Looking Glass Classics | Urban Climber Magazine

This feature article on rock climbing at Looking Glass Rock ran May 2012 in what turned out to be the last issue ever published of Urban Climber Magazine.

Urban Climber Magazine Looking Glass

Nestled in the heart of the vast Pisgah National Forest in the southern Appalachian mountains, Looking Glass Rock is among the best North Carolina rock climbing areas. The 500-foot-tall granite dome has been drawing North Carolina rock climbers for nearly a half-century thanks to the diversity of climbing styles found at the five different rock climbing areas.
When it comes to trad climbing, North Carolina is renowned for its bold, ground up climbs that oftentimes tread a thin line between frightening and fun. While Looking Glass is certainly no exception to the standard, the wide variety of climbing found at the four different areas provide a wide-range of classic climbs of all grades, from 5.5 slabs to 5.13+ testpieces.
For beginners at Looking Glass, the numerous horizontal eyebrows that are the signature feature of the towering batholith offer plentiful, but sometimes-tricky placements that lead to some fun, exciting climbing that is certain to provide a good introduction to the area’s unique style of climbing. For climbers in search of splitter cracks and Yosemite-like corners to jam and stem their way up, look no further as there are more than a few of those to be found lurking among the expansive sea of granite as well.

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