Climbing Magazine
Kyle Ward
The Scene
Welcome to Climber-ville. This town of about 100,000 has more than 4,000 routes so close that you can send in time for yoga class and a jaunt to Whole Foods for coconut water and kale salad. With traditional, sport, bouldering, and even seasonal mixed and ice climbing, there is a reason why many of the world's best climbers live and train here. Whether you want to spend the day in Boulder Canyon crushing granite classics, bumping dubstep during a bouldering sesh at Flagstaff, running out a blood-curdling "5.8" in Eldorado Canyon, or cruising 1,000 feet up a Flatiron beneath a full moon, Boulder is an essential stop for every itinerant climber (and you might never leave). Peak times to climb span from spring to fall, but with more than 300 days of sunshine, you can find climbable rock year-round. If you do catch a freak weather front, don't fret, as there are a handful of world-class gyms with complimentary showers and unwanted beta. And whether you want to perk up or loosen up, Boulder has a lifetime's worth of coffee shops and breweries to visit. If the impossible happens and you run out of stuff to climb, Estes Park and Golden are within 40 and 20 miles, respectively, and they boast another 2,500 routes. Better start packing the van!