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r0x0r.wolfo
Jun 3, 2012, 1:15 AM
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Hey, I want to go on holiday in the USA over the summer and get some climbing in. I'd ask at UKC, but I think you guys will know better ;). Mainly interested in trad but if theres DWS or Sport in the area thats a bonus some multipitch would be awesome too.
Not climbing too hard, have climbed up to E2 here but not up to that standard atm, and my girlfriend is coming along so definitely looking for somewhere with good low to mid grades.
Have looked at flights/camping for Yosemite but it's a pretty steep learning curve, and a lack of worthwhile lower level climbs. Would like to save it for a later trip maybe. Although I could be wrong.
Looked at gunks also, how much is it to climb there atm? is there a month pass or something? Where would you stay?
We're both 21ish and are too young to rent cars :(.
If you guys could suggest some places I'd be really grateful, never been to the states, only got my first plane (to Barcelona) a few months ago :).
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j_ung
Jun 3, 2012, 12:15 PM
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r0x0r.wolfo wrote: Hey, I want to go on holiday in the USA over the summer and get some climbing in. I'd ask at UKC, but I think you guys will know better ;). Mainly interested in trad but if theres DWS or Sport in the area thats a bonus some multipitch would be awesome too. Not climbing too hard, have climbed up to E2 here but not up to that standard atm, and my girlfriend is coming along so definitely looking for somewhere with good low to mid grades. Have looked at flights/camping for Yosemite but it's a pretty steep learning curve, and a lack of worthwhile lower level climbs. Would like to save it for a later trip maybe. Although I could be wrong. Looked at gunks also, how much is it to climb there atm? is there a month pass or something? Where would you stay? We're both 21ish and are too young to rent cars :(. If you guys could suggest some places I'd be really grateful, never been to the states, only got my first plane (to Barcelona) a few months ago :).
In the summer, I think you might have better conditions in the Northwest or anyplace at high elevation. You might actually consider Squamish, which isn't in the States at all.
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coastal_climber
Jun 3, 2012, 1:35 PM
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fly to vancouver and rent a car, come up to squish
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sungam
Jun 3, 2012, 3:26 PM
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coastal_climber wrote: fly to vancouver and rent a car, come up to squish
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TradEddie
Jun 4, 2012, 12:24 AM
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If it's a climbing holiday, I'd say go west, but if it's a holiday with some climbing, it would be hard to beat the Gunks, although the weather may be a little too hot for you. A lifetime of great routes from 5.2 to 5.14. One year pass for about 70 dollars each. Accessible by bus from new York City (at least to New Paltz), it's hard to imagine you'd be waiting long for a ride to the cliff if you made it obvious you are climbers, or just wait outside the climbing shop and ask for a ride. There's a hostel in town, but the camping options are less than desirable.
Have fun wherever you go, and post a trip report.
TE
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mikebee
Jun 4, 2012, 1:48 AM
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If you want somewhere with lots of easy-mid grade trad climbing, with cheap accomodation and little need for a car, think about Arapiles in Australia.
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shockabuku
Jun 4, 2012, 2:23 AM
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TradEddie wrote: If it's a climbing holiday, I'd say go west, but if it's a holiday with some climbing, it would be hard to beat the Gunks, although the weather may be a little too hot for you. A lifetime of great routes from 5.2 to 5.14. One year pass for about 70 dollars each. Accessible by bus from new York City (at least to New Paltz), it's hard to imagine you'd be waiting long for a ride to the cliff if you made it obvious you are climbers, or just wait outside the climbing shop and ask for a ride. There's a hostel in town, but the camping options are less than desirable. Have fun wherever you go, and post a trip report. TE
I'm not aware that the Gunks has 5.14. Can you enlighten me?
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olderic
Jun 4, 2012, 2:29 AM
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The Gunks in particular and the Northeast in general - especially New Hampshire - will give you lots of options and would be slightly cheaper to travel to - just need to get to New York City. Public transport isn't up to the standard you are used to but you could get by. However it is going to be hot and humid and the climbs for the most part aren't going to be substantially bigger then you've got at home. If you want something more unique and with likely better conditions I'd check out Colorado.
