The Drool – Route of the Month

For a long time the Drool was one of those local secrets that, like Fight Club, you just didn’t talk about (due to sensitive access.) Thankfully that all changed a couple years ago when Pitkin County Open Space bought the property the climb sits on, and you no longer have to hike in looking over your shoulder like a little kid on their way to pillage the cookie jar. So what’s the fuss all about? This is Redstone’s premier pillar route, and it doesn’t always come in reliably, so it’s a prize to catch in good conditions.

From the parking along the shoulder of Highway 133, a mellow 10 minute hike through the woods brings you to the base of the obvious formation. Sometimes you’ll find a solid pillar, as it is currently, sometimes it’s a barely connected skinny pillar of death, and sometimes you catch it right after the whole thing has fallen down and the base is littered with massive chunks of blue ice from the recent carnage. Usually in a year with a string of cold enough days, the route will form. If you happen to hike in and it’s not in shape, don’t fret, as you’ve got another great option just over the next rise.

The second “pitch”, really just another waterfall in the same creek, can be accessed by hiking up the hill on the right for 5 minutes. This is far more reliable, and can be seen from the road if you know exactly where to look. It’s shorter and easier than the first pillar, though early season it can still offer a bit of steep ice that’s good for a pump.

Another option, if you’re feeling feisty, is the new mixed route Scissorhands, M10, which sits just to the left of the first pillar. Funky dry tooling takes you to a pebble traverse that leads to the ice at the top of the Drool. Reported to be fairly desperate.

Both pitches are worthy and make for one of the finest pure ice routes in Redstone. In my opinion only Cold Heaven is better, but good luck catching that thing in shape.