we spent a total of 8 days climbing in Rifle. is that enough? negative. i’d need at least another whole week just to understand how to climb here. and even that probably isn’t enough. in fact, we met quite a number of people who are spending their entire summer here!
so what can I say about Rifle?
the climbing.
Rifle lives up to its reputation. it’s hard, the style is different. opposing holds, polished holds. techy, yet powerful. it will make you strong. all of that is true. and once you're a little more used to it, or you just accept it for what it is, the climbing is super fun! when i was here last year, the polished rock was really getting to me and making it extremely difficult to trust my feet. and all climbers know, trusting your feet is mighty, mighty important! also, i'd been climbing at the New River Gorge where down-pulling and high-stepping is the beta. it wasn't easy getting used to the side pulls and stemmy feet (especially on polished rock.. are you kidding me??!). this time around, i just accepted it for what it was and went with it. and what do you know, 98% of the time my feet were sticking to the holds i wanted them to, even if there were black marks all over the rock! i overheard a guy say to his friend, "when you're actively resting on a climb, you're really only resting about 75% because if you truly relax your body too much, then you're feet can slip right off the resting feet." i thought that was amusing. yet, he was right. i learned that first-hand a few days later. ;) also, the stemmy movement was a little easier this time bc 1) i knew more of what to expect, and 2) we'd been climbing in Boulder Canyon and Clear Creek which was a good exercise with different rock and applying different skills. most of the time here, when figuring out where to go, you have to look for side pulls or gastons, and their opposing feet. and then to add to the adventure of the climb, due to the nature of the blocky rock, a lot of those holds can be hidden! sometimes those hidden holds are the bomber jugs that you've always wanted! you just need to keep looking and solve that puzzle, or maybe you'll have someone nearby that can help you with the beta. ;)
the camping.
technically, we were in Rifle twice. at the end of june, we came here in Daisy, my Nissan Versa, for four days and camped in a tent. we were still waiting for Nessa parts to arrive from Germany, so we made the most of that wait. our first night here, we were seeking out the free camping. in the guidebook (and a friend's friends stay at this campsite) it says, "drive north out of the canyon.. the road can get super muddy.. the road opens up to a meadow at the top." so we go to check that out. wow that road was terrible and Daisy is not made for that kind of offroading! but she is a trooper! the road has these huge peaks and troughs that would be no problem for any car with 4-wheel drive. however, with Daisy, i had to focus the entire way (and it went on for miles!) on keeping her wheels on TOP of the peaks since i doubt her ground clearance would allow for the tires to ride in the valleys of the road. after at least 30 min of driving, we finally get to the meadow. it is very "free and pleasant" as the book said, however, it was also very, very windy (not to mention all the open range cows!). and if it rained that night, then Daisy wouldn't get back down that road. so we decided to check out the other free camping sites south of the canyon. so back down that treacherous road, and back through the canyon .. and so much better! paved roads and a dirt parking lot! it was very rough, but it worked! and no one else was around so it was almost like a private site. we setup the tent and put the camp stove on a rock .. and we were set to go. each morning, we had to breakdown camp, but no biggie. we were saving money each night by not paying to stay in a Rifle camping site, which are only a few feet from the climbing, but still had no running water or bathrooms. i'd at least want running water! the following week, when we finally had Nessa back, the camping got even better! having a van makes road life so much easier :)
the approach.
Rifle Mountain Park is only 1.3 miles long through a canyon. there is climbing on both sides. the sun moves over the canyon, so one side is in the sun or shade at all times. if its cooler, climb in the sun. if its too hot, climb in the shade. pretty easy. there are parking lots everywhere, so you really dont need to walk too far to get to the climbs. in fact, a bunch of the areas have parking lots that are only a few feet from the actual climbs. you can have a picnic lunch at your car! people, including us, bring camping chairs to the base of the climbs which makes it super comfy to watch others, or just relax in between burns. its pretty funny actually .. but super awesome at the same time!
so, my thoughts on the climbs here.
we intentionally took one day just to get used to the rock. as i just explained, that isn't enough. however, Rifle isn't really conducive to "getting to know rock" or "easy" climbing. you just need to jump right in! i've heard you need to be a 12c climber to really enjoy the climbs here. i can believe that. however, i'm not 12c strong and i've had a great time here! there are still plenty of easier 12s that are super fun! also the 11-range has some super cool routes.
during our stay here, i realized that the climbs i liked the most were a little less rifle-like, and the climbs that were a lot harder for me were the more rifle-esque climbs. we got on Rumor Has It, 11b, 4 stars. now, was that climb truly difficult? i actually think it was just not my style, not what i'm used to, and a very rifle-like climb. side pulls and laybacks the entire way! ;) the climbs that i really enjoyed had sections of rifle-esque movement mixed with sections of my norm of ledge-pulling. if we had more time here, i'm sure i'd start to work more of the rifle-type climbs. actually, my new project is more "rifle" to me with more sections of opposing movement and then powerful and sequential roof climbing at the end. such an awesome climb! i cant wait to get back on it .. uh, next year ;)
on the drive to find the campsite north of the canyon, we saw cows.. EVERYWHERE! open range..
our first few days were spent with Daisy and sleeping in a tent.
view of the canyon
this climb was steep and super bouldery ..
awesome looking movement - looks really hard
gotta love silhouette photos!
washing my feet in the creek
we finally got Nessa back!
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