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cfnubbler
Apr 20, 2009, 12:48 PM
Post #26 of 147
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Over rated: Rumney. A 2nd rate sport crag famous because it was the home crag of some incredibly talented young climbers, and because it exists in a sport climbing wasteland. For the record, I like Rumney, but it ain't all that...
Under rated: Granite Mt., AZ. Wow.
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lemon_boy
Apr 20, 2009, 1:54 PM
Post #27 of 147
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over-rated - boulder area in general, particularly eldo, which is hands down the most over hyped area in the country.
under-rated - the platte. hands down the best climbing in colorado, very few people, and many lifetimes worth of routes.
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camhead
Apr 20, 2009, 1:57 PM
Post #28 of 147
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Overrated: Everything on the Front Range. Boulder Canyon, Clear Creek, Eldo, Flagstaff Mtn., even Shelf Road. Everything but the South Platte, which is not really Front Range. If that shit was really so good, why does the Boulder Crowd constantly drive six hours or more west to climb on the Western slope and in Utah?
The only underrated crag that I will mention would be the Wichitas in OK.
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desertwanderer81
Apr 20, 2009, 4:15 PM
Post #29 of 147
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cfnubbler wrote: Over rated: Rumney. A 2nd rate sport crag famous because it was the home crag of some incredibly talented young climbers, and because it exists in a sport climbing wasteland. For the record, I like Rumney, but it ain't all that... Under rated: Granite Mt., AZ. Wow.
I've never been there, mostly because I don't climb much sport, but it always sounded to me like a shitty bolted gunks.
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dingus
Apr 20, 2009, 5:07 PM
Post #30 of 147
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The most overrated crag/cliff/area has consistently been 'that rock up there that no one has ever seen fit to try.'
Every area has some. We all eye them... these last great unsolved problems.
When we finally do the bushwhack and come to grips with the thing - it almost always fails to live up to our own lofty hype haha.
We create the over/unders in our own minds, eh? The rock is what it is.
DMT
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boadman
Apr 20, 2009, 5:31 PM
Post #31 of 147
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Over-rated: Red Rocks, Eldo, anything within a 1 hour drive of boulder, Colo-notsora-do.
Under-rated: Shut up about Index. There's already too many people on the warm-ups when I get there.
shorty wrote: climbsomething wrote: I've climbed there, and liked it fine, but I still think Boulder as a whole is overrated. If you're talking about Boulder as a place to live, more than a few of us would agree. IMO, it's a fun place to visit, but not my permanent cup of tea. If you're talking about the general quality of daily-accessible climbing from Boulder (or nearby communities), I beg to differ with your assessment. Yes, we have some over-rated, over-climbed crags (aka one of the walls you visited in Clear Creek Canyon). But we also have a variety of high quality crags and routes. The Colorado masses tend to congregate around a few well-known routes & cliffs. A few extra car miles and some additional steps open a wealth of uncrowded, high-quality routes. |
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desertwanderer81
Apr 20, 2009, 5:39 PM
Post #32 of 147
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Ha, I actually think of RR as one of the most under-rated places in the country. It's simply the best climbing I've ever been on both in terms of quality and quantity. Approaches leave something to be desired, but nothing can be perfect ;)
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sspssp
Apr 20, 2009, 5:46 PM
Post #33 of 147
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climbingtrash wrote: Overrated - Yosemite. Good climbing but the place is a ghetto and needs a good decade of rest.
I don't think a decade is enough. Yea, Yosemite suffers from the urban environment just like Boulder. But at least Yosemite has an off season. A sunny day in mid-winter and you have the place to yourself (except for the dozen or so very bored Park Rangers just looking for any reason...). I'm sure the crowds at the cliffs in Boulder area are smaller in winter, but there are still just so many people around...
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dingus
Apr 20, 2009, 5:58 PM
Post #34 of 147
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Angus and I went climbing in the Valley a 3 or 4 weeks ago - on a weekend, perfectly sunny day, mild temps, 5 Open Books area... saw no other climbers the whole time we were up there.
We saw two packs, when we came back to the base... but no other climbers.
