Best Steep Sport Climbing Areas

Matt Robinson wrote:

Chalk up another vote for the Red

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)

Pretty sure thats Toker and if you are 6' you can just reach and grab it. If you are looking for steep overhanging moderates the Red is king, heck there is Tesseract 10d which is probably 30 degrees+ the entirety of it. Also off the top of my head Pre-Emptive strike 10c in Muir, the last section is like 20degrees overhanging, with the biggest best gym quality 5.8 jugs nature ever created ( crux is the first 10 feet ). 

Boreal Strut wrote:

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

Hell yeah, thats my home crag.  I miss it!

Logan Peterson wrote:

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.

Dude you don't even know me. But whatever Grumplestilskin, have nice life. 

JCM wrote:

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?

Thanks for the info! Yeah I'm aware that there's not much in those states, but I gotta to sniff it out. I do like variety and am interesting in climbing all styles, but steep thuggy overhang is my favorite.  Im from the east coast originally and have climbed all over there. Im looking in the 10- through 12- range. I have a lifetime goal of climbing a 13- that with consistency I think I can do before I turn 50. 

Little River Canyon Alabama