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Information on Flagstaff

Original Post
JF1 · · Idaho · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 400

Hello everyone,
I was hoping to get some general impressions from folks about living in Flagstaff. My partner is looking at a great job and I have never had the pleasure of checking out any of Arizona, although I have met lots of nice climbers from the great state.

I work at the City of Rocks in southern Idaho during the season, but we are living in Chattanooga, TN for this winter, before I head back to the city. I am also missing the expansive west.

I checked out some basic statistics and browsed the MP site, but was hoping for some general impressions. If anyone knows about teaching jobs that would be a great help as well, for when I finally quit dirtbagging, I am going to get into teaching. I am currently a community college adjunct, but am looking into high school teaching as well.

I boulder, aid and sport, but really love trad and specifically crack climbing. What are the most frequent travel destinations? Do folks head west to red rocks and J-Tree during the winter? Is the cost of living exceptionally high, too snowy to climb in winter...

Thanks so much in advance,
Adam

Jason Jackson · · Cottonwood, AZ · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 86

tons of rock of many types and disciplines within 5-45 min from your doorstep and plenty more than listed on the internet. thanks to climate change snow is no longer an issue.

Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200

and you're just 2 hours from the shittiest place ever, Phoenix!

shotgunnelson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2009 · Points: 5

Don't let your proximity to phoenix have any influence on your decision. As long as you don't ice climb you are set all year in flag. I have lived in both the southeast and the pacific northwest and flagstaff has been my favorite place so far. Within ten minutes from my house there are so many crags that in two years I have still never been to them all. I have also never lived in a place were it is so easy to find near perfect conditions all year round just by changing elevation and finding shaded or sunny crags. Sandstone, dacite, andesite, basalt, granite in Prescott, limestone, all of these are within easy striking distance. As far as crack climbing goes you have the amazing basalt splitters of the forks and the waterfall, and all the adventure sedona outings with rock that spans from perfect to exciting. Sure your only three and a half hours from red rocks five from Joshua tree and five or so from the creek, but it will be hard to drive far when you have so much in your backyard. Also easiest winters of any snowy place I have ever lived. It seems like it will dump for a day or two and then you would have long stretches of blue skies. I have read a lot of people giving Arizona shit about the area having issues and people being weird, but in my experience it was one of the easiest climbing communities for me to become a part of. Sure there are some crags that are not well publicized but nothing that you can't just ask any of the MANY friendly climbers in the area about and they will freely give you information. All that being said from my experience the job situation sucks and it's not the cheapest place to settle down in especially compared to Chattanooga. I had some friends who were trying to get teaching jobs but the problem in a place like this is that once people find jobs like that they tend to never leave them. Hope all this helps. It's an awesome place to live, and if you are an all a rounder like me who loves trad, bouldering, and sport it's going to take you a long time to get bored.

Jeff L · · Valley of the Sun · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 35

Simply put, Flagstaff is a kick ass place to live for climbers.

BTW Phx isn't that shitty.

Represent!

Angela Mabe · · Flagstaff,AZ · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 185

we moved to Flag a year and a half ago from golden,co and LOVE it! we did secure jobs before we moved which was huge. i would not suggest moving than finding a job, it is a very small market. Last winter i think there was a total of maybe 3 weekends that we couldn't climb due to snow and thats it. if it does snow you can escape it very easily and go climb less than 2 hrs away or heck even 40min and you are roping up in sedona which is 2000ft lower. there is so much here we havent really traveled to other places cause we r always wanting to check out new crags here. but if you do i made this sheet awhile ago just to name a few:
Destination: Miles: Time: Weekendable* Closures

Indian Creek 297 5hr 20min *

Zion 250 4hr 43min *

Granite Mtn 98 1hr 44min * Closed Jan 21July 15th

Red Rocks 273 4hr 34min *

Needles 541 9hr 34min

J-Tree 343 5hr 39min *

Yosemite 680 11hr 26min

Unitas 556 10hr 11min

St. George 288 5hr 23min *

Sedona 23 30min *

its the best decision we ever made moving here. and everyone was super welcoming when we first got here too. solid group of climbers.
also we live a couple minutes outside of town in kachina and its cheaper than living in town.
good luck :)

Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730
Jeff Ludwig wrote:Simply put, Flagstaff is a kick ass place to live for climbers. BTW Phx isn't that shitty. Represent!
True on all fronts.

Also: I have noticed that Flagstaff has the most obnoxious, self-righteous, and territorial locals of any other climbing town in the western US. Don't be one of those people.

Having spent my life in the PNW and Colorado I've noticed that Arizona climbers are an... interesting bunch, to say the least.
Mark Mueller · · Surprise, AZ · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 185

Get here and climb.

Wiled Horse · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2002 · Points: 3,669
Peter Franzen wrote:I have noticed that Flagstaff has the most obnoxious, self-righteous, and territorial locals of any other climbing town in the western US.
wow really? Even more than Boulder? I have met only one or two like that here.
Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730

I know that I started this with a generalization, and I know that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data", but: since moving to Arizona last summer I have encountered a number of Flagstaffers who have been confrontational and rude in their first words to me. Walking up to someone in the parking lot of a well-known and public crag and aggressively asking "How did you find out about this place?" is not a way to make friends, and I've had that happen a couple of times now.

