Locations and partners

From TradgirlWiki

Jump to: navigation, search

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Trusting your life to something you read on the internet is just plain stupid. Get corroboration from a more reliable source, use your common sense, don't get yourself killed, and don't come crying to us if you do.

Contents

[edit] Where can I find a climbing partner?

All of the below are free to use:
If you post to rec.climbing looking for a partner, be sure to include important information like: when, where, what and how hard.

[edit] How do I find/keep a mentor?

From: chosser
Find an old trad climber to second for. Old trad climbers are best because the've probably been climbing a while and haven't died. This is a good role model.
If he/she is a strong old trad climber, so much the better, they can winch you up cruxes. This allows you to lie about climbs you flashed when you are an old trad climber.It's sort of a tradition.It also gives you time to hang out on the rope and inspect placements while you remove the jammed-up opposing stoppers that he/she hung on at that very crux.
Old trad climbers can usualy be found wandering aimlessly at bouldering areas at the base of climbs looking for any excuse to ascend the rotten run-out chimney that never has anyone on it. In toproping areas, look at the top of the cliff. If the bolts are clipped with tied 1 inch webbing and then backed up to a tree 30feet away, follow that 11 mil rope down and you'll find a trad mentor to be proud of.
From: Sue
1. become an utterly bomber and attentive belayer.
2. be as fit as possible.
3. Have a reliable car and offer to drive
4. offer to buy (quality) beer, no pisswaterswill.
5. be as non annoying as possible.
6. never complain about how long it takes your fearless leader to lead a pitch even if you are freezing/baking, you're gripped out of your brain, your feet are numb and you have to pee.
7. learn to clean gear and never ever leave a piece behind.
8. don't drop things including rocks.
9. Try not to be a cheap bastard.
10. never utter the phrase: "uh my gym manager says to do it this way"
11. be humble.
12. be realistic and honest about your abilties, when recruiting potential partners. try the automated partner directory.
13. talk to people. be alert to the possibility of potential climbing partners on those occasions when you are at the crag. If they seem like nice people and seem competent give 'em your email address and say if you ever need a partner drop me a mail.
14. It probably helps to be a chick.
15. good luck.
From: Tim Howe
I am currently in the process of learning from a variety of sources. Books, sometimes other climbers, etc. I wish I had the oppritunity to learn more from a mentor but as I have not really found someone I have taught myself a lot. As it is I feel as though I am more prepared in a lot of situations than many of my peers who have taken classes. I have practiced self-rescue, put in a lot of miles on easy routes, and generally tried to keep myself humble. I would probably progress more quickly and at least as safely if I had had a really good class or a mentor but there is a lot of satisfaction in doing it on your own.
See also:
How do I get started climbing? on Tradgirl
Where can I find a climbing partner? on Tradgirl

[edit] Should I date/marry a non-climber?

