The Flatirons - East Faces

Legendary rock formations just minutes above downtown Boulder, the Flatirons have offered a playground for generations and generations of hikers, scramblers and climbers. Known for having very moderate routes, a majority in the 5.0 to 5.5 range, strict bolting rules and not always protectable rock, it has naturally become the kingdom of soloists of various boldness.

 

With dozens of different pieces of rocks of all sizes, the Flatirons are also incredibly complex. Presented here are 120 routes on the most famous formations, including the five Flatirons themselve.

Route List

1: Satan’s Slab, 5.8 R, Ament, Kor, 1963

2: The Omen, 5.7 R

3: Purgatory, 5.6 X, Bohn, Hahn, 1973

4: Enchanted Devil, 5.4 R, Roach, 1977

5: 666, 5.4, Rossiter, 1996

6: 667, 5.5 R, Flynn, Price

7: Stairway to Heaven, 5.3

8: East Face Left, Hillbilly’s Rock, 5.2, Roach

9: Jethro, 5.4 R, Humphry, Moore, 2001

10: East Face Center, Hillbilly’s Rock, 5.0, Ament, Dalke, 1961

11: East Face Right, Hillbilly’s Rock, 5.0

12: Southeast Ridge, Amoeboid, 5.4 R, Bubb, 2016

13: Buckets, 4th class

14: Direct Finish, 5.6

15: South Ridge, Hippo Head, 5.6

16: East Face, Hippo Head, 5.6

17: Days of Our Lives, 5.11a R, Haas, 2006

18: East Face, Hourglass, 4th class

19: East Face, Anomaly, 4th class

20: Spherical Implosion, 5.8 A3, Briggs, Briggs, 1971

21: North Nostril, 5.7, Rydsdale, Simmon, 1955

22: East Face Left, Fifth Flatiron, 5.5

23: Cat Scratches, 5.2

24: Pinball, 5.6 R, Paik, Thompson, 2013

25: East Face North, Fifth Flatiron, 5.4

26: Northeast Buttress, Fifth Flatiron, 5.6 R

27: East Face, Royal Arch, 4th class

28: El Camino Royale, 5.2

29: Red Wall Jug Haul, 5.6 R, Fridberg, 2015

30: Northern Rib, the Regency, 5.0

31: East Face, Upper Tangen Tower, 5.4, Inyan, Roach, 1984

32: East Face, Lower Tangen Tower, 5.8+ R

33: Variation to the Second Section Summit, 5.3

34: East Face, Fourth Flatiron, 5.4, Roach, Roberts, 1960

35: East Face, the Spaceship, 5.4 R, Roach, Roach, 1969

36: East Face, Last Flatironette, 4th class

37: East Face, Lost Flatironette, 5.3

38: Southeast Ridge, Fourth Flatironette, 5.4

39: East Ridge, Hammerhead, 4th class

40: Swing Time, 5.7

41: Uncle Nasty, 5.10b, Briggs, Graham, 1986

42: East Face, Willy B, 5.8 R, Brinker, Hornbein, 1948

43: East Face, the Morning After, 5.7, Roach, Wheeler, 1956

44: Right Thing, 5.8+, Ament, Dalke, 1960

45: Blinded, 5.3

46: Slight Flight, 5.0

47: Non-Friction, 5.9 R

48 The Middle Way, 5.10b TR

49: Diatribe, 5.10d TR

50: Quarry Wall, 5.9

51: Don’t Stop Now, 5.9 X

52: Lichen Wars, 5.6 R

53: Lichen Resolution, 5.6 R

54: The Dolmen, 5.7 X, Rossiter, 1988

55: Smoother, 5.7 X, Erickson, Walsh, 1970

56: Crescent, 5.5, Rossiter, 1980

57: Crescent Variation, 5.6 X, Rossiter, 1988

58: Thinsignificance, 5.7 X, Rossiter, 1988

59: I Lichen Chimneys, 5.4 R, Chelton, 2011

60: Seams Like a Crack, 5.7 R, Bracksieck, Desrosiers, 2017

61: I Lichen Offwidths, 5.3 R, Chelton, 2011

62: Marine Life, 5.6, Rossiter, 1988

63: Thinquisition, 5.7 X, Rossiter, 1988

64: Dimetrodon , 5.5 X, Bartlett, Haas, 2008

65: South Face, East Ironing Board, 5.7 X, Rossiter, Woolf, 1988

66: Que Rasca, 5.7 R, Briggs, Solheim, 1973

67: Hand Crack, 5.4, Piana, 1987

68: Hey Slick, 5.5 R/X, Piana, 1987

69: Smooth, 5.7 R, Ament, Ryan, 1967

70: A Hike with Lao Tzu, 5.8, Rossiter, 1988

71: Crackin’ Up, 5.6

72: East Face Left, Jaws, 5.3 X

73: Water Groove, 5.2

74: East Face, Queen Anne’s Head, 5.4

75: 1911 Gully, 5.5

76: South Face, Third Flatiron, 5.10d R, Briggs, Briggs, 1986

77: Shoyu State, 5.10c, Rossiter, Rossiter, Woolf, 1988

78: Blazing Biners, 5.10a, Rossiter, Rossiter, Woolf, 1988

79: Sayonara, 5.12b, Hildenbrand, Ruckman, 1989

80: Third World Zone, 5.4, Rossiter, Rossiter, 1988

81: East Face Left, Third Flatiron, 5.5

82: Standard East Face, Third Flatiron, 5.4, Millard, Millard, 1906

83: Direct Finish, 5.4

84: Extra Point, 5.6 R, Ament, 1965

85: College Dropout, 5.7 R, Rossiter, Rossiter, 1982

86: Southeast Ridge, Third Flatironette, 4th class

87: North Ridge, Jaws, 4th class

88: East Chimney, Higher Deviation, 5.5

89: Southeast Ridge, Lower Deviation, 5.8

90: East Face Center, Lower Deviation, 5.7

91: East Face Right, Lower Deviation, 4th class

92: Chase the Sun, 5.4

93: South Sneak, 5.2

94: Southeast Ridge, Second Flatiron, 5.7, Kor, 1959

95: Southeast Overhang, 5.6 C2, Dalke, O’Donnell, 1963

96: Overlooked Overhang, 5.8

97: Dodge Block, 5.0

98: Free for All, 5.6

99: East Face Overhang, Second Flatiron, 5.10d, Erickson, Hunter, 1973

100: Wallflower, 5.12a R, Haas, Johnson, 2007

101: Hornsby’s Ledges, 5.9, Hornsby, Walton, 1948

102: Freeway, 4th class

103: Way of the Ancients, 5.5

104: Hubris, 5.6 R

105: Atalanta, 5.3, Roach, 1987

106: Massugu, 5.5 R, Rossiter, 1988

107: Kamikaze Roofs, 5.8, Rossiter, 1988

108: Zig Zag, 5.7

119: Baker’s Way, 5.3

110: Fandango, 5.5

111: Yellow Brick Road, 5.7 R, Baldwin, Rossiter, 1977

112: Butterfly, 5.6 R, Roach, Wheeler, 1956

113: Direct East Face, First Flatiron, 5.6 R, Ament, Dalke, 1960

114: Red Slab Variation, 5.8 X

115: Northeast Gully, First Flatiron, 5.4

116: North Arête, First Flatiron, 5.4

117: East Face North Side, First Flatiron, 5.2

118: South Ridge, First Flatironette, 5.2

119: East Face, First Flatironette, 5.2

120: East Ridge, the Spy, 5.3 R

Updates

June 18, 2022: Graphic design update

April 14, 2024: Graphic design update