scottgg Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Trip: Stone Mountain NC - Hills into Mountains Date: 6/17/2009 Trip Report: My good friend and brother Luke recently flew over to North Carolina for a much-to-brief visit. As an avid climber, I knew that he would want to sample some East Coast rock and Stone Mountain would be just the ticket. This 600' granite dome is reminiscent of the Cascade’s Static Point, though with a greater variety of routes, and generally longer run-outs. To make things more interesting we invited along two climber friends of mine, and challenged them to see who could climb the most routes in 5 hours. I knew my brother would make an ideal partner for such an adventure, having recently climb Baker and Eldorado, and being fresh off a strong finish at the North Face Endurance Challenge Half-Marathon. We started up the first pitch just before 11, and met back at the grassy meadow at 4pm, having climbed 4 routes totaling 16 pitches. Stone Mountain, North Carolina 1. Grand Funk Railroad (5 pitches 5.9) 2. The Pulpit (5 pitches 5.8) 3. The Great Arch (3 pitches 5.5) 4. Yardarm (3 pitchs 5.8) Lukey loosening up the day before while Logan looks on Thanks for coming out bro! Quote
ryland_moore Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Brings back great memories. The Great Arch was my first outdoor rock climb. Quote
mountainmatt Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Looks like a sweet day out! Never did the Great arch, but it looks a little like Diedre at Squamish. Quote
beaner Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Scott! Sweet pics! You two are rock stars! next time it'll have to be the Gullberg trio to send the face! Quote
wfinley Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Awesome!! All of those routes are classic lines!!! I have this great memory of Stone: we were tying in at the base of a route when this redneck with a bulging gut walks up next to us and drops his pack. In a thick southern drawl he said, "I love climbing slab because I can climb it with a beer belly." He then proceeded to float up run-out 5.9. Quote
fgw Posted June 18, 2009 Posted June 18, 2009 nice tr & photos. that there granite looks super slick? Quote
LostCamKenny Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Lukey loosening up the day before while Logan looks on Those look like monster jugs! Quote
Off_White Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Its looking like my daughter will be going to college in Asheville in fall 2010, I can see I'll want to time my visits to coincide with the optimum weather. Thanks for the pics & story. Quote
TarHeelEMT Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Stone is a bit far from Asheville, but there is some awesome climbing close to town. Hope you like trad - we don't really do sport here. http://www.southeastclimbing.com/climbing_areas/north_carolina/gen_north_carolina.htm Quote
TarHeelEMT Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 nice tr & photos. that there granite looks super slick? It has very few features, but rock shoes stick to it surprisingly well. Quote
Off_White Posted June 20, 2009 Posted June 20, 2009 Oh, right, it's Looking Glass that's closer, I've always wanted to check out those eyebrow features. I'm considerably older than sport climbing and experienced at playing with my nuts, so I'd love to check out a bunch of stuff in NC, it looks great. Quote
TarHeelEMT Posted June 20, 2009 Posted June 20, 2009 Awesome. Closer to Asheville, I'd also recommend Linville Gorge. It has several climbing areas and some great classics. It's also some of the most dramatic terrain you'll find on the east coast. If you're looking for stuff that's technically difficult and long (10+ pitches), Whiteside Mountain southwest of Asheville has some of the most challenging and dangerous climbing in the south. The first pitch of the "standard" route is an entirely unprotected 5.7 or 5.8. I've never climbed there, but it's the goal I'm working towards. Quote
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