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Possibly moving to Portland - looking for gym, trad, rock and ice climbing beta

Original Post
Karen Gordon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 20

I am interviewing in Portland would love to get a sense of the climbing scene before I head out there. I will be there the weekend of Oct 17/18 and if the weather is good will head to Smith Rock. I might have a climbing partner but I would be interested in meeting up for drinks with other climbers.
Any information on the Portland/NW climbing would be helpful.

christoph benells · · tahoma · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 306

you'll find good friends and good enough climbing.

broughton and rocky butte are just good enough to keep you happy, but in all reality kinda weak.

I like beacon rock alot. smith is a good place to go and so is trout creek. plus the mountaineering, and ski touring, its a good place to be a climber. however, the rain and slimy rock at the local crags can leave several weeks/months with no outdoor climbing.

my favorite times while i lived there,

sesame street- broughton bluff
chimney rocks
mt hood north face
portland rock gym
next adventure
illumination rock mixed climbs
beacon, blownout, right gull and jills thrill
gorge ice
trout creek
skiing in zig zag canyon

christoph benells · · tahoma · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 306

they have an aac pub club there, i forget what night it is though. basecamp brewing is a good place to get some beers for climber folks.

Naomi LeGate · · Mount Shasta, CA · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 40

I'm thinking of moving to the area as well. If you'd like to meet in Smith I'd be down. Let me know!

Naomi

Karen Gordon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 20

Thank you for all the feedback. Hoping to stay after my interview this week and jump on some of the rock next weekend.

Micah Klesick · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 3,971

Ozone, Beacon, French's Dome, Broughton Bluff, Klinger Springs and Carver are the places to go around here.
Worth mentioning is Farside, Pete's Pile, Bulo Point, and Chimney Rocks (local alpine style trad climbing, but shorter.)

Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175

Climbing friend,

You will need a large beard, dark and tight clothings, and an excellent homebrew in order to be accepted.

Healyje · · PDX · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 422

'Farside' - better known as 'Dropzone'...

Nick Pappas · · Portland, OR · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 70

"broughton and rocky butte are just good enough to keep you happy, but in all reality kinda weak."

For what it's worth, Broughton Bluff is actually pretty legit climbing. It doesn't have too many easier climbs, but the 10+ to 12 range has a bunch of great climbing on some really aesthetic walls. While the crag has a lot of characteristics that make it less accessible than, say, ozone (mostly mixed sport/trad routes, generally slick/insecure rock, sequential and beta intensive, laughably sandbagged...), these characteristics also give it a personality that is pretty unique for an after work crag. It's a hardman's crag. Definitely not weak.

Rocky Butte is currently a shithole. IMO any positive qualities it has (proximity, some good movement) are pretty much negated by the ambiance. Rocky Butte is definitely pretty weak and not worth visiting, but I would say it's inaccurate to lump Brougton and Rocky together.

Healyje · · PDX · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 422

Rocky Butte is also incredibly dangerous. The mud up top is slippery as snot when it's moist let alone wet. Be very careful on top if you do end up out there.

christoph benells · · tahoma · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 306

Oh i didn't mean broughton was weak in grades. There are plenty of fun climbs there, but it is just an after work crag like you said. Its the place you go when you dont have a full day to climb.

Sesame street is one of my all time favorites. Holds a special place in my climbing history, was my first "hard" trad lead.

Healyje · · PDX · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 422

I think these days more people hit Ozone for short days than Broughton's. And it's also possible Trout Creek now bleeds off a fair chunk of what would be the normal PDX -> Smith traffic.

Micah Klesick · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 3,971
christoph benells wrote:Oh i didn't mean broughton was weak in grades. There are plenty of fun climbs there, but it is just an after work crag like you said. Its the place you go when you dont have a full day to climb. Sesame street is one of my all time favorites. Holds a special place in my climbing history, was my first "hard" trad lead.
Not if you can climb 5.11 and 5.12. Then its a place loaded with classics worth spending days working.
christoph benells · · tahoma · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 306

if you think think anything at broughton bluff qualifies as a "classic" you need to do some traveling my friend. But hey, its all relative I guess huh?

different strokes for different folks. I am not a 5.12 climber, and slimy 50 foot tall climbs do not interest me much.

if you want THE classic climb around portland, it is the north face of mount hood.

Logan Fuzzo · · Portland, OR · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 437

I landed a job in Portland. I'm looking for a house with climbers. If you know someone that has an empty room, let me know! I've got a huge rack,lots of rope and lots of stoke.

Logan

Tim Sherry · · Portland, OR · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 551

We mostly have been going to Ozone. It's about a half hour drive from Portland and has a great selection of moderate routes. As for gyms, Portland Rock Gym has a good community, Planet Granite has high walls. I've been bouncing back and forth between the two depending on the weekday. I haven't checked out The Circuit for bouldering yet, but plan to.

Charlie Egan · · St George, UT · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 755

Broughton is definitely worth 'classic' status, if you can climb the Red Wall trifecta (Critical Mass, Pinhead, and Kashmir), or better yet, the Bat Wall trifecta (Dracula, Bad Oman, and Bela Lugosi). Newer, harder routes are still going up there.

The Hanging Garden moderates are nothing to write home about, though.

Next Ascent · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 40

We have several Portland guidebook apps:

itunes.apple.com/us/app/nex…

Right now theres a Beacon Rock app, Ozone app, and Larch Mt for bouldering. We have several more being written including and ice climbing app coming out.

Also the Mountain Project section on Portland is very well organized and has a good bit of beta to get you to the local areas nearby.

Not to repeat what was said above but there are a lot of excellent gyms in the Portland metro. I recomend checking them all out because they all have something to offer.

The Mazamas is a really good organization to join and meet climbers. They also have an indoor ice wall :) It's worth checking out.

If you ever need a partner to climb with feel free to PM me.

Cheers
Rob H

Karen Gordon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 20

Hi - Thanks for all the info. I am moving to Portland - job starts in November but I have remote work till spring.

I will be in the Portland from 11/17-11/25. Anyone up for gym climbing during the week or wants to head outdoors on the weekend (11/21 & 11/22) let me know. Lead easy grades but can follow moderates (based on style 5.9/5.10). Would prefer to follow as I have not climbed in the area but happy to lead part of the day.

I will also check out the places suggested.

Tim Sherry · · Portland, OR · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 551

You'll be here for the Portland Alpine Fest!

Karen Gordon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 20

Nice! I will check it out.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Pacific Northwest
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