I-70 Sickle (4) - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 03/02/2024
Elevation - 9,400'
Route - I-70 Sickle
Miles - 0.4
Elevation Gain - 300'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Taylor Just, Kennedy Just

Description

Kennedy and I had been out a couple times this year, and Taylor wanted to give ice climbing a shot too. Since Taylor lives in the mountains, we met her in Georgetown, Colorado, before heading up to the I-70 Sickle, which is a climb just off the interstate. Temperatures had been below freezing all week; however, the overall climb is still pretty baked due to the sun exposure it gets all day. A friend even said going up to the second pitch wasn't really an options as it is in even worse condition.

When we showed up, there was a van from Colorado Christian University already there with about a dozen climbers and two top ropes set up. I visited with the instructor who just started the class and since he had a bit of training and lecture to do, he allowed the three of us to get a few quick laps in before they were actually going to be climbing.

It was a good and extremely warm morning, and Taylor, Kennedy, and I each got some work in on the styrofoam and plastic ice. After a while, it became pretty slushy and resembled a snow cone so we called it a day and had some pizza back in Georgetown, Colorado. Hopefully next weekend is better!

Photos

Kennedy

Taylor

James

Taylor, Dad, and Kennedy