UKC

Hi all,
Does anyone know if there is a bus service to Red Rocks from Vegas or would it be better hiring a car for a couple of days?
As you have to leave in the evening anyway it may work out ok to catch the last bus back into town.
Cheers
Pete

In reply to petegunn:

You need a car, defo. Just got back 2 days ago if you want a annual pass to the loop road and some beta

In reply to petegunn:
You absolutely need a car or to get someone with a car through Mountain Project/Supertop who needs a partner. You need to be careful on some of the unpaved approach tracks to parking south of the main loop road: they are often 'excitimg' drivng and if you prang you usually won't be insured (even a 4x4!)

In reply to Offwidth:


I wouldn't advise the Black Velvet road without high clearance, but you can always park at the start of the road and walk it.

In reply to petegunn:

Are you there now, or planning a trip? I’m going to be there in April and will be looking for partners (will also have a big ass truck).

In reply to Robert Durran:
We got down it fine loads of time in car with normal clearence but it did take an absolute battering. Defo get damage insurance anyway as even getting too close to those desert plants results in mighty fine scratches on the car.

In reply to petegunn:

Thanks all, off in a few weeks for a wedding but was gonna pop the climbing gear in as well.

Do you need to pay for a permit for the loop road? Is it better to get a week's pass rather than individual day(s)?

Also any good route recommendations, especially cracks: fingers/hands/fist/offwidths?
Many thanks

In reply to petegunn:

You pay for the loop road but some of the areas are outside.

In reply to petegunn:

As a Peak resident and pedant I feel the need to point out that it's "Red Rock" and not "Red Rocks", but maybe the Americans are more laid back about these things.

In reply to planetmarshall:

It's not so clear cut. For example, Jerry Handren's guide book is called 'Red Rocks: A Climber's Guide'

In reply to cem:


As a Brit, Handren should be ashamed of himself. It's this lax attitude to grammar that lost us the Colonies.

Anyway, on the subject of cracks, The Fox (5.10d) is the only one I've done, and is a king line. "Tooth Decay", nearby (Couldn't find in in the logbooks) is a fun offwidth roof if a bit sandy.

"Desert Gold" (Couldn't find that either on UKC) is the classic roof crack.

See also Out of control (5.10c) and The Nightcrawler (5.10c)

In reply to petegunn:

The Cloud Tower (5.12a)

As cracks go, this is meant to be ace. It certainly looks the part. Big day I expect.

In reply to petegunn:

Check out Triassic Sands. Nightcrawler is great but it's mostly some delicate dihedral stemming vs. crack. If you want more crack options, go to Zion.

In reply to petegunn:
No idea what grade of route you're hoping for but every grade has an amazing array of amazing routes waiting for you. Routes I'd recommend include the incomparable Birdland, Johnny Vegas into Going Nuts, Frogland, Dark Shadows, Ginger Nuts, Epinephrine, Y2K, Sour Mash, Triassic Sands, Our Father, Adventure Punks, Levitation 29, Cloud Tower. Yes a car is recommended - phone the "permission to be late" number given in the guidebook - its very easy to be accidentally late at Red Rock. Admission is $6 per day - so if you're only there a short while it's best to pay daily especially as there's SO much accessible outside the loop! Not just Black Velvet Canyon either... I go most years and drive my little Toyota Camry to Black Velvet without any issues. I imagine you could do a lot of damage if driving too fast though lol. Have fun - it is truly an amazing venue - you cannot fail to have a sweet time there.

In reply to hatman:
Cat in the Hat is my favourite lower grade climb, there. Cracks, chimneys, slabs. Top pitch inspired me to finally go and lead 3PS.

