It’s easy to get down on winter. The fourth season brings short, cold, and damp days, which drives rock climbers to the gym. But here’s the good part: All those laps you ticked and workouts you completed should have you in the best shape of the year—just in time for snowmelt. Test yourself at one of these go-before-you-die areas famous for the endurance their routes require.
Take a look at some of the best hand-sized crack climbs across the country, from Nevada to West Virginia.
When it comes to camping, many climbers prefer a no-frills, quasi-wilderness experience, while others like their creature comforts. Whether you see sleeping under the stars as the best part of a climbing trip or a necessary evil, we've got you covered. We sifted through guidebooks, called park rangers, and solicited climbers to identify 10 (in no particular order) of the U.S. best drive-up climber campsites.
Desert towers require a unique climbing style. Some call it choss-wrangling, but I prefer to think of it as choss-ballet.
Certain climbs just beg for the hero shot: the crazy stem box of El Matador at Devils Tower, for example, or the overhanging headwall of High Exposure at the Gunks, or the wildly exposed sport climbs of Yosemite's Killer Pillar. Nearly every climber who does one of these routes eventually posts the proof at Facebook or Flickr.
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