Windy Day routes in Red Rock

Any recommemdations on routes to do on a windy day? Thanks.

Go early and hope for the best. We are leaving now! get in and out before the sand storm.

What's the wind direction? If it's out of the west, try the Diet Delight cliff. Just one idea. Good selection of fun routes.

It's going to be south, southwest wind 25 - 35 mph for today and tomorrow.

Andrew Carson wrote:What's the wind direction?

WSW today 45 mph with gusts to 70 mph.
W tomorrow 31-37 mph with gusts to 50 mph.

Personally I'd stay on some low commitment east facing stuff like Andrew says. I'd avoid stuff that you have to do multiple rappels so you can walk off when your rope gets hopelessly stuck from the wind.

Places that I can think of that may work are Willow Springs and Physical Graffiti. Angel Food wall may be ok, but some people epic'd in the wind there the other day.

We climbed in Pine Creek yesterday, and did Pauligk Pillar (2 long pitches) which wasn't bad in the wind. Anything on the north facing mescalito that was 4 pitches, or less seemed okay in high winds yesterday.

Willow Springs is usually well protected fro SW winds.

I didn't think it was ever windy in Red Rocks.

Lee is correct. The air is absolutely still, but the earth is going by reeeeally fast. Hanging on is in order.

I went to Sunnyside in Icebox Canyon on a windy day a few weeks ago and it was great. Lots of good single-pitch routes there...Magellanic (sp?) Cloud, Cold Sept Corner, Mister Masters, Shady Ladies, Van Allen Belt.

I've avoided the worst of the wind by staying low and climbing in Calico Basin. mountainproject.com/v/nevad…

Brian

Ok my bad on the dust storm. Its funny the national weather service posts dust storm. When they post one for Cortez the dust blows so hard it blows thru the doors at my fire house in Towaoc. You cant see ten feet in front of you. We found shelter yesterday and had a good day. Went back today and my f in allergies were so bad from the wind I ended up going back to town for allergy meds. We did not see as many on the routes today and as we were leaving saw 3 white trucks with red lights heading up into the canyon. I Hope no one got hurt.

My take on red rocks is its a great climbing area but wow, it was so busy in high winds yesterday. If your a destination climber.
the spring may not be the best time to come here. I have climbed all over the country and have to say this is one busy place. I am sure its better if you hike in but tourists almost killed to climbers knocking rocks off of a ledge they were on. I will be back but only because my folks retired here. Their is so much great climbing in colorado and Utah with little crowds. No offense the climbing is good

On Tuesday there was a strong southwest wind with gusts up to 50. I climbed Group Therapy on Angel Food Wall. The wall faces northeast. The access was windy, but once we were up on the rock it was smooth sailing.

jeff bryan wrote:My take on red rocks is its a great climbing area but wow, it was so busy in high winds yesterday. If your a destination climber. the spring may not be the best time to come here. I have climbed all over the country and have to say this is one busy place.

Funny, I never find RR to be that crowded. Calico Hills is crowded. We did Black Dagger on Brownstone Wall on Rendezvous Saturday and there was no one else up there. I've done maybe 80 multi-pitch routes in the canyons and can't recall waiting to get on anything or even being delayed by other parties.

Red Rock is usually crowded during the Rendevous through Spring Break; not so busy in RR other times of the year except for Thanksgiving weekend. In the summer, it's a ghost town.

I climbed in Red Rocks for the first time this past Monday and Tuesday, and WOW the most busiest and most climbers I have seen on any trip I have been to, especially for a weekday! I know it was spring break but I don't think we even ran into any college groups.

RNclimber wrote:I climbed in Red Rocks for the first time this past Monday and Tuesday, and WOW the most busiest and most climbers I have seen on any trip I have been to, especially for a weekday! I know it was spring break but I don't think we even ran into any college groups.

This will be my fourth straight weekend in RR. In the last three, we've climbed tons of awesome routes...Jubilant Song, Black Dagger, Black Orpheus, Nadia's Nine, Mister Masters, and a bunch of other short routes. No waiting at any time and hardly any other climbers. The only day I saw tons of people was a rest day when we went to climb Retirement Plan at 2nd Pullout. RR is crowded if you're a sport climber.

Killis, and Tom are speaking the truth; even in Red Rock's busiest times, you can always find plenty of trad routes that you won't see another soul on. Most of the traffic I see during the so called spring break time, are from people driving the loop road, and city folk wandering off from their cars at the pull-outs, with the dogs, and kids for a good day out, and some hikers, bird/wildlife watchers, and photographers here, and there. The popular sport climbing areas, and easy to moderate classics with short approaches are ones to avoid when the RR loop is crowded, BUT, if you have to climb a popular, classic multi-pitch, hit popular crags with easy access, and/or sport climb ....it helps to wake up early; maybe run to the base of the more popular routes/classics, and be done by 11 am, or so to beat most of the crowds during the few weeks in the year when RR sees a lot of folks, (Rendezvous, spring breakers, and vacationers).

EDIT: it's not the cold that makes climbing in the winds a pain in the neck, it's feeling like you're getting blown off the wall when leading in it, and the high probability of having to free your snagged ropes during the raps off long routes in "high winds." If you are doing a long route in high winds, choose one with a walk off, or at least be prepared for your ropes blowing off into oblivion when pulling them on the raps, and getting hung up where you'd have to do some sketchy traversing to free them, sometimes several times over; not uncommon in Red Rock with all the beautiful featured rock. Be prepared for an almost guaranteed adventurous day if climbing long routes in high/strong winds. If it has never happened to you, you may not fully understand it until it happens to you. : )

For future reference, Windy Peak South Face routes to the east of Jubilant Song, i.e. Hot Fudge Thursday or my favorite, Western Swing, are actually well protected from the wind and the walk off makes them decent windy objectives despite the name of the peak. Song and a Prayer which breaks out west of said corner is a bad choice obviously (and yes I climbed it on a windy day for some reason).

Black Velvet Canyon, particularly the base routes on Whiskey Peak, .i.e. Ixtlan or Triassic Sands, although one would think would be somewhat protected, are brutal on typical windy days.

Brownstone Wall routes, particularly the south wall, are well protected from the wind normally.

The NE face of Global Peak (Chuckawalla 21) is very well protected. The east routes on Wilson, i.e. Resolution Arete, Lady Wilson's Cleavage, Inti Watana....the east routes on Ginger, i.e. Unimpeachable Groping, Power Failure, all good choices....Eagle Wall is a bad choice, but the buttress route is well protected and you can walk off it.

windy in RR? really? never....

Thanks for the beta. I did not hike in Sunday due to the winds. I was not worried about being cold. I was worried about being blown off a wall. My folks retired in Vegas so I think I will try again next fall. I will take your advise and hike in for multi pitch climbs. Now I will head to my local crag in Dolores Canyon which has hundreds of routes and you will not see a sole!