Another Vail route that Woodchuck would not like

Psssstttt...there's no ice on that line. Course WC won't like it, he's an ICE climber. 8^) hahaha.

Hey, where is the holiday spirit? But seriously, why isn't this a ROCK route, sport or trad, whatever. Dry tools for the sake of it; I don't get it, especially if there is NO ice to be had. Can I choose to spend a cold winter just wailing tools on any sandstone route at Red River Gorge that I feel like chipping apart?
I've never been one to accept very well, the "because I want to, that's why" attitude as an excuse for drastic climbing styles. It seems eco selfish in some way.

Well, Chuck I realy don,t know how to answer that. Dry-tool routes are a horse of a different color. Vail is not much of a place for rock climbing because the rock is so chossy. The winter temps and moisture help keep the rock together.
I agree, the act of climbing rock with ice tools only to get to no ice is strange, but it's fun.
I don't think you will see dry-tool routes going up at local rock crags. Vail is an example of a crag that is an acceptable place for such routes to exist and these crag will probobly remain few and far between.
Merry Christmas

Well glad to know it seems to be accepted and limited only to certain areas. I could see how desperate Midwest climbers would resort to dry tools on rocks, cuz we get NOthing as far as winters here anymore. But there in ice-rich Colorado, it just seems odd to do it. Rock is chossy in area I know, actually knew it wouldn't be a rock climb route, but just seemed so out of place when there is ice just a dozen feet to the left or right in that gully for tools, then instead to blaze onward and chop rock only.

Along with ice rich Colorado is (ice climber) rich Colorado. The ice seems fewer and fewer as it is shared amoung more and more ice climbers. Plus at some point WI 3 and 4 doesn't do it for you anymore, and that doesn't leave many WI 5 and 6 to climb. Bolted steep mixed or even dry-tool routes are a relativily safe way to push the physical experience.

you should have worn orange. All that green blends in too much