Boulderites (I lived there for 5 years) might be full of themselves in other ways, but I never got a territorial vibe there like I do here.

Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730

It is true though that there is more climbing within 6 hours of Flagstaff (or Phoenix, really) than you can reasonably do in 3 lifetimes. It's an amazing location.

Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486

Had mixed experiences w Flag locals. Some super friendly (Chuck Claude at the Forks), some not so much (random 20 yr old college kids at the Pit..)..Not actively hostile but definitely not friendly either..

I mean, if they were cruising 14s I could understand some of the arrogance (though in that case they would probably be confident enough to not be arrogant), but climbing sport 12s when you probably started climbing when you were 12 years old is not that impressive.

But yeah, if you have a job or the means to not need one for a bit, it's a bad ass place to be a climber, better than Tucson for the climbing for sure.

Jacob Dolence · · Farmville, VA · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 806

I moved here three years ago and everyone has been super friendly. Didn't experience the crazy local syndrome some are talking about. I found good climbing partners right away. The climbing is amazing! There is every type of climbing and rock except alpine. The cost of living is high, but I guess you get used to it... I've lived all over, including several places in Idaho, and the climbing in Flag by sheer quantity blows every other place I've lived out of the water. I would say it is easily one of the best climbing towns in the country.

j mo · · n az · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 1,180

Forks, waterfall, overlook, pit, peaks, elden, Winslow wall, iso, jacks, Sedona. All less than 2 hours, most less than 30 mins. Cool little town. Not many left like it. But yes people were rude to Peter here. Apparently more than once. We can't seem to shake that.

Eddie Brown · · Tempe, Arizona · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 940

Flag is also known as “little boulder”. If you like that hippie/granola/vegan vibe and don’t need a job, it’s a good place to be. Finding a teaching job will be hard though.

As for the people, some locals can be very territorial/hostile to those not from their dope smoking, prius driving community. If you live there though, you’ll find an open climbing community with lots of great people.

Wiled Horse · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2002 · Points: 3,669
Adam Floyd wrote:boulder, aid and sport, but really love trad and specifically crack climbing.
Flag has tremendous access to all the above.

Eddie Brown wrote:Flag is also known as “little boulder”...
wow i hope its not known as "little boulder". its quite the opposite, actually.
Jason Jackson · · Cottonwood, AZ · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 86
Peter Franzen wrote: Also: I have noticed that Flagstaff has the most obnoxious, self-righteous, and territorial locals of any other climbing town in the western US.
so do you still have that MP sticker on your truck?

Christian wrote:I mean, if they were cruising 14s I could understand some of the arrogance
that kind of attitude should get laughs most anywhere.

while i haven't been openly hostile to anyone in years, i'm not always going to be open and friendly either, sometimes people want to have a quite experience and perhaps don't feel like making new friends, its nothing personal. besides, according to local tradition, it takes about 10 years to qualify as a local here.

p.s. ++++about the job market, it generally sucks
Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730
jackson wrote: so do you still have that MP sticker on your truck?
I don't see why that would matter, but for what it's worth I have Oregon plates on my car. Maybe you're confusing me with someone else? I don't have a truck, and I have never had a MP sticker on my car.

The most hilarious incident was a few weeks back at Kelly's canyon-- my friend actually had the guidebook in his hand when he was asked about how we found the place. We received some nice attitude for the rest of the day as well.
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241

I lived in Phoenix for three years, and I noticed that some Flagstaff locals did give off the 'tude. Honestly, Phoenix is just an average big city, nothing special. So it would be funny to get crap from somebody who'd moved to Flag a couple of years ago acting like they were a local criticising me for my home city as if I'd been born there. If you think Phoenix is evil incarnate, you really need to get out of your bubble more often. Whatever.

I've also met Flag locals who are the epitome of friendly, so I wouldn't make a huge generalization.

Jason Jackson · · Cottonwood, AZ · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 86
Peter Franzen wrote: I don't see why that would matter, but for what it's worth I have Oregon plates on my car.
sarcasm much?

bottom line, if you like to climb lots, flag will work for you.
Will Cobb · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Jun 2003 · Points: 820

Bottom line: Rock climbers love Flag. Enough good climbing right here to cover you for a long time. As stated above, if you road trip for 3 to 8 hours in any direction multiple world class destinations are available to you.

Add to that skiing (some winters...), trail running, and mountain biking it makes for a pretty nice town. (There was enough snow for me to break my clavicle this winter. :)

For the tough part: Jobs. The truth is that it is easier to find work if you live here. For teaching there will be plenty of subbing opportunities. It doesn't pay great, but it is a foot in the door. In the mean time jobs in the service industry can get you started.

As far as the locals go, it does take a little while to get to know us. For the most part though, we'll make a spot for you around the campfire. If you do move to town, the climbing gym is a great place to meet folks to climb with.

Hope you make it out our way.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Arizona & New Mexico
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