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bootlegger
Oct 6, 2006, 9:47 PM
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Considering a job-related relocation to Raleigh. Can anybody tell me about how far the nearest decent outdoor climbing is? I know there's a bunch of stuff in western NC (Linville Gorge & west of there), but am wondering if there is anything within about a 3 hr drive of Raleigh?
Climb sport & trad both. Any info would be appreciated.
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gripster
Oct 6, 2006, 9:53 PM
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there is a bunch of stuff around boone, nc which is around 3 hrs away. also there is stone mtn. (excellent granite friction climbing) about 2.5 hrs away, and hanging rock state park (trad and sport climbing) about 2 hrs away.
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pornstarr
Oct 7, 2006, 6:18 PM
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what he said. also pilot and sauratown are close as well.
there's also rumored to be some cragging around roxboro....???
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glyrocks
Oct 8, 2006, 12:20 AM
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yea there's pretty much everything within three hours. four hours gets you to top-notch stuff.
Moore's and Sauratown are the best bets for trad and sport, respectively. Pilot Mtn. and Stone are about the same distance, but Pilot is, uh, yea. Stone is bolted, but not sport. Runout friction- but damn good climbing.
There are dozens of small crags around Boone, some of the best bouldering in the east (so I hear...), some great short and thin ice, and good medium-sized trad crags. Another hour of driving puts you within striking distance of Rumbling Bald (lots of everything, 'cept ice), Looking Glass, and if you were speeding a lot during that fourth hour, Laurel Knob (which is big slab). Then there's Whitesidse a bit farther, which is another game altogether.
Again, as far as Raleigh/piedmont goes, Moore's has some great routes and a nice range of grades, both single and multipitch. Sauratown has just enough bolted route to keep you occupied, but not indefinitely. Some of my favorite routes in the state are there, so it's not a bad place, just not a destination crag. There's also another crag a lot like Sauratown without the access issues, but the name escapes me right now. S-town definitely needs some attention before access becomes a problem.
There are some boulders around. Moores has good boulders, Stone has (hard?) boulders, and there are some scattered farther east, but access is far from secured so it's not really okay to be talking them up online.
Climbing in the piedmont is like everything else here: perfectly mediocre. It's enough to get you by, especially while it's new, but don't plan to retire on it unless you're already 75 years old.
Good luck with the transfer if it happens for you. Where are you coming from? What kind of job? Can I have your old one?
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bootlegger
Oct 8, 2006, 1:57 AM
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Thanks for all the info, guys. I live in "flat as a pancake" Indiana now, and regularly drive 3 hrs one-way to Red River Gorge two or three times a month. So a couple of hours to Moore's or Sauratown or Pilot or even Stone would be sorta "normal" for me.
I should know for sure about the position in Raleigh in a week or two. If I get down that way, I'll be looking for partners! Lead sport up to 5.10a and lead trad at 5.7/5.8 (depending on how sandbagged it is!).
Hope to climb with some of you folks!
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coloredchalker
Oct 8, 2006, 9:28 PM
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In reply to: what he said. also pilot and sauratown are close as well. there's also rumored to be some cragging around roxboro....???
Roxboro, about an hour away, has what could be considered high ball boulder problems, best done with a top rope. But some really fun short climbs.
Moores has great trad and Pilot or Saur are where you go for sport/ tr.
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rsmillbern
Oct 8, 2006, 10:17 PM
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Don't forget about Table Rock and Shortoff (4 - 4.5) away. The New River Gorge is 4.5 hours. Looking Glass, Laurel Knob (tallest crag east of the Mississippi) (just got back from there today!).
The Red River Gorge is about 8 hours away.
scoTt
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ja1484
Oct 8, 2006, 11:46 PM
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Boone is closer to 4 hours from Raleigh.
The following list is roughly 2 hours away, one way (a little less with forgiving traffic):
Pilot Mountain is a good TR crag with a couple decent sport routes. Good place to take newbies to break 'em in on the real stuff.
Sauratown is good sport, but a lot of the routes you'll want to bring gear as some of the bolting is...absurd? And you will definitely want pieces between bolts.
Moore's Wall and Cook's Wall are good trad crags with a variety of grades (5.5 to 5.hard). Plenty of routes at both places, although Moore's has many of the more well known routes.
If you're willing to put in 4 to 5 hours of drive time and make a weekend out of it, there's all kinds of amazing stuff around: Looking Glass, Stone Mountain, Whitesides, Laurel Knob, Crowder's Mountain, Rumbling Bald...the list goes on.
One last thing: I hope you like slabs. And I hope you keep your head on with biiig slab runouts. A good fall on a slab probably won't kill you (though it is very much possible), but it certainly may make you wish you had died.
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jager
Oct 11, 2006, 1:02 PM
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In reply to: A good fall on a slab probably won't kill you (though it is very much possible), but it certainly may make you wish you had died.
