To save paper & ink, use the [Hide] controls next to photos and comments
so you only print what you need.
Hippie Dreams
5.7,
Sport, 75 ft (23 m),
Avg: 3 from 603
votes
FA: Gary Beil 1997
W Virginia
> New River Gorge…
> Summersville (G…
> Summersville La…
> Orange Oswald Wall
Description
Start on an easy corner and continue up the rounded arete to a ledge then move right and continue up the sloping holds to the anchor.
This climb is a must do for the warming up 5.10 climber.
Location
Left facing corner on left elevated portion of Orange Oswald Wall.
[Hide Comment] This route is certainly one of the most climbed routes at Summersville. It's a lot of fun, especially for new leaders like me (since this was my 2nd lead), and provides awesome views of the lake.
Due to its popularity there are two considerations
1- Get here early, or you will most likely end up waiting 30min+ to climb it, this thing gets insanely busy
1a- related: if you're climbing this, get it done, enjoy it, and get out of the way. Some groups will set up hammocks and top rope on this route and tie it up for hours, which sucks when you have newish climbers who just hiked 4mi to climb. This crag is for everyone, not just your youth group to use for 5 hours.
2)The holds are polished, I think the grading is accurate, but don't rely on friction here too much.
All in all It's a good warmup for you guys moving on down to the 5.10s and a good confidence builder for the new climbers.
Apr 14, 2016
[Hide Comment] Hey man. Just noticed your comments planning my next weekend at the lake.
"It's maybe 2 miles, not 4. I've made the hike in well under an hour before." - I have the gps track somewhere, and I think it was closer to 4, been out there a ton of times. Irregardless if you can't hike 3-4mph I doubt you're much of a cllimber, lol.
"Did you tactfully approach the group? What was their response?...t sucks that people have no outdoor etiquette and think that a rope hanging from anchors designates ownership of that route."
I have. I'm not just talking about one time. This is absolutely the norm on hippie dreams. I've asked to cut in before, sometimes it goes well, sometimes they act like you're committing a cardinal sin against all that is climbing.I'm also not talking small groups of 2-3 people, I've seen groups of 8+. Many of the times it's a lot of brand new climbers, which is great, but means you're talking 20+ min per climber to finish a route that should take just a few.
C: Do a different route. This is the norm at Tattoo Wall and Orange Oswald. You can expect this any weekend of the year when the weather is decent. Use it as motivation to get stronger and bolder and skip the lower graded warmups.
That's the goal. I'm a 5.10 climber on TR but still getting into leading (after a year off) so sometimes when you hike out to such a crag, being unable to get on a route of your skill for hours is just ridiculous.
My point was not just to gripe. Just to spread awareness. Some of my encounters out there, and around the area, have been met with frustration simply for asking to jump on a route after a group has been on it for a long time, and are treating it like their own private retreat. I don't get agro or anything, just get frustrated. I'd like people in big groups to be cognizant of their fellow climbers, rather than having to strategize how to get on a route without pissing them off.
Sep 7, 2016
[Hide Comment] The first bolt on this route is somewhat loose, I think because the bolt is placed under a little bit of a bulge and gets levered on when people lower off. Unfortunately I didn't have a wrench and was only able to finger tighten it a little bit
May 1, 2018
[Hide Comment] Much like Orange Oswald, I found this climb to be very, very overrated. The climbing is very uninteresting, even for the grade.
My advice is to set top rope on the Hippie Dreams anchors and climb crack to the left. It's 5.6 but way more fun in terms of the variety of movement and flow. You don't have to have any crack climbing technique due to the number of face holds on either side of the crack.
Oct 26, 2018
[Hide Comment] Super fun route as advertised. The trad crack just to climber's left looked like a lot of fun and I'll climb it next time we are in the area. We just ran out of time.
Orange Oswald on a hot summer day is a great time!!
Jun 30, 2021
Continue with onX Maps
Sign in with Facebook
Charleston, WV
Due to its popularity there are two considerations
1- Get here early, or you will most likely end up waiting 30min+ to climb it, this thing gets insanely busy
2)The holds are polished, I think the grading is accurate, but don't rely on friction here too much.
All in all It's a good warmup for you guys moving on down to the 5.10s and a good confidence builder for the new climbers. Apr 14, 2016
Pittsburgh, PA
Charleston, WV
"It's maybe 2 miles, not 4. I've made the hike in well under an hour before."
- I have the gps track somewhere, and I think it was closer to 4, been out there a ton of times. Irregardless if you can't hike 3-4mph I doubt you're much of a cllimber, lol.
"Did you tactfully approach the group? What was their response?...t sucks that people have no outdoor etiquette and think that a rope hanging from anchors designates ownership of that route."
I have. I'm not just talking about one time. This is absolutely the norm on hippie dreams. I've asked to cut in before, sometimes it goes well, sometimes they act like you're committing a cardinal sin against all that is climbing.I'm also not talking small groups of 2-3 people, I've seen groups of 8+. Many of the times it's a lot of brand new climbers, which is great, but means you're talking 20+ min per climber to finish a route that should take just a few.
C: Do a different route. This is the norm at Tattoo Wall and Orange Oswald. You can expect this any weekend of the year when the weather is decent. Use it as motivation to get stronger and bolder and skip the lower graded warmups.
That's the goal. I'm a 5.10 climber on TR but still getting into leading (after a year off) so sometimes when you hike out to such a crag, being unable to get on a route of your skill for hours is just ridiculous.
My point was not just to gripe. Just to spread awareness. Some of my encounters out there, and around the area, have been met with frustration simply for asking to jump on a route after a group has been on it for a long time, and are treating it like their own private retreat. I don't get agro or anything, just get frustrated. I'd like people in big groups to be cognizant of their fellow climbers, rather than having to strategize how to get on a route without pissing them off. Sep 7, 2016
FWIW, I tracked it a few years ago and had 1.3 miles at about 33 minutes walking with a group that wasn't in a huge hurry. Sep 12, 2016
New Paltz
Union Township
Tucson, AZ
My advice is to set top rope on the Hippie Dreams anchors and climb crack to the left. It's 5.6 but way more fun in terms of the variety of movement and flow. You don't have to have any crack climbing technique due to the number of face holds on either side of the crack. Oct 26, 2018
Pittsburgh, PA
Orange Oswald on a hot summer day is a great time!! Jun 30, 2021