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shockabuku
Jun 4, 2012, 2:48 AM
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You guys (people?) need to pull a Sungam. Without a car you're probably going to be relying on people to help you get around because public transportation near most climbing areas (in the US) sucks or is nonexistent.
Personally I'd go to Colorado. Fly in to Denver, take a shuttle to Boulder, you could probably rent bikes (or maybe take a taxi) to get to Eldo or the Flat Irons with plenty enough climbing for a couple of months. Plus conditions around there are probably as good as you're going to get for the summer. And lots of climbers around who might be able to hook you up for rides to more outlying areas.
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marc801
Jun 4, 2012, 6:00 AM
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shockabuku wrote: You guys (people?) need to pull a Sungam. Without a car you're probably going to be relying on people to help you get around because public transportation near most climbing areas (in the US) sucks or is nonexistent. Personally I'd go to Colorado. Fly in to Denver, take a shuttle to Boulder, you could probably rent bikes (or maybe take a taxi) to get to Eldo or the Flat Irons with plenty enough climbing for a couple of months. Plus conditions around there are probably as good as you're going to get for the summer. And lots of climbers around who might be able to hook you up for rides to more outlying areas.
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shockabuku
Jun 4, 2012, 12:38 PM
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marc801 wrote: shockabuku wrote: You guys (people?) need to pull a Sungam. Without a car you're probably going to be relying on people to help you get around because public transportation near most climbing areas (in the US) sucks or is nonexistent. Personally I'd go to Colorado. Fly in to Denver, take a shuttle to Boulder, you could probably rent bikes (or maybe take a taxi) to get to Eldo or the Flat Irons with plenty enough climbing for a couple of months. Plus conditions around there are probably as good as you're going to get for the summer. And lots of climbers around who might be able to hook you up for rides to more outlying areas. Unfortunately there really isn't anyplace to camp in/around Boulder, esp. without a car.
Yeah, okay, I forgot about that.
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r0x0r.wolfo
Jun 4, 2012, 2:48 PM
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Hey thanks a lot everyone, I really appreciate all the replies! Keep the ideas coming, going to go round my GFs and talk to her more about our holiday now. The more ideas in the pot the better. We were actually heavily considering Thailand for a while until we realised it would be the rainy season, so whilst you not completely locked in the USA, there loads of great climbing and you guys will be able to point us in the right direction :).
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rgold
Jun 4, 2012, 3:02 PM
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Your biggest problem is that it really isn't practical to climb in the US without a car. Is there no way around the rental restriction you mentioned?
The East Coast is generally going to be hot and humid, with crags generally the size you are used to in the UK. It would be relatively easy to install yourself at the cliffs in the Gunks (at Camp Slime), and manage groceries etc. by hitching rides into town. I think NH and the Adirondaks would be much harder to manage, and that's pretty much it for the East Coast in the summer. But the real issue here is do you want to journey across the pond to do routes of a similar nature to what you already have in the UK?
Your could also install yourself in Yosemite Valley, and get around there pretty well via public transportation. But the valley can be brutally hot in the summer, although not as humid as the East coast.
I don't know offhand of other areas that won't be difficult to manage without a car. I think summertime in the US is a time to climb at higher elevations---we have a wonderful supply of alpine rock climbs (meaning longer routes in mountains with little or no glaciation). The Tetons and Wind Rivers in Wyoming, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest, and the Sierra range in California are the classic destinations.
As part of the Sierra range is the Yosemite high country around Tuolumne Meadows, which might be semi-practical without a car but I'm not sure about that. Others can tell you know about this. Getting a campsite there or in the Tetons might be problematic without a reservation.
Boulder is indeed very well situated for a variety of climbs, but again in less you manage to hook up with other climbers you'll be restricted to the crags outside of town, which you could probably manage via bicycle. But there is no camping; you'd have to look into perhaps subletting someone's place.
Maybe you should try "two young Brits without a car looking to share lodging/camping and transportation with some of our US brethren; will pay for gas" or something like that.
