Moab in August

I know...Not the best conditions :) That said it’s what have to work with. I might get a chance to go back in the Fall but for now August is the only guarantee.
I’ll be staying at a friend’s place somewhere outside of Moab towards the La Sal’s I know there’s some sport climbing up there and I’m sure cooler weather.
I just want to know whether or not it’s even worth going out to Wall Street or Castle Valley for an intro to desert towers at the North Chimney or Kor-Ingalls (assuming I felt comfortable at 5.9 and 10a’s at Wall Street).

Pipe dream? Stick to La Sals and come back in the Fall?

Be at one with the rhythm of the seasons, grasshopper.

(yeah, Moab in august is awful)

Moab in august is fucked. Go to wyoming!!

Get up early and drive to Rifle. 2.5 - 3 hrs. All bolts

Might as well find an active volcano to climb. 

Moab in August is whats up!! No one else there.

But FYI, 5.9/5.10 on Wallstreet is not the same thing as Castleton. Classic noob mentality. Castleton aint no craggin 10 feet from your car. 

Been there done that. It was awesome.

Yes, it will be hot, but in return you will have most areas entirely to yourself. With some research I bet you could also find a way to rotate between shady areas. Don't let wimpy heat whiners deter you from anything!!!

grog m wroteBut FYI, 5.9/5.10 on Wallstreet is not the same thing as Castleton. Classic noob mentality. Castleton aint no craggin 10 feet from your car. 

Ha, yeah, 5.10 at Wall Street feels like 5.8 most other places. Haven't been on Castleton but I have some friends that just did it a month ago. Competent at the grade and thought it was quite hard and a little scary. Thinking 5.9 Wall Street=5.9 Tower=a bad day.

JRZane wrote:

Ha, yeah, 5.10 at Wall Street feels like 5.8 most other places. Haven't been on Castleton but I have some friends that just did it a month ago. Competent at the grade and thought it was quite hard and a little scary. Thinking 5.9 Wall Street=5.9 Tower=a bad day.

Yes, you are far from the car and it definitely has a bit of a remote feel which ups the intensity. Maybe no individual move is harder than 5.9 on the two easy routes, but they are awkward moves, up off the deck.

grog m wrote: Moab in August is whats up!! No one else there.

But FYI, 5.9/5.10 on Wallstreet is not the same thing as Castleton. Classic noob mentality. Castleton aint no craggin 10 feet from your car. 

I definitely expected that kind of comment...I might be a noob but I think I’ve been on enough long multipitch routes in Yosemite and New Hampshire to know the difference between craggin and long objectives.

JRZane wrote:

Ha, yeah, 5.10 at Wall Street feels like 5.8 most other places. Haven't been on Castleton but I have some friends that just did it a month ago. Competent at the grade and thought it was quite hard and a little scary. Thinking 5.9 Wall Street=5.9 Tower=a bad day.

If that first part is true, it is good to know that the grades at Wall Street are a bit soft. It gives me a fudge factor to play with. 

The nice thing about 0% humidity is that if you stick to the shade, even >90˚ is ok.  Wall Street can be pretty nice as an evening hang, and the North Chimney of Castleton is totally doable if you get an early enough start.  You don't want to be doing that approach in full August sun.

Andre N wrote:

would you say that Castleton 5.9 is comparable to Yosemite or New Hampshire (Cathedral or Cannon)?

Id say if you’re comfortable at Yose 5.9, Castelton won’t feel hard (again, I’ve never been on Castelton this is a third party reference from a friends trip report). But yes, there are some significant differences between climbing quality granite and that sandstone.

FWIW, I felt that the N Chimney of Castleton was a bit soft for the grade. KI is old-school 5.9- not that I think the climbing isn't 5.9 but you have the wide third pitch (pro tip: calcite makes it way easier to lay back that section) but also the second pitch can give people some issues. Both pitches take some mental commitment.

August is good canyoneering time if you can find something dark and wet (never done so in Moab but August is great for canyoneering in Zion). Millcreek is another option. But man, the heat will be full on. And do know that the rock holds onto heat decently well so it takes a bit of shade before things get climbable again.

Wall St is a great place to climb in the evening, once the sun moves behind the canyon wall. Any place is going to be ok for a few hours in the morning. There is a climber's campground at Castelton; spend the night there and start your hike in the dark; take plenty of water. the return hike will be brutal. There are hot weather options....we once started up Little Wild Horse canyon about 7pm, then hiked Bell Canyon back in the dark. It was fun and comfortable. The scorpions come out at night, too, chasing the crickets.

Recompense on Cathedral would be a good comparison, especially if you do the straight up version not the Beast flake.

Every single time I see a post about climbing in Moab/Vegas/Shelf/Josh/ect in the summer the haters always show up and tell you it’s too hot! F that noise - climb early, chase shade, and enjoy that solitude! I love summer in the southwest.

Apross - I’ve climbed both the North Chimney and Recompense (my favorite route?) multiple times. Never thought of making that comparison, but they definitely have their similarities and are certainly solid for the 5.9 grade.

Climbing in the desert in the summer isn't that bad if you are a Desert Rat.

Been working in Moab for the past month taking youth groups mountain biking, climbing, canyoneering and rappelling...We get up at 5 AM for breakfast and start program at 6 AM...we are done by 11 AM and have "siesta time" then start back up at 6 PM and go till dusk...it is fine to do any of those activities during those time ranges listed although being done by 10 AM seems better...from 11 AM till 6 PM can be upwards of 105 degrees...the last month the temps have felt mild compared to past years within the same months of June & July...also, any time that cloud cover moves in during the "siesta time" the temps will drop down into the 70's or 80's which seems to be happening every 2-3 days or so...biggest issue is bugs during dawn and dusk, horse flies, mosquitoes, biting no-see-ums etc can be brutal if you don't have a layer of dirt and bug spray on you

as previously stated by those who know,

"Every single time I see a post about climbing in Moab/Vegas/Shelf/Josh/ect in the summer the haters always show up and tell you it’s too hot! F that noise - climb early, chase shade, and enjoy that solitude! I love summer in the southwest."

You will be fine during August

In 2002 in  August temps up to 105f in the shade .for the experience in full sun ,we did a FA on the Eastern Reef in the San Rafael Swell near Moab... We named it Hot Tin Slab .1390' 5.8 … It was warm but a good test of endurance...Afterwards  the beer tasted great!   As has been said ..if you get on the climb at dawn and perhaps a northern face .. go for it.

The daily run on the CO, daily!