Best Summer Climbing in the West?

Where is the best place to climb in the summer? Better yet, where is the best climbing town to live in during the summer?

I'm currently a college student living in Chico, CA. Next summer a buddy and I want to spend a couple months in a premier climbing destination and start doing climbing and adventure photography. We're both very passionate about climbing and will dirtbag it all summer to make this business work.

I've read the best climbing town thread, and it seems like Colorado and Utah have a huge concentration of climbers and a great community in many towns. But what's it like in the summer? Can we make this photography business work?

I originally was planning on making Bishop my destination. I've never been to bishop (until next month :) but the fact that it's in the desert is leading me to think that summer climbing might not be what I'm envisioning.

Yosemite was another thought of mine. It's a land of holy stone and would be a great place to meet climbers from all over the world. But I'm afraid my trad skills are lacking as of now for what I'd want to do in yosemite. Of course living there I would no doubt gain the skills over time though.

About me and my buddy. We both lead 11's on sport. He's climbed 5.9 or so on trad, and I've only trad climbed once and it was a 5.7 mixed route.

So what does mtn project think? Like I said earlier, we're both very passionate and have a will to make things happen. Where would be the best place for us to have an amazing time climbing and promoting our photography business?

Summer sport climbing destinations include Rifle, Maple Canyon, and Ten Sleep. You might want to be in Rifle for the Photo Camp that Rock and Ice does every year. If I had to pick a town I would probably go with Carbondale, Co. Good luck and let me know if you need any more specific suggestions.

Chico sucks! Went there for Cinco de Mayo last year and got kicked out of a bar because some douchebag complained that I was swing dancing with his girlfriend.

The Valley get's pretty warm in the summer months, Tuolumne is really nice though.

As said before Tensleep is probably your best bet, but you'll have to learn how to swing dance.

tmwhtkr wrote: I've read the best climbing town thread, and it seems like Colorado and Utah have a huge concentration of climbers and a great community in many towns.

Note that the best climbing destinations and the best climbing towns are often two very different things. Good climbing areas are often way out in the boondocks, and good "climbing towns" often are not adjacent to the best climbing, but make up for it by being a good place to live. So, are you looking for a proper town to set up shop in, and stay long term? Or are you just looking for a place to camp and climb for the summer?

tmwhtkr wrote: I originally was planning on making Bishop my destination. I've never been to bishop (until next month :) but the fact that it's in the desert is leading me to think that summer climbing might not be what I'm envisioning.

Correct, if by "Bishop" you are referring to the famous bouldering zones; they are way hot in the summer. The alpine zones in the High Sierra, accessed via Bishop, are perfect in the summer but it sounds like that is not the syle of climbing you are looking for.

tmwhtkr wrote:Yosemite was another thought of mine.

The Valley is hotter than hell's furnace in the summer. Non-ideal. Plus, trying to live there long term is a major hassle.

tmwhtkr wrote:But I'm afraid my trad skills are lacking as of now for what I'd want to do in yosemite. Of course living there I would no doubt gain the skills over time though.

You should go the Squamish for the summer. Squamish is a smaller, gentler, friendlier version of Yosemite, and summer is the prime season to climb there. The scene is way better than in the Valley as well. It would be a perfect place to learn to trad climb; plenty of routes at all levels to learn on. After a summer in Squamish, you would have all the skills you need to do well in Yosemite (except for dealing with asshole rangers; you won't learn that skill in Squamish because all the Canadians are too nice). A large amount of sport climbing too, and top-quality bouldering. It really has everything, and is really beautiful. Lots of opprotunities for taking pictures.

Carbondale is great too, although if .11 sport climbing if your limit, you might not be totally psyched on Rifle, which is the prime summer crag around those parts.

Keenan Waeschle wrote:As said before Tensleep is probably your best bet.

Truth! Tensleep lives up to the hype.

A great summer sport climbing trip is to do the circuit between Maple, Rifle and Tensleep; all are great summer crags.

