The 3rd Annual SoCO CRAG / Pueblo YMCA Community Climbing Competition will be held Sunday, February 8, 2015. All ages and abilities are invited with kids 6-17 competing in the morning and ages 18+ competing in the afternoon. Awards and prizes will be given to the top youth and adults climbers. See you there.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW … and line up your babysitters… for Thursday, December 4! SoCO CRAG will be meeting for the winter meeting/social at the Gold Dust Saloon in Pueblo. Meet us at 6:30pm to socialize, followed by our meeting at 7. This is your chance to network with other area climbers, plan winter trips and to hear first-hand the latest from SoCO CRAG. Come join us, and bring a friend! See you upstairs.
SoCO CRAG’s fifth annual Adopt a Crag was held Saturday, September 13, 2014 . 12 volunteers from Manitou Springs, Westcliffe, and Pueblo joined up to assist the USFS with trail maintenance. After a safety briefing with the Forest Service trail crew we worked on the Rudolph Mountain Trail for a few miles. Water bars were maintained and constructed, brush was cut back, and trash was cleaned. Lunch and the evening burger BBQ was provided by CSU-Pueblo Outdoor Pursuits Program with a grant from the American Alpine Club. Saturday night everyone camped out along South Hardscrabble Creek Road. Sunday we enjoyed the fruits of our labor climbing nearby at Scene of the Crime
. Thanks to the Access Fund, American Alpine Club and the CSU-Pueblo Outdoor Pursuits program for their support and sponsorship.
We did it. After two years of working with the State Land Board and the local land lessee, SoCO CRAG was allowed one day of legal climbing access to Beddows Dome. A special use permit was issued for one day of use on July 26. A total of 18 Westcliffe and Pueblo climbers met up for a spectacular time on the domes cracks, plates, and chickenheads. Seven trad lines were lead by local rockstars. A fantastic time was had by all on the best trad lines in the Wet Mountains. Thanks to all the help the Access Fund provided in terms of technical support and event insurance. This was a one time event, with climbing still seen as an illegal use of Beddows Dome. We hope that this single day of access will be seen by the state and our partners as a positive example of compatible use for future expansion.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW … and line up your babysitters… for Thursday, September 4! SoCO CRAG will be meeting for a late summer meeting/social at the Gold Dust Saloon in Pueblo. Meet us at 6:30pm to socialize, followed by our fun meeting at 7. This is your chance to network with other area climbers, plan autumn trips and to hear first-hand the latest from SoCO CRAG. Jason Wilson will also be presenting on his recent climbing trip to Africa. Come join us, and bring a friend! See you on the back patio.
John Castanha has once again offered to open his land to climbers for one day. His property near Rye has untouched sandstone boulders and cliffs. He is willing to host up to 20 climbers on Saturday, May 17, 2014. If you are interested, contact trip leader Chris Oshiro (330) 701-9066 to be added to the guest list.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW … and line up your babysitters… for Friday, May 9! SoCO CRAG will be meeting for a spring/early summer meeting/social at the Gold Dust Saloon in Pueblo. Meet us at 6:30pm to socialize, followed by our fun meeting at 7. This is your chance to network with other climbing enthusiasts, plan summer trips and to hear first-hand the latest from SoCO CRAG. Please join us, and bring a friend! See you on the back patio.
SoCO CRAG’s 2013/14 Winter Meeting will be held Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 6pm. See you for food, drinks and talk of rock, boulders and ice. We’ll be planning this spring’s climbing comp, trips, ideas for community outreach and updates on Beddows Dome and other access. See you at Manhattans Pizza, HWY 50.
Bring a friend,
Ben Bruestle
Pueblo, CO
719-924-4297
The 2nd Annual SoCO CRAG / Pueblo YMCA Community Climbing Competition was a huge success. The comp grew to 35 competitors. All ages and abilities competed on Sunday Feb 16, 2014 at the Pueblo YMCA climbing wall. Women’s Grand Champion is Isabella Montoya and Men’s Grand Champion Will Frindle. Top scorers in the Youth Division are Kyla Garrison, Aubreyana Ruybol, Silvia Bertoud andAlex Krenz. Teen placers are Azaria Segall, Sage Martin and Kaitlen Smith. Adult placers are Drake Dinero, Rebecca Bersagel and Dane Gomez. Rock Jock placers are Adam, Nick and Amber. The Master’s class placers are Kurt Bersagel, Randy Rerth, Jeremy Kastner, Holly Bruestle, Renee Hildebrandt and Laura. We appreciate all the event donors and sponsors: Red Chili, Mad Rock, Sterling Rope, Black Diamond, Pikes Peak Alpine School, Wendy’s, Subway, The Edge. Prizes were awarded to top finishers in the youth, Junior, Rock Jock, and Masters divisions. SoCO CRAG thanks all the CSU-P volunteers that helped route set. A big thanks to all the SoCO CRAG volunteers that helped judge and belay: Adam, Alex, James, Jeff, Jason, Jarrett.
The State Land Board wants to hold off on making a decision about allowing climbing at Beddows Dome until Parks & Wildlife are able to assess the raptor situation. The State Land Board is giving Parks & Wildlife until July 2014 to complete the raptor study. We will be working with the other land users during that time to find an access solution that works for all parties involved.
