Everyone drools over Yosemite, Red Rock, and those Instagram-thirsty limestone caves in Spain. But Flagstaff?
Half of you don’t even know where it is, and the other half think it’s just pine trees and tourists stopping for gas. Let me crush your illusions: Flagstaff climbing is simultaneously overrated and better than anything you’re doing in your dusty gym cave.
Why listen to me? You probably shouldn’t. But I’ve climbed here enough to know when hype meets sandstone, and let me tell you—Flagstaff is a weird, wonderful mess.
Flagstaff has a little bit of everything:
The Pit – your first stop if you like sport climbing on volcanic tuff. It’s sharp, crumbly, and half the routes look like they were bolted by someone with a grudge. Perfect.
Priest Draw – bouldering heaven if you enjoy roof problems that make your shoulders feel like they’re about to file for workers’ comp. If you can’t heel hook, don’t bother.
Paradise Forks – splitters in basalt so clean you’ll start lying to your friends about how “fun” crack climbing is. Bring gear, bring tape, and bring an excuse for why you can’t jam your sausage hands into that finger crack.
Mount Elden – multipitch adventure climbing for those who still pretend trad is the only “pure” style. Spoiler: it’s not, but it’s still fun until your second bails halfway up.
Why Flagstaff is Better Than Your Gym
Altitude slap in the face – at 7,000 feet, your pump clock ticks twice as fast. That V3 you cruise at sea level? Good luck making it to the second bolt.
Variety – Flagstaff climbing is the sampler platter of styles: sport, trad, cracks, roofs, roofs with cracks, cracks in roofs—you get the idea.
Community – climbers here are either dirtbags who live in vans or college kids skipping class. Translation: you’ll always find a belay, and they’ll probably be stronger than you.
But Let’s Be Real
Flagstaff has downsides:
Half the approaches feel like you’re bushwhacking through Mordor.
Volcanic rock will chew up your skin.
And if you come in summer, enjoy frying like a tortilla on a hot pan.
Yet somehow, it still beats that fluorescent cave you call a climbing gym.
The Breeze’s Final Word
Is Flagstaff climbing the best in the world? No. Is it worth the trip? Absolutely. You’ll leave with bloody knuckles, inflated humility, and maybe even a respect for cracks (unlikely, but hey).
So pack your tape, your ego, and a cooler full of gas station burritos. Because while Flagstaff climbing may not be legendary, it’s the kind of place that’ll turn you from a plastic-pulling poser into an actual climber—or at least give you better stories than “I sent the pink holds on lead.”
P.S. If this article made you mad, good. Flagstaff climbing doesn’t need your approval. But if you actually want to climb it, book a guide before you get lost in the ponderosa forest.
ABOUT THE BREEZE:
The Breeze is a visionary leader in the noble art of reminding others how small they are, The Breeze has conquered more podium conversations than pitches. His hobbies include eliminating yoga, narrating his own greatness, and being “God’s gift to climbing."
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