From: RG on gunks.com
1. People who are really passionate about something are only good partners for people who have the same passion, and the relationship will be seriously challenged if one partner's committment to the activity cools. This has nothing to do with climbing or even with athletics.
2. On the other hand, relationships that are based on a single activity or pursuit are always precarious. What happens if circumstances render that pursuit unavailable? The real issue is not whether you and your partner share a passion for climbing, but what you share outside of climbing.
From: Amanda Tarr
Even being passionate about being outdoors, hiking or what not, may be very difficult for the SO to understand, if they have no passion of their own.
From: Tony Bubb
There are climbers and people who climb. I am a climber. Climbing is not something I do, it is what I do. Climbing isn't something I love to do, it is THE THING I love. I've seen a few would-be girlfriends go by the wayside for that. Few can understand my level of involvement with climbing, and a few people I've dated have found out that putting me between a rock and a hard-on (Ah-hem...) is a bad idea. The woman goes and the climbing stays, 100%, every time so far. I don't bother dating people that aren't into it.
From: Blyslv
Life is long and people change. My brother said something similar ... skiing and a deadhead. Well the haven't seen a show in a long while (the fat man is still dead) and they haven't skiied either. They play bridge (!) something neither of them did before marriage.
What a person does is important, but it is not the person.
From: Lyle McNeal
One thing you have to remember is that for a relationship to work the 2 people don't have to be with each other all the time. It is a good thing that there are common interest, but it is better if all your interest are not in common. Eventually the two of you will want to spend some time apart to appreciate your time together more.
From: Steve LaSala
First, decide what you want out of this relationship. If you want a climbing/party/bed partner, by all means dump this one (nicely) and find another. But don't be surprised if the same thing happens to you down the road. (Live by the sword...)
If, on the other hand, you are going for the LTR (someone to make a life with), I would look for the following three areas of compatibility, in order:
1) values - Deep values; right and wrong, children or not, level of emotional connectedness, style of argument, ratio of together/private time, depth of career orientation. Not just "I like to do XYZ."
2) aesthetics - what is beautiful/good in mind, body, food, music, ideas, clothing, dwelling, landscape. It's hard to be happy when the details of your daily environment are repugnant to you.
3) activities - Some overlap in shared activities guards against the drifting apart that occurs when you spend too much time apart thinking about different things. You don't have to spend all your time together, but you should genuinely enjoy doing *something* together.
Granted, it's not easy to evaluate all this upon first meeting someone, but you at least need to start with a clear idea of what you want, lest you slip unthinkingly into copying your parents, some mass-media image, or your equally clueless peers. Over time, people will acculturate to each other if the basic compatibility is there. A relationship is a work continually in progress, not a state of being.
From: Rick Hanks
My obsession with climbing and the related travel to areas outside my home crag ultimately led to the demise of a 10 year marriage. That's not to say that there wasn't other contributing factors, but the bottom line was she got left alone a lot by her choice. She, too, initially expressed joy at seeing the pictures, hearing the stories, and viewing videotape, but she eventually became resentful of the time I was away, whether I invited her to come or not, and ultimately ended up blaming me for all that was wrong with her and our marriage.
I'm not going to give you any advice regarding what to do in your circumstances because I'm not walking in your moccasyms, BUT, I will say this: Evaluate where climbing and your girlfriend(s) rate in your quality world relative to each other and base your decision accordingly.
From: Alan
You have to find a solution that works. It isn't always obvious. My wife had been hinting that I was recreating my self a bit more than she was comfortable with. This includes biking after work about twice a month and climbing once or twice a week.
After discussing it, she realized that the problem wasn't the frequency, the abandonment, or the undone chores, I saw those coming and was considerate. The real issue turned out to be as simple as competition. She wants me to invite her to as much stuff as I invite my friends to. That's it! No problem.
This is not to tell you guys what to do, it just supports the theory that relationships are complicated and you can waste a lot of energy trying to out guess them.
From: Jeremy Pulcifer
Married to a non-climber myself, and can attest that balance is the key. If you put your recreation ahead of your family, the family will suffer. Shared vacations and alternate activities lessen the impact
From: Dingus Milktoast
You don't want your spouse saying, "What, you're going climbing AGAIN?" You want her saying, "You need to go climbing babe. How about I take the kids on Saturday and you take them on Sunday." To achieve this you must carefully pick your times to behave like an asshole (about 3 days before departure) and times to be an angel (1 day before departure and certainly a day or 2 after you get back). Women are into cycles. Establish yours now. Advertise your PCS (pre-climbing syndrome). Make the cure well known.
Establish your domain right now. Protect it like a hungry dog with a marrow-filled bone, growl menacingly whenever someone tries to erode your freedom. Talk frequently and to anyone who'll listen how you were born to be a climber and by not climbing you are not truly living. Treat it like a birthright.
From: Larry White
Well I was married before I started climbing and my wife has not taken up the sport. In general I find that I always had time for climbing and time to spend with her (cycling, hiking, skiing and all that stuff), then we had kids. Now I find that I do not give myself a lot of time for climbing because it takes time away from the family. Of course last night we got in 2 great outdoor routes in Eugene before heading to the gym.
My summary, you can get married with a minimal impact to your activities, but having childeren WILL change everything.
From: Ellen Sentovich
DON'T settle for a non-climbing or non-climbing-sympathetic SO if climbing is really very, very important to you. And if you do, don't complain to the rest of us.
Contrary to what I often hear from the guys, there are lots of women who love to climb, climb often, and climb for themselves. They perhaps aren't as visible at the crags because they aren't loudly complaining to their boyfriends or sniveling on the way up a route. And they often like to climb together, just the girls.

[edit] How do I get my non-climbing SO to start climbing?