I don't know about this other Yosemite yall talk about...
but I've never stayed in Camp 4 either.
DMT
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lwilson
Apr 20, 2009, 6:26 PM
Post #35 of 147
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I used to think the same about Rumney, but I have found that as you move up the grades, its gets better. The moves get more interesting, and are more varied. just my opinion tho.
I have to second Ragged Mt as being an underrated crag. its not super big, but the good routes there are GOOD.
cfnubbler wrote: Over rated: Rumney. A 2nd rate sport crag famous because it was the home crag of some incredibly talented young climbers, and because it exists in a sport climbing wasteland. For the record, I like Rumney, but it ain't all that... Under rated: Granite Mt., AZ. Wow. |
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petsfed
Apr 20, 2009, 6:34 PM
Post #36 of 147
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camhead wrote: Overrated: Everything on the Front Range. Boulder Canyon, Clear Creek, Eldo, Flagstaff Mtn., even Shelf Road. Everything but the South Platte, which is not really Front Range. If that shit was really so good, why does the Boulder Crowd constantly drive six hours or more west to climb on the Western slope and in Utah?
Well, there is that whole "winter" thing, but some of my best days in Boulder have been in February. Mind you, I would've made the drive to better climbs on warmer temps, but Boulder is 2 hours away, the desert is 8. Its a matter of economics.
Eldo really is choss though. Scenic choss, with interesting climbing, but really low quality stone.
JTree is pretty overrated too. What it has going for it is an extremely large amount of climbing, so the number of excellent routes is a lot higher. But proportionally, there are more excellent routes around Lander, WY or Indian Creek than there are in JTree.
As for most underrated, well, the place is starting to get crowded, so clearly somebody's been telling the truth about the place. Still, Ten Sleep is gigantic, so even on a busy day at the Mondo, I didn't see anybody else, for 3 days straight.
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caughtinside
Apr 20, 2009, 7:36 PM
Post #37 of 147
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Overrated. Potrero Chico, no question. Worst destination area I{ve ever been to. Like everyone else, I was excited by the prospect of 15 pitch plus sport routes. What I found is that they were chossy, boring, repetitive, poorly bolted, contrived in that you can climb 3 feet off the cleaned line into the jungle and climb a tree, and you spend more time rapping than climbing. It was like doing lots of really really bad trad multipitches. the cragging was a little better. Terrible crag with good weather in februrary and a good approach. Full of noobs.
Underrated. Yeah right, like I{d post that here.
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dreday3000
Apr 20, 2009, 8:10 PM
Post #38 of 147
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In reply to: I have to second Ragged Mt as being an underrated crag. its not super big, but the good routes there are GOOD.
Ragged Mt eh?
Anyone got any photos of the area? I searched the route database and didn't find much.
Thanks
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sspssp
Apr 20, 2009, 10:15 PM
Post #39 of 147
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caughtinside wrote: Overrated. Potrero Chico, no question. Worst destination area I{ve ever been to. Like everyone else, I was excited by the prospect of 15 pitch plus sport routes. What I found is that they were chossy, boring, repetitive, poorly bolted, contrived in that you can climb 3 feet off the cleaned line into the jungle and climb a tree, and you spend more time rapping than climbing.
As a thought experiment: I've always wondered what Potrero would be like if it was located where JT was (and JT was where Potrero was). Potrero has a lot of loose, chossy rock (and so does/did JT). With traffic/effort, it cleans ups. The popular sport climbs are, I thought, pretty good. If thousands of CA climbers had been going to Potrero (cleaning it up including the trees/vegatation) for decades, instead of spending all that time developing JT, I bet Potrero would justifiably be a mega-classic destination. (As opposed to the unjustified mega-classic destination that is JT. )
(This post was edited by sspssp on Apr 20, 2009, 10:18 PM)
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sgreer
Apr 20, 2009, 10:48 PM
Post #40 of 147
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In reply to: Angus and I went climbing in the Valley a 3 or 4 weeks ago - on a weekend, perfectly sunny day, mild temps, 5 Open Books area... saw no other climbers the whole time we were up there. We saw two packs, when we came back to the base... but no other climbers. I don't know about this other Yosemite yall talk about... but I've never stayed in Camp 4 either.
