Red Rock Nevada
Sorry to have skipped posting for the past week but I was off on a climbing trip and off the technology grid all together.
Last week as the snow poured over northern Colorado I was in much need of some spring sun so I headed out to Red Rock Nevada to find some warmer weather and some great climbing. Red Rock is just West of Las Vegas and provides great climbing. The rock there is a mix of limestone and sandstone and offers everything from bouldering to short single pitch sport climb to 1600-foot big walls and everything in-between.
As we rolled in on Saturday after a 12 hour drive through Las Vegas we got bit by the Vegas bug and had to spend our first night having some fun under the big lights but this didn’t stop us from getting out to climb the next day after a quick pool session, it is really just west of Las Vegas.
On our first day we spent a little bit of time just driving the scenic loop getting a grip on how large this area was and how much it actually had to offer. We ended up climbing a couple routes in the Calico Basin area getting a feel for the rock quality. We climbed Soupy Sales, From Soup to Nuts, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
That night and the following 4 we stayed in the Red Rock campgrounds, which are nothing special, but the only option you have for camping in the area and do provide water and bathrooms.
The following days we had great weather and got in a mix of single and multi-pitch climbing. A few of the routes we climbed were Johnny Vegas, Varnishing Point, and Valentines Day. The climbing was excellent and overall I thought that the ratings were very good although a few routes were run out and seemed to have crux moves that were harder than the actual ratings. Also if it’s called a classic or the guidebooks mention that they are popular climbs believe this and show up very early or expect to not climb that route, we showed up to Cat in the Hat at 9:30 and there was already 11 people in front of us waiting to climb. But don’t let this detour you some of these routes are really fun and so popular for a good reason.
Overall I thought that Red Rock was a really cool place the rock was great the routes were fun and the spring weather was perfect. All of this is going to put Red Rock on the list of excellent places for spring climbing.
Cheers!
