Best climbing towns?
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bernard wrote:What about Ogden, UT? I read some good things but don't know how it might relate to climbing or other outdoor rec. opportunities and resourcesThere is good skiing and climbing but the feel of Ogden is like the Akron of the west. |
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Chattanooga is surrounded by a ton climbing areas. Saying that it is not near the mountains is misleading. It's surrounded by an almost infinite amount of CLASSIC sandstone cliffs and boulders in every direction. Not this BS that technically passes for sandstone in the Front Range with Horsetooth being the ONLY exception. |
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You know man, having read this entire forum I would like to offer another interpretation. |
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akforty7 wrote:i would have to give a nod to san diego as well...mostly because it's not landlocked, therefore, starts off better with just that fact. you can hit up southern/mid-arizona in a couple of short hours (driving in a straight line, so it seems shorter when you tie off the wheel and take a nap on the way). if you like seasons, then look elsewhere...it's one long summer with a few chilly days/hours? yeah. 2.5 hours from jtree 5 hours from bishop (high sierras if that tickles your fancy) 6 hours from mt. lemmon **factor in whatever the drive to flagstaff winter mountains within range surf (and the bums that go with) **used to be able to have a keg on the beach, but that has passed there's more locations on a previous reply...see above.San Diego is a great town, granted, and has a ton of good climbing, especially with some of that backcountry stuff being developed. I'd give my eye teeth to have Mt. Woodson in LA's backyard. But it's not 5 hrs. from Bishop. Bishop is about 4.5 hrs. from LA, and SD is a good 2 hrs. south of LA. You do the math. And besides, you mention Mt. Lemmon but not Idyllwild?! Edit: P.S.: Has anyone mentioned Bishop? Not the cultural hub of CA, but the climbing and scenery can't be beat. I suspect the job situation might be grim, but there's enough climbers there who seem to find a way. Mammoth Lakes would be awesome as well but, again, employment issues. |
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I've lived in Flagstaff and currently live in Durango... |
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Look, I caught another one!</q |
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Jhernand wrote:Salt Lake is not as bad as cam head makes it out to be. Yes the Mormon religion is visible in salt lake, but that is nothing to take SLC off your list. Contrary to popular belief (camhead) bars do exist in this town. Strong statement saying there are none in town. I means its not NYC, but the local bar scene is not too bad. In fact there are a lot of good bars in town, and good atmospheres. Dont like the weak beer UT has well SLC has bars that serve regular strength beers. Look slc does have its downsides, but all in all it is great. You have some of the best climbing around, and only minutes form the city. Not to mention Indian creek, and Moab a short dive down the road. Red Rocks, and city of rocks in a short drive plus if you ski or snowboard SLC has numerous resorts within 20 minutes of downtown. Oh and as far as the religion goes think about it this way they go to church all day on Sunday so getting on the slopes, crags on gods day is super easy.Here. Here. nothing better then Rocky mountain high. sunday afternoon in the Utah mountains is all the religion I need! |
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TracyEllingson wrote: why are you fishing? this is a climbing forum. when you spu your mouth about something you apparently have no knowledge about, take your rebutles. buck up, and acknowledge your short comings. Do you think you know more about the SLC area, then those who enjoy living here?in other news, the form says "where are you from" not "where have ever lived your whole life and where did you grow up and learn to climb and seriously, after all the jokes upthread you still are pissed about the utah remark?" |
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I grew up in Small Fake City and could not wait to get the hell out. The climbing and skiing are world class however. I would not trade my upbringing for any other. |
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how come now body mentions any co mountain towns. Breck for instance has a strong climbing community, high altitude training, with in reasonable driving distance to all the good spots, and a uncrowded climbing gym. not to mention vail is 30 minutes in the winter? Unless you need the comforts of city life i think there are some better choices in colorado |
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Nate Brown wrote:I grew up in Small Fake City and could not wait to get the hell out. The climbing and skiing are world class however. I would not trade my upbringing for any other. A good buddy of mine, Brendan Brinkley, once said, "Were it not for the Mormons, SLC would be just like Boulder"... Could be worse, what if the city were overrun with Southern Baptists??? No Dancing! NOOOOOOOOOOThen thank God for the mormons. |
