Moving from Boulder-->NYC. How is the climbing scene?

Eric G. wrote: Could you complain a little bit more? Let me get my violin. You're just over an hour to the gunks/catskills and two hours from keene valley. Sometimes you have to deal with weather too! Are you sure you even like the outdoors? .

Almost everyone I know in the city doesn't have a car, so for us it does indeed suck having to see building and either saving up for a zip car, or begging others for rides.

Rob Davis wrote: Almost everyone I know in the city doesn't have a car, so for us it does indeed suck having to see building and either saving up for a zip car, or begging others for rides.

Rob, I wasn't referring to you! Living in the City is rough--Kevin lives outside Albany.

There's simply better climbing weather and tremendous amount of climbing out West. So, yes, the northeast isn't ideal. Don't see the big deal in pointing that out. Whining about my whining?

I've been to the climber's promise land (a couple times). The West, simply, has the best climbing in the United States when taking weather, quality, and quantity into account. A climber does themselves no favors moving East. If all there is to the East is that people happen to live here who climb, then yes - the East has climbing. But using objective means of measurements, there's no contest.

If you're an ice climber first and a rock climber second, the Northeast (New England, specifically) is probably the single best place to live in the continental United States. Consistent cold, consistent ice, zero to minimal avalanche danger, no chinooks or inversions messing things up, and no crevasses to cross.

Hell, there is more ice on the roadcuts in NH than in all of CO.

Jon H wrote:If you're an ice climber first and a rock climber second, the Northeast (New England, specifically) is probably the single best place to live in the continental United States. Consistent cold, consistent ice, zero to minimal avalanche danger, no chinooks or inversions messing things up, and no crevasses to cross. Hell, there is more ice on the roadcuts in NH than in all of CO.

This is true.

The Northeast has a shit load of good climbing. We may not have the crazy multi pitch climbs here, and yeah, the weather blows sometimes. But ADK, Gunks, NH all kick serious ass. Let's not forget that RRG is only 12 hours away and the NRG is less than 10. I get it, out west is better, and yes I'll probably end up moving out there soonish for the more consistent warm temps during the spring/summer/fall and the kick ass snowpack during the winter. But for what it's worth, we have a hell of a lot more than just "people who climb" as the definition for climbing in the Northeast. I always get a bit defensive when people hate on the Northeast.

Don't try that rocky mountain high, John Denver crap in the big city. You better learn to fold that slice of pizza!
OK, just trying to be funny. Hope it works out for you.

Greg Pouliot wrote:I always get a bit defensive when people hate on the Northeast.

I've lived here my whole life (~38 years), minus a brief 13 month vaca in Florida, which compared to the NE is a prison of heat and flat.

Yes, the NE has good climbing. But it doesn't have it in the same quantities found elsewhere. This has been discussed before...

Objectively analyzing a situation and coming to a less favorable conclusion isn't hatin', it's just reality. I won't wrap the NE in a bow and try to sell it as something comparable to someone moving here from Boulder, CO <-- one of the premier climbing cities. Der.

I think you can do that rocky mountain high stuff. Did they stop throwing everyone in jail for a dimebag of herb in the city? Now Cuomo needs to repeal that new gun law!

I hear that they have great new Boulder problems going up all the time. Catch Ivan and ask him about it!

As for gyms, Brooklyn Boulders is great...if you like to boulder that is. The people are super friendly, and the route setting is great, not to mention the gym has a lot bouldering walls with a high concentration of routes. Note that on weekends it gets crowded. If you insist on tying in, the quality of the gym goes down significantly. Most of the walls are 25ft, and there is often lines for the routes during peak times. someone brought TRC and The Cliffs, which although better for roped climbing might be too far away depending on where in the city you live.
This has already been mentioned, but the new gym in Long Island City looks amazing. Looking at the partially finished walls gets be so excited. I don't know how the setting and atmosphere is going to be, but I'm guessing it would be like BKB but a lot bigger.

