(Non-skiing) Climbing Red Cliffs - Draper, UT 7/27/08

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OK, last summertime post for tonight as I play catch-up.

I just wanted to post this as it shows more of the wealth of recreation in and around the Salt Lake Valley. Red Cliffs is a small climbing area in Draper, accessed right from within your typical suburbia:

01 red cliffs view 080727.jpg


It doesn't get more convenient than this! Marc_C brought me over there on July 27th and Amy joined us. Its pretty cush, complete with benches at the base of the rock and plaques marking the name and rating for each route:

02 red cliffs bottom 080727.jpg


And being north-facing, it's not in the direct sun on hot summer days.

The place was developed by a local dentist, so the routes all have names that reflect his profession: Baby Teeth, Bloody Impaction, Facial Fracture, etc. From what I recall routes range from 5.6 to 5.11a.

Here are a few more photos:

03 red cliffs marc_c 080727.jpg


04 red cliffs amy 080727.jpg


05 red cliffs marc_C 080827.jpg


06 red cliffs amy 080727.jpg


For those frustrated by this string of summertime posts, don't worry -- it should be snowing within less than 60 days.
 
I've been down there a couple of afternoons after work. Nice and easy to get to.

All the route names remind me of going to the dentist, which isn't quite as pleasant...
 
jasoncapecod":zhprgeai said:
bolted routes are for sissies :wink:
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We'll leave the bolt wars for the climbing sites to argue over. But in Utah, with the wealth of rock types, we have more than enough of both sport and trad to satisfy anyone looking for one or the other. BTW, with some of the rock here, there is zero pro without bolts. (That's not the case with Red Rocks, but there was a specific ethic at work there. Yes, if The Dentist tried to do the same thing on a crag in LCC, he'd have had his teeth fed to him.)
 
Actually I don't mind climbing bolted routes. It's kind of nice not having to worry about placing pro and the quality of the placement.
 
jasoncapecod":329o9k70 said:
It's kind of nice not having to worry about placing pro...
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Unless it's a botched job - I've had more than one bad experience where making the clip was harder than the crux! (Including a route in the Gunks, not a place known for sport routes or a lot of bolts.)

jasoncapecod":329o9k70 said:
...and the quality of the placement.
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Hmmm.....have you been reading about the bolt failures in Thailand, thanks to the corrosive nature of the salt air?
 
Hmmm.....have you been reading about the bolt failures in Thailand, thanks to the corrosive nature of the salt air?
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i thought i heard they were replacing them..

i realize you shouldn't just clip into any old bolt or anchor with out checking it out first and if need be back it up..

that said, it's sweet that you have a nice cliff in your backyard.
 
jamesdeluxe":1xxoxkwe said:
I'm digging the identical townhouses.
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You mean the ones with identically-colored cars parked out front? :lol:

The again, when have you ever seen a townhouse development where the structures weren't identical? Seems to me that's part of the definition.
 
Admin":2mhuqegm said:
The again, when have you ever seen a townhouse development where the structures weren't identical? Seems to me that's part of the definition.
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True. You'd think there'd be some sort of zoning something-or-other that forbids putting eyesores like that next to such a nice landscape feature.
 
I had to ask my office's resident avid golfer and I'm told "yes." I asked him what the term meant, and what he answered seems to describe 99.9% of the courses out here.
 
jasoncapecod":3a5jr26c said:
i'm not much of a golfer but is that a links style course behind the development
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Had to look that up on Wiki, which says:
A links golf course, sometimes referred to as a seaside links, is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes, and sometimes to open parkland....

Many links – though not all – are located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few water hazards and few if any trees. This reflects both the nature of the scenery where the sport happened to originate, and the fact that only limited resources were available to golf course architects at the time, and any earth moving had to be done by hand, so it was kept to a minimum.
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So, yes. Pretty much all of South Mountain is a series of sandy, gravel benches that were the ancient shorelines of Lake Bonneville, similar to the Scots coastal sand dunes. Because of development, the golf course is incredibly linear - over 2 miles in length but no more than a half mile wide. It's also in a state of neglect and disrepair, despite the high greens and membership fees, ever since the major developer of South Mountain went bankrupt and ownership transferred to Zions Bank.
 
Sharon":1t6envmq said:
"Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky
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Oh well... Admin and crew have given us an almost daily primer on why one moves out to Utah. We all know it ain't for the charming homes and neighborhoods.
 
jamesdeluxe":1a7gd1s7 said:
Oh well... Admin and crew have given us an almost daily primer on why one moves out to Utah. We all know it ain't for the charming homes and neighborhoods.
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Oh, those certainly exist, but they're generally not in the south valley, which is predominantly new construction and developments. In that picture in question up-thread, all the homes that are easily visible have been built in the past 5 years. The 3 immediately under the cliffs were merely frames at this time last year. And while the same model from the developer, they are not townhomes. Each is separate, I'd guess on the order of 4K - 5K sq ft, and probably around $750K. You may think them townhomes because of the small lot, but despite it being the "wide open west", the average lot size in the SL valley is 1/4 acre. The 3 in the photo are probably less.
 
I'd guess on the order of 4K - 5K sq ft, and probably around $750K
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yikes!

here in Ithaca, $750k will buy you a large lake-front property of at least 10 acres, a house with minimum 5k sq feet, and plenty of open deck, a dock on the lake and with a gorge with waterfall

or, you can rent a small lakefront cottage for $750/month
 
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