The Winter Project

Climbing is about the exploration. Repeating established routes is about discovering new movements and challenges. Finding new areas and developing new routes takes the spirit of exploration to a new level. About half of the time I spend climbing includes looking for new boulders and routes and developing new climbs.

While driving through the Arkansas Valley I spotted in the foothills of Browns Canyon a castle of rock perched atop a hillside. There are thousands of quartz spires in Browns Canyon but unlike the others, this one appeared to be fairly easy to reach.

Two days later I went back to find the spot I had seen from the highway.

I parked near the Arkansas River and followed a drainage northwest for less than a mile on Bureau of Land Management land to reach the rock I had been looking for. It was better than expected.

The area checked off many of the important boxes needed to warrant further development. The approach was relatively easy and consisted of less than a mile of walking up a sandy wash. The rock was solid with minimal exfoliation. Rock quality is an absolute deal breaker when scouting new lines. The lines on the rock were intuitive and followed natural features. The climbing is appears to be consistent from the ground to the top. Much of the routes are protectable with traditional gear and require minimal fixed hardware to climb safely.

Like many of the climbs on the quartzite found in Browns Canyon the protection will require a mix of fixed and traditional gear.

I took some photos and a mental checklist of necessary gear for a ground up approach to establishing the new routes.

A winter project.