[TR] Colorado - First Flatiron 10/9/2010

[Off_White]

Trip: Colorado - First Flatiron

 

Date: 10/9/2010

 

Trip Report:

While nothing monumental, I figured ya'll might enjoy a brief visit elsewhere as the days shorten and darken, even if it is Colorado.

 

On a brief trip to Denver to cavort with my wife between conferences I got to meet up with my old friend Evetree and her co-worker Eric, who were in Loveland for yet another conference. We got to spend a day climbing between storms, and a little cold & snow vetoed our plan to climb at Lumpy Ridge.

 

Instead, following the sun, we wound up at the First Flatiron in Boulder. The Flatirons are pretty cool slabby sandstone formations overlooking Boulder. Backsides are are shorter but quite steep.

 

 

Hiking up the popular trail on a Saturday was a pretty gregarious nearly European experience. There were a vast number of folks strung all over the Direct East Face, so we moved right and started up something else.

 

Eric following first pitch

 

It was a really great day to be out with friends.

 

We did four pitches up to the North Arete, pretty fun moderate climbing, fairly sparse protection, and only a few slings on trees, surprisingly little fixed stuff on such an easy route so close to a climber filled metropolis.

 

It was another four and a half entertaining pitches up the arete to the summit, steps and notches, an overhang, and some cool airy wandering climbing. In a way it reminded me of the SE Buttress on Mt Washington in the Olympics, only with much better rock; it felt more like an alpine rock route than cragging.

 

Looking back at my buddies on the false summit, it's apparent just how near this stuff is to Boulder, practically makes Exit 38 seem like deep wilderness. All in all, it was a fabulous day out and about in great company, one of the things I really love about climbing.

 

Afterwards we connected with Eve's friend Crusher Barlett who put us up for the night, and we all went out to wonderful Indian food at the Bombay Bistro. I highly recommend the beef short ribs, not to mention Crusher's new book, Desert Towers, which offers amazing historical photos, essays, and lots of info direct from the pioneers of desert tower climbing.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2010 by Off_White

[ZimZam]

To bad you missed out on Lumpy. Flatirons on a weekend can get like PHL at rush hour.

[Off_White]

Trail was busy, but we had the route to ourselves.

[AlpineK]

For a couple months I lived on The Hill near CU campus. Walking from the front door of the house I lived in and climbing the Flatirons was easy.

 

Weekends were a bad time to climb them, at least on the standard 'solo' routes.

 

The free hanging rap to a knife edge ridge on the Maiden was pretty cool. It was a little less visited too.