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alicia_in_leeds
May 21, 2006, 4:19 PM
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There’s a possibility that I will be moving somewhere in the US to work soon. However, where in the US this will be is fairly open right now!
Since I haven’t climbed in very many places in the US, I don’t really know what crags are where and where is best to live as a climber.
So…if I listed the following things as a description of where I want to live, where would I be describing? There might not be anywhere that fits with everything, but I’m hoping to at least get some possibilities.
The description is:
-within a 1-2 hour drive of a major (say, enough routes to keep me happy for a few years) crag
-the nearby major crag is trad
-the routes are more cracks or rounded breaks rather than crimpy face climbs
-the rock is good quality and solid
-it's somewhere with lots of friendly climbers
Bonus points for thinking of somewhere that is:
-close enough to a good crag for climbing in the evenings after work
-near a major airport
Apologies for the long post but thank you if you got through it!
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atpeaceinbozeman
May 21, 2006, 4:33 PM
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In reply to: The description is: -within a 1-2 hour drive of a major (say, enough routes to keep me happy for a few years) crag -the nearby major crag is trad -the routes are more cracks or rounded breaks rather than crimpy face climbs -the rock is good quality and solid -it's somewhere with lots of friendly climbers Bonus points for thinking of somewhere that is: -close enough to a good crag for climbing in the evenings after work -near a major airport
I'm thinking Tahoe.
Everytime I'm there it makes me want to stay. It has everything on your list, including lots of climbers, which IMHO seems to be a drawback at times. Overall though, I vote Tahoe, go climbing at the Leap.
Tom
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rotten
May 21, 2006, 5:11 PM
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pretty much anywhere in california, theres yosemite, the needles, j-tree and lots of new stuff coming up in the central sierras.
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ecjohnson
May 21, 2006, 5:51 PM
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Boulder, Colorado? Everything you listed and... Denver International Airport... and Climbing close to town for climbing after work!!! I get Bonus points!
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alicia_in_leeds
May 21, 2006, 6:01 PM
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Thanks for the replies so far, keep them coming!
I've had a look at some Lovers Leap pictures and it looks very good. How long of a drive from Tahoe to the climbing? What are the other closest crags?
Boulder does appear to get big bonus points, well done :D Same thing I guess--how long of a drive from the city to the climbing? What crags are nearby?
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markguycan
May 21, 2006, 6:59 PM
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Yes Reno/Tahoe is a good locale. Reno has frequent flights/connections. Donner Summit has excellent craging only 45min from the city(drive fast!) the Leap is probably 1.5 hrs, numeruos other small crags are nearer or a little further. Tuolomne is only 2.5-3hrs and the Valley is 4hrs w/ good traffic if the pass is open.
I live in Flagstaff AZ,(nearest big airport is Phoenix 2hrs).Flag has a healthy climbing community and a large variety of types of crags relatively close by (basalt, dacite, sandstone,limestone, quartzite). Some offer not so solid rock (sedona) which, once you get more comfortable with it offer incredible adventures.
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jaybro
May 21, 2006, 7:07 PM
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Truckee
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vegastradguy
May 21, 2006, 8:48 PM
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Boulder, Colorado or Las Vegas....both are right next to a lifetime of climbing on amazing rock, have major metro areas a stones throw away, and actually have job opportunities...
Boulder is probably better for friendly climbers- Vegas lacks a bit there...not that we're not around, its just that there is no solid community here, just lots of little groups.
Vegas is better for road trips- if you're willing to drive 8 hours or less, you can visit: Yosemite, Needles, Bishop, JTree, Zion, Moab, IC, Sierras, any crags around Northern Arizona and Southern California, Phoenix, Tucson, SLC, etc, etc....
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jaybro
May 21, 2006, 9:24 PM
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May need more info.
