Best place to live, surf and climb with a family…

I’m from Colorado and have been climbing for years, besides going to the beach and surfing, it’s all I want to do. My husband and now 2.5 and 5 year old girls are also climbers. We are looking to move to a beach somewhere in the world or stay in the US. We want to be somewhere we can climb, surf, sail and enjoy beautiful weather year around. Thank you!!! And again willing to go outside the US. I know San Diego is great, but super crowded and expensive. 

San Diego.

Next question?

Megorocca- LMK when you all get here. We're always stoked to meet new climbing family neighbors. 

With love, 

A San Diego Trad Dad

At this point can we just start a whole new category of threads in the general forums titled “Where should I move?”

San Luis Obispo county, but don’t tell anyone. I laugh at metro suggestions, I’m sure it’s fine and all but my town has to work hard to put 5 digits on the “population” part of the city limits sign… quiet = happy, imo

San Diego is expensive AF and the climbing is meh at best, but i don’t think there’s anywhere else in the US you can say checks all those boxes 

Townsville or South East Queensland, Central Coast or Illawarra, New South Wales, all in Australia. 

Malibu. Santa Monica. 

Capetown, South Africa.

San Diego is expensive AF and the climbing is meh at best, but i don’t think there’s anywhere else in the US you can say checks all those boxes

SD native here, it might be higher rent than lots of places, but you get what you pay for. Knowing locals is helpful, and no heating or AC bills if you’re near the ocean. Speaking of which, SD County has the best surf on the west coast with the warmest water. Plus we’re as close as you can get to Baja surf, which can be phenomenal. You obviously aren’t hip to where SD’s awesome climbing is hiding. SD’s best climbing has only been done for about 20 yrs or so, and most of it’s hidden away in our beautiful mountains. Tahquitz and Suicide is 2 hrs, Josh is 3, Needles, Red Rocks and Zion are 6 hrs. I hear there’s a really good gym scene too.

Out of curiosity, Dane, what is the best route you’ve done in San Diego County?

OP says:

“I know San Diego is great, but super crowded and expensive.”

A lot of people lump SD with LA, and they’re way different. “Super crowded”? Depends on what you’re used to. Traffic is nowhere near as bad as LA. I live a block from one of the nicest beaches, and basically never have beach goers parking in front. The big name surfspots are crowded on good days, but there are endless other spots to get waves without crowds.

Our outdoor climbing areas have moderate to long approaches, and most are a drive from the coast, but they are never crowded. San Diego climbers mostly climb indoors from what I can tell. Why? Don’t ask me. Lazy? Socially oriented? Urbanized? Scared to go outside? Poison Oak? Rattlesnakes? Earthquakes?Unaware of the bounty of the County?

Candyasses sums it up

I reckon Tenerife should have you sorted for all that.

Kevin Worrall wrote:

SD native here, it might be higher rent than lots of places, but you get what you pay for. Knowing locals is helpful, and no heating or AC bills if you’re near the ocean. Speaking of which, SD County has the best surf on the west coast with the warmest water. Plus we’re as close as you can get to Baja surf, which can be phenomenal. You obviously aren’t hip to where SD’s awesome climbing is hiding. SD’s best climbing has only been done for about 20 yrs or so, and most of it’s hidden away in our beautiful mountains. Tahquitz and Suicide is 2 hrs, Josh is 3, Needles, Red Rocks and Zion are 6 hrs. I hear there’s a really good gym scene too.

Out of curiosity, Dana, what is the best route you’ve done in San Diego County?

I climbed some turds at Mission Gorge, and it took about 4 frustrating hours to get to J Tree with the horrendous traffic It is a nice city with many amenities including a great gym in Mesa Rim. It does not offer good to great rock locally for your more hardcore, fanatic type climber. Like everything else it comes down to what you prioritize and value with some amount of opportunity cost. 

Haha!

Mission Gorge on a SD scale of 1 to 10 is a 2 at best! Did my first roped climb there when I was 12. You can’t say of SD “It does not offer good to great rock locally for your more hardcore, fanatic type climber” if you only saw the Gorge! Tbh, Mission Gorge might be the worst climbing area I’ve ever climbed at, all things considered. It’s convenient, that’s about all it’s got going for it.

It depends on what you consider hardcore fanatic type climbing. Overhanging sport is comparatively rare, but I can think of a hundred or so such pitches. There are tons of great multipitch 5.11’s up to 5 pitches at El Cajon Mountain and Eagle Peak, well over a hundred 5.12 pitches probably, all over the backcountry, but particularly at those two areas, some at Corte Madera also. Killer crack bouldering at Woodson and many other typical bouldering spots. San Diego’s best sport crag has “the best granite sport climbing” the exalted Randy Leavitt has ever done, semi secret and hard to hike to, tho, aesthetics are off the scale. More and more 13’s have been appearing lately and more to come. Still, San Diego has yet to reach its potential…

Okay, the rock is probably better than I am giving it credit for. I am a rock snob who spends too much time living on the road at “world class” destinations. I may be out of touch on what the average person is looking for. Good reality check there. One day I’ll come back and check out what are apparently those much better options for local climbing 

Select San Diego granite is as good as it gets, and I lived in Yosemite for 6 or 7 years. 

