Serious Question For All You Colorado Climbing Experts!

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Euroford

Trad climber

chicago

Mar 13, 2008 - 06:59pm PT

lol, toproped crack of fear a couple of years ago. haha, yeah right. i'd die if i tried to lead that thing!

vera climbing that in front range freaks is one of my favorites.

bummed that they moved the parking lot at lumpy. after a day on the rock we'd sit at that picknick table, drink a six pack and get whiplash from looking back and forth between the owls and the diamond.

well not too mention, after a day on kors flake walking any further is kinda a bumber...

i'll be out in boulder in a couple of weeks, doubt I'll get up to the high country though!

bhilden

Trad climber

Mountain View, CA

Mar 13, 2008 - 07:05pm PT

From my experience it really depends on the route you want to do. There is a big patch of snow at the start of the 4th pitch of the Casual Route that can hang around well into July if the spring is wet and cold. So, I don't think you make a blanket statement about the condition of the Diamond.

Of course, if you want to know about the immediate conditions, it is Colorado and it can rain, sleet or snow at just about anytime of the year.

Bruce

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 13, 2008 - 08:35pm PT

Here is a short list of the obvious, classic and prominent big rock climbs in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Not trying to trot out a list of hard-man routes here, just some nice introductory moderates.
I would stay away from all of this stuff on the weekends.

The Diamond, Casual Route 5.10-
Hallett Peak, Culp Bossier, 5.8
Petit Grepon, South Face, 5.8 (SW Corner, less crowded, 5.9)
Mount Meeker, Flying Buttress, 5.9 or 10
Notchtop, Direct South Ridge, 5.9
Spearhead, Sykes Sickle, 5.9

Give me a few minutes and I'll come up with a tick list for Lumpy Ridge.

Decko

Trad climber

Colorado

Mar 13, 2008 - 10:09pm PT

Mid to late July you'll be fine. We can have a huge winter with tons of snow, but it always seems like we get a couple of weeks of super hot dry weather and the park and the Diamond dry out.....

But what do I know I just guided in RMNP for 3 years...

Get an early start, like 1st light and you won't have to worry about lightning

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 13, 2008 - 11:04pm PT

This is so cool you guys. I go away for a few hours and I just come back to more killer beta. It's going to take me awhile just to digest all this. Books to buy, routes to look up, links to look at. Sometimes I get fed up with what seems to be a whacked political site and then a day like this. My faith in climbers is well placed!!
Bruce

Euroford

Trad climber

chicago

Mar 14, 2008 - 12:33am PT

when given a good topic, this site turns around pretty quick!

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 14, 2008 - 11:09pm PT

Lumpy Ridge

Following a solid experience with Yosemite, I found Lumpy Ridge not to be the most tantalizing granite destination. It sometimes presents incipient, quartz crystal lined cracks. Yet, Lumpy provides lots of variety and it is graced with a superb view of RMNP; after a time, you will warm to it and find the area quite charming.

Conversely, for the trad climber visiting Colorado, especially a climber who has enjoyed extensive benefit from the pristine granite of Yosemite, the California Needles, and Taquitz Rock, the novelty of Eldorado Canyon provides far more stimulating an interesting climbing than does Lumpy Ridge, primarily because the complex, flint-hard sandstone of Eldo represents such an enjoyable contrast to most of what one finds in California.

That said, without a good background in complex moves obtained, say, from bouldering, Eldorado can take some getting used to; so alternatively, Lumpy Ridge comprises a lot of climber friendly granite.

The big climbs in RMNP are typically steeper and more demanding than those found at Lumpy Ridge: they fit into the category of somewhat serious high mountain routes, so that's a treat. Lumpy would be a great warmup for The Park and it certainly does have a handful of terrific routes in its own right.

There are so many routes at Lumpy Ridge I would be curious to see what people put on their list of favorites; here's a handful of multi pitch climbs that I liked.

The Owl:

Crack of Fear, 5.10+
(uber classic for the area: OW probably 10-, while the crux is establishing & exiting the undercling)

The Right Book:

Fat City, 5.10B
(offers a good section of clean diagonal hand jamming)

The Bookmark:

Melvin's Wheel, 5.8
(decent and varied crack climbing)

Sundance Buttress:
(arguably one of the better rocks at Lumpy Ridge)

Grapevine, 5.8+ or 9+
(interesting moderate cracks)

Mainliner, 5.9
(varied and interesting crack climbing)

Bonzo, 5.10-
(just one pitch, leading to some optional harder stuff, with some cool jamming through solid diorite intrusions)

Mr. President, 5.10D
(super neato tight chimney, followed by a section of steep, tricky hands)

Turnkorner, 5.10A
(if overhanging squeeze chimney sounds tasty, this route is a must do, good hand jamming as well)

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Mar 14, 2008 - 11:57pm PT

I'm with Bruce and Bob; depends on the route.
The further right the later in the summer you want to catch it.

The route at the left edge, Pervertical Sanctuary, is for pussies I hear.

goatboy smellz

climber

colorado

Mar 15, 2008 - 08:14am PT

Ron, I believe the correct nomenclature is "p@ssies that free solo".
Didn't you get the memo about Steph?

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 16, 2008 - 01:09pm PT

Before The Diamond dries out,
There's still plenty of snow in the backcountry to slide around on...
Yesterday, heading up toward Saint Vrain glacier, along the southern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park:

Sawtooth Peak from the car:

Add motion:

And Sawtooth gets closer:

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 16, 2008 - 01:12pm PT

A few hours later,
Deep into the Saint Vrain drainage:

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 16, 2008 - 01:15pm PT

Add more motion:

Sasquatch tracks:

Elk Tooth sits at the head of the drainage above the glaciers:

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 16, 2008 - 01:29pm PT

My turnaround point, at 4:30 in the afternoon:

Sliding back to the car before nightfall:

Raydog

Trad climber

Boulder Colorado

Mar 16, 2008 - 01:35pm PT

really nice Roy

Rick A

climber

Boulder, Colorado

Mar 16, 2008 - 02:45pm PT

Quite a trek, Roy! I reckon the roundtrip at over 20 miles, and breaking trail the whole way? Even Lisa would consider that a nice workout.

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Mar 16, 2008 - 04:45pm PT

Hi Ricky,

Starting at Beaver Res, well tracked to Cony Flats for the first hour and a half (very popular), then trailbreaking through heavy, wet, sticky snow down the 4WD road into St Vrain drainage, where I met up with about 1/4 mile of tracks, then breaking trail all the rest of the way in.

I usually do it from Peaceful Valley, then past Camp Dick and straight on up the Saint Vrain. Probably the same effort either way, then not quite getting up into the glaciers, my turn around at a small lake in the trees, I figure 16-17 mile RT, usually takes 7.5 hrs going solo.

Left the car at 12 noon, back by 7:30PM. Now if I could roll out of bed before 9am, I might make it all the way in.

No ski poles...Arduous! My hip flexors are toast!!!.