Scotty--
I live in Boulder during the summer months, NYC the rest of the time. Moderating your expectations is probably a great idea, especially if you are going to live and work in the city.

Facts:
--It costs a lot of $$ to keep a car in NYC, but you're going to want one if you want to get to the Gunks on a regular basis.
--If you decide NOT to have a car, you still may be able to find people to ride and climb with once you hit up Mountain Project, NEClimbs, Gunks.com, whatever gym you pick, and the many Meetup groups that organize Gunks outings. There are a lot of rock climbers living in NYC.
--It's easier to find a partner for weekend climbing, but the Gunks are crazy busy then.
--Say goodbye to the (unique to Boulder?) ability to put in a full day at the crag and still have time left for a long bike ride or run or swim. Your "spare" time will be spent in the car.
--You will indeed want to take up ice climbing if you haven't already. Our season starts a little later but you can stay busy Jan-March in the Catskills, Adirondacks, Mt. Washington Valley (NH) and Smuggler's Notch (VT). As long as our temps fall and stay low, the NE has much more and varied ice climbing than Colorado (though we lack anything like the Ouray Ice park!)
Good luck!

Mike Belu wrote:You better learn to fold that slice of pizza!

You DON'T wanna fold your pizza, or you'll look like a moron. The proper NY way to hold a slice is to form a slightly bent scoop with an index finger on top and your thumb and middle fingers on the bottom. This cannot be achieved with floppy doughy pizzas you get outside of NY though. Oh man, I miss me a slice of good NY pizza!

Kevin Heckeler wrote: If you climb hard you can get on the oddball routes during the busier days to avoid waiting to get on the more popular and/or easier climbs. Otherwise, if you're a 5.8 gumby like me expect to be spending a bit of time during the summer camping out at the base of the climb you want to get on. Also be warned that much of the Gunks are sunny until mid afternoon in the summer, and it bakes on the walls. I don't even head down if temps are to get above 85F or there's sun and high humidity. You may not have a choice but to endure. I tend to do single pitch if its warm, then do the multipitch routes later in the day out of the sun.

I'd like to respectfully disagree with the above...
First of all, harder routes are not oddball, .10s is where the Gunks shine. Secondly, you don't have to camp out to wait for a 5.8 - when I lived back in NY and was a weekend warrior chuftard, I never had to wait in line - mainly because the cliffs are stacked, if you see a party on the route of your choice, just move on and get on something else. There are so many one or two star routes that are stellar, you really don't have to wait in line and the further you walk from the parking lot, the more chances are to not run into other people. Thirdly, if you are spending a summer in NY, and waiting for the temps to go below 85F you may as well give up climbing... I have climbed there when it was well above 90s - just look for right-facing corners, or go to the Peterskill. You can also climb early am, go for a siesta and then climb later in the afternoon.

In any case, I think you are on a right track of having moderate expectations about climbing in NYC. If I were you, I'd just immerse in all the great things the city has to offer for a year or two and stay in shape while climbing in the gym with occasional trips up North.

Okay, I'll bite.

I don't know anything about the 10s at the Gunks (not even sure I've climbed one). Definitely didn't phrase my intent correctly, as I really wanted to say one star R rated routes (regardless of grade). Figure a solid 11a leader could stomach a 5.6R, 5.9 PG/R, etc.

I've done several quality one and two star routes. Unfortunately this isn't a state secret and on an average summer Gunks day even those are filled up from the overflow from the other 'classic' climbs being backed up. Two weekends ago there were climbers on what I figured would have been an oddball 5.6 ... as their first climb of the day. Not even close to peak season yet. Further from the parking lot doesn't work (anymore?) either. People are getting hip to walking an extra ten minutes.

Sunny, 85F+ with humidity at the wall is not fun. If you're lucky to get on one of those right facing corner climbs, then it doesn't hurt so much. My point was I head north where it's typically cooler and there are crags I can hit with shade, quality single pitches, stellar rock, and sometimes with remote beautiful views. No lines either. Snark.

