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ukdarkhorse
Sep 6, 2011, 3:00 PM
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I put this in the regional section but I'm not getting any answers at the moment. Hope people don't mind if I ask here.
I'm traveling to Hueco in December with my husband for a month and then picking up a camper van in LA. The plan was to go to Bishop/Vegas and then head to Joes Valley and Yosemite. I'm already pretty sure that Yosemite will be inaccessible but would Joe's be OK? I'm from the UK so want to maximise my climbing time while we are away. Any other suggestions of place to go would be amazing 
Thanks
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rhythm164
Sep 6, 2011, 3:39 PM
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Friction would be great, but plan accordingly, we were there in March and it got cooooold a couple nights, plus we got hit with a few pretty good snow squalls. The good news is everything in the forks is basically right next to the road, so access shouldnt be a huge issue. The hike into New Joe's is pretty mellow as well, so if you can take low temps, Id say go for it and enjoy! It's sick!!
As far as Bishop, depending on what you're driving, pretty good chance you're not getting to the Buttermilks, the Tablelands should be fine though and the Valley...in January...well, it's beautiful anytime of year, but you wont be climbing much.
(This post was edited by rhythm164 on Sep 6, 2011, 3:50 PM)
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rockman517
Sep 6, 2011, 4:09 PM
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If weather conditions are consistant with what has been going on the past few years, Joe's could be in waist deep snow in January. A lot of people don't realize that the elevation of Joe's is considerably higher than Salt Lake City, so it gets snowfall more comparable to the surrounding mountains than the city. It is also a fairly well trafficed ice climbing destination in winter, if that tells you anything. Personally, I would check out www.utahclimbers.com before you go to see if any locals have info on what the snowfall has been. If Joe's is bad it could be possible to stop at Ibex and Moab instead. It's ashame it doesn't seem like you are heading to the Southeast, as it is perfect down there that time of year....and it's the best sandstone in the States, if not anywhere. See you in Hueco in December!
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marc801
Sep 6, 2011, 4:39 PM
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Registered: Aug 1, 2005
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ukdarkhorse wrote: I put this in the regional section but I'm not getting any answers at the moment. Hope people don't mind if I ask here. I'm traveling to Hueco in December with my husband for a month and then picking up a camper van in LA. The plan was to go to Bishop/Vegas and then head to Joes Valley and Yosemite. I'm already pretty sure that Yosemite will be inaccessible but would Joe's be OK? I'm from the UK so want to maximise my climbing time while we are away. Any other suggestions of place to go would be amazing Thanks
As you may have gathered from the other responses, in January, be prepared for cold temperatures, esp. overnight, pretty much anywhere in the US. If you're above 4K', don't be surprised at snow, possibly a lot if over 6K'.
In January, you will not be able to get to Yosemite Valley from the east via Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadows - you'd need to take one of the *loooooong* ways around (Sonora Pass likely won't be open either). Thus, Bishop to Yosemite Valley will be a 6+ hr drive.
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flesh
Sep 7, 2011, 6:05 AM
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Joe's may be ok in january, I think it will be too cold most days.
I'd go to moab, it's a beautiful fun town and check out BIG BEND bouldering. It's not a huge are but what it has is top notch. This is about 15 minutes from moad by car. It's quite a bit warmer and lower elevation than joe's valley. Much better odds of good climbing days in january. Arches national park is gorgeous as well. Indian creek canyon isn't to far is you want to try some splitter cracks and wall street has some good moderates, trad and sport, which is 10 minutes from town.
Lots of great hiking and mountain biking in the area as well. If you want someting different try renting a jeep for 150 dollars and do a nice jeeping trail. Hotels are cheap that time of year or there's plenty of free camping around as well.
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sevrdhed
Sep 16, 2011, 4:51 AM
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I'll third ibex and moab. Both are good winter climbing destinations. I'd hate to have my first trip to joes be a freezing cold snow fest where you dont need crash pads because all the problems have 2 feet underneath them. Unless you dig ice climbing, joes in january is pretty dodgy.
Plus - moab is what people think of when they think of utah deserts. Imagine every movie you've ever seen big towering sandstone cliffs in... chances are they were shot in moab. I think if you come to utah, especially from out of the country, and dont go to moab and the surrounding areas, you're missing out.
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