[Rich Armour]

Hi All,

I'm sacking off my job and heading off to the states bouldering in January for a few months, starting in the south east around Chattanooga and probably Arkansas then heading off over to Bishop and maybe Joe's valley or Yosemite. There's plenty of info out there about Bishop and Yosemite, but not so much on the other areas, anyone been out to these areas? any recommendations on where to stay, what venues are the best and any must do problems (up to 8Aish) would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Rich

[AndyR]

Hi All,

I'm sacking off my job and heading off to the states bouldering in January for a few months, starting in the south east around Chattanooga and probably Arkansas then heading off over to Bishop and maybe Joe's valley or Yosemite. There's plenty of info out there about Bishop and Yosemite, but not so much on the other areas, anyone been out to these areas? any recommendations on where to stay, what venues are the best and any must do problems (up to 8Aish) would be much appreciated.

I popped into Joe's on the way back from Moab earlier this year - fantastic climbing with good lines on good rock.
I didn't stay overnight, but most people were camping in the many spots just off the road that leads to the reservoir. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere and the local 'town' is not exactly awash with amenities, so you need to arrive prepared if you're going to be there for any period of time.
I couldn't find a guide in any of the climbing stores in SLC, so you may want to order the latest one online - I think it's a self-published effort.
I don't know, but suspect it'll be snowy and bastard cold that early in the year - good friction though!

[SA Chris]

I had a few days at Joes, climing at a lot easier grades. It's all scattered up and down the roadside, you can park up anywhere and doss in the car / bivvy / camp. There is a small store and town nearby, but not much else. Proce is the nearest larger place, with as much as you need to get by; decent supermarket, diners etc, and a place to shower, I think. As AndyR says it is pretty high up and can get cold and snowy.The Triassic area is not far away and a lot lower in altitude, and has some good stuff too.

There's the thick A Boudlering Guide to Utah which is pretty comprehensive, or the Wolverine Publishing (Dave Pegg) Guide, which has some more basic stuff (and may be out of print) which I used and got by OK.

As AndyR says, the rock quality is excellent and there are some preat problems.

[monkey boy]

Joe's as others have said above is pretty easy. Camping is free and very obvious when you arrive, or you can stay in a motel in Castle Dale (local town) or at Gillys cabins (http://gillysferron.com) which is in Ferron, a 15 minute drive from Joe's.

The guide book can be purchased here http://www.joesvalleyguidebook.com

The south-east is more complicated as the areas are all quite spread out. We based ourselves in Chattanooga as it's a cool city with stuff going on for rest days etc. From here it's about 30 mins to LRC, 45 mins to Rocktown and 90 mins to Horse Pens. You can camp at Horse Pens but this means much a longer drive to other areas and will probably be pretty cold in January. We stayed in a house in Chattanooga that an American friend sorted out but again I am sure you can find a cheap motel or house with a bit of internet trawling!

Horse Pens info- http://horsepens40.tripod.com

The south-east is very good indeed, with rock quality as good as Font in many places and cool features. It's not the easiest place to be a climber as area are a little spread out and you have to pay for LRC and Horse Pens but it is definitely worth the visit. It's my favourite place in the States!

[a dense loner]

Jesus

[monkey boy]

Jesus

Now, now! We are all free to have an opinion