Winter is here in Joshua Tree National Park. The holiday crowds are gone and the temps are perfect for climbing in the sun right now. If you are looking to get away from it all, Joshua Tree is your portal to the freedom of the hills. Crisp air and course rock is excellent for practicing slab climbing and enhancing your friction climbing technique. When the rock stays cool, our sticky rubber climbing shoes work best. Have you ever felt like you were slipping off all the holds? Well it was likely because the rock was too warm. Our skin begins to sweat and our shoes begin to slip when the hot sun bakes the rock. 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for friction climbing. Not too cold, where your fingers are numb and unable to feel the subtleties of the holds, and not too hot when the rock feels greasy.

Footwork is the number one thing we teach people when they start climbing in Joshua Tree. You might be able to muscle your way through if you have something to hold with your hands, but when you encounter a smooth slab, you have to stay calm and trust your feet. The best way to do that is by taking small steps and keep your center of gravity over your feet. Ever heard anyone say “nose over toes”? Well that means keeping your head and your center of gravity right above the foot that feels like it might slip off. If you keep most of your weight on one foot it will maximize the friction and keep it from sliding off the tiny foothold. It takes practice but eventually, you will build confidence standing on smaller and smaller holds until you can press your foot on a virtually smooth wall and make it stick.

WHAT TO BRING IN WINTER SEASON

When climbing in Joshua Tree in the winter it can be warm and sunny during the middle of the day but its important to bring lots of clothing layers to stay warm. It can be windy and quite frigid so make sure to bring base layers, mid layers like a fleece hoody, insulated layers (lightweight puffy), shell jackets to break the wind and a big puffy jacket for sunrise and sunset. When hanging around camp after dark I like to wear insulated ski pants, a warm hat and a nice pair of lightweight gloves. You can always shed layers when its nice out but you will be grateful to have extra when it gets cold.

If you have any questions about climbing in Joshua Tree give us a call and we can help. See you out on the rock!