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xxrayna
May 18, 2009, 2:09 PM
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My boyfriend and I are heading out to Vegas with his mom the last week in May. We were hoping to sneak off and do some of the easy classics ( cat and the hat and maybe some of the multi pitch routes- 5.8 and below). I should mention this is due to MY climbing ability, he is a pretty experienced trad leader and would much rather be climbing the multipitch 10's 
Neither of us has been to Red Rocks and we aren't sure how hot is TOO hot. Highs are looking to be in the lower 90's. We have climbed in temp's this high before on the east coast but since humidity and weather are very different, we weren't sure how this would effect the climbing.
Is that going to be too hot? Will we be able to climb comfortably in the shade? Any recommended routes that would be bearable?
Thanks!! 
(This post was edited by xxrayna on May 18, 2009, 2:15 PM)
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cclarke
May 18, 2009, 2:48 PM
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It should be nice in the shade. I was actually chilly in the shade when it was over 100 degrees in Vegas over Memorial Day about 10-15 years ago.
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brotherbbock
May 18, 2009, 3:20 PM
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We just did Levitation 29 on Saturday which faces directly in the sun most of the day. Just get up early and climb, the rocks dont get hot till about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It was 95 degrees at the peak of the day and we still pulled it off. Oh yeah climb with a shit ton of water.
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matt4923
May 21, 2009, 8:54 PM
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There is a good amount of partly shaded climbs on the west part of the loop (where most the trad is anyway). Did Solar Slab in high 90's with about 100oz full and nearly ran out of water about 9 pitches up. You should be fine but like was stated before, bring lots of water.
(This post was edited by matt4923 on May 21, 2009, 8:57 PM)
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marc801
May 21, 2009, 9:46 PM
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It's often 5 - 10 degrees cooler at RR than in downtown LV. But, it is the desert, it is dry, and hyperthermia can sneak up on you faster than hypothermia, and it's harder to treat. Cooling an overheated person too rapidly can bring on shock and even cause heart failure. How able you are to deal with the heat really depends on a lot of things.
Heed the suggestions: take plenty of water, stay hydrated*, seek the shade, watch for all the heat symptoms, and if necessary, consider spending the day indoors in the A/C.
*: regarding proper hydration - if your pee is darker than water white or only pale yellow, you're not drinking enough.
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desertwanderer81
May 22, 2009, 9:24 PM
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xxrayna wrote: My boyfriend and I are heading out to Vegas with his mom the last week in May. We were hoping to sneak off and do some of the easy classics ( cat and the hat and maybe some of the multi pitch routes- 5.8 and below). I should mention this is due to MY climbing ability, he is a pretty experienced trad leader and would much rather be climbing the multipitch 10's Neither of us has been to Red Rocks and we aren't sure how hot is TOO hot. Highs are looking to be in the lower 90's. We have climbed in temp's this high before on the east coast but since humidity and weather are very different, we weren't sure how this would effect the climbing. Is that going to be too hot? Will we be able to climb comfortably in the shade? Any recommended routes that would be bearable? Thanks!!
If you can follow Gunks 8's, you can follow RR 10's, no sweat.
Edit:
Climb in the shade. Climb in the morning. Bring lots of water.
Anything else and you're SOL this time of year.
(This post was edited by desertwanderer81 on May 22, 2009, 9:26 PM)
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altelis
May 23, 2009, 2:42 AM
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marc801 wrote: It's often 5 - 10 degrees cooler at RR than in downtown LV. But, it is the desert, it is dry, and hyperthermia can sneak up on you faster than hypothermia, and it's harder to treat. Cooling an overheated person too rapidly can bring on shock and even cause heart failure. How able you are to deal with the heat really depends on a lot of things. Heed the suggestions: take plenty of water, stay hydrated*, seek the shade, watch for all the heat symptoms, and if necessary, consider spending the day indoors in the A/C. *: regarding proper hydration - if your pee is darker than water white or only pale yellow, you're not drinking enough.
While this has been stated as fact by many many very smart people, it is, as far as I understand it, impossible to tell one's hydration status by the color or quantity of one's urine. Yes, I was taught and believed this for years. No, it is not true.
If you have even a basic understanding of renal physiology, the why's behind the advice of looking at urine color/quantity as being false should be obvious. That comment isn't supposed to be as asshole-ish as it comes off, sorry. If you (general) want an explanation of why this is the case (not me sounding like an asshole) let me know.
This comes from a nephrologist who is, as it happens, is also one of the countries leading experts on exercise induced hyponatremia....
