Best place(s) to train for fall in Yosemite

Hello, wondering if anyone could offer some advice
I'm planning on taking a trip to Yosemite this fall for some free climbing and I am looking for a good place to spend the summer training. I will ideally find carpentry work during this time so I will need easy access to climbing for after work missions and weekends. I am looking for a place where I can really develop my crack climbing ability in preparation for valley climbs. It would also be a big bonus to have access to boulders or sport routes for training after work.

After a little research, I've been looking more into Leavenworth WA, Laramie WY (Vedauwoo), and Tahoe.

Any thoughts out there on any of these places for training in the summer? Any contenders with these destinations?

Thanks,
Hank

I'd add Squamish and the Salt Lake area to the list, depending on how much of a population centre you need and what kind of accommodation you plan to have.

In Salt Lake, you have Little Cottonwood for after work and day trips, Lone Peak Cirque for longer days or overnights, and you are within 5-6 hours driving of City of Rocks, desert crack climbing (some of which is possible in summer), the Elephant's Perch in the Sawtooths, and a bunch of other stuff.

I don't know much about Squamish, but it has to be on the list.

haha, when I read the title I assumed you were looking for places to take Yosemite like lead falls. I was thinking big wall fall practice... sounds scary as hell!

Tahquitz and Suicide, go where the Stonesmasters started before they all climbed in Yosemite. Same type of rock, same/type in difficulty and rating.... The actual place where YDS (yosemite decimal system) rating scale started. It's high up around 7,000 elevation, routes up to 1,000 ft of climbing.

Or you can go to Tuolemne Meadows, where all the yosemite climbers go during summer.

Your ideas are pretty good,actually the best of the lot so far- I'd say you won't go wrong with summer crack climbing in any of them.

Little Cottonwood has about twelve good crack climbs, few close to each other. Lone Peak is a five-hour uphill grind that runs out of water in July, and yes, you could drive to the Wingate and train for July at Arch Rock. Which you would have to yourself.

Tahquitz is a paradise if you're looking for 450' 5.7s and little in the way of cragging. Suicide has about four good cracks and bakes like a worm on a skillet.

And Tuolumne…where are the carpentry jobs again? And the cracks?

Rob..... why practice? Just go to YV.

As a calif climber I can tell you that NOTHING is like Yosemite.

The Needles have good crack climbing, but not the same as the Valley

If your near to San Diego... go to Woodson.

(Never been, but Indian Creek has cracks also.)

have fun.....

I suppose it may depend in part on what's on your hit list and what your skill level is presently. I'd say that Tahoe may be your best bet (Leavenworth may be soggy and Voo will rip the untutored to shreds), and you won't have a big move to the Valley in the fall. Plus, weather depending, you can hit the Valley periodically to gauge your progress. Also, like Guy mentioned, it's not like the place is unclimbable in the summer. Follow the shade or get there early/late when it's cooled down a bit.

Edit: the Needles is awesome but it's not the best place to hang for long periods of time and work around there will be hard to come by. That'd be a better place to go after you've honed your skills some.

Thanks for the thoughts so far everyone! The fact that Tahoe is within striking distance of the valley on weekends sounds pretty sweet right now, on that note, I am also looking at Mammoth Lakes which seems to offer good granite climbing in the immediate area and ~45min drive to Yosemite... Only negative I really see is cost of housing and have heard a lot about bear break-ins in the area so van life might be out of the question.

Any thoughts on life in Mammoth and summer climbing opportunities?

hankp wrote:Thanks for the thoughts so far everyone! The fact that Tahoe is within striking distance of the valley on weekends sounds pretty sweet right now, on that note, I am also looking at Mammoth Lakes which seems to offer good granite climbing in the immediate area and ~45min drive to Yosemite... Only negative I really see is cost of housing and have heard a lot about bear break-ins in the area so van life might be out of the question. Any thoughts on life in Mammoth and summer climbing opportunities?

Mammoth is a great place to hang out and climb in the summer. There are various good local crags, and a short drive to the northwest puts you in Tuolumne. You are also in a great central location for High Sierra access points, and only a few hours to the Valley once it cools off. I can think of few better places to hang out for a summer. Be prepared for expensive ski-town prices, though.

