The New Open climbing Forum!

You've prbably noticed that I am kindof into rock climbing. I try to climb as often as possible and living in the Denver/Boulder area makes it easy for me. I have climbed through out North America, but Colorado crags are still the best to me. With all the milage I have put in on local routes I decided to put some of the beta I found on my page. Well that started as a good idea, but I never changed it. So occasionaly I will put versions of my own beta here. But I would like to put other peoples great climbing stories and beta here also.

  If you have a great climbing story, or some sweet beta
 email me HERE!

Here is some sweet new beta from Charles Fryberger

The Prow of Kit Carson is the greatest alpine climb in Colorado. It is the ultimate knob climb, sometimes thrusting forth so many pink colored knobs that you don't know which one to grab. The Prow is an enormous fin of conglomerate stone thrust skyward at an unbelieveable angle. The base of this fin is about 100 yards wide, and it supports the whole leviathan which rises 800 vertical feet to a ridge less than twenty five feet wide. The climb is very long on very solid rock, and the top 200 feet ease off to a mellow grade which is soloable (fourth class). The Prow will take your spirit to an entirely new level. You also have the option of bagging Kit Carson Peak when you reach the top. The Prow is located in the Crestone Group, about 12 miles southwest of Westcliffe, Colorado, in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.

To get there:

From Denver, take US 285 south west to the US 285/Colorado 17 junction, and take the left fork onto Colorado 17. Go 13.8 miles south on Colorado 17. Turn East on a paved road .5 miles south of the center of Moffat. Go 11.8 miles east to the entrance of the Baca Grande Chalets Grants.(note:If you go north instead of south at the entrance to the Baca Grande, you will be in downtown Crestone. Food and gas are available here.) Turn South (right) and measure from this point. Follow Camino Baca Grande through the sub-division, cross Crestone Creek at .8 miles, and cross willow creek at 2.2 miles where the road turns to dirt. Continue south to reach Spanish Creek and the trail head after 3.6 miles. park on the north side of the creek. this is where the trail begins.

The Approach:

The trail starts on the north side of Spainish Creek and climbs east under a solar powered Ashram, and into the Spainish Creek Drainage. The trail is rough and difficult to follow in spots and it crosses the creek many times throughout it's journey to the upper basins. Between 9600 feet and 10600 feet the "trail" climbs relentlessly through an old burn on the North side of the creek. At 10600 the angle of the valley relents and there are good camping spots near treeline at 11000 feet. The Prow has been visable for some time now.

The Climb:

Scramble up the lower, gentler slabs on the Prow's East side and get on the ridge. Consider your future as the commitment grows abruptly. The bottom of the Prow is marked by a enormous kearn and a serious overhang, and the climb starts with its hardest move. Do a gymnastic, 5.8 move to get over the overhang. The rest of the pitch is 5.6 and requires you to dodge right around a bulge. The second 5.6 pitch completes the bulge dodge. The first two pitches are on the right side of the Prow. The third pitch is 5.5 and ends on the now well formed edge of the Prow. The nature of the climb is abundantly clear at this point. Escape and protection are equally scarce. there is tremendous exposure in every direction, and the commitment increases with every pitch. climb the narrow ridge as it arcs into the sky. You have no choice!
The numerous upper pithches are 5.3 - 5.4 in difficulty. just when you think the angle might ease, the elegant edge sweeps up again and the climb continues. With each pitch, it becomes clearer that the best escape route is to complete the climb. When you reach the top of the Prow, scramble north to the Kit Carson Avenue ledge. Escape is possable from here, but this is not the summit. There is more. Descend North on Kit Carson Avenue under the summit pyramid's west wall to the 13780 foot connecting saddle between Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak. Scramble up, then climb a long 5.3 - 5.4 pitch into the center of the northwest wall of Kit Carson's summit pyramid. Finish this clarivoyant climb with a long, right-angling 5.5 pitch on the upper wall. There is a sequence of delectable 5.5 moves just below the summit cairn.

Variation:

Instead of climbing the 5.8 overhang at the bottom of the Prow, climb easier slabs 200 yards east (right) of this direct start. Reach the edge of the Prow higher up.

Descent:

Descend the famous class 3 gully to the South East of the summit until you get to the Eastward sloping ledge. Descend Eastward with great caution to the South Couloir, and walk or glasad to the valley below.

Questions? Get them fromCharles

Send your beta or storiesTo Me!

Now here is some old stuff

Contry Club Crack .11c

This is a really fun route located on south east side of Castle rock(Boulder Canyon).
With a mix of hard face climbing and beautiful crack jamming it has become one of my all
time favs. Country Club Crack has also had a long and
tarnished history. With bolts being added and then chopped, and
added again, then chopped, and ofcourse added again. It was once
the center of ego headed Ethics nosers that has finally
setteled down. The route has been graced with the boot rubber
of such climbers as; Royal Robins, Pat Ament, and Chuck Pratt. I
hope you find it enjoyable your self

Da Beta