climbing area

A climbing area is a small geographical region with a concentration of opportunities for climbing. The term is most commonly used of rock climbing areas, but there are also ice climbing areas that have the right combination of steepness and water to result in climbable ice during the winter.

While there are many mountains and cliffs in the world, only a small percentage are popular for climbing. Mountain ranges are frequently at high elevations, remote, and tend to have poor weather much of the time, which means that the climber spends more time hiking, camping, and battling the elements than actually climbing. At the opposite end of the scale, many cliffs are too small or the rock is too unstable to make for an enjoyable and safe experience.

Characteristics

An ideal climbing area has these qualities:

* Close to an access road
* Large number of different routes
* Solid and stable rock
* Safe descent routes
* Good weather
* Free access
* Uncrowded

Yosemite Valley for instance is very nearly ideal. The valley is at a low elevation and allows climbing from March to November, it has an enormous amount of high-quality granite, with hundreds of routes ranging from the easy (The Grack) to some of the longest and hardest in the world, such as The Nose on El Capitan. As part of Yosemite National Park, the bases of the big walls are just a short walk from good roads, camping is available, hiking trails make the descents easy, and of course the scenery is world-class. Its main problem is that it's so popular that some routes will often have multiple parties of climbers getting in each other's way.

Most climbing areas fall short of the ideal, usually making up for it in some other way, sometimes just by being the closest good area to some city.

Development of a climbing area

Since rock climbing became an activity distinct from mountaineering in the 20th century, it is usually possible to trace the entire history of an area, generally starting with a few local climbers using the area as "practice rocks" in preparation for mountaineering expeditions. Inevitably a few in the local community would become more interested in the area for its own sake, exploring the area for new and unusual routes, typically looking for a combination of challenge, safety, and elegance of line, the last being a subjective quality that is nevertheless easy for climbers to agree upon.

This process has become known as "development" of a climbing area, and includes the placing of permanent bolts at key belays spots, rappel slings, as well as agreement on preferred equipment, minimization of environmental impact, and so forth, initially all done by word of mouth.

Development culminates in the publication of a climbing guidebook. The first edition of a guidebook may be little than a mimeographed pamphlet, but in the most highly developed areas, the books are thick tomes full of maps, photographs, and records of first ascents, and some have gone through multiple editions.

Climbers normally have a very light impact on an area; bolts are not visible from a distance, and only the knowledgeable will recognize the worn ground at the base of a route and the chalk residue on the rock for what they are. However, popular climbing areas eventually come to the attention of the area's legal stewards, whether they are the owners of private land, or the rangers of a park. In such cases, the local climbers may need to negotiate access rights or bolting policies. Places like Yosemite National Park actually have a staff of climbing rangers, who work with climbers to develop and enforce usage policies, and to perform rescues.

Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually formed by rock that is resistant to erosion and weathering. Sedimentary rocks most likely to form sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks, such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs.

An escarpment (or scarp) is a type of cliff, formed by the movement of a geologic fault, or a landslide.

Most cliffs have some form of scree slope at their base. In arid areas or under high cliffs, these are generally exposed jumbles of fallen rock. In areas of higher moisture, a soil slope may obscure the talus.

Many cliffs also feature tributary waterfalls or rock shelters. Sometimes a cliff peters out at the end of a ridge, with tea tables or other types of rock columns remaining.

Given that a cliff need not be exactly vertical, there can be ambiguity about whether a given slope is a cliff or not, and also about how much of a certain slope to count as a cliff. (For example, given a truly vertical rock wall above a very steep slope, one could count only the rock wall, or the combination.) This makes listings of cliffs an inherently uncertain endeavor.

The highest cliff (rock wall, mountain face) in the world, is Nanga Parbat's Rupal Flank in the Himalayas, that rises 4600 meters above its base.

According to some sources, the highest cliff in the world, about 1,340 m high, is the east face of Great Trango in the Karakoram mountains of northern Pakistan. (This uses a fairly stringent notion of cliff, as the 1,340 m figure refers to a nearly vertical headwall; adding in a very steep approach brings the total height to over 1,600 m.) The highest sea cliffs, 1,010 m high, are located at Kalaupapa, Hawaii. (This uses a less stringent definition, as the average slope of these cliffs is about 1.7, corresponding to an angle of 60 degrees.)