I agree Dingus. Two buddies and myself were playing around on the Salathe Wall below the Mammoth Terraces weekend before last. We were all alone. There was one other party doing the same thing on the Nose. We didn't see them all day.
I'll second the camp 4 thing too. I'm in Yosemite 2-3 weekends a month and have never stayed in camp 4. I don't think locals stay there much. Trying to get a site takes away from climbing/approach time.
BTW I came across an article you wrote "Cosmic Descent". Excellent work. I love the curry village pizza too. Gotta get the supreme. I just wish it wasnt 30 bucks for a large!
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potreroed
Apr 21, 2009, 8:27 PM
Post #41 of 147
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caughtinside wrote: Overrated. Potrero Chico, no question. Worst destination area I{ve ever been to. Like everyone else, I was excited by the prospect of 15 pitch plus sport routes. What I found is that they were chossy, boring, repetitive, poorly bolted, contrived in that you can climb 3 feet off the cleaned line into the jungle and climb a tree, and you spend more time rapping than climbing. It was like doing lots of really really bad trad multipitches. the cragging was a little better. Terrible crag with good weather in februrary and a good approach. Sounds like you climbed a bunch of Dane Bass' routes while you were here.
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donald949
Apr 21, 2009, 8:39 PM
Post #42 of 147
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ryanb wrote: The great northern slab is about 200 feet and change but most parties do it in 2-4 pitches as there are at least 10 high quality fun pitches /variations that wander back and forth and a few excellent belay ledges. It can be crowded on weekends so go midweek if you are on vacation. Aries/the lizard is an excellent "test piece" 4 pitch 5.8 (p1: vertical fists, p2: slick fingers in a corner p3: bombay chimney (or bypass to the left :) p4: steep underclinging) or if you are looking for a more relaxed time climb the left gully to the railroad bolts (you will know them when you see them...take a picture of your belay:), make a weird move off the belay and then take either the of the two stellar 5.6 crack systems up the slab (fingers on the left left, hands right) to the four bolt anchor and take turns lowering off and top roping variations including the 10a ring locks to hands "libra crack" before you fully top out. Castle rock in leavenworth would also be worth a stop if you want something closer to 400 feet.
Cool, thanks for the beta.
Yea mid week would be my preferance. How is finding a partner?
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ryanb
Apr 21, 2009, 8:44 PM
Post #43 of 147
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Difficult...this area is not a big destination for solo road trippers. Your best bet is cascadeclimbers.com
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donald949
Apr 21, 2009, 10:02 PM
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ryanb wrote: Difficult...this area is not a big destination for solo road trippers. Your best bet is cascadeclimbers.com
Got it, thanks again. Don
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potreroed
Apr 22, 2009, 12:10 AM
Post #45 of 147
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Registered: Sep 30, 2001
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over rated: Yosemite
little-known gems: Devil's Lake, Wisconsin and Enchanted Rock, Texas
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g
Apr 22, 2009, 1:00 AM
Post #46 of 147
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Registered: Nov 15, 2006
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sgreer wrote: I don't think locals stay there much.
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pyrosis
Apr 22, 2009, 1:30 AM
Post #47 of 147
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cfnubbler wrote: Under rated: Granite Mt., AZ. Wow.
I second that. Most under rated in terms of quality, and in terms of every single route being a huge SANDBAG. Fun to go there and get beat down though, then even Josh ratings seem soft.
Over rated: hard to say, because I've never really climbed somewhere and not enjoyed it...
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joeforte
Apr 22, 2009, 1:38 AM
Post #48 of 147
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sungam wrote: Fisher towers - mega underrated.
Gotta agree with that... One of the best climbing experiences of my life!
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clausti
Apr 22, 2009, 3:13 AM
Post #49 of 147
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most overrated crag is rifle, for damn sure. j-tree at least does have some fun, good routes.
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curt
Apr 22, 2009, 3:35 AM
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^^...particularly if you have a good guide. 
Curt
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