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meadhead
Nov 20, 2010, 3:57 PM
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Hi all,
i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing!
Please help me defend my home state!
I'm looking for the following:
Harder routes, 5.10 to at least 5.12.
great views
solid rock - like seriously solid.......
cool features is always a plus
anything overhanging?
phoenix area
Thanks in advance for any suggestions
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aerili
Nov 20, 2010, 10:42 PM
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Are you serious? Most of the sport routes in Queen Creek are totally clean--there is nothing breaking off! The Pond offers up a bunch of 10s, 11s, and 12s on south facing walls.
Maybe you can try the Homestead if you have a 4WD vehicle to get you out there. There are a lot of steep, harder routes there on limestone. Not exactly Phoenix "area" like QC is, but not too far away.
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meadhead
Nov 21, 2010, 1:31 AM
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Thanks for the reply. I've never been so I don't know! Maybe he'll like the routes better than the bouldering.
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sonso45
Nov 25, 2010, 3:05 AM
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Pima Canyon on the east side of South Mtn has granite boulders. Not a lot of overhanging solid rock in the Phx area. Where exactly did you boulder? Some QC bouldering is better than others.
Routes-wise for 10-12 sport routes, head to the Pond at QC if you can't get to Homestead. Maybe even Lower Devil's Canyon (mostly 10-11).
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jt512
Nov 25, 2010, 6:16 AM
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meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state!
Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks. Homestead is probably where you need to go. You'll need a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with decent clearance, though. Other options for challenging limestone might be The Dry near Tucson or The Asylum near Winslow. Another Tucson option might be Milagrosa Canyon. It's mostly vertical 5.10–5.12a quartzite (?), but it's very fun and very scenic. In addition, it has one steep wall of 5.12–13.
That said, it is impossible to defend Arizona at the present time.
Jay
(This post was edited by jt512 on Nov 25, 2010, 6:23 AM)
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meadhead
Nov 25, 2010, 2:12 PM
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thank you, thank you! milagrosa looks awesome. I wonder if i can do a day trip. It's a couple hours to tucson, how long will it take me beyond that?
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jt512
Nov 25, 2010, 4:48 PM
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meadhead wrote: thank you, thank you! milagrosa looks awesome. I wonder if i can do a day trip. It's a couple hours to tucson, how long will it take me beyond that?
Milagrosa is practically inTucson. It's at the base of Mount Lemmon. There's about a 30-approach from parking. I have a great .pdf guidebook for the place. If you send me an email address, I'll send it to you.
Jay
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jbone
Nov 25, 2010, 6:32 PM
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jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks. Homestead is probably where you need to go. You'll need a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with decent clearance, though. Other options for challenging limestone might be The Dry near Tucson or The Asylum near Winslow. Another Tucson option might be Milagrosa Canyon. It's mostly vertical 5.10–5.12a quartzite (?), but it's very fun and very scenic. In addition, it has one steep wall of 5.12–13. That said, it is impossible to defend Arizona at the present time. Jay
Douche says what?
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curt
Nov 25, 2010, 7:33 PM
Post #9 of 19
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Registered: Aug 27, 2002
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jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks...
...says the guy who loves New Jack City. Pffft.
Curt
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curt
Nov 25, 2010, 7:33 PM
Post #10 of 19
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jbone wrote: jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks. Homestead is probably where you need to go. You'll need a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with decent clearance, though. Other options for challenging limestone might be The Dry near Tucson or The Asylum near Winslow. Another Tucson option might be Milagrosa Canyon. It's mostly vertical 5.10–5.12a quartzite (?), but it's very fun and very scenic. In addition, it has one steep wall of 5.12–13. That said, it is impossible to defend Arizona at the present time. Jay Douche says what?
Jay doesn't like it because he couldn't climb anything harder than V2 there.
Curt
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RyanJames1984
Nov 25, 2010, 8:45 PM
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Please understand that Phoenicians have the tendency to talk shit about every chunk of rock in the state. Deep down inside they actually like it.
If you are looking for something close to Phoenix, the Pond Area is going to be your best bet. Your boyfriend probably had a crappy time at Queen because if you go by yourself without ever having been there, you probably won't climb on anything good. If you are selective in Queen and you know the area, you can climb on really nice lines on super solid stone. If you are not selective though, you'll probably climb on garbage rock.
