Top Ropes near Asheville, NC

I am going to be in Asheville with my Girlfriend for her friends wedding. Her other friends want to camp and hike after the wedding for a few days. I would like to climb and my Girlfriend offered anyone to bring their shoes and a harness and we would take care of everything else...

So that being said I have no idea what these people climb other then "5.7ish" which I assume means 5.7 top rope? Your guess is as good as mine. I am trying to find out more info but we will see. I figure 5.9 and below will be OK.

One suggestion was Rumbling Bald (open to anywhere around Asheville though). I have looked around and it seems promising but I really have no idea. Some of the stuff I have found looks good but too long for a TR situation. I am good with Sport or Trad (further question below) but obviously easy anchor setup would be good (bolts preferred but trees are fine too).

As far as trad goes what is the "standard NC rack"? I see a lot of mention of TCU/C3 needs. I only own .1-.4 X4's, .5-3 C4's, and a set of nuts, but I can probably borrow stuff from my usual partner/mentor. Since I am flying from Denver I would like to limit what I am bringing, if I can.

Thanks for the help.

Table rock in linville has some easy routes with anchors that would be good. Also fits the camping/hiking theme. Full moon this weekend also.

Rumbling Bald is pretty warm this time of year but is probably your best bet. If you want to set up topropes for the others you'll generally have to lead something first though. Fruit Loops at the Cereal Buttress is a nice little 5.7 and the first pitch has bolted anchors. If you're up for it you could try Granola which is 5.8 but not a good lead unless you feel solid at the grade. Born Again is a "sporty" bolted line that goes at 10+/11-.

The family wall also has some top ropable lines as well but not the same quality as Cereal Buttress.

As for rack you probably want a few more small cams but that should suffice for a good number of routes at RB.

Parker Wrozek wrote:I am going to be in Asheville with my Girlfriend for her friends wedding. Her other friends want to camp and hike after the wedding for a few days. I would like to climb and my Girlfriend offered anyone to bring their shoes and a harness and we would take care of everything else... So that being said I have no idea what these people climb other then "5.7ish" which I assume means 5.7 top rope? Your guess is as good as mine. I am trying to find out more info but we will see. I figure 5.9 and below will be OK. One suggestion was Rumbling Bald (open to anywhere around Asheville though). I have looked around and it seems promising but I really have no idea. Some of the stuff I have found looks good but too long for a TR situation. I am good with Sport or Trad (further question below) but obviously easy anchor setup would be good (bolts preferred but trees are fine too). As far as trad goes what is the "standard NC rack"? I see a lot of mention of TCU/C3 needs. I only own .1-.4 X4's, .5-3 C4's, and a set of nuts, but I can probably borrow stuff from my usual partner/mentor. Since I am flying from Denver I would like to limit what I am bringing, if I can. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check them out.

I forgot to mention we will not be out there until the end of September so I am hoping it all cools down some.

I second the rumbling bald suggestion especially in september (too hot right now and too much poison ivy), the cereal buttress has some ultra classics.

other areas to consider.
west slate rock, 1mi hike 5.2 - 5.6 slab climbs (if your group turns out to be total gumbies and are more into hiking and a view this is a good option, no bolts tho trees and gear only(laid in slab easy rap). East slate rock is on the back side of the same mountain, and offers harder stuff. 220ft to bottom rap in

Snakes den, road side - I have no experience here but I know it is close to asheville and offers a selection of moderates. Might need 2 ropes to get down??

looking glass, numerous options if you are willing to lead the P1 south side offers moderates, seepy after rain. probably best option after rumbling bald

cedar rock/stone depot - trails are somewhat difficult to navigate to get there but lots of nice moderates stone depot has the sport climbs, third best option.

Bradley falls, 1mi easy hike very cool ~80ft water fall some easy climbs, some over bolted climbs, very easy to set TR for lighting corner. avoidable choss, one steep section that you could rap but has fixed line for a somewhat sketchy ~30ft decent. fun area for the day

OP- What you are looking for doesn't really exist. A bunch of people on a wedding weekend won't want to spend all day bushwacking around the hot southern jungle, to watch you get lost, not find the route you want, trad lead something, be afraid of you falling, not understand, complain, then jump on your hard-earned rope line and struggle up 10 feet and then say they want to go back to town and have drinks.

Easy, convenient top roping near Asheville does not exist.

In September, the Chimneys might be nice.

have to agree with Russ here. There are a bunch of great day hikes and waterfalls to go check out in the area and Asheville is an awesome town esp if you have never been. Definitely check out Wicked Weed Funkatorium. Hauling a trad rack all they way there hardly seems worth it. Unless the people you are going with are avid climbers.

Lol...OK Russ. Thanks for the "suggestion" and being annoyed by someone wanting to climb while in the area.

My GF and her friends were trying to meet up on a climbing/hiking/camping trip this year (after a few years of not seeing each other). Their friends are getting married in Asheville so they decided to combine it.

