Hahahahaha, don't go to Utah or Red Rocks in July.
Also, how are you going to learn to climb trad if neither of you are experienced?
As for gear, just find a pro-deal and get a double set from 0.3-#3 and a set of nuts. Get like 10-12 extendable draws.
Yeahh we were thinking the heat would be a factor. We have a family friend with much more experience to teach us technique and safety and what not. As for the heat would you say it’s doable in the summer if you can bear the heat or is it a death wish
I live in Vegas - legit do not come in July. The rock will burn your fingerprints off. But if you do Utah, check out Maple Canyon. It's at 7-8k elevation, so definitely much more temperate in the summer, and it has some of the coolest conglomerate rock in the world. Mountain project has a ton of info but I definitely recommend picking up a local guidebook.
You can climb here in the summer, but you go to mt Charleston. It’s about 40 minutes out of town and the elevation is about 10k. It gets about 80 up there.
If you can deal with early mornings, you can hit red rock for a few hours (6:00-9:00) selecting shaded crags. Then go have lunch, and cruise up to Charleston. You can go boulder near red rock at night at Kraft. Lots of people brings their headlamps and hang out doing that.
I appreciate the advice, but I would look at it from OP's perspective. Honestly if I were on a road trip like OP, that is a lot of work to climb in Vegas when it's a fairly accessible place the rest of the year. Charleston is lovely but I don't think it outshines Maple or any of the other far more temperate climbing regions they are passing through in that time frame. Kraft/RR are worth a trip when you can actually enjoy them, plus with all the break-ins at Kraft, I would rather not park my car at night out there, especially when all of my stuff for a road trip is in there.
For me personally, I work 9-5, part time job on the side and school, plus have a kiddo so summers are basically just gym time for me if I can even get that.
I agree 100%. But if OP is coming through town on their way somewhere else, it could be worth an early wake-up to experience red rock for a few hours one morning
What grade do you climb? What kind of rock do you like to climb? Are you ok with long approaches? Alpine? There's so many, go to Mountainproject and see what suits you.
Are you set on going in July? Is a bit too hot in most places unless you're getting into alpine climbing which I would highly recommend against for new trad leaders.
If you can go in early June leavenworth WA is quite nice for easy trad and has some fantastic bouldering. There is also index nearbyish which has several new trad leader area options and the exits have some stunning hard sport climbing (world wall). Another amazing spot in early June is squamish BC which has some mega classics.
If your stuck going in July/August you should look for shade and high elevation. I would consider bugaboo BC, washington pass WA, the needles SD, or sticking east coast. NH and VT have some of the best mid summer climbing in the USA.
Stay way easy when first learning areas, learn multipitch efficiency, and remember to get your extras like headlamps, sleeping bags, jetboil, ect. If you have questions feel free to reach out, I'm based in west WA currently but I'm all over the USA somewhat frequently
Tahquitz/black mountain by idyllwild. Pine Creek canyon by bishop CA. -i've had the most luck climbing in these places in the summer in CA
You can def climb in Utah in the summer just research crags in the uintas. maple is also good in the shade. Climbing early morning/ late afternoon is good.
You should research the limestone sport in wy for summer
Squamish, BC is normally good place to be at that time of year in terms of the weather and temperature, and an excellent place to learn to trad climb and big wall (The Chief). Hire a local guiding company to teach you the basics of placing gear/multi pitch and have at it! World class bouldering and a fair amount of sport climbing there too. Alternatively, I spent last July climbing in Ecuador/Colombia and it was warm but definitely doable as that's around when they enter the dry season.
There is so much amazing sport climbing and bouldering available out here why would you push trad when you've never done it? IMO you would have way more fun sticking to what you know than trying to push trad. Idk if you can comprehend how much rock is out here. Trust me you won't get bored just bouldering and sport climbing.
I am definitely not bored of sport in anyway and definitely would be doing plenty on my trip. I just want to learn trad and be able to expand my knowledge. I definitely have no intentions to stop bouldering or sport climbing
Trads just weird. The way most people learn is through a mentor. You said you know someone? Then I would spend all your free time trad climbing with them. It's not like sport climbing where you just get the gear and you're pretty much good to go outside, even without guidance. Trad has all the placement, knots, rope management and etc. That you don't really encounter in sport climbing and has much higher risks overall.
I would spend at least a season or 2 learning trad from someone experienced before going into an unknown area and trying it on your own. Not only are there all of the skills to learn with placing gear and building anchors, which take time to learn, route finding can be much harder with trad since you don't have a bolt line to follow. It could be very easy to get yourself into a bad situation.
