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xanx
Nov 9, 2003, 9:37 PM
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hey everyone! i'm trying to look for the ideal bouldering college so i figured i would find the "best" bouldering area and then just find the closest college. please don't go into how i should consider other factors ect... this is just a safety college so my mom is happy. basically, i want a place i can climb pretty much year round. snow is obviously an obsticle, but i also don't really want to climb if it is below 30'F or above like 85'F-90'F... if it occasionally hits these temps it is OK, but a place like the Gunks, where it is often below 30'F from november to march (luckily a good climbing season this year, however) is a bit cold. i have also heard places like Hueco get so hot (>90F much of the summer) that it is hard to send...
anyway these are the top bouldering areas i know in the US. BTW it doesn't have to be just bouldering, but a bouldering spot is my first choice (e.g. bishop would rank over J Tree).
Bishop
Hueco Tanks
Horse Pens 40 (alabama)
So Ill
Utah areas (Ibex, Joe's Valley, Little Cottonwood Canyon, ect..)
Flagstaff/ Arizona areas
Yosemite (climbing season is similar to Gunks from what i have heard)
Gunks
Boone
Coopers (W. Virginia)
Colorado (boulder, Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, ect..)
there are other places i know about but they are all too far north (Lincon Woods, Blair Woods, Rumney, Pawtuckaway, ect...) or they just suck (Haycock Mountain...)
anyway anyone have any idea about what the temperatures are like? basically if u could give me an estimate as to the climbing season based on a low of around 30'F and a high of around 90'F. i know no place is probably going to have year round temperatures of between 30 and 90 degrees, so if u could tell me the months that a certain place is outside of this range that would be most helpful. that way i can decide based on how long the season is and how much i would like to climb there (i would take Bishop over Coopers probably even if Coopers would give me another month or two of climbing a year)
thanks a lot!
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maculated
Nov 9, 2003, 9:48 PM
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Xanx, are we talking four year college? Because most of the ideal spots to go to school only have JCs nearby.
Also, you want year round bouldering? Damn, tall order.
From your list, here's my input:
Bishop - Reno's the closest school and it is NOT close
Flagstaff/ Arizona areas - NAU is decent, but it snows . . . so year round?
Yosemite (climbing season is similar to Gunks from what i have heard) - Uhh . . . what's close to there? Oh right, FRESNO STATE. LOL. That's a good hour and a half. Fresno gets really hot in the summer, but it stays within range. Fresno, as a town, also sucks.
Colorado (boulder, Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, ect..) - UC Boulder . .. but you have the snow issue.
You might check into UNLV. Vegas has some great climbing and you can do it year round.
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solid
Nov 9, 2003, 10:15 PM
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But it snows?
Snow does not put a stop to climbing....unless you're a little girl.
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xanx
Nov 9, 2003, 10:23 PM
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for me, weather much below 30' does. i have really bad circulation in my extremities... it gets to the point where i can't move my fingers... makes it sort of hard to crimp at all... plus it's hard to climb if i can't tell if my hand is on that sloper or not...
i would gladly climb in the snow if u could give me snow in 40' weather (that didn't melt and drip and get everything wet).
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crackaddict
Nov 9, 2003, 10:28 PM
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With the way this drought is going in AZ. Snow may not be as big as a factor anymore in Flagstaff
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solid
Nov 9, 2003, 11:00 PM
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In reply to: for me, weather much below 30' does. i have really bad circulation in my extremities... it gets to the point where i can't move my fingers... makes it sort of hard to crimp at all... plus it's hard to climb if i can't tell if my hand is on that sloper or not... i would gladly climb in the snow if u could give me snow in 40' weather (that didn't melt and drip and get everything wet).
You shame your state and its proud history off climbing in insanely cold weather.
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w6jxm
Nov 9, 2003, 11:25 PM
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ASU in phoenix. Great stuff at Queen Creek. You'll be right there for the PBC!
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iltripp
Nov 9, 2003, 11:57 PM
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No go on boone... It's pretty much the coldest spot in NC. Beautiful summers, but cold winters with a good bit of snow.
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couloir
Nov 10, 2003, 1:19 AM
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I would say Boulder would be the place to go. There is tons of year round climbing there. Even with snow there is still plenty of places around especially if you head towards Denver (Morrison, North Table Mountain, Castlewood Canyon). And there's always snowboarding and ice climbing.
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alpinerock
Nov 10, 2003, 1:33 AM
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i don't know about "THE" ideal bouldering college, but U of U or Utah state would be decent. Both are pretty good universitys, and little cottonwood is within 20 minutes. plus on the weekends, you can head down to Joes Valley, or Ibex or even city of rocks
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maculated
Nov 10, 2003, 2:03 AM
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Wow, I am impressed. When I lived in Mammoth, nobody climbed in the snow. But then again, I'm a California wussy.
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texastechclimber
Nov 10, 2003, 2:40 AM
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Go for Hueco, you'll get use to the heat. It is only too hot about 1 month out of the year. The rest of the time its perfect. Look at Texas Tech. Its a good school and they have a really nice climbing wall on campus. The climbing club goes to Hueco and New Mexico a lot.
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haydukelives
Nov 10, 2003, 3:03 AM
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Chattanooga or Birmingham or any point in between. There is no better winter bouldering/climbing anywhere, and summer is tolerable, but barely.