From: Jon Christian Rost
Climbing is too painful, tiring, time-consuming, and pointless to do if you're really not interested. But hey, you two are just dating, you're not siamese twins. Do you really want to do EVERYTHING together? If you have to give up climbing time to engage in activities that you both value equally, well, that's part of a relationship, and how a relationship grows. If the relationship isn't worth it, then you know what to do.
From: Carolyn McHale
I'm a girl who got an ex boyfriend into climbing--it was something I always wanted to do and I think my enthusiasm rubbed off on him, we started climbing together. My last boyfriend however was a different story--he had zero interest in ever climbing or seeing me climb, but was happy to listen to me blab about what I did (or tried to do...), so that was the extent that we shared the climbing experience.
I finally stopped asking him to try climbing because he was simply not interested. You have to respect that there are things you are interested in and your girlfriend is not. Fortunately I met a great group of people who I went out of town with on weekends while my boyfriend got stuck missing me--and it was all cool because he had his interests that I wasn't into (golf) giving us freedom to do our own things.
You may want to find out why she doesn't want to climb. You said she was interested enough to go to the rocks with you (but I'm not clear as to whether she actually climbed?), so she must have some interest. Maybe if just the two of you went somewhere easy and pretty you could get her into it?
Whatever you do, don't push climbing on her, if she's hungry, she'll eat. I suggest finding other people to climb with and it should be okay as long as she doesn't have a problem with you doing your own thing (and if she does...well, that's a different story).
ps Now I date someone who climbs--problem solved!
From: Jason Daniels
In my case I started climbing b/c my then girlfriend climbed...I couldn't possibly allow her to be better @ something athletic than me so I climbed hard and ultimately fell in love w/ it for the right reasons...this is a case where my insecurity motivated me. What I have seen many times, though, is guys who try to force climbing on their SO's and their SO's rebel against it defensively. My current girlfriend knows how much I love climbing but also knows that I would never force my love of it on her. I believe it is this relaxed approach and understanding that has allowed her to want to check it out w/ out any pressure from me.
The Bottom line, I think, is this: we all have things we look for in a women some are Negotiable (ie she likes conuntry, I like r&b), some are non Negotiable (ie she can't be a racist), and then theirs Fantasy.....(ie I want my SO to be a race car driven, MountainBiking, techincal mountaineering, backpaking, rugged outdoors woman)...What we all have to decide is how much of our fantisy is negotiable.
And Again....try not to push....it tends only to make things worse.
From: Claudia
Well its already been said: don't push. But you might also ask her about signing her up for a fun class where she can learn about it in a systematic manner wihtout any pressure to perform in front of you. Classes are genrally set up to be fun and to minimize some of the fear. It can also be helpful to understand what she's doing before hitting the crag. That's what works for me.
From: Steve LaSala
It's generally a bad idea to press people to do things they really don't want to do. Ask them to try something two or three times to test the waters. Often an emotionally neutral third party as instructor works best. But be prepared to accept "no" for an answer. Like me, a lot of men (and some women) who were not brought up with good practice in human relations, have trouble initially wrapping our minds around the idea that our partners are still *other people*, with their own likes, dislikes, opinions, desires, needs, and complete existence independent of any relationship to us. That realization was a big step forward. ;-)
From: Mattie Thompson
What if she wonders how to get you to become involved in modern dance (which would probably be good for your climbing, too)? I ** VERY MUCH ** understand your desire to share something that is of great importance to you -- as climbing seems to be -- with your partner. But the experience and significance of it might be very different for HER.
From: Kevin
I've always cautioned friends about getting their mates into the sport. Unless your significant other turns out to climb circles around you, they will inevitably hold back your progress. I enjoy climbing with my girlfriend, but I know I'd be a hell of a lot stronger if I climbed with people who push my limits. Still, it's fun to watch her progress. A vicarious victory I guess.
From: Ben Boykin
Both of my wives climbed with me to be with me. I frequently lost perspective, which is why they didn't keep climbing with me...
From: Mike Garrison
Not to mention that climbing is dangerous. What better way to show your love than to drag someone into a life-threatening situation?
If the SO *wants* to try climbing, great! But otherwise, find some safe and gentle hobby to share.
Another word of caution: climbing partnerships and romantic partnerships can coincide, but at least as often they don't. Sometimes it is better to encourage your SO to climb with someone other than you. (That's a delicate thing to try, though. "Honey, I love you, but you are just too slow on the rock to climb with me. Besides, you can't figure out how to clean my tricams. What's that? Bite you? Well if that's the way you feel about it....")
From: Vicki Portman
Oh for God's sake! Climb without her. "Let there be spaces in your togetherness". I'm sure she has things she would love to be doing while you're out climbing - just cos you're going out together doesn't mean you have to act like you're joined at the hip, you know! (well....not all the time!) If you spend all your time together you'll have nothing to talk about (you'll know it all already) and you'll get bored with each other and split up. If you force her to do something she'll resent you for it, and you'll split up. If you lay off, and let her do her own thing, you'll possibly find that her interest in climbing grows as an organic thing over time..... and then again, you'll possibly not. But while it may be the similarities between two people that get a relationship started, it's the differences that keep it interesting.

[edit] Should I date my climbing partner? / Should I climb with my significant other?

