Rifle. CO: Home of the Hardest Sport Climbing on Earth?

Krissy: the Prana model

Ben pre-hair cut

Ben post hair cut

One of our few forced rest days: loads of hail

Our new home in Rifle, CO

Rest day

Warming up in the morning sun next to the creek

Home

Krissy's collection of home-made jewellery - rest day hobby...

The hardest climbing on earth? Probably not, but is sure has been hard to get used to the climbing in Rifle. It is a tricky style to describe...The rock is blocky, pocketed, tufa'ed, crimpy, polished limestone. The routes here are very beta intensive (knee-bars, toe-hooks, etc). The first time up most routes they feel impossible, until you unlock the trick to climbing them. We have slowly been getting used to the climbing over the last few days and might be finally ready to try and climb something hard. It is definitely not an area you travel to so you can onsight a bunch of routes - you have to work hard for each and every send here.