In March of 2021 Fox and two good friends headed out to Las Vegas, Nevada for a few days of Rock Climbing at the world famous Red Rock Canyon State Park. This is a crag I had always wanted to go to and JP was the only one of us who had been before. The park is incredibly unique in both the composition of the sandstone cliffs and labyrinth that climbers must go through to reach the cliff bands. With three days full of climbing everyone had an absolute blast and cannot wait to return. While most people who visit Vegas focus on the bright lights of the city there are incredible natural sights as little as thirty minutes away from The Las Vegas Strip.
The goons squad stayed at Paris Las Vegas for easy access to the tables at night and a short drive to the crag in the mornings. Apart from climbing in Red Rock Canyon, there is a wide variety of outdoor activities and destinations to mix up the neon lights during a trip to Nevada. About forty five minutes east of Vegas lies Lake Mead, the incredibly unique Death Valley is two hours west where some key sights can be seen in a day trip from the strip, Zion National Park and Dixie National Forest are less than three hours north eastward, along with a few other recommendations from Visit Las Vegas.
As JP had visited The Red previously he took the lead for guiding and we stopped at the first available pullout to get acquainted with the crag in Calico Basin. After a bit of scrambling we found ourselves at a warm up wall with a few routes we used stretch out some cold muscles. Once we were finished with the area a part hike and part scramble was required to reach the next destination. The Right Road Lost (5.10b) is the east most route on Dante's Wall with beautiful views of the wide open valley as well as peaks on the western side of the park, including the 6,955' Bridge Mountain. Due to an unforeseen rental care debacle in the morning we arrived at the crag later than intended and were only able to get a few routes in each.
On day two everyone was stoked to get in as many routes as possible and knew there may be a bit of weather so we chose an area that may offer some protection in case there was rain. We arrived at the second pullout parking and made the short hike over to the black corridor where a few people were climbing as sounds of laughter bounced off the corridor walls. A nice warmup was done on the left side of the slot canyon and as I began to run up a top rope to clean the snow started coming down, which I never thought would happen in a million years. There was quick agreement between ourselves and the other group that the right side was staying dry, due to its overhang, so we jumped right on. Beautiful huecos and large inset holes were scattered across the sandstone for a dynamic, yet relaxing, style of sport climbing.
After a few good lines we decided to call it a day on account of the weather. Prior to splitting we all had noticed a beautiful line in the upper portion of the canyon and decided we would go after it the following day. Red Rock Canyon is unique as it is a thirteen mile, one way, loop through the park so we decided to make the most of the rainy afternoon and go on an exploratory hike towards the end of the loop that culminated with a stop at a waterfall and views of some future routes. Damp, and physically, spent we snagged some grub on the way back to Paradise, NV before giving the house some of our coins with friends of JP's who had also flown in for the weekend.
For the third day of climbing we headed back to the Black Corridor to tick off the short and beautiful line Rebel Without a Pause (5.11a) on the upper level of the corridor. Everyone sent and the group was having an enjoyable time when a local got upset with us for climbing on the "wet rock" that apparently had the potential to break from the previous day's rain. As dry leaves crunched beneath her feet she was politely reminded not to be a buzz kill by speaking condescendingly to people at a distance based on false assumptions.
After gathering our things we hiked up a level to a wall with quite the view looking out upon the park. The three of us redpointed the moderate route while soaking up some mother nature as the sun broke through a band of grey clouds. A round of mid day beers was enjoyed with a view before we started hiking to the Sweet Pain Wall for a few laps to close out an enjoyable few days of climbing with friends.
This cliff band was gorgeous as we approached from above and looked down on the clear lines of chalk snaking their way upward. The wall's namesake, Sweet Pain (5.11d), was first on our list so I tied into the sharp end and gave it the old college try. A mental error led to a fall slightly before the crux, which was followed by a quick ascent to the top. After a botched first try on the route Spencer was able to send it on his second attempt from the ground, which was followed by JP giving a solid go on Glitter Gulch (5.11a). A few final relaxing minutes were spent enjoying the fresh air before the time in nature officially came to a close.
As day turned to night the crew arrived back in Vegas and decided on Flippin' Good Chicken, Burgers, and Beer on Fremont St. for some much needed energy. After cleaning up it was decided to head back to that area for the "Fremont Street Experience" and the mind boggling, 360 degree, views that overwhelm the senses. Finally, after donating a few hundred dollars to the house on previous nights, we found a table that would provide a hot streak. The table was a 3:2 blackjack table, dealt from a shoe rather than a machine, with "free" splits / double downs and pushes on 21. A run that started at a reasonable hour of the night ended at 7am the next morning with a fat stack of cash in Fox' pocket. Following a whirlwind race to get packed and to the airport on time resulted in everyone making their flights and a fully paid for trip due to the winnings.
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