Colorado Springs and Boulder are both at the top of the list for the beginning of technical rock climbing in Colorado.  Though the Third Flatiron had been scaled by 1906 it wasn't until Albert Ellingwood returned to Colorado Springs from Oxford in 1914 that ropes, pitons, and belay techniques were introduced.  These new skills and gear allowed him to go where other climbers had not dared yet and began the era of technical climbing in Garden of the Gods.  The West Face of Grey Rock and Ellingwood's Chimney were the most advanced climbs of the day.  The history and growth of "in town climbing" has continued and there are few cities (if any) that can match the history, access, areas, and routes that Colorado Springs has right in its backyard.  There are well over 1,000 routes "in town" and that published number is well low of what is actually here and there is still development happening.