Truly great climbing destinations...for those who suck at climbing

There are many very beautiful east 5th class routes that are more alpine, but the issue for you, with not-so-great knees, is the approaches and descents. At areas I have climbed at, it seems to me that if you can call yourself a 5.7 climber, the world really opens up for you.

Joshua Tree would be an ideal place. Lots of very nice things at 5.7 with easy approaches over flat ground. There are plenty of 5.6s there but I’m not sure how many partners would want to spend a day seeking out the 5.6s to climb.

Pine Creek, Owens River Gorge and Alabama Hills (all reasonable approaches) also have a lot more to offer if you bump to 5.7.

Great motivation for training! Best Wishes...

I tried DWS once.  Then I discovered SWS (shallow water soloing).  Ow.

phylp wrote:There are plenty of 5.6s there but I’m not sure how many partners would want to spend a day seeking out the 5.6s to climb.

For the record, I sure would.

Old lady H wrote:

Except aren't they sandbagged, like, 10 number grades? And sorta mandatory to be taller than a fourth grader?

There will be tons of wonderful routes you can climb at the Gunks. I'd try to meet up with you if you're ever stuck for a partner there, though I suspect you'd have plenty of options. As for the height, not sure how tall you are, but I've climbed a lot with shorter women up there - my main partner for years was 4'11" I think. Maybe an even 5'?

I'd have to second the Gunks for easy access and plethora of amazing easy single and multi-pitch climbs. Its a zoo for sure but that all tends to shed away up on the cliff.

Get a passport and there are some really great mellow bolted "plaisir" multipitches in Austria...some approaches are long, others are minutes out the car...Even if you aren't climbing the hardest, the views are the same and they are incredible...(and there are plenty of guide services)
Oh, and I almost forgot--near the Matterhorn is the Riffelhorn...with the train it's maybe a 15-20 minute easy approach, followed by 5 fun pitches overlooking a massive glacier, the tallest peak in Switzerland, and the ur-mountain Matterhorn...here: https://www.mountainproject.com/route/111976252/egg

OLH - I agree with the recommendations for the Gunks. I can't recall being turned away from any route at the Gunks due to height issues (5'0"). There are 43 5.3-5.4 routes at the Trapps that I'm guessing you could lead. I bet you could lead and/or follow a lot more than that.  At the Gunks, you can access a lot of routes right from the carriage road. But further down the carriage road, where there are many fun and easy routes, you will have to hike up a talus field to get to the cliff. I'm not sure from reading your posts how difficult that would be for your knees.

You could also do quite a lot of fun, easy sport climbing at Rumney in NH. I've found height to be an issue there, more, but not often. The approaches are comparable to the Gunks. No carriage road though :)

If you ever get out to NH, I could climb with you midweek. I'm very happy to climb easy stuff!

I also dream of climbing at destinations overseas! DWS never really appealed to me, for some reason. I guess when I'm climbing, I want to be dry (plus I don't swim well). Anyways, yeah, I would love to get on some routes in Europe, Australia, or elsewhere. "One of these days" lol.

If you want to try DWS in a safe setting and see how you feel about letting go (even from just 15-20ft up) you should check out the psicobloc comp wall next summer in Park City. They open it to the public July-August and have about 1 route at each grade. Worth checking out just to know what it feels like to climb high and let go.

Iceland!  There's climbing areas there with moderate grades and guiding services.  So the climbing might not be world class, but it's Iceland!!  So much to see and experience there!!  With some diligence, it can be pretty affordable too.  My wife and I are going next summer in June for 10 days.  Round-trip non-stop from Denver to Reykavik for $480!   Hard to beat that.

DWS, 5.6, in the US. The one place I can recommend from personal experience is Summersville Lake. Go to the Coliseum area, jump in the lake, swim around to the right, and pull some easy jug hauls. Jump back in when you're done.

I hear there can be a big fine, but I also hear that if you "fall" while climbing out of the lake, it's not a violation. All hearsay, never looked into it much.

I like the idea for this thread.

Helen, one thing re. DWS is that you will need to learn how to climb OVERHANGING rock. DWS on anything that isn't overhanging isn't really a DWS. Bouncing down a slab and falling into the lake at the bottom isn't fun. 

So here is my philosophy. You are 62, right? Honestly, how many good years do you have left? Will you feel like doing big trips when you are in your 70s? What will your knees be like? I’m a bit younger than you, but I am starting to feel a sense of foreboding about these concerns myself. My suggestion is to get a passport and go big. You can road trip to all the continental areas when you are old and in a RV. 

Castle Crags in Norcal has classic 5.6 climbs, not DWS though.

So, If you go big, come to Europe and say hello - lots of nice crags with easy climbs in Frankenjura. Good food, too. Good beer. No DWS. Very few multipitches though, and none of them easy. 

OLH - this may be a crazy idea for the future: if you're considering a stay in the Gunks, a group of us people-who-suck-at-climbing could get together and do an Airbnb rental for a month. I bet we could find a couple more people to share the cost and swap leads with. I think it'd be a blast!   

I have to ask why everyone is flogging the Gunks? Yes, the climbing is really good, it is historic, and there are tons of easy to moderate routes. BUT, it costs a small fortune to climb there, the parking sucks, those same easy routes are a zoo, and camping is nearly impossible. There are so many areas that are cheaper and easier, and that are as or almost as good as the Gunks. 

Helen - why travel?  I lived in Boise for >10 years and the Black Cliffs have a lot of really high quality climbs.  A hell of a lot better than where I live now (Nor cal bay area).

Chris Hill wrote: Helen - why travel?  I lived in Boise for >10 years and the Black Cliffs have a lot of really high quality climbs.  A hell of a lot better than where I live now (Nor cal bay area).

Why not travel and experience new places? Why do I run into SLC locals in places like Europe, or even Roy on a regular basis?

OLH:

People may laugh, but: when I was climbing in the 5.6 - 5.9 range, I always enjoyed the climbing at Smith Rocks.  (Numerous grades and years later... I would still have a great time there....)  You can work your way along the long tall walls, and then the back side... at any grade)  At that point,  I was more or less in your age group, and I'm not tall, and not inordinately strong.  The approach is not long or hard; the camping is great.  Usually a crowd, but usually friendly.  You do have to like small holds, and have decent footwork.  It's tufa, so hard on your hands. (think recovery of skin on day 3 or 4)  But I'm thinking this would be easier for you to get to from Idaho than Australia, so less out-of-pocket if you turn out not to love it.  And re  "they were easier at the grade, than here. For me" -- it's like that for most of us.  5.6 - 5.8 at Smith is usually a heavily featured slab, or if not, generously juggy.  Best to line up partners in advance, as always. 

If you can push it to 5.7 you can stand on top of this at Smith. Stood on top twice this year and might go again this weekend.