UKBouldering.com
places to visit => abroad => Topic started by: Paul B on June 03, 2009, 01:26:45 pm
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From this (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,11779.0.html) topic a few of you will be aware that I'm now just about free to go on a trip for 6 months. The problem is that we'll be leaving in less than a month and hadn't been planning this at all. I was hoping that the good people of UKB (especially Bonjoy!) could help me out with some crag knowledge, route knowledge, stealth camping opportunities etc for:
July,Aug,Sep,Oct,Nov,Dec,Jan
That way I can put together a list of places to visit in each month and I won't have my blinkers on when picking crags or turn up completely out of season. Nat and I are both going and our abilities are somewhat different but I think she'll progress fast on a trip. We're looking to do both Sport and Bouldering so all beta is welcome. Thanks in advance.
:thumbsup:
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Thats a long, long time, so I'd say work with the seasons, ie head north for the summer before you head south. There might not be much sport, and the bouldering isn't brilliantly documented, but I doubt anyone would regret a trip round NW Scotland and the Hebrides. You could maybe then head over to Norway and work your way south via Sweden, Denmark and Germany, end up in Spain for Chrimbo then font in jan?
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jbs onto something there - lofoten should be a badass place to check out in midsummer - take a rack too. there's that granite bouldering sweden. it sounds like a great chance to do something other than the cliched frankenjura/magicwood/font/costa del whatever that most people seem to do. maybe try and search out the austria bouldering, there's a shit load of it spread around. I imaging september would be a good time to hit maltatal, zillertal etc.
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its pointless taking a rack, she just hasn't got the experience for it.
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you might be able to hook up with some itinerant euro though for a quick multipitch route while she catches some rays. or while she's asleep, since you get 24hr daylight in lofoten in the summer.
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You don't think a 6 month trip might allow an opportunity to get that experience? How else is she likely to get it?
...Or are you scared she might love it and belaying you on 8m power clip-ups might look less appealing than summiting a sun-soaked, sea-surrounded granite spire in Arctic Norway?
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Met some Swedish guys who were staying at Neil's place in Font last week. They said the granite bouldering there was really good and wrote down a couple of websites for me on a piece of paper which I put in some jeans which I think my Mrs has subsequently washed. If I can salvage anything I'll let you know.
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You don't think a 6 month trip might allow an opportunity to get that experience? How else is she likely to get it?
...Or are you scared she might love it and belaying you on 8m power clip-ups might look less appealing than summiting a sun-soaked, sea-surrounded granite spire in Arctic Norway?
F*cks sake Adam, I know because I've talked to her about it and she doesn't fancy it, she hasn't been climbing all that long and her introduction was less than smooth, I've tried getting her out on the grit tradding but she hasn't yet expressed an interest and I'm not going to force it. You often forget that I'm not a trad dodger, in fact when Mawson went to uni I ended up getting the same apprenticeship as he did from his dad, being dragged up every allen and bancroft route he could find and spending my summers tradding in the lakes with a young irish trad superstar . So give me a break (drumroll).
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Met some Swedish guys who were staying at Neil's place in Font last week. They said the granite bouldering there was really good and wrote down a couple of websites for me on a piece of paper which I put in some jeans which I think my Mrs has subsequently washed. If I can salvage anything I'll let you know.
this could be one of em etc?
http://www.kjuge.nu/kjuge/eng/ (http://www.kjuge.nu/kjuge/eng/)
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I believe so. My googling skills have deserted me today!
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Met some Swedish guys who were staying at Neil's place in Font last week. They said the granite bouldering there was really good and wrote down a couple of websites for me on a piece of paper which I put in some jeans which I think my Mrs has subsequently washed. If I can salvage anything I'll let you know.
this could be one of em etc?
http://www.kjuge.nu/kjuge/eng/ (http://www.kjuge.nu/kjuge/eng/)
wasn't there a video of Moon there somewhere?
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I've just been to Gothenburg for a bouldering trip and had a good day on Hono (pronounced Herno)
I'm recovering from injury so didn't get much done but there are loads of areas and some quality lines there.
This is a classic 7b+ which stays shady most of the day and from the 4 areas we visited was by far the best looking line. Sorry cant remember the name.
(http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs097.snc1/4725_102100609883_510584883_2631960_6665616_n.jpg)
apologies to non-facebookers.
Let me know if you want any more info and I'll try to help.
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thanks
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Good article about bouldering in Sweden on the front page of http://www.theshortspan.com/ (http://www.theshortspan.com/). You could drop Michael (the author) a mail, I'm sure he wouldn't mind dispensing some beta. Hope you enjoy the trip.
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hey paul!!!
listen, i think this trip is also a great opportunity to visit small places thare are not worth a trip from uk per se. i highly recommend a few days, one week could do, in the dolomites, for bouldering (sella pass, falzarego pass, tre cime di lavaredo), sport (everywhere!!!) and easy, bolted multi pitch routes (torri di sella, etc.) that could provide a great experience for her especially. maybe also spending three days hiking trough the brenta dolomites, you can start from madonna di campiglio and end molveno. obviously in june, july or september/october.
very important: avoid the whole arco and dolomites area in late july, august, it's a hell of crowds!!!
i also recommend the cinque torri area: short powerful routes up to 8a+ and alot (alot) of easy and bolted multipitch routes.
bouldering wise i'm sure that the gottardo pass is awesome in the heat of the summer!!!
you may have heard about erto crag in the north of italy: well to me it's shit. it's just famous for its hard, stamina routes, but it's dirty and depressing. still in the north there are dozens of crags, prolly one of the best ones being ceredo (near verona), a winter destination. then all the ferentillo area (near perugia) or even sperlonga, a big cave on the sea close to napoli.
oh well and finale ligure.
and meschia for some sandstone boulders!!!
then, from my past experiences, i'd stay around ticino as long as you can from october on. from there you are closer to font and it's endless.
more: manage to go to barcelona!!! the city is amazing and there's lots of climbing around. in every place that i've mentioned you can easily park a van if you are in stealth mode.
this is just a small idea without too much thinking, but i can do better with some thinking.
would be nice to have you both here, for some bouldering, art and tripes!!!
i think you can also play it with the vibes, you can easily cover long distances driving while taking a couple of days off. on this matter i'd evaluate very carefully the lofoten option because it's a hell of a way up there, and i think it needs alot of time to be worth it.
damn i'm envious now!!!
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hey paul.the last time le-ann and me tied in was in val di mello 5 years ago.loads of roadside sport crags at all grades.did some great lines.as you know the bouldering is first rate.amazing place to hang out too.think nat would love it.
if you want more catch me at the works
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i'll second nibile on the dolomites paul. you might not want to climb there, but it's a beautiful place to spend a few days hiking or questing around checking out some of the war-era shit. certainly go check out the tre cima. amazing.
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cool, thanks Nibs and Cofe. Keep the shizzle coming people!
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If Nat doesn't fancy trad, fair enough. But that's hardly the reasoning that came through your original post... I'd still bung in a rack of wires and cams, hardly take up a lot of room do they?
Defintely speak to Keith about some of the NF trip venues, especially the Czech venue. Not the usual spot folk go to, but he seemed to think it was the best place they went by a mile.
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Agree with Nibs about Barcelona. It's a truly amazing place and Savassona's just up the road which is on my must go to list. Combining a touristy / beach / sightseeing / drinking / eating few days in one of the most interesting cities in Europe with some crushing of sandstone boulders sounds just the ticket.
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other shit:
the non-albarracin bouldering spots near madrid
sardinia - i assume there's a car ferry you can catch from somewhere
slovenia - there's some bouldering around here somewhere. think there might also be some sport in croatia.
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I was assured by a slovenian, whilst he ran around Porth Ysgo like a kid in a sweetshop, 'there is no bouldering in Slovenia'. When pressed, he conceded that there was some shitty little limestone outcrops that they bouldered on. The sport climbing and big mountain (all limestone) are very good, though after my last sentence I daresay half this forum is booking bouldering trips.
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you damn right.
(here is an old cragx article about slovenia bouldering) (http://www.redzion.com/climbing/documents/GetDoc.aspx?ID=15)
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Hi Paul. Am not ignoring the info request, just a bit busy. Will post something later or tomorrow.
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Hi Paul. Am not ignoring the info request, just a bit busy. Will post something later or tomorrow.
thanks bee-man.
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There is quite good bouldering all over Norway, or so I've been told. I haven't been able to stay away from bigger stuff when I've been there. Lofoten is really beautiful and is rumoured to have quite good bouldering which is unfortunately not covered by any guide-book. (They also have despite a so called "bolting-ban" a good sport-climbing crag, complete with holiday grades!)
There is some general info about bouldering in Norway on http://www.bouldering.no/ (http://www.bouldering.no/)
The red banner at the top has the names for the different shires of Norway. Click away.
If you go up through Norway it will make sense to drive down through Sweden. If so I can give you beta for Northern Sweden, just send a PM.
For southern Sweden maybe contact this fellow:
http://kearneyjourney.blogspot.com/ (http://kearneyjourney.blogspot.com/)
More pics form Gothenburg/Bohuslan area:
http://climbingpics.blogspot.com/ (http://climbingpics.blogspot.com/)
http://crimp.se (http://crimp.se)
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Ailefroide (in France, sort of near the French/Italian border) has good bouldering at all grades, in a very scenic glacial valley. Quite high up, so climbable during summer, though still hot at midday. Lots to do. There are routes and things there too, so I'm told.
(http://bouldr.net/line/174.jpg?0.147994872990781]http://bouldr.net/line/174.jpg?0.147994872990781)
Tralenta (in Italy, not too far from the French/Italian border) is an extremely pretty place, with decent problems at all grades, certainly enough for a few days climbing. Again, it's at altitude, so climbable during summer.
