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After sampling many sport climbing areas I realized that trying to compare them to the red is not fair. A prime example of this is Rifle, supposedly one of the greatest climbing areas in the country. Rifle has about 200 routes, the red has 2000. A more fair question is to ask "what is better, rifle or the motherlode?" In fact, I would say the lode is better than any single sport climbing destination in the west. Better than AF, Maple, Rifle, Wild Iris, Sinks etc...

Along the same lines, I would say the Red collectively is better than the rest of the sport climbing out west combined.

So, if you had to pick between the sport climbing at the red versus all sport climbing west of the Mississippi, whats the word?

Teh Red, werd.

Admittedly the only sport climbing I've done out west is Wild Iris and some stuff around RMNP. But every person visiting the Red from out west that I've talked to said they loved it and they'd be back.

joshua tree is damn fine. one of my top three. i do agree that the gorge is oe of the better.

I like the weather out west, but the climbing in the east. If I could replace owens river gorge with an equal number of rrg routes, buttermilks with g'mom, and the happies/sads with rocktown, I would live in Bishop for ever, even if it meant living out of the dumpsters.

Wes wrote:I like the weather out west, but the climbing in the east. If I could replace owens river gorge with an equal number of rrg routes, buttermilks with g'mom, and the happies/sads with rocktown, I would live in Bishop for ever, even if it meant living out of the dumpsters.

+1

I have always wondered why homeless people would live someplace with a crappy climate, if you have nothing it makes more sense to be in someplace like Boca Raton or San Diego

+2 on Wes' post.

But if you are a sport climber who is sick of the weather in the east and want year round close to home sport climbing - Vegas is the place to live. Red Rocks when it cold and all the high elevation limestone when its hot. Neither of those two places compare to the quality of climbing at the Red and the New but it does give you a year round option.

Smith Rocks is also a forgetton place that many people love more than the Red.

this bring back that old question of why the elite climber are not moving to Lexington...because the weather sucks.

rhunt wrote: this bring back that old question of why the elite climber are not moving to Lexington...because the weather sucks.

very interesting! So, would most of you guys then climb crappy rock in good conditions rather than climbing good rock in crappy conditions?

Say you are a 5.12+ climber. Then, you could easily climb many 12- routes in the red all season, but specifically in the summer while you are sweating balls. Or, you could go to Logan Canyon Utah and climb grid bolted, winch start 12+ choss while wearing a shirt and not breaking a sweat.

Iv always wondered why people refused to climb in the red during the summer. Sure, its sweaty and manky. So, just get on stuff thats normally below your limit, and it will challenge you all the same. Still WAY more classic than your air conditioned gym. Or, grid bolted choss cobbles or choss limestone out west for that matter...

After living out here in various places, visiting so called "sport areas", i notice i like the aesthetic far more than the climbing itself. That said, Sinks and Wild Iris and maybe Tensleep combine for a nice "area", but still nowhere close to the cragging at the red. The St. George area has an abundance of routes, and it's cool to climb sandstone, basalt, limestone, and tuff in one area, but again, it's more about the setting than the climbing. Northern Arizona (Jack's Canyon, etc... is just okay). Cali sport crags are pretty, but pretty crappy. New Jack city is the worst sport climbing on the planet. Blech. SLC area sport cragging is okay. I don't climb hard enough to enjoy the good stuff apparently. I do enjoy J-Tree and City of Rocks but wouldn't consider them sport areas for sure.

And as far as a climbing community goes as compared to the Red. Nobody out here has a clue.

Oh, and we may not have good sport climbing, but we have good sport:

http://www.pinedaleonline.com/#lionattack

Yes ALL sport climbing in the west is a joke! Please tell all your friends...