What was your first climb in Eldorado Canyon?

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Sparky

Trad climber

vagabond movin on

Apr 5, 2012 - 04:59pm PT

Calypso as well

BASE104

Social climber

An Oil Field

Apr 5, 2012 - 05:52pm PT

George Hurley guided my buddy and I up the Bastille Crack in 75 or 76. Our parents wanted us to get some instruction, so allowed us to hire him for a solid week.

Learned all the basics necessary to fuel a lifetime of epics. He was a really good guy. We were 14 or something, and had been using all sorts of home made stuff.

The entire gang would go there every summer after the heat settled into the valley. Eldo was a very important climbing area at that time. You would see Wolfgang in the valley and then you would run into Wolfgang at Eldo. Dude was everywhere.

I loved the rock and routes there.

pecall

Trad climber

Stockholm, Sweden

Apr 5, 2012 - 06:14pm PT

Bastille Crack, in 1979, with somebody who called himself Jason.

Evel

Trad climber

Nedsterdam CO

Apr 5, 2012 - 07:23pm PT

T2 (first p roof only) Then the Contest. After that all heck broke loose!

nature

climber

Apr 5, 2012 - 07:27pm PT

Well, my friend Beth (whom you have seen in other photos recently) will be able to answer this question this Saturday. Still not sure what route we will do yet, but it is sure to be a supra-mega-classic.

cool, this saturday eh? That's PapaJoto to you Son!!! is heading up to visit. We'll be out Prancing both days. he's never been.

Bastille Crack three weeks ago.

Plaidman

Trad climber

South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA

Apr 5, 2012 - 08:31pm PT

Rewritten - I felt like I was re-written after I followed that climb. Especially the traverse on the 4th pitch looking at all that exposure between your legs, smearing feet on next to nothing. Hands are awesome though. Really secure as I remember. Then on the 5th pitch my partner yelled down that I had to do the arete or he wouldn't belay me any further. So I was obliged to looking over the right side to see the 700 ft. vertical drop off. Then there is the river waaaaaaaay at the bottom of the canyon. I love exposure and it really gave me a thrill to be on that arete.
One of the most memorable climbs EVER!
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/rewritten/105750106
The walk off was a nightmare.
We climbed it 5 or 6 times. Always a thrill.

TYeary

Social climber

State of decay

Apr 7, 2012 - 10:05pm PT

Bastille Crack! Wow what an intro to Eldo. Had it all to ourselves. Seems like a million years ago now.
TY

Bubba Ho-Tep

climber

Evergreen, CO

Apr 8, 2012 - 01:23am PT

Not just first climb in Eldo, but first ever. Calypso, spring of 1970. Bastille crack that afternoon. Goldline tied on a bowline and liberal use of over driven pins. I remember well that there was one other party in the canyon and it was a Saturday....

deejay

Trad climber

Apr 8, 2012 - 10:52am PT

West Butress of the Bastille. Pretty good climb as I remember.

Rhodo-Router

Gym climber

the secret topout on the Chockstone Chimney

Apr 9, 2012 - 02:08pm PT

Snider and I climbed the Bastille Crack, came down and went up the West Face, and then ran up the Yellow Spur. That was it, we were hooked!

Magic Ed

Trad climber

Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Jul 11, 2013 - 01:38am PT

Late Fall, 1967. Jim Erickson learned that I had climbed a couple of the lesser Mexican volcanoes so he invited me to go climbing.

He takes me to the West Buttress of the Bastille and tells me that's what we're going to climb. I thought he was joshing me--I'd never even seen a photo of someone climbing vertical, blank-looking rock. When I realized he was serious I panicked and talked him into going across the creek to the Wind Tower. At least that looked like it leaned back a bit and had some steps and ledges to it. He reluctantly agreed and we went and climbed one of the easy routes (The Bomb, I believe) to the top. We had no harnesses or belay devices, tying in with a bowline around the waist.

Now that I saw that he knew what he was doing I agreed to try the West Buttress. I struggled but got up it and have been hooked ever since.

Todd Eastman

climber

Bellingham, WA

Jul 11, 2013 - 01:44am PT

Late Fall 1977 - Tagger with Jerry Hoover on a road trip from the Adirondacks.

Brokedownclimber

Trad climber

Douglas, WY

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2013 - 11:34am PT

I still recall many "epics" in Eldorado during the early 1960's when we had the Canyon "all to ourselves." About the only person there other than a few solitary climbing duos, was Bill Fowler in his old black pickup truck out to collect some spare change for admission. It started out at 50 cents, but got up to $2.00 later on.

golsen

Social climber

kennewick, wa

Jul 11, 2013 - 12:06pm PT

XM-Outersapce in 88 with Ruckman. He gave me the second pitch, said I would like it.

Josh Higgins

Trad climber

San Diego

Jul 11, 2013 - 12:15pm PT

Just last spring I climbed in CO for the first time. My first, and only, route in Eldo so far was Jules Verne. What a fun intro to the rock! It was solid adventure, just the way I wanted it! I haven't thought I was off route that many times in quite a while. I'm spoiled by CA granite splitters I guess!

Josh

crunch

Social climber

Jul 11, 2013 - 12:51pm PT

Fall of 1983, I was real fit from a season of Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite.

Inspired by the book Climb! plus one or two recent magazine articles about soloing and entranced by the steep juggy, colorful faces I think my first routes were a few free solos--Touch and Go to Anthill Direct and the very first route may have been a solo of the West Buttress of Bastille. No one else around.

T2 to Anthill Direct, ropeless, soon became a favorite.

After the insecure Tuolumne face climbs the Dakota sandstone felt safe and solid and comfortable. Dragging a rope along seemed almost unnecessary.

A lifetime ago....I'll bet I can barely pull myself off the ground on T2, now.

Crackslayer

Trad climber

Eldo

Jul 11, 2013 - 03:04pm PT

For the life of me I cannot remember my first route in Eldo. However, I do remember my first time in Eldo. Growing up in Boulder with athletic parents is a blessing. My parents were marathon runners and would take me hiking when I was younger. My mom took me to eldo once when I was about 4 or 5 and we hiked rattlesnake. I saw climbers on the west crack of the whale's tail and I just remember the feeling of inspiration (even though it is only 5.2 it looked so rad!).

Then experiencing eldo as a teenager and learning to climb there. One of the first climbs we did was blind faith but before we did that one I think I did a few climbs on the wind tower and then on the bastille. After BF we did yellow spur in the summer when I was 17, wow was that a mistake! Such a great canyon I appreciate it so much everyday. I love that canyon so much it hurts sometimes!

Don Paul

Big Wall climber

Colombia, South America

Jul 11, 2013 - 03:40pm PT

My first, and only, route in Eldo so far was Jules Verne.

Nice. I caught a huge fall on that. We had no idea of the route's reputation, just picked it out of the guidebook, lol. I think my first route there was soloing the Bastille Crack.