IMPORTANT NOTE: (November 2006) This website is only rarely maintained or updated. The information contained within these pages may be very out-of-date or inaccurate. Situations, environments, and people change over time. On a personal note, I am climbing very little at this point in my life, and I even go for very long periods of time without checking the email sent to the address below. If you still choose to write to me, please do not expect me to reply quickly (or possibly ever). Please just take whatever information from this site that you find useful and enjoy your rock climbing experiences.

Taiwan Rock Climbing
 

My "home" crag--Devil's Lake, Wisconsin [pics]

There are way too many great routes at DL. It's worth a stop on anyone's road trip. If you aren't used to slick quartzite, start out conservatively and be really careful if you place cams. The routes are short (up to 90') and steep to overhanging. Toproping is the norm since all of the routes can be toproped and lots of routes are unprotectable (without bolts, of which there are very few; please don't even think of adding more). This is a climber's playground, but beware of the underrating prevalent at this crag. It has been said that every route rating at Devil's Lake is a sandbag. The ratings below are from the Climber's Guide to Devil's Lake, and you'll want a guidebook if you climb there. All of these routes are highly recommended, and there are plenty of other great routes to keep you busy for a very long time.

• Recommended easier routes:
  • Double Overhang 5.4, Lost Face 5.6, Full Stop 5.6 [pic], Push-Mi Pull-Yu 5.6, Briton's Crack 5.6, Cleopatra's Needle 5.6, Vacillation 5.7, Peter's Project 5.7, Birthday Crack 5.7, Orgasm 5.8, Last Gasp 5.8, Queen's Face 5.8, Birch Tree Crack 5.8 (one move wonder) [pic], Impossible Crack 5.8, Watermarks 5.8, Chicago 5.8 (one of the hardest 5.8's you'll ever climb) [pic]
• Recommended mid-grade routes:
  • Upper Diagonal 5.9, Peter's Project Right Side 5.9, TM Overhang 5.9+, Stretcher 5.9+/10a, Callipigeanous Crack 5.10a, Resurrection 5.10a, Mouse's Misery 5.10a, Sometime Crack 5.10a [pics], Congratulations 5.10a, Death Leap 2000 5.10b (a contrived climb, but what a fun dyno), The End Direct 5.10b, Mouse Tracks 5.11a (just because it's got that great move) [pic]
• Recommended harder routes: I don't do harder routes! But there are plenty of them on up into the 5.13 range.

Yosemite/Tuolumne routes I've climbed: [pics][wallpaper]

• After Six 5.6 -a fun route at the grade; popular.
• The Grack-Center 5.6 [pics] -crack climbing on a low angle slab; classic. (Warning: high rock fall potential on Glacier Point Apron)
• Great White Book 5.6, Stately Pleasure Dome, Tuolumne Meadows [pics] -popular climb in a big dihedral with long runouts (unless you have some very wide cams).
• Munginella 5.6 -another popular "easy" route. Make sure you do the third pitch on the original route and don't use the alternate to the left. Actually I recommend avoiding any variations; it's a fun climb in it's original form.
• Snake Dike 5.7 [beta][topo][pics] -lots of easy runout between bolts on a beautiful, long route with a fantastic finish on top of Half Dome.
• Royal Arches Route 5.7 C1 [pics][tr/beta] -classic long route (17 pitches) from the floor of Yosemite Valley to the rim.
• After Seven 5.8 -might as well do it while you're in the area.
• South Crack 5.8, Stately Pleasure Dome, Tuolumne [pics] -the pitch 3 runout 5.7 friction really scared me at the time, especially when 60 feet out past my last piece and off route!
• Nutcracker 5.8 & 5.9 variation [pic] -climbed this fantastic route twice, but take a number 'cause it's popular.
• Bishop's Terrace 5.8 -I did the alternate 5.7 offwidth on the first pitch (to the right); don't do it! Unless you have some reason to want to climb offwidth without any pro above a ledge for you to fall on and kill yourself, it's not a good idea. Sweet climb otherwise.
• C.S. Concerto via Fecophilia start 5.9 [pic] -Fecophilia is runout to the first bolt on friction climbing and then you run it out some more; CS Concerto is runout as well but easier climbing.
• Church Bowl Tree 5.10b -actually we stopped at the bolts just after the 5.10a lower section; that was one greasy climb!
• South Face of Washington Column 5.8 C2 [pics][tr/beta] -classic Grade V big wall.
• Pitches one and two of the Prow of Washington Column C2 [pics] -bailed on a solo attempt.
• First pitch of Half Dome NW Reg. Route C1[pics][logos] -ok, so we were some of the many that bailed on the first try. Will I ever go back? Who knows?

Other places I've visited and routes I can recommend:

• Gibraltar Rock, Wisconsin (still closed to climbing)
  • Mother Bear 5.7, Locomotive 5.8 (a 5.8 with everything!), The Unknown Bolt Route 5.8, Dave's Dive 5.8, It's the End of the World 5.9, Several Species of Small Furry Animals 5.10a
• Grand Ledge, Michigan
  • A very small sandstone river cut. There are a few difficult routes as well as easier grade climbs. The rock is soft, and the climbing is basically toproping. Only worth the trip if you live nearby and have no other alternative. (Since I had no guide book, I can't make any route recommendations.)
• Eldorado Canyon, Colorado
  • Bastille 5.7, Anthill Direct 5.8+
• Vedauwoo, Wyoming [pics] (another climbers playground right off of Interstate 80)
  • Edward's Crack 5.6, Cold Fingers 5.7, MRC Direct 5.8+, "5.11 Crack" 5.9, Fall Wall 5.9+, Gunga Dien 5.11a
• Red River Gorge, Kentucky
  • Double Caves Crack 5.3, Crackadile 5.6, C Sharp or B Flat 5.7, Roadside Attraction 5.7, The Shiner 5.7(?), Face Up to That Crack 5.8-, Mr. Bungle 5.8+, Brother Stair 5.9, Jump for Joy 5.9+, To Defy the Laws of Tradition 5.10a
• Mount Woodson, California
  • Another one of those rough granite bouldering areas in southern California.
• Lark Canyon Boulders, McCain Valley Recreation Area, California [pics]
  • A bouldering area east of San Diego. Worth the trip if you are already in the area.
• Joshua Tree National Park, California
  • I won't even attempt to talk about Joshua Tree after only one trip to one of its areas (Indian Cove). Find a site dedicated to it if you want information. Great climbing!
• Mission Gorge, San Diego [pics]
  • I only did a little soloing and toproping while there. Nice crag for San Diego climbers.

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