It might not be hyperbole to call the Flatirons CU鈥檚 biggest recruiting tool. Here's 10听facts you might not know about Boulder's most famous landmark:
The rocks are nearly 300 million-years-old, taking their current form roughly 60 million years ago.- Some other names for the Flatirons include 鈥淭he Craqs鈥� and 鈥淐hatauqua Slabs.鈥�
- Chautauqua is believed to be an Iroquois word meaning 鈥渁 bag tied in the middle,鈥� or 鈥渢wo moccasins tied together.鈥�
- The rock formation is made of feldspar-rich sandstone.
- The fifth peak is the lowest at 6,900 feet.
- At 7,630 feet, the fourth peak is the highest.
- In 1953, Dale Johnson (Geol'54) climbed the third peak on roller skates using ropes and belays.
- They have an average slope of 55 degrees.
- A white 鈥淐U鈥� was painted on the side of the third flatiron until the city painted over it in 1980: It is still visible to keen-eyed observers.
- In 2010, 厂迟别蹿补苍听骋谤颈别产别濒 (ElEngr'97; MS'00)听speed-climbed the east face of the third Flatiron in only 5 minutes 59 seconds.
听Photo by Casey Cass