This route was one of the first that I did in the Flatirons. It was the first that I did unroped. I've climbed it more than any other route in the Flatirons. It used to hardly ever see traffic...no longer, you step off a trail onto the route, you step off the top of the route onto another trail, and the climbing is easy and sometimes unique. For all of these reasons, this route is one of my favorites in the Flatirons. Difficulty snobs will want to stay away.

This formation has become quite popular, and you should expect to share the route with others.

The approach to the 2nd is described on its Rock page. At the bottom of the 2nd, step off the trail and onto the rock. The first crux is negotiating a slight bulge with a crack. From there, the easiest way trends right a bit, then back left aiming for the gully. Follow the holds.... Step right onto the rib, and head for an obvious tree. Keep heading up and slightly right over easier rock. The obvious Pullman Car will be looming above you to the left. Soon, you will be on a small summit, with a notch between you and the rest of the route. Jump! It's not as hard as it looks.

Continue trending up and right. You will intersect the north edge of the 2nd. The route finding crux of the route is here where you need to find the spot to step around onto to the north to reach the final slab up to the top of the route. Negotiate the final slab, and step off onto the trail between the 1st and 2nd Flatirons.

Freeway

The Gutter High

Overlooked Overhang

South Sneak

East Overhang

Direct SE Arete

Southeast Overhang

West Face [2nd Flatiron]

Free for All

Koyannislotsqi

South Face

The Yarbles

Dodge Block Variation (Tunnel Route)

The Gutter

Freezeway

North Crack

The Compound

I Bleed

South East Arete/Second

Storm Drain

Dodge Block

Beginning in the mid 1980s, the relationship between climbers and the land manager of the open space containing the Flatirons deteriorated to the point where a complete bolting ban was imposed. This ban epitomized the lack of dialogue between climbers as a user group of the Flatirons and the City of Boulder’s land manager, Open Space Mountain Parks (OSMP). As a result, new route development in the Flatirons came to a standstill, and climbers felt disenfranchised from a beloved climbing venue. In 1997, a group of climbers/activists began brainstorming meetings to determine how best to address this impasse. To address the concerns of OSMP regarding the impacts climbers have in the Flatirons, this group set out to demonstrate that climbers are not just users of the Flatirons, but also stewards. Sponsoring trail and restoration projects, educational outreach efforts, and attending numerous OSMP sponsored community gatherings, these climber/activists (eventually incorporated as the Flatirons Climbing Council [FCC]) slowly but surely built a relationship with OSMP based upon trust and open communication.

Description

Protection

Routes in Second Flatiron