North Carolina Ice/Alpine climbers?

[scottgg]

I'm temporarily relocating to North Carolina, and I'm looking for partners. Anyone live there or have buddies there? Unfinishished projects are also welcome...

[korup]

"North Carolina" and "alpine" in the same sentence?

Didn't you mean "faux-alpine" or "pseudo-alpine?"

 

[mountainmatt]

There is no alpine to speak of out there, but check out Whitesides, Table rock, and Looking glass for some good climbing. Looking glass also has some aid routes that go in the winter when its bug free. Watch out for the black flys in spring.

 

Good info here:

http://www.southeastclimbing.com/index.htm

[sobo]

Scott-

Mountainmatt has the beta. No alpine, as the tallest thing in NC is less than 7,000 feet, still below treeline. As he said, check out Whitesides and Looking Glass. Excellent multipitch on sweet granite. Don't forget to visit Linville Gorge.

 

FYI, it has been documented that you can climb ice on Stone Mountain (the one in NC, not the blob of the same name in Georgia) at Stone Mountain State Park. The runoff freezes in the water grooves, and the FA-ists that bolted the slab lines had the foresight to place the bolts out of the grooves. So you can climb thin ice and be bolt-protected, although the bolts are about 40-50 feet apart on all the routes. This was 25 years ago, so YMMV now.

I have the old Dixie Crystals guide for SMSP; I could scan it for you if you thought that you might get up thataway.

 

Stone Mountain, NC (photo from link provided by mountainmatt)

 

 

"Stone Mountain hosts some of the cleanest friction climbing found anywhere on its' 600 foot granite dome, and has been a popular east-coast winter climbing spot for many years. Climbing at Stone Mountain is enhanced in difficulty by the featureless nature of the acres of white granite. Routes were established by traditional leading, with bolts drilled on lead by hand. This places them near solid stances and leaves crux moves unprotected. Opportunities for gear placements may be rare if they are present at all. The most popular routes may be polished and clean, but those less frequently climbed are still exfoliating with patches of "dixie crystals" - tiny loose flakes of rock that feel like sugar under your feet. Notorious for a scarcity of bolts, the featureless faces test a leaders composure as he ventures out on a smooth vertical sea of rolling white granite. 20 - 30 feet to the next bolt is well protected, 40 to 50 feet relatively common. You will find runouts much longer. This is a serious place to lead even the easiest of climbs. The more difficult ones are an absolute thrill!"

 

This place is where I developed my penchant for run-out slab climbing.

Now y'all know why I love Lightning Dome so goddamned much!

[mountainmatt]

The Nose area at Looking Glass has the famous 'eyebrows' that make for an interesting combo between slab and sloper climbing. Definitely worth getting on.

 

[sobo]

Don't forget to stock up on Lowe Tri-cams!!!1

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Where in NC will you be living?

 

FWIW, there is a yahoo group for folks interested in climbing, mainly centered around the Triangle area:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nc-rock/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1

 

I met a few cool folks in that group back in 2003-04. The core group had around 15-20 folks. Naturally, the experience levels of the folks were varied, but I remember there were a few people who had been in the game for years (like you, they had relocated from other places, mostly from out West). I remember going to a slide show where someone was showing pictures from his climb of Eiger NF. Apart from roadtrips to nearby places (in NC, and also to Seneca Rocks WV), once in a while they planned longer trips out West as well.

 

If you'll be moving to/near the triangle area, I could contact a couple of guys whom I knew during my years at UNC. PM me if you'll be interested.

[Braydon]

I have an uncle who lives in Greensboro NC and I've climbed there. Its a cool type of climbing.

 

Like Sobo said, tricams rules there!