Plan the Perfect Climbing Trip

Bend, Oregon: Biking, Climbing, and Beer

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Ever squander a day watching the clock's hands get more exercise than you, all the while trying to decide the very best way to spend your free time? When you finally do get out the door, the rest of your weekend is spent wallowing in further indecision, pacing the approach trail of your local crag, wondering what to climb and who will lead. You finally decide—just as it starts to rain.

Sure, there are motivated individuals who seem to make any spontaneous string of events fall into line no matter how little effort they put into their excursions, but I'm not one of them. I need a plan, and to build a plan, I find it helps to start with a goal.

Setting the Objective
Your goal doesn't have to be a finite achievement like climbing the Nose in under five hours—it's just a reference point from which you'll build your plan. "I want an all-day adventure route" or "I just want to be outdoors in good weather" are fine places to start. The one thing your goal does need to be in order to build a successful trip is shared. This may sound better suited for marriage counseling, but a climbing partnership can be just as intimate. If you and your partner have different objectives and aren't addressing those differences, your trip is doomed before you even hit the approach.

Once you do decide on the kind of experience you want to have, reference that goal when you formalize the rest of your plan. Did you bring the right gear for the long climb you plan? You are planning a mellow day outdoors—is the crag you're headed to scenic enough? Is it realistic?