Where do people that actually live in DC climb?
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Sportrock and Earth Trek in Rockville are the two main gyms in the DC metro area but a bit of hassle to get to after work if someone actually lives in DC (not the burbs). I live in DC and am looking to get back into climbing on a regular basis a few nights a week on the weekdays after work. Driving out of the city after work can be a nightmare and taking metro is too expensive to be doing on a regular basis. The only other gym in DC proper that has a gym I think is Results in Capitol Hill. I'm not familiar with Carderock or Great Falls but those seem to be the local climbing spots. So where do DC people go to climb after work? Thanks. |
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Check out the canal walls in Georgetown. Decent workout for the desperate... |
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The National Museum of the American Indian looks pretty sweet also...too bad you can't climb the thing! |
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Good luck! You do realize DC is right at sea level? |
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ACC wrote: I live in DC and am looking to get back into climbing on a regular basis a few nights a week on the weekdays after work. Driving out of the city after work can be a nightmare and taking metro is too expensive to be doing on a regular basis.You've got a pretty tough decision matrix working there ACC. You WANT to climb but don't want to drive or take metro. Sounds like you should build a woody at your place. Only solution I can see. I used to drive about 18 miles one way after work to get to Carderock one afternoon a week for 3 seasons out of the year. Somedays it was pretty annoying but that's how bad I wanted to climb. You might also check and see if Robin Close (I think that's his name) has any beta on boulders in Rock Creek Park on his blog. Good luck! --Wannabe |
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barstools mostly |
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thanks for the replies. I'm familiar with the wall that runs along the canal in Georgetown. I've run by it many times and I've only once seen people on it. I'm surprised it's not more popular. I guess DC people don't have many options as far as local spots. I was just wondering what DC-based climbers do for climbing on the weekdays especially during the winter months. Does anyone know anyone that actually ventures out to sportrock or earth trek from DC regularly during the week? |
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Yes I know people who go to Earth Treks during the week. I met a guy at Rocks SP who said he goes there more than Cardarock. If you live near the Metro traveling there should be crowded but going back into DC should be easy. Once you're off the train the gym is a short walk away. |
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Carderock is a dust pan, Annaolis rock choss pile, Chikies choss, boring, Birdsboro manufactured holds abomination galore, the Great falls tourist trap, deteriorating conglomerates.....the whole area is a bore....go to the Gunks! |
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Suqui wrote:Carderock is a dust pan, Annaolis rock choss pile, Chikies choss, boring, Birdsboro manufactured holds abomination galore, the Great falls tourist trap, deteriorating conglomerates.....the whole area is a bore....go to the Gunks!But Sharma had to project a 5.12a at Carderock! It must be awesome! npr.org/templates/story/sto… |
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camhead wrote: But Sharma had to project a 5.12a at Carderock! It must be awesome! npr.org/templates/story/sto…Carderock seriously sucks! Sharma ? I have to ask him why he even bothered.... |
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We built a great glue-up for bouldering on the stone wall in Rock Creek Park under the Porter Street bridge. 100 feet long, 15 feet high, and a nice grassy landing. D.DOT chopped it a few years back, but it wouldn't take much to bring it back to life. |
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The Gunks? Yea, that's not far at all. I doubt he's going to drive six hours after work. Maybe the Metro could get him close? You want to see a choss pile? Check out Maryland Heights. |
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Traversing the base of the Washington Monument is fun and challenging and you've got to experience the barn door on one of the aretes. |
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Suqui wrote:Carderock is a dust pan, Annaolis rock choss pile, Chikies choss, boring, Birdsboro manufactured holds abomination galore, the Great falls tourist trap, deteriorating conglomerates.....the whole area is a bore....go to the Gunks!I think climbing on "Choss Piles" builds character. I've now heard almost every crag I climb at referred to as a "choss pile" by one MPer or another-- including Seneca called a choss pile that looked like it was pooped by a giant choss monster. How psyched do you have to get to go climb a flatiron or in the valley? How hard do you have to work to learn how to climb different styles? We may have smaller crags but I wonder if it doesn't build bigger characters! (I used the "s" on there purposefully grammar police) I'd still swap my current abode for one next to big mountains in fairness, big mountains and probably smaller characters... --Wannabe |
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People call Seneca a choss pile because it is an enormous choss pile. Seneca is one of the only crags in the country that when you approach it on the highway coming from the New you say "Wow, we are 25 miles out and I can already tell that place is a crumbling, deteriorating, piece of choss." After climbing at Seneca for the first year or so of my trad career, I tapped on every hold to make sure it was good at all the places I went to afterwards. This practice is absolutely necessary at Seneca, but when I realized I didn't have to do that at quality crags, the association of choss with Seneca became permanently cemented. On top of the chossiness, if you climb harder than 10 then you are going to have to go above small gear like brassies and 00 tcus. The grades stop at 12 except for maybe 1 junky sport route that goes at 13. Even worse than not having hard climbs is the unbelievable amount of gumbies. No area in the world attracts as many gumbies as Seneca. If you get to a rappel station and there is even 1 party there you might as well walk down because the party will invariably be a bunch of gumbies that take 2 hours to set a rappel. The gumbies are also very dangerous; they will drop stuff on you, epic on 5s, and make stupid mistakes that someone with 20 years of experience should never make. Seneca gumbies are the worst in that regard; they are not gumbies because they have been climbing for 9 months and want to try trad, they are gumbies because they have been climbing for 20 years and still act like they have been climbing for 9 months. There are more of these "Perma-gumbies" at Seneca than anywhere else in the world combined. |
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DC can be a purgatory for climbers but with a little work and getting to know the community you can thrive as a climber in DC. First, the gyms are top notch. Both Earth Treks and SportRock are topshelf gyms where you can make great gains in your climbing. |
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ok, thanks for the feedback. I had thought about moving closer to Earth Treks in rockville but I like DC so I haven't made up my mind. The metro from my place is almost a $10 round trip so that's going to be costly if I decide to head out there several times during the week. I was hoping to hear from some DC people to see what they do during the week. Since most people don't really climb outside during the weekdays after work especially during the winter months, I was primarily interested to hear what they do. Since I'm short on time after work, the climbing gym is the best option for me. Does anyone know anything about the local DC gyms that have climbing walls (the results gym comes to mind)? I've been to some gyms before that have climbing walls and it seems hit or miss. |
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Years ago, while dropping a buddy off back in DC after a trip to Seneca we somehow managed to do some "climbing" right along the Potomac. I don't remember the name of the park we parked in to get to these "climbs." I thought it was novel that we could see DC from where we were climbing from. Length of the climbs depended on how high the water was. Nothing huge either way. 25-30ft if that. |
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"H" wrote:Years ago, while dropping a buddy off back in DC after a trip to Seneca we somehow managed to do some "climbing" right along the Potomac. I don't remember the name of the park we parked in to get to these "climbs." I thought it was novel that we could see DC from where we were climbing from. Length of the climbs depended on how high the water was. Nothing huge either way. 25-30ft if that.probably great falls |
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Joseph is right on. |