(http://bouldr.net/line/284.jpg?0.944042621826931)
Some videos of Tralenta problems here: http://www.freestone.fr/communaute.php?NoIDN=30 (http://www.freestone.fr/communaute.php?NoIDN=30)
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hey paul, any pics of the van?
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(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/bennp2000/front.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/bennp2000/rear.jpg)
just a few phone snaps, I didn't take any of the interior or with the roof up but I can at the weekend.
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That is one sexy beast! Like the Transformers logo!
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(http://i44.tinypic.com/2zntkw4.jpg)
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bastardo.
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For the later months the choice is vast as most stuff is in best conditions Sept-Nov. For summer you want to be thinking about more northerly venues. We opted for Frankenjura, Magic Wood and then Ceuse, having been to none of them before.
Much as I enjoyed Frankenjura it was probably the least favourite of the places I went to in the six month trip. It rained a lot, it was a little too like peak limestone, it lacked the grandeur of other places we went, the routes were a bit short, most crags only had a handful of classics and I’m no great fan of small pockets. That said if you are a fan of short steep and pockety you are bound to love the place, there are loads of historic hard routes, some good looking bouldering. If you do go I’d suggest you get a list of recommended routes and crags of Frank-o-fans such as NCB or Andy Harris. My favourite crags were Eldorado, Schlosbergwand and Mariantallerwand (excuse the spelling).
I’m sure you already know plenty about Magic Wood. Zillertal also sounds like a good bet for a bit later in the season. Likewise Ceuse.
If I were to do another summer in Europe I would seriously consider the Czech/Polish sandstone (apparently there are areas with fairly normal bolt spacing), the Norway Sweden thing sounds ace but I’d find out about how bad it is for biting insects before committing (!) and I’d really really love to climb in the Verdon though it’s probably best suited to a matched ability team.
I once spent three weeks in the Dolli’s in Sept and it is indeed amazing and I’ll almost certainly go there again. But don’t bother going there for single pitch sport climbing, as it’s pretty poor by euro standards. If you go there and don’t fancy doing big trad the via ferrata are great fun and you get to visit some spectacular locations.
Somewhere we very nearly went which sounds amazing and good for late summer is the Basque country in Northern Spain. This area is much more green and temperate than the rest of spain and looks to have some awesome sport crags, plus is near the Picos De Europa and even has some mystery grit crags according to the local guide! Stu Littlefair is the man to ask about this area.
For later in the season it depends on what type of routes/bouldering you want to do. I was keen for super long, super steep, onsight friendly tufa hauling and hence opted for long periods in Rodellar and Terradets, both places are utterly amazing if you like that sort of thing and I can’t recommend them highly enough. Nothern Spain has a vast amount of good sport climbing in universally beautiful locations, it’s hard to go wrong. If you prefer things a bit more short and crimpy I’d suggest Siurana. Tres Pont is a good retreat if temps get unusually high. Margalef appears to be all the rage for pocket hommes, or Montsant if you want long stamina pocket fests. We spent much of November at Montgrony which is exceptionally beautiful, even by Spanish standards. Being hill top you get quite a long day (valley crags get very cold once the sun is obscured!). The best stuff there is short/mid-length technical tufa climbing, rockfax do a miniguide. Alquezar near Rodellar would also be good for cold snaps.
Obviously I can give more specific advice on park-up spots etc for any of the places I’ve been if you need.
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Cheers jon thats incredibly useful
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Jon's advice looks like the bomb. For the start of the trip, don't forget the alpine venues. I think Schleier Wasserfall and Voralpsee are both good summer crags, although I'm not sure either has much scope for Nat. Also, wasn't there a rock trip held at Zillertal? Those routes looked really good.
When it comes to Spain it makes a lot of sense to stay away until september time. The options for summer climbing are limited. Tres Ponts is a decent summer venue, quite shady and enough sixes to keep Nat happy for a day or three. There's quite a lot of climbing in the pre-pyrenees which is good in summer, Bielsa is a very shady, very high tufa-fest crag, but again I'm unsure of easy options. If you fancy something different check out Cavallers; it's slabby granite of the highest quality. Limited bouldering, mostly trad but some excellent single pitch sport in amenable grades, and a very pretty spot. Unlike Bonjoy, I'd be a little cautious about the Basque in the summer. Baltzola is a huge cave so offers retreat from the sun, but condensation is a major problem in the hotter, humid months. There are higher crags like Atxarte that offer good climbing and a retreat from the heat however. On a similar note I have heard good things about Teverga, near the Picos de Europa, which would be a good hot weather venue. Unfortunately I have misplaced our guide to the region (Mawson or Ruth *may* have it). All the northern spanish venues are within striking distance of top notch surfing if it gets too hot. I have seen Patta's photos of grit bouldering in the area too; it looks good, but one for winter.
For october/november in Spain; what the boy said. Pretty much anywhere is good. It's not for Nat, but you must blag a partner for a route on Los Mallos de Riglos. Also, Montserrat is beautiful, has very good climbing and ought to be checked out for something a bit different.
Hope that helps
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cheers stu...I'm yet to see what she's capable of on sport routes, chances are I'm underestimating her ability and given a months mileage she'll be RP-ing harder stuff.
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you better climb 8c Bennnett you lucky bastard!
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I'm not going to be climbing in the Uk so it wouldn't count anyway... FEuro8c is a different kettle of fish but still f*cking desperate no doubt...
I'd also like to point out that "lucky" and I, aren't well acquainted and that even a good insurance quote for me would seem like financial rape for everyone with a NCB.
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I am sure you will encounter 'hard' and 'easy' on your travels, crush em all!
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other shit:
the non-albarracin bouldering spots near madrid
sardinia - i assume there's a car ferry you can catch from somewhere
slovenia - there's some bouldering around here somewhere. think there might also be some sport in croatia.
Near Madrid is La Pedriza - zebloc has a link to a blog about Pedriza bouldering on their front page at the moment... http://entreansias.blogspot.com/ (http://entreansias.blogspot.com/) Apprently there're some topos there somewhere.
For parking spots in France, there's a guide to (legal) camping-car spots that comes out every year and can be bought in tabacs. Looks like this http://www.campingfrance.com/campingenfrance.jsp?idPage=61 (http://www.campingfrance.com/campingenfrance.jsp?idPage=61) This might be useful too http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm (http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm)
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I am sure you will encounter 'hard' and 'easy' on your travels, crush em all!
Too right, euro-world is large and varied with sandbags and soft touches in much the same measure as over here. The myth that all uk sport routes are grades harder than the euro counterparts is mostly a fig leaf conjured up by folks who don't want to admit just how much better the euros are at sport climbing than us.
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and I guess magic wood is dead solid too? :thumbsup:
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pretty on the money these days, gone are the days when supernova and Sofa Surfer were 8b
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When uncle Joe took me to Nice we had a couple of nice days at Tete de Chien above Monaco. There were a couple of guys in a camper parked up there - ace view. They had arrived in the night in thick fog and awoke to find themselves looking out over the Med 8)
The parking (http://lh5.ggpht.com/_5dGv26OzbdE/SVPQUCnJETI/AAAAAAAACXk/y41wZXnfGmc/IMG_4831.JPG) is on top of the obvious crag above the town
(http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/DANPOD/EU09_DBN0358_M-FB~La-Tete-de-Chien-Principality-of-Monaco-France-Posters.jpg)
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I've remembered the name of the South of France bouldering area that I couldn't remember earlier; Annot (http://www.rockclimber.de/index.php?Itemid=55&catid=34:climbing-a-bouldering&id=46:bouldering-in-annot-france&option=com_content&view=article).
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and I guess magic wood is dead solid too? :thumbsup:
Depends whether you get on the soft touches or the sandbags
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Lehn (sport routes) near Interlaken is worth visiting and near the bouldering at Sustenpass/Grimselpass.
Gorges du Tarn is a brilliant girlfriend venue (super accessible sectors, nice river to relax by etc), though not much below F6c. Good temps mid summer.
Dunno about much in the Czech being 'normally bolted'. Berdorf might be more suitable?
http://www.climbing.lu/index.php?page=berdorf (http://www.climbing.lu/index.php?page=berdorf)
Freyer?
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Can I just suggest that you avoid any countries in the grip of political instability, or those with a history of internal conflict and genocide, or those which currently or have in the past suffered under self destructive ego-maniacal leadership, or those whose economy is in poor shape, or those with high rates of violent crime, in fact those with high rates of general crime, or high unemployment, or large disenfranchised ethnic/religious/societal groups. You don't want to push your luck do you? :)
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Can I just suggest that you avoid any countries in the grip of political instability, or those with a history of internal conflict and genocide, or those which currently or have in the past suffered under self destructive ego-maniacal leadership, or those whose economy is in poor shape, or those with high rates of violent crime, in fact those with high rates of general crime, or high unemployment, or large disenfranchised ethnic/religious/societal groups. You don't want to push your luck do you? :)
The UK then? :P
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Righteo people as time is rapidly running out and we still only have a long list, any info you can offer on anything on the below list is welcome. Time of year being the main one. Its also far too long so any cuts? any glaring omissions? (sorry JB Lofoten and the outer hebrides will have to wait!)