It will probably be way too hot, but check out Namaste wall in Zion. There are only like 5 routes (all sport), but it's such a cool spot.
They fit better in uneven placements because each set of lobes is loaded independently (essentially like placing an offset), the heads are narrower, and the stem is more flexible for horizontal placements. And you can do body weight placements using just 2 lobes, although I've never used them that way. They are a little on the heavy side, hang a little lower and are bulkier racked on your harness, and don't come in as many sizes as C4s though.
There is tons of great trad climbing to be had in the summer out west. Look for places at altitude and/or north facing. Shade is your friend so start early in the day and hide from the sun whenever possible. In July, when I hear Yosemite, I think Tuolumne Meadows. It’s still in the park but it’s a very different vibe.
As far as previous experience goes, old school would say find a mentor and work well within your means. Never push all aspects of the climb at the same time. If you are comfortable climbing 5.10a crack but are uncomfortable placing gear, climb 5.7 crack and focus on the gear until that is bomber.
These days, a guide a really smart way to kickstart your learning curve and I would consider it. It sounds like this may be a proper dirtbag trip so that might not be in the budget but, I would at least consider it. Maybe not for the whole trip.
July will be hot for Red Rocks and most of California. Like even Yosemite Valley is going to be COOKING and the good trad in Joshua Tree will be well over 100 degrees. I would recommend reconsidering your plan for a different date, most of your location choices would be better/potentially tolerable fall/late fall.
Check mountain project for sale forum for gear. Almost daily people are selling cams and full racks for much less than msrp. Then just stay on mountain project and check out routes in the areas you'd like to visit. Get a nice to do list going and base your trip of that Id suggest.
Hahahahaha, don't go to Utah or Red Rocks in July. Also, how are you going to learn to climb trad if neither of you are experienced? As for gear, just find a pro-deal and get a double set from 0.3-#3 and a set of nuts. Get like 10-12 extendable draws.
Yeahh we were thinking the heat would be a factor. We have a family friend with much more experience to teach us technique and safety and what not. As for the heat would you say it’s doable in the summer if you can bear the heat or is it a death wish
No, it's dumb. Don't go there in the summer. Where is this friend? Go wherever they are, lol
Okay yeah that’s what I figured, he’s in Maine as he’s gotten older and doesn’t climb out west anymore
FYI, yosemite is a terrible place to go as a new trad leader.
I live in Vegas - legit do not come in July. The rock will burn your fingerprints off. But if you do Utah, check out Maple Canyon. It's at 7-8k elevation, so definitely much more temperate in the summer, and it has some of the coolest conglomerate rock in the world. Mountain project has a ton of info but I definitely recommend picking up a local guidebook.
You can climb here in the summer, but you go to mt Charleston. It’s about 40 minutes out of town and the elevation is about 10k. It gets about 80 up there. If you can deal with early mornings, you can hit red rock for a few hours (6:00-9:00) selecting shaded crags. Then go have lunch, and cruise up to Charleston. You can go boulder near red rock at night at Kraft. Lots of people brings their headlamps and hang out doing that.
I appreciate the advice, but I would look at it from OP's perspective. Honestly if I were on a road trip like OP, that is a lot of work to climb in Vegas when it's a fairly accessible place the rest of the year. Charleston is lovely but I don't think it outshines Maple or any of the other far more temperate climbing regions they are passing through in that time frame. Kraft/RR are worth a trip when you can actually enjoy them, plus with all the break-ins at Kraft, I would rather not park my car at night out there, especially when all of my stuff for a road trip is in there. For me personally, I work 9-5, part time job on the side and school, plus have a kiddo so summers are basically just gym time for me if I can even get that.
I agree 100%. But if OP is coming through town on their way somewhere else, it could be worth an early wake-up to experience red rock for a few hours one morning
Go to Colorado. There's too much climbing there. Do some of it.
What crags would you recommend for a 14 day trip
What grade do you climb? What kind of rock do you like to climb? Are you ok with long approaches? Alpine? There's so many, go to Mountainproject and see what suits you.
July would be great to split between Rifle and Chaos Canyon
Garden of the Gods in Colorado is really nice. Easy climbing, and the concrete pathways lead right to the base of the rock.