In reply to petegunn:

A car is essential. After several trips to RR, it seems, each day, it's necessary plan the choice of taking the loop, or parking on the highway. Reason being, is that some of the best challenges there are climbing to the summits and finding one's way out of the place and not rapping-down the route. The top-out and full descents can be very interesting through the canyons. Examples: Brown Stone Wall, Cat in The Hat to Mescalito summit, Solar Slab. Easyish climbs, but not so when coming out the hard way. Often that means a long walk out, in the dark, through the desert. Wonderful!

In reply to loose overhang:

Or a few unexpected snags on a muliple rappel? We are out here now and I struggle to think of a place that is so friendly for multipitch Severe to HVS leader type climbers but requires so much experience and sometimes a bit of luck to get back down quickly. We flew up Romanian Rib in just over 3 hours yesterday, a wonderful 1000'+ 8 pitch 5.5 slab (S 4a ish) and we already knew most of the descent but a few tangles and snags meant we took almost as long to get down as to get up. First Creek is a good choice for long routes of this type and no worries about dirt roads or late permits for the park.

In reply to Offwidth:

My first time there we climbed Frigid Air Buttress and the most memorable part of it was the eye-popping 60m rappel, mostly free-hanging over a very exposed canyon wall. After a few experiences there one realizes that attention to safety and patience are necessary for a successful day. Did you find that Romanian Rib was very run-out? I've found that on a few low grade slab pitches, hard to fall off, but something you simply can't do.

Where are you staying? We have used the Hampton Inn near Summerlin.

In reply to loose overhang:

We are in Summerlin in a really nice Airbnb for a fraction of the cost of the local m/hotels.

Most of the First Creek Slab routes look run-out and intimidating but the angle is normally low (any steep bits are juggy) and gear appears.. I'd say most are occasionally PG rather than R, except maybe Big Sky. One thing is not to get too blase and keep three points of contact as sometimes on these less well travelled routes holds do break.

Romanian Rib is 5.4 most of the way mostly following cracks; .. two starts are described: up central cracks or a big cright facing corner round to the right. The crux steepening at The Wave is 5.5ish.

We did Sunset Slab Direct yesterday... probably the best so far: you look up, after the first steep bit on pitch 2, and ask yourself does it really go up there (the blank looking right side of the butress front) and bizarrely it's barely 5.5 most of the way to the 5.6 exit jamming crack (I experimented with pulling out left from this as I'd done it before). Stonking route. The 5.7 MP votes are either because the climbers cant jam or miss the handy jugs just left of the corner crack.

A few tips for First Creek Slabs:

On the walk in, about 200m into the wash move up out and then stay close to the rim of the wash (avoid going down into it again or going too high) and traverse to a right angled pink tallus ridge (starts under Romper Room) and climb this to the start of Rising Moons and dump bags here (at bottom of descent).

Twin 60m ropes are best for the raps.. watch for rope drag... use an overhand to cut friction and get the second to try to pull the knot past initial edges it might, catch on.

Start Sunset Slab routes on the first chimney pitch of Rising Moons then traverse up and right o the true starts. as it gives good climbing avoiding bushwacking.

Most routes finish on an exposed scramble left across a small ledge on an exposed white slab to reach the descent ramp down to the big pine tree. Lower routes scramble up and right through bushes to this, Romainian drops down a short red chimney to reach this.

In reply to Offwidth:

Did Big Sky today: another great route on First Creek Slabs. The rock on the loose runout pitch 5 was easier (5.4?) and more solid than I expected. There is various talk of boulder and bush bashing above this on Mountain Project: we just followed a solid rib and then a varnished slab up to the exit cracks of Romanian Rib; all on good clean rock. With the first pitch overhang this was possibly the most varied of the First Creek Slab routes. Same old FCS soft grades though: really only 5.6.... as per all the other 5.7 routes here. Possibly the most intimidating of the 5.7s.

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106126784/big-sky


Went to BJs (opposite Red Rock Casino on Charleston) last night: a good find.... a busy chain restaurant with about 30 craft beers to choose from. Our food was lovely despite an over-large menu. We must have driven past it about 50 times in the past.