From: Sue Hopkins
Reasons not to climb with your Significant other:
1) alpine starts: aka the ass-bed extraction issue...the alarm goes off at the butt crack of dawn..one of you rolls over and looks at the other and mews "what were we thinking?" The other hits the off button..you wake up at 10 am. after all, you are not getting you partner out of bed in order to stand them up..you are both right there in that nice warm bed.....and you're staying there.
2) waffle harmonics: aka chip and dale "after you I absolutely insist" dynmamics or idunno what do YOU want to do? one of you is feeling wussy. With a normal climbing partner you would just suck it up. With your SO you cleverly waffle out of a particular route. Then the SO waffles out of your proposed alternative..you waffle together then apart then together..you spend all day on three pitches mostly at the bottom looking up at it going "idunno what do you want to do.."
3) propagation of mews. aka here kitty, kitty here's some warm milk. see # 2 above (closely related). Not confined to SO climbing partners but more common in this senario. one of you is feeling wussy. One of you mews,its contagious. Both of you mew, you mew a lot together. you decide it is time to go drink beer..its only 10 am. beware this is a VERY contagious disease... whole crags have been affected.
reasons to climb with your S.O.
1). you don't have to choose between climbing and sex.
2). warm bed while camping @ the crag
3). if the weather is bad you have something to do.
4). you never have to feel guilty about abandoning your S.O. to go climbing
From: Quang-Tuan Luong
One of the significant reasons my ex-girlfriend and I started dating was that we were both relatively serious climbers when we met. She was a competent leader and was willing to try different things. You might have seen pictures of her on a few big walls from my Web pages. Then, partly because of me, she quitted climbing after our retreat from our second attempt on Mescalito. I am still wondering a bit if the incompatibility was really strong, or if the fact to have picked Zodiac instead would have allowed us to stay together. Anyway, the deep problem was that I was not a good partner for her. I was not fun enough. Instead I have a drive for achievement which matched too much with her competitive side and did not help her finding peace with her own self-esteem issues. So climbing actually hurt our relationship while she was a climber.
From: WildBill
Should you date your partner (or climb with your SO??)? I find that if either of these relationships are healthy, you may be able to build the other one. I wouldn't recommend climbing with your SO if you have a troubled relationship, just as I wouldn't recommend dating someone you couldn't stand to climb with.
From: John Tupper
Balance is very important in a relationship. Even if you are perfectly matched climbing partners, it would still be a good thing to climb with other people.
From: Kevin Kachadourian
At its core, climbing is an aesthetic experience for me. Being with the right partner, friend or lover, can add immensely to it. Thinking back over lovers as climbing partners, when we were climbing together, it was the same as with a friend - we were sharing the experience of climbing. Later, after a day of climbing,... It might not be the same with future relationships, but the climbing relationship and the dating/love relationship were pretty seperate; lecherous thoughts were snuck into those moments I wasn't focused on climbing, hers or mine.
From: dsquare
Climbing with significant others: doom or delight?
Having just been dumped by the woman who taught me to climb in the first place I have to say doom.
When it was good it was great - nothing like being with the person who makes your world go 'round when you're out there at your limits on a climb and I've never climbed better than with her - something about trust and faith and encouragement...
but as its fallen apart I've lost both the woman I love and my favorite climbing partner.
would I do it again? In a minute.
From: Jean
As for what to do -- date a climber or not, I vote date a climber! :) But I vote this because I have no life. All of my spare time is spent climbing, thinking about climbing, thinking about sex, or planning a trip around climbing. That's roughly a 1:4 ratio for sex: not enough to keep a non-climber interested, and certainly not enough to keep me interested in teaching him to climb when he really doesn't want to.
From: Erik E.
Recently I've only dated climbers(guess that has had something to do with my social circles), it something I love to do, and I couldn't imagine being with someone who didn't share the same feelings. You tend to find out a lot about your climbing partners, and whether or not you get along, pretty quickly while climbing. What better way to test your relationship than by climbing together? If you can't handle the stresses of climbing together (pretty insignificant really) then how can you expect to survive a long term relationship with much greater potential for conflict (ie. marriage, kids, living together etc.)?
I don't always climb with my girlfriend, the same as she is not the only person I spend time with. But I have a great time when we do climb together.
Why shouldn't two things you love go together??
From: Mark
Can climbers have their cake and eat it too????
Yes, but I think it's a rare thing. My fiance climbs 5.12d, has been climbing longer than I have, and she is every bit as passionate about the sport as I am. There's never been a weekend when only one of us wanted to climb, and we rarely disagree on where we want to go.
I consider myself lucky. Women climbers are still quite a minority, and if you don't count the "climbing girlfriend" types, they are even rarer. That does appear to be changing, though. On the flipside, an attractive female climber will have no lack of male climbers to choose from, from what I've seen.
From: Evan Bigall
Personally I've given up on finding someone who meets all my SO requirements *and* all my climbing partner requirements, its just too hard...
From: Carol Adair
Although I had interest in climbing and was trying to find someone sufficiently addicted to take me out (OFTEN), I was, rather predictably and very clichedly (it IS a word, damn it), essentially introduced to climbing by a boyfriend. Although he was very patient and a good teacher, he wasn't the best partner as he took too much responsibility for me and got really nervous about having me lead (especially trad). So, I had another teach me the trad/leading skills I wanted (enter Lord Slime).
I've had a number of confusing interludes with climbing partners. I find the intimacy of climbing together is easy to confuse with romantic intimacy (especially for guys). I've lost at least one amazing friend & partner this way.
From: Mark Scott-Nash
Let's say you are a woman climber who wants *climbing* partners because that is *what* you do (even if you are just a beginner). If a guy is putting the moves on you because he thinks its an easy way to meet women, then he is being an asshole. Period. He obviously has no respect for the woman who wants to *climb*, which is probably the only reason these two people are together in the first place.
Not to say that these two wonderful people can't get together and date or do whatever else they think of. But save it for when you AREN'T climbing, then there is no question. Most people who meet through bboards or climbing instruction situations want to go *climbing*. If you REALLY like a person that much, then respect what they like and if the feeling is mutual, it will happen. Otherwise, let it go.
The bottom line is respect for others. If a male or female wants to teach or find a climbing partner of the opposite sex (or same sex for that matter), they should expect to *climb*, not get a date.

[edit] How do I talk about climbing in a foreign language?

Translations available on Tradgirl
English to Spanish by Marcos Rubio
English to Mexican Spanish by Artemio Mora
English to French by Jeff Lea and Laurent Martelli
English to Canadian French by Marc-André Giasson
English to German by Roland Neueder
English to Italian by Guillaume Dargaud
English to Russian by Paulina Varchavskaia
English to Australian by Keith Hoek
Can you help?
If you'd be willing to translate into a language I don't have yet, please email me.
See also:
The Climbing Dictionary
The Climbing Dictionary, Japanese version (requires Japanese characters)
Climbing dictionary: English to French and Italian
English to Czech

[edit] What happened to Rock 'N Road?

Well, it's gone, isn't it? There's a music site there instead.
You can get the whole story from Rhino Productions themselves.
Unfortunately, there's no online replacement for it yet, although Climbing Source and Rocklist are both working on it.
The book is currently in stock at Amazon.

[edit] Where can a 5.8 climber go on a road trip?

