RRC Archives

After 3 years it looks like my purgatory in Northwest Ohio will soon be coming to an end. The gods have seen fit to place me in Portland, OR for the next 2 years. Does anyone have any experience climbing in the region or know what the climing climate is like? Thanks.

Smith Rock. Quite vertical - nice climbing "in spite of the rock" (quoted from the guidebook)

Congrats, btw!

From Sonnie Trotter's blog: Life is good! I love Smith Rock and I don’t care who knows it. The secret is out, this place rules. It is seriously, seriously beautiful.

I looked into the climbing around portland a couple weeks ago as I am planning a move somewhere for next year. There are a reasonable number of crags sprinkled within an hour or so of portland and then there is stuff like Smith which is farther but worth the drive. i have a buddy out there who likes it for the climbing. i can put you in touch if you'd like.

skinners butte in the middle of Eugene. Basalt Columns. Where I learned to climb finger cracks. What do you do that takes you to Northwest Ohio and then to Portland?

He's your karmic brother, Lurk. Tall, red head, doctor.

I'vs been to Smith Rock quite a few times. It is awesome. You are lucky Even in the desert heat you can find shady spots where the temps are in the 60s - 70s. It is a high desert country and is very dry and clear. Little humidity. Yeah - you're lucky!

If you can find a horse or mtn bike the area surrounding Smith is extremely beautiful - in re the grasslands and high deserts - dirt roads and trails. Lots of open govt grazing land to explore. Alpine fun really close by on the Sisters or Hood. Extreme windsurfing on the Columbia. Lava bed exploration, ice caves (even in the summer) The ocean, skiing, hot springs, Crater Lake, hiking around Mt St Helens, man. Did I mention that I think you are lucky?

Just moved back to PDX from Indiana myself. Climbing here is awesome and varied. Locally, we've got a pretty good variety of single pitch sport and trad, mostly in the Columbia Gorge, about 1/2 hr to an hour away, and Beacon Rock for multi-pitch. For full day/weekend trips, there's Smith, Leavenworth, Index, Trout Creek, Vantage, and the North Cascades. So, within the driving time it probably took you to get to the red, you've got hard sport and trad, multi-pitch, and alpine climbing on a variety of basalt, volcanic tuff, and granite, plus tons of opportunities for longer trips (Squamish, tons of stuff in Cali). Not to mention all the other outdoor opportunities, like windsurfing, hiking/backpacking, biking, skiing, etc.

Weatherwise, local stuff is great whenever it's dry (usually late spring-early fall). Smith and anything else in the desert is often dry when Portland is rained out.

And when the rainy season hits, the Portland Rock Gym is decent. The Circuit is a bouldering gym, and they're looking to open a new location soon-I hear it's going to be the biggest bouldering gym in the world or something like that.

Let me know if you're looking for a partner when you get out here. I'm always looking for folks to climb with and would be happy to show you around some of the local/regional crags.

The mountain biking near Bend is fabulous. Smith Rock is pretty crowded, but scenic. The routes are mostly slabby coss piles with nubbins that pop off when you grab them or stand on them. The harder grades are a little better. A couple of easy trad cracks that are fun (5.9 to 5.10). And, of course, 5 gallon buckets (5.8) sport route. The climbing gym in Portland is pretty good and the people are nice. I think the gym may be better than Smith?