Colorado · Rock climbing · Loveland

Ironing Board Slabs (Upper & Lower Slabs)

Near Loveland

Ironing Board Slabs (Upper & Lower Slabs)Photo: jamieotterbein, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
16 routes
5.7+ – 5.11a/b
Trad · Sport · Mixed

Is Ironing Board Slabs (Upper & Lower Slabs) open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Canyon Lakes Ranger District.

As of · Source: USFS · Canyon Lakes Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Ironing Board Slabs (Upper & Lower Slabs)

Best months: May–June and August–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    44° / 15°

    4 wet

  2. Feb

    45° / 17°

    4 wet

  3. Mar

    53° / 25°

    5 wet

  4. Apr

    60° / 31°

    8 wet

  5. May

    68° / 41°

    10 wet

  6. Jun

    80° / 49°

    8 wet

  7. Jul

    87° / 55°

    8 wet

  8. Aug

    84° / 53°

    8 wet

  9. Sep

    76° / 45°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    63° / 34°

    5 wet

  11. Nov

    51° / 24°

    4 wet

  12. Dec

    43° / 16°

    4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Waterdale, CO, 1.3 mi away at 5,230 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Ironing Board Slabs, made up of the Upper and Lower Slabs, is a climbing area in Colorado's Canyon Lakes Ranger District, part of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, which the Forest Service manages. The most comfortable climbing season runs from late spring through early fall. At the Waterdale weather station, 1.3 miles away, typical averages reach highs near 68°F in May and 76°F in September, while July averages around 87°F. Winter highs usually sit in the mid-40s, with lows in the teens. Sign Crack Area and Beer Slabs are both about 0.1 mile away, which makes it easy to link several climbing areas in one day. O'Keepa Trail is about 1.5 miles off, and the Big Thompson River is about 3.9 miles away.

Routes (16)

Coal RoomFA: S.M.5.10Double O SlabFA: Jim Disney & Ken Paine 4/71, FFA: unknown5.10Ten Second HighFA: Steve McCorkel?5.10OtherworldFA: Al Simons/James Barnum5.10aArea 51FA: AL Simons5.10c/dHard Luck and Bad TimesFA: Allen Simons5.11a/bShort but SqueezedFA: Pat Akerson and Al Simons5.7+Unknown Left (sorry Gillett)5.8Short but SweetFA: Pat Ackerson-Al Simons5.8+La Facada NorteFA: Al Simons-James Barnum5.9Bee Line HighwayFA: Led: Al Simons Simons, Sparks, Leggits (on top rope in the '90s, led when bolted in 2008)5.9+Code RainbowFA: Allen Simons5.9+Ned's Variation to Code RainbowFA: Ned Sparks5.9+Slipstream DihedralFA: Al Simons5.9+The Hair of the DogFA: Al Simons/Kyle Kingery5.9+Roadside TraverseFA: Simons?V2

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