Ailefroide
Albarracin
Alquezar
Annot
Arco
Baltzola
Berdorf
Buoux
Catalunya
Cavallers
Ceuse
Chateauvert
Chironico
Claret
Cresciano
Cuenca
Dolomites
El Chorro
Fontainebleau
Frankenjura
Freyr
Gorge du Loup
Gorges du Tarn
Gorges du Verdon
Hyltebergen
Interlaken
Kalymnos
Kjugekull
Lebak
Lehn
Les Eaux Claires
Lofoten
Magic Wood
Margalef
Meshia
Misja Pec
Montenejos
Montsant
Orpierre
Pfalz
Rodellar
Russan
Santalinya
Sardinia
Schlier Wasserfall
Seynes
Siurana
Sokoliki
St Leger
Sustenpass
Targassone
Terradets
Tete de Chien
Tetto di Sarre
Tres Pont
Val Di Mello
Venue
Volx
Voralpsee
Zillertal
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Ailefroide
Albarracin
Alquezar - very sunny. Good for coldest months or if tufas wet at Rodellar
Annot
Arco
Baltzola
Berdorf
Buoux
Catalunya
Cavallers
Ceuse
Chateauvert
Chironico
Claret
Cresciano
Cuenca - looks polished sharp and nasty
Dolomites - mega for trad and via ferrata, rubbish for sport climbing
El Chorro - a very long drive. Only suitable for coldest months
Fontainebleau - never heard of it, fontainwhat?
Frankenjura
Freyr - vertical polished, old school
Gorge du Loup
Gorges du Tarn - too hot mid summer, possible to cold/wet in winter, very good in between
Gorges du Verdon
Hyltebergen
Interlaken
Kalymnos
Kjugekull
Lebak
Lehn
Les Eaux Claires
Lofoten
Magic Wood
Margalef
Meshia
Misja Pec
Montenejos
Montsant
Orpierre - a bit drab compared to nearby Ceuse
Pfalz
Rodellar - best months mid sept to early nov
Russan
Santalinya - very sunny, only suitable for oldest months
Sardinia - hard/expensive to get to by van!
Schlier Wasserfall
Seynes
Siurana
Sokoliki
St Leger
Sustenpass
Targassone
Terradets
Tete de Chien
Tetto di Sarre
Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Val Di Mello
Venue
Volx - if you want to climb juggy caves Spain has many MUCH better ones than this
Voralpsee
Zillertal
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cheers bonners...if anyone has more to add then please quote 'the boy' :thumbsup:
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Ailefroide - Don't bother with the bouldering, but the trad is good
Albarracin
Alicante - Whole region will be warmer in the winter. Better for Nat but plenty in high grades too (think Forada,Sella,Gandia)
Alquezar - very sunny. Good for coldest months or if tufas wet at Rodellar
Annot
Arco
Baltzola
Berdorf - Large version of Font with grid bolting. Worth looking at if you are in the area. Gets VERY busy at weekends for obvious reasons
Buoux
Catalunya
Cavallers
Ceuse
Chateauvert
Chironico
Claret
Cresciano
Cuenca - looks polished sharp and nasty (Not the sectors that I have been too)
Dolomites - mega for trad and via ferrata, rubbish for sport climbing
El Chorro - a very long drive. Only suitable for coldest months
Fontainebleau - never heard of it, fontainwhat?
Frankenjura
Freyr - vertical polished, old school
Gorge du Loup
Gorges du Tarn - too hot mid summer, possible to cold/wet in winter, very good in between. Very cold in winter
Gorges du Verdon
Hyltebergen
Interlaken
Kalymnos
Kjugekull
Lebak
Lehn
Les Eaux Claires
Lofoten
Magic Wood
Margalef
Meshia
Misja Pec
Montenejos
Montsant
Orpierre - a bit drab compared to nearby Ceuse
Pfalz
Rodellar - best months mid sept to early nov
Russan
Santalinya - very sunny, only suitable for oldest months
Sardinia - hard/expensive to get to by van! Also not as friendly or good climbing as Spain/France/Italy
Schlier Wasserfall
Seynes
Siurana - Good base for the other crags in the area. Limited in the easy grades
Sokoliki
St Leger
Sustenpass
Targassone
Terradets
Tete de Chien - Is this Font?
Tetto di Sarre
Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Val Di Mello - Very beautiful valley with everything to throw yourself at (bouldering/trad/sport/big wall). Don't go when the festival is on
Venue
Volx - if you want to climb juggy caves Spain has many MUCH better ones than this
Voralpsee
Zillertal
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Ailefroide - Don't bother with the bouldering, but the trad is good
Albarracin
Alicante - Whole region will be warmer in the winter. Better for Nat but plenty in high grades too (think Forada,Sella,Gandia)
Alquezar - very sunny. Good for coldest months or if tufas wet at Rodellar
Annot
Arco - not bad, but nothing special. Nice steep climbing, but quite humid mid summer. Lovely town and cafes
Baltzola
Berdorf - Large version of Font with grid bolting. Worth looking at if you are in the area. Gets VERY busy at weekends for obvious reasons
Buoux - didn't excite me that much. Too much faffing around on a million limestone pockets for my liking
Catalunya
Cavallers
Ceuse
Chateauvert
Chironico
Claret
Cresciano
Cuenca - looks polished sharp and nasty (Not the sectors that I have been too)
Dolomites - mega for trad and via ferrata, rubbish for sport climbing. Yes ACE via ferrata!
El Chorro - a very long drive. Only suitable for coldest months
Fontainebleau - never heard of it, fontainwhat?
Frankenjura
Freyr - vertical polished, old school
Gorge du Loup
Gorges du Tarn - too hot mid summer, possible to cold/wet in winter, very good in between. Very cold in winter
Gorges du Verdon - mega. Totally brilliant. Seek out the less travelled parts. Good for scary slacklines!
Hyltebergen
Interlaken
Kalymnos
Kjugekull
Lebak
Lehn
Les Eaux Claires
Lofoten
Magic Wood
Margalef
Meshia
Misja Pec
Montenejos
Montsant
Orpierre - a bit drab compared to nearby Ceuse
Pfalz
Rodellar - best months mid sept to early nov
Russan
Santalinya - very sunny, only suitable for oldest months
Sardinia - hard/expensive to get to by van! Also not as friendly or good climbing as Spain/France/Italy
Schlier Wasserfall
Seynes
Siurana - Good base for the other crags in the area. Limited in the easy grades
Sokoliki
St Leger - Excellent. Nice and steep, mellow place and good parking. Nice stream.
Sustenpass
Targassone
Terradets
Tete de Chien - Is this Font?
Tetto di Sarre
Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Val Di Mello - Very beautiful valley with everything to throw yourself at (bouldering/trad/sport/big wall). Don't go when the festival is on. Second this - totally amazing. Go any time after end of April and before Oct
Venue
Volx - if you want to climb juggy caves Spain has many MUCH better ones than this
Voralpsee
Zillertal
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ditch the sustenpass for sure, the area is amazing but you will out climb it in a couple of hours, its a long way up the pass for not a lot of gain, If you are in swiss for a holiday then climb there but a road trip forget it there are much better places
ditch sardinia as well, the ferry is very expensive, save it for when you are back home and get a £20 flight out there instead.
dont come to font, cause i dont want you to burn me off ;D
enjoy
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sardinia is probably one of the best destinations for sport climbing in europe. they keep discovering crags, and i mean crags with 150 routes. the ferry isn't very expensive if you go out of the summer months, and if you book smartly. from piombino (south of florence) you can get to sardinia for quite cheap, staying in your van during the night crossing, so eating and sleeping properly and comfy.
if you go paul, be sure to call me because a very close friend of mine lives there and does that thing with the rope.
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cheers people! I'll go through this thread throwing karma left right and centre soon!
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sardinia is probably one of the best destinations for sport climbing in europe. they keep discovering crags, and i mean crags with 150 routes. the ferry isn't very expensive if you go out of the summer months, and if you book smartly. from piombino (south of florence) you can get to sardinia for quite cheap, staying in your van during the night crossing, so eating and sleeping properly and comfy.
if you go paul, be sure to call me because a very close friend of mine lives there and does that thing with the rope.
It's true that there is a vast amount of climbing on the Island. I didn't find any of it to be of world class quality like the other crags mentioned. No offence Nibile
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Tete de Chien - Is this Font?
Monaco, see the fantastic pic earlier on in this thread.
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sardinia is probably one of the best destinations for sport climbing in europe. they keep discovering crags, and i mean crags with 150 routes. the ferry isn't very expensive if you go out of the summer months, and if you book smartly. from piombino (south of florence) you can get to sardinia for quite cheap, staying in your van during the night crossing, so eating and sleeping properly and comfy.
if you go paul, be sure to call me because a very close friend of mine lives there and does that thing with the rope.
I love sardinia, I was going to go back thid month but other things and all, last time there, I just spent 6 days going north to south, no guide book, just a rope and a bouldering mat, I had one of my best holidays
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The crag on the Tete de Chien above Monaco (near Nice) is called La Turbie - some topos and pics on Nice-Climb.com
It would be far too hot to climb here in summer, but late autumn to early spring would be..... Nice ;D
Ceuse is fine in the middle of summer as long as you get the walk in done in the morning before it gets too hot (45mins, uphill). There are easier routes for Nat that are pretty good fun. Left hand end of the crag is in shade in the morning, right in the afternoon/evening.
If you do end up near Sustenpass, it would be nice to do some of the easy multipitch sport routes on the granite slabs (Grimsel pass). It's an ace feeling pading your way up those big sheets of rock, way up in the air protected by nice safe bolts with great scenery all around and because it's slabs you don't get tired. Summer venue.
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Buoux - didn't excite me that much. Too much faffing around on a million limestone pockets for my liking
NNFN! Absolute fucking heresy. You have to go to Buoux Paul. It's fucking awesome and there's a lot more to the climbing there than just pulling on pockets (not that there's anything wrong with that!). I might be biased having climbed about 250 routes there but I love everything about the place.
Volx - if you want to climb juggy caves Spain has many MUCH better ones than this
I agree. Volx is quite shit but worth a day if it's raining if just to have a go on Theoreme and Terminator/Maginot Line/Super Plafond. There's some history there.
Orpierre - a bit drab compared to nearby Ceuse
Yeah not a patch on Buoux or Ceuse. I wouldn't bother personally.