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jeb
Nov 10, 2003, 3:34 AM
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You left out Santa Barbra and UCSB. There is a huge amount of bouldering in the area and your on the coast. Santa Barbra in my opinion is one of the best bouldering spots in the US but for some reason always gets left out of the count. You should definately check it out. You might also look into San Diego. There is some really good bouldering spots like Santee, Mt. Woodson and a ton others just a short distance away and you can take your pick as far as which school you want to go to, there is SDSU, UCSD, USD and all are high ranking schools. Anyways , good luck in your search.
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xanx
Nov 10, 2003, 3:47 AM
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is there a college less than an hour from Hueco? and what kind of temps can i expect in the summer? like 100'?
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mike_ok
Nov 10, 2003, 4:39 AM
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El Paso is about a half hour away... They will have a couple of community college's, as well as UT El Paso. The degree will say University of Texas, so who gives a rip if its a satellite school?
As to temps... during the summer months of july and august you can expect alot of days over 100. But you need to ask yourself: why stay there in the summer? The point is to pick a school where you can boulder. So leave in the summer when you're not in school. Live out of your truck while you hit northern climbs.
The school season will be nice... the first few weeks of the fall semester and the last few weeks of spring semester might be in the 90's, but mostly you'll have alot of months in the 70's, with december and january in the 50's/60's... throw in a random week of 40's with the freek week of 30's, and you have el paso weather.
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sharpender
Nov 10, 2003, 5:57 AM
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Xanx:
When a guy with a Texas name like Jeb tells you San Diego is the place for schools and bouldering you need to sit up and listen. Santa Barbara has the weather you want. It will hit over 90 degrees there a few days of the year but by then you'll be on the road south for granite and new climbs. Santa Barbara is all sandstone and glue ups. Woodson is the same genesis of granite that you'll find in Joshua Tree. It will hit over 90 quite a few days in the summer and over a hundred on some days. So head to the beach and climb there. The weather will be much cooler. ALso, it won't stay hot into the night. Most days ocean breezes head inland to cool things down on those hot summer days. There is no better choice in the entire country for what you want. Oh, 30 degrees --- never gonna happen. 50 degrees is cold there. 8)
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bobtheboulderer
Nov 12, 2003, 1:09 AM
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Santa Barbara. Good university and JC. Lizards Mouth and Brickyard are 15 minutes out of town and are "destination" bouldwering areas. Tons of other bouldering spots within 30-45 minutes. pine Mtn, the best bouldering in CA is abou 1 1/2 hours away.
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bear
Nov 12, 2003, 1:20 AM
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if you want climate data for any major city, go to http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/USclimate/. i used the fast lane. it loads a u.s. map from which you pick a state, and then a city. it'll give you the mean high and low temperatures year-round for the last forty years or so, as well as precipitation data. good luck with school-picking, and remember don't forget the other standard school stuff to think about :) 'cause it's important too.
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hisdudeness
Nov 12, 2003, 2:34 AM
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I have to completely agree with Sharpender and Jeb here. I've lived in San Diego (north county) for over a year now, and weather has never been a factor or even an afterthought on climbing. There are so many places here to climb, from the small nothing boulders in Carlsbad (good one hour work out there as a minimum), to Woodson, to the very fun Santee Boulders, and Joshua Tree is just up the road, while the very unknown Canyon Tajo in Mexico is just a short 2-hour drive south (with many, many bolted routes, but few climbers/campers).
And, there are as many colleges in San Diego County as there are boulders in Santee! USD, UCSD, and a huge number of junior colleges scattered about.
Weather here sticks around the 50s at night to 60s/70s in the day during the winter (except Josh, which will see snow), and in the 60s/70s to 80s and 90s (100 in Josh) in the summers.
Yes, San Diego county is truly a climbers paradise.
A.
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sherocks
Nov 12, 2003, 3:38 AM
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I go to Clemson only because it is instate tuition. My first choice would be App State in Boone or University of Tennessee- Chattannooga. Both colleges are sweet and have multiple climbing options.
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pushfurther
Nov 12, 2003, 5:28 AM
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texas.
RYMFD.
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shamusnsusej
Nov 17, 2003, 8:39 AM
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coopers wouldnt be bad. its really close to wvu. wvu has a climbing wall when it is too cold to go outside. i think its one of americas top 10 party colleges, too, so get ready for some interesting nights and watch out for bleach blonde std machines. i cant explain morgantown. its just fucking crazy.
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jgass
Nov 21, 2003, 6:31 PM
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in the southeast, chattanooga and boone are the big climbing towns. there is everything form bouldering to sport or trad routes within 2 hours of both towns. In chattanooga you got UTC and in boone you got Appalachian State. both are good colleges and both have good bouldering surrounding them.
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bluesky
Nov 21, 2003, 7:32 PM
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I wasn't a boulderer before I moved to Colorado for graduate school. There is sooooo much rock in Colorado, enough that you can become a boulder hunter if that's your gig (expect a little driving and lots of bushwacking). The snow isn't that bad here in the winter along the frontrange. It doesn't stay around that long. When it is 20 and snowing give it a few days and it will be 60 and sunny.
CU is obviously a good choice. CSU up here in Fort Collins is pretty awesome too. Loads of bouldering nearby. Here is a partial list from south(CU) to north (CSU) : Morrison, Clear Creek, Eldo (yes bouldering), Satellites, Ghetto, Flagstaff, Mt Sanita, Boulder Canyon, Big Elk, Carter, RMNP (Chaos, Lumpy +), Horsetooth, Lory, Poudre, Veedauwoo (yes bouldering).
Let me know if you have any ? about the Colorado 'scene' :)
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