Hi all. I'm 6 months away from graduating college, have recently decided to skip the whole "graduate school" deal, and am now trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life after I graduate. The obvious answer is "rock climbing," of course, but then I must ask: where?
I've only been climbing for about 6-8 months, and have done 90% of my climbing at the New River Gorge, with another 9% in the gym. I've yet to climb a crack that I've liked, so I stick to sport routes unless I can only find trad-heads to climb with. The Gorge has been great to me, and it probably has enough routes to keep me satisfied for years and years, yet I kind of want to go somewhere new.
So, when I strike out on my own and start my new life as a graduate, where would you guys suggest I steer my course? I need a few things in the area, including:
lots of sport climbing
trees/general greenness
bearable summer climbing
not too rainy (usually able to climb 4-5 days a week)
and excluding or minimizing:
self-riteous trad purists (I'd like to think none of you fit that description, haha.)
desert
That's about it. I've been looking up information on Smith Rock, and though it's classified as "high desert," it seems to fit the criteria fairly well. Can anybody give me a good description of the climate there? I can deal with dry, but I get depressed when I don't have some greenery around me (and cacti don't count, as I discovered when I went to Joshua Tree.) I've also considered Chattanooga, or somewhere in Arkansas, but I'm not all that enthused about the South, so I'm hoping to find something with more ideal social surroundings.
Also, career-specific prospects in the area aren't too important, since I made the brilliant choice of majoring in philosophy, a field with no real employment prospects.
~Ross
Stegosauross says:
Also, perhaps I should have mentioned that I'm looking for a place to move to, say for 6 months to a year at least, and if I like it enough, to settle in and become a local.
woodchuck07 says:
Not real affordable cuz of the high tourist volume, but Estes Park sure has alot of the plus side. Maybe you have to learn to appreciate the wonder and color of the desert states. They are fabulous for climbs.
Anykineclimb says:
Shelf Road is a pretty good good winter destination for SportOs out this side. I guess a lot of the stuff in the SE is good for winter climbing too.
crankmas says:
Flagstaff, Az, perhaps? maybe you could get a pilots license and fly drugs out of central America for fun and profit as well. Do you enjoy fingerpainting?
Vegas says:
There are so many options out west. In Colorado, you have so many options for good climbing all over the state. Viva Las Vegas has Red Rocks 30 minutes from town which has some sick climbing. Plus, a lot of newer limestone crags being developed all over. Plus, very close proximity to J-Tree, Zion, Mt. Charleston and others. Other places like San Diego, Flagstaff, and Salt Lake city also has some sick climbing too.
Back out east, areas like Boone or Asheville in North Carolina has some great climbing. A lot of places in the south have some great climbing. Chattanooga, Birmingham, and Atlanta all have some awesome climbing areas nearby.
But if you've been climbing for 6-8 months and you are bored of the New, then I can't think of anything other place that's going to keep your attention. Between the Gorge, Summersville, Cotton Hill, and The Meadows, there's just so much climbing to be done there.........
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http://www.paradoxsports.org
http://vegas.smugmug.com
http://www.coloradospringsrockratz.com
Stegosauross says:
Thanks for all the suggestions guys! And now a few questions.
Woodchuck: Is there much sport at Estes? I believe RC.com has it listed under Rocky Mountain National Park, and most of the routes recorded under that are trad.
anykineclimb: From what I've read so far, Shelf Road sounds awesome! I didn't even know it existed until you suggested it.
crankmas: Once again I've been researching your suggestion on RC.com, it looks like most of the sport in northern Arizona is nearer to Winslow than Flag. I've been through there, but I can't remember what the climate's like. Is there any green around Jack's Canyon and such?
Vegas--I know there's tons out west, that's why I'm asking for help finding which areas are primarily sport and aren't desert. And also, I'm certainly not bored of the New, I've still got a hundred routes I want to send down there--I also feel at home there--but I want to live and climb somewhere else for a while, make sure some other scene isn't a better fit.
And to any and all else, I'd still love any and all beta on the climate/aesthetic of Smith Rock. Thanks so much for the input thus far!
~Ross
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