|
|
|
|
okie_redneck
Sep 26, 2004, 1:20 AM
Post #1 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 25, 2004
Posts: 303
|
I'm moving to Florida in a few days. The tallest point in Florida is Miami's landfill. I'm not OK with that. Fortunately, the job I'm moving there for consists of spending extended periods of time in the Carribean. I can find next to no info. on climbing in the Carribean but I'm positive there is climbing there. My company has a house on a volcano where we stay when we're on Grand Cayman, so I know some of the islands have small "mountains". I won't really have a choice where I go, but if I'm ever on an island with even decent bouldering, I'd like to know.
I will definately be asking locals wherever I go. This site is decidedly lacking in information about climbing the Carribean, but I've seen several posts in the past asking about it. Maybe it'll help someone out next time they get dragged on a cruise.
I think islanders just culturally aren't into climbing. In the Caymans, you can drive around drinking Everclear in front of a cop, but if you don't wear a shirt in public, you can be arrested. They're just different, but hopefully I can find a local crack head or two to show me around.
|
|
|
|
|
pixelguru
Sep 26, 2004, 1:45 AM
Post #2 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 14, 2003
Posts: 182
|
I haven't been here, but the photos look awesome:
http://www.0friction.com/thumbz.php?area_id=212
I've done my share of climbing on sharp seaside coral/limestone. Entertaining, but it tends to leave nasty scars.
All of the old British colonies have laws about dress code and "decent behavior" that came about while the islands were under British rule. Barbados is really funny about wearing shorts to dinner (even if it is 90 degrees at 6:00pm). The only thing that bugged me down there was trying to drive. Left-side driving takes a lot of concentration in the first place, but the roads are narrow, windy, and jammed with people driving cars and (worse) busses like they are being chased by something with big teeth.
|
|
|
|
|
andrewph
Sep 26, 2004, 1:55 AM
Post #3 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 11, 2004
Posts: 105
|
I have just returned home from three months in St Lucia, Barbados, and Trinidad. and before I went I also tried to find information about it but came up short. there are definatly some amazing looking places but I didnt find any that were actually climbed.
Babados is a coral island so its pretty flat but most of the other's are volcanic and hence very hilly/mountanous.
But yeah I had no luck Sorry though if your there for a bit longer i bet you could easily find places to put up some new routes!
Good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
tim
Sep 26, 2004, 1:56 AM
Post #4 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 4, 2002
Posts: 4861
|
http://www.jharp.net/images/jeffbrac.jpg
Cayman Brac. The point (the Brac), more specifically. Outside of Cuba I'm told it does not get any better than that. Even including Cuba (which I have not been to), the Brac has some of the tallest, most exposed lines in the Caribbean. (Those lines on the Point are 35m-50m tall, and steep enough that you will have to clip bolts as you rap in!) I have to put up my pictures from that trip (my honeymoon actually). If you want to develop new lines you will need to equip them with titanium bolts to resist the corrosion from the limestone and the salt water air. Ushba makes a model called the Tortuga which was specifically developed in response to these requirements.
The existing lines are really cool and very steep. Kind of sharp but such is life. The exposure is outrageous. If you are lucky enough to time things as the air is cooling down before a storm blows in, the humidity abates a little bit, too. Skip Harper has written a guidebook 'Adventuring Guide to Cayman Brac' which is cheap and very good. You can buy it from the Cayman Islands operation Hobbies and Books, or read some reviews online from Amazon or you can support the locals by purchasing it when you get there. Either way I think you will agree that it is well worth the price when you go climb. Or check out the caves. Or go scuba diving (also covered in his guide).
The diving (Bloody Bay Wall, the Russian destroyer, etc.) is incredible, by the way.
The only problem I can think of is that Island Air apparently went bankrupt so now you may have to catch a Cayman Air flight on a specific day (Tuesdays? Thursdays? hell if I know) to get from Grand Cayman to the Brac.
