[esse jay]

Hello... Couple of girls here planning a trip somewhere... Could anyone recommend a place in the world to go bouldering for a month in Jan, with plenty of low grade (V0 - V3) boulders to play on? How is Mexico that time of year? Hampi? Joshua Tree? Anywhere else? Pro and con beta much appreciated xxx

[a dense loner]

There's not much easy stuff at Hampi, the rock is quite aggressive and doesn't give up problems easily. I thought the climbing there really started at V5, i hope jasper doesn't see this.

There's a little place called font thats supposed to be good for bouldering
pro's: best climbing in the world, for any grade
con's: in france

nowhere else compares, nothing else matters

[clm]

He doesn't half know how to charm the ladies does dense...

[a dense loner]

i merely tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear clm

[esse jay]

Thanks guys, went to Font in march, which was brill, shouldv mentioned we're looking for somewhere out of Europe preferably... received an email from a friend today recommending Koh Tao in Thailand, perhaps a possibility, hmmmm xx

[Drew]

How about Boulder (Colorado) Bishop (California) Horsepens 40 (Alabama) or Hueco (Texas)?

Or all of the above?

[andy_e]

I'm no expert, but wouldn't boulder and bishop be too snowed under and cold?

[Drew]

I'm no expert, but wouldn't boulder and bishop be too snowed under and cold?

Dunno. I know they are both meant to be best from Autumn, to Spring.

[Jim]

also the other con's of font in jan is that it'll be fuckin freezin,

[Monolith]

How about Norway or Kjugekull in Sweden?

I'll send you a private message here so check your inbox.

[lagerstarfish]

Koh Tao in Thailand, perhaps a possibility,

There was a thread about Koh Tao somewhere....

[Houdini]

Koh Tao in Thailand

Good time of the year to visit, not a good venue for what you're after (the rock is savage, mostly hi-ball.  The best stuff is inland - not on the beach - and that means mosquito's, lots of them).

Squamish in Canada or Bishop in the States sounds much more appropriate.

[SA Chris]

I'm no expert, but wouldn't boulder and bishop be too snowed under and cold?

Clearly not. Bouldering around Boulder itself is pretty low altitude and doesn't get much snow, but the stuff in Rocky Mountain National Park will be snowed under and most roads closed. Bishop Buttermilks will get some snow as well, but still climbable most of the time, and there is the Volcanic Tableland stuff that is much lower and more sheltered if it is cold.

Joshua Tree will be warmer, but can still get cold and windy, and is not best known for the bouldering. No idea about Mexico, are you sure you are not thinking of Texas ie Hueco Tanks?

Why are you limited to Jan anyway?

[stelios_kos]

Hi there! There is a very good bouldering place in Greece. It's in the island of TINOS. Thousands af boulders there next to the blue Agean sea, and of course a lot of V0-V3s. I can also show you around this time of the year and of course there are some other venues in Greece. 

[Somebody's Fool]

I would have thought Hueco to be the best bet USA-wise that time of year. Bishop does have the more low lying stuff (Happys/Sads etc) but I daresay they'll still be fucking freezing, along with the more pertinent drawback of them being log.

[dave]

font would be OK in jan assuming you're good with bouldering in minus 7 temps on frosty rock - i can assure you I wasn't.

if font is cold in jan then norway or sweden will be even more so, presumably?

ditto squampton - ok its at sea level and vancouver area in general gets warm air from the pacific compared to rest of canada, so probably staying clear of snow, but I can't imagine it'll be comfortable temps for easier bouldering.

your best bet would be somewhere that gets plenty of sun. heuco/albarracin style.

[r-man]

Not sure Jan is the best time for Albarracin either:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=106510

[dave]

i was there in march when it was like that, only it melted again. probably still a better bet than font just cos the amount of steep stuff that does stay dry underneath. except you won't be able to top stuff out, which may be a blessing in disguise on some of them!

[Monolith]

Is it true for Norway, like the UK that it's warmer in coastal regions in winter not true? I'm sure I remember being told this in A Level geo. If so, Stavanger is a coastal area of Norway and I couldn't speak for Kjuge.

[SA Chris]

Coast will be warmer than inland, but not to say it will be warm. Or dry.

[esse jay]

I'd love to go Canada, but read the season to go is summer, their winters are not to be sniffed at, Norway, will look it up, isn't it oober expensive there?

Thanks for the Greek tour offer, I'll ask my friend about compromising heading out of Europe... weather is defo a consideration for us, we don't wanna be fighting off the cold while we climb...

Hueco, will look into it, but a friend of mine said the system to get in is a nightmare... I'll look into Bishop too...

thanks guys for all your suggestions so far, got us thinking for sure xxx

[a dense loner]

the system to get into hueco is not a nightmare, you just have to sort dates out before going. if it was between hueco and bishop i wouldn't pass water over bishop

[gaston]

Forget Norway in winter, too much snow for bouldering, even at the coast, and when not, then cold sea wind and short days. Great for summer trips though. Food and accomodation is not that expensive, but car rental is.

[i.munro]

Thanks for the Greek tour offer

I can't claim to know Tinos well having spent just under a week there.
I really liked the bouldering & loved the island ( just the right amount of tourism industry) & having someone with you who could recognise 'get orf my land' in Greek would have made it even better.

However, if the weather we had in late March was typical, I'd pack a good duvet rather than a bikini
there was snow down to a few hundred metres on the mainland (not on the island) & a lot of the bouldering areas were pretty windy.
 Again, assuming this was typical, Jan would probably be great conditions for hard bouldering but  probably not for the beach.

[SA Chris]

I really liked the bouldering & loved the island

Was there Greek love then?