Suggestions on places to take the girlfiend in mid march

splitclimber wrote:alabama hills out of lone pine would be right up your alley. not a lot to actually walk around and set a top rope up on, but if you can lead sport, basically all the routes are single pitch with bolt anchors. then you don't have to top rope, but she can. :) lots of peaks to bag, other stuff to do and lots of options for camping. i would think it would be a fun place for a new outdoor climber, mostly all face climbing, basically no approaches, great views.

The Alabama Hills are nice enough, but anything that they have going for them, J-Tree has got it going on better (the amazing view of the Sierra at the Alabama Hills is an exception to this). The Alabama Hills are a "poor-man's Joshua Tree;" you're better off with the real thing.

Matt N wrote:Get a guidebook to help with finding the formations and walkoff/top rope approaches. Here's some info to get you started joshuatreeclimb.com/TopRope…

+1 for this. That is really good beta on that site. Check this out: they even have a printable PDF guide to J-Tree Topropes. Color photo-topos and everything. You may still want a proper guidebook, but it would be a damn good start. Check it out here: joshuatreeclimb.com/TopRope…

Also, definitely check out Thin Wall (it is covered in that PDF). Best spot in J-Tree for a concentration of easy-access TRs. Moderate vertical routes with big holds. Can get crowded, though, so go early and go on a weekday. Some routes there even have bolt anchors for TRing, which is a rarity in J-Tree.

For most J-Tree toprope setups, a good selection of webbing or static rope is needed. Good anchor points are often far back from the edge, and you sometimes need to extend the anchor point by 30 feet to get it over the rounded edge. Static rope is probably better than webbing, since it will put up with the abrasive rock better.

MarkGriffin wrote: Definitely Vedauwoo.

great way to have an ex-girlfriend

Red Rocks would get my vote. Lot's to do outside of climbing and much to see in close proximity to camping, and way more options if weather doesn't cooperate for a day.

wisam wrote:When u say tr anchors are not easy to set up are you talking about the fact that there are no trees to sling? I've got a full set of nuts along with a bunch of hexes and several cams. Or is the issue more of the lack of suitable rock to place gear or access to the top of the climb?

Ya, I was saying that it's pretty common for Josh to not have bolts on top of each climb. So with a small rack of cams and nuts you should be fine. Read up on how to equalize a few pieces of pro and then like mentioned bring some long slings or webbing to extend your anchor to the edge.

For the quidebook question, Randy Vogels books (east and west, I think) are the most comprehensive but if you're only going to be there for a week I'd say the Wolverine book would be better. I like that the wolverine book even has GPS coordinates. J-tree is a really big park, but if you're friendly there's always climbers running around and you could easily get some beta from others.

Also, if the top ropes are not quite what you're into there's some world class bouldering as well.

Red Rocks would be an excellent place to take your girlfriend if you are looking for lots of 5.8/9 stuff. If you were willing to go an hour past Vegas the Saint George area offers a ton of crags that are excellent for people still new to the sport. You can research the area either on this website or consult "Rock Climbs of Southwest Utah and the Arizona Strip" by Todd Goss. Hope this helps good luck!

thecornyman wrote: I think Josh is gonna be your best bet as well. Just be aware that setting up TR's is not super easy here. At the very least you should be able to build a gear anchor.

If you didn't buy your tix yet, flying into Palm Springs will save you a whole bunch of not-very-interesting driving compared to the various LA airport options.

Have fun!

Thanks for the suggestion on palm springs.

Regarding camping what at the odds of getting a site at hidden valley on a Monday? There is still availability at Indian cove after the weekend and im wondering if it would pay to reserve a site there now or if things are pretty open on the weekdays. Weekends I know will be full.

Unfortunately we can't get there till Friday evening. Any suggestions on a place to stay? I'm not holding out hope on a campsite since we won't be there till 8pm Friday.

Dont take her anywhere. Climbing with a girlfriend is the most stressful crag

MarkGriffin wrote: Definitely Vedauwoo.

Hahahaha...you're mean.

Hotel room

Saint Martin, Molokai, Pago Pago?

Joshua tree has world class climbing, and I love it there, but for what the op wants, the Alabama Hills are the best. It may not be as big, or have as many hard ass climbs as J.Tree, but for a plethora of easily top-roped climbs, A.H. is tops. Josh has very little to choose from, where as you could climb for a week on 5.8-5.10 sport climbs with beefy anchors on top at A.H. I call it "Moderate Heaven," and find myself going there all the time when I am climbing with someone new or wanting to get back in shape (physically and mentally) after too much time off. The official campgrounds are a 5 minute drive from most of the climbs, but one can camp in the b.l.m. areas and literally have dozens of climbs within 200 yards.

There is no entry fee, town is 10 minutes away (think breakfast, running hot water, and coffee) and Whitney Portal is the same distance in the opposite direction with spectacular scenery and, if interested, a collection of world class trad climbs within 1/2 hour of parking. Camping sites are easy to come by, whereas you'll NEVER get a site at Josh on a Friday night. Fairly inexpensive hotels are in town if you prefer a warm bed and shower.

Finding top rope options at Josh is complicated and you have few options, all of them boring after one day. Josh is two hours from L.A., but you'll spend an hour getting to the climbs, and A.H. is 3 hours, and you'll spend 5 minutes getting to the climbs. Duh!

I've taken lots of beginners to A.H. and they loved it. You'll also see the Milkey Way every night. Temps are the same as J.T.

Jorge Gonzalez wrote:the Alabama Hills are the best..

Never heard of this place, but it looks rad from the photos. Thanks for mentioning it, I'll be adding it to the road trip list for this summer.