Red Rocks Cont’d

We are thinking of the last week in February or the first week in March. How does that sound? Again, about 4-5 days, is the minimum amount of time to spend out there. It takes a couple of days to get used to the area. And you should plan on one or two days of iffy weather.

Today, I talked to Russell about being out there that time of year. He recommended this area if the weather is at all chilly. This area is mostly sport climbs and will be very sunny. It’s likely that we will only sport climb if the weather is at all iffy. (Shorter climbs, shorter hikes, less exposure to the elements.) If the weather is conducive, here are some trad routes that would be fun. (I am thinking of the climbs listed here that are 4-6 pitches.)

Here’s what SuperTopo says about Red Rocks.

“With steep, moderate routes, cracks which eat up pro, and tightly bolted face pitches, many long routes at Red Rocks give you high adventure without the runouts so common in many areas. Varnished edges, incut jugs, splitter cracks, technical faces—Red Rocks multi-pitch routes have it all. Bolted anchors on popular routes quicken the pace and allow easy retreat. Red Rocks multi-pitch climbs are just downright fun, but that's only half the story. The canyons of the Red Rocks are blissfully free of traffic noise and the reminders of civilization, and desert bighorn easily outnumber hikers. As you get back in the canyons, you realize the awesome scale of the 3000-foot sandstone escarpment, and how even the very long routes rarely tackle more than half of a wall's relief. During the daytime, Las Vegas remains thankfully hidden away, and only at night, with the glow of casinos on the skyline, do you realize just how close Red Rocks is to Sin City.”

At the same link, they list some recommended climbs and recommended gear.list. I think their gear list – especially their trad gear – is a little on the excess side. At least for what we will be doing. But, I know between what I already have and what others will lend me, we will have all the gear we need.

One thing to keep in mind though, is the climbing shoes. You will need two pairs if you want to do hard sport climbs and mulit-pitch trad climbs. (I am sure you could do all the climbs in the same pair if they are not super aggressive, super tight bouldering shoes.) 

I am buying this guidebook.per Russell’s suggestion.