Smith Rock - USA

The name is so mundane ... millions of people are called it, probably thousands of places too; but there is only one Smith Rock. it can be found in Oregon USA, and it certainly stands out after driving through endless desert roads. there are a few stories about why the rock was called Smith. The trust itself of course is as boring as any old Smith, but the legend is interesting, and speaks of a man called Smith who was trying to escape from some Indians, so climbed to the top of one of the pinnacles then threw himself off....

Anyway, whatever the reason behind its naming, Smith Rock made its international name in the 70s when it became the first destination in the US for sports climbing. As bolting was a new and challenging, there are some rather interesting lines. Some frustratingly head up beside perfect cracks, and others have the first bolt so high on the route that even a stick clip wont reach. You need to do a highball boulder problem just to get there! ( I later learnt that these high first bolts were due to the erosion of the soil, and weren't just a ballsy test for future climbers).

Smith rock is renown for its knobby holds. Most of the rock is of a stuff called "tuff" which is as tough as sandstone on your fingers, but not as tuff as granite to hold, so often hard to trust. None of th eknobs came off for us, but the guidebook warned us... even holds that have been used for 10 years have suddenly come off under people's feet.

Each year Smith has a little festival where representatives from each of the climbing companies come and set up their stalls. Its fun and they set up some bouldering walls, slack lines, and leave around hoola hoops, and diablos for you to play with. They even let you try out climbing shoes for a day on the real rock if you want! And you can get free stickers and buy cute shirts that say things like "climb like a girl" ..... I've got one :)