Considering a truly vertical drop, Mount Thor on Baffin Island in Arctic Canada is often considered the highest at 1,370 m (4,500 ft) high in total (the top 480 m (1,600 ft) is overhanging), and is said to give it the longest purely vertical drop on Earth at 1,250 m (4,100 ft). There is some doubt as to whether this height is exceeded by other cliffs on Baffin Island or in Greenland, however.

The Ordnance Survey distinguish between cliffs (continuous line along the top edge with projections down the face) and outcrops (continuous lines along lower edge).
Nanga Parbat, highest cliff (rock wall, mountain face) in the world

The highest cliff in the solar system may be Verona Rupes, an approximately 20 km (12 mile) high fault scarp on Miranda, a moon of Uranus. The following is an incomplete list of cliffs of the world. (see also Category:Cliffs)

Asia

Above Land

* Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, 4600 m
* Great Trango Towers, Baltoro Muztagh, Northern Areas, Pakistan, 1340 m
* Uli Biaho Towers, Baltoro Glacier, Northern Areas, Pakistan
* Baintha Brakk (The Ogre), Panmah Muztagh, Northern Areas, Pakistan
* The Latok Group, Panmah Muztagh, Northern Areas, Pakistan
* Various cliffs in the Ak-Su Valley of Kyrgyzstan cliffs are high and steep.
* Masada, Israel , Dead Sea

Europe

Above Sea

* Hornelen, Norway, 860 m above Frøysjøen
* Cape Enniberg, Faroe Islands, 750 m above North Atlantic
* Croaghaun, Achill Island, Ireland, 668 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Vixía Herbeira, Northern Galicia, Spain, 621 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Preikestolen, Norway, 604 m above Lysefjorden
* Slieve League, Ireland, 601 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Cabo Girão, Madeira, 589 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Conachair, St Kilda, Scotland 427 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Cap Canaille, France, 416 m above Mediterranean sea is the highest sea cliff in France
* St John's Head (Hoy Orkney Islands Scotland) at 335 m is the most vertical sea cliff in the UK
* Hangman cliffs, Devon 318 m above Bristol Channel is the highest sea cliff in England
* Dingli Cliffs, Malta, 250 m above Mediterranean sea
* Cliffs of Moher, Ireland, 217 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Cap de la Nau, Spain, 200 m above Mediterranean sea
* Beachy Head, England, 162 m above the English Channel
* Snake Island, Romania, 41 m above the Black Sea
* Møns Klint, Denmark, 143 m above Baltic Sea
* White cliffs of Dover, England, 100 m above the Strait of Dover
* Strunjan cliff, Slovenia, 80 m above the Adriatic Sea

Above Land

* Troll Wall, Norway 1100 m above base
* Mięguszowiecki Szczyt north face rises to 1043 m above Morskie Oko lake level, High Tatras, Poland
* Kjerag, Norway 984 m.
* Mały Kieżmarski Szczyt (north face), Tatra Mountains, Slovakia about 900 m denivelation (vertical rise)
* Giewont (north face), Tatra Mountains, Poland, 852 m above Polana Strążyska glade
* Kazalnica Mięguszowiecka, Tatra Mountains, Poland 576 m above the Czarny Staw pod Rysami
* The six great north faces of the Alps (Cima Grande di Lavaredo, Eiger, Grandes Jorasses, Matterhorn, Petit Dru and Piz Badile)

North America
Mount Thor, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, commonly regarded as the highest purely vertical drop on Earth
Southwest face of El Capitan from Yosemite Valley

Several big granite faces in the Arctic regions vie for the title of 'highest purely vertical drop on Earth', but reliable measurements are not always available. The possible contenders include (measurements are approximate):

* Mount Thor, Baffin Island, Canada; 1,370 m (4,500 ft) total; top 480 m (1,600 ft) is overhanging. This is commonly regarded as being the largest purely vertical drop on Earth at 1,250 m (4,100 ft).
* The sheer north face of Polar Sun Spire, in the Sam Ford fjord of Baffin Island, has been reported as exceeding Mount Thor's west face in height [3].
* Ketil's west face in Tasermiut, Greenland has been reported as 1,400 m - 1,450 m high, (although some doubt has been cast on this)[4][5].

