On Sunday, I climbed a paltry 2 pitches in Eldorado Canyon, with Jay (whom I met at a local climbing gym). It was one of those days where I had a lot of expectations, none of which were met. While I was climbing, I enjoyed the experience, but the rest of the day was completely lacking. (more…)
On May 30th, I climbed in Eldorado Canyon with Barry, Aika, and Jim. Barry & Aika were off to do The Yellow Spur (5.10a), while Jim and I went on a tour of moderates:
Breezy (5.6) – Jim led
Wind Ridge (5.8) – I led
Whale’s Tail (5.6) – Jim led.
The weather was perfect, with a teeny tiny spitting of rain in the pm. Refreshing!
Here’s Barry & Aika, about to run up Yellow Spur:
Victory Shot of Aika on Yellow Spur (5.10a)
Here’s Jim & I goofing off:
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On Friday, May 9th, Jen & I headed to Eldorado Canyon to get grabby with some rock. The forecast had been for crummy weather (mid 40s-50s), but we just ignored it.
On Saturday, the forecast called for a high in the mid 40s, with previous night’s overnight lows in the 20s and a chance of snow. Turned out, it was more like low 50s with a clear night. So much for the weather report! I’m starting to have a huge mistrust for the predictive ability of weather reports here in CO.
It seems the best approach is to just go to the crag. If the weather complies, you are ready to attack. If not, then have an alternative plan… (more…)
On Sunday, I met up with Chris and we climbed at Hawk-Eagle Ridge in Eldorado Canyon. This ridge is high above the canyon floor (around 700 feet above!).
It is quite the workout reaching the top of the ridge, and there is an eliminate crux about 2/3 the way up. I was a little nervous, in one spot in particular, as there are some simple class 5 moves with severe consequences. We took our time climbing the ridge, and finally, after about an hour, we were at the crag.
There was an ethereal mist swirling around us, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The temperature was probably around freezing. Lucky for me, Chris is determined and he can handle the cold. It must have been his extensive background climbing at the Gunks…
Chris put up the following climbs, and I seconded (with my gloves on!). All day, I was climbing with my down jacket on, and it never really warmed up. We climbed during the warmest part of the day (11-3pm). We did four climbs at the very top of the ridge. Varied in ratings from 5.6 to 5.8.