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Buoux 8c:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4tc5f_le-minimum_sport (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4tc5f_le-minimum_sport)
No Euro trip can be complete without a visit to Bout De Monde. You will crush there Paul...........
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Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Do you know where we can find more info on Tres pont? Google isn't throwing up anything :please:
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Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Do you know where we can find more info on Tres pont? Google isn't throwing up anything :please:
(http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3175/1825/1600/tres%20ponts.0.jpg)
http://tresponts.blogspot.com/2005/11/sector-de-tres-ponts.html (http://tresponts.blogspot.com/2005/11/sector-de-tres-ponts.html)
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also this its 40 meg, but got everything you need for tres pont and surrounding area
http://www.puiseux.name/loisirs/topos/pdf/Topo-AltUrgel-2.pdf (http://www.puiseux.name/loisirs/topos/pdf/Topo-AltUrgel-2.pdf)
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hero
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hero
tip, try searching in spanish or french depending on your destination, I found these in under 2 minutes ;)
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buoux is ace,not as many 8 s as say your nu skool spanish crag but theres enough.the routes have that sense of history too plus theres a lot of 6 s there for nat to try having said that these are often nails. volx is worth a look for a day or two as a change from buoux as its not too far.if the ferry does work out not too expensive to sardinia i d be heading to isili.didn t get on anything too hard but the main sector looked outstanding!
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defo., bouox is tops and classic, and as doylo says not far from volx, we did a day trip to volx just to do a few of the classic lines, its ace def worth going to, steep jug pulling greatness
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historical crags are in for me. Buoux is definitely staying on the list (don't fret Jasper).
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Glad to hear it! As Doylo says there are TONS of great routes in the sixes. Just watch out for the slab cruxes.........
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Glad to hear it! As Doylo says there are TONS of great routes in the sixes. Just watch out for the slab cruxes.........
I got well and truely spamked on a 6b one of them slabs, big run out at the top with a desperate crux for the chain
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Shhh! she's reading this now!
CRAG MAP (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=p&key=ABQIAAAAJzYJXE_Otp7Evv6mViKX0BQvTTQdiT2juQpPSGnzeiE56ddQnBTX2hjrYM4xM-zmudwlqjPR7vdssw&mapclient=jsapi&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103700663109132974630.00046cd9a1190f4ab926d&ll=45.089036,13.051758&spn=26.180092,79.013672&z=4)
I've thrown all of the crags listed on a map and now I'm well and truly boggled! Throw in conditions and planning a route doesn't seem very straightforward!
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:o
will be in annot next week, will let you know if its wirth a visit
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That's a great map. What's purple signify? Not bothered? Would that imply you definitely want to get to all the other areas? How about an overnight ferry from Hull or Harwich to Denmark? Otherwise I can't see a way you can do the swedish stuff while it's not under snow or devoting days and days to driving, and it'd be a real shame to miss Kjugekull. It would get you to the scandiavian venues while it's still warm, and then you could head south to the alpine stuff via the German/Polish route venues. Switzerland for the end of the summer, then across to south of france in early Autumn. Once it starts getting cold, sod off to spain(via Sardinia?), and hit up Font on the way home.
Sorted.
8)
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neil, does that mean maisonshower isn't an option ;D
Duma - Green - sport
Blue - bouldering
purple - both
yellow - us 8)
The swedish, unfortunately doesn't look like its an option. The overnight ferry would be an option but you've still got a rather long drive down. We just thought a plot would indicate what was and wasn't feasible and hopefully lead to some clear route thinking. Two bottles of wine down and the two of us still don't have a clue.
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Glad to hear it! As Doylo says there are TONS of great routes in the sixes. Just watch out for the slab cruxes.........
I got well and truely spamked on a 6b one of them slabs, big run out at the top with a desperate crux for the chain
There are a few on the Zappa slab that are truly desperate and so polished and there's a route at the RH end of Styx Wall that gets 6b or something and I swear is about 8a+. I couldn't do the moves when I was climbing 8b. It felt as hard or harder than an 8a with a slab crux I was trying on the West Face at the time. Ridiculous.
However the routes in the Fakir area (Encore et Toujours, Invasion Nordique etc etc) are all mint, about 35m long and pretty reasonable for the grades (in the sixes and low sevens). The LH Styx wall stuff is good and the first area on the far left of the crag (left of Autoroute Du Soleil) has a lot of really good 6bish stuff (although still with a few naughty slab moves).
Basically if you stay away from the really old skool "classics" at 6a-6c then you're generally ok.
Just looked at the map. You bastard Paul.
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neil, does that mean maisonshower isn't an option ;D
:-\
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Some more pics of the van if anyone is interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39660023@N03/sets/72157620645767174/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/39660023@N03/sets/72157620645767174/)
Thanks to everyone who helped with beta at such short notice, it is well appreciated!
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nice, pimp my ride 8)
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like the tiled floor
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Some more pics of the van if anyone is interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39660023@N03/sets/72157620645767174/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/39660023@N03/sets/72157620645767174/)
Thanks to everyone who helped with beta at such short notice, it is well appreciated!
Nice Paul, good job. Very jealous...
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Herault/Gard comments
Ailefroide - Don't bother with the bouldering, but the trad is good
Albarracin
Alicante - Whole region will be warmer in the winter. Better for Nat but plenty in high grades too (think Forada,Sella,Gandia)
Alquezar - very sunny. Good for coldest months or if tufas wet at Rodellar
Annot
Arco - not bad, but nothing special. Nice steep climbing, but quite humid mid summer. Lovely town and cafes
Baltzola
Berdorf - Large version of Font with grid bolting. Worth looking at if you are in the area. Gets VERY busy at weekends for obvious reasons
Buoux - didn't excite me that much. Too much faffing around on a million limestone pockets for my liking
Catalunya
Cavallers
Ceuse
Chateauvert
Chironico
Claret - looks a bit scruffy but the climbing is good. Pumpy if you're unfit. Possible in summer (shade from about 18h00), great on sunny winters days. Nearby Thaurac is a bit more year-round.
Cresciano
Cuenca - looks polished sharp and nasty (Not the sectors that I have been too)
Dolomites - mega for trad and via ferrata, rubbish for sport climbing. Yes ACE via ferrata!
El Chorro - a very long drive. Only suitable for coldest months
Fontainebleau - never heard of it, fontainwhat?
Frankenjura
Freyr - vertical polished, old school
Gorge du Loup
Gorges du Tarn - too hot mid summer, possible to cold/wet in winter, very good in between. Very cold in winter
Gorges du Verdon - mega. Totally brilliant. Seek out the less travelled parts. Good for scary slacklines!
Hyltebergen
Interlaken
Kalymnos
Kjugekull
Lebak
Lehn
Les Eaux Claires
Lofoten
Magic Wood
Margalef
Meshia
Misja Pec
Montenejos
Montsant
Orpierre - a bit drab compared to nearby Ceuse
Pfalz
Rodellar - best months mid sept to early nov
Russan - Solar oven. Winter only. Occasionally dodgy carpark (might be best to park a van in the village and walk an extra km or so) beautiful setting, varied climbing (grey slabs, tufa, monster roofs)
Santalinya - very sunny, only suitable for oldest months
Sardinia - hard/expensive to get to by van! Also not as friendly or good climbing as Spain/France/Italy
Schlier Wasserfall
Seynes - Fully s-facing, winter only, lots of tufa.
Siurana - Good base for the other crags in the area. Limited in the easy grades
Sokoliki
St Leger - Excellent. Nice and steep, mellow place and good parking. Nice stream.
Sustenpass
Targassone
Terradets
Tete de Chien - Is this Font?
Tetto di Sarre
Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Val Di Mello - Very beautiful valley with everything to throw yourself at (bouldering/trad/sport/big wall). Don't go when the festival is on. Second this - totally amazing. Go any time after end of April and before Oct
Venue
Volx - if you want to climb juggy caves Spain has many MUCH better ones than this
Voralpsee
Zillertal
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So, he hasnt updated his blog, theres no posts back on here - I can only assume from this that they are dead - RIP paul and Nat.
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don't fear dobbin, I'd have been haunting you long before now if I were dead :dance1:
(sunburnt in Ceuse)
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has anyone got any more specific beta on via ferrata in the dolomites? Good place to aim for, any particular route that was good? (A good book?)
Thanks,
Paul
(unwelcome in magic wood)
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Why unwelcome in Magic Wood?
Re: Via Ferrata - I used the Cicerone Press Guide book from '92 but it looking at their website now it's been split into two books, a Northern (http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/362/title/via-ferratas-of-the-italian-dolomites--vol-1) one and a Southern (http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/380/title/via-ferratas-of-the-italian-dolomites--vol-2) one.
The best one I can remember doing last trip was "Pisciadu Climbing Path" (http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/FeatureReports/ViaFerrata/index.jsp?navpage=vfpisciadu) in the Sella Group - it goes straight up a massive wall next to a waterfall - exposed but easy and well protected.
(http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/FeatureReports/ViaFerrata/PictureDataVF_Pisciadu/DSC02789_regular.jpg)
Some good info on that site: http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/FeatureReports/ViaFerrata/index.jsp (http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/FeatureReports/ViaFerrata/index.jsp)
<edit> - This one is good too (http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/FeatureReports/ViaFerrata/index.jsp?navpage=vfmasarerotwand) Lots of variety, exposure and it takes in a proper summit with incredible views.
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Why unwelcome in Magic Wood?
http://travelswithmyt4.blogspot.com/2009/07/slugen-magic.html (http://travelswithmyt4.blogspot.com/2009/07/slugen-magic.html)
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has anyone got any more specific beta on via ferrata in the dolomites? Good place to aim for, any particular route that was good? (A good book?)
