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North Table Mountain Climbing 2020-present

North Table Mountain

Route:

various

Region: Colorado
Elev: ~6,300 ft
Rock type: Columnar basalt
Type: 
Date(s): 2020(x1 day), 2021(x1 day), 2022(x1 day), 2023(x2 days), 2024(x2 days)
Partner(s): Erika Bannon, Michael Underwood, toprope solo, Will Starks, Frankie, Nate Arganbright

Sitting above Golden, this popular cliff band of columnar basalt faces south & west so it makes for comfortable winter/cold weather rock climbing. Most routes here are tightly bolted and generally short (60 foot range), so a 50m rope and 10 quickdraws will be sufficient for most routes.

The first time I climbed at North Table Mountain was in January 2020, at Winterfest Wall.

On this page, I give photos from climbing at North Table Mountain, organized by date. At the bottom of the page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done at North Table Mountain.

Photos

SOME RANDOM PHOTOS FROM CRAGGING AT NORTH TABLE MOUNTAIN


More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: January 18, 2020 (Sat)
Partner: Erika Bannon
Climbed at: Winterfest Wall
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Abortion Control 5.8, trad
• Bush Loves Detroit 5.8, trad
• Thin Lizzie (aka Dodging Ions) 5.8, trad
• Bimbo in Limbo 5.10b, sport
• Jello Brand Napalm 5.10b, trad
• Back to the Bayou (aka Leaning Pillar) 5.10c, sport
• Silver Bullet 5.10c, sport
• Pass the Tanning Butter 5.10c, sport
• Unknown (corner to the left of Bimbo in Limbo) 5.10, trad (toproped)
According to mountainproject, some of the best climbing on North Table Mountain can be had at the Winterfest Wall. The 20 or so routes are a range from 5.8 to 5.11+, both sport and trad, and are about 60 feet in length. The wall faces west-southwest making it a great place to spend a sunny winter day.
The basalt crags of North Table Mountain as seen from the parking area.
Friendly approach.
Our first route of the day: Back to the Bayou.
The compact fine grained basalt.
Erika leading Jello Brand Napalm. This route did not make our top 8 for the day.
Fun corner of Bush Loves Detroit.
We climbed 3 routes here: Abortion Control (the wide crack), Bimbo in Limbo (the bolted face to the left of the wide crack), and the corner (not in guidebook).
A nice sunny spot on a winter day.
Erika cruising up Silver Bullet.
Hiking out after a fun day of climbing, with the Coors Brewery below.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: April 18, 2021 (Sun)
Partner: Michael Underwood
Climbed at: Quarry Wall
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Warm Up Crack 5.8, trad
• Mummy, The 5.8, trad
• Short Tour, The 5.10b, trad
• Marry Me, Becky 5.10b, trad
• Gnome, The (lower 2/3) ~5.10, toprope
A spring Sunday afternoon climbing at Quarry Wall.
Michael starting up Marry Me, Beckey.
Upper wide crack on Marry Me, Beckey.
We climbed a fun route called The Mummy up the right side of the tower.
A nice crack on The Short Tour.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: April 20, 2022 (Wed)
Partner: toprope solo
Climbed at: Quarry Wall
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Frank's Tame Years 5.11a, toprope solo
• Bone Crusher 5.12c, toprope solo, lots of hangs
I had a morning free and it was a warm spring day, so I decided to forego my usual BRC autobelay session and instead go toprope soloing at North Table Mountain. I wanted to check out the famous Bone Crusher (12c) at Quarry Wall. It is an easy place to set up a toprope for toprope soling. Bone Crusher is an awesome pitch of crack climbing, but I found it pretty morale crushing as I hang-dogged my way up it!
A nice crack on The Short Tour.
Looking up Bone Crusher (5.12c). I toproped soloed this but lots of hangs.
Anchor at the top of the cliff. Easy to get to.
Toprope solo setup. Roll-n-Lock + micro traxion. My only complaint with the Roll-n-Lock is needing the extra piece of string (one loop has come loose in the photo).
Quartz pieces in the basalt.
Pile of basalt rocks.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: April 16, 2023 (Sun)
Partner: Will Starks, Frankie (woof)
Climbed at: Overhang Area, MBA Wall
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Bad Manners 5.9, trad
• Hippy School 5.9, trad
• Henry Spies the Line 5.10a, sport
• Toprope Face Two 5.10b, toprope
• Spike 5.10b, sport
• Shadow of a Hangdog 5.10b, trad
• Beer Barrel Buttress 5.10c, sport
• Ground Doesn't Lie, The 5.10c, sport
I had recently moved from Boulder to Estes Park. I was loving my new life in Estes Park, but we had entered the time of year where snow was still on the local rock while people were climbing in t-shirts in Boulder. So I joined a group of friends from Boulder (Will, Mike, Katie, Frankie (woof), and Waffles (woof)) for a day of climbing in a t-shirt at North Table.
Our first round of the day: The Ground Doesn't Lie (5.10c, sport).
Hippy School (5.9, trad). We had to climb this trad line when Will spotted a quickdraw hanging on the neighboring route. Booty!
Spike (5.10b, sport). Fun climbing on good rock. Frankie (Will's dog) is keeping a watchful eye on his owner.
Shadow of a Hangdog (5.10b, trad). This climbs through the splitter finger crack above.
Our last (eighth) route of the day: Henry Spies the Line (5.10a, sport). A fun climb but the bolts are a bit spaced out.
Half of the climbers in Denver were enjoying this 60° spring Sunday at North Table. Fun in the spring sun!