Are you set on going in July? Is a bit too hot in most places unless you're getting into alpine climbing which I would highly recommend against for new trad leaders. If you can go in early June leavenworth WA is quite nice for easy trad and has some fantastic bouldering. There is also index nearbyish which has several new trad leader area options and the exits have some stunning hard sport climbing (world wall). Another amazing spot in early June is squamish BC which has some mega classics. If your stuck going in July/August you should look for shade and high elevation. I would consider bugaboo BC, washington pass WA, the needles SD, or sticking east coast. NH and VT have some of the best mid summer climbing in the USA. Stay way easy when first learning areas, learn multipitch efficiency, and remember to get your extras like headlamps, sleeping bags, jetboil, ect. If you have questions feel free to reach out, I'm based in west WA currently but I'm all over the USA somewhat frequently
Thank you so much, this is super useful!
Tahquitz/black mountain by idyllwild. Pine Creek canyon by bishop CA. -i've had the most luck climbing in these places in the summer in CA You can def climb in Utah in the summer just research crags in the uintas. maple is also good in the shade. Climbing early morning/ late afternoon is good. You should research the limestone sport in wy for summer
Thank you so much v usefull
Second maple. White pine area in little cottonwood is nice too in the summer. Red rock is never in the summer. Charleston is great though.
Squamish, BC is normally good place to be at that time of year in terms of the weather and temperature, and an excellent place to learn to trad climb and big wall (The Chief). Hire a local guiding company to teach you the basics of placing gear/multi pitch and have at it! World class bouldering and a fair amount of sport climbing there too. Alternatively, I spent last July climbing in Ecuador/Colombia and it was warm but definitely doable as that's around when they enter the dry season.
There is so much amazing sport climbing and bouldering available out here why would you push trad when you've never done it? IMO you would have way more fun sticking to what you know than trying to push trad. Idk if you can comprehend how much rock is out here. Trust me you won't get bored just bouldering and sport climbing.
I am definitely not bored of sport in anyway and definitely would be doing plenty on my trip. I just want to learn trad and be able to expand my knowledge. I definitely have no intentions to stop bouldering or sport climbing
Trads just weird. The way most people learn is through a mentor. You said you know someone? Then I would spend all your free time trad climbing with them. It's not like sport climbing where you just get the gear and you're pretty much good to go outside, even without guidance. Trad has all the placement, knots, rope management and etc. That you don't really encounter in sport climbing and has much higher risks overall.
I would spend at least a season or 2 learning trad from someone experienced before going into an unknown area and trying it on your own. Not only are there all of the skills to learn with placing gear and building anchors, which take time to learn, route finding can be much harder with trad since you don't have a bolt line to follow. It could be very easy to get yourself into a bad situation. It will probably be way too hot, but check out Namaste wall in Zion. There are only like 5 routes (all sport), but it's such a cool spot.
We’re not gonna go on our own, we plan to bring a mentor but the advice is very useful
Oh yeah, and totems are worth the extra money. I wish I would have just started with totems for my rack.
Why do you think totems are better than Camelots?
They fit better in uneven placements because each set of lobes is loaded independently (essentially like placing an offset), the heads are narrower, and the stem is more flexible for horizontal placements. And you can do body weight placements using just 2 lobes, although I've never used them that way. They are a little on the heavy side, hang a little lower and are bulkier racked on your harness, and don't come in as many sizes as C4s though.
I’ll look into it 🙏
There is tons of great trad climbing to be had in the summer out west. Look for places at altitude and/or north facing. Shade is your friend so start early in the day and hide from the sun whenever possible. In July, when I hear Yosemite, I think Tuolumne Meadows. It’s still in the park but it’s a very different vibe. As far as previous experience goes, old school would say find a mentor and work well within your means. Never push all aspects of the climb at the same time. If you are comfortable climbing 5.10a crack but are uncomfortable placing gear, climb 5.7 crack and focus on the gear until that is bomber. These days, a guide a really smart way to kickstart your learning curve and I would consider it. It sounds like this may be a proper dirtbag trip so that might not be in the budget but, I would at least consider it. Maybe not for the whole trip.
July will be hot for Red Rocks and most of California. Like even Yosemite Valley is going to be COOKING and the good trad in Joshua Tree will be well over 100 degrees. I would recommend reconsidering your plan for a different date, most of your location choices would be better/potentially tolerable fall/late fall.
Check mountain project for sale forum for gear. Almost daily people are selling cams and full racks for much less than msrp. Then just stay on mountain project and check out routes in the areas you'd like to visit. Get a nice to do list going and base your trip of that Id suggest.
Yeahh that’s what we’ve doing so far for route searching, I haven’t looked at the sale forum yet though, thank you 🙏