Ummm, graded cheese :D
Yeah man, Raleigh is growing into a pretty decent place to live, minus the traffic. The drive to the crags isn't bad, especially if you can camp a night or two.
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clarki
Oct 11, 2006, 1:54 PM
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In reply to: Ummm, graded cheese :D In reply to: So, like when I do cheese for tacos it's, say, 5.8 or so to use the coarse side of the grater but .10+ if I use the shredder side? What happens when I am left with a very small piece of cheese and run the risk of hitting my knuckles? I would think that, in keeping with NC ethics we would merely add an R/X and not bump the grade just to make people feel better about themselves. Just wondrin' John
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clarki
Oct 11, 2006, 2:09 PM
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OK, seriously, to reply to the OP: You are looking at about 2 months left to get consistantly good days at Moore's. It gets pretty cold in the winter as it is North facing BUT S-town, Cook's and Stone are at their best until well into May so................I know plenty of folks who do these areas in a day from Raleigh.
That being said, GET TO MOORE"S NOW!!!! Many might disagree, but I think Moore's is as good as it gets. Anywhere. There are classic pitches to enjoy/scare the shit out of you no matter what level you climb at. If you haven't done Zooview, you are missing out!
Oh yeah, did I mention bouldering? The base of Stone Mtn. is awsome all winter and I think theres a couple of problems near Moore's :wink:
PM me if you want info or a partner sometime.
John
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jeazor
Oct 11, 2006, 2:56 PM
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I have just myself moved back to NC from Yosemite National Park. I grew up in NC and Raleigh is only three hours from Linvile and Boone You can just take 40 west to 421 and you will be there. They have done alot of work on these roads so it does not take long now to get there. Anyway if you have more questions just email me back.
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jeazor
Oct 11, 2006, 2:58 PM
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Posted: 11 Oct 2006 14:56 Post subject: Re: Raleigh, NC
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I have just myself moved back to NC from Yosemite National Park. I grew up in NC and Raleigh is only three hours from Linvile and Boone You can just take 40 west to 421 and you will be there. They have done alot of work on these roads so it does not take long now to get there. Anyway if you have more questions just email me back.
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glyrocks
Oct 11, 2006, 4:23 PM
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In reply to: Raleigh is growing into a pretty decent place to live
It's definitely growing, that much is true.
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surfcat
Oct 19, 2006, 5:40 PM
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Raleigh is cool, no doubt. Good access to the mountains, and The New is not too far for a weekend trip,and well worth the drive there.
My question, is I have climbed at Cary, Henderson Tower, Umstead, Roxboro, Knightdale, Bailey, but there has to be some rock around Bunn or Louisburg, it is like I can smell it, I just can't find it! Any clues?
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surfcat
Oct 19, 2006, 5:41 PM
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Raleigh is cool, no doubt. Good access to the mountains, and The New is not too far for a weekend trip,and well worth the drive there.
My question, is I have climbed at Cary, Henderson Tower, Umstead, Roxboro, Knightdale, Bailey, but there has to be some rock around Bunn or Louisburg, it is like I can smell it, I just can't find it! Any clues?
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surfcat
Oct 19, 2006, 5:45 PM
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I've climbed at Roxboro, Bailey, Knightdale, henderson tower, Cary, Umstead, but, I feel there must be some rock around Bunn or Louisburg? it is like I can smell it, but I just can't find it! Any clues?
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bootlegger
Oct 20, 2006, 7:12 PM
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Thanks again for all the great info! I've accepted the job in Raleigh and start Monday. But I doubt if I'll get much climbing in the first few months, since I'll be commuting back to Indiana on weekends to see the family (won't move the family until the end of the school year). But from the responses on this board and watching the Yahoo NC climbing group, it sounds like an active and welcoming climbing community in the area. Can't wait to get there and back on the rock!
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boredwolf
Oct 20, 2006, 7:44 PM
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Moore's also has some of the best bouldering in the state, even considering Boone. It's pretty cold up there at this time of year, but you'll be fine as long as you stay moving. I usually just bring one heavy "belay bitch" jacket there and share it with my partner. I'm down on Crowders and Pilot now that I've been to Sauratown and Moore's, but I would imagine that the gym monkey crowd is starting to thin as the weather gets cooler. Sauratown is AWESOME; south-facing and warm enough to climb in shorts and a t-shirt even while it's snowing. A bit of a hike to get there, but well worth it.
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akrafty1
Oct 20, 2006, 8:25 PM
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log on to Yahoo, and check out the group NCROCK they meet the first monday of each month. Check out the pictures and what not. We've got cilmbers of all abilities and lots of good cooks and home brewers.
Welcome to Raleigh!
Shane
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akrafty1
Oct 20, 2006, 8:27 PM
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log on to Yahoo, and check out the group NCROCK they meet the first monday of each month. Check out the pictures and what not. We've got cilmbers of all abilities and lots of good cooks and home brewers.
Welcome to Raleigh!
Shane
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