Gold Butte To Be Opened to Climbers?

According to a recent story in the Aspen Times, the Gold Butte climbing area outside Aspen, Colorado, which has been closed for a long, long time, may be opened once again if a housing development is approved.

From the article:

“Hurst also offered to convey to the county a pond next to the Rio Grande Trail and to provide access to a nearby area known as Gold Butte for ice climbers and rock climbers; and to place a conservation easement over much of the open space so that no development could ever occur there, including Dollard Rock Outcrop Hill.”

Read the rest here.

I guess there’s not much we can do but wait and see if this is approved, unless you’ve got influence with the committee in Aspen that will be reviewing this development. It’d be cool to have this little crag opened again, as it’s one of the few spots to climb upvalley during the colder months of the year. If you have the book Climb! The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado, there’s a photo of a climb at the area on the sixth page of the color photos section.