Top 3 climbs in Arizona

Geir Hundal wrote:Ask me again in 30 years for the other two. :)

C'mon Geir, you've climbed all over the state. Shouldn't be to hard to pick two other lines. I bet TooFast could help you chose two other climbs.

I have not had that much climbing experience in AZ, unfortunately, but from what I have had, I would say:

1. War Paint
2. The Prow
3. Wasteland

rickd wrote:any crag route vs this!

That is my next Road Trip!!! Where is it?

RickD:

If I had ever climbed the Totem up on the Res, I'd probably tout that climb as a top three..it sure looks way Boss! But, I must say I've never had the pleasure.

Tradster wrote:RickD: If I had ever climbed the Totem up on the Res, I'd probably tout that climb as a top three..it sure looks way Boss! But, I must say I've never had the pleasure.

+1

rickd wrote:any crag route vs this! and this is R&B

*drool*

For me, in the order I place them

1) Shangri-la (Sedona, Lost Canyon)
2) Terminator (Oak Creek Waterfall)
3) A toss up between Paradise Lost/Shotgun/Mutiny on the Bounty (Paradise Forks)

ryan dillon wrote: C'mon Geir, you've climbed all over the state. Shouldn't be to hard to pick two other lines. I bet TooFast could help you chose two other climbs.

hahaha ryan. my remark was part humor and part humility. there are a couple of places that i need to spend more time climbing at before i feel i could offer an informed opinion. plus, it's soooooo hard for me to compare single pitch lines with multipitch lines and bolted lines with trad lines ... it will probably take me 30 years to decide on my 3 favorite climbs anyway! the only thing i know for sure is that days of future passed is definitely on it. :)

since you called me out, though, i better cough up two more suggestions. two single pitch lines that really stand out to me are lizard marmalade direct (trad) and hard day at the orifice (sport). :)

I've loved AZ climbing since moving here, but it's hard for me to sum up a top 3 for some reason. I suppose since I've done it twice and had a blast both times, The Mace is an obvious, although already well-represented choice. It's a fun adventure in a classic style that usually leaves my seconds feeling like I'm a god for having basic crack climbing skills. What's not to love? Plus, doing the jump back across is like having an IV of espresso pumped directly into your brain.

I haven't been to some major areas still, and I haven't even done much at crags like Paradise Forks where I know some lines I will absolutely love reside, so I'm not really qualified to comment further.

I thought the request was for everybody's favorite 3 climbs in the state. I figure if you've climbed 3 climbs in the state then you're qualified to offer an opinion! I just think it's fun to hear what everyone's favorites are regardless of how many areas they've climbed in. I'm getting some good ideas--for example, Hard Day at the Orifice had never been on my radar before (not least because I've never climbed that hard), but after looking at some of the pictures it sure is now! Same with that tower that Rickd posted.

This is making me realize I need to grow up and start doing more trad climbing, and I need to get out of Tucson more. Regardless, here is my list, obviously slanted towards steep sport climbing.

Orifice Politics - Orifice Wall, Mt. Lemmon
Hard Day At The Orifice - Orifice Wall, Mt. Lemmon
The Crossing - The Helmet, Mt. Lemmon

3 moderate trad lines that I've had a ton of fun on...

Long Lead - Supes
Black Rose - Forks
The Sky Inside - Lizard Head

A few of my favorites...

Steel Crazy @ Mt Lemmon
True Value @ The Pit
The Totem Pole @ Queen Creek

Interestingly no one has mentioned "The Classics" list:

Mountain Project - Arizona

Hmmm...no particular order

Black and Tan at the Oak Creek Waterfall Wall
Coyote Tower on Courthouse Butte Sedona
Rain Dance at Paradise Forks (easily #1 if you have an opportunity to climb it during a summer shower...so good)

...and the best part is all the above are moderately 5.10 so check 'em out!

ryan dillon wrote:Thanks for the link Aerili. Looked like the last post was done in '07. So I'm sure some opinions might have changed. Plus MP has a larger audience than rockclimbing.com.

That's an interesting comment since RC.com has 92,000 registered users compared to the 19,000 users here. Also, RC has 2.2 million forum posts to the 151,000 here.

Curt

Charles Vernon wrote:I thought the request was for everybody's favorite 3 climbs in the state. I figure if you've climbed 3 climbs in the state then you're qualified to offer an opinion!

I thought it was the top 3 climbs in AZ, I just didn't want to put in chaff I don't feel very strongly about. I've been on plenty of climbs here I think are cool, but it's hard for me to order them since a lot of the ones I've been on barely stand out from each other on the cool-o-meter. The Mace I know is classic. Another climb I had a lot of fun on is Totem Pole in Queen Creek. Davidson Dihedral at P Forks is pretty classic as well. Arizona thus far has been more about the locales I go to than the absolute classic nature of the routes, but I credit that more to my own choice of routes and areas than I do to Arizona climbing. I wouldn't submit these choices to any consensus "best of" list. Give me some time to travel and select lines from the more classic areas ;).

Hendrixson wrote:Interestingly no one has mentioned "The Classics" list: Mountain Project - Arizona

actually- a number of climbs on the MP classics have been listed

My top 3 are always changing depending on what I've been grooving on lately. My vote, in no particular order:

-Abracadaver, Cochise Stronghold.
-The Hanging Judge, Winslow Wall.
-The Fisher King, Sedona.

Ask me next year and it will probably be 3 different ones.

Hendrixson wrote: ...Interestingly no one has mentioned "The Classics" list: Mountain Project - Arizona

Anyone else notice that 14 of the top 20 classics in all of Arizona are in Southern AZ? I love The Stronghold, but that seems way out of proportion. Just an observation.

Mike wrote:I love The Stronghold, but that seems way out of proportion.

hey mike-

i think that has a lot to do with the popularity of the area. more people vote=higher on the list.

Top 3 ? bwaaaahaaaahaaaaa ha. In Az, sheeit, I'm going to die laughing. Top 30, ehhhh maybe.

I doubt I could even list a top 3 in the Stronghold.
(Abra, Days, Lets Make a Deal, Pair of Gs, Che Dithsa, Wasteland, a few firsts I did with peter and/or steve, End Game, Great Gig, and that's just the east side... How about Pissgums, that's a classic type of climb and if it's your style...)

Pretty sure I can't pick out 3 at GM. Well... Ok, there I could probably pick out my favorite but I'd be suprised if more than one or two could even guess it. And then what ? Which is better ? Kingpin, Candyland, Coatimundi, GBU ? And that's just trying to pick out the best of 4 in a row. I'm trying to think, have I even done a climb at GM that I didn't like ?

Too many variables go into a classic climb. Just what does that mean anyway ? Is it about the actual climbing or is it about the entire experience ? I know for me, it's all about the experience. I've done climbs on some folks list here that I don't even remember, some more than once. But there was nothing really memorable about the outing. And I've done climbs that make my classics list that most would probably think are crap.

It's just too personalized. The state has way too much good rock.
What's my mood that day ? Do I want to crag, thrash sandstone, hump the canyon, clip bolts, jam cracks, drill, lead, boulder ?

A good climb is like a fine wine. You do it one day and it's fabulous, another time it's just moderate, some days it might even suck, another time it's the best ever, put it up and it's one of the world's classics.

I've also done climbs that I just wanted to be off ! Now ! Climbs where my partners just wanted off. And later, those climbs somehow morphed into these classic routes. It's a lot like a mom giving birth. Give it enough time and the pain and suffering fades and all that remains is the glow of the experience.

Speaking of classics, anyone ever done Dream of White Whales ?