UKC

Hi all,

I'm considering taking a year out from work to go climbing and travelling. I'm looking at heading to Yosemite Valley and Joshua tree for half a year then possibly go north and spend another six months in Canada (probably Squamish.)

It'd be the classic dirtbag adventure - leaving really minimally and climbing all the time. Has anyone done something similar who can give me advice on;

>The likely cost
>The chance of getting casual labour to bump up the income.
>Any inspiration for other destinations
>Any other tips?

Thanks a lot

Rock_Chimp_Uno

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

There's so, so much more to North America than that.......and Joshua Tree would be pretty low on my list anyway.

But maybe start there in the winter if you must, then work north climbing the amazing desert areas (Utah, Nevada etc.), then Yosemite in the spring then the cooler mountain areas in the summer (Sierras, Colorado, Wind Rivers etc) and Canada(Bugaboos, even Squamish) for the summer and then back to the hotter areas for the places you missed or loved earlier in the year as it cools down again in the Autumn.

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

Don't miss Red Rocks and Tuolumne out! I'd still go to Josh but not dedicate half my trip to it. Visit Zion even if you don't climb there.

Sierra east side is paradise on earth, hot springs, views up to the mountains, nice little towns and excellent bouldering/cragging. I recommend Owens River Gorge for sport though many seem to rubbish it.

If you hook up with someone else on a road trip then you might get lifts from place to place. Otherwise get the bus & hitch within the climbing areas, it's VERY easy to meet other climbers in the campgrounds.

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

A good roundup here:

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,21295.msg387459.html#msg38745...

(Am I allowed to link to the Other Place? I hope so.)

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

Like Robert Durran says there plenty more good stuff over there. Can´t say as I´d spend more than a week at JTree myself either, it´s fairly spectacular but the style of climbing wasn´t our thing really. Cochise is vastly better for that area and warmer. Length of stay is limited in most national and state parks which means you have to travel out of Yosemite after 7 days (or whatever it is now).
Check out the visa stuff first though as getting a B2 visa isn´t really compatible with someone who wants to go dirt-bagging, you need to show funds to support yourself and have a residence in Europe apart from other such annoyances like usually a return ticket to where you came from. Same will apply going into Canada from the US if your US visa is running out.

In reply to jimtitt:

Jtree is an amazing place but as others have said maybe not a place to stay for a long visit, you can keep costs down there by backcountry camping a mile from the rd. lots of amazing routes but it can get hellishly hot and my skin didn't last well at all.

plus one for cochise

yosemite is great but the fringes are good too, again backcountry camp and maybe fresno dome area.

up near San Jose there is pinnacles I believe which looks amazing.

Red rocks is developing more of a winter following and could be a good wintering spot.

East coast can be amazing too with the Red river gorge and the New river gorge both have world class sport but also a lot of good trad plus good dirtbag scenes for finding parters etc

In reply to yodadave:

>



Not so convinced about Pinnacle Nat Park, no one´s persuaded me I ought to go there and sample its rotting rock! The Needles is by repute fantastic but a summer destination so not when I go over.
Red Rock is as good as it gets for mad fun multi-pitch withnice soft grades, the downside is the absolutely grim concentration camp which is called the campsite. A decent campsite outside the BLM lands would make things much more attractive for longer stays but then the right motels are cheap enough. It can be cold in the middle of winter though, better off further south then. Mt lemmon area (Arizona) didn´t convince us! Loads of good (and some terrible) back country climbing on the granite domes down that way but a lone climber wouldn´t find anyone to climb with.

In reply to jimtitt:

Three months tends to be the time people spend in the States as this avoids the complications of getting a visa.

In reply to Brown:


I know which is why I wondered about the OP writing " I'm looking at heading to Yosemite Valley and Joshua tree for half a year" and then introducing the concept of dirtbagging.

In reply to jimtitt:

I had looked at getting a six month visa but found the process too difficult. I only know of a couple of people who have done the six months visa route. I seem to recall they hired a full size camper as part of the visa application to prove they had accommodation. It was not dirtbag!

In reply to Brown:

Thanks everyone for your replies. Can anyone share any experiences of extended rock climbing trips to south america. I'd imagine you'd have the same visa issue if staying in one place, but you could "country hop" and so avoid the need for a visa? The questions is whether there is enough good climbing in a number of countries....any thoughts?

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

Potrero Chico!!!
Cheap, tonnes of routes, easy to get a partner

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

hi, loads of people have commented on the destination, etc., so I think I'll say something about cost. I did something like that a year and a half ago with my husband and wee boy and I was a amazed at how cheap it is once you get going. We were away for 3 1/2 near enough 4 months. We had saved up some money beforehand, but despite major car trouble (which cost a bit ) we were all right in the end.
So, this is totally from personal experience (we weren't too stingy on food etc and even had the odd evening out in a restaurant or bar and bought the odd new harness or gear, but I reckon, for the mere living expenses (camping, petrol and food, etc) we spent no more than £3000 pound, probably a lot less. That's for three people (or 2.5 if you like) and we spent most of the time on campsites due to the nature of the locations we went otherwise we would have been dirtbagging more.

In reply to yodadave:



Potrero Chico is OK, but nowhere near as good as many of Europe's sport climbing destinations. I wouldn't travel there specifically for climbing from Europe again. We had a great trip when we were there as the area and people are great but the climbing itself isn't outstanding.

In reply to 1234None:

I generally agree with the sentiment that the climbing isn't outstanding but I'm interested where in Europe you are thinking would be better. Slight thread hijack

In reply to yodadave:

If we're talking multi pitch then two examples would be the verdon or picos de europa Single pitch, then ceuse, tarn, montsant, kalymnos...almost anywhere really. I thought there were a lot of grid bolted poor single pitch crags at potrero. Doubtless there are some hidden gems (outrage wall?) But for me they were the exception rather than the rule. The multi pitch classics we did there were OK, but lots of loose rock and ledges interrupting fairly average climbing. Maybe we just chose our routes badly? The overall experience of the area was good as the locals were super friendly, the campsite was superb and there was a generally great "vibe" amongst the climbers there. Just a shame the actual climbing isn't on the same high level as all those other elements.

In reply to Crag_chimp_uno:

I am just about to head out (march) to OZ for 3 months and then over to the USA for 3 months doing as much climbing as pos. Maybe not dirtbagiing it as much as you plan to but probably a bit. there is boatloads of climbing in OZ and then more than enough in The USA to keep you very busy for 3 months. I am also thinking about a quick trip to Squarmish but that will be last min thing as it rains alot there so decision will be made if it is looking good.

feel free to PM me and i can go into more of my plans.

Rich