I think boulder and vegas are about equal for available road/weekend trip potential. Boulder may be farther from Ca, but you got the Black, dozens of other greenie spots, the Tetons, Wind Rivers, Idaho, Devil's Tower, Vedauwoo, The Bighorns, Rushmore etc. and both states border on Utah's goodies.
I would rather not live in either one because they are nasty overgrown sprawls and even Boulder gets hotter than I am comfortable with in the summer. But if sprawl don't bug you, also consider SLC.
If Employment for you is equal everywhere (a big' if') I think you need to consider what type and size and climate, of town you are most comfortable with. There a lot of places with the criteria you stated.
if it was me, I would consider Flagstaff and Laramie.
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alicia_in_leeds
May 21, 2006, 9:50 PM
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In reply to: May need more info. I think boulder and vegas are about equal for available road/weekend trip potential. Boulder may be farther from Ca, but you got the Black, dozens of other greenie spots, the Tetons, Wind Rivers, Idaho, Devil's Tower, Vedauwoo, The Bighorns, Rushmore etc. and both states border on Utah's goodies. I would rather not live in either one because they are nasty overgrown sprawls and even Boulder gets hotter than I am comfortable with in the summer. But if sprawl don't bug you, also consider SLC. If Employment for you is equal everywhere (a big' if') I think you need to consider what type and size and climate, of town you are most comfortable with. There a lot of places with the criteria you stated. if it was me, I would consider Flagstaff and Laramie.
Hmm, I don't think I even know how I feel about some of this. I don't particularly mind sprawl--not that I like it in any way, just that I wouldn't mind living with it if I were near good climbing. As for climate, I'm not too bothered--I'm from Minnesota originally, so I could deal with cold winters if I had to, but at the same time it might be nice to get away from cold and snow for a while.
I won't know about job opportunities until the late summer or autumn so until then I can't factor employment into the equation--I thought I'd suss out where the good climbing is first and work from there!
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jaybro
May 21, 2006, 10:04 PM
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Cool. Happy hunting and good luck!
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alicia_in_leeds
May 22, 2006, 2:19 PM
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Any more to add to the list?
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keinangst
May 22, 2006, 2:54 PM
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Chattanooga, Tennessee
Bonus: Three "local" crags (one sport, one trad, one both); cost of living is FAR better than most Western states; sprawl is relatively contained, with just a couple hundred thousand people in the metro area. Among the friendliest people in the US.
Drawbacks: Nothing much more than 2 pitches, but you said you wanted "crags". You can always drive a couple hours to NC and get on multipitch granite, too. Job market not exactly huge, except for medical and insurance. Summers (May-Sept) are really hot and humid, but there's nearby whitewater.
Otherwise, I'd say Flagstaff if I could climb with one arm and one leg after finding a place to live ;)
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njb
May 22, 2006, 2:57 PM
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Salt Lake City, man.
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devils_advocate
May 22, 2006, 4:07 PM
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Definately not Orange County, Ca:
There's no climbing in that close of a distance. Joshua Tree, Black Mountain, Tahquitz, Suicide Rock, New Jack - all at least a 8-9 hour drive. Williamson was the only close place and it's closed. And even when you get there, there is hardly any trad - all chossy face climbs, with territorial thug climbers (careful). On top of that, there aren't any airports in the OC. I'd recomend Colorado.
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bluering
May 22, 2006, 4:16 PM
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Tahoe...
SF Bay area a close second. Lots of after work crags but 2-3 hour drives to good trad crags (Tahoe, Yosemite, San Luis Obispo).
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j_ung
May 22, 2006, 4:34 PM
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Another vote for Chattanooga. That place is fantastic.
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sbc_trls250
May 22, 2006, 4:42 PM
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Even though i haven't been to the area all that much, i'll put a vote in for West Virginia, just because it hasn't been mentioned yet. You get New River and Seneca, and a little bit of bouldering as well. what i would suggest though, is to do exactly what i'll be doing in about 6 months. save up some money and travel around the states so you can see for yourself where you'd like to live.
