So far this summer it’s been hotter than Africa here in Boise, and I hear it’s been really warm in Colorado too. One of the great things about living in the Roaring Fork valley is that there are some good options for escaping the heat that are never more than 30 minutes away. Here are my picks for the best places to get out of the sun and get some pitches in:

The Narrows - While not very high in elevation, you’ll find a lot of shade here. In fact, there are very few climbs that get any direct sun, and mostly only in the morning. It’s perfect for an after work session, when other places are sweltering in the afternoon heat.

Glenwood Canyon - The north facing cliffs that are home to Sucking Wind can offer some relief from the heat. Again, not very high, but shady for the most of the day. Just be sure to watch out for trains and get off the tracks if you see one coming. No Name also offers some afternoon shade on the Poison Ivy wall.

Independence Pass - The premier summer climbing spot in the Roaring Fork valley. While a lot of the crags are actually south facing, they are high, with most sitting between 9,000 and 10,000 feet. From sport to trad to bouldering, you’ve got a lot of great options here.

Lime Park - This may just be the perfect summer climbing spot. The canyon sits at about 9000 feet, so the nights are usually cool. The east side of the canyon is shady in the morning, and by afternoon you can walk 5 minutes over to the west side and finish up the day in more shade. The bugs can be bad in early summer, so go prepared.

Hagerman Pass - Another high elevation playground, Hagerman has good cragging, and some fun bouldering too. Most of the rock here is sunny, but sitting at 10,000 feet, the days are usually pretty nice. It also offers some of the longer climbs in the area, the main slab being about 400 feet tall.

Rifle - You either love or hate Rifle in the summer. It’s a canyon, so you can chase shade pretty easily, but the slippery hand holds and polished feet might have you seeking out other options until the cooler weather comes back.

If your travels take you outside the valley, here are some other great places for summer time climbing.

Rocky Mountain National Park - Stunning views and fantastic routes on impeccable rock, this is Colorado’s best alpine climbing. Sure, you’ll have to deal with hoards of tourists at the trail heads, but once you get a couple miles in, you’ve left the riff-raff behind and can enjoy the beauty of the Park. From long 5.6 ridges to 5.13’s at 14000′, Rocky Mountain Park has something for everyone.

Uintas - Bomber quartzite, alpine lakes and perfect temps, what more could you ask for?

Sawtooths - The Sawtooths make Rocky Mountain Park look like Disneyland on a holiday weekend. More rock than you can shake a stick at, and hardly any crowds. Folks from out-of-state have heard by now about some of the big formations, the Elephants Perch and Finger of Fate, but take a look around and you’ll realize there is a lifetime of first ascents waiting in these beautiful peaks.

Tetons - Considered the heart of alpine climbing in the US, these are mountains the way God intended them, with more technical routes than you can possibly do in a lifetime.

Sierras - Perfect granite and high peaks. This is as good as it gets.

Mountain Gear, Arc’teryx and Rock and Ice have teamed up to offer a program where you can send in your old harnesses for testing, and in return you’ll get a $25 discount on Arc’teryx stuff ordered through Mountain Gear. This is a great idea, I bet a lot of people would probably send their harnesses in for testing without the little bonus, but that should give us lazy folks the motivation to actually do it.

After Todd Skinner’s death, caused by belay loop failure, I think a lot of people suddenly became interested in how well harnesses hold up over time. I had one friend who had been using the same one for ten years, after the accident he quickly replaced it.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of results they get. It seems like in many tests, climbing gear holds up much better than anyone thinks it will. Check out some of the testing that Black Diamond has done, there’s some really interesting results over there.

Of course, if you ever have any doubt about any of your gear, it’s always best to take the conservative road. This stuff is pretty damn cheap compared to the cost of a serious injury, or even losing your life. I heard a story once of a well known sponsored climber who had to bail off a big wall, and even though they got gear for free, they were rapping off single cams and nuts because they were being cheap bastards.

Sheesh.

I just saw that Climbing.com posted the full version of their interview with Pat Ament that appears in the latest issue. It’s so nice to read an interview with a climber that’s not the same old “And then you hit the gaston with your left and throw for blah,blah,blah…totally sick brah!!!” Maybe these kids should stop dropping out of college to climb and get an education first.

When it feels like there is less and less soul in the sport these days, Pat’s words and philosophy on climbing and life in general are a breath of fresh air. It’s certainly easy to get caught up in chasing grades when you are pushing your limits, but maybe we should all slow down and truly enjoy everything the experience can bring us.

Here’s an excerpt that I particularly liked:

Q: Where is our sport heading?
A: Sad to say, our “sport” has been heading nowhere for a long time. That we have higher and higher grades has nothing to do with progress or anything in particular. That’s an evolution. We build on the achievements of those who go before, because we, as a species, are insecure and feel to compare ourselves to others and improve on others, or think we improve, which in much part is delusion. Comparisons are how we make ourselves feel of worth, lacking the maturity to determine our own worth. That so many view climbing as “a sport” shows me they are less focused on the deeper mysteries, the values of beauty, tenderness, and friendship, the incredible communication it is possible for us to have with nature, in all its variety. When we compete, we try to defeat someone else and to elevate ourselves. That’s the most mundane of reasons to climb.

There is nothing wrong with elevating ourselves, if others are elevated along with us. There is nothing wrong with climbing the hardest routes we are inspired to climb. But to be caught up in competition draws us more often than not away from the artistic and beautiful sides of things, and focus away from the individual. Somewhat stupidly we stand in someone else’s light, in order to be brighter or duller, by comparison, when in fact the great artists have only their own light and are beyond compare.

Read the rest of the interview. It’s long but very much worth it, take 15 minutes to check it out instead of watching some dumbass on YouTube cheat natural selection one more time.

Looking to do for ropes what Patagonia has done for underwear, Sterling is now offering a recycling service. Instead of just throwing that old cord in the closet, you can send it back to them and they will recycle it for you. The official press release is below, which I found on several message boards. Strangely, I couldn’t find it on their site.

It’s great to see climbing companies step up to the plate like this. Many climbers like to get all high and mighty about environmental ethics while at the same time driving numerous SUV’s hundreds of miles each weekend to use gear that was produced using many toxic chemicals. One of the great things about all the new climbing around Carbondale is that it cuts down on driving time in an era when people should be more conscious of the impact their actions have on their environment. A 2 hour round trip to Rifle or 30 minutes to get back and forth from the Narrows? Certainly something to consider…

Press Release
Sterling Rope is dedicated to protecting our natural resources and wilderness areas. To this end, we are exploring the feasibility of a used climbing rope redemption program. Right now, Sterling Rope recycles unused new fiber (scrap left over from our normal manufacturing process) and we are working with another company to determine the logistics and details of recycling used nylon climbing ropes.

We are looking for your help. We need to acquire as many used ropes as possible for a test run. Sterling will run the pilot program regionally (in the North East) for this initial test then will launch it nationally if successful.

Rather than having that old rope go into the landfill or languish in the back of the closet, let’s give it new life and a new purpose– we will accept any brand of nylon rope from any manufacturer.

Dynamic climbing ropes are made of nylon. Nylon is made from petroleum and if we recycle our old climbing ropes we can reduce our consumption of oil.

This program endeavors to re-purpose these ropes as carpet pads, coat hangers, and even children’s toys.

Together we can make a difference.

Please email climbing@sterlingrope.com for full program details.

A big thanks to Andy Wellman who sent me an extensive list of new routes in Rifle. They may be appearing in an updated version of Western Sloper sometime in the near future, but for now you can find them on the Rifle Mountain Park page. Looks like Dave Pegg has been busy out there as usual.