La Esperanza was our favorite place to eat on the island. Divi Tiara is a nice, laid-back dive operation, as well. We dove with them two or three days in a row (I should put those shots up on my website too -- I rented a Nikonos with a huge flash and had a great time tearing through the allotted roll of film -- nothing like a blindingly huge flash on a dive :-)). Like anywhere in the Caribbean, it is expensive. But, it's worth it. Catherine and I had an incredible trip and even she enjoyed the climbing, despite it being rather far out of her usual difficulty range. You will probably love it, even if you have to rent a room instead of staying at the company digs. (you should tell them that there are banks on the Brac too: you don't have to pay Grand Cayman prices to launder money anymore!)
ps. the picture is from Skip Harper. His whole book is full of them. Buy a copy. :-)
|
|
|
|
|
okie_redneck
Sep 26, 2004, 3:10 AM
Post #5 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 25, 2004
Posts: 303
|
I feel much better about moving to a huge sandbox now. I'll just tape my fingers when I'm in the Carribean.
|
|
|
|
|
picaco
Sep 26, 2004, 3:27 AM
Post #6 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 7, 2004
Posts: 204
|
Tim's right, Cayman Brac does have some excellent diving. Unfortunately I wasn't climbing the last time I was in the Caymans. If you ever end up on the Turks and Caicos, let me know if you find anything to climb. All I've been able to climb when I'm there is some shorter cliffs on West Caicos during surface intervals. (bare feet turn bloody when climbing exposed coral). I'd be interested in hearing where you climb in the Carribean. Keep posting.
Benjamin
|
|
|
|
|
texasclimber
Sep 26, 2004, 4:20 AM
Post #7 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 19, 2002
Posts: 821
|
The Dominican Republic has climbing. Search "climbing Dominican Republic" on google!
|
|
|
|
|
climbingbum2
Aug 19, 2005, 6:24 PM
Post #8 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 23, 2005
Posts: 7
|
FYI-I just moved to Barbados a few months ago and didn't bring any gear other than shoes as I was told it's flat. Turns out the entire east coast is limestone sea cliffs along the beach with great (but sharp) climbing. I've done a bunch of bouldering/soloing and when I get some gear shipped down, I will start putting up routes. As far as I can tell, it has not been climbed before but there's loads of potential. If anyone wants info, email me at climbingbum@hotmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
gat
Aug 19, 2005, 6:38 PM
Post #9 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 3, 2003
Posts: 420
|
The Baths of Virgin Gorda
Google it, you won't be disappointed. It's in the British Virgin Islands, I believe the island of Tortola.
|
|
|
|
|
livinonasandbar
Aug 19, 2005, 7:54 PM
Post #12 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 3, 2003
Posts: 356
|
Hey, Andrew...
If you're going to be living near Miami, you'll enjoy the X-treme climbing gym in Kendall (next to the Tamiami airport) when you're stuck at home. (It's even air-conditioned!) X-treme has got to be one of the finest gyms in the U.S. and the owners Derek and Keenan are the best!
I'd be happy to introduce you to the gang down here on the Great Atlantic Sandbar... feel free to drop me a note when you get here.
|
|
|
|
|
okie_redneck
Aug 27, 2005, 3:38 AM
Post #13 of 13
(3331 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 25, 2004
Posts: 303
|
I went and moved back. I had a three-week job on Tortola. I planned on doing at least three days climbing on Vigrin Gorda after the job was over. I broke my toe falling through cactus scrambling up a gritstone face again't my boss's stopwatch on a bet that "I couldn't get up that cliff in 30 sec" after driving around the island getting faced (the drinking and driving laws are different there and I wasn't driving).
A few days after I got there, I went to check my e-mail for outside news. I found out my sister overdosed on morphine and had already been buried. My boss and I were the only people frommy company on the island, and I was certifying the new hospital annex to be inhabited, so I had to stay. I'm getting back on my home wall, but I really haven't done any real climbing lately. I don't think I'll ever go back to the Caribbean.
Everything on Tortola sucked anyway. I heard the full moon party is cool.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