Other notable cliffs include:

* Mount Asgard, Baffin Island, Canada; vertical drop of about 1,200 m (4,000 ft).
* A variety of other cliffs measured at approximately 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in height can be found along the Sam Ford fjord in Baffin Island, such as Walker Citadel, Kiguti Peak and Great Sail Peak, whilst there are others in Querbitter Fjord, and in Tasermiut, Greenland.
* El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, Sierra Nevada, California, United States; about 900 m (3,000 ft) high
* Northwest Face of Half Dome, near El Capitan; 1,340 m (4,400 ft) total, vertical portion about 610 m (2,000 ft)
* Painted Wall in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado, United States; 685 m (2,250 ft)
* The west face of Notch Peak in southwestern Utah, United States; a limestone cliff of about 670 m (2,200 ft)
* All faces of Devil's Tower, Wyoming, United States
* Various faces of Shiprock, New Mexico, United States
* The North Face of North Twin Peak, Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada
* All walls of the Stawamus Chief, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
* Calvert Cliffs along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland

South America
Salto Angel from Raton, Venezuela.

* Autana Tepui, Venezuela stands 1,300 m above the forest floor.
* Auyan Tepui, Venezuela, about 1000 m (location of Angel Falls) (the falls are 979 m, the highest in the world)
* Pared de Gocta, Peru, 771 m
* Fortaleza canyon, Aparados da Serra National Park, Brazil, about 720 m
* Pedra Azul, Pedra Azul State Park, Espirito Santo, Brazil, 540 m
* Pão de Açúcar/Sugar Loaf, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 395 m
* All faces of Cerro Torre, Patagonia, Chile-Argentina
* All faces of Cerro Chalten (Fitz Roy), Patagonia, Argentina-Chile
* Various faces of the Torres del Paine group, Patagonia, Chile

Africa

Above Sea

* Kogelberg, Western Cape, South Africa, 1289 m above False Bay, Atlantic Ocean
* Table Mountain, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, 1086 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Twelve Apostles, Cape Town, South Africa. A series of 17 precipitous peaks (all sharp cliff faces) ranging from ca 700 m to 1067 m above the Atlantic Ocean
* Risco de Faneque, Gran Canaria-Canary Islands, Spain, 1027 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Guguy's Cliffs, Gran Canaria-Canary Islands, Spain, 725 m above Atlantic Ocean
* La Mérica, La Gomera-Canary Islands, Spain, 711 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Andén Verde, Gran Canaria-Canary Islands, Spain, 690 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Karbonkelberg, Western Cape, South Africa, 653 m above Hout Bay, Atlantic Ocean
* La Peña's Cliffs, El Hierro-Canary Islands, Spain, 652 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Los Gigantes, Tenerife-Canary Islands, Spain, 637 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Chapman's Peak, Cape Town, South Africa, 596 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Anaga's Cliffs, Tenerife-Canary Islands, Spain, 592 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Risco de Famara, Lanzarote-Canary Islands, Spain, 580 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Buenavista's Cliffs, Tenerife-Canary Islands, Spain, 546 m above Atlantic Ocean
* Cape Hangklip, Western Cape, South Africa, 453.1 m above False Bay, Atlantic Ocean
* Punta Gaviota's Cliff, La Palma-Canary Islands, Spain, 435 m above Atlantic Ocean
* The Sentinel, Western Cape, South Africa, 331 m above Hout Bay, Atlantic Ocean
* Cape Point, Western Cape, South Africa, 249 m above Atlantic Ocean.

Above Land

* Drakensberg Amphitheatre, South Africa 1200 m above base, 5km long. The Tugela Falls, the world's second tallest waterfall, falls 948 m over the edge of the cliff face.
* Mount Meru, Tanzania Caldera Cliffs, 1500 m
* Klein Winterhoek, Western Cape, South Africa, 1220 m above base.

Oceania

Above Sea

* Kalaupapa, Hawaii, 1010 m above Pacific Ocean