Peshastin in rain?

[clee03m]

I am thinking about going to Peshastin Pennicles, and it's suppose to have 30% chance of rain on Sunday. Being that it's sandstone, is it generally recommended that the rock should not be climbed if it's wet or raining like Red Rocks?

[DirtyHarry]

Do you normally go rock climbing when its wet and raining?

[clee03m]

No, but I take 30% chance of rain as acceptable, unless, as my question asked, if any wetness would make it dangerous to climb.

[ivan]

Do you normally go rock climbing when its wet and raining?

hmm - over the past 6 months i'm having a hard time remembering clmibing when it WASN'T shitty out

[ivan]

and to answer the question, yes, your sandstone climb will be mroe dangerous in the muck, but 30% is not bad and, at least for a place like smith, no reason not to go

[billcoe]

no reason not to go

 

Here's the main one to head to the Granite in Leavenworth or places beyond. You increase the chance of permanently breaking off features if it had rained recently as the rock will be weaker due to the moisture infiltration.

 

This is a truism for all sandstone materiel. Including super hard stuff in Australia.

[Dane]

Sandstone and Peshastin in particular gets much softer when it is wet...highly likely holds and pebbles will blow out after a good rain and before the rock has had a chance to completely dry out. With that in mind I would be careful on the harder slabs (or old bolts) if you are leading early season (like now for example).

 

That said Peshastin has always been the go to place for climbing when it is raining elsewhere farther west until just recently when the Vantage gym opened in the early '90s.

 

Often times you can spend a nice day climbing in the sun (and spring orchard over-spray) at Peshastin while watching the rain clouds and showers come and go up the canyons near Leavenworth.

[Ishmael]

and if it does rain you can always go the the Vantage gym as it is farther East...

[markwebster]

Dane is right. You can climb at peshastin and watch the rain over Leavenworth. I have waited out rainstorms at peshastin under Vertigo, then jumped right back on routes as they steam dry. I never gave any thought to the red rocks rule of waiting a few days.

 

I don't remember breaking any holds or pebbles ever. If it is rotten, it is rotten all the time, just slightly more so in the rain. I've hung on, and rapped off, bolts in the rain there, back when they were quarter inchers.

 

I can remember doing bolt maintenance in heavy rainstorms, pulling them out and replacing with three eighths. If they were good quarter inchers, they were still hard to crowbar out, even in a rainstorm (slender thread, fakin it)

 

JoJo, Vladi, Ingrid, Tyler and I are heading to Vantage. the forecast is a little dryer than leavenworth. I hope to get back on some nice cracks there. Be fun to see ya!

 

Sue bailed on me because of her back.

[wayne]

The last time we went to the Vantage gym, there was a big leak in the roof.

[lancegranite]

30% chance of rain on the west side= it's already raining, but only where you are, and there's no end in sight.

 

30% chance on the east side= get real, it's rained twice this year. It was the longest 20 minutes of my life.

 

EDIT: ok, it rained today, but it was a dry rain.

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2009 by lancegranite

[Dane]

FYI

 

We spent part a good part of the day at Peshastin yesterday. Rock was just drying out in the heat and wind from last week's rain. We climbed everything from 5.6 to 5.10 slabs.

 

It is obvious just how much use Peshatin DOES NOT get these days. Slabs were dirty and lichen is starting to grow on some areas that climbers would normally keep cleaned off. It is most notable on the harder slabs. We pulled off pieces of rock on almost every climb through all the grades, 5.6 to 5.10. Some of them in fairly awkward moments

 

Sadly with fewer and fewer climbers and some less than ideal over sight by the state parks service (who in general have done a awesome job with the budget issues) the use at Peshastin will continue to decline. With the lack of climbers on the routes many of the better climbs there will continue to degrade as well. Sad really, because it is such great place to climb.

[curtveld]

It's possible that munge has alot to do with your timing, coming on the heels of a long cold winter. My last visit was in November and it wasn't bad.

 

But I agree that Peshastin is way underused, overall. There are just a lot more dry-side crags to choose from than in Peshastin's heyday, and they have a lot more bolts to clip. So enjoy the quiet for now.

[lancegranite]

...and forever, amen.