Recommendations for a summer climbing destination that is not Squamish

Princess Puppy Lovrwrote:

Ten Sleep also seems to be memed for being soft but people who have climbed 20+ 12s there seem to think just the popular ones are mega soft. Who knows. My main point is you can pretty easily find one soft route that is super popular at every crag.

So which 12s at Ten Sleep are the mega soft ones?   

Khoiwrote:

So which 12s at Ten Sleep are the mega soft ones?   

Yes

haven’t you heard, MP has declared all 12’s in Ten Sleep as soft….also Puppy Lovr has never even climbed there   

Khoiwrote:

So which 12s at Ten Sleep are the mega soft ones?   

I'll come up with a list of the ones that I've flashed.  

Dope Shinto (don't climb up the crack and bypass the crux), Wu-Tang's Wild Shinto Ride, Tricks for You.

Petsfed 00wrote:

Vedauwoo is a really good place, if you like to crack climb specifically. If you're more of an all-around granite climber, you're gonna be disappointed. That said, if you're into crack climbing, Vedauwoo is in the top ten, maybe top five crack climbing destinations in the lower 48. And not just for offwidths.

Wild Iris and Ten Sleep have pretty different scenes. Personally, I prefer Wild Iris to Ten Sleep, but if you have time, they're only like 4 hours apart. You could do both. I think I've spent close to 6 months of my life at Wild Iris, and I'm excited to go back.

I have yet to go to Vedauwoo, but I've only known it to be a destination for offwidth climbing. What would you say is the approximate percentage of non-offwidth crack climbs there?

Sam Haughwrote:

If you do end up going towards Wyoming and SD, the old school trad around Mt Rushmore and Custer SP are so much fun and a really unique setting. I spent two weeks in Tensleep which is fun but but might lack some variety, and I ended up wishing I spent more time in SD instead. Climbing the Cathedral Spires and around Lake Sylvan was such a blast and there are hardly any crowds to compete with.

Sounds like those places are too hot for late August, but I will try to check them out some other time, during a cooler month

JCMwrote:

Ten Sleep is definitely more oriented toward vert-tech climbing on pockets and crimps. It's friendlier than Smith in various ways, but still in the same general category in climbing style. Its an awesome place and worth going, but set your climbing style expectations accordingly.

If you are more interested in steep enduro jug hauls, consider a trip to Utah instead. Specifically, Maple and the Unitas. Maple is nice in the summer - ambient temperatures a smidge warm,but there are lots of shady crags and the air is dry (I've done multiple weeks-long trips there in summer and always had pretty good weather). The climbing style is steep endurance on big smooth rounded cobble jugs.  It's arguably a steeper and juggier place than even the Red (though also chossier...). Super fun, and absolutely worth visiting if steep endurance if your niche. I think of Ten Sleep as a better destination for the general case than Maple, but for steep endurance afficionados Maple is the spot.

A trip mostly to Maple could be augmented with a couple days side excursion at the end to the Unitas. Great alpine scenery, and some steep quartzite jug haul sport climbs. Sessions (12a) is the mega classic.

In considering Ten Sleep vs Maple, it mostly a matter of what kind of climbing you and your partners are more excited about. Though Ten Sleep does get points for better camping and better scenery.

We were in Maple Canyon in September 2019. I LOVED IT! It really surprises me to hear that it's steeper and juggier than RRG...

I was walking by a bunch of climbs when one of them.... just "called out to me"... I gave it a really thorough look over and felt that I should jump on it. I found out from some locals that that climb is The Angry Inch 5.11b. I jumped on it and I came oh so close to flashing it!

If we end up visiting some friends who live in Laramie then we might spent a day or two at Maple Canyon...

Thanks for the campsite beta! Much appreciated!

Khoiwrote:

I have yet to go to Vedauwoo, but I've only known it to be a destination for offwidth climbing. What would you say is the approximate percentage of non-offwidth crack climbs there?

Hard question to answer, honestly.

If we're talking "largest piece you could possibly place on the entire climb is a #3 C4", maybe 10%. That 10% is phenomenal, but its pretty rare. If we're talking "largest piece you will need is a #4, and only in one spot", you get closer to maybe 50-60%. Bump that to a #5 and you get up to 80%. You will not have a lousy trip if the biggest you bring is a single #4.

Jeff G.'s list is pretty complete, although he seems pretty bullish on Hesitation Blues.

Chris Smallwrote:

If you like juggy overhanging climbing which is not chossy and havent climbed  at lake louise you definitely have missed out on one of canadas best crags. Difficult logistics with the tourist crowds nowadays but worth it in my opinion

Yes! And judging from photos some of the scenery in the background of some of the climbs there looks amazing!

Adding Lake Louise to my list of places to check out sooner rather than later. What do you mean by difficult logistics? Hoping the logistics don't get harder than they are now.

Khoiwrote:

…….What do you mean by difficult logistics? Hoping the logistics don't get harder than they are now.

I’d guess he means parking difficulties due to all the tourists. It’s hard to imagine how impossible the Chateau parking is until you (try to) go there, especially compared with 10 to 30 years ago. You need to show up super early, though I have found parking late in the day. 

Shameless thread hijacking: Anyone have input on the areas around Montreal and/or Quebec City in late June/Early July? Originally had planned on the dacks but got some local advice that the weather and bugs would be miserable

Weather will be pretty much the same—if not worse.

The bugs will be pretty much the same—but even worse.