UKC

Hey all, just a question regarding climbing after a day or 2 of rain. Isit alright to climb after the rain, if its dry the next day? or should it be elft for at least 24 hours of dry day? cheers

In reply to kaotikuk:

It depends on the rock and what you want to do.

It's actually alright to go out climbing when it is actually raining. You just get quite wet and the friction won't be all that it could be.

However, if you are climbing some sandstones and some conglomerates, then rain can significantly weaken the rock and you will run the gauntlet of holds unexpectedly breaking.

If you actually want dry rock to climb on, then the amount of time needed will depend on seepage,wind, temperature, exposure etc. Some rocks are quicker drying than others.

In reply to tlm: thanks for the reply, im wanting to climb in the pass in north wales. So i guess that rock would be ok?

In reply to kaotikuk:

You can climb in the pass in the rain, just lower the grade your leading and take a bit longer on the moves.

In reply to kaotikuk: When it's actually pouring with rain that's the time to go out and find out why Diffs are graded as difficult. Total body pump and lots of thrills. Chimneys and thrutches come into their own One of my best days on rock was Starvation Chimney on Wimberry. It was sluicing it down. Finished up using aid. As my mate said at the time: "That was real Joe 90 stuff!"
And I blissfully recall "Dan's Mine" down Ennerdale, on Angler Crag. Who can forget graunching up that through the stair rods?

In reply to kaotikuk:

Yes, the rock in North Wales is volcanic, so doesn't get weakened by the rain. However, you might want to think about which routes you do. Any crack climbs may have seepage running down them for quite a few days. Routes that are higher up may catch the wind better and dry off quicker. And as others have said, if things are damp, just lower your grade a bit.

One of my most memorable days of climbing was doing the Carreg Hyll-Drem traverse, which is under an overhang, on a very rainy day, when everyone else had gone to the electric mountain for the day because it was so wet. We climbed under a waterfall as the water poured off the overhang above us, and as we moved out from under the waterfall, water poured in one sleeve and out the leg of my trousers! It was a fantastic day, a stolen climb, and I will never forget it.

In reply to kaotikuk:

It's all part of climbing, and it all depends on the route. If it's sunny, almost everything on the north side of the Pass, except the deep cracks, can dry out in a few hours. Of course it depends how many days of rain there have been, and how heavy it's been. Usually, if it's turned dry, everything will be OK in the worst scenario after three days. On the south side of the Pass, the nose of the Mot dries out very fast.