Climbing In The Red

by Chris Chaney

Mention the Red River Gorge to ten different people and you'll get ten different views on the grandness of the area. To some it's a place to hike, to find solitude and enjoy nature. To some it's a great place to get some rugged backpacking in preparing for bigger places with longer trails. Others will expound on its great 4 WD trails, exciting mountain biking, or its seasonal but awesome whitewater kayaking.

I'm a climber. I enjoy all these other things, but my one passion in life is climbing. When you mention 'Red River Gorge' to most climbers, they'll respond with many different stories. Some will talk about great one and two pitch traditional climbs. Some will massage their forearms as they elaborate on long, steep sport climbs. Others may even say that nothing in the Red is worth the trouble.

Whether they love it or hate it, the Red will leave an indelible mark in the memories of all that explore its rugged landscape. While not as grand and overwhelming as other places, the Red holds so many hidden treasures that you could spend a lifetime exploring and never feel as if you were exhausting your possibilities.

The rock in the Red River Gorge is Corbin Sandstone, which ranges from granite-like hardness to something resembling brown sugar. Most of the climbing exists on the better quality rock. It ranges from 50 to 80 feet. However, there are some two and three pitch routes. The longest two routes in the Gorge are both 5 pitches and around 250 feet. Sport routes are anywhere from 40 to 140 feet long, with some requiring up to 17 quickdraws.

There are currently two guidebooks in print for the Red River Gorge. Selected Climbs at the Red, by Porter Jarrard and Chris Snyder, lists most of the sport climbs in the area and a few of the classic traditional (gear) routes. It's a condensed and affordable option for the weekend warrior.

If you want to do more traditional routes, or plan on spending a lot of time in the Red, John Bronaugh's Second Edition of Red River Gorge Climbs is the encyclopedia of Red River Gorge climbing. It weighs in at over 300 pages and lists about 1000 routes.

You can get both of these at Miguel's Pizza (near the entrance to Natural Bridge State Park) or Natural Heights (located three miles east of the Slade interchange on Hwy. 15).

The best seasons to climb are fall and winter. Fall is dry and cool and there are many warm, dry days in the winter that are perfect for climbing. Spring tends to be wet, and summer is really humid.

Here's a list of my favorite climbs:

Traditional

Central Scrutinizer 5.9R - Perfect slab route at Pebble Beach. The crux is protected by a bolt; the rest is protected by stoppers and small cams.

The Shining 5.8+ This is a short, but very cool, crack at Emerald City. It's pretty sustained climbing. However, if you can get past the hard start, the rest seems easy. Awesome Rock!

Whiteout 5.8 - This is my favorite two pitch route. It's also at Emerald City. The second pitch ends on an airy ledge with a bolted belay and an incredible view.

Diamond in the Crack 5.6 - Super cool, two pitch route on Jewel Pinnacle that overlooks the Gladie Creek Historical Site.

Sport Routes

A.W.O.L. 5.10c - This is a classic route at Roadside - beautiful rock and fun moves.

Yellow Brick Road 5.11b - Yellow lichens on a perfect slab make for an interesting route - an Emerald City classic.

Manic Impression 5.10a - You have to wade Swift Camp Creek to get to this classic, but it's well worth getting your feet wet.

Sunflower 5.9 - If you can find this one, you'll understand why it's one of my favorites - at the newly developed Wild Country Wall.