Blog

I have been climbing at Rifle for years. In fact, I think I can safely say it is my favorite climbing area. Some of my friends think I’m joking when I say that, since it’s a sport climbing area and I do very little sport climbing, for the most part. Rifle was the first place I went when I fled from law school in 1995, to become a climbing bum. And I’ve noticed over the years that it’s the place I go when I feel like I haven’t been climbing enough and I just purely, simply want to climb…and it’s also the place I go when life gets complicated and I just purely, simply want to climb.

For me, Rifle is a healing place, a climbing haven, where life is good, free and easy. So yes, it’s true, all things considered, Rifle is my favorite climbing area! See, it takes more than just awesome climbing to make an awesome climbing area (of which Rifle has plenty).

You also need great camping, free or pay, hot or cold, sunny or shady, dry or creekside, social or solitary. Rifle has that.

You also need hassle-free existence and a feeling of contribution. Rifle has that: you pay $40/year for a windshield sticker, and you are a legitimate user. If you bring your dogs, everyone will pet them and play with them, and you will not be in trouble. You can kick down some money to Jeremy Hensel, Mike Brumbaugh or Dave Pegg, if you see them, since as far as I can tell they are personally doing and financing most of the bridge building and rebolting/fixed draw-installing in the canyon. And/or you can attend the yearly clean-up and build some bridges and trails.

You also need a great community. Rifle has that. For years I have been seeing the same dedicated, friendly, strong climbers in the canyon, and I know I can show up by myself and climb with someone. Many people spend rest days giving belays to people, knowing the same will be done for them sometime.

You also need natural beauty. Rifle has that. Maybe you’ve heard Rifle referred to as a “choss pile.” There is some choss. There is also beautiful limestone, and a creek burbling alongside the quiet dirt road that winds through a grey and beige stone corridor shaded by trees, flowers, cattails and lilypads. I find Rifle one of the prettiest, sweetest places around.

So anyway, having climbed there sporadically for years and years, I have always been uncharacteristically unprepared, gear-wise. I guess for me, Rifle has always been kind of a break from dealing with Gear. Like portaledges and ropes and cams and icetools and stoves and all that stuff. And at Rifle you don’t need much, it’s true, but you do need a good chair. Naturally I have that covered. But you also need a real kneepad. Or two. With Stealth rubber on it.

For some reason I never really get it together to get good kneepads. In fact, I have kind of been known at Rifle for having ghetto kneepads. By the time I consider getting around to it, I usually end up leaving Rifle until next season, and just forget, and then I don’t have good kneepads again. The really odd thing is that you can just go to Rock and Resole in Boulder (or call them) and buy some, premade, but they only carry medium and large. Which, considering the physique of most awesome sport climbers I know, seems a little big….?