sooooo, I never been to the red. I know, I know, sucks to be me, right? Right.That's why I'll be making my way down there for the first time in a few weeks. It is a long awaited, and often postponed pilgrimage, and god knows when the opportunity will present itself again (maybe when the kids are off to college (my youngest is 18 months old)) Obviously I'll want to make the most of the week I have to climb there, and good beta is essential for that. And that's where that long rambling post half of you have already stopped reading comes in. Rather than asking for some general info that old forum users have already provided a hundred times before, I thought I'd come up with more specific questions to complement the info I've already found through the guidebook and this website.
Some background: We'll be driving down from Montreal (16-17 hour drive?) somewhere around the 25th of May and we have seven days total, including the drive there and back, so maybe five days on site. I've been toying with the idea of faking a serious car meltdown to extend our stay a bit, but it would be just like my wife to not buy it one second. The goal of the trip is to taste as much of the red as possible, so we won't be chasing numbers, we'll be chasing stars. And by "as much of the red as possible," I don't mean cracks, of course. And if you'll tell me that chasing stars and chasing numbers are the same thing at the red, I'll say "fine, I have a comfortable harness." sooooo, my puzzlements:
1. Crags to see, crags to avoid. After studying the guidebook, I figured these six crags to be the best for classic 10s and 11s (and easy 12s). I looked at the number of 3 stars + routes within our range, the approach (short is better, since we're not there for the trails), and the different styles of the crags (again, trying to make it as worthwhile as possible in a ridiculously short amount of time):
Military Wall, Left Flank, Phantasia Wall, Roadside Crag, Drive-by Crag, Bruise Brothers Wall.
I don't see how we would have time to visit more than five or six crags. Should any of these not be on my "not to be missed" list? Are there others I should definitely add to a first trip five day rampage instead?
2. Considering our style--we are mostly Rumney climbers, a bit low on endurance (euphemism), with ok technique and used to "awkward" climbing--Are there crags or routes that should be added/removed? (don't tell me to not bother showing up at all, it's not funny)
3. Crowds. We're trying to plan the trip to avoid climbing in the weekend. Will crowds be a problem at any of these crags at this time of year during the week?
4. Weather. We expect it to be somewhat hot and humid, but it shouldn't be worse than climbing around our parts in the middle of July during a hot streak. Right? Still, are there crags that are simply impossible to endure on warm days? Is there one crag in particular that can transform an otherwise "inferno" day into a tolerable cragging day?
5. Cooling down. Rumney is nice because there's a river within a fifteen minute walk from the cliffs where everyone can chill out on warm days, when it's too hot to climb in the early afternoon. Any such place we should know about?
6. Camping. So Miguel is THE climber campground, that much I figured. I wonder though how comfortable camping is at that time of year, compared to, let's say, renting a cabin. How is Miguel's campground around late May/early June?
6a. Are the evenings cool enough to sleep well?
6b. Is it easy to find choice campsites with trees and shade ( is it full of people during the week at that time of the season?)
6c. Are there so many bugs you can't even stay out of your tent come nightfall?
6d. Pretending for a moment we are not financially challenged, is renting a cabin a much better option to spend nice evenings? (Not that I need luxury, but besides being a climbing trip, this is alos my vacation, if you see what I mean) And if so, any place you recommend?
6e. Is Miguel's campground such a cool "scene" that it is part of the Red's experience and shouldn't be missed?
7. Say I could only do one climb in the 11a/b range and one in the 11d/12a range, which should they be.
Wow, thanks, really, for reading all the way through, now let's hope some of you are at the office and have nothing better to do than answer way too many questions from a tourist.
