Summer Crag?
- August 2009
- Climb
Steph, Lately I have been down in the dumps partially because it is just too hot out to climb. This has brought me to think of good places aside from the obvious ice capped poles for summer climbing. After reading your book I admire how much you know and have learned about climbing. I figured you would be a good person to ask your favorite summer climbing spot. So what is your favorite summer crag?
Thanks
Kevin
moab river bouldering from steph davis on Vimeo.
Hi Kevin,
I have two favorite summer things which don’t involve world travel….going into the mountains (Rocky Mountain National Park or the Sierras, mostly), or sport climbing at Rifle. Maple Canyon is also a great place, and I’ve been going there a little more in the last two summers. It seems like if you can get in the shade, near a creek, and above 7000 feet, you can find cool climbing.
Living in Moab, I normally don’t even consider climbing at home in these hot months, but recently the Moab crew has discovered a pretty fun scene that doesn’t involve traveling anywhere at all! So I guess if you’re willing to get creative, and wet, you can always find a way to climb, even if it’s 100+ degrees….
And the good news is, it’s basically September right now, which means it’s almost fall!
Good luck, and stay cool,
Steph
The Pacific Northwest offers a respite from the heat most years… when it’s too hot to climb elsewhere, Washington’s granite and Squamish are usually at their prime. This year’s been unusually hot, with some weekends even too hot to climb up here… but that’s really unusual for us. And, Steph’s right — above 7k feet here is lovely, too. The North Cascades are more of a commitment than a typical cragging area, but the views more than make up for the commitments level involved!
I like your video cover shot! 😉