How the west was climbed: 2011

Flatirons on New Years Eve.

Well, it seems that the new year is off to a good start here in Colorado. I've been getting out some to shoot photos and climb also when the weather allows.

A few days ago I woke up super early and drove over to Estes Park hoping to get some good sunrise shots of the St Malo Chapel. When I left the house at 5:30am it was quite pleasant out with temps around 48 deg. I stopped in Lyons to grab a coffee before heading up St. Vrain Canyon. About 15 minutes later the wind picked up and the snow started to fall. By the time I got to the Chapel it was full on winter conditions. I parked in the small lot behind the chapel and hoped the skies would clear allowing for a nice winter scene. As the sun begin to rise I realized that the weather was going to win this battle so I drove into Estes Park for another coffee. After a while I decided to drive back over to Boulder and do a little shopping. My friend Scott Bennett texted me wanting to know if I was up for some climbing. Sure, I said and met him over in Boulder canyon. He wanted to try a route called the Vasodilator at Blob Rock. Many consider this to be the best 5.13 around. I was able to get a few decent shots of him and some other climbers too. Scott is now on his way to Patagonia in South America for the next few months. He hopes to do a first ascent with friend Blake Herrington on the Cerro Pallone. Best of luck!