Arkansas Trip, Pt. 2- Fountain Red, AR

Christian Prellwitz- 'Rings of Uranus' (v3)

After attending the wedding festivities on Saturday, Erika and I spent Sunday climbing the beautiful sandstone blocks of Fountain Red. The name is a tongue in cheek reference to the famous French bouldering area 'Fontainebleau'. While this spot is certainly not the Font of the U.S. (that honor probably goes to HP40), it is still a great little area with a number of high quality lines that would be classics anywhere. Fountain Red was typical of most of the climbing I saw in Arkansas. There is no singularly outstanding area, but rather many fun, small (2-5 dozen problems) areas spread throughout the state, particularly in the Cowell/Jasper area. While somewhat lacking in quantity, all of these areas contain high quality sandstone with some amazing features and are definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Erika and I had a great time battling through the maze of backcountry roads, incredibly high humidity (and temps) and swarming bugs to find the gems of Arkansas bouldering. Getting off the beaten path and seeing a side of the state that few visitors see is one of the great appeals of climbing to me. There's no place I'd rather be than driving along red dirt roads overhung with lush green foliage in search of hidden blocks. That's where all the good stuff is anyway.

(All pics courtesy of Erika Curry-Elrod)

'El Nino' (v4)

'El Nino' (v4)

'Ring Around the Rosy' (v2)

Sticking the crux sloper on the ultra classic 'Le Beak' (v4)

'Le Beak' (v4)

'Rings of Uranus' (v3)