The East Face of the First Flatironette is generally climbable.  Why is there only one route on this broad slab?  Well, there could be dozens, but the climbing is all generally the same and wandering a little here and there keeps the general difficulty at about 5.2. The only real difference from one section to another is how continuous the climb might be or how many trees and gullies you might pass along the way. Rossiter suggests going up from the low, left-hand edge of the rock past a few gullies to the most continuous and  solid part of the face.  This is perhaps 100 feet up and right of the very base.  I agree that the climbing from this point is great.  Climb up and onward, tending slightly left past flakes, cracks, and pockets for a few pitches to reach the summit.

This is a fine climb at its grade and perhaps the best Flatirons introduction to slower parties and less confident leaders.  Like any Flatiron, there are to be some runouts, but the lack of difficulty and frequent secure rests will likely keep even a skittish leader's head cool.

Descend by scrambling the ridgeline up top to a point where you can step, hop, or scramble off to the west.  Next, walk north past a gully, past The Spy, and continue North down a hill until you reach a well-traveled East/West Trail. Head East on this trail to gain the cliff base again. This trail is pretty good and should take only 5-10 minutes.

East Face/First Flatironette

North Ridge

East Face South

South Arete

This route starts on the south/left half of the formation and does not go to the summit, instead ending at the climbing trail between this rock and the First Flatiron.

Start about 25 feet left of the two gullies that separate the taller right/north half of the Flatironette from the shorter left/south half, on a pine needle-covered area with a step-like root. Climb up easy potholes until they thin out about 20 feet up, then navigate a series of crimps and toe-sized feet to 3rd Class terrain, aiming right of a large tree. At the tree, step down, and continue another 50 feet up a slab to the trail. There are plenty of variations on different types of rock.

This route follows nearby it's namesake feature- the north Ridge of the First Flatironette.  The funny thing is though, that the further south away from it you go, the better the climbing is!

The rock on the N. Ridge itself is not as nice as the prime East Face, there is more dirt, less gear, and more trenches and trees to work around.  Huh... no thanks.

Almost anywhere on this flatiron is a better place to climb.

This route appears in Rossiter's book in detail and description, but in name was mistakenly called "North Arete." Start at the lowest point of the First Flatironette, at its south-most ridge and climb to the summit. Along the way there are many opportunities for moves harder than 5.2, but always a chance to avoid them. This route is probably 4th class, in reality. It ascends 400+ feet of climbing on a rock which is probably 300' tall. Along the way you come to several false summits, similar to the N. Ridge of the first flatiron, but not as clean.  To descend from the Summit, hop off to the NW, go up to the NW around the summit of The Spy and take the Spy Express trail North of the spy back East and then south to the base of the First Flatironette.

Description

Protection

Routes in First Flatironette