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Hi RRG climbers,
We are planning a trip to RRG and we are hesitating. I have seen in few places that Sept&Oct&Nov is the best period. But I am wondering about march& april. So in march&april, do you think it is a good idea to come from far (France) to climb in the gorges? Is it really raining more often then in Oct&Nov? What about the humidity? If it is raining for few days, is the cliff still ok for climbing (we will climb in big overhang areas)? What about resurgence of water in the cliffs after the rain? Other point that we should consider to compare both period (march&april versus oct&nov)?

THanks
FLorent

March and April can be real nice weather. If you demand colder weather to be able to perform you will want to try the fall months.

Oct and Nov is better by far. Less rain and less seeping. The only downside is the crowds are worse as everyone else realizes this too.

Any time from mid September through Nov tends to be the best time in my opinion.

I think the Spring is fine. Just understand the March and early April can be a bit cold. Maybe push for April/May

flofrance wrote:Hi RRG climbers,
We are planning a trip to RRG and we are hesitating. I have seen in few places that Sept&Oct&Nov is the best period. But I am wondering about march& april. So in march&april, do you think it is a good idea to come from far (France) to climb in the gorges? Is it really raining more often then in Oct&Nov? What about the humidity? If it is raining for few days, is the cliff still ok for climbing (we will climb in big overhang areas)? What about resurgence of water in the cliffs after the rain? Other point that we should consider to compare both period (march&april versus oct&nov)?

THanks
FLorent

How long a trip are you planning?

If you are only going to be here for 7-10 days, fall would be better. But if you are coming for a month or so, then either one is good.

As others have said, there is a bit more seeping and more rain in spring. But the longer your trip, the more likely you are to get plenty of great climbing weather, regardless of the season. With either spring or fall, you COULD get an unlucky streak for a week. I remember one year, maybe ~7 years ago, when it snowed over spring break (end of March). But in general March/April are very nice. And we had a really miserable fall a couple of years back, when it rained pretty much non-stop through September/October, and didn't get nice until mid November, but generally October/ November are great, and even September can be really nice.

I might be reading into your post too much but you sound finicky. Finicky climbers don't do well at the Red. There has rarely been a weeks worth of consistent weather. You can almost always go climbing but I would expect the temps to be between 32 and 70+. This might sound like only a 40 degree swing but go ahead and mix in humidity. So the cold feels colder and the hot feels hotter.

But we love it... Or at least I do. Come on over Frenchie!!!