Tucson Bouldering.... question for locals.

Hi, All.
I am going to be in Tucson this weekend working the Rotax, Challenge of The Americas. A part of the world championship of Karting.

I have about 5 hours free on Thursday afternoon and I wish to do some bouldering.

MP was helpful, esp the link to BOULDERING TUCSON. (BT)

Two spots look like they would work: #1 “Gates Pass” and #2 “Silverbell”

Right now I think Gates Pass, cause BT notes that it’s the most frequented spot in town and its closer to the hotel.

Silverbell looks like a more wild and scenic place.

Both look good, any thoughts?

And if I may ask one more question…..

Is the “Lil Abners Steakhouse” that is mentioned in the BT guide really good? Like 3-4 star good?

My boss at the races likes to take the whole event staff out for a grand dinner.
He gave me the responsibility last year for hooking us up.

Last year we had some fine Mexican food but some of the other officials are from the Midwest and East and on top of hangovers, they were having heartburn, so this year meat might be good.

Cheers…...I am Looking forward to Tucson this weekend, always a fun town.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it- if you go to either of those places, be prepared to be very underwhelmed if you are expecting anything more than bouldering for the sake of climbing something. "Wild" and "scenic" are not words I would use to describe either location. Expect absurdly soft grades (Silverbell especially, excluding the lower boulder hole problems) with some exceptions (Broken Rubber at Gate's), polished, chossy rock and trash on the ground. If you want near-town bouldering that is low enough to be warm, your best bets are Hairpin or Molino (I'm not a fan of Molino and infinitely prefer Hairpin, but some others feel differently). Both are significantly farther from downtown, though.

In the end, if you go in knowing what to expect from Gate's and/or Silverbell, you can certainly have fun there. Just don't expect anything more from them.

Alex.... Thank you for the quick response.

I boulder at Stoney Point almost everyday ....

I don't mind a bit of trash or broken glass.

Depending on the time, the hairpin might be fun.

THX

Silverbell or Gates aren't really 'wild', but they are both very scenic, especially if you are from out of town and want a taste of the Sonoran Desert. Gates especially is a beautiful area, in a cool little valley full of saguaros and desert flora. If you are just looking to get in a fun bouldering session without too much hassle, you won't be disappointed at Gates or Silverbell. Neither is a destination area, but both have easy access and some fun problems, and the sunsets at both can be spectacular.

If you are looking to try hard and push yourself, Hairpin or Matterhorn might be better.

Lil Abners is a hole in the wall, cowboy sorta place. But the food is delicious - big hunks of meat cooked over an open pit grill. A bit far from downtown, though. HUB downtown has some good meat dishes. If you end up doing Mexican, Cafe Poca Cosa or the Little Cafe Poca Cosa are both amazing.

Have fun...

Guy, I pm'd you, probably too late though.

Joe.... Jefe.... Alex.

I ended up at Gates. I liked it, alot. Thursday was not to cold and I did a few of the problems and watched a cool sunset.

Then it got really cold!!! I have never been racing when it was 28 F out. The motors suffered, some folks didn't drain the water, compleatly, out of their motors and they had broken blocks, cylinders, and bad water pumps. The guys who came down from Canada understood how to deal with the cold and did pretty good.

We had Steak at the "Silver Saddle" ... just off the fwy. It was good.

Monday am, I was going to go to Silverbell, but it was still about 28 F so I said "Screw this" and went homeward....

Be in Phoenix in Febuary.