Just looking for recommendations for crags at smith. Have a trip planned soon and want to spend a day sport climbing 10s and 11s. Will probably spend one day on the monkey. Any suggestions on areas with fun 5 10 5 11 sport climbing? Also any multi pitch trad routes you recommend? Less crowds are always a plus. Thanks for the help!
Muscrat
·
Oct 2, 2016
·
Unknown Hometown
· Joined Oct 2011
· Points: 3,625
+1 for buy the book, it's very well written and offers tons of interesting history. All the various crags can be confusing and this helps with orientation to make the most of your time.
For a first time visit, the "main area" crags offer heaps of great routes(cross the bridge and go left). Any of these walls are no more than 10-15 minutes walk from each other, some only a few seconds so you can bounce around:
(in order R to L as you approach) Shipwreck Aggro Gully - steep gnar Cocaine Gully - great routes, no crowds besides maybe Vomit Morning Glory - most popular wall at Smith for good reason, all day sun Fourth Horseman - less traffic, good trad lines. Dihedrals - classic. mostly harder but worth walking by just to see some of the country's most significant sport routes Christian Brothers - tons of stuff for everybody from easy to hard Smith Rock Group Crags(Phoenix, Llama) - shade almost all day
Don't be set on a particular route, waiting in line isn't worth it. Bring the rack along and you will always have good options; trad lines are scattered throughout and seldom busy.
mesa verde is also a great area for climbing 10s and 11s. It kind of sucks to trek all the way out there and find out that its crowded though. Zion is an amazing trad multi pitch that goes at 10b. There are a bunch of easier trad multi pitches on red wall ranging from 5.7 to 5.9.
If you like to place gear, the lower gorge is a must. Most lines are good if not great. The Catwalk area is loaded with good 10's.
It's hard to beat crowds on a weekend in the main area, so just be willing to move around and you should find something open. Most areas have at least a couple of good lines.
As for the Monkey, I say give Monkey Space a go via the West Face Variation. A couple nice pitches of 5.8 trad to two pitches of 5.11 bolts (you'll want a couple finger pieces for the finish of the traverse.
We use cookies to improve your browsing experience, to show you
personalized content, and for statistical purposes. By continuing
to navigate our website, you accept our use of cookies. Read our
Privacy Policy to learn more.