Disclaimer

Rock climbing is a dangerous sport. Injury or death is a possible outcome of any number of mistakes one can make while climbing. I am writing this to share my story, not as a climbing guide. Climbing is about knowing your ability and carefully examining the risks associated with any chosen route. To begin with, climbing in the Boulder Flatirons was some of the most exposed, riskiest and downright sanity enquiring moments have ever experienced. The climbing challenge of Flatiron climbing, isn't in the difficulty of the route, rather the difficulty in safely climbing and traversing these huge monoliths with measured risk taking and rope-craft. The climbing is "easy" but the risks and exposures are deadly real. Many times, getting on to the face itself is often the crux of the route when it comes to a climbing difficulty rating. Once, on the face, typical face climbing ensues with long runouts between protection. Also, once on the face of these behemoths, it can be an overwhelming ocean of rock. Route finding can lead to dead ends and downclimbing, questions as to where to establish belay stations as time is also a factor in climbing these routes. These are some huge lightning rods! You absolutely have to be off the route by late morning, early afternoon at the latest in summer. Most often we approached the routes in the dark to climb when it is cool. These Flatirons also face eastward at about 45 degrees. Talk about an oven around 11:00. To top it all off, getting off the top is mostly unknown until you are there. Rappel or downclimb.