Climbing in Alabama Hills

Climbing in the Hills

The climbing in the Hills is second to none. The rock is a rare, sharp quartz granite found only in the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Tucked beneath the towering range that holds the behemoth Mt. Whitney, Alabama Hills offers world class climbing with epic views. The climbing takes place across a sparse desert scrub landscape that is punctuated by impressive rock domes and spires jutting out of the ground in heaps and mounds. Mostly bolted, the routes are established with top anchors equipped with mussy hooks and rappel rings for easy top anchors and cleaning. You can tick off multiple routes on a formation and move onto another and before you know it, have a dozen routes under your harness before lunch. The cliff swallows dive bomb and squelch as you crest another peak offering a view of the Owens Valley to the East with the rising White Mountains behind them, and the Sierra’s imposing snow capped peaks looming over-head. This is a climbers treat.

Dinner is served with the now famous Camp 4 Pot-Luck. All the climbers, ravaged by a long day of climbing, converged back at camp to prepare their finest campsite dishes in a fest for the ages. There were homemade pizzas, fresh samoas, salads, meats, cheeses and loads of deserts. Everyone brought their best and no one left with empty stomachs.