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Outside Magazine, June 2005

The Spirit of Summer 2005: The Coolest Crags
Hot Rocks

By Sally Schumaier

If there's a deal breaker to a climber's summer dream scene, it's rock that's scalding to the touch. Fortunately, Estes Park, Colorado—a town of 6,000 at 7,522 feet in the Rockies—offers something that desert crags don't: alpine air conditioning and hundreds of routes just outside of town in Rocky

Summer My Way

"My favorite trail is the one up Half Dome, the finest summit in the Yosemite region. It's a beautiful, nearly 5,000-foot hike full of waterfalls, wildlife, and fantastic views."—Royal Robbins, climber and entrepreneur

Mountain National Park. "The park is best known for 14,255-foot Longs Peak, but the smaller mountains offer equally challenging multi-pitch routes," says 24-year-old phenom Katie Brown, a Patagonia-sponsored climber who lives in Moab but spends a month or two in Estes Park each summer. "Lumpy Ridge, a series of granite domes, is my favorite. One dome, the Book, has an awesome 5.9 called J. Crack and a 5.10c called Fat City. I also like to hike the four-mile trail around Lumpy Ridge for the views of Longs Peak." When Brown craves quesadillas, she heads to Ed's Cantina & Grill, in town, a favorite hangout of resident climbers like Beth Rodden, 25, and her 26-year-old rock-star husband, Tommy Caldwell. "Estes is about escape," says Rodden. "You can just run into the mountains and play your heart out." Rocky Mountain National Park, 970-586-1206; Estes Park visitor information, 800-443-7837.

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