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fearlessclimber
May 22, 2006, 5:02 PM
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mammoth california. that is the place you are looking to live for, it has everything within like an hour. you got the happy sad boulders, yosemite big walls, tuolomie meadows, owens river gorge. dude, and in the winter you got tahoe to go boarding. go with mammoth california.
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krusher4
May 22, 2006, 6:14 PM
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In reply to: Boulder, Colorado? Everything you listed and... Denver International Airport... and Climbing close to town for climbing after work!!! I get Bonus points!
yes, but the climbers are not nice so that invalidates his requirements.
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boadman
May 22, 2006, 7:26 PM
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I think that chatanooga is one of the countries unsung climbing mecca's as long as you don't mind muggy summers. Cheap cost of living, close, quality crags, an incredible variety of climbing, pretty cool scene....
Saint George Utah is another, although it's a bit of a drive for good trad.
Boulder is disqualified by her "solid" rock requirement. All of the best areas require choss tolerance.
In reply to: Chattanooga, Tennessee Bonus: Three "local" crags (one sport, one trad, one both); cost of living is FAR better than most Western states; sprawl is relatively contained, with just a couple hundred thousand people in the metro area. Among the friendliest people in the US. Drawbacks: Nothing much more than 2 pitches, but you said you wanted "crags". You can always drive a couple hours to NC and get on multipitch granite, too. Job market not exactly huge, except for medical and insurance. Summers (May-Sept) are really hot and humid, but there's nearby whitewater. Otherwise, I'd say Flagstaff if I could climb with one arm and one leg after finding a place to live ;) |
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up_up_up
May 23, 2006, 1:33 AM
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denver or boulder colorado!
tons of crags around.... sport, trad... this sounds like your place...
hope ya find a place your happy though
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airbender
May 23, 2006, 2:54 PM
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Another vote for chattanooga. I am a little biased but this is the place to live. twall, sunset, suckcreek all world class trad you can hop on after work. The trip crown bouldering areas and if you want to clip bolts fosters is right up the road. Cost of living blows the rest of the country away too. I have a 2400 SQ' home with 2 acres only 175k US. Much less ego at the craggs here too.
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alicia_in_leeds
May 23, 2006, 3:00 PM
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In reply to: Another vote for chattanooga. I am a little biased but this is the place to live. twall, sunset, suckcreek all world class trad you can hop on after work. The trip crown bouldering areas and if you want to clip bolts fosters is right up the road. Cost of living blows the rest of the country away too. I have a 2400 SQ' home with 2 acres only 175k US. Much less ego at the craggs here too.
Chattanooga is definitely building up the votes! I don't know anything about it so I'll look into it...
Someone mentioned hot and muggy summers, but what's the weather like in the autumn/winter/spring? And when it does get hot in the summer, how far of a drive to somewhere reasonably cool to climb?
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saxfiend
May 23, 2006, 4:13 PM
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In reply to: Chattanooga is definitely building up the votes! I don't know anything about it so I'll look into it... Someone mentioned hot and muggy summers, but what's the weather like in the autumn/winter/spring? And when it does get hot in the summer, how far of a drive to somewhere reasonably cool to climb?
I live in Atlanta and make the two-hour drive to Chattanooga two or three times a month. If I ever retire, I might just move there! :)
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alicia_in_leeds
May 23, 2006, 4:23 PM
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I've had a look at the photos of T-Wall and it looks great! What kind of rock is it?
So, Chattanooga is high up on the list, plus other votes for Tahoe/Reno, a few places in California, Flagstaff, or possibly Laramie--Boulder seems to have been disqualified by choss (I'd definitely prefer a non-chossy home crag).
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keinangst
May 23, 2006, 4:37 PM
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In reply to: I've had a look at the photos of T-Wall and it looks great! What kind of rock is it?
Sandstone...but it's the super-hard, very old type, probably closer to English grit than your sandstone (or that of most of the Western US).