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I used to live in Boulder, now Santa Cruz, CA. For my money, Tucson, hands down. Cochise Stronghold, Mt. Lemmon, untracked possibilities in the Chiricahuas........ Much better weather and a much more beautiful town than Phoenix. You're probably not a birdwatcher currently, but if you move to Tucson, you will be; arguably, western America's finest, single birding destination. There are probably natural resource opportunities to the southeast with the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (yet another draw to the area) and the surrounding Sonoran Desert (desert doesn't get any better). |
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Just left the preceding post and then read COEveryman's comments. I must concur with everything he said. If you are heart and soul a climber, DO NOT leave Boulder. I used to get up before work and climb Freeway (2nd Flatiron, nice 4th/easy 5th solo) for a morning starter and then be in the office at 7:30am, work for eight hours, after work, be at Eldo finishing the day with 2-3 pitches there. That's the Flatirons and Eldo, and then there's Boulder Canyon, Lumpy, Table Mountain............. |
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I've noticed most of these suggestions have been in just a few states so I might throw another one out there to mix it up a bit...Leavenworth, WA. The only criteria it doesn't fully meet is a mild climate, but for that just head east, anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes to get on dry and warmer rock. Then again if you ski or climb ice you're once again covered by having stuff 5-10 minutes away. But literally, 4 miles down one road gets you to endless granite bouldering, cracks and slabs. Also you have acess to alpine rock, and 40 minutes up the highway is some great sport climbing. |
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Some one may have mentioned this before... here is a previous discussion on the Arizona and NM section - mountainproject.com/v/arizo…. |
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Fat Dad wrote: San Diego is a great town, granted, and has a ton of good climbing, especially with some of that backcountry stuff being developed. I'd give my eye teeth to have Mt. Woodson in LA's backyard. But it's not 5 hrs. from Bishop. Bishop is about 4.5 hrs. from LA, and SD is a good 2 hrs. south of LA. You do the math. And besides, you mention Mt. Lemmon but not Idyllwild?! Edit: P.S.: Has anyone mentioned Bishop? Not the cultural hub of CA, but the climbing and scenery can't be beat. I suspect the job situation might be grim, but there's enough climbers there who seem to find a way. Mammoth Lakes would be awesome as well but, again, employment issues.I've made it from Bishop to San Diego in 5 hours...but it was later (no traffic) and we were movin' relatively quick the whole way (80-85). |
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There is some excellent convenience to outdoor opportunities in Ogden, UT (I have lived her most of my life solely for the recreation). By Utah standards though, I would give the climbing a C+/B- although that scale is skewed due to Ogden being in...well...Utah. Better locations abound within a short drive from the Den of Og including the City, Logan, the Cottonwoods, AF, Maple, Joes/Triassic, etc and I often find myself driving to those places instead which is both good and bad to have that access. |
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Chris Miller wrote:Good question! My girlfriend and I have also been shopping around for a new place to live. So far Tucson seems like a great option, but I am very interested in hearing some more opinions.hey chris-- Tucson is great, but getting around is not as easy as it might seem, so you have to be very careful where you live in order to have decent access to both mt. lemmon and the interstate during getaway hours. and it can get hotter and wetter during the summer than you might expect-- windy point is about like jtree, but w. greater chance of t-storms. personally, i'd go to flag in a second if i had the chance. easier to get out of the snow in winter, than it is to get out of the heat in tucson. but tucson has a better art scene, the university had some nice resources, if the legislature hasn't already shut them down, and the so az hinterlands have stacks and stacks of untouched winter season rock. |
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So I should definitely not move to SLC. I'll just cross it off my list then, I wouldn't want to even bother to visit. And I definitely won't ask for any pms for a weekend of climbing so I could see the choss for myself. |
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There are hundreds of towns across the U.S. that can provide a climber with a lifetime of new routes to do. |