Prescott Beta?

So my girl and I will be in Prescott oct 6th for a wedding and have deided to stay a couple days after and do some climbing. I have a couple questions I was hoping someone local or familliar with the area could answer.

• How accurate is Cramers guide (3rd ed.)?
• Recomended leads in the area (trad or sport) probably 5.7 and lower as I havn't climbed in a couple of months.
• Anywhere in town rent pads?

Any beta would be greatly appriciated. Thanks in advance.
-Mackley

Hey Mackley,

By "Cramer's Guide (3rd ed.)" I assume you mean the Prescott Bouldering guide he put out..
It is Very accurate, and is very helpful when looking for routes in new areas. Any of his guides, once you get used to the rating format, are very good.
Some areas to look into for sport, trad, and bouldering at the level you requested would probably be:

Time Zone Wall-
Mostly sport climbs, not too bad of an approach, probably the easiest routes in all of Prescott reside here.

mountainproject.com/v/time-…

High Rappel Dell-
Almost all trad lines except a few harder sport routes and a small area of sport routes, there is almost no approach (right off of 89A). Only thing is there are only a token easy-moderate trad routes, albeit pretty fun.

mountainproject.com/v/high-…

Groom Creek-
Awesome Bouldering. Some of AZ's best problems are here and are easily accessible. On that note, I haven't heard of any place you would be able to rent crash pads in town. Manzanita Outdoor off of Shelden & Montezuma might be able to help you out though.

mountainproject.com/v/groom…

Waves of Rock-
If you want an "adventure feel" with an easy route or two, either trad or sport. Waves of Rock is a little bit of a hike to a huge slab with multi-pitch fun.

mountainproject.com/v/waves…

Granite Mountain-
If you're feeling up to it, GM Proper is the place to be on any given OCT day! It's currently "in-season" with the Falcon closers lifted this time of year, and the awesome weather. Note of caution, like most routes around Prescott, the routes are what some people call "stiff" on GM. Since you've probably squeezed the Lemmon in Tucson then you'll know what's up.
The approach is well...adventurous, and long, the first time you do it, but it's worth it.

The route I would recommend for you would be:

mountainproject.com/v/the-c…

Have fun up here and happy climbing!

Cheers,
Mac M, PPG

Hey Mac, thanks for taking the time to thouroughly answer my questions. I appriciate it. Now I just wish I was going to the convention the next weekend too. One more question... Where is a good place to grab a cold brew after a day of climbing?
Thanks again,
-Mackley

The Raven Cafe has a good selection of microbrews on tap as well as a good menu. Try Granite Mountain Brewing, a new nanobrewery, if they are open. Don't be lured into Prescott Brewing Company...

I'll second the notion that the hike up to GM is worth it. The Classic, is well, classic and will feel hard for a 5.7 leader. If you are looking for quality lines that come in at 5.7 and under, head to the Swamp Slabs on Granite Mountain (unfortunately, MP doesn't have the greatest coverage of routes on the Swamp Slabs- there is a foldout topo available at local shops that provides the best beta). There are a handful of 2-3p routes within that grade range, and linkups often provide the most classic lines- let me know if you want specific recommendations or beta. Depending on how fast you climb and how long the approach takes, you can often climb a number of routes here in a day. Also, it stays shady in the morning, which can be nice around here.