Houston Climbing
Living in Houston is somewhat troublesome for a rock climber as there are actually no real rock formations in Houston. I talked about some really good rock climbing locations in texas in a previous post, but the problem with those locations is that they are hours away from Houston. So what are you to do if you are in Houston and need to climb? There are really two options:
Stone Moves is hands down the best Houston climbing gym I’ve ever been to. I talked about why Stone Moves is a great gym in my post “Stone Moves” and about what makes a solid rock climbing gym in an earlier one. To re-cap, the people are great, and the routes are fun and have a good range of difficulty. Check out both posts for more info.
Buildering is another name for urban climbing. There are a number of Houston climbing spots that offer good buildering routes, but my personal favorite is The Woodlands Mall. There are several small bridges around the River Walk and they offer some great roof climbing practice on the bottom side. Plus they’re over water so you will have a very cushioned fall. Apart from the bridges there are 2 or 3 concrete walls that support bridges and offer excellent finger pocket routes.
Another cool Houston climbing spot is on the wall of I45 just south of Rayford road at the turn-around. The wall is made up of octagonal panels about 6 feet across, and it goes on for about a quarter mile and makes an awesome traverse. Good stuff, but not a lot of lighting, so always take 3 or 4 friends to be on the safe side. As always follow my safety tips for outdoor rock climbing in my post “Rock Climbing Accidents” and be smart.
So just because you live in Houston, climbing is not impossible to find. Just keep your eye out and hit up Stone Moves regularly.