Hey everybody,

I'm trying to plan a trip to the southwest this winter (probably early January) to climb some rocks. My friends and I are very interested in going to Red Rock and have heard a variety of things regarding winter conditions there. Does anyone have advice, stories, or suggestions? Would Red Rock be a good destination for some winter climbing? Thank you very much.

-Steven

Too hard to say- just like most things in the desert, and Vegas, it's a gamble.

Winter weather in Red Rock can range from bitter cold, with record snow,



to climbing in t-shirt, (and shirtless!) weather, like on this warm January day.



The best bet is to pay close attention to the weather forecast about a week before your planned trip out. : )

mushroom people?

Ding, ding, ding! Very good, Jon- It tis Mushroom People.

That's a nice send topless Gigi.

My armpits ain't furry! For your information, I flew up it on TR with my shirt still on, so there!

To answer your question, in terms of planning, yes it is one of the best winter destinations....but you have to have options if committing with a flight....the best sister option to RR is Jtree...a 3 hr drive through the Mojave from Vegas...last years worst day in Jtree...snow closing down the upper campground...forced us down into the lower campground...waking up to 3-4" of snow the next morning even at the lowerer elevaton...still found us up Rattlesnake Canyon on Arrowhead and the like that day....i.e. Firewater Chimney, which graces the front of Miramonte's new guide book...tons of climbing to be had on one of their heaviest precip days....it is fast drying textured granite. So using different desert locales, you can always savage a trip...just be prepared of course.

Another thing to note with Red Rocks is that conditions vary, on any given day, quite a lot throughout the area. There are big differences in elevation between different climbing areas, and in the desert climate the sun/shade temeprature difference is also huge. Big differences also come from wind exposure

This means that conditions will be dramatically different on any given day between the Rainbow Wall (high, shady, windy) and the Gallery (low, sunny, sheltered).

The upside of this is that you can be flexible and pick your crag to suit the weather on the trip. If you show up during a hot spell, releif can be found on the high, shady parts of the canyons. If it is really cold, the sport crags of the Calico Hills are still climbable in the sun.

The downside is that you have to be flexible with your objective. If you show up in January and expect to climb Rainbow Wall, Prince of Darkness, etc, you may be disappointed; it can be too cold and even snowy in winter for these high, shady routes. So, be flexible, and be ready to spend the trip at the Calico Hills sport crags if it turns out to be cold up in the canyons. Also, for longer routes, aim for the sunny routes like Lev 29, etc.

A friend & I climbed Johnny Vegas->Solar Slab for my birthday this year (January 19th) and it was cold any time the sun wasn't shining directly on us, but certainly warm enough to climb. However, I have another friend who has made three winter trips to Vegas and had terrible weather every time. So basically, it's a bit of a crap-shoot.

Thanks so much for the feedback, this is really helpful