Wanders Log: Cragging Report - Boulder Canyon, The Boulderado

Location: The Boulderado Crag, Boulder Canyon

Date of Climbs: July 21^st, 2011

Group Members: Tyler, Jake

Map to Boulderado Crag

It has been a rainy summer in Boulder. For weeks it has been raining hard every afternoon, making it difficult for climbers to get out later in the day. Jake and I decided to plan on climbing in the morning on Thursday, in order to avoid any fickle weather. Our eyes were set on the Boulderado Crag. This geological playground is located within Boulder Canyon, along with dozens of other crags just a short drive from town. Notable for its moderate traditional route selection, the Boulderado is a good location for practicing your trad or setting top ropes. These routes are just off of the road, making it easy to bail out if nature threatens.

Route A: Idle Hands 5.6
Route B: Mons 5.7
Route C: Q's 5.9+

We planned to climb a few routes, as we both had the day off and were long on time and short on fun. We arrived at the location at around ten o’clock in the morning. The creek was raging its course, swollen with record snowmelt and runoff. The sky was cloudy, and it seemed that the rain may thwart our plans after all. Unabashed, we set out on the short hike to the rock. After gearing up at the base of the cliff and flaking kinks and coils out of our rope, Jake and I began to feel a slow sprinkle. We decided to wait it out since it was light, and soon, it mercifully drizzled itself out. After the rain, the clouds cleared up and the sun began to shine down upon us and the smooth rock.

The Boulderado features both sport routes and traditional, or trad routes. Sport and trad vary in that sport routes follow a series of bolts driven into the rock, while in trad, one must place protection into the rock for safety, such as cams or stoppers. Although opinions vary, sport routes are generally considered to be more easily proteted, since the route is bolted with hardware laboriously drilled into the rock by some intrepid route setter some time before. Traditional climbing, on the other hand, requires the climber to analyze the features of the rock and place temporary protection within cracks or constrictions in the rock, so that he may make his ascent in safety.

Metolius Master Cam #3 in action!

The plan was for Jake to belay me up a route called “Idle Hands,” a 5.6. Upon reaching to bolt anchors, I would clip in and set up an anchor using locking carabineers and slings so that we could set up a top-rope. Jake and I would then climb up one or two more times before pulling the rope and moving on. We made it through two trad routes, “Idle Hands,” “Mons” a 5.4, and a spicy sport route called “Q’s,” after the famous restaurant rated at 5.9+. Idle Hands and Mons ascended the left side of the cliff, following cracks and jugs up the rock at about 70°. These routes topped out at a shared bolt anchor about 80 feet from the belay. Q’s was further down the wall on an 85° southwest face, and proved more stout. It worked its way left and right up through cracks and tiny ledges to the bolt anchors some 70 feet above.

We decided to pack up after these routes. All in all, it was yet another great day in Boulder Canyon.