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: April 23, 2023 (Sun)
Partner: Erika Bannon
Climbed at: Overhang Area, Twelve Pack Wall, Fence Area
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Honey I Shrunk the Hemorrhoids 5.7, sport
• Startled 5.8, sport
• Liar Liar 5.8, trad
• X It 5.9, sport
• Stickin it to the Man 5.10a, sport
• Alan's Seam 5.10a, sport
• Ugly Stick 5.10b, sport
• Chunky Monkey 5.10b, sport
• Never Ration Passion 5.10b, sport
• Winter Warmer 5.10d, toprope
A 12-route fun-in-the-Sunday at North Table.
It had snowed the day before, but today was sunny and the rock was already dry.
Erika leading Liar Liar (5.8), a fun trad route.
Alan's Seam (5.10a), a fun bolted crack.
Looking up the tallest route at North Table, the 120-foot Ugly Stick (5.10b). This was our final route of the day. Nice and steep. Nice lead Erika!
The glorious views of the Coors factory in Golden.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: January 21, 2024 (Sun)
Partner: Erika Bannon
Climbed at: Brown Cloud Crags
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Killian's Dead 5.6, trad
• Pee on D 5.8, sport
• Retro-Crack 5.9+, sport
• Brown Cloud Arete 5.10a, sport
• Deck Chairs on the Titanic 5.10a, sport
• Punkin Puss & Mushmouse 5.10a, sport
• New River Gorge Homesick Blues 5.10a, sport
• Womb Fight 5.10b, trad
8 pitches on a cloudy but mild winter day.
The view.
Brown Cloud Arete, a fun 5.10a and the crag's namesake.
We climbed the crack, Womb Fight (5.10b). It had a fun start.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: May 5, 2024 (Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Fence Area, Winterfest Wall
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Gruesome Groove (with easier left start) ~5.10a, toprope
• Stickin it to the Man 5.10a, sport
• Ugly Stick 5.10b, sport
• Bimbo in Limbo 5.10b, sport
• Silver Bullet 5.10c, sport
• Winter Warmer 5.10d, toprope
• Sunset Arete 5.10d, sport
Spring day cragging.
Stickin it to the Man (5.10a). A great warm up route.
Nate trying to figure out the 5.12a crux groove of Gruesome Groove (5.12a). We never did figure it out. But the climbing above the groove was fun 5.9/10a.
Nate leading Ugly Stick (5.10b). The longest route at North Table.
Silver Bullet (5.10). A fun route.
Bimbo in Limbo (5.10a/b). If you climb the corner from the very start it is harder but pretty interesting climbing.
Sunset Arete (5.10d). Our last route to cap off a good half day of 5.10 cragging.

List of Climbs I've done at North Table Mountain

LIST MAINLY FOR PERSONAL RECORD-KEEPING | DATES I'VE CLIMBED THERE ON SECOND TAB

Previous and Next Adventures

(January 2020: First time cragging at North Table Mtn)

Sedona (Trundler's Club, Pussy Mind Trick, Arch Enemy, Eraserhead Spire, The Pirate, Rusty Cage, The Windows Route), AZ
Cragging at Thunder Ridge, CO

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
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