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Driving from Vegas to Moab, have 3 days and a wife that will reluctantly belay but not leave the ground. Destination climbs en route?

Original Post
gtluke · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2012 · Points: 1

Any input on a crag to visit or sight to see?

I trad mostly 5.7-5.8 a the gunks. Have done a few 5.9's and can follow 5.10's
I can sport in the 5.10's and have done some 5.11's in Rumney but don't want to be flailing on the rope and upsetting my wife.

Title says most of it,
But I'll be driving out of Vegas on the 28th (sept) and Need to be in Moab on the 1st. I'll have trad and sport gear, a rope, and a wife that is petrified of heights but will belay me. If I can find something maybe 2 pitches that's SUPER easy I'd attempt that too. Would be cool to get her off the ground. We go to the gym and she does okay. But we go to the gunks (where I'm from) and it's a disaster. But the gunks has basically zero straightforward easy climbs, it's all confusing and awkward and scary. Kinda like our first date ;)

Anyway back on point.
Hike around Zion, see some cool sights, find 2-5 single pitch climbs? Hike out, we're both happy.
Pretty sure we are hitting Zion and Bryce or anything else on the route with a good suggestion.

Hopefully I can do the same in Moab for at least a day, but I think it's going to be mostly mountain biking in Moab. Meeting some friends there.

Oh doing the same thing, hiking/climbing in Red Rocks, but that's another forum. But if you have input in that it would be sweet too.

gtluke · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2012 · Points: 1

Maybe I just suck at picking them. Everyone one I've tried with her ends up being some confusing traverse with real weird moves.
There's like a billion 5.6's, but hell shockley's ceiling is a 5.6, no way could she do that. I need to really find a 5.3 that's a straight line off the ground and not some wandering mess like 3 pines or Gelsa. I need to hit up the uberfall area on a weekday or something, there are easy climbs there but the crowds make her even more uncomfortable. People watching her panic. ha.

Rob Dillon · · Tamarisk Clearing · Joined Mar 2002 · Points: 760

1. Trad is not a verb. let's nip this one in the bud. Come to think of it, neither is 'sport.' 2. I remember a roadside offwidth between Boulder and Escalante that you could toprope. It might solve that partnership problem for good, actually. 3. A good canyon hike could probably satisfy your climbing jones without making your wife feel like an accessory. in fact, she'll become a better scrambler and thus a better climber. There are many of these on the route. Some involve rappels...I'd probably stay away from those. 

MTN MIA · · Vail · Joined May 2006 · Points: 405

There are lots of great single-pitch routes around Moab. Check out Wall Street and Ice Cream Parlor for starters. Swing by the local gear shop (Gearheads) to get books and or beta.
There are also some fun and non committing canyons to explore, as well as some more adventurous/technical ones. Check with local guide services.
Enjoy

SDY · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 10
Dave Schultz wrote: asseccable
Explain this word to me
Travis Larsen · · Ogden, UT · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 26

Tough crowd this morning. Stop in St. George and clip some bolts. That area has what you're looking for, not much trad climbing but endless sport routes. Many of them have short easy approaches. Picking up the southwest utah climbing guide will probably help you out a lot. There are even some good options for avoiding the heat....enjoy the area lots of climbing and some good camping too!

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450

+1 for St George.

We got a guide there, I'm pretty sure that his name was Eric Draper and he was great.

So that's one day, St George.

Day 2, do exactly what your wife wants, climbing related or some other focus of hers. Ice Cream Parlor in Moab is good if she wants to climb (sounds like she doesn't!). But there's also Slickrock and tons of other biking, awesome hiking, yoga, whatever, HER day!

Day 3, the wife strikes out on her own in Moab, and you hire a guide go down to Indian Creek and see what all the fuss is about, on a weekday if at all possible. There is of course hiking and biking down there too, but a pretty long drive and there are no facilities of any kind there, except outhouses. Eric Odenthal at Windgate is a fine guide, as are a lot of folks from Moab Desert Adventures.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern Utah Deserts
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