We have Sunday - Wednesday to camp/hike/climb/whatever.

My GF and I will be doing 1 day of climbing on our own while everyone else whitewater kayaks so I am bringing all my gear either way. They have some day hike planned as well for another day. Maybe they just will not end up climbing with us. I am doing my best to try to find things out.

You hear people in NC talk about how great the climbing is so I figure I would check it out, you guys are making it sound like it sucks.

Afield and Kyle thanks for the actual suggestions.

If you have beginners in your party, then the Chimneys are a great introduction to top roping. It is also a fun area to explore if anyone wants to just hike. There are a lot of paddling opportunities nearby--everything from flat water to class 3-4 on Wilsons Creek.

You can set up top ropes on the east face of Table Rock (Jim Dandy, Helmet Buttress, Cave Route). Since you'll be there on weekdays, you may have it to yourselves. All are multi-pitch if anyone wants to do more. To kick it up a notch, head up to Ship Rock. It will be cooler and has some nice climbs in the 5.7-5.8 range, but is mostly harder stuff.

There are hiking opportunities at Rumbling Bald and near Ship Rock, but some of the best trails require buying a pass.

September is a great time to be in western NC. Far fewer bugs and less humidity than this time of year.

If you have a full day with just your GF (who I assume is a more experienced climber than her friends) you have some additional options. If it's hot (as is often the case even at the end of September) check out Shiprock on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Probably the coolest summer climbing area east of the Mississippi and south of New England.

mountainproject.com/v/ship-…

It's about an hour and a half drive from Asheville but it's some excellent climbing.

The climbing in NC is awesome, especially coming from Colorado you will be amazed by how bomber almost all the rock is. That said it tends to be very traditional multipitch, with virtually no moderate sport climbing or top roping in the state. If you want to crag for a day your best bet may be to drive to Hidden Valley, New River Gorge or Pilot Mountain. Pilot is the only large and accessible top rope crag in the state.

If you can only lead up to 5.8, and if you aren't comfortable on R rated routes, your best bet is to climb in Linville when you have time with your wife. There are many well protected moderates there. Anywhere else be prepared for hard grades and scant pro as a general rule. But please bring your rack, as NC has incredible climbing with strong ethics and history.

Also standard NC rack for multi-pitch is doubles #1 Metolius to #3 Camalot and some stoppers + tons of alpine draws. Most areas have lots of horizontals so unless you are really confident with your passive placements cams are important. Also tricams are very useful, especially for anchor building, if you know how to use them.

"I am doing my best to try to find things out."

Parker, exactly. My take on your question is honest and helpful, if you are looking for realistic information that will help you plan the trip. The climbing is all trad, off the beaten track, rugged ---- Nothing at all close to the scenario you described for taking a bunch of bridesmaids on a casual toproping adventure at the local crag.

Believe me I would love if there actually was something like this. I live in AVL and I can't even boulder after work. There's no good local, simple options near town.

There's plenty of great climbing that's closer than driving to The New for sure, and a rack of singles will get you up most things.

Thanks for the suggestions. From what I understand everyone else is just a bunch sport climbers out of Rumney and Smith Rock. I will try to figure something out that will work for everyone.

LOL I boulder and multi pitch after work, you aren't trying hard enough. There are also sport craigs some are not widely known. Cathy's creek is a roadside one but there is only one 5.7 and two 5.9s everything else is 10+
There is a very discreet boulder area in town bahahaha i'm not telling where though.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned crowders. It has plenty of top roping and some good sport climbing. It isn't my favorite rock, but the movement is good, especially if you like gym climbing. The hike is short but somewhat strenuous. When you get to the top, you can access dozens of climbs from the ridgeline. It faces NW and SE, so you can avoid the sun most of the day. If you decide to do anything below the overlooks where tourists congregate, wear helmets. There is a wide variety of grades from 5.4 to 5.12. Good luck!

Thanks Tom, seems like a good suggestion although a bit out of the way. If they really want to climb it seems like the place will work really well though.

Table Rock will be the most pleasant experience- close parking, at elevation, somewhat close to Asheville, and lots of easy and moderate climbs. The only catch is that the first pitches of a lot of things you would want to do are longer than half a rope length.

I have never personally done it, since I live next to Pilot and take beginners there, but you may want to figure out how to pass a knot on a top-rope belay. If you have two ropes with you, this would let you do a lot of things that are easy to set up and fun to climb. Of course that would mean taking two ropes which is a lot to pack.

Table Rock also has a large number of bolts when compared to other NC areas, which always helps when wanting to climb/set up quickly.

Both the Rumbling Bald Rock Climbs and Cedar Rock book covers a ton of terrain near Asheville (35 min-1 hr drive), much of which could be TR'd.The West Slate Rock option mentioned above is outlined in the Rumbling Bald book. Check them out; grounduppublishing.com.
Hidden Valley Rock Climbs guidebook is on the way to the printers with 475 routes just shy of 2 hours from Asheville. Plenty of sport/ TR lines there.