Trippy Climbs - 5.8 and Under by Dave Knorr
See also:
Road Trip 5.8 and below
Gunks.com Favorite Routes (5.0 to 5.10)
Best Climb in Seneca Rocks, West Virginia (5.4 to 5.8)
Recommended Routes At Seneca (5.6 to 5.9)
Seneca Rocks descent and ascent tips (5.4 - 5.10a)
New Southeast Leader (easy leads in Tennessee)
Easy climbs in Yosemite
Sahara Terror- Tahquitz (5.8 and under)
Climbs for beginners in CA / NV (bolted climbs under 5.8)
Little Cottonwood on Friday - Recomendations? (5.5 - 5.8)
Garden of Gods easy stuff (5.4 and up)
Shelf Road (under 5.10) What will the weather be like at [place] on [date]? [back to top] [FAQ contents]

[edit] What will the weather be like at place 'X' on date 'Y'?

Short term forecasts:
Accuweather home page
Intellicast home page
The Weather Channel home page
Weather Underground home page
National Weather Service
Records and averages:
National Park Service
USA Today Climate for Major Cities
USA Today Climate for National Parks
Weatherbase
Washington Post Historical Weather Database

[edit] Is there a climbing gym in my area?

US climbing gyms courtesy Phoenix Rock Gym
Rock gyms (mostly Canada and the US) courtesy Climbing Magazine
UK climbing walls courtesy UKClimbing.com
UK climbing walls courtesy the BMC
Gyms in Europe and Asia courtesy RockClimb.org

[edit] I'm going to Hawaii. Is there any climbing there?

From: Don Rolph
When I was much younger, we put in some new routes on the cliffs at Waimanalo near where the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club has its cabin. The prime focus was a waterfall clearly visible from the main road. The rock is soft. We used soft iron pitons for protection. Route is probalby 5.5 or so.
My continuing story is that if you find a good hold while rock climbing in Hawaii, take it with you. You may need it later.
From: Bill Folk
There's some climbing on O'ahu: bouldering on the beach at Waimea Bay, and a couple of small crags. If you are just going to be there for a few days, I'd say don't bother, stick with the beach.
From: Bob Johnson
in 1994 i spent three months living on the beaches of kuaii and the big island and found good bouldering on both islands.on the north shore of kuaii there is good cave bouldering in "king kuios(sp) cave" as well as in the "blue room" also out on the nepali coast trail there are some hidden boulders. on the south side of the big island there are scattered boulders (on the beaches) and i dont remember the names. ive heard from numerous people that the only real roped climbing is on maui.
From: Jeff
I was out there this past November. I wasn't looking to climb specifically, but most of the rock I tried was brittle and the consistency of a cheese grater. I can't imagine taking a fall on that stuff.
From: KD Leka
There is a small route on the north short of O'ahu, I *think* there's one 5.10+ on the big island somewhere. Problem: all of those neat pinnacles are made of extremely crumbly, rip-your-hands-to-shreds a'a, or a kind of lava. I wouldn't trust anything bolted into the stuff, and one would seriously tear fingers & skin to bits.
From: Don Rolph
On the north side of Oahu near the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club cabin in Waimanalo is a set of routes typically about 5.4 which were climbed extensively in the late 1960s. the rock is crumbly, but careful coice of route results in modestly clean rock with reasonable protection. The favorite was the waterfall which is clearly visable as a deep cleft on the left as you look up from Waimanalo toward the cliffs. It is the las major gully before the long face extending toward Makapuu. You might ask Dick Davis of the Hawaiian trail and Mountain Club about it.
From: Randy Wild
There is not much climbing in Hawaii. Mostly because much of the cliffs are actualy fused volcanic ash which is not very stable. My experience is on Oahu where there are a few bouldering spots with good quality lavarock. At Black Point near diamond head crater there is an outcrop of lava rock on the beach that has a one pitch traverse with a 5.9 crux. This is a fun traverse. It needs to be done in the morning befor the black lava rock gets too hot. It also needs to be done at low tide to avoid getting your shoes wet. One can spend a morning doing all sorts of stuff there.
Another good place and probably better is out on Makapuu. Go to the Makapuu lookout and park your car and walk up the cliff edge past the old WWII bunkers until you find an outcrop of acceptibley solid rock. Its about 30 ft tall at the highest point. Its face has moderate climbs (up to 5.10) and there is a fun open book that when soled seems very exposed because a fall would result in a bounce that would take you over a 200ft cliff into the rocks and water below. Also i will add the view here is spectacular. There is more bouldering on the back side of Makapuu. To get to it you head down the hillside towards Sandy beach. Go out to the point where there is a large rock that looks like a duck and take the fishermans path along the water edge and head out for about 20 minute walk and 3rd class until you come to large tidal pools. there is an old lavatube that filled with lava and the rest has eroded away. This is solid rock and there is enough to fill a day to do.
One thing to keep in mind out there is that even though it may seem that you are a long way obove water, there are occasional waves that will come up to the lower pools. So you should go during low tide to ensure safety. I used to think that staying on dry rocks was enough to stay dry but i learned the hard way. I and a friend of mine were practicing aiding over an over hanging crack about 20 ft away from wet rock. And at least ten ft up from water level. I was belaying him when i looked up and there was a wall of water towering at least ten feet obove me. There was so much water that it knocked me off the belay stance and all i saw for an instant was the rope disapearing into water. Fortunatly my parter had just put in a bomber pin so he was safe and did not get pulled off. We decided to call it a day and left before the tide got much higher.
Another spot that has bouldering is Hanauma Bay. Here there is ash fused together with lavarock bits. It is somewhat loose but the problems are of good technical quality.
From: Charlie
The huge rocks on Waimea beach offer excellent bouldering, (eg. 20'+ hand cracks with a nice sandy landing). Other rock on the Oahu Pali can look somewhat good in places (eg. Sacred Fall's valley) but I wouldn't trust it with natural pro. It looks like it'd rip out. There's plenty of it though, tall and steep!
See also:
Hawaii's Rock Climbing Source
Climbing Source - Hawaii
Extreme Sports Maui - indoor climbing wall
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

[edit] I'm going to place 'X'. Is there any climbing there?