Ventura, CA.

It can be expensive, depending on where you live in town. East side of town is much cheaper. Great surf year round. Head a little south to Malibu for summertime south swells, and Winter NW swells line up nicely for many local breaks. The climbing up Highway 33 outside of Ojai is certainly nothing to write home about, but there is enough rock to keep you entertained on the weekends until you get out to one of California’s many world class climbing destinations. Similarly, there are a lot of little crags around Santa Barbara that are not too far a drive. They aren’t spectacular, but definitely enough to fill in the gaps.

For sailing, Ventura Harbor and Channel Islands Harbor are a stones throw away.

I lived there for several years as a life long surfer and decade long climber. Loved it for both of those reasons. I think there might be. A gym in town too at this point? Would have to look into that further…

David Jefferson wrote:

Townsville or South East Queensland, Central Coast or Illawarra, New South Wales, all in Australia. 

Townsville has quite good climbing I've heard, but I thought it actually had zero surf? The great barrier reef being a barrier. Are you thinking of the Sunshine Coast area that has Noosa surf, Mt Coolum & Glasshouse Mts for climbing?

Illawarra area is definitely a good spot. Nowra town used to be a shithole but is nicer these days. Soooo much climbing if you include New Nowra as well. Wollongong a good compromise for everything.

Cape Town south Africa, if we're talking worldwide.

Somewhere on the west coast of France, Spain or Portugal might be great spots too.

Dane B wrote:

I climbed some turds at Mission Gorge, and it took about 4 frustrating hours to get to J Tree with the horrendous traffic It is a nice city with many amenities including a great gym in Mesa Rim. It does not offer good to great rock locally for your more hardcore, fanatic type climber. Like everything else it comes down to what you prioritize and value with some amount of opportunity cost. 

Hate to “akschually” you, but….. Mission gorge is garbage and everyone knows it. That’s like climbing at a 1 star wall in the valley and saying the valley sucks. Also 4 hrs to Jtree is highly unusual.I’ve driven to Jtree dozens of times and it’s never taken a full 4 hours, 3.5 hrs is the worst I’ve ever experienced . It’s usually 2.5/2.75 if you leave Friday night and 3 on Sunday if you want to get back somewhat early, otherwise you can get 2.5. But overall I agree, the local climbing leaves something to be desired big time. The front range has much better local options 

No one has asked you the important questions.. What do you and your husband do for work, and what’s your budget? If you can work remote and have good income, that opens a lot of options around the world. You have young kids; how important is an American-style education? Have you weighed the cost/benefits of an alternative education and upbringing?

San Diego is the obvious choice if you stay in the US, but it isn’t as rosy as Kevin would have you believe. He mentioned not needing heat or A/C as some sort of offset for the cost of living, which is nuts because you would need a $2M+ tiny house on the beach to take advantage of that extreme microclimate. I live 8 minutes from my surf break and I will spend $1,200 on gas for my furnace and $3,000 on A/C this year, even with solar panels.

The surf here is always crowded, and even worse when a swell hits. But you get used to it. Access to Baja is a huge benefit that can’t be overstated. The climbing in the local mountains is great if you enjoy getting off the beaten path and spending as much time hiking as you do climbing. Some people love that sort of thing, but others just want an easy access crag that is well developed with more of an outdoor gym feel, and you won’t find that here. Also, I personally think the gear/crack climbing in SD is awful, and Joshua Tree or Tahquitz are the closest good options.

 The climbing in the local mountains is great if you enjoy getting off the beaten path and spending as much time hiking as you do climbing.

Do you only climb for an hour and a half when you go to EP, Jason? The approach is only 45 minutes. That’s a good time for just one multipitch there, and it’s a five minute walk back to the base for another! You can do 20 pitches there in 6 or 7 hours at that rate. I’ve climbed there all day and walked out in the dark many times. Full moon hike to the car after session is surreal, btw!

I know an area with lots of 400’ moderate face routes, and many 200’ steep sport routes that’s a 20 min walk, another with over 20 sport routes on killer rock up to 12+ that’s a 10 min hike, another moderate sport area with a 5 min level bike ride and a 5 min hike, rock like the best Josh. True, “off the beaten path”, as in nobody, ever. I see that as one of SD climbings’s greatest attractions. Hike 2 hours and your options can double in quality and quantity.

I have no heat, and no AC, ever, but, I am a block from Windansea, so you’re half right about needing artificial temperature control, if you live inland, own no down gear, live with a female, and especially if you’re an urbanized gym climber :)

And the surf isn’t “always crowded”. Like with the climbing, you have to have a positive attitude, and know when and where to go.

Another vote for San Diego. Love it here. Much better climbing and surf than LA.