Might be moving to Seattle. Access beta

Hello PNW section. I just got an exciting career opportunity to leave the promised land of Boulder and move to Seattle. I understand the high bar for climbing access that Boulder sets, but it also looks like Seattle access ain't so bad compared to other large metropoli. And I know winters are wet there.

I would love to hear Seattle climbers' insight and experience on what being an outdoor rock climber and living in Seattle or its suburbs is actually like.

It also seems like eastside suburbs might be preferable for climbing access so it's easier to get out of town?

What should else should I know?

I understand costs of living and housing are high.

For reference I enjoy projecting sport routes in the 5.12 range (hopefully 13a someday) and climbing trad up to 5.10 and easy 5.11. Maybe you'll convince me to become a boulderer if leavenworth is the only zone that goes in the winter.

Spray me down!

thanks!

The location you live will have a huge influence on where, when and how often you recreate outdoors. If you work a normal 9-5 my thoughts:

living in seattle. You get to do all the seattle things, with okay access to the airport. Getting to index afterwork at like 3:30 is pretty much not doable but maybe you have a higher degree of patience with traffic than me (check google maps to get a sense of where you live and when you could leave work and whether that would work). 

The closer you live to index the worse access you have to pretty much everything except snowboarding, leavenworth and climbing at index. Index generally has a shorter season than north bend as it doesn’t overhang and seeps. I can go climbing in north bend in the middle of a downpour.

The closer you live to north bend, generally gives you the best access to the most options including decent access of going to index.

If you live in Renton, 405 is closed sporadically all summer and will ruin your plans.

If your goal is to climb hard you can do both at either crag. Index is infamous for erratic grades but proportionally it probably has more hard climbs.

Unless you climb with me or my friends most strong north bend climbers exclusively climb at world wall. If you search for 5.12s in north bend you will get a pretty long list, at least 50% were bolted by me or my friends so take our star ratings and grades with a grain of salt.

As trevor(?) said, we basically have two zones close to the city, 90 (exits, sport) and 2 (index, mostly trad climbing). Both areas have a ton very good routes. Neither are super close (30 minutes to an hour depending on where you live). Living on the eastside (on 405) generally makes climbing access much easier since you don’t get trapped by the bridges, but this is just a triangulation exercise between work / climbing. Play around on google maps, you know how this works.

I would push back on the idea that before/after work is difficult unless you have a 100% in person job. It is very easy to work at a cafe/library near either crag. This allows you to drive outside of rush hour and easily get a half day in while still clocking in for a solid day. This is especially true when days are long during the summer. It doesn’t get dark until like 10 pm during summer.

The real pain point in Seattle is winter climbing. We get a handful of perfect dry winter days, but rarely do they fall on the weekend. I have climbed more wet rock out of optimism than I would have thought possible a few years ago. If you boulder, this is a bit more manageable since I think you can usually boulder the winter. I’ve been learning to ski.

It is extremely rare that you can boulder through the winter in Leavenworth. Right now, the boulders are under like 6 feet of snow and that is normal for this time of year. Vantage is probably the only consistent winter destination in Washington and even that is pretty cold and wet most of the time. 

oversimplified, from my experience (for reliable days): Vantage: march/April-November, Crags on East side of the Cascades: May-October, Crags on west side of the cascades: June-September

Occasionally you’ll get great climbing days outside of that, but otherwise = ski season (or ice season if you go up to Canada). It pays to have diverse activities to take advantage of the seasons here 

• For post-workday climbing, the closest climbing to civilization is North Bend (aka "The Exits").  These are regularly climbable in the dry months.  These crags are situated along the I-90 highway, so access to I-90 is maybe the most important thing.  During summer, daylight lasts very long, so you can show up at like 7pm and still have a few good hours.  Living in North Bend would be optimal if you work from home a few days a week.  But really, access to I-90 is what matters the most.  You can start all the way back in downtown Seattle (Exit 1 of I-90) and get to the crag faster than from an Eastside suburb closer in distance but that requires you to get on I-405 or small roads.  (For example Redmond or Kirkland)
• Winter months are tricky to be honest in WA.  A lot of people who can stretch it will get their climbing in at other locations.  ( I've left for 3 of the last 4 years for a somewhat extended period of time.  Unfortunately not possible for me this year though  ) 
• Vantage is the closest thing that is climbable during the wetter months.  Dec-Feb can be cold though.
• Smith Rock is my favorite in the winter, but is still touch and go.  It's also 5.5hrs away, so that's a thing.  If you can work remote for a couple days a week, you can get good winter days in (as long as you have a good AirBnB budget lol). 
• You mentioned Leavenworth, you should also check out Mazama.  The climbing season in those locations are a good 2 months longer on both shoulders of the season.  I very much enjoy climbing in Mazama, especially with its close proximity to WA Pass. 
• The best climbing in WA is really in the alpine.  I'd definitely suggest checking that out in the summer!!