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mr.tastycakes
Jun 4, 2012, 3:41 PM
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The eastern US is out of season in the summer. It'll be hot and humid.
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r0x0r.wolfo
Jun 4, 2012, 3:43 PM
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I understand how difficult it is to get around via car, the only way I could think of getting around it is buying a car and selling it when we leave, but that would probably be prohibitively expensive. Places just don't rent out to U-25s.
We could go around late august to late september if we found a place that we really wanted to go with better temps at that time or any time before. We've looked at yosemite because we'd be able to stay there easily, but looking around can't find lots in the lower range climbs, (but I'm no expert).
The gunks looks like fun, and could just about live with paying for an annual pass for a month and would be near Newyork for a happier GF, so that's still being looked at.
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rgold
Jun 4, 2012, 4:11 PM
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Are you over 21 (or in one case, over 18)? Have a look at http://www.autorentalguide.com/...ntals-under-25.shtml
There is an added fee for under 25 but rental is possible. Perhaps the fees make it prohibitive.
If your GF is as interested in urban culture as in mountain environments, then indeed the Gunks could be a solution. But you won't be sampling the bigger routes that make US climbing different from the UK.
Your lower-altitude climbing options in the early Fall would be much better, with the desert becoming possible even as the threat of perhaps an early winter storm makes the high peaks less attractive. But you have to have a car for those options.
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skurdeycat
Jun 4, 2012, 4:15 PM
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Weekdays in September at the Gunks are about as perfect as you can get, but avoid the weekends if you can. I doubt anything you have experienced in the UK could prepare you for the crowds.
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bearbreeder
Jun 4, 2012, 4:49 PM
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squamish ... once you get there you dont need a car ... you can get by with walking, a bike, and hopefully the occasional friend that does have a car ...
even if you cant find a partner you can boulder with a pad or TR solo all day long
but then if you cant find a partner in squish in climbing season, you probably couldnt get any action in a swingers bar either 
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dynosore
Jun 4, 2012, 5:55 PM
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Fly to Denver. Take one of the shuttle services to Aspen. Then use these guys to get around. The weather there should be infinitely better than it would be out east, and the scenery is in a different league altogether.
http://www.rfta.com/
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smallclimber
Jun 5, 2012, 1:59 AM
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The gunks in September would be pretty nice. Yes very crowded at weekends, but quiet in the week. To give you a guide to how grades compare we routinely led VS in the UK (mostly in the peak district). Here in the Gunks, 5.6 is pretty comfortable and 5.7 about comparable and 5.8 are Ok if we chose the better protected routes. There are at least a months worth of climbs in this range and also lower grades as well if your GF prefers easier.
Although it can be hot and humid in August we rarely found we could not climb due to the heat (and we are Brits) and it keeps the crowds down, so even if you come in August I would not completely discount the Gunks.
The US really is a car country so if you had one life would be a lot easier. However for a month it would be expensive, especially if you are paying an under age premium.
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r0x0r.wolfo
Jun 5, 2012, 12:58 PM
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Ahh right smallclimber, is the weather better for september or july compared to august then? Could we coach it up from NewYork and stay somewhere/camp out nearby? Yeah I think getting a car is practically not going to happen. Anyone wanna take a month off work? :P
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marc801
Jun 5, 2012, 4:01 PM
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r0x0r.wolfo wrote: We've looked at yosemite because we'd be able to stay there easily, but looking around can't find lots in the lower range climbs, (but I'm no expert).
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sonso45
Jun 5, 2012, 7:41 PM
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Yosemite has plenty of climbs in the moderate range that you and your gf would enjoy. It will be hot but not bad in the shade. You could always work your way up to Tuolumne.
Start on easy climbs and work your way up; chase shade and take it easy. You have plenty of time to enjoy and learn some technique.
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TradEddie
Jun 6, 2012, 1:36 AM
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shockabuku wrote: I'm not aware that the Gunks has 5.14. Can you enlighten me?
My bad. Officially only 5.13d, I'd heard that Cody Sims had put up a 5.14, maybe it's still a project.
TE
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