Convince me Seattle is a good place to live...

Hi all,

I bummed the post title from someone else's similar question in the Northern California forum. I have a job offer in Seattle and another in Boulder. So how good is Seattle really for rock climbing? Are the gyms good, are the crags close, does it ever stop raining? Will I spend endless hours in traffic just trying to leave the city to get out to the crags? In sum: how good is life for a rock climber in Seattle?

Thanks!

PS: not asking about alpine climbing (mountaineering) because I assume that's generally awesome in the Cascades!

Seahawk fans have eclipsed Patriot fans as the most annoying in football

Where are you coming from? Seems like your expectations have a lot to do with a relative comparison to that which you are accustomed.

The best local crag to Seattle is Index (steep granite). Second best are Exit 32 and Exit 38 (mostly sport climbing, soft ratings, polished easy routes). Most of the other worthwhile cragging is a further drive (Leavenworth area / Icicle Canyon, Tieton, Frenchman's Coulee a.k.a. Vantage). Googling those areas will give you a pretty comprehensive list of the popular cragging accessible to a Seattleite (<= 2.5 hrs drive). After-work (assuming you have a regular M-F job) cragging is possible at Exit 32 or 38 (and maybe Index) during the summertime due to long days.

Seattle Bouldering Project is probably the best gym in terms of quality routes and space / capacity (though boulders only as name implies) and is centrally located near downtown (e.g. a pain in the ass for everyone to get to LOL). Vertical World (several locations) has best roped / indoor lead climbing. Stone Gardens is good if you more prefer to boulder and end up living in Ballard / Phinney / Wallingford / Fremont area (though the original VW is a stone's throw away). They all get crowded on weekday evenings.

Traffic is relative. Getting to and from crags on weekends is no big deal. Again, this issue has more to do with your reference frame. I just returned to Seattle after a spell in Washington DC and find the traffic downright civilized by comparison (though everyone seems to drive slow as balls here).

I just moved to Seattle a little over a year ago and this is what I have found... Keep in mind I moved here from SLC where I was used to 15-30min to good rock. The closest crags are exit 32&38 which have been mentioned. The traffic getting to and from can be a bitch if you time it wrong. The climbing at both places is far from world class in my opinion. Somewhat chossy and has seen way to much traffic. Index is the closest best climbing although its 1.5hrs from Seattle. Climbing is really good although leave all windows down and no gear in the car if you don't want to get broken into... Basically what I have found is it almost requires a full day to get out climbing. Smith rock is 5.5-6hrs away and you can climb through a lot of the winter in the sun. As I'm sure it sounds, if you want to climb a lot and be able to go before or after work I wouldn't suggest it. The gyms are gyms, nothing more or less than you'd expect.

Wish the best,
Spoiled climber from SLC

marty funkhouser wrote:Seahawk fans have eclipsed Patriot fans as the most annoying in football

I'm a Pats fan and I resemble that remark.

Scott McMahon wrote: I'm a Pats fan and I resemble that remark.

its okay all the Seahawks fans are going away now that the team is getting worse.

If you're really only interested in cragging then go to Boulder. If you are psyched on alpine climbing then Seattle is a good place to be (so is Boulder though). There is good cragging around Washington but I don't think you can compare what's within a two hour drive of Seattle with what is within a 15 minute drive of Boulder in volume and quality.

Robots and Dinosaurs wrote: its okay all the Seahawks fans are going away now that the team is getting worse.

haha that's true. I had no idea so many people I knew were Seattle fans...at least until they won the superbowl.

Having lived in both Seattle and Boulder I'll get the obvious out of the way: the rock climbing near Seattle pales in comparison, and a good waterproof shell is mandatory equipment 8 months out of the year (it is worth pointing out that vantage is another acceptable winter climbing option and way closer than smith rock).

