The Meteor III is the latest incarnation of this popular helmet, and it doesn’t disappoint. The original Meteor was great because it was so light, but often felt like it didn’t offer much protection. This new helmet has a sturdy feel with a comfortable fit. It’s easily adjustable and comes in two sizes. Like its predecessors, its so comfy and light its easy to forget you are wearing it. In the past helmets were easy to diss for being so clumsy and heavy, and uncool (anything but that!).

The Petzl Meteor wont leave you with any good excuses for not protecting your brain the next time you head out on the rock or rack up for that pitch of ice. Climb smart and wear a helmet!

Just got back in town from 2 months in Boise, more posts this week, but for now I’d love to know what is going on here:

I got to thinking the other day about the progression of this site, and how many people have told me they are grateful for all the information on here. It’s pretty rewarding to know that people are getting enjoyment out of something that I have created, especially because I do this with my free time and make no money from it.

One thing I struggle with sometimes is how much info to put on here. There are a lot of local crags that you wont find information about, for various reasons. Some are new, some are older, some have questionable access, some are probably better off as locals’ only spots. On one hand, I want to share the information with as many people as possible, because I am psyched on the climbing in our area, and want others to enjoy it. On the flip side, with publicity comes crowds, and possible access issues, like at Thompson Creek. In that case, it didn’t matter the information was available on here, because everyone and their mother had already heard about it and been out there by the time we got a topo together, but you get the idea.

For now I guess I’ll continue to be selective about the information that goes on here, and hope that people continue to treat all these areas with respect. Climbing is coming under more and more scrutiny these days, how we act as a group will shape how land managers view and interact with climbers in the future.

Climb on.

As a follow up to the best places to climb in the summer, here are my picks for the worst places to climb in the summer, unless heat stroke is one of your goals this year.

The Puoux - It always boggles my mind to see people climbing here in the warmer months. This crag is an oven and sits in the blazing sun all day. Add to that the noise from I-70 and you’ve got probably the worst place to climb in the summer… Maybe ever.

Main Elk/Fortress - Dead south facing, a visit to these cliffs in the heat of the summer will likely leave you burned to a crisp. Come back in January.

Rifle Arch - These south facing sandstone slabs will cook you hotter than an egg in a frying pan. It’s best to come back in the cooler months, even winter can be good here if the sun is shining and there hasn’t been any recent snows.

Redstone - The greasy cobbles on most of the problems here can be damn near impossible to hold on to in the summer, never mind trying to keep your feet on them! A hot day is definitely not the time you want to find yourself at the Redstone Boulders.

Early summer and fall are probably the best times for climbing in the Roaring Fork valley. It seems like no matter where you want to go, you’ll have good conditions. Good thing September is right around the corner!

Just got an email from Mountain Gear about an anniversary sale they are doing right now. I clicked through and saw they had micro camalots for $30 and some of the old-style metolius four cams for $30. Those are pretty sweet deals, get them while they last!

I got some of those micro cams a while back when they first put them on sale, and they are pretty sweet. If you want a really low profile four cam unit, don’t pass them up.