb fast, and get low before the show starts during the summer monsoon season.

[AlpineK]

Yep, playing with lightning is a bad idea. Start early for any climb you do. There isn't an exact turn around time, but 2 PM is a good time to be descending or already down.

 

Long's peak and surrounding mountains have some great rock climbing. Be warned though the hiking trail to the top of the 14er is super popular (close to Denver). There are times when there are literally thousands of, "climbers," making a summit bid from the trail head.

 

Often times the group moves slowly even though it isn't an organized group. I remember one morning climbing the Flying Buttress on Mt Meeker right next door. We started running/line cutting past the Long's mob. The early folks on the approach kept yelling at us because we didn't say, "Passing." We got sick of saying, "passing," every 3 seconds.

[plexus]

I don't know what there is to complain about. No, there are no glaciers here. But I've gotten more climbing in during the past four months than I would during a summer in the Cascades.

 

There is some really good alpine out here too, you just need to know where to look and stay off the 14ers.

[mneagle]

This was my first recon into RMNP. I have found much more since then.

 

Hallett Peak and RMNP Recon

[EWolfe]

Shoulda done the research and moved to Arizona, like I did.

 

Over 25 first ascents in the last year and a half, mostly 5.11, and many more for the plucking - also, hundreds of new (to me) climbs within 50 miles of home on almost every kind of rock.

 

Erik