Secluded Ridge Boulders: New Bouldering Problems Outside Boulder

Perhaps one of the greatest feelings in bouldering (beyond sending your project) is finding new boulders. Around Boulder, this is no easy task as climbers have been tromping around the woods in search of perfect problems and boulders for many, many years. However, sometimes areas remain hidden because they were formally on private land, or perhaps a fire reveals a new set of boulders that were previously obscured by trees and growth. Either way, the thrill of finding a new boulder, and ones with some decent lines on them, is always a special day.
Tara and I hiked up today to an area I had spotted this fall while doing some trail running between Boulder and Lyons. We found a handful of boulders (actually many more, but only a handful are big enough and have decent lines) as we wandered around the hillside. At the bottom of the fall line, a nice 15 foot high boulder rests against a tree. One side has two or three short, overhang problems on bad slopers. The south face has some really nice V0-V2 highball warmups. Hiking further up the slope, at the base of the cliff line, one encounters a cluster of three house to large car size boulders. One, sitting at an odd angle on top of another, contains a very aesthetic arete problem (~V5 R). The landing is sketchy, and many pads will be necessary to send this rig, as you climb out a small hole working your way on open-hands and slopers to the lip. Here, you are an easy 20 feet off the ground as you hang over the two stacked boulders.
Around the corner, a couple seams and odd leaning aretes offer a few more problems in the V0-V3/4 range. Some development may reveal a couple more lines as well. Although not a destination in itself (currently there are around 25-30 problems scattered up and down the hill), these new boulders bode well for 2010!

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