Thanks,
Paul
(unwelcome in magic wood)
If I knew you were in ceuse, did james tell you about the deep water soloing day we had in the verdon, you should have come along it was ace, making a vid of it know
good luck on the rest of the trip, get out of magicwood its crap, and dont go to annot
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paul,
one of the classics is the 'bocchette" via ferrata. you have to park just close to madonna di campiglio center, at a hut whose name i soon will tell you. from there you can hike for three hours, to the brentei hut, or three and half to the tosa pedrotti hut. from both huts you join the via ferrata that does all the tour around the mountain.
should you want to multipitch, i highly recommend an early start do do the 'via normale at campanile basso' a super classic at IV grade. after the ferrata you can get back on the side of pedrotti hut and also hike down towards molveno, which has also a nice lake a is on the other side of the valley. from molveno, with one hours of bus you can get back to madonna di campiglio. it's worth. three or four days should be fun also to do some hut life, i.e. sleep, eat and drink.
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Thanks for the info!
We're now in Arco as the weather crapped out a bit in Magic wood; warm AND wet... We've spent the evening on babelfish translating the italian ferrata guide that we've bought.
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hey paul,
for the "bocchette via ferrata" the parking is at the presanella hut, 10 mins from madonna di campiglio center.
but paul, don't get yourselves on a via ferrata friday 17th or saturday 18th because the forecast is for rainstorms.
you can check also "meteotrentino"
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Cheers Nibs... we might be at a VW garage tomorrow instead.
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Bit late on theis topic, but I know what you mean about Magic Woods. We were in a van like yourself & got harrased, questioned by every other fucker & made to feel uneasy all the time so we sacked it off for brighter climate of Spain. People just don't seem to like the idea of you parking up fpr nowt.
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TBH the only person giving us hassle was the campsite owner, we'd driven miles away as well so it wasn't as if access would be threatened either as there was no way they could tell we were climbers. Unless they recognized the Foundry sticker of course :shrug:
The local farmer who parked up his wagon full of sheep next to us every other morning didn't give a sh*t we were there and was very chatty.
Anyway, I wasn't too impressed by Magic all 'n' all. Albaraccin is better and bigger. We went to the dolomites to do some VF which was great. Cheers for the route recommendations bubba, the pisciadu was the best we did out of the lot. Nibs; we're going to multi-day it on the backpass, I'll drop you a pm then if you're psyched to join?
Off to innsbruck now, then Schlier and Zill...
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excellent paul, i await some news!!!
avoid dolomites from 8 to 20 august, it's a mess of posh mofos and a chaos of jaguars and porshes. plus, it takes hours to get to the rocks. damn weakmos.
see you soon paul!!! if i go on like this (weights and no rock) it'll be easy to spot me, i'll be the beefcake who can't climb hsit.
enjoy the trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
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how long you in zillertal for, I am driving done friday for 5 days, unc is going to show me around, you going to hook upi with him?
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I've tried ringing him and just got his answerphone (new number perhaps?)
and nothing as of yet on the email... we were hoping to though, yes!
When driving in I wondered why on earth he picked to live here but I've just picked up a copy of the guide (took me a good half an hour to pick between the three on offer) and now I understand.
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good evening peeps of UKB, I was hoping some of you might be able to help...
we're currently in the frankenjura and we're a bit boggled by the multitude of crags on offer. So far we've been using my hit list and andys old top of the pockets cragx article (http://www.foundryclimbing.com/articles/issue06/pockets/climbing_info.htm) as a guide but that only seems to cover a very small area... sooooo which others are worthwhile?
Nat is looking for high F6's (pref not too steep) and I'm open to anything thats of impeccable quality.
does anyone know where England meets the Falklands or whatever its called is?
Thanks in advance.
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Think the crag opposite the parking for AD/slimline has some high 6's/low sevens that are worthwhile. Slimline is pure class, taking the opposing arse cheek to AD. A must. Not digit friendly though, easier in low temps/evenings obviously.
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paul, only now i noticed that you included "tetto di sarre" on your ticklist. well, don't go there. it's horrible. the only notable thing is that it features an 8b by jacky godoffe himself.
another horrible place you may want to avoid is erto. the routes are polished up to 8b and the setting is very depressing. the ice cream in longarone is well good though.
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cheers nibs... that was a joke entry from Jingo Wobbly
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ok so we've been frankenjura, Labak, frankenjura and now we're in the Pfalz...
Nats coming around to the idea of more than one rope length so I was hoping somebody could help me out with a few good easy mp recommendations in the Verdon?
Thanks as always.
:great:
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*bump* :shrug:
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How easy does nat regard as easy?
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I haven't done anything there, but its never had a rep as a good gentle intro to multi-pitch. See the near-death thread...
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link JB, the battery is low...
6a should be fine.
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unluckiestmanalive + multipitchvirgin + verdon = nobody gets out of here alive.
I'd dial 99 and keep your finger hovering over the 9 key.
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I've been running it out in the Czech (for a day) and enjoying the generous bolting of the Pfalz unscathed...
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shit, sounds like you're overdue some bad luck then - run for cover!
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JB was on about this. (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,12077.msg208651.html#msg208651) However, fatdoc did say that they basically didn't have a clue what they were doing.
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shit, sounds like you're overdue some bad luck then - run for cover!
what like an Austrian VW workshop fixing something that wasn't broken for the price of nigh on 800 Euro's?
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JB was on about this. (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,12077.msg208651.html#msg208651) However, fatdoc did say that they basically didn't have a clue what they were doing.
Jesus!
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Somehwere like Ailefroide or Orpierre might be a friendlier intro to multipitching. Don't recall there is much at Verdon that doesn't involve abbing in from the top above 500m or so of drop at that grade.
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Orpierre has a few good looking easy multi pitch climbs, we did one called Voyage which climbed up a big corner on the Quillion, think it was 5c,5b,5c,6a, well bolted with an easy ab descent (easier with 70m rope or 2 35's). It's crazy hot there though at the moment though, so you have to get on most of the Quillion multi pitch climbs early and get finished by 12 or 1 before the sun comes round. Quite good conditions on the Chateau (single pitch) routes in the afternoon/evening.
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Multipitch stuff at Buoux too. A lot less intimidating than Verdon but maybe not at 6a.
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Gorges Du Jonte, which is very close to and easily combined with Gorges Du Tarn, looks like a great place for multipitch of all grades.
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Gorges Du Jonte, which is very close to and easily combined with Gorges Du Tarn, looks like a great place for multipitch of all grades.
Agreed, spent a day there on a recent trip to the Tarn, easy walk in and some great looking multi-pitch routes.
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It's crazy hot there though at the moment though
Is it hotter than Verdon? I climbed did La Demande in July the year after I left SA with an Aussie mate, and we both had fat tongues and blurry vision from dehydration by the end.
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Gorges Du Jonte, which is very close to and easily combined with Gorges Du Tarn, looks like a great place for multipitch of all grades.
I'd agree with Bonjoy, Gorge Du Jonte looked good for Multipitch stuff, and maybe be better temps to avoid getting restricted by time etc....
The stuff at Orpierre is also worth getting up early for a route or two....
Check out St Leger en route to Gorge du Tarn or after Orpierre...
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Thanks for the recommendations...
Dan - St Leger is on the list but it'll have to be later on, meeting family in a week or so, so can't cram too much in before that.
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current location is the Verdon... we needed to buy some more gear...
11-2?
:jaw:
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112
That'll get you through to the emergency services - good bit of forward planning there Lucky Paul.
;)
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I'd be assigning that to all vacant speeddial numbers.
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Although at first it looked like it could be a bit epic; the new rope was coiling around anything and everything it all went fine. We topped out as the light was beginning to fade absolutely knackered.
:great:
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Excellent. Well done Nat!
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can anyone enlighten me as to whether or not the MP stuff in Val di Mello is bolted or not?
Thanks
Paul
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i
some of it, buy a guide book, it tells you a lot, we did some fully bolted big stuff there
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I will, If I go... but at ~30 Euros a pop I take my time!
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I will, If I go... but at ~30 Euros a pop I take my time!
I can scan you a couple of pages if you like
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Thanks for the offer Neil. We went all trad for a week...
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its pointless taking a rack, she just hasn't got the experience for it.
Glad to hear you've seen the light :dance1: Proper climbing, who'd have thunk it?
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we had a bit of a minor epic on the last day... see if you can help t'other thread. (Here was me thinking that the trad thing would limit the shit I get from you) :dance1:
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Ok, so its becoming quite clear that we can't go everywhere we would like to in the time we've got left (10 weeks :boohoo:). The last couple of weeks will be lost to coming back up to the UK via Cresciano and inevitably Font. Currently we're just about done in Buoux. I was hoping the collective knowledge of UKB might help us sort out the Best from the rest from the following list. Naturally I think El Chorro and anything further South of Valencia will be cut just to save wasted time driving, but what else? Thanks for any help offered.
Albarracin
Alquezar
Baltzola
Cavallers
Cuenca
El Chorro
Margalef
Montanejos
Montsant
Montserrat
Riglos
Rodellar
Santalinya
Sella
Siurana
Terradets
Tres Pont
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Given your timescales, I wouldn't bother going any further south than Northern Spain / Barcelona / Madrid
On that basis you could also remove Montanejos and Sella at least (and possibly others, my Spanish Geography aint that hot). As nice as they are it's just bolted limestone. I think your choices are going to be weather dependant too - might have to look for lower lying and south facing venues if colder weather sets in, I think a big cold front is forecast to sweep in this week, not sure how far south it will go.
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Given the time of year I'd drop Cavallers. Could be very chilly.
Montanejos is horrible (or perhaps just not everyone's cup of tea, if your cup of tea is badly bolted, undergraded, vertical horror shows and a mental refugio owner then go for it).
Sella is miles from your other destinations, as is Baltzola. There's also a fair chance Baltzola will get wet in the next few weeks and stay that way all winter.
