Climbing Guide in/around Canyonlands

A buddy of mine is planning a 4- or 5-day camping trip to Canyonlands. He's thinking about The Maze. He invited me and I had the thought to go climbing. The only thing is, this will be in Decemeber. Will it bet too cold to climb? I was looking at Castleton Tower's North Chimney or Kor-Ingalss.

Or, since The Needles distract is closer to The Maze, maybe something there. I'm hoping to do a tower climb.

Are there any guides in the area?

I don't lead. So that might be a problem. But I've done a few trad climbs with other guides in Tahoe (Lover's Leap) and Ragged Mountain (Connecticut). In the gym I'm just starting to tackle 5.11a. But I've only climbed 5.9 outside.

Basically I want to have a great time and climb something epic (for me) while on this trip with my buddy.

Have a guide take you up Ancient Art. December can be cold and snowy, or it can be fine - you never know.

FourT6and2 wrote:But I've done a few trad climbs with other guides in Tahoe (Lover's Leap) and Ragged Mountain (Connecticut). In the gym I'm just starting to tackle 5.11a. But I've only climbed 5.9 outside. Basically I want to have a great time and climb something epic (for me) while on this trip with my buddy.

Depending on what you've done at the Leap, it is unlikely it will prepare you for desert tower climbing. That said, if you are young and strong, a guide can probably get you up a tower anyway.

The Maze is not going to have any concentration of classic towers you would probably want to tick (assuming conditions are okay to get out there). I do have a friend or two in Moab who guide; pm me if you want contact info.

George Perkins wrote: The Maze isn't really close to anything, and the Needles is farther away from it than Moab (and most of the popular towers) are.

What are some of those popular towers then?

^^buy the Crusher book! you are in for a treat!^^

Desert Towers

FourT6and2 wrote:A buddy of mine is planning a 4- or 5-day camping trip to Canyonlands. He's thinking about The Maze. He invited me and I had the thought to go climbing. The only thing is, this will be in Decemeber. Will it bet too cold to climb? I was looking at Castleton Tower's North Chimney or Kor-Ingalss. Or, since The Needles distract is closer to The Maze, maybe something there. I'm hoping to do a tower climb.

The Needles District is further from The Maze than Moab and Castle Valley. The two districts are separated by the Colorado River. The shortest way between the two would be up to I-70 and through Green River - about 3-4 hr drive from the Hans Flat ranger station in The Maze.

Depending on how much you/he wants to see in the Maze, 4-5 days is about the minimum for the grand tour, including the hike down to the Harvest Scene pictograph panel. The Maze will also require high clearance, full 4x4, 10 or more gallons of extra fuel, high-lift jack, extraction gear, and absolute self-sufficiency. I know someone who snapped their passenger CV joint at Teapot Rock. Travel from the Maze Overlook camp to the Dollhouse takes most of a day (~40 miles). The 1.5 mile stretch going around Teapot Rock on the way to the Dollhouse takes about an hour and requires good spotting for most drivers. In December I'd also consider a full set of tire chains and, if solo (ie: one vehicle), a winch.

Also, snowfall or even just rain will make many parts of the roads impassable and outright dangerous. It can easily mean having to wait 2,3,4 or more days for things to dry out if you're on the wrong side of one of the slick stretches. There are a number of spots were it's really easy to roll a vehicle. If that's on the Flint Trail it can mean going several hundred vertical feet. The only climbing I'm aware of in the Maze is in the Dollhouse area - but it's all pretty obscure and minimally documented.

I'm not aware of any established climbing in the Needles district, but you do drive through Indian Creek on the way in. December can be absolutely frigid in that area of the desert at night and cold and bitter during the day.

Thanks for all the tips.