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Seeing the challenge of rock climbing around Golden

Ian Archbold, owner of Dogtooth Climbing Gym, shares his secrets about rock climbing in the area.
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Climbers Tom Little and Ian Archbold (facing camera) enjoy the view when climbing at Takakkaw Falls.

Ian Archbold is a man who enjoys setting goals and reaching for new heights. Archbold is the owner of the Dogtooth Climbing Gym in Golden who likes to go outdoors for a climb when the conditions are right.

He started climbing around seven years ago after making the decision to open the gym in Golden.

“I started climbing and enjoyed it. I moved ahead with the climbing gym,” he said. “It is a physical challenge and is fun.”

Another thing Archbold said he enjoys about the sport is that it takes him to some beautiful spots.

He said that climbing is  also a very social sport.

“It is fun to hang out with friends and climb while working on climbing problems,” he said. “Half of it is figuring out what you are supposed to do during a climb.”

When going out climbing Archbold said he will usually be in groups that range from two to six people in size.

“Some people go in bigger groups as well,” he said while adding the length and difficultly of the climb will sometimes decide the amount of people who you climb with.

Locally, Archbold has climbed all over the Golden area over the years and he said it has something for climbers of many different levels.

“Most people do what is called ‘sport climbing,’ and this is when all the anchors and safety devices are bolted into the rock already... If you want to do sport climbing then Spillimacheen is a great spot,” he said.

“After that there is a spot in the Kicking Horse Canyon near the Ten Mile Bridge where you can find between 20 to 30 routes of generally harder grades.”

Archbold also said there are some bolted routes on Mount Seven and other areas which are a little further drive away.

He said the nice part about many of the local climbs are how close they are to Golden. People can leave town and be climbing within the hour in many cases.

“It is nice to get somewhere quiet. I like it when it is more peaceful with you and your friends,” he said.

Archbold said he thinks it is important for people to develop their skills indoors and then take them outside.

As for why he feels the area is a great place for people to come and rock climb he said, “We have many great areas. It is a good base to do lots of climbing. There is also good mountaineering as well as being a great destination for ice climbing.”