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marc801
May 23, 2009, 4:18 AM
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altelis wrote: marc801 wrote: It's often 5 - 10 degrees cooler at RR than in downtown LV. But, it is the desert, it is dry, and hyperthermia can sneak up on you faster than hypothermia, and it's harder to treat. Cooling an overheated person too rapidly can bring on shock and even cause heart failure. How able you are to deal with the heat really depends on a lot of things. Heed the suggestions: take plenty of water, stay hydrated*, seek the shade, watch for all the heat symptoms, and if necessary, consider spending the day indoors in the A/C. *: regarding proper hydration - if your pee is darker than water white or only pale yellow, you're not drinking enough. While this has been stated as fact by many many very smart people, it is, as far as I understand it, impossible to tell one's hydration status by the color or quantity of one's urine. Yes, I was taught and believed this for years. No, it is not true. If you have even a basic understanding of renal physiology, the why's behind the advice of looking at urine color/quantity as being false should be obvious. That comment isn't supposed to be as asshole-ish as it comes off, sorry. If you (general) want an explanation of why this is the case (not me sounding like an asshole) let me know. This comes from a nephrologist who is, as it happens, is also one of the countries leading experts on exercise induced hyponatremia....
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altelis
May 23, 2009, 2:05 PM
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marc801 wrote: altelis wrote: marc801 wrote: It's often 5 - 10 degrees cooler at RR than in downtown LV. But, it is the desert, it is dry, and hyperthermia can sneak up on you faster than hypothermia, and it's harder to treat. Cooling an overheated person too rapidly can bring on shock and even cause heart failure. How able you are to deal with the heat really depends on a lot of things. Heed the suggestions: take plenty of water, stay hydrated*, seek the shade, watch for all the heat symptoms, and if necessary, consider spending the day indoors in the A/C. *: regarding proper hydration - if your pee is darker than water white or only pale yellow, you're not drinking enough. While this has been stated as fact by many many very smart people, it is, as far as I understand it, impossible to tell one's hydration status by the color or quantity of one's urine. Yes, I was taught and believed this for years. No, it is not true. If you have even a basic understanding of renal physiology, the why's behind the advice of looking at urine color/quantity as being false should be obvious. That comment isn't supposed to be as asshole-ish as it comes off, sorry. If you (general) want an explanation of why this is the case (not me sounding like an asshole) let me know. This comes from a nephrologist who is, as it happens, is also one of the countries leading experts on exercise induced hyponatremia.... Yeah, certainly true - didn't want to derail the thread into a detail discussion of renal phys. But as a very general rule of thumb, it can't hurt, particularly in the desert, especially with non-acclimated visitors. Sure, you can have dark pee and be perfectly hydrated. OTOH, dehydrated people rarely don't have dark, thick pee.
I agree about the dark thick pee. Absolutely.
The problem comes from clear copious pee. For if you down a bunch of water really quickly, your kidneys will just fill your bladder immediately. You will maintain some of it but most will be wasted as urine. SO, you'll have clear copious urine but won't really be hydrated. Probably, but not necessarily. And like I said, the more water and more quickly you drink it the more likely this scenario is...
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marc801
May 23, 2009, 3:48 PM
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altelis wrote: The problem comes from clear copious pee. For if you down a bunch of water really quickly, your kidneys will just fill your bladder immediately. You will maintain some of it but most will be wasted as urine. SO, you'll have clear copious urine but won't really be hydrated. Probably, but not necessarily. And like I said, the more water and more quickly you drink it the more likely this scenario is...
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altelis
May 23, 2009, 4:45 PM
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marc801 wrote: altelis wrote: The problem comes from clear copious pee. For if you down a bunch of water really quickly, your kidneys will just fill your bladder immediately. You will maintain some of it but most will be wasted as urine. SO, you'll have clear copious urine but won't really be hydrated. Probably, but not necessarily. And like I said, the more water and more quickly you drink it the more likely this scenario is... Hence the need to attempt to stay continuously hydrated rather than trying to do so all at once.
Exactly.....
Yep, I've always questioned a lot of people's strategies of "just jug as much as you possibly can at the base then go for it"....I feel pretty convinced that you are better off just drinking less. If you don't want to bring water with you, you are probably just as good drinking like 1/2 L before you leave rather than a whole L or more....
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TinMan92592
May 28, 2009, 4:34 PM
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A friend and I did Cat in the Hat Saturday 23 MAY (the high in Vegas was low 90s perhaps) and didn't have a problem with heat; though we started early - at the RR Gate at 6:20 started climbing at 8 am and brought two liters of water each. You will feel the heat on the canyon floor coming and going to the route 45 minutes each way, so have extra water for both trips.
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