Would I be missing out on some great climbs if I were to bring a 60-m rope to the new? I'll want to try up to 5.10 and my partner up to 12+.

A 70 is nice to have but not critical for the 12s and a 60 is just fine for 5.10s

If you can get one, great, but if not, you won't be terribly limited. Just make sure to get the new fancy guidebook and consult it before picking the specific crag for the day.

We've settled on Fern and Endless.. Don't have the book on hand with me right now though. Any favorites in those areas?

I'm not sure if you are climbing trad lines, but if you guys are just sport, I would not recommend Fern for either of your grade ranges. Wild Seed is pretty easy for 11a, and Two-Toned Arete is probably the best 10 if you do end up there.

I have only encountered a problem with a short rope (60m) once at NRG and it was at the upper Meadow.

Fern classics (that I've done, I'm sure there's more):
Sport: Two tone arete and Wild Seed
Trad: Two Bag Face, Spingboard, Anal Clenching Adventures, Triple Treat, Crescenta

Endless has too many good ones to list!

Thanks! Ideally we'd do both, but we'll just do sport depending on how we pack/weight/checked bags, etc. I'll make note of these routes.

From the top of my head, the only route which might benefit from a 70m is Scenic Adult which is neither at Fern nor Endless.
There are so many great routes at Endless; Strike A Scowl, Discombobulated, Legacy, Aesthetica, and so on. And those are just sport examples under .12a. Wild Seed is good and a good candidate for first 5.11 on-sight. It was mine.

Yeah, you'll be totally fine with a 60m. That's what I've climbed with and never had issue. The guidebook is pretty specific too about when routes are rope stretchers or require a 70. I can only think of a one or two at Endless that require a 70, but there are plenty of great lines as mentioned already.

Definitely hop on Strike a Scowl, Aesthetica, and if you bring gear, Black and Tan is good. Have fun, Endless is a great area.

What's a good first 12a to check out? Trad or sport?

I think for a good first 12a, 'Bullet the New Sky' is a good one. People give it 12b, but the crux is rather short and closer to the ground than the top. The climbing after the crux is low end 11 with great rests along the way. Send your buddy up first to hang the draws...it's even a good one to check out on TR first if you're feeling faint of heart. Great arete climb.

Thanks, all. The .12a is definitely not for me. He's done 12s before, but I think he meant a must .12a as a first-timer in the New.

The nice thing about a 70m is that when it get's a little tattered on the ends you can cut 5m off each end and it's like having a relatively new 60m.

+1 to getting a 70 for the purpose of chopping the ends when you get a core shot. Other than that, a 60 is fine for almost all the climbs at the New. You won't be limited in any way.

If you are climbing 10's, I would not recommend Endless. Your selection will be very limited. The best place for 10's is Summersville Lake.

Great info. We won't be limited to just sport. I'm sure I can find some stuff at Endless even if I'm just get hauled up inch by inch! The harder stuff there is more for my partner.

BITD, for Fern and Endless, climbers tend to rave about Freaky Stylee, Leave It to Jesus (trad .11c), and Jesus and Tequila. There is also Glass Onion (.10b) to go along with Strike A Scowl for sport if you like.