The Pond area has some solid stone. The most classic lines are Pocket Puzzle 5.10a, The Soft Parade 11b, Blisters in the Sun 12a, and the overhanging Desert Devil 13a. There are some other good climbs there too.
Atlantis also has some good routes.
The best rock that is the closest to Phoenix, however, is in the Superstition Mountains around the Peralta trail area. To get to this area though, you have to hike about one hour uphill. If you've never been there, it would be really tough to find the area too. This area definitely has the best bouldering, single pitch sport and trad and multipitch trad near the Phoenix area. Again thgouh, if you haven't been there and you don't have someone showing you where everything is, it would be pretty darn hard to find the areas.
Homestead is gourmet limestone but is further. It's 1 hour and 40 minutes from the city plus a nasty 4 wheel drive road that takes about 20 minutes.
Lower Devils requires a four wheel drive too but hosts really, really good routes.
Have fun!
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jt512
Nov 26, 2010, 1:49 AM
Post #12 of 19
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Registered: Apr 12, 2001
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curt wrote: jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks... ...says the guy who loves New Jack City. Pffft. Curt
What's good about New Jack is that everyone who's never been there thinks it's a choss pile.
Jay
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jt512
Nov 26, 2010, 2:04 AM
Post #13 of 19
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jbone wrote: jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks. Homestead is probably where you need to go. You'll need a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with decent clearance, though. Other options for challenging limestone might be The Dry near Tucson or The Asylum near Winslow. Another Tucson option might be Milagrosa Canyon. It's mostly vertical 5.10–5.12a quartzite (?), but it's very fun and very scenic. In addition, it has one steep wall of 5.12–13. That said, it is impossible to defend Arizona at the present time. Jay Douche says what?
I don't know what "douche" says, but I say "*plonk*."
Jay
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curt
Nov 27, 2010, 1:14 AM
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jt512 wrote: curt wrote: jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks... ...says the guy who loves New Jack City. Pffft. Curt What's good about New Jack is that everyone who's never been there thinks it's a choss pile. Jay
You've told me yourself it's a choss pile.
Curt
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jt512
Nov 27, 2010, 1:26 AM
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curt wrote: jt512 wrote: curt wrote: jt512 wrote: meadhead wrote: Hi all, i know you will hate this post, but I have to at least throw this out there. I really want to climb in AZ over thanksgiving break. We are from Utah and the boyfriend is hard to please, at least when it comes to the quality of rock. He's been bouldering at the QC area and thought it sucked. Do you have anything better? I thought we might do better as far as quality if we only climbed sport for this trip. I really want to prove him wrong about AZ climbing! Please help me defend my home state! Your boyfriend is not hard to please; he's just plain right: Queen Creek pretty much sucks... ...says the guy who loves New Jack City. Pffft. Curt What's good about New Jack is that everyone who's never been there thinks it's a choss pile. Jay You've told me yourself it's a choss pile. Curt
Well, how else could we perpetuate the myth?
Jay
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K-Tanz
Nov 27, 2010, 3:54 AM
Post #16 of 19
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Registered: Dec 18, 2009
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My favorite rock in the state has got to be The Homestead. You need 4wd to get out there but the concentration of amazing 11's is extremely high. It is a little far, but the turn off the the 4wd road is only another 30 mins from the pond (or so). If you head to the area called Tufa City there are multiple awesome tufa lines.
Atlantis is good as well, there are a couple juggy overhanging 11's which are a good time. You can pick up a "karabin Guide" for five bucks at any of the local gyms or REI
Good luck and have fun!
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adam14113
Nov 27, 2010, 6:20 AM
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Sad that you have to defend AZ craggin, it's really a great state to crank with 3 hours of awesomeness in almost every direction from the Phoenix base.
Maybe it's nostalgia but I love to get my fingers shredded on some sharp Queen Creek home slices. As for Homestead, I think it's just aight ... I say take him to Jacks Canyon, the soft grade will boost his confidence and make him leave feeling like a hero.
(This post was edited by adam14113 on Nov 27, 2010, 6:23 AM)
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adam14113
Nov 27, 2010, 3:37 PM
Post #19 of 19
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That route is too AWEsome
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