Mountain Project: Climbing Alabama

Submitted By: saxfiend on Jan 5, 2007
Administrators: saxfiend, Brad Killough IV
Latitude: 33.7609 Longitude: -86.8799
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Description

It may not be the first place you think of as a climbing destination, but Alabama has some excellent crags to choose from, most within a two-hour drive of Atlanta or Birmingham.

Climbing in Alabama is mostly sandstone. The Cumberland Plateau, which hosts the great sandstone cliffs of Tennessee, extends into northern Alabama. Areas like Jamestown are similar to T-Wall and Sunset in Chattanooga, though the cliffs are not as tall. Other areas like Sand Rock, by contrast, tend toward sandstone with a fair amount of conglomerate mixed in.

For trad climbers, Jamestown is the top destination, with numerous excellent lines. Areas like Sand Rock and Griffin Falls have a mix of sport and trad, while Palisades Park is a great place for setting up easy to moderate topropes. Boulderers can enjoy the great problems of Horse Pens 40 and Moss Rock Preserve.

Because many of Alabama's destinations are on private land, access has been a perennial problem. While there are some areas that have been closed with little hope of ever reopening, Jamestown is a special success story. In 2005, the Southeastern Climbers Coalition purchased the land that includes the Jamestown cliffline, reopening the area to legal climbing for the first time in 12 years. With luck, other off-limits areas can be reopened with similar tactics.

Getting There

The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Alabama:

Bum Boy V3 Boulder, 12 feet Horse Pens 40

Man With The Slow Hand V4 Boulder Horse Pens 40

Earth Wind & Fire V4 Boulder Horse Pens 40

Red Arrow V4 Boulder Horse Pens 40

Mortal Combat V4 Boulder Horse Pens 40

Swirls V4 Boulder Horse Pens 40

Millipede V5 Boulder Horse Pens 40

Cashmere 5.7 Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 65 feet Palisades Park

Elephant Crack 5.7+ Trad, 1 pitch, 70 feet Palisades Park

Yum Yum Tree 5.7+ Trad, 1 pitch, 120 feet Jamestown : Harvest Wall

My Dog Has Fleas 5.8+ Sport, 1 pitch, 60 feet Sand Rock : Holiday Block

Boobs 5.9 Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet Palisades Park

White Gold 5.9+ Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet Sand Rock : Sun Wall

Comfortably Numb 5.9+ Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 120 feet Sand Rock : The Pinnacle

Knife Crack 5.9+ Trad, 1 pitch, 70 feet Griffin Falls

Jaws (aka Cleopatra's Clit) 5.9+ Trad, TR, 27 feet Sand Rock : Jaws Block/West Side Rock

Oyster 5.10a Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet Sand Rock : Holiday Block

Gravy Train 5.10a Trad, 75 feet Sand Rock : Holiday Block

Misty 5.10c/d Sport, 1 pitch, 90 feet Sand Rock : Sun Wall

Dreamscape 5.11c/d Sport, 1 pitch, 75 feet Sand Rock : Sun Wall

Photos of Alabama

Slideshow

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Brad Killough, doing what he does at most comps. J...	Denmark Blount maintains intense focus on his foot...	Liz redpointing The Wasp, V3, Horse Pens 40.
Butter on Bread, V1, HP40	High Life, V5, HP40	Katrenis on Millipede, HP40
SWIRL, HP 40	T.W. on DEAD RECKONING, 5.10a	T.W. on DEAD RECKONING, 5.10a
hope that gri gri checks out	The crew at Sand Rock!	Nice trad, past Fiath.
Gene Smith working on the FA of Chandler Roof

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