Browse ODP's By Region Climbing Directory (web sites dealing with climbing in a specific area)
Browse ODP's Trip Reports and Photos (personal home pages about climbing)
Browse all climbing sites listed in ODP
Climbing Source (US)
Rocklist (worldwide)
Rock 'N Road (book, North America)
World Topo Page (worldwide)
North American Classic Climbs (North America)
UKClimbing.com (UK)
See also:
I'm going to Hawaii. Is there any climbing there? on Tradgirl

[edit] Should I rap or walk-off from Royal Arches? / How do I do the North Dome Gully (NDG) descent?

From: Dave Hill
The last pitch of the climb is a 5.4 traverse straight left. Not hard, but no pro. It might be wet at this time of year. The NDG is not as bad as its reputation. People get into trouble when they try to descend too early. From the top of the Royal arches climb, you have to hike a fair bit to the east (right) along the rim. Hike until the point where it looks like you can go down and there is a faint trail. Then hike further. I'm serious...you have to hike further than you think. If you descend at the right spot, it is not bad. No rappels, just a long hike down. If you descend too early, it gets sketchy.
From: Dingus Milktoast
The NDG does not require raps. If you're thinking of rapping, your off route! Read the directions in the Yosemite guide carefully. Make a copy of them and take them with you.
The descent generally goes as follows:
From the top of the Arches head right long the rim of the Valley along climber trails to the very top of Washington Column (allow an hour for this maneuver). At one point you will come to a gully *BEFORE THE TOP OF THE COLUMN*. This is not the NDG and leads a few hundred feet down to a 1000 foot drop off. Don't make the mistake I did many years ago and go all the way to the drop off to discover your error; very disheartening.
At the top of the column, find climber trails heading toward the base of North Dome. Follow them. Eventually the trail makes a right and follows the rim for a half mile or so to the gully.
The NDG gully runs from beneath the north face of North Dome all the way to the valley floor... it's a watershed, not a little ditch. You will know it when you get to it. DON'T DESCEND TOO SOON! The infamous death slabs await anyone foolish enough not to heed this advice.
Once you're in the gully (it's at least 50 feet across with a small trickle or creek in the middle), cross it and immediately start following trails down. About 500 feet down the gully the trail recrosses the gully and then makes it's way down a giant slabby area towards the base of Washington Column. Near the base of the column it enters the oak forest for another 500 - 800 feet of elevation, down to the Mirror Lake trail. Turn right on the trail and follow it back to the hotel.
The trail is mostly class 2 with the odd class 3 move here and there. Expect to cross some low angle slabs between the column and the gully proper. With some good route finding, you'll do OK. Allow a minimum of 3 hours from the top of the Royal Arches, 4 if you end up back tracking along the way (most first timers do).
That's why the raps may be the better option. But if you plan on climbing much in the Valley, the NDG needs to become your friend at some point. No time like now. We've all been initiated to it's, er charms.
Take a head lamp and extra batteries, maybe a wind shirt and an extra power bar, pants not shorts and a lighter in case you get lost and benighted on the rim. Do not try to find the gully in the dark; heartache and perhaps something worse will be your reward.
From: Jim Leininger
The rap station starts at the top of the route. The first set of anchors sits below a huge boulder with a couple trees on top, you can't miss it since this is the anchor you would use to do the final pitch of RA,the infamous 5.4 traverse....
From here, you need to swing out to your left (as you are facing into the rock while rapping). The 2nd rap staton is NOT directly below the first, and if you go straight down and by-pass it, it will be a bitch to get back up to it, especially if you don't have ascenders or at least something to prussik with...
From the 2nd station, it is pretty much straight down to the huge ledge, which will normally take 5 raps. There are some interim rap stations, so you can do it with either a 50m or a 60m rope....
Once you reach the big ledge, tend to keep to your left as you face out into the Valley below. Most of the stations from here on down are from tress, so there are plenty of slings to make them obvious....
From: Val LiCon
Rap the Royal Arches???????? Common you've got to be kidding... The descent down North Dome Gully is the crux of the climb. If you don't do that you can't claim to have climbed the thing!!!!!!!
From: Ron Heinsman's Royal Arches TR
I know numerous people avoid rapping at all expense, but I'd recommend rapping the Royal Arches Rap Route over the North Dome Gully. But do finish the route even if you are planning to rap it. If you still want to hike down, "stay high and keep traversing" until you are obviously in the sandy gully. Then say your prayers and start sliding down. And make sure you have a few hours of light left before you start down.
From: Spencer
Can't miss the first set of anchors, since you climb right by them. But why bother, North Dome Gully is a breeze - my advice is to walk off.
From: John Black
I did Royal Arches last weekend and found the rappels had been slightly altered.
After the first five (which lands you on the big terrace) you can either rap or scramble down to the top of a large (130') cliff. Rap this.
Now, you used to walk down to a tree with slings and rap from here, but these slings are gone. It turns out it's an easy walk down to another tree (dead tree) which overlooks the 3rd pitch of RA. There used to be slings here but instead there is a 3-bolt anchor. 50m ropes will _just_ get you to the next ledge (which is on the RA route) although your ropes will get wet here in early season.
Then you resume the normal routine: walk straight south to a tree and rap to the ground.
From: Geoff Jennings
I've done the NDG descent twice in the last 3 weekends, it's certainly doable, but calling it a "breeze" is a bit of a misnomer. It's fairly long, steep, and loose in spots. Finding the start is NOT that obvious, there are tons of BAD false trails up there. Walking off the *Manure Pile* is a "breeze", walking off RA, while not impossible, is certainly not trivial. For anyone who needs beta on where the bolts are on RA, the walkoff is not likely to be easy.
From: Rex Pieper
Having JUST done the grunt downt he NDG for the first time a few weeks back, I want to say that it's no where near as bad as the rumors make it sound. Yes, there's some sections of loose, unconsolidated rock and dirt, but if you take your time and go slow it's no big deal. I think the descents off of Leaning Tower and El Cap are FAR sketchier. The NDG is nothing to fear just something to respect.
From: Matt Buckle
I'm sure you'll read the same thing everywhere else, but don't start going down too early. Keep traversing north, once you get to the gulley, it is pretty obvious. And the correct trail has lots of cairns, ignore the ones which make you contemplate "is that a cairn or a naturally occurring stack of rocks?".
From: Arthur Vyn Boennighausen
The North Dome Gully is so much easier than the Death Slabs that you cross on the way that it will be obvious your are at the gully..... Anything that looks like climbing is the wrong way...... You should bring comfortable shoes to wear across the Death Slabs and down the North Dome Gully..... If you try and wear climbing shoes from the top of the Washington Collumn to the base your feet will be hurting. A lot of times the traverse across the Death Slabes is marked by climbing webbing tied to trees but do not depend on this being the case as people decide to remove the webbing at times.
From: George Bell
The North Dome Gully has a fearsome reputation, but you'll be fine if you just keep traversing farther than you think. If you start down too soon it is big trouble, also don't do it at night if you don't know the route.
From: Ed Huckle
I have heard of many horror stories of people getting off route in North Dome Gully, especially at night, dehydrated, etc. after doing the South Face or the Prow. Climbing Washington Column is the perfect recipe for arriving at NDG at night. This could be avoided by scoping out NDG before you get yourself at the top of the column at night. I think it would always be a good idea to spend some effort on scoping the descent as well as the route.
See also:
Photo Gallery for Royal Arches Area on Supertopo.com
Picture of the North Dome Gully (from the top of Washington Column) with the descent route marked in red on John Black's website.
A Cosmic Descent - Pain and Salvation in the North Dome Gully by Dingus Milktoast aka Craig Harris
Why Didn't We Rap? by Steph
Heat Epic #2: A Royal Lack of Water by Indi Young

