Rain at stone fort!!

So I’m going on my first climbing trip next Sunday to Stonefort which is exclusively sandstone. I’ve had everything planned out for a while the weather was good, but today I checked and it’s raining all week. I don’t think I can climb without damaging the rock but weather can be unpredictable so what should I do? Cancel the trip?? Are there other good outdoor spots in the south east? Maybe some good gyms in Chattanooga? I’m just really bummed I might have to cancel it all advice is appreciated let me know!

Hey Oliver, sorry about your trip, but it does indeed seem like bad weather for climbing this weekend. Do you have more context for what you’re looking for and where you’re coming from? Most likely the solution is that one day it won’t be raining, and that’ll be a great day to be at stone fort.

Also, southern sandstone is not the same as western wingate sandstone in regards to rain. Prob shouldn’t climb if it’s actually wet, but rock that looks dry usually is dry and fine to climb on. 

Geologists, please correct me if I'm wrong but apparently, desert sandstone out W is more delicate than our southern sandstone because it's a couple hundred million years younger. Yarding on southern sandstone when wet probably won't damage the rock but it probably won't be an enjoyable experience. Watch out for those slopers, they're tricky when wet.

Generally southern sandstone is pretty strong even in the rain, but it is gonna be soaked, I don't think anything will be climbable until we have a full day without rain. If you sport climb you could try going to lizard or buffet wall, but I bet those will condense. Synergy is a great gym