Hey people!

So I am about to transition to a new job and my new boss asked when I could start, so I told him in a month which he was cool with. So I'm looking to head west climbing everything I can for the month of May. My climbing partner will find out out Monday, April 30th if he can take 3 weeks off. If he can't hopefully there is someone who wants to go on an epic road trip. Ideally, we can do some classics the beginning of the month in the northeast to make sure we aren't actually enemies then head west.

I can place gear up to 5.8 comfortable, and 5.9 if the pro is good. I will sport climb almost anything but haven't gotten a 5.13 yet. I also have mountaineering and glacier experience. I have a Cherokee that fits everything we would need.

I'm really easy going and don't have any specific goals but would like to climb the Bugaboos, Smith Rock, and perhaps the Tetons. But I'm down for whatever big or small.

Cheers,
Matt

you sport climb 5.12 but trad climb 5.8? what the fuck?

Gotta start somewhere dude, I can probably climb trad harder but I'm doing what I'm comfortable with.

May might be a little premature for the Bugs.

but you lead ice? I'm just trying to understand...

Hey Keenan I sent you a pm about my climbing abilities and I will be happy to answer any of your questions just hit me up with a pm. Let's keep this post on making an epic road trip. Thanks man.

not shitting on you, just think that you shouldn't have any problems stepping it up a few grades. If you make it to washington and it's dry be sure to check out index, straightforward placements in bomber granite and cracks galore, you'll crush. I'd join you but I'll be fishing in minnesota. have a good trip.

Caveat: I've never climbed at Index.

That said, this dude just recommended you go to a crag that (1) notoriously mentioned as a sandbag trad crag and (2) I've tried to go to three time sand been rained out...

Hope your trip is great. Climb whatever appeals to you, at whatever grade you're comfortable.

index is the best granite crag in the lower 48, and while a lot of it is sandbagged (11b's and 11d's are way hard) if you can pull 5.12 you'll be able to get on some really good stuff. thin fingers, godzilla city park and sloe children, davis holland. A great place to push yourself on gear.

I'll shut up now and stop detracting from the first and foremost problem this guy has, finding a partner.

Heading west from where?

The Bugs and Tetons will provide you with borderline winter mountaineering fodder, but not much in the way of rock climbing. If you are wanting to sharpen your trad skills City of Rocks in Idaho, Eldorado and Boulder Canyon in Boulder are perfect, ditto that for Cotton Wood canyons near Salt Lake. May is great for desert towers in the Moab area and learning to jam and cam at Indian Creek. For long bolted routes plus trad on the side, Red Rocks outside Vegas is superb, a great place to learn multi-pitch efficiency. Climbing in the N East and N West is fickle in May; it can be rainy, humid and buggy. Better to spend your gas and climbing days heading West and South.

Thanks for the destination tips, I really appreciate it. Haven't started really planning any destinations out but its good to know Bugs and Tetons are out. I have heard great things about Red Rocks too which would be cool. I am coming from Providence, RI so have done many of the long routes in the NE at cannon, cathedral, and white horse which tend to be between 5-9 pitches depending on how you break them up. So it would be great to get on some longer routes instead of doing link ups. But as I said I'm down for whatever even if someone just wants to do sport climbing around the country.