[edit] Where's the best place for a climber to go to college?

From: egutmann, 4/21/1995
some things to remeber are that you won't be climbing all the time. I am almost certain you will spend more time at the college then at the cliffs, so first choose which college you like the most.
From: Pico, 5/17/2002
not sure about New Paltzs degree programs but for everything but high elevation mountaineering SUNY New Paltz is a good bet as well.
Gunks for rock and a little ice (5 mins) Catskills for ice and skiing and some paddling within 30 mins Daks for ice, rock, mountaineering, backcountry skiing, paddleing, whitewater, shit every possible activity known to man (2-3 hours).
Of course there is UofV and UNH as well. Vermont is not to far from the Daks and plenty close to both the Gunks and NH. Any university (what are there 50 or so) in boston could be a good pick as well.
personally washington would be my choice. but....
From: Sloth, 5/17/2002
usm is very close to north conway and the whites, but you've got to appreciate bugs and rain and otherwise wanker weather.
From: Teji, 4/18/1995
cambridge is a good place to live in and you can pretty much climb all year (maybe except November where new lines havn't formed yet). apart from having great book stores and good pubs around Harvard (36 Dunster, The Kong, The Plough, the Cambridge and Boston Brewries). I suppose simmilar accsess can be obtained from Brown or Yale....but, cambridge is a lot more cosmopolitan !!!
here are some other benefits:
Access to (better known) Crags:
Crow Hill, Quincy Quarries, Hammond Pond, College rock (local, within 1 hour)
Rummney (~2 hours)
Ragged Mtn., Cathedral, Cannon, White Horse, The Gunks (2-4 Hrs)
New River Gorge (~13 Hours, I am pushing it here, but we do get a few trips there in a year)
Gyms:
Boston Rock Gym
Winter Climbing:
New Englands superb offerings are a mere ~4 Hrs away e.g. Frankenstein, Mt.
Washington, Lake Willoughby...(it was worth coming here just to do Odells in full Konditions!!!)
Harvard has an Outing and Mountaineering clubs that are great places to organize weekends, fix up rides etc. additionally if you belong to HMC, you can book the harvard cabin (for ice climbing), by phone....
From: Lanier, 4/19/1995
First off, while the climbing in New England may not be as good as that in California, it is easier to get to and pretty varied. Within 25 minutes of Yale there is loads of Traprock and because of its dark brown color you can *rock* climb all year long here (sunny days only!), though ice climbing is also available within 30 minutes. There is also a good gym here within 15 minutes (Yale has as yet no climbing facilities itself). Further off are the Gunks (<2 hours), New Hampshire (2-4 hours depending on where you go), Mass (1-2 hours depending), ... As far as drive time, this WAY beats that 3 hour traffic ridden commute to J-tree! If you want history, look up the YMC's early 20th century exploits. That's the story. At this time of year, I get out of my 12-1:30 class and can still get in 5 hours of solid climbing before dark. Good luck!
From: jblumen, 4/20/1995
As an ex-Ivy Leaguer who moved to Utah for climbing, education, and work (software), Salt Lake City is the best place for all three in the U.S. If you intend to study math or computer science, the Univ. of Utah far surpasses my alma mater for the quality of its undergrad programs.
From: Nolan Wall, 4/19/1995
If you decide to consider some non-Ivy's, Boulder and University of Utah are your best choices (for climbing, that is).
I'd have to agree with that choice. Forget all that "*only* one or two hours away" crap. At the U of U, you have Parley's, Big Cottonwood, Ferguson, Little Cottonwood, Bells, and (especially) Amercian Fork all within minutes. If you really do want to do one or two hours of driving, you can throw in Logan and Rock Canyon as well. Winter climbing could be better, but AF and Little Cottonwood usually have sufficiently warm areas; plus Virgin River Gorge and Red Rocks are close enough to head to for the weekends. There's also tons of bouldering and three gyms. Many of the nation's top climbers live in Salt Lake, not without good reason.
From: Nieskowitz, 5/17/2002
