Top 10 Climbing Towns

Post by **SCIN** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:29 pm

Vegas is an expensive city to live in and the climbing is no closer than the Red is to Lexington. Not sure where you're getting the 20 minutes from Shamis. Maybe if you live on that side of town but plan on 1 hour to get back since the Red Rocks loop is one way only. They need to make that loop two way.

Not sure about the Kraft boulders qualifying as "good bouldering" either. I can see living there and getting sick of those sharp problems pretty quickly.

Hey Chaney, what's up with the Red bashing now that you've moved away? Seems kind of lame. You talk about the choss routes and shitty cracks but maybe because that's what you chased while you were here. I've never seen ya up at the Lode. I think the world knows the Red has some of the best sport climbing around. It's stupid to not consider Lex a great climbing town. The climbing community here kicks ass....pretty tight knit. Housing is super affordable. The city isn't disgustingly large. It's the perfect size. The only drawback here is the summer heat but that's when you break out the road bike and hit the rolling hills or chill in the home gym. Lexington rocks dude.

Post by **Wes** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:35 pm

SCIN wrote:Hey Chaney, what's up with the Red bashing now that you've moved away? Seems kind of lame. You talk about the choss routes and shitty cracks but maybe because that's what you chased while you were here. I've never seen ya up at the Lode. I think the world knows the Red has some of the best sport climbing around. It's stupid to not consider Lex a great climbing town. The climbing community here kicks ass....pretty tight knit. Housing is super affordable. The city isn't disgustingly large. It's the perfect size. The only drawback here is the summer heat but that's when you break out the road bike and hit the rolling hills or chill in the home gym. Lexington rocks dude.

+1

While we really looked (are looking?) at moving to the front range, it wasn't really for the climbing, so much as for the little bit better summer temps, snowboarding, and being closer to some of the national parks. There some very cool climbing out there, but the best climbing in CO is in WY and UT.

Just over a month til temps start getting better around here, and I am super psyched to be climbing in the southeast (with a couple months of choss training in bishop, and some tendon damage in hueco thrown in).

Post by **512OW** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:55 pm

JR (not that JR) and I talked to a bunch of Boulder residents at the Lode one day... the crew who were in town with Ally Dorey and Steve Hong... all 5.13 climbers, it seemed. Their comment about us living in Cincy? "You guys are lucky to live so close to this."

They claimed the Red was better sport climbing than all of Colorado. But what do they know??

Post by **Shamis** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:17 pm

SCIN wrote:Vegas is an expensive city to live in and the climbing is no closer than the Red is to Lexington.

Yes it is, a lot closer.

SCIN wrote:Not sure where you're getting the 20 minutes from Shamis. Maybe if you live on that side of town but plan on 1 hour to get back since the Red Rocks loop is one way only. They need to make that loop two way.

yeah, getting out takes a lot longer, but who cares about that

But when you're really pressed for time there is always Cannibal crag or kraft boulders and if you live anywhere east of the strip you can easily get in and out of there and get a good workout in very little time.

SCIN wrote:Not sure about the Kraft boulders qualifying as "good bouldering" either. I can see living there and getting sick of those sharp problems pretty quickly.

I bouldered there for 5 years. Just stay off the damn pearl and you'll be happy. It does sort of run dry once you hit the v7 range, so I could see somebody like you getting bored with it. But It was great for training because there are a ton of nice problems in the v0-v6 range and you can build some pretty awesome circuits. There are better bouldering area's for sure..., but certainly not in kentucky. And very few that have such nice soft desert landings.

Also, how can a great climbing town have no local gym? That's pretty weak. Vegas had a couple decent gyms, but I stopped going completely once I realized that I could climb outside every single day of the year, and if I didn't have enough time to make the drive to Mt. Charleson in the summer after work I could do some awesome night time bouldering at craft boulders...which was climbable after dark on all but the hottest days.

Post by **pigsteak** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:15 pm

does chattanooga, fayetteville, or boone have a great indoor gym? I know they have some "ok" places to train, but I dare say indoor clmbing had zero factor in this list.

ain't no way it is 20 minutes to a vegas crag. we stayed at the red rocks inn, which is as far east as the hotels go. by the time you get out there, pay, pull off, walk to any crag, it is easy 45 minutes. easy.

vegas is great, just not "all that"

dang, I would have loved to talk to steve hong..that man is my hero. what is he, 50? and still amazing I bet.

Post by **gregkerzhner** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:27 pm

rock climbing sucks.

Post by **512OW** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:49 pm

Piggie... it was crazy... I was warmin up, and this ripped asian dude walks by. JR says "Every time I see an asian climber, I think he must be a crack master." I'm like... "No way dude... there've only been a few... Yuji, Suzuki, and Steve Hong".

We walk around the corner... and sure enough.... its Steve Hong. Fuckin crazy.

Post by KD » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:17 pm

how 'bout 10 worst climbing towns?

1. Cleveland OH
2. Miami FL
3. Detroit MI
4. Chicago IL
5. indianapolis, IN
6. Louisville, KY
7. Covington, KY
8. Newport, RI
9. Memphis, TN
10. ?

Post by **Shamis** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:25 pm

pigsteak wrote:ain't no way it is 20 minutes to a vegas crag. we stayed at the red rocks inn, which is as far east as the hotels go. by the time you get out there, pay, pull off, walk to any crag, it is easy 45 minutes. easy.

So we're including hiking time now?

In any case, you guys are all morons.

From DOWNTOWN las vegas, Right on the strip, it is 19.7 miles to the red rocks entrence. Its even closer to calico basin.

From downtown lexington, just to slade, its 54 miles.

So I don't wanna hear any more of this bullshit about the red being as close to lex as Red rocks is to vegas, because its retarded.

Post by **flashmaster** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:36 am

19.7 miles in vegas is longer than 54 miles from lex in drive time. And actually you're retarded...for comparing vegas with Lex. Although vegas does have hookers....I stand corrected