sandstone + rain

How long would you wait for soft sandstone to dry out before climbing? I was thinking at least 4 days? I'm hoping the weather report is wrong for Friday...20% chance. Was planning on going to the foot in ojai on saturday...but looks like a possible no go...bummer.

The rule of thumb is for every day of rain you must wait one day of sun for the rock to dry out.

Very dependent. Temperature, humidity, sun exposure are all important. A simple internet search will bring up much more in depth answers as well.

My take: Solid sandstone cracks in good sun require no more than 24 hrs. Featured routes with holds require 2-3 days.

When I climb in malibu or stoney point area I give 4-5 days of sun for every 1 day of rain. Climbing sandstone can be tricky when it rains, I play on the safe side

The rule for SoCal sandstone is... Longer than you might think.

Checking the ground in a shady spot is a good start. 2 sunny days off the rock for every MODERATE HALF DAY of rain is a good start, too (4 days for a good solid day of rain). Combining the two is probably as good as it's gonna get.

Light rain is also much different than the dumping we got a couple weeks ago. I waited till yesterday to go outdoors after that walloping.

That being said, you can get on certain boulders earlier than others if they are south facing and good quality cemented holds with less porousness and slopers (big blocks and jugs that seem solid are actually sometimes the most fragile), and if you don't yard on anything including feet. The more experience you get the more you can judge what holds and problems are okay to climb, and you can distribute your weight better and put less outward strain on holds

Odds are some noob is going to be out there yanking on stuff the first day after a rain. So, just be cautious and conscientious and it'll be fine. Rain days are a good excuse to train power endurance in the gym.

And honestly, sandstone holds that are gonna break because of rain are probably going to break fairly soon anyway due to regular climbing stress. I always try to be mindful of how I pull on our wonderful choss.