*Sandstone, as far as rocks go, is very soft, brittle, and temperamental; especially the specific type of sandstone we have available to us in Sandstone, Minnesota.
These qualities are magnified when the rock is wet. Think of it like a sponge: when the sponge is even a little wet, it is flexible and floppy, but when it is properly dry, it is stiff. Sometimes, the sponge even appears dry on the outside, but the inside is still kind of damp…
Under no circumstances should sandstone be climbed on in the presence of water.
Where sponges and sandstone differ is that you can't squeeze it to check and see if it's a little damp on the inside. It's simply a waiting game. Our current recommendation is to wait a minimum of 48-72 hours after the last precipitation before climbing.
However, there are even more considerations to make after this time has passed:
These are just some examples of things you may want to consider before committing to climbing on sandstone.
By climbing on sandstone in a questionable state of wetness you risk breaking the rock permanently and changing the limited number of climbs available to us forever. This is a silly thing to do when it is entirely avoidable.
Best of luck with the weather, and please use your best judgement.
Thank you! 🖤
- The A
Live weather data sourced from
open-mateo.com.
For questions or suggestions please email
info@aclimbing.com.