At 7:30am, Jen swung by and I hopped in her white VW (Golf?). Like Speedracer, she maneuvered her little German car expertly on the highway. In 40 minutes we were at Chautauqua parking lot staring at the Flatirons. What was the climbing going to be like? Would we be successful?
The Cracked Wall at Ophir Pass, Telluride, CO
Clare at the top of Entrance Exam (5.3)
On 4th of July, Dennis and I drove to Telluride to stay with the J-man. He was one of the participants in my Pigeon/Turret trip last summer and at the end of the trip, he invited us to stay with him if we were ever in Telluride. It was a place we had been wanting to visit, so we arranged a multi-sport vacation and took him up on his offer.
Friday was the day for climbing. So, we headed to Ophir Pass and climbed at Cracked Wall.
On Saturday, I led a rock climbing trip as part of the CMC Climber’s Festival. I led Breezy and then Wind Ridge. Rick was my co-leader and he led Breezy and then meandered over to some other moderates on the wall.
In the afternoon, Rick led a separate trip to top rope the routes at Supremacy Slab while Erin, Ilene, and I chilled at the Eldorado Canyon Visitor’s Center. We waited patiently for the bbq celebration to start. We were thrilled when we walked around back and saw coolers with Beer and Food! Yay!
Chris got started on bratwurst right away while I cooked up the hot dogs. Jeffrey and Rick were the next to show up, followed by Brenda, Wayne and Susan, Slava, and the rest of the Boulder gang. We had a lovely afternoon hanging out on the patio (so nicely supplied by the Eldorado State Park people), telling climbing stories, and talking about climbing.
Erin and Clare, Sweet Success on Another Summit!
Today, Slava, Erin, and I took two more Basic Rock Climbing Students on their Graduation Climb. Today, James and TeeJay would get to test their mettle against the First Flatiron. I had TeeJay climb with Slava, as I figured they would make a good team. Erin and I took James.
Oddly enough, about 18 months ago, Erin did this climb for the first time, as one of my students. And, now, she gets the opportunity to encourage and help others with their first time. I was very happy she agreed to come along it’s a totally different experience, when others are depending upon you to be the expert!
Turns out, James completed the first pitch (which was awesome!). After the first pitch, he was satisfied with his experience, so he decided to have us lower him. And, since James is an awesome dude, he hiked around to the backside of the flatiron and met us when we completed the climb!
TeeJay and Slava on First Flatiron Summit
TeeJay did great on the climb. Plus, this guy is always smiling! Slava and he climbed rather slow, but it was Slava’s first time leading this climb and it was TeeJay’s first time cleaning a multi-pitch climb. Also, TeeJay couldn’t get one of my pieces out, so some guy with dreads came along and cleaned it for him. So, I got my gear back (yay!).
Overall, I was happy things worked themselves out. We celebrated our success at Southern Sun. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Excited to climb Wind Ridge!
Kimberly and David Ready to Climb
Kimberly Climbing Wind Ridge-She Rocked it, Big Time!
David Climbing Whale’s Tail
Today, I took two of my students, Kimberly and David, on their graduation climb. Kimberly and I did Wind Ridge and then we headed over to Whales Tail. It was a nice day for climbing and we all learned some lessons. For example, I learned of a better spot to put my first anchor on Wind Ridge. I had been placing it on the slab, just over the edge, but from now on, I will place it in the crack, out on the face!