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Sick climbing, free beer, hot girls at Looking Glass

Original Post
DennisL · · Bishop, CA · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 75

Mine is the face of desperation.

So far, NC has shown me pretty good mountain biking, warm and kind people, and really lackluster climbing at Rumbling Bald. I want to love NC climbing. I desperately want to believe.

Redemption is near at hand: the Looking Glass is calling me. I hiked out there a few days ago to scope the approach and the climbs, and as a climber who likes to be inspired by the faces he aspires to climb, I walked down happy.

This morning, my already-suspect partner didn't show, so once again I went biking. Not so happy, now.

Please please make me a believer in NC rock, so I can one day sit in the Valley and tell them how much more badass the routes were back here.

I hike in the rack and a rope and water. You bring another rope (I only have 1). We climb the Nose and anything else you deem worthy of our time. I give you beer. You bring the hot girls, or not.

Any day between now and the middle of next week, when I bug out back to TN, where the climbing truly is spectacular.

D

Brian Payst · · Carrboro,NC · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 10

Go hit up Laurel Knob before you go. If that doesn't convince you there's not much we can do.

cfuttner · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 5

I whole-heartedly second Brian's opinion. Laurel Knob calls to me from the mid west. Also, for truly awesome climbing, don't move to Chicago.

EricF · · San Francisco · Joined May 2012 · Points: 120

Go take a trip to whitesides tough guy

photocodo mcclung · · Hendersonville, NC · Joined May 2012 · Points: 115

I might be back in town monday or tuesday morning. Was thinking about going out solo but if you are still looking for a partner i might be keen. Does anyone know if the gates are still closed?

Travis Weil · · Leavenworth, WA · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 0

I know that the gate for 475b is still closed at 475. I did not see if the gate was open on the north end of the road to access the north side, nose or sunwall areas.

DennisL · · Bishop, CA · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 75

Thanks for the replies, everyone. If I can find a partner, I will definitely hit up Laurel Knob.

I hiked the approach to the Nose at LG a few days ago. Gates at both ends of the access road are closed.

Tom Caldwell · · Clemson, S.C. · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 3,623

The Bald lackluster? You must have been bouldering. Wild Hickory Nuts, Breakfast of Champions, Zydgo, Shredded, Flakes of Wrath, Flappin'... I mean c'mon! Personally, I'd rather people not spray positive things about N.C. or the SE. The solitude is awesome and I'm greedy. If Laurel or the Glass doesn't suit your fancy, then more for me!

Adam Paashaus · · Greensboro, NC · Joined May 2007 · Points: 791

Eh, I have mixed feelings about the bald but there are some great routes there. Check out Cereal Buttress if you are a "western"trad climber... or better yet forget the nose at the Glass and head to the Northside. The seal, womb, sperm, yada yada yada. Maybe the best cragging in the state imho.

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945

Sounds like you've never been to the Boone area. . .

Tom Caldwell · · Clemson, S.C. · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 3,623
Adam Paashaus wrote:Eh, I have mixed feelings about the bald but there are some great routes there. Check out Cereal Buttress if you are a "western"trad climber... or better yet forget the nose at the Glass and head to the Northside. The seal, womb, sperm, yada yada yada. Maybe the best cragging in the state imho.
Most of the 5-star climbing starts in the 5.11 range at the Bald. There are some great moderates below that, but they can be crowded, heady, polished, or just too slabby. Many of the 11's and harder can be TR'ed on the Screamweaver Buttress. Start ticking them off and tell me if you still feel the same about the Bald.

If Dennis is looking to climb the Nose, the South Face is a better option this time of year and with similar grades. It is also a shorter hike from the Fish Hatchery.

The best cragging in the state is in the Hickory Nut Gorge, but closed to climbing.
Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

If you're struggling to find partners, why narrow the field? Bring hot guys as well.

5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40
TomCaldwell wrote:The Bald lackluster? You must have been bouldering.
You must just be too weak to do the rad problems out there.
5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40
TomCaldwell wrote: If Dennis is looking to climb the Nose, the South Face is a better option this time of year and with similar grades. It is also a shorter hike from the Fish Hatchery.
We must live on different planets if you recommend he do the SOUTH FACE OF LOOKING GLASS over bouldering at Rumbling Bald (to be fair the bouldering season at the bald is almost ended there I would guess).

