Visiting Portland this weekend

[Dynorat]

I will be visiting Portland this weekend for a job interview and I am evaluating the area to see if it would be as amazing as I think it would be to live there as I imagine. If anyone is available to show me some local haunts and or climbing areas it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Jason Fields

v15wannabe@yahoo.com

[ryland_moore]

Go check out Mt. Hood Meadows since it will be raining all weekend (ie. snowing up in the mountains)

[PickleJuice]

I'm glad you made it! Meadows is a good suggestion considering the weather outlook for this weekend. (Don't know your time constraints but there is Smith...). Good Luck! Pickle. again

[549CLIMB]

If you're moving from Lubbock, TX, you'll find it pretty wet. Especially the Portland area or anywhere in the Willamette valley.

 

Central Oregon may be a little closer to what you're used to, with more mountains, rock and open space.

 

If you get a chance to make it to Smith, definitely check it out. If you don't find a partner, cruise throught the bivouac area and meet fellow travelers, you can often find a partner or party with room or even need for one more.

 

In the Portland area your rock climbing options are more limited. There are several great gyms, including a bouldering-only joint called "The Circuit". Stoneworks is a favorite, and Portland Rock Gym is right off the river, super close to downtown, a short walk from the light rail train and on a few major bus routes.

 

As for outdoor climbing, Broughton Bluff in Troutdale is about 30 minutes from downtown, Rocky Butte is even closer, with more than 100 climbs and a great "urban" environment. Carver is a private area located Southeast of Portland about an hour's drive, with loads of potential and a nice escape from crowds and the urban sprawl feeling of Portland.

 

Rooster Rock and Beacon Rock offer terrific trad climbing during the summer and early Fall, and Bulo and French's dome are a nice day trip from downtown, or great overnight destinations for a weekend away from the daily grind.

 

Smith Rocks is about 2 hours away, and well worth the drive during the rainy season (all 9 months of it...), and being on the I-5 corridor, you can easily get up North to Washington or Squamish in a weekend, or head East on I-84 to City of Rocks in Idaho or down to Utah.

 

If you're into climbing, it's not exactly paradise, but there are some excellent options to be had, including many I did not list here. But if you're just all-around into the outdoors, Portland is the city to live in. Surfing, snowboarding, skiing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, kayaking, climbing, rafting, canoeing, hiking, mountaineering, wakeboarding, fishing, and everything else you can imagine are all within a 90 minute drive from downtown. Sound like heaven? Good luck with the climbing this weekend!!