"Summer sport climbing destinations include Rifle, Maple Canyon, and Ten Sleep. You might want to be in Rifle for the Photo Camp that Rock and Ice does every year. If I had to pick a town I would probably go with Carbondale, Co. Good luck and let me know if you need any more specific suggestions."

I just looked up the photo camp. That looks really sick! I emailed them looking for more info on price and what not. Definitely something I'm going to look into.

"Chico sucks! Went there for Cinco de Mayo last year and got kicked out of a bar because some douchebag complained that I was swing dancing with his girlfriend.

The Valley get's pretty warm in the summer months, Tuolumne is really nice though.

As said before Tensleep is probably your best bet, but you'll have to learn how to swing dance."

Hahaha that sounds like Chico for sure. Looks like I'm gonna need to research tensleep more.

"Note that the best climbing destinations and the best climbing towns are often two very different things. Good climbing areas are often way out in the boondocks, and good "climbing towns" often are not adjacent to the best climbing, but make up for it by being a good place to live. So, are you looking for a proper town to set up shop in, and stay long term? Or are you just looking for a place to camp and climb for the summer? "

Good point. I'm looking to spend 2 months wherever I go and head back to chico for school at the end of august.

"Correct, if by "Bishop" you are referring to the famous bouldering zones; they are way hot in the summer. The alpine zones in the High Sierra, accessed via Bishop, are perfect in the summer but it sounds like that is not the syle of climbing you are looking for. "

Yea looks like bishops not gonna be the place for me.

"The Valley is hotter than hell's furnace in the summer. Non-ideal. Plus, trying to live there long term is a major hassle."

Ah yea I figured.

"You should go the Squamish for the summer. Squamish is a smaller, gentler, friendlier version of Yosemite, and summer is the prime season to climb there. The scene is way better than in the Valley as well. It would be a perfect place to learn to trad climb; plenty of routes at all levels to learn on. After a summer in Squamish, you would have all the skills you need to do well in Yosemite (except for dealing with asshole rangers; you won't learn that skill in Squamish because all the Canadians are too nice). A large amount of sport climbing too, and top-quality bouldering. It really has everything, and is really beautiful. Lots of opprotunities for taking pictures."

This is an excellent recommendation. I didn't even think about Squamish but it sounds extremely appealing. This is definitely gonna be up at the top of the list.

"Carbondale is great too, although if .11 sport climbing if your limit, you might not be totally psyched on Rifle, which is the prime summer crag around those parts."

Right on.

Thanks for the great replies everyone. Sounds like Squamish, and Colarado look to be the best. Time to read some more about all these destinations.

tmwhtkr wrote: I didn't even think about Squamish but it sounds extremely appealing. This is definitely gonna be up at the top of the list.

I think that once you show up in Squamish, you'll be so psyched that your brain will explode. It happened to me the first time I went there.

A fair warning, though: Squamish can still be dodgy (i.e. wet) in June; July-August is better. It really depends on the year, though. If your timetable is more June-centric, somehwere like Utah or Colorado might be a safer bet. If your timeable is later in the summer, Squamish is good.

Jon Moen wrote: I think that once you show up in Squamish, you'll be so psyched that your brain will explode. It happened to me the first time I went there. A fair warning, though: Squamish can still be dodgy (i.e. wet) in June; July-August is better. It really depends on the year, though. If your timetable is more June-centric, somehwere like Utah or Colorado might be a safer bet. If your timeable is later in the summer, Squamish is good.

Squamton is my Fav place in NA and for summer climbing it can't be beat. That said, the variability comment is spot on. I've snuck in AWESOME climbing in April or had to wait until July for a solid weekend (I lived in WA where we joked July 4th was the official start to the dry season). That said, if the weather IS dodgy, there are areas to go for a few weeks that are also stellar. Look into Skaha or the Eastside of WA state like Leavenworth or Mazama. PLENTY of good stuff to keep you busy.

Squamish would certainly be a great place to spend a couple of months. You'd have everything in a close concentration nearby.

If you're out in Rado it can be a little warm during july/aug and more spread out but at the same time give you the opportunity to bounce around to a lot of cool climbing areas up at elevation.
And it's not terribly far if you want to head north and check out Tensleep.