Look at a US map and draw a continuous box from Birmingham (AL), Atlanta, Winston-Salem (NC), to Lexington (KY). You'll have several lifetimes worth of year-round climbing, of all types, all within a few hours' drive. It's definitely not on the "Western scale" in size, but much of the quality is outstanding.
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alicia_in_leeds
May 23, 2006, 4:54 PM
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probably closer to English grit than your sandstone
.
I'm sold!! Perfect.
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saxfiend
May 23, 2006, 4:54 PM
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In reply to: I've had a look at the photos of T-Wall and it looks great! What kind of rock is it?
JL
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tradrenn
May 23, 2006, 11:43 PM
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GUNKS
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the_searcher
May 24, 2006, 1:48 AM
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Idyllwild Ca...home of Tahquitz and suicide...Tahquitz has many great long multi pitch trad routes within 30 minute hike...suicide is good too...also black mtn about 20 minutes away has some pretty amazing bouldering, if your into that sort of thing... by the beach...well 2 hours.. 1 and a half hours from joshua tree.. Yosemite's about 6 hours... near airports...30 minutes down the mountain...jobs.. ..sweet town! lots of artists and musicians...un-expensive housing... i dig it!
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jammer
May 24, 2006, 1:52 AM
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Where ever it is, it should be kept a secret ... sshhhhhhh!
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whatsupdoc
May 24, 2006, 2:55 AM
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All of the places mentioned are good choices. Also consider North Conway, NH. Small town. But if you can stand that and the cold winters (and fantastic ice climbing) it's a great place in my mind. Manchester is the nearest somehat major airport.
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epicsaga
Jul 28, 2006, 7:42 AM
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Did Alicia every decide?
Where is the closest good climbing to Raliegh and Charlotte NC?
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cjsimpso
Jul 28, 2006, 9:35 AM
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Whatsupdoc beat me to it. New Hampshire has it man. Especially if you live a little bit south of the Whites, you can be an hour and a half from Boston and half an hour from Franconia notch and an hour from the Mt. Washington Valley. You can also fly out of Manchester, especially on Southwest (which is cheap). The cold might be brutal, but the skiing and the ice climbing in the more than make up for it.
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gritstoner
Jul 28, 2006, 11:11 AM
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harrisonburg - virginia.
or somewhere near seneca rocks and the new river west virginia
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whitribj
Jul 28, 2006, 12:49 PM
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Lexington, KY with RRG and Lexington international airport
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alicia_in_leeds
Jul 28, 2006, 1:43 PM
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I decided to try for Chattanooga, based on what everyone's written, but I guess it depends if you have the same criteria as me...
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feanor007
Jul 28, 2006, 2:43 PM
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Anywhere in the Southeast. Chatanooga's got T-wall and cherokee park for trad and tons of bouldering and a good amount of sport climbing, hot summers though
i hear Ashville kicks butt as well, honestly i'm partial to the lexington area, the Red 1~ hour away and while the sport gets all the press, there is tons of killer trad of all grades as well, and while the summer can be warm, i climb year round here, and we have the best community in the world. seriously, i've yet to meet a true jackass yet, last couple weeks all my partners have been out of town and i just show up at miguels and never had a problem finding partners
check out http://redriverclimbing.com
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dank
Jul 29, 2006, 1:45 AM
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I'd reconsider Chattanooga. Decent climbing, maybe. But you'd have to deal with brutal summer weather, an ugly town, and many racist, xenophobic, republican Christ-bots in the population. Try visiting first...
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rock_junkie
Jul 29, 2006, 2:48 AM
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Tusla OK duh!
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saxfiend
Jul 29, 2006, 3:08 AM
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In reply to: I'd reconsider Chattanooga. Decent climbing, maybe. But you'd have to deal with brutal summer weather, an ugly town, and many racist, xenophobic, republican Christ-bots in the population. Try visiting first...
:roll:
JL
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