In this trip report, Danny Delanty tells us about his weekend trip to the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, WV. Thanks for the beta and the wisdom, Danny!
Over the past weekend, I was able to check out the South Side crags at the New River Gorge. Since the crag can be accessed only from one very small dirt road, the South Side crags typically do not get the traffic they deserve. We were able to go to the Mud Hueco Area, Area 51, Brilliant Pebble, and The Other Place. With 200+ sport routes at these crags alone, this forgotten area is a hidden gem within the NRG.
I met a friend, Craig, down at the NRG and we traded belays working on our goals for that weekend. Craig was working on an extremely aesthetic climb called Crossing The Line (5.13b) at the Area 51 Crag while I was going around trying to get up as many 12- and 11+ as my arms would let me! If you climb 5.13, Area 51 at the NRG is for you, almost all the routes have permadraws, and there are multiple highly rated 5.13’s in that area. I ended up one hanging two really fun and chill 12-‘s and sending another one that goes by the name of Hard, Pipe Hittin’ Tiggers (5.12b). This is a route that everyone should hop on; it is a little contrived since you can skip the crux and go around it to make the climb go at 5.11-, but the crux sequence is very exciting! You get a good kneebar for rest, then you come out to two half-pad crimps which set you up for a big throw to a sloping but good ledge. From there it is jugs to the anchors. Leading up to the crux, however, is a super fun, (slightly reachy for those like me with shorter stature) very techy slab climb for the first 3-4 bolts that would be fun enough to do on its own!
We camped at a campsite on the river and were lucky enough to be given some low tide which exposed some large dry rocks on the river that were the perfect spot to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner on. Anyone who is a fan of camping and climbing would simply find this spot to be a paradise! All four crags are within a 15-minute walking distance from your tent at the campsite, so once you drive in, you do not need the car until you drive out! There are no modern facilities at this campground though, so do remember to bring all the water, food and filtration necessary to support you as you go send hard!
Climbing with people that are working on routes four grades harder than yours is a very good experience. On one hand, if the rock doesn’t humble you, seeing someone crush a climb you’re constantly whipping on will humble you. On the other hand, when belaying you can not afford to look away too much, and through this, I have learned much better technique and resting strategies. Employing what I have learned just from one person has surely bumped me up a few grades on sport, which is what all climbers want and deserve!