But the SOUTH FACE OF LG!?!?!? This is one of the most uninteresting and boring cliffs in the state.
rock-fencer · · Columbia, SC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 265
5.samadhi wrote: We must live on different planets if you recommend he do the SOUTH FACE OF LOOKING GLASS over bouldering at Rumbling Bald (to be fair the bouldering season at the bald is almost ended there I would guess). But the SOUTH FACE OF LG!?!?!? This is one of the most uninteresting and boring cliffs in the state.
South face: climb chaos out of control, dinkus, bats ass, or wind walker if uninteresting is your definition IT also has more variety than the nose which is a plus - but mainly tom was pointing out it is a shorter hike since the gates are closed on both sides.

Tom's plenty strong btw, its just some of us prefer roped climbing over pebble wrestling. And anybody who has been on classic bald routes would not say that they are lackluster.
Tom Caldwell · · Clemson, S.C. · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 3,623
5.samadhi wrote: You must just be too weak to do the rad problems out there.
Ha! No, my statement was that the bouldering at the Bald has nothing on the rope climbing there. That and bouldering simply isn't as good as rope climbing. It isn't even the best bouldering in the state. The High Country holds that distinction. It is all just my opinion.
Tom Caldwell · · Clemson, S.C. · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 3,623
5.samadhi wrote: We must live on different planets if you recommend he do the SOUTH FACE OF LOOKING GLASS over bouldering at Rumbling Bald (to be fair the bouldering season at the bald is almost ended there I would guess). But the SOUTH FACE OF LG!?!?!? This is one of the most uninteresting and boring cliffs in the state.
The OP was talking about climbing the Nose, which last time I checked is 5.8. The South Face is the only other place with a high concentration of 5.8's at LG. There are no other areas that even remotely come close to the concentration or the quality of those routes in that grade.

Thanks for the compliments T. I would hardly call the last 30' of Dinkus boring, or the first 60' of Chaos. How about the start of First Return or Zodiac. Or the bulge move to the slab on Unfinished. Ever do Catch Me Now? Maybe you just climbed those routes out or slab isn't your thing, but mine was a good recommendation.
5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40

yeah I've never done Dinkus Dog. Eyebrows are shit in my opinion unless somehow there is this overhanging jug haul eyebrow route that I am missing. Most of them are sloping edges you end up open handing and high stepping to another eyebrow. Its just boring (its like oh can you lock off this sloping edge and do a 1-leg squat statically to the next sloping edge? Oh you can, great, well in return you get very little kinesthetic pleasure from the movement, oh well).

Cornflake, creatures, few pitches of GM, invisible, womb, safari. That shit is where its at for NC. And some jug hauls at shortoff. Rest of NC is choss.

Oh yeah and you're right when conditions are right (3 weeks a year lol) the high country is the best bouldering mega-area on the planet (I've only bouldered the major US areas though never like font/rocklands/etc).

/Stoned

Tom Caldwell · · Clemson, S.C. · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 3,623

That is probably the first time I have heard someone not like eyebrow climbing. Have you done any of the eyebrows at the Sun Wall? Le Pump is like delicate slopers and Aerospace is like hippo-wrestling with dynamic handjams. They never seemed monotonous for me except at the Nose. Personally, I am always happy to see eyebrows at the Glass, because maybe I will finally get some gear.

There are plenty of other steep routes/areas in NC. Cedar and Cereal headwalls, NS of Cedar, Whitesides (although this is chossy), Screamweaver, baskside of Test Pilots, Hanging Chain, Ghost Town, Hawksbill, Ship Rock, Moores... It is great if nobody likes those areas, more for me!

5.samadhi Süñyātá · · asheville · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 40

I did a couple routes to the right of psychedelic delusions last summer. Not sure what they were rated, but I'll give you that they were spicy!

mtnsoceans Kimbrell · · Taos, NM · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 140

"Eyebrows" boring eh? Tell you what big badass....Grab a rack of old stoppers, sling em 2 to a cord, so you can oppose em for ersatz cams, add a few hexes, and go do those boring/chossy eyebrow routes, cuz that's how they were originally done before cams. After you have flashed em all, I'll get Jeep and Bob together, and you can school us on what it's like being a master of the effin universe.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern States
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