The key unanswered question is where is OP's job located, and how often does he need to be there in-person. This will guide the decisions.  Seattle can be a difficult city to get around and a long daily commute there is very unpleasant. If your job is in the city and you need to be there in-person, living in the city near your job is preferable so you aren't burning all your energy commuting. But if you can telework most days and only go to the office once a week, living out in North Bend would be nice.

JCM wrote:

The key unanswered question is where is OP's job located, and how often does he need to be there in-person. This will guide the decisions.  Seattle can be a difficult city to get around and a long daily commute there is very unpleasant. If your job is in the city and you need to be there in-person, living in the city near your job is preferable so you aren't burning all your energy commuting. But if you can telework most days and only go to the office once a week, living out in North Bend would be nice.

I agree this would be helpful.

I will say of all the suburbs to live in north bend is by far the least impacted by traffic. As soon as you get on i90 east bound most times of the day there isn’t traffic. Live in north bend and working downtown would be fine but working 3 miles north or south could add 20 mins each way.

I tried really hard to buy a house in north bend during 2020 but it was a nightmare however the market has cooled off and I actually think I prefer living in Renton. 

What the above posters said.  If you know where you'll be working then that will have a pretty big impact and what you can afford in housing will also be a big factor.  I'm always of the mindset of living close to where I work since I'm unwilling to waste what little time we have on this planet to commuting. Otherwise, I would really think about whether climbing during the week is important to you or not. If so, being close to North Bend will be key IMO.  

If weekend warrior-ing is enough then anywhere in the general Seattle area will work.  

With good friends in the front range, I don’t think anyone has emphasized how horrid the weather conditions are here comparatively for over half the year. I know you get it but do you really get it?   Maybe find some climbers who have made the same move and see what they have to say (I only know folks who went the other direction)

I made the move from Boulder to Seattle and I agree with everything said so far above. While nothing outside of maybe SLC and Vegas will compare to the access, good weather, and variety that Boulder/Denver affords for climbing, I still think Seattle is an awesome city to live for climbing and imo the next best city for climbing. For after work climbing and for having world class destinations, other cities like LA, SF, Portland, Boston, etc. just don't match Seattle imo. Between Squamish, Mazama, Index, Equinox, Smith Rock, Skaha, Gold Bar, Leavenworth, Tieton, and many others, there's just so much great climbing within driving distance for a weekend up here. Yes the weather is rough half the year, but there's always weather windows in the winter if you're desperate enough like I get and Vantage is a great winter destination spot only about 2 hours away.

If you prioritize after work sport climbing, North bend is your best bet (although getting to a gym may be difficult and so Bellevue or Issaquah may balance getting to a gym and the Exits well). If you're willing to drive an extra 15 mins though, Seattle proper really isn't that much harder to get to the mountains from though if you time your drive to avoid rush hour. I do the commute to the exits every week during the summer and it's never been bad or prohibitive. 

If you want after work bouldering or trad, somewhere like Monroe, Gold Bar, or north east Seattle would be best. No shade to the bouldering and trad in the exits which are fun but the granite near Index is just better imo. I would also say there's better and more varied bouldering than Leavenworth in WA so don't judge all of WA based on Leavenworth.

Comparing Boulder and Seattle on the whole for climbing, in my opinion (others may disagree), CO has better sport climbing for sure. For Trad and Alpine, I would give the edge to Seattle, and for bouldering I think both are great. In Boulder getting to these spots after work is easier but in Seattle it can definitely be done also.

Happy to answer any other questions about the Boulder to Seattle transition. Both are amazing places to live and climb and I haven't regretted my move for a second. The climbing community has been super welcoming so far, and I honestly believe with the influx of new route developers (thanks to all the developers out there), there's tons of new walls and areas being developed every year here.

Here’s a sort of identical thread from a few years ago.

Front range vs seattle

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/123173495/climbing-around-seattle-wa-compared-to-the-front-range-co#ForumMessage-123176551

For 5.10 to 5.12 sport climbing, you are sadly looking at a massive downgrade in quantity, variety, and seasonal availability. You’ll be spending most of your days cragging just east of North Bend along I-90 (generally in season mid April to the end of sept) though it definitely can be too hot in July and august. I’d imagine from November-March you’d take a few days trips or weekend trips to vantage ( dry but very low quality) about 2.5hr drive east.

In my opinion and as someone who lived and climbed in Boulder for over a dozen years … and now lives in Seattle … I wouldn’t relocate to Seattle.