Don't know how good the graduate computer science program is at Boulder, but you can't beat the location for climbing... year-round cragging, excellent summer and winter alpine, awesome ice climbing to the west...
Vermont, where i grew up, has really good ice climbing if it's in - and is close to Quebec ice, which I've heard is also great - and pretty extreme winter mountaineering for the size of the mountains... UVM's a good school... The Gunks are pretty close for summer cragging...
From: DL, 5/3/1995
It's really a simple question. The University of Colorado at Boulder has "several lifetime's worth" of climbing within walking distance. Nuf said...
From: Garry, 5/17/2002
How bout Fresno State. Close to Yosemite and lots of Peaks and some ice.
From: Nathan Sweet, 5/17/2002
UNR? (U of Nevada Reno) Dunno about the master's program, but the location is good.
From: Michelle Koh, 4/24/1995
As a Stanford student, I must comment that I love Stanford and think it's a great place to get an undergraduate or graduate education. If climbing is a very high priority for you, you may have a problem if you don't have a mode of transportation.
As a previous poster mentioned, there is some good building climbing around here, especially at the quad and the Memorial Church (climbers never kicked off, but nobody climbs it on Sunday). There are a few climbing gyms within about 30-40 minutes, the best one being Planet Granite. The school has outdoor programs which include some rock climbing and has quite a few people who climb a lot.
Castle Rock is reputedly decent climbing, and fine for a day climb, but tends to be crowded. There are several other lesser known sites also that provide decent climbing slightly further away. Of course, you can always drive down to Yosemite, which at a couple of hours away is great for a weekend climb!
From: Jim Stewart, 5/1/1995
University of California, Riverside.
Climbing sites within 7 hours drive: Anywhere in California. (Yosem)
within 2 hours: Taquitz and Suicide.
within 1.5 hours: Joshua Tree.
within 1 hour: The Beach.
within .5 hour: Big Rock at Lake Perris.
within 5 minutes: Mt. Rubidoux
winin 1 minute: Box Springs.
World class climbing, and a great CS dept. to boot.
From: Rajesh Kumar, 4/21/1995
You should consider CALTECH. If you are going in for science or engineering, it probably will give you one of the best educational experiences. From my experience though, you may not have enough free time to climb much :-} Joshua Tree is about 2-2.5 hours from Pasadena. Pasadena is also livable although falling within LA county.
For quality of life, it is difficult to beat the Pacific Northwest. Portland,Oregon or Seattle can provide you with Smith Rocks, Mount Hood, Rainier, Jefferson, Adams + THE GORGE for windsurfing. You can play year round rock climbing, snow/ice climbing, snowboarding, telemarking, windsurfing and surfing. I don't personally have much of an idea about universities here though.
From: George Marsden, 12/17/1999
While I can not vouch for the academics at the U of A (I went to school elsewhere), Tucson has year round climbing opportuities that are hard to beat. Easy sport to runout death trad routes, this area has it all. The only things missing are copiuos(sp) bouldering and ice
From: Chris Cataudella, 4/28/1995
also try the University of Wyoming, i did (i am from Rhode Island) there is world class climbing all around us, veedauwoo, sinks canyon, wild iris, eldo, the flatirons, the wind rivers, the tetons, and many more.
From: Harrison Dekker, 4/18/1995
Consider Duke also. There are two local indoor walls (within 15 minutes). Moore's Wall is two hours away and New River Gorge is 4-5 hours. Unless you are already leading 5.13 there are enough routes to last you for an undergraduate and graduate career.
The weather is usually conducive to climbing except during the grim, humid summer months but your schedule will allow you to bail during those months.
From: Jeremy Pulcifer, 12/27/1999
So, instead of "which school is in close proximity to climbing", he should ask him/herself, "Whch climbing area has the best schools".
Get yer damn priorities straight.
Retrieved from "http://wiki.tradgirl.com/Locations_and_partners"
Personal tools