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Yosemite and Joshua Tree

doc

15-Aug-2011
7:28:34 PM

In two weeks Im off to Hawaii for ten days followed by a 20 day road trip around California. We plan on visiting Yosemite and Joshua Tree along the way. Im going to buy a rope over there. I want to do some easy sport routes (not taking rack). the routes need to be easy due to my damaged shoulder and the fact I want to have fun not freak myself out. also good top ropes for my partner.
Has anyone been? any recommendations?

patto

15-Aug-2011
8:12:03 PM

?? Neither are particularly known for easy sport climbing.... Also define easy....

Snake Dike is an lowly graded bolted climb that certainly doesn't require shoulder strength. But....

doc

15-Aug-2011
8:16:34 PM

sorry, more specific. Prob under 20s

patto

15-Aug-2011
8:28:35 PM

Start having a look here:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/California/Joshua_Tree_National_Park/

http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/California/Yosemite_National_Park/Yosemite_Valley/

But yeah both areas are more trad focused. Fantastic places, both places you could go to at this time of yeah and easily find willing climbing partners with a rack. Guaranteed. I've been there, done that and desperately want to do it again!

Red rocks is a has good sport climbing, but I don't know why you would go there in preference to the Valley or Jtree.

Karl Bromelow

15-Aug-2011
9:04:17 PM

This was available when I was there back in 2003:

http://www.chesslerbooks.com/item/985-yosemite-top-ropes.asp

Now there's this:

http://www.supertopo.com/packs/yosemite-sport-climbs-top-ropes.html

I thought Joshua Tree was stunning too. You could look at this:

http://www.joshuatreeclimb.com/TopRopes/topropes.htm

or this:

http://www.joshuatreeclimb.com/TopRopes/topropesv2.pdf

Shame you're not taking a rack though.

Have a good one.

Karl

Marto

16-Aug-2011
10:50:30 AM

I will be in Yosemite around then with a rack and rope and looking for climbing partners.

climbing no harder than 5.10 but prefer to be leading

PM me if your keen.

Marto

Winston Smith

16-Aug-2011
12:53:01 PM

Yosamite,

Really?

That must be like Erapiles.

Ben_E

17-Aug-2011
8:31:57 PM

As you probably know, both areas have much better trad options than sport, but still...

As mentioned above, Snake Dike is a fantastic day out in Yosemite as long as you're comfortable with easy runouts (maybe take just a few nuts and cams in the 0.3-1 inch range as well, the supertopo guide probably lists exactly which ones you need and where).

There's also some bolted routes at Knob Hill (Just for Starters and some newer routes on the wall/slabs under it... not sure if they're in the guides), at Pat and Jack Pinnacle (Boneheads, Makayla's Climb and Knuckleheads, though the last one is a bit more hairy) and a few routes at Schultz's Ridge.

You could also head up into Tuolumne meadows if the cold weather isn't hitting yet - lots of bolted stuff scattered about up there (Shagadelic, Witch of the West, the routes on the Bunny Slopes...). It's a pretty beautiful part of the world.

In J. Tree there are plenty of easy-ish sports slabs in the Echo Rock area that will fill in a day fairly nicely. Walk on the Wild Side (a multipitch 5.7 on saddle rock) may also be worth a shot.

Have yourself a blast...

patto

17-Aug-2011
9:34:35 PM

On 17/08/2011 Ben_E wrote:
>You could also head up into Tuolumne meadows if the cold weather isn't
>hitting yet - lots of bolted stuff scattered about up there (Shagadelic,
>Witch of the West, the routes on the Bunny Slopes...). It's a pretty beautiful
>part of the world.

My one regret of my Yosemite visit was not exploring Tuolumne Meadows. The place seems amazing. Not to be taken lightly though, a guy up there when I was in the Valley. Stuck ropes and a storm are a bad combo.

Doc

18-Aug-2011
9:26:09 AM

Thanks everyone. I realise its a trad area but as with most areas these days a few bolted lines arrive. im only planning on some fun pottering about so your suggestions have been great. I think just being there is going to be wonderful and i may consider hiring a guide for a day too.

widewetandslippery

18-Aug-2011
10:11:19 AM

The area around bishop has stuff to offer.

The Owens River Gorge is ok, not a world claass destination.

Lots of the eastside bouldering areas have top rope possibilities, the bouldering is great and the scenery awesome. Whilst I believe the Buttermilks are pretty busy these days there are lots of other good spots in the general area. Also hot springs and 40 ounce bottles go down a treat.

pmonks on this site posted on another thread about going to Tahoe. Another great location. The only crag I've been to there though has been closed.

Wendy

18-Aug-2011
11:37:10 AM

On 18/08/2011 widewetandslippery wrote:
>The area around bishop has stuff to offer.
>
>The Owens River Gorge is ok, not a world claass destination.

If I only had 20 days in California, I wouldn't be going anywhere near Owen's River Gorge. It's a dive.
>
>Lots of the eastside bouldering areas have top rope possibilities, the
>bouldering is great and the scenery awesome. Whilst I believe the Buttermilks
>are pretty busy these days there are lots of other good spots in the general
>area. Also hot springs and 40 ounce bottles go down a treat.

The Buttermilks were pretty good, even for an antiboulderer like myself. Bishop is however, very bloody hot. The happy and sad boulders were even hotter than the buttermilks. If it's before October, just don't bother.

The hot springs were luxurious. Made pretty classic by the aging hippies at one of them who wanted to know all about marijauna laws in Oz, talked about all the wild parties the police used to turn a blind eye to in the 70s and tried to pick us up for some free lovin'.

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