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Mike
Advanced climber
Utah
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 22, 2002 - 05:24pm PT
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What's the best State, Country, City, Continent to live in?
You can make your own criteria, but for me I think it's the place that has the most variety near where I live. I think most climbers out there practice many different forms of the sport so they want good Trad, Sport, Ice, Mountains, etc. close at hand.
You also have to decide what's your definition of close? I have two categories, stuff I can get to after work (less than 1 hour drive and 1/2 hr approach) and stuff I can reach in a regular weekend (usually 5 hours or less).
That said, I've decided that Corvallis, Oregon is the perfect location...45 minutes to Skinners Butte and only 3 hours to Smith Rock....I'm moving there as soon as I get out of jail!!
-Mike
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5.10b4me
Advanced climber
Cali
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 06:17pm PT
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IMHO it's a toss up between Bishop,Calif and Flagstaff,Ariz.
both are close to bouldering, sport, and trad climbing, mtn biking, and skiing. although Bishop has mountaineering nearby, and ice climbing is not too far.
One place I never thought I would move to is Utah, but I'm reconsidering that.
just need to get out of el lay.
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Lambone
Novice climber
Formerly residing in Montana
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 06:23pm PT
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I'd say montana, but my friends from montana would kill me for posting that on a california web site...did I say montana?
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john mac
Novice climber
Denver, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 07:05pm PT
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Colorado, without a doubt.
The sheer quality and qantity is mind boggling. Denver isn't great, but that's home right now and where the work is. There is something for everyone all year round and its so close. Sport, trad, walls, ice, ski touring, mtn biking, all on within a short drive. It is so good I immigrated from New Zealand.
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Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 07:18pm PT
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Mike
You must be crazy! Corvallis is a cool town but it is not the best place to live and climb. There is nothing in town to climb. Yes there are a few places to go climb within 45 minutes but for the most part they suck. The collums are good but being in downtown Eugene they are always packed. Don't forget the crag is only a couple hundred feet long and all of 45 feet high. Yes smith is only 3 hours away but think of how many citys/towns are only 3 hours from a destination as good or better than smith. The mountaineering is limited to a few crumbly volcains. It rains most of the winter and smith is too hot in the summer. There are some plusses though. There is a TON of mountain biking around corvalis. There is lots of good skiing on shitty snow. Timberline has summer skiing. There is year around kayaking on some incredable rivers. Corvallis is only 45 minutes from the coast. Windsurfing in the Columbia gorge. I could go on and on about all the cool things to do but as far as climbing goes it is far from the best.
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Jay
Novice climber
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Aug 22, 2002 - 07:27pm PT
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Tahoe (North or South); well maybe not in the winter, but the skiing is worth it. Las Vegas is pretty good too.
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Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 08:20pm PT
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Washington and Oregon are too rainy.
Montana and Wyoming are too cold.
Utah is too religious.
Colorado is too trendy.
Nevada and Arizona are too dry.
California is too, well we'd need a whole list.
East of the Rockies, what's the point?
That leaves only parts of Idaho. That must be the best place (the Aryan Brotherhood rednecks are mostly in the north).
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Michelle
Novice climber
west side
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Aug 22, 2002 - 08:21pm PT
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I would want to live somewhere on the east side. Lee Vining is cool, close to climbing, hiking, soaking and if you like strange lakes with plenty of interesting history, there's canoeing. Temps don't get as hot as Bishop either.
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bozo
Novice climber
bozville
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 08:56pm PT
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Mammoth. Clarks, Owens, Bishop, Tuolomne, the Valley, the whole freakin' eastside for skiing all winter and the longest spring season anywhere, even a couple decent rivers nearby to paddle, as well as heaps of mtn biking.
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Matt
Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 09:04pm PT
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I really don't see how you can want to live that far away from the ocean.
Period.
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Forest
Novice climber
Tucson, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 09:40pm PT
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Been living in Tucson for two years now. Can't believe how awesome a place it is to live and climb. You can climb year round, some sport and a lot of mixed. Mt Lemmon goes up to 9000 feet, so you've got a cool place to climb in the summer and there's bouldering and a little bit of short climbing 1 mile from my house! "Real" climbing is about a 30 minute drive with a 5 minute approach.
Cochise Stronghold is two hours away. Yosemite is a short plane flight or a one-day drive. J-Tree is 6-7 hours away. Northern AZ (i.e. flagstaff) is closer than that and we're not _too_ far from Utah.
If you don't mind the summer heat (I don't, for some reason), this place is incredible.
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Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 09:46pm PT
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Forest--Shut Up!
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Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2002 - 09:56pm PT
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Yeah- watch out!
We're all about to move to freakin Arizona!
Somehow I think you're safe pal, even if the cat gets outta the bag here on ST.
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Granitewalker
Intermediate climber
3rd stone from the sun
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2002 - 11:01am PT
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The Valley. Yeah I know you have to deal with crowds in the summer but you can climb year round with the occasional break because of fresh snow on the rocks but it only takes a day for the lower merced canyon to dry out and you can get yourself a late shift and climb from 6am-2pm every freakin' day before going to work. Housing costs pracically nothing and great climbing can be a 5 minute walk from your door. I did it for 3 years.
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hayduke
Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2002 - 11:20am PT
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DURANGO COLORADO!
Indian Creek=2hrs away
Arches & Canyonlands, the Fishers & Castlevalley=3hrs
Zion=6hrs
Black Canyon=4hrs
Telluride & Ouray ice=1.30hrs
Silverton ice=1hr
and the San Juans are top 2 sickest ranges in CO.
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Buzzardboy
Intermediate climber
Lancaster, PA
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Aug 23, 2002 - 11:47am PT
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Boulder, CO
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Mike
Advanced climber
point of the mountain, Utah
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2002 - 11:57am PT
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Don't come to Utah, it's all just a bunch of hype. The only good place to climb is American Fork and it's so jam-packed with those pretty boy BYU trust-funders you can't even go there on a Saturday any more. That leaves you one day of the week to climb and if the 5-0 sees you operating your motor vehicle on that Holy day, WOE IS YOU! They'll have you in a federal "pound me in the ass" prison faster than you can say "Holy Moroni!" ...believe me, I know.
I still think Corvallis is the place to be...there's so many trees to climb, you get really good at Tufa climbing which will be helpful when I go to El Portrero Chico some day. Plus, when it rains, you just play frisbee and get all muddy!
It sounds like everyone else thinks Bishop is the best place to live, what do you guys do for work there? Does everybody wait tables or something?
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HAYDUKE
Novice climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2002 - 12:02pm PT
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I ONCE CLIMBED NEAR BOULDER AND THIS DUDE WAS USING A LASER POINTER TO GIVE ROUTE BETA AT THE CRAG. I ABOUT SH#T MYSELF. F*#K BOULDER.
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Seldom Seen
Advanced climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2002 - 12:10pm PT
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Hayduke,
Let the Boulderites keep thinking they've got it made. If we don't, they'll all move away...think how much that would suck for the rest of us! It's much better to have 'em all packed into one spot that's easy to avoid, than spread out over the country.
-Mr. Smith
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Nor Cal
Advanced climber
Nor Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2002 - 12:26pm PT
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Are there any cracks in the jail house walls you can pratice on?
I say some where in central california, like fresno, can go to Yosemite year around, not to far from J-Tree or So cal spots and its really not that far from Tahoe rock.
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