It also depends on what your climbing preferences are but you can’t beat the variety you have along the Front Range and elsewhere. And as you know - the access to everything is unparalleled.

One more thing - the quality of the climbing in Colorado is so much better than it is here.  From Eldo to Lumpy and everything in between - it’s generally great.  Here, not nearly as good compared to Colorado.

And then there is the weather. In Seattle you’re always navigating around the weather. In Boulder you can “almost” go any time of the year. And when you can’t get on the rock there are plenty of opportunities for ice. Don’t get me started on the ice climbing in WA. Most of the time it’s too wet and too warm. That being said, when the conditions are right the ice is great but that’s not the norm.

I’m sure a lot of folks will disagree but I’ve been climbing since 1975 - started when I was 9 - and I’ve been all over - if I were to do it all over again I would not move to WA.

Hey everyone - thank you all so much for the great insight here, and i apologize for my delayed response. 

my new job will be right downtown near seattle center. for commute reasons, as others have mentioned, i'll look for a balance of access and not too shitty of a daily work commute. 

it's great to hear about all the areas around and i'm psyched to immerse myself in the community. 

any opinions on best climbing gym in the city? 

I'll probably get to town in June or July. if you're looking for a partner come summer, please shoot me a DM!

thanks again for all the great info and input. I'll do my best to soak up the most of Boulder in the next few months, and then see you all soon!

I climb in my shed which I built because gym climbing in seattle was inaccessible (there are not that many gyms for the population size). Apparently there are new gyms being built but right now momentum is the furthest south gym. But when I lived in seattle I didn’t even go to my preferred gym because afterwork traffic in the city was so bad. I would consider every gym in seattle a bouldering gym except for vertical world. Edgeworks seattle does have rope climbing but it’s pretty small.

Ironically seattle center isn’t really the center of seattle and it’s only okay to take public transport to. I work two blocks from the space needle and to take the bus, it’s over twice as long. However seattle center is the best location to work in seattle for getting to north bend. 

I've been getting out once or twice a week all winter, climbing a variety of rock types and styles.  Climbing either in Snoqualmie Valley or Vantage. Not just messing around either, high quality boulders and 5.12 range sport climbs.

Aaron Wait wrote:

I've been getting out once or twice a week all winter, climbing a variety of rock types and styles.  Climbing either in Snoqualmie Valley or Vantage. Not just messing around either, high quality boulders and 5.12 range sport climbs.

To be fair, we kinda skipped winter this year.

Danny wrote:

Hey everyone - thank you all so much for the great insight here, and i apologize for my delayed response. 

my new job will be right downtown near seattle center. for commute reasons, as others have mentioned, i'll look for a balance of access and not too shitty of a daily work commute. 

it's great to hear about all the areas around and i'm psyched to immerse myself in the community. 

any opinions on best climbing gym in the city? 

I'll probably get to town in June or July. if you're looking for a partner come summer, please shoot me a DM!

thanks again for all the great info and input. I'll do my best to soak up the most of Boulder in the next few months, and then see you all soon!

There are quite a few options. The most popular would be SBP (many locations, some have their own purpose) and the Vertical World in Ballard. They all kind of have a different vibe, so I’d recommend getting a day pass at each when visiting. 

A lot has been said about the weather, and it's true that we just don't get frequent good conditions all year. It's also true that if you're cued in you can solidly climb outside from March-October and use November-February to train or take a trip somewhere if you can. I value the hiatus because I can use it to improve, see someplace new, unwind, daydream, etc. I mean part of this is also like I'm used to it and I accept it but I definitely wonder what it would be like to live in say, southern Greece or somewhere with comparable weather/access. I dunno. 

For overall vibes though this place is awesome and pretty laid back. Great community and summers truly are as good as it gets. Also there's more development in terms of sport climbing and bouldering happening currently that will expand the climbing season on either end and open summer up even more as well. Oh man and the mountains are so sick. There's a lot to love so don't worry about it. 

ALSO! I keep harping on this and I'll say it again: Index is a sport crag. 

My 2c: Momentum has the best setting and facilities for Seattle gyms imo. Unfortunately it is only bouldering.

When I need a ropes fix I usually go to edgeworks Bellevue or vertical world interbay

SBP.. I’ll just say that place can make me feel old and I’m only in my 30s. The crowd tends to be much younger and it is often incredibly crowded

Mitch L wrote:

My 2c: Momentum has the best setting and facilities for Seattle gyms imo. Unfortunately it is only bouldering.

When I need a rope fix I usually drive over to edge works Bellevue or vertical world.

SBP.. I’ll just say that place can make me feel old and I’m only in my 30s. The crowd tends to be much younger and it is often incredibly crowded

I'd challenge you with uplift in shoreline for some good setting, but that's my 2 cents.