Best Steep Sport Climbing Areas

JCM wrote:

re: Jailhouse. Definitely still a popular spot for local NorCal steep kneebar aficionados. And also for strong Yosemite visitors when they get rained off their El Cap free route. But doesn't seem to have ever become a destination in its own right. You don't really hear much about strong Rifle or Maple climbers making a winter trip to Jailhouse, in the way that the Hurricave had become a popular destination. Why is this? Why has Jailhouse never become a destination that hard sport climbers travel long distances for?

Is it full of Poison Oak like Table Mountain is?

I've never been there, as I have no interest in climbing 5.12s (aka I climb below 5.10.) Always open to belay people there though (once gas prices come back down to 3.50 again.)

Lots of the stuff in china. Yangshou and Getu 

JCM wrote:

Lol, what?

I mean, Trout is lovely. But not at all the genre discussed here.

Arguably it has zero of the criteria, not overhanging/cave-like, not sport, very little 12+->13, not very gymnastic movement... :P

Nathan Doyle wrote:

Is it full of Poison Oak like Table Mountain is?

I've never been there, as I have no interest in climbing 5.12s (aka I climb below 5.10.) Always open to belay people there though (once gas prices come back down to 3.50 again.)

There’s a tiny bit on the approach and a huge amount at the very very end of the approach but the part at the end is easily avoidable.

JCM wrote:

Lol, what?

I mean, Trout is lovely. But not at all the genre discussed here.

Yes. Sorry…. I was clearly distracted and thinking of something else when I posted that. Deleted it.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Chattanooga, yeah it isn't all sheer wall, but it can get pretty steep and overhanging out there from what I remember. Not to mention most routes are bolted for sport.

Zach G wrote:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Chattanooga

I think it's too close to the Red without the quality and quantity of routes the Red has

Dane B wrote:

I think it's too close to the Red without the quality and quantity of routes the Red has

I would disagree in that Chatty isn’t as condensed as the red. It definitely has the quality, they just aren’t necessarily all at one wall.

Not Not MP Admin wrote:

I would disagree in that Chatty isn’t as condensed as the red. It definitely has the quality, they just aren’t necessarily all at one wall.

I think Chattanooga is great, and I have thought that if I were to ever move to better climbing location than my current one, while still working, I might choose Chatty.

But… while it is great for a lot of climbing, including great winter climbing/bouldering, it just isn’t an international climbing destination. It’s more of a “it would be great to live here and have easy access to Stone Fort, T-wall, Horse Pens, Obed, Red, etc., rather than “people fly from all over the world for climbing at Chattanooga”.

using MP route finder the entire state of Tennessee has 676 routes from 10a-13a that are 3+ stars. The Red has 855

Lena chita wrote:

I think Chattanooga is great, and I have thought that if I were to ever move to better climbing location than my current one, while still working, I might choose Chatty.

But… while it is great for a lot of climbing, including great winter climbing/bouldering, it just isn’t an international climbing destination. It’s more of a “it would be great to live here and have easy access to Stone Fort, T-wall, Horse Pens, Obed, Red, etc., rather than “people fly from all over the world for climbing at Chattanooga”.

I agree, and why I didn’t include it on my list of world class areas…and as I said, it has the quality of world class routes, but more dispersed than the Red therefore not world class in my opinion

Chalk up another vote for the Red

Caves? ✔️ 

Gymnastic? ✔️ 

Toe hooks, heel hooks, and kneebars? ✔️ 

Routes ranging from 5.12-5.14? ✔️ (every route included in these pictures falls into that range except the one of the dyno start, that's only 11a but all the chalk in the background fits your range)

Frank Stein wrote:

The Osp Cave comes to mind immediately. But really, there are so many worthy options that any list needs to be at least down to regional. I can think of at least five or six good candidates in New Mexico alone, without really even thinking about it. And, New Mexico is not exactly a climbing destination. 

Where in NM are the caves and the steep stuff? This is my favorite!

I'm gonna revive this thread. Let's hear some more! How about we just go state by state? Id be interested to hear what's in New mexico, Oregon and Washington.  Im trying to get inspired and just buy that camper and be a bum. Make me belieeevee!!! 

David Jefferson wrote:

What about places like Rat Cave outside of Portland? Looks like it scores high on the choss/glue metric. 

Rat Cave (Oregon)!  this makes me laugh.  Fun spot, but definitely not the best and honestly not that steep compared to other crags mentioned on this list. (PLENTY OF GLUE AND CHOSS)

Tecolote Cave, El Salto deserves honorable mention

Lisa H wrote:

I'm gonna revive this thread. Let's hear some more! How about we just go state by state? Id be interested to hear what's in New mexico, Oregon and Washington.  Im trying to get inspired and just buy that camper and be a bum. Make me belieeevee!!! 

Re: Oregon and Washington. You can find some steep cave-style sport climbs in each state, but it isn't very extensive and/or isn't very good. So there are options if you happen to be passing though, but I wouldn't make a trip to either state to look for great steep climbing. 

Both states offer great cragging - both sport and trad - but it tends to be in the vert to slightly overhanging range. Smith, Trout, Index, Newhalem, World Wall, etc. WA also has some outstanding steep squeezey granite bouldering, if you need some steep powerful climbing. If you're visiting WA and OR, go do that stuff. Go elsewhere if you want (extensive, good quality) cave sport climbing.

I can't speak with great knowledge about New Mexico, but I hear intriguing things about Enchanted Tower, Sitting Bull Falls, and Last Chance Canyon.  The only place I've been there is El Rito, which I thought was just OK. I had a fun couple of days while passing through, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it. It seemed to me like a smaller, less steep, and generally inferior version of Maple Canyon. Still, a nice area for a few days if you are nearby.

Lisa: what grade range are you looking for?

Lisa H wrote:

Where in NM are the caves and the steep stuff? This is my favorite!

Solar Cave, Solstice Cave, “the dig” sector of The Tunnel, Crystal Cave (closed), Bat Cave, Sitting Bull Falls, El Camino.  All very steep, all good fun, but none really worth traveling for. 

Lisa H wrote:

I'm gonna revive this thread. Let's hear some more! How about we just go state by state? Id be interested to hear what's in New mexico, Oregon and Washington.  Im trying to get inspired and just buy that camper and be a bum. Make me belieeevee!!! 

Wait, you want Us to encourage You to buy a camper and drag it out to our neighborhoods? I'm sure you're a great person, but I'm not seeing an incentive. If you aren't already inspired by the routes on MP (including virtually every sport route in NM), that's going to be a huge waste of time and money. 

 I'm not telling you to stay off my lawn; public land belongs to all of us. I'm just pushing back against today's culture of self-promotion in climbing. I think it's both silly and irresponsible for us as a "community" to encourage people to do something dangerous and consumptive that doesn't benefit the world in any tangible way.

There is nothing world-class in NM, and we like it that way. Anyone who tells you otherwise has an ulterior motive.

Rumney. Not sure if the OP was interested in North East rock... But I'm surprised Rumney hasn't been mentioned

Alex Smith wrote:

I couldn't agree more. I define a climbable day as one during which nobody is screaming at the crag. Went to the Red for a week once and experienced 2 or 3 climbable hours. Great rock though.