But because of the puget sound, the outdoor sports/activity options in seattle are much more varied than boulder: Scuba diving, kayaking, sailing, etc. on top of all the mountain-related things. IMHO, I also feel that the snowobarding/skiing in the PNW is much better than CO. Sure, the snow is heavier, but there is so much more of it! The backcountry seems much more accessible with little or no approach and the avy danger is generally lower since (paradoxically) there is more snow. Every time I'm dealing with I-70 in winter I miss the drive up to Stevens pass...

Don't move to Seattle. It sucks. I grew up in the area and it has few redeeming qualities. I've now lived in SF, San Diego, Phoenix, and the Northeast. Everywhere has better climbing. It’d be much better to plan a summer trip for alpine objectives in the PNW, and move on when you're done. Think you're not a depressive person? You'll become one.

Index is the best thing we have, and that's not saying much. It's always wet, meth heads everywhere, mosseneering not rock climbing, and you will definitely never be able to climb there in february. Squamish is the only world class destination, and it is far, always wet too.

As another poster said there is a wide variety of other outdoor pursuits in the area, but be prepared to do them in freezing fog and rain.

Boulder is a town, seattle is a city, that might affect your choice. They are both overpriced and full of yuppies who think their own farts smell delicious.

I don't have much to add. I lived in Seattle for 5 years and I now live in SW CO for the past 2 years. If you want to rock climb move to Boulder. If you want to be a more all arounder move to Seattle. Just don't move to Seattle and piss and moan about the weather. If thats all you can focus on, move to Phoenix.
SBP is a good gym, but if you're over 21 and not a hipster you'll feel old, especially when Seattle U lets out for the day. Vertical World is by far the best gym in the area, but go try them out. See what works.

but... but... what about the rain?

Caden S wrote:but... but... what about the rain?

yes, it does a little of that here

and don't believe that "it's just drizzle bullshit"

thenewstribune.com/2014/11/…

Caden S wrote:but... but... what about the rain?

Damn it. I'm very annoyed.

Caden S wrote:but... but... what about the rain?

Damn it. I'm very annoyed.

mediocre wrote: Damn it. I'm very annoyed.

yes, it comes from climbing moss covered rocks all the time

forgot to mention you can travel 5 hours or so to trout creek for sunny climbing, total choss pile, just look at the base of the crag ;)

Go Boulder. Drive 30 minutes and get to Eldorado Canyon. A 30 minute drive from Seattle gets you to Renton.

Ashort wrote:Index is the best thing we have, and that's not saying much. It's always wet, meth heads everywhere, mosseneering not rock climbing, and you will definitely never be able to climb there in february. Squamish is the only world class destination, and it is far, always wet too. As another poster said there is a wide variety of other outdoor pursuits in the area, but be prepared to do them in freezing fog and rain. Boulder is a town, seattle is a city, that might affect your choice. They are both overpriced and full of yuppies who think their own farts smell delicious.

The rewards of climbing in Washington (in my opinion) are the pitches/boulders/routes which are excellent and the adventure of finding them. The cascades and other washington areas offer up a lifetimes worth of fun climbing, and the fact that you have to sift through the mank a bit for it presented a deeper experience for me. Now living minutes from loads of climbing (and loads of climbers anytime the weather is good) I miss the peaceful pursuit I took for granted. That said, if what you want is accessible high quality climbing that requires little effort and no creativity, move to boulder and share it with the hordes. dont forget your jambox and skrillex cd.

I lived in Seattle for almost a year, but the weather drove me away, I live in Boulder now, and I couldn't imagine ever going back to Seattle.

I'll say this. During June, July and August. Seattle climbers are the most blessed in the country,

For those other nine months? Well. It really really sucks (though, inexplicably, there's a really nice couple of weekends during late January and early February,)

Colin Porter wrote:Don't move to Seattle. It sucks. I grew up in the area and it has few redeeming qualities. I've now lived in SF, San Diego, Phoenix, and the Northeast. Everywhere has better climbing. It’d be much better to plan a summer trip for alpine objectives in the PNW, and move on when you're done. Think you're not a depressive person? You'll become one.

I don't know about those other places but I live in the northeast and it sucks for climbing compared to the pnw. Not really even comparable in my opinion. Unless you like short routes and even worse weather.