I know nothing of Cuenca, but opinions are divided between great pockety climbing and old-school drilled gnarl.
Ditching the southern venues leaves many many high quality venues in Catalunya/Aragon. I'd go for these.
My plan - drive to Terradets, stopping at Tres Ponts for a day on the way. Spend a few days at Terradets (not much easy stuff for Nat), interspersed with a trip to the multipitch at Vilanova de Meia. I recommend Musical Express - well bolted, mostly 5+ with a couple of moves of 6b. Once bored of that, head to Rodellar and stay there until Nat has ticked the easy routes. Then go and base yourself in margalef and spend the rest of the time climbing here (lots for both of you) with day raids to siurana, santa linya and montsant as appropriate. On the way home, stop at montserrat for something a bit different.
Get your topos here
http://picasaweb.google.com/Grendel.Mic/ReseAsPirateadasRessenyesPiratejades (http://picasaweb.google.com/Grendel.Mic/ReseAsPirateadasRessenyesPiratejades)
Climb at Rodellar until it gets wet or Nat ticks all the easier stuff.
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Montanejos is horrible (or perhaps just not everyone's cup of tea, if your cup of tea is badly bolted, undergraded, vertical horror shows and a mental refugio owner then go for it).
Was not my bag either. You left out chipped and sikaed to death. I was there in 1996 and he was a bit mental then. Plus it was bitterly cold in March and snowed.
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Two :thumbsdown: then for Montanejos. Last time Jules was there the refugio owner wouldn't let them consume their own food and drink within site of the refugio, and followed them around to make sure they didn't copy the topo!
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Stu's plan sounds pretty spot on, but i'd suggest Rodellar is better to go to before Terradets as the former is shadier and more prone to winter seepage. Don't leave it too late going to Rodellar or you might end up not being able to climb on the best bits due to wet tufa. You've already left it quite late.
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Two :thumbsdown: then for Montanejos. Last time Jules was there the refugio owner wouldn't let them consume their own food and drink within site of the refugio, and followed them around to make sure they didn't copy the topo!
I don't want to defend the place too much - it was mostly too grey and vertical and distinctly lacking in the orange pockety stuff. However, the refuge has changed hands from the days when Ernesto (sp?) ran it. The family that own it now are Swiss and were really friendly. He took pity on us offered to let us shower there when he found out we were dossing in woods near by. Top bloke, and a very chilled feel to the whole place, just a shame the climbing wasn't that bit better. (Looked good for mid grade multi pitch, and loads of 6's etc)
Sella/Costa Blanca is ok, but I can think of other places I'd rather go first if time were limited, other crags in the area like Forada are worth going to also... I think it only took about 3.5/4 hours to get from Barcellona --> Costa Blanca so its not as far as you might think.
The Costa Dorada region and Rodella/Teradets area sounds a much better plan, with the Costa Blanca being a bad weather last resort option - its about 1000m lower than Siurana...
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Never mind all that, update your blog Bennett.
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Jasper - I just saw the spitting image of you at Buoux, he looked a little girly ;D
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it seems like the RHS of the small grotto at volx has collapsed and climbing is currently "interdit" - danger of death stuff.
Thanks Stu/Bonjoy, that sounds like a plan.... if we can we'll slot in some Riglos action and maybe a weekend raid to check out Penninsula at Albarraccin as it looked pretty amazing when I was there in April when the pesky bird ban was in place.
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Jasper - I just saw the spitting image of you at Buoux, he looked a little girly ;D
:furious:
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If/when you make it to Rodellar and have to eat, get the Lasagne at the Kalandraka Refugio. That shit was amazing :)
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thanks for food beta, currently using the wifi right there... the coffee isn't that great :'(
Went to Tres pont for a day, had an amazing time and felt absolutely on fire. The next day we climbed at Rodellar I felt like microwaved shit. Rest day today.
Thankfully I've been informed this is the driest Rodellar has been in a long time so we haven't left it too late.
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Excellent. Hope you have as good a time as we did.Go do Adios Pepita at Piscineta, 40 metres of monster pump in the most amazing setting, with a very nice swimming pool in the river below.
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Duly noted. I think kings of metal will be high on the list... wasn't really feeling the love at the crag the other day lots of strange staring going on but maybe I was just having a grumpy day.
The place is packed full of superwads, girls onsighting 8b's casually, one girl who's gone from 7a to 8b in a year and an unknown bloke who keeps flashing really hard stuff. A few sheffield faces are out here too which is nice.
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Kings of Metal is excellent. My favourite one on that sector was Mal D'Amores.
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We're currently in Siurana and could do with some help:
Today it was blisteringly stupidly hot for November, where's best to climb at when its like that?
Secondly which sectors are the best (we're looking for anything from F6-F8 but we're getting pretty picky in terms of quality!)?
Thirdly, does anyone have a good sequence for the small roof section of Anabolica 'cos I reckon mine is cr*p.
Thanks and sorry if its shit weather in the Uk.
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Can't remember exact sequence but this is what i did :shrug:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3359/3487805321_66669fea72_b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamlincoln/3487805321/)
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I have some 10 year old beta I could dredge....
Left hand into obvious high left hold a la Adam, then 3 right hand movemiento's. Firstly to a thin pinch(or a triangle), then to a triangle(or a thin pinch) then over to the sinker pocket. Basically at 3 oclock, 1 oclock then 12 oclock!! Small foot movements may also be involved. Don't go all the way out left after the small roof to the off route rest unless you have a beret.
this looks like second RH hold, going for 3rd.....
(http://dave.scottishclimbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/daver_anabolica1.jpg)
Obvious 3rd RH pocket, toe on triangle??
(http://bp2.blogger.com/_NCwOS2t65Sw/Ri4NynQ8XaI/AAAAAAAAAa4/SQ9toW7GqHs/s400/IMG_3788.jpg)
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Some shit 13 year old beta, but I am sure there is a shady section in a gully to the right of Anabolica Sector with some OK 6s and 7s. Buggered if I can remember exact location or route names though.
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Cool however if you're saying the rest is off route then its a shit, artificially hard route, you have to go a bit left to go out right anyway?
My sequence was toss but ended up in the same position.
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Cool however if you're saying the rest is off route then its a shit, artificially hard route, you have to go a bit left to go out right anyway?
There was a decent rest on a couple of jugs out left after this move(cheers Al)...
(http://bp2.blogger.com/_p5cNPv6jr-Q/R02pLvPZpgI/AAAAAAAAAIs/SX-v6HmwTVQ/s400/AlSiurana.jpg])
although further left still(maybe 2 metres more) was a big gay off route pod-thing...where you could literally get the cigar out. Recall using this was a)rightly frowned upon and b)not necessary, felt 8a without it I guess and c)didn't occur to me at the time.
Disclaimer-This gay rest gets further away the older I get, so maybe it is on-route after all. Have you tried La Cara at Olla? Harder for those of diminutive stature but mandatory for a gent of your Cal-Ibre.
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The jug you're thinking of is about ooooh 20cm from a kneebar, you'd have to have blinkers on to ignore it as you have to move left to go up then back right. I'm pretty sure it is the pod you're thinking of though.
You should have seen some of the Frenchies at Margalef, the bolts in front of their faces certainly weren't on their routes!
We didn't try much at Siurana, we arrived, waited for the sun to come off it as it was 19'C, did one 6c+ that felt nails and then I got straight on Annabolica. We left the next day as the weather is set to continue like that. I'll take the recommendation on board but Morpho will shoot me down no doubt.
More reccomendations still needed, which sectors are good?
(We're in Albarracin now taking a quick break from ropes, its only 15' here)
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The rest thing is bollocks as the top is only 6c+ you've done the meat of the route by far.
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looking at this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jandiro/3239708802/# (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jandiro/3239708802/#)
I can now see the full on chill out ledge further left, thankfully that isn't it.
Doyle, I had to fully f*ckin launch at the top to get the jugs you lanky c*nt.
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Yep. Still not lost it yet then...Fantastic 8a+ next to La rambla, starting up an arse crack if the memory is to be further believed. ;)
La Cara was drainpipe tufa pinching then a diagonal jump to a sinker hueco. Remember the draw next to the jump is often removed as you WILL grab it instead of doing the jump. Then put it in yourself. (Doylo may be able to clarify if this is also bollocks) :)
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Cheers Stallion!
Any other recommendations, 6's a d 7's?
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La Cara was drainpipe tufa pinching then a diagonal jump to a sinker hueco. Remember the draw next to the jump is often removed as you WILL grab it instead of doing the jump. Then put it in yourself. (Doylo may be able to clarify if this is also bollocks) :)
Yep defo more bollocks ;D
Le cara is indeed fantastic, if your worried about the fall when you get to the crux and your thinking of grabbing the draw you need to go on a manning up course immediately
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In all seriousness after being completely content to lob off onto a cord regardless of bolt spacing etc. I found myself being an utter pussy today above a pad.
For anyone thats interested though do not take a brand new moon pad anywhere near a roof problem, you'd be better off hitting the floor.
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Doyle has spoken.
Mandragora 7b+(not the 3/4 height fruitfulness at 7b)
Ok, thats it, I'm spent.
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and I'm off for beer and some food in the form of deep fried potatoes if this damn country has anywhere open at 19.30? :wank:
Thanks...
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Ok, thats it, I'm spent.
I bet you say that to all the boys!
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For anyone thats interested though do not take a brand new moon pad anywhere near a roof problem, you'd be better off hitting the floor.
They work pretty well upside down when they are fresh and a little too hard still! Perhaps if you weighed more the foam would deform a little ;)
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La Cara was drainpipe tufa pinching then a diagonal jump to a sinker hueco. Remember the draw next to the jump is often removed as you WILL grab it instead of doing the jump. Then put it in yourself. (Doylo may be able to clarify if this is also bollocks) :)
Not Morpho as many of midget/dwarf/pixie/hobbit stature have done it..... ;)
However the 'Hueco' has also been described as 'Like a Dogs mouth' by others......