Once again, out West there would be many more options on a warm day, including heading to 14,000 feet. Even living north of New Paltz opens several doors as I explained. Why the hell do climbers choose to live down there again?

The best option in that respect is Peterskill (am I allowed to say Lost City?). Just barely worth the drive IMO. And even with a head count limit Peterskill always seems crowded.

Save the pro Gunks tourism brochure stuff for the less traveled.

So the point was whether a NYC bound avid climber from Boulder friggin Colorado is going to experience a culture shock. I imagine his first run in with a diehard Gunkie will have him wishing for home. "The Gunks are the greatest place on earth. Look at that view!" Pfft.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: Sunny, 85F+ with humidity at the wall is not fun.

Bro.. what are you talking about? I can get my tan on and climb at the same time. Its a win win situation.

Both Kevin and Dolgio are correct about the Gunks. If you climb 5.6 and below at the Gunks you will find yourself waiting on the weekends. If you climb harder than that there are many many more climbs available and you won't have that problem so much. My policy is never to wait for a climb at the Gunks. There's always something else available, usually nearby. If you climb 5.9 or 5.10 you will seldom find yourself shut out of the climb you want.

I notice a number of people say it's expensive to keep a car in NYC. Insurance can pricey for sure, but other than that, I have never paid for parking. I have kept a car in Manhattan (1st and 1st), Queens (Astoria) and Brooklyn (Williamsburg and Bushwick). Never had trouble managing it. Twice, my husband and I had two cars between us, and we still managed just fine.

I would get a car, just not a nice one. We have had minor hit and runs about half a dozen times over the last decade.

I think you'll manage to survive a couple of years in the East as a climber. It's not as miserable as many of the people here make it sound. I have found people to be generally open and friendly, no trouble gathering a wide circle of safe, fun partners. I find, as a rule, people that complain about people being hard to get along with are generally hard to get along with.

I'm basically just a weekend warrior who climbs low graded mellow stuff but the one year I kept track pretty faithfully, I had 62 days on rock. Keep in mind, that's with a 9-5 job and a very average vacation schedule. If the conditions were as bad as people make them seem, that would never happen.

It's certainly not Colorado, but there's no reason to get depressed before you even get here. If I took half these responses to heart, I'd be sharpening razor blades by now.

By the way, if you know you'll live close to the new gym in LIC, you can get some good deals on memberships by joining before they open. I bought a yearly membership for 850, and that includes pre opening climbing and climbing at Vahalla.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: My point was I head north where it's typically cooler and there are crags I can hit with shade, quality single pitches, stellar rock, and sometimes with remote beautiful views. No lines either. Snark.

Yeah Dacks. Kevin, I have a warning for you. For as much as you talk about how much gloriously better things will be once you move west, there is something you should know. Even with the amount of climbing to be found in the west, you'll be hard pressed to find a trad cragging area with the the same level of quality, quantity, and variety that the Dacks offer--not to mention the great culture, scenery, ambiance, potential for adventure, and lack of crowds. You have it reasonably good over there. That said, here is CO there are no black flies, the weather is way better, and there are longer routes. Mainly, it is the weather that makes the difference.

JCM wrote: Yeah Dacks. Kevin, I have a warning for you. For as much as you talk about how much gloriously better things will be once you move west, there is something you should know. Even with the amount of climbing to be found in the west, you'll be hard pressed to find a trad cragging area with the the same level of quality, quantity, and variety that the Dacks offer--not to mention the great culture, scenery, ambiance, potential for adventure, and lack of crowds. You have it reasonably good over there. That said, here is CO there are no black flies, the weather is way better, and there are longer routes. Mainly, it is the weather that makes the difference.

I was just thinking that last night. It's been a cold March/April here, and with a good, dry summer, we'll get maybe 6 months of stellar climbing. I feel like the season is considerably longer out your way. Correct me if I'm wrong though please. I'm seriously considering a move out there within the next few years.