Tahoe is cool too, with lots of great granite. Another good zone. The climbing style isn't quite the same as the Valley, but the skills will still transfer.

Fat Dad's comment that Leavenworth is likely to be soggy is rather misinformed. Dry and uncomfortably hot is more like it, for the summer there. Great summer stuff is available, though, if you head further up into the mountains, or across the pass to Index. Index is astounding and would be excellent preparation for Yosemite climbing.

Estes Park (CO) and RMNP is another spot to consider, with lots of great climbing on granite and gneiss. There are some reasonably long routes to be found, and you have to climb them fast to beat the T-storms, so that would be good prep for long routes in the Valley.

I wouldn't want to spend an entire summer climbing at Vedeauwoo, but that is just me. YMMV. All that offwidth would be good preparation for Yosemite wide, though. Pretty much everything in Vedeauwoo is single pitch(ish), so that is a consideration if you want to practice your long-route skills.

Saving the best for last: Squamish. Huge walls of high quality granite. Amazing cracks. Short approaches. Long free routes. Nice summer weather (the rain situation in the summer is nowhere near as bad as misinformed Californians will tells you; July and August are great). Go there. The international situation may make finding work an issue, though.

Rob Dillon wrote:Your ideas are pretty good,actually the best of the lot so far- I'd say you won't go wrong with summer crack climbing in any of them. Little Cottonwood has about twelve good crack climbs, few close to each other. Lone Peak is a five-hour uphill grind that runs out of water in July, and yes, you could drive to the Wingate and train for July at Arch Rock. Which you would have to yourself. Tahquitz is a paradise if you're looking for 450' 5.7s and little in the way of cragging. Suicide has about four good cracks and bakes like a worm on a skillet. And Tuolumne…where are the carpentry jobs again? And the cracks?

All those statements are true. LCC can be nasty hot in the summer; same goes for Sucide.

Idyllwild (Taquitz, Suicide) is certainly a neat historic area, but in the modern context it is pretty limited. There isn't a ton of variety, it is too slabby, there isn't much good climbing above ~11a, and there is not much cragging. It is a fun place to visit for a week, but I wouldn't devote a season to climbing there; you can outgrow it pretty quickly.

Tuolumne, while amazing, isn't exactly a Yosemite Valley simulator. The angle, style, and rock are all quite different. That said, Tuolumne (or Mammoth, with lots of trips up to Tuolumne) would still be an awesome place to spend the summer, especially if you mixed it in with trips to the Hulk, etc.

Really, though, Squamish is far and away the best summertime training ground for Yosemite.

Squamish. Squamish. And Squamish.

Why not just be close enough and "train" in the valley, it's not like the place is unclimbable in the summer (like desert sandstone) or anything. I did Astroman in mid-July, and while that probably wasn't the most advisable, it (and plenty other routes) was quite tolerable in the shade.

reboot wrote:Why not just be close enough and "train" in the valley, it's not like the place is unclimbable in the summer (like desert sandstone) or anything. I did Astroman in mid-July, and while that probably wasn't the most advisable, it (and plenty other routes) was quite tolerable in the shade.

Why settle for "tolerable" when you can instead go somewhere that is in its prime season, where the (free) climbing is just as good (if not better), and the camping/logistics are way easier...Squamish.

Great stuff here, thanks a lot for the thoughts. Squamish really would be ideal, however, I'm not sure about the difficulties involved with finding work as a US citizen. Definitely interested in Leavenworth/Index. Anyone spent summer in Leavenworth with more wisdom on summer climbing conditions? Would evening bouldering missions be feasible or should I expect uncomfortable heat til dark? Seems like Index/Gold Bar would have cooler summer temps and great climbing but maybe difficult to find work/social life.

Leavenworth in the summertime is not soggy at all, it is on the eastern (dry) side of the state. The temperatures can get hot in the summer, and a lot of the crags are south facing. You can find some shade here and there. Good news is it clears out pretty well during the hot months and you can have the crags to yourself, mostly.

When it is too hot in Leavenworth you can head to Index or Squamish. Squamish would be a bit of a drive, but worth it. Index is amazing, but I thought you were supposed to train in Yosemite to climb at Index!

Lots of alpine objectives in WA too.