Its a good route whatever, wish it hadn't been so bloody windy and wet when two weeks ago! :(
For the List: Mandragora, Papagora, El Muerte del Sponsor (and excellent 6c arete next to it), Sayonara baby, Ay Mamita, Prado del rey, viagraman, pota d'elephant, bistec de biceps.......
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cheers Dan.
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Unfortunately we're approaching the final stint of our trip and our minds are starting to shift to bouldering.
Currently we're heading along the south of France enjoying what remains of the sun and ticking off a few smaller crags which we wanted to visit earlier but were roasting hot but after that we were thinking of going to:
Switzerland
Zillertal
Font
But two of those destinations add a crazily big loop of a drive into things which is not only time consuming but expensive.
Is there any chance of us being able to boulder at Cresc/Ticino at this time of year or are we going to spend a week stuck in the van, damp and angry?
Does the same apply for Zill?
From the weather forecast I'm starting to think so, we don't really want to get to Font too early because crap weather there will leave us temptingly close to Nats folks and creature comforts.
Thanks for all the help so far, it is greatly appreciated.
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Is there any chance of us being able to boulder at Cresc/Ticino at this time of year or are we going to spend a week stuck in the van, damp and angry?
Of course you can boulder there its winter, but its a mountainous region so rain (and snow) is always possible. Could be mint though
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i seem to remember you pacing around the kitchen of our Gite after having a less than ideal trip. Remember we'll be in a van.
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i seem to remember you pacing around the kitchen of our Gite after having a less than ideal trip. Remember we'll be in a van.
Was the most snow there since records began, i was unlucky, check some long term forecasts before you go.
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I am, it looks like 80mm of rain the day before we get there, then clear ish for about 3.
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What about Annot? In the latest Urban Climber it says it is 45 mins from Nice airport ( to give a general area, thats in the South of France innnit?) and pretty good... online guide at abloc.org, apparently. Never been, like.
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...well its been about 3 years and with a bit of planning from the moment we arrived back, we're both getting itchy feet again.
Nat has her professional review in Oct, and I'm pretty much finished at Sheffield Uni. Unfortunately this time the sabbatical hasn't been forthcoming and her current employer only offers a quit/re-hire if we need it offer (pretty short sighted given they've essentially spent time and money getting her to this review stage but nevermind, they're too big anyhow).
So, it looks that if we're going to go travelling again it'll be completely on our terms. The questions I'd like to ask is:
When would be the ideal time to leave for Europe for a 6 month (ish) trip? Last time we left in July and initially it was harder to find areas suitable (this time we'd be throwing in some more big stuff, Dolomites etc.)
or the other plan
When would be ideal if we were looking for a West Coast trip? This would be shorter (3 months) and mostly involve ropes and stuff so big I need to go to the toilet just thinking about it. :shit:
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When would be ideal if we were looking for a West Coast trip? This would be shorter (3 months) and mostly involve ropes and stuff so big I need to go to the toilet just thinking about it. :shit:
I started in Hueco in February and headed up via Red Rocks and Mammoth to climb in the Valley in March/April. You could make it 6 month trip but would require renewing your visa whilst out there in which case a trip that started in the Valley in October and involved wintering out at Joshua Tree then heading back to the Valley would be awesome.
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Just back from Northern Spain. Good valley sport climbing at Taverga and Ceuvas (Asturias) and Araotz (Basque country), as well as Naranjo de Bulnes (though I think high summer might be good, it was cold last week). Loads of other multi-pitch stuff around. Not many climbers, and hard to find info, but crags not as loose as the Dolomites! You could certainly start there in late summer.
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Not sure how much is there, but what about the Picos de Europe (http://p://www.climb-europe.com/RockClimbingSpain/NorthernSpain.html)? Alpine routes upto 500m.
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(Naranjo is in Picos.)
I have been loosely thinking about doing a long US trip again.
Rifle looks horrible but I think it would be OK to start there to gain some fitness, then go to Indian Creek for 3 weeks to have a refresher course on jams, while not loosing to much strength (since it is vertical), followed by a longer stay in Yosemite. After having lost all power in Yosemite turn north and go up to Bugaboos and use all the hard-won fitness on long fast free routes. (Or go to Needles because it is supposed to be absolutely fantastic.)
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I can advise on a west coast trip!
If so big I need to go to the toilet just thinking about it means El Cap., which it should, a good work-up could go something like:
Fly to Vegas.
mid-March - mid April: Indian Creek, Joshua Tree, Red Rocks.
early May: Tahoe (optional, go straight to Yosemite if the weather is particularly good or spend more time in Utah if it is particularly cold)
mid May: Yosemite
early - mid. June: Crush!
As Jonas says, try and get in a side trip to The Needles (typically good from late May), a really wonderful place and a great antidote to The Valley which can be a bit of a zoo by then.
Simon is a fan of Yosemite in early season (April) and it is relatively quiet but the weather can be decidedly mixed in my experience. The lower valley crags should be fine but Astroman, to pick a random example, might be wet. I think June is a good time for El. Cap unless you are contemplating very high standard free climbing. You have the longest days and, whilst it is getting hot on the valley floor, the updraft means temps on the walls are still very reasonable.
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(Naranjo is in Picos.)
:oops:
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West coast alternative route would be:
July/ August: Fly to Seattle, buy yankee van, cross border to Squamish, head to Bugaboos and possibly Lotus Flower
Sept: head south via Smith Rocks to Yosemite, ideally via Tuolomne and the Needles (and The Hulk)
Oct: Yosemite. When the snow comes, head south to Red Rocks via Bishop or J-Tree (and beyond my 1st hand Knowledge.
November: Moab, Zion, desert towers etc? Sell van in Vegas, fly home for Xmas
Alternatively you could do this in reverse March - August.
Was in Yosemite for Easter last year (late April) and it was a washout. Bishop was in great nick. The problem with Spring in the Sierras is the passes are shut so you can't go to Tuolomne or the Needles, and Bishop is a 9 hour drive instead of 2. Plus side there is skiing available and its quiet. And wet.
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I'm not sure the finances would stretch for such a long tour of the west coast but then my experience of America is limited and at the complete opposite end of the spectrum (Florida!). Is it easy enough to get a 6 month visa?
I'd also want to be sure that we weren't going prematurely. It'd be annoying to get to these places and find things like Astroman to be outside of our capabilities as a team.
Financially, a euro-tour would be safer and ultimately cheaper (no flights), we lived like dirtbags on our last trip staying in a camp site for around 6 days out of 5 and a bit months. If we did this again it'd likely be quite different as I've got routes/areas in mind rather than a 'sampling everything I can' approach.
On the other hand, it'd be unlikey (or a long time before it happened) that'd I'd manage to see so many areas of the west coast with the cost of flights making shorter trips a bit too much $$$, without doing it as a tour.
Once this is done I'd be going after a 'proper' engineering job which would probably scupper us both for a while.
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And another thing...
If you have 3-6 months free, I definitely think you should go somewhere like the west coast (or Australia, or S. America) rather than Europe.
As they get older, most people somehow seem to acquire obligations that make long trips much more complex to arrange. Some even get Proper Jobs! The most harassed business executive, like shark or pre-retirement thesiger, can usually manage a week or two away and this is fine for Europe where distances are short and the climbing familiar. A two week trip to a single west coast venue is still worthwhile but the cost-benefit analysis gets weaker.
Granite and desert sandstone crack climbing is an art and one that does not come instantly to many people. I think it is hard to perform in Yosemite in particular if you are on a short trip. Taking time to learn the art will result in a more satisfying trip as you will feel like you are climbing closer to your potential. Unless you are a really strong and experienced team, I think a good strategy is to start somewhere relatively small and uncommitting (Indian Creek in spring, Squamish or Tuolumne in summer) before heading for bigger things.
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November: Moab, Zion, desert towers etc? Sell van in Vegas. get that pesky wedding out of the way by means of a drive-through chapel (seriously considered this option), fly home for Xmas
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November: Moab, Zion, desert towers etc? Sell van in Vegas. get that pesky wedding out of the way by means of a drive-through chapel (seriously considered this option), fly home for Xmas
Do it! I got married in Australia we only told our parents a week before hand so as they didn't have time to make it out.
A wedding is about the people getting married, not vicarious family.
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A few years ago we flew in and out of Portland Oregon, had a week at Smith, a week at City of Rocks (Idaho), a couple of days in Salt Lake and a few days around Tahoe. Something like this could be a good alternative route to the valley. Or you could loop down through Utah.
Its a long drive east to City of Rocks but we had a great time there. Good variety of granite cracks/faces/trad/sport for honing the granite skills for the valley.
Ideally we would have flown into and out of different places but I think it was alot more expensive at the time.
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Spring in the Sierras can be a problem. I was denied access to The Needles in late May due to snow closures. It was a bad (good?) year for snow though. On the other hand I believe there was so little snow last winter the Tioga didn't close?
If I had three months I would head to western US without hesitation. Most European destinations are practically weekendable but getting to the US and once set up with a vehicle it makes sense to make the most of it. And you can dirtbag it at amazing levels. Plus the weather is generally more reliable.
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+1 to the old men's warnings about doing something big whilst you can. If you're getting into a career when you get back you never know when you'll get another chance. I've not done a trip longer than three weeks for many years and don't see it being likely in the next ten either. And I'm my own boss.
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+1 to the old men's warnings about doing something big whilst you can. If you're getting into a career when you get back you never know when you'll get another chance. I've not done a trip longer than three weeks for many years and don't see it being likely in the next ten either. And I'm my own boss.
that's fine, however if finances dictate that it HAS to be Europe I'd rather get that under my belt rather than none of all.
