Big Island Climbing?

Aloha,

I'm going to be on Hawaii from the 4-13th and want to climb. I've heard mixed things about accessibility and safety at the climbing spots listed on here. Anyone have any beta? And anyone want to meet up and climb? Message me if you're interested!

Mahalo,

Greg 

Hi Greg. I’ve climbed a bit in HI, but not in a long time. A good friend of mine is one of the earlier developers on Oahu and is responsible for bringing Ti hardware to the state. This is what I know…There is pretty good climbing on Oahu and Maui, and there is some hard to find mediocre limestone on Kawaii. As for the Big Island, there is DWS at Southpoint. I saw it, and it looked terrifying. Think deep, open ocean with currents. 

The two best bets for climbing on your trip are Pi'ikea Gulch and South Point. Pi'ikea is chill bouldering with mostly good gravel landings and short TRs. South Point is also good for DWS and has less intense swimming conditions than End of The World (most of the time this place feels like a ride inside the washing machine).

There's also countless amazing other things to do and see on the Big island that don't involve climbing and can only be experience here. For example, parking at the Koai'a Tree Sanctuary, a neat place to check out, and walk up the dirt road on the east side of the sanctuary to the Kohala Forest Reserve- a spectacular otherworldly experience once inside. Although it feels like you might run into a Velociraptor at any moment, there's only a bunch of pig and hunter trails that go deep into the forest. No climbing but it would be easy to get turned around and lost inside if not paying attention. Also, a likely place to have that intrepid pig encounter! But for my money I'd put ALL of my effort on that short trip into poking lava with a stick first. Just sayin.

Thanks for the comments and further recommendations. I come to the Big Island about twice a year, but I'm always looking for new places to explore (tend to get a bit stuck in my usual spots)! Really appreciate both the climbing and non-climbing thoughts.