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Like the others said, go as big as you can now as it gets exponentially less feasible as you get older and more commited. AKA mortage your future a bit if you both have decent earning prospects.
Our first trip was on a round the world ticket and worked out very cheap, but we did slum it big time and worked for several months in Oz. Oz and NZ were cheap due to 2nd hand cars being low cost and easy to sell on (at a profit in one case!).
Regards when to go. If it’s Europe I don’t think you can do better than last time. You will always end up with months at the start and/or the end which are less than ideal for where you want to be. Good to have to worse months at the start of the trip when you are building fitness and then have the best at the end when you are going full guns. However if you think you might run out of motivation (some folk burn out on big trips, I’ve never had a prob with this) then this strategy risks wasting the best months, so you might want to go the other way.
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that's fine, however if finances dictate that it HAS to be Europe I'd rather get that under my belt rather than none of all.
Surely that's obvious?
I think though that over a 3 month or longer period you will probably get more climbing done per pound spent than you would on a Euro trip.
I've got a copy of Tim Toula's "Rock 'n' Road" Atlas (which is far from perfect, but very useful for planning) if you want to borrow it for some ideas. I've actually climbed with him too!
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Since it looks as thought you'd be looking to leave some time in November-Januaryish, much of the west coast is out. Starting out during this period your best bets are Heuco for bouldering, or starting out at El Potrero in Mexico, then coming back to the states. El Potrero is really cheap and would be great in Jan/Feb except for the shorter day. Awesome long multipitch sport stuff = Great for building up day-long fitness for long stuff plus getting multipitch logistics down. Then head to J-tree/Red Rocks/Bishop, then to the valley.
I'd imagine you could do 6mos pretty cheap if you did:
Jan/Feb - El Potrero - Cheap camping
Mar/April - Red Rocks (nice blend of sport,trad and boulder and long and short) - If you look for it you can find free desert camping.
April/May - Bishop (Yosemite for short spells) Bishop is cheap with free camping and easy access, yosemite is expensive.
June - Squamish (nice blend of sport,trad and boulder and long and short) - If you look around you can find free/cheap camping or couch surf with a local.
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Since it looks as thought you'd be looking to leave some time in November-Januaryish, much of the west coast is out. Starting out during this period your best bets are Heuco for bouldering, or starting out at El Potrero in Mexico, then coming back to the states. El Potrero is really cheap and would be great in Jan/Feb except for the shorter day. Awesome long multipitch sport stuff = Great for building up day-long fitness for long stuff plus getting multipitch logistics down. Then head to J-tree/Red Rocks/Bishop, then to the valley.
I'd imagine you could do 6mos pretty cheap if you did:
Jan/Feb - El Potrero - Cheap camping
Mar/April - Red Rocks (nice blend of sport,trad and boulder and long and short) - If you look for it you can find free desert camping.
April/May - Bishop (Yosemite for short spells) Bishop is cheap with free camping and easy access, yosemite is expensive.
June - Squamish (nice blend of sport,trad and boulder and long and short) - If you look around you can find free/cheap camping or couch surf with a local.
Not only weather, but a loooooong haul from California, passing City of Rocks, Smith Rocks and many other places along the way.
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Would the main point of the trip be "long stuff" i.e. mulitpitch, bouldering, Sport, Tour of everything? The suggestion I made was aimed at the "long stuff" idea. Even bishop has fantastic long stuff, depending on the snow year you can easily get up into the Sierra's in late April/early May and Tuolumne is a short drive as well, so Bishop works well to base from. June is a touch early for Squampton, but see for yourself - http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statistics/cl10476f0 (http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statistics/cl10476f0). It's not terrible, just not as good as July/August.
If you're looking at Boulder/Sport/Tour, the suggestion would be very different. The nice thing about these, is that each area (barring Potrero) has quality sport (single- and multi-pitch), Quality trad (single- and multi-pitch), and quality bouldering. Plus you climb on limestone, sandstone, and granite.
Anyway, the drive from Bishop to Squampton is about 18-20 Hrs, and you could easily stop over in Smith for a couple if you wanted to break it up (although IME, Smith in June will be very hot). For some reason I'm not sold on City of Rocks, didn't impress me all that much.
Any which way you go, good luck and have fun!!
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Would the main point of the trip be "long stuff" i.e. mulitpitch, bouldering, Sport, Tour of everything?
I'm open to suggestion but "The best of the best" seems about right, for instance I wouldn't want to miss out on Bishop. Hueco I'm not so fussed about, it'll suit me I'm sure but the bureaucracy associated with it sounds like it'd ruin my time there.
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I'm open to suggestion but "The best of the best" seems about right.
Best of the Best of the West - IMO
Bouldering
Hueco - in spite of the regs, North Mountain is pretty easy to manage, and has plenty of quality.
Bishop
Joe's Valley
RMNP
Squamish
Sport
Ten-Sleep Canyon, Wy
El Potrero
St. George Limestone - Wailing Wall, Cathedral, Arrow Canyon, VRG, Etc.
Smith Rocks
Trad
Joshua Tree
Indian Creek
Tuolumne
Needles
Multipitch
Yosemite
High Sierra's
RMNP
Squamish
Red Rocks
I think Europe's sport climbing is so much better, there's not much point in coming here to sport climb...
he bouldering and trad stuff in the mountains are pretty incredible though.
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Hueco - in spite of the regs, North Mountain is pretty easy to manage, and has plenty of quality.
Its not just the entry passes that put me off, the whole scene sounded like my idea of bouldering hell.
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Hueco - in spite of the regs, North Mountain is pretty easy to manage, and has plenty of quality.
Its not just the entry passes that put me off, the whole scene sounded like my idea of bouldering hell.
Makes sense. I've not been down in many years, but from what I gather if you reserve camping in the park itself it's a pretty mellow scene... and the area's plenty big enough to avoid "the scene" while bouldering. So all in all could be doable, but why chance it.
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The Yanks I've chatted to seem to rate RRG as the world class sport venue in the US. It's certainly the big one on my wish list over there if we're talking bolt clipping. Get those energy systems nailed and get on this shit:
Southern Smoke with Joe Kinder & Brad Weaver on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/14980904)
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The Yanks I've chatted to seem to rate RRG as the world class sport venue in the US. It's certainly the big one on my wish list over there if we're talking bolt clipping.
Agreed. The next closest in my book would be Ten Sleep Canyon.
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RRG is really good, I loved it. The climbing in itself is not worth the carbon footprint of flying all the way across the Atlantic imo, but combined with the cultural experience of visiting American south light just might make it worth it.
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...experience of... American south...
Dueling Banjos (HD) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myhnAZFR1po#ws)
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RRG is really good, I loved it. The climbing in itself is not worth the carbon footprint of flying all the way across the Atlantic imo, but combined with the cultural experience of visiting American south light just might make it worth it.
The only good culture around RRG is all the bourbon distilleries :2thumbsup:
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Any decisions made yet? I unearthed my Red Rocks Guide about a week ago, and keep rereading it and being amazed by how inspiring the place is.
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Nat had her professional review on Tues (she won't really let on how it went), it takes 6 weeks to hear back from that, afterwards we'll decide.
Interestingly I just sold a lot of gear to two guys off to Red Rocks, one bought a couple of Yates Screamers :o
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Can't think why. Anything without good gear is either partially or fully bolted. Have a look at the Jerry Handren Guide if you see it in any shops, guaranteed to psyche you up.
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Red Rock is a great venue for relatively uncommitting but still excellent quality multi-pitch trad. and sport routes. There is decent single-pitch climbing and bouldering too. Folk were really friendly and helpful (as usual in the US). Las Vegas is useful for supplies and so forth and you can take or leave the rest of it. Desert Rock Sports is a really useful and helpful climbing shop for gear and beta. Mt. Charleston is not far away if you fancied a busman's holiday.
There is plenty of other stuff to do in the vicinity (vicinity US style = 5 hours drive): Grand, Zion, and Bryce Canyons, LA, Bishop, and Joshua Tree. The western US desert in general is pretty ace and you can live out your Fear and Loathing fantasies if you so wish. I'm definitely returning in the not-too-distant future.
Downsides? The local camp site is rumoured to be a little rough. I stayed with a friend in Vegas, so this is only hearsay. There is other camping in the area. I imagine anywhere could be a bit cold and windy at night in November. The legendary Vegas hotel deals are a thing of the past but cheapish Motels are still available, especially Sunday-Thursday. You have to pay to enter the park and have to be out by sundown. A climbers 'late exit' special provision is available but you have to register in advance for this (by phone). Amazing bureaucracy.
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We got a good deal staying at a hotel a long way from the strip and not too far to the park, i think it was called "Sundowner". The Red Rock Resort is closer to the park, but more classy, the one we were at was mostly full of midlle ages folk and pensioners. But rooms were enormous, food was cheap and had nice pool not that we used it much. Prices skyrocketed on Friday and Saturday nights, so worth getting out for a day or two.
If you are staying for more than a few days there is a multi entry pass that is worth getting. I think we got one and it was worthwile for more than 5 entries? If you want to avoid it there are some parts of the climbing you can access from outside the park area; I think Calico Hills and some of the longer routes at the opposite end are more easily accessed by parking on the highway so you don't run foul of the "late exit" rule.
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Thanks.
We've just returned from a 3 week trip to Buoux which was high on my agenda after the previous trip. I think it highlighted a few things quite well. Mainly, doing a Europe trip again, the scope would have to be very different and instead of onsights and relatively straightforward redpoints it would be best suited to fairly long term redpointing mixed in with obscure (longer) venues we didn't visit previously.
I think we both felt like it made the West Coast seem more appealing. Nat finds out her results on the 30th so we'll make the decision shortly after that. The way it works, it's fairly easy to screw up on your first attempt so I'm not getting too excited quite yet.