St George, Utah, lies about a hundred miles east of Las Vegas, Nevada, but by a strange quirk of boundaries, it’s two States away, with the I15 nipping through a corner of the Arizona Strip on the way. You lose a time zone somewhere along the way, and as our visit coincided with the clocks changing (but not in Arizona and a week later than in the UK) we’ve spent a fortnight not knowing what time it was. Easier to just follow the sun – especially as the only important milestone in the day is beer o’clock!

The other thing that changes, quite suddenly along the way, is the geology – from grey to a vivid red in the space of a few tens of miles. This is Sandstone country!

A great introduction is to be had at Prophesy (sic) Wall. Getting on for a hundred routes, from one to three pitches up to about 70m and with a good spread of grades. The rock is mostly good, with brilliant patina jugs formed in the desert varnish atop the sandy core. Generally generous bolting and grading make for a welcoming experience.

We kicked off at the right hand end, with routes like False Profits, 5.8, Pro Choices, 5.9

… and Harbinger, 11a (soft, but maybe worth the grade if you combine the amazing final arete with the long approach pitch).

You get a better idea of the leaning arete in the centre of the shot below.

On our second visit we checked out the left hand end, with routes like Omicron, Wuhan Bat Cave, 5.8s, and Antivaxers, 5.9, hinting at the more recent developments.

Here’s a couple on the modern classic: Quarantine, 10b

I bagged another soft 11, Technical Knee-Highs – who cares, they’re a tonne of fun. Smooth with the rough and all that.

With the sun only hitting the crag in the early afternoon (and chilly in the shade!) the tendancy is for a late finish…

… with the bonus of a glorious light show as the sun sets. Plenty for a future visit – 12CB4.

With a sprinkling of snow on the higher ground…

… I identified Cougar Cliffs as an easily accessed suntrap for a quick fix, and Helen was kind enough to offer a belay on her rest day. I was right about suntrap, it’s a solar concentrator…

… but although the approach is very short (you almost park on top of the crag) there’s a tricky scramble and fixed rope to reach the base.

Forsaken is well worth its 4*s and its 11a/b (rough with the smooth). There’s some sandy steepness into tiny, fragile varnish crimps, followed by crazily overhanging jugginess at the top. Despite 18 bolts in 40m it still feels harrowing in the middle part.

A bit of overnight rain had us respecting the “don’t climb on wet sandstone” ethic (though by morning you’d have been hard pressed to find a hint of moisture). Time for some Basalt action, which St George can also provide (in fact Black Rocks is barely a mile from Cougar Cliffs). This Basalt-lined canyon has climbing on both sides, so you can pick sun or shade. It’s Stanage-sized in terms of height, up to around 50ft tall, but barely a few hundred metres wide, with around 100 routes across the two sides.

The combination of the weekend crowds and the focus away from the Sandstone, plus a large group on a Birthday outing made for quite a busy vibe – it was rammed!

Just like Stanage Popular End on a Sunday, we had a vague unease that we were about to witness an accident at any moment (someone being talked through their first lower-off, and clearly having no comprehension of the instructions was the most alarming). Happily our fears were unfounded, and we ticked our way through a good number of short but fun, technical routes. Casual Slander, 5.9

Black Hole Sun, 5.8

Gravitational Attraction, 11a, and perhaps the pick of the bunch: Galactic Cannibalism, 10b (middle of the wall in the shot below) and Moses had a Clip Stick, 10a up the arete.

We thought we’d escape the crowds the following day (Sunday) with some more obscure Basalt in Pine Valley. Snow still lying on the ground, and set at almost 7,000ft above the town of Veyo, we were a bit doubtful whether this proclaimed suntrap would be up to the job.

A short approach from parking seemingly in the middle of nowhere leads to a bit of a scramble down into the valley, thoughtfully equipped with a couple of fixed ropes and a ladder.

It’s a very pretty, tranquil spot, with the only sound being the distant roar of the river below.

There’s a path along the foot of the crag, though easy progress is hampered by the chaos of basalt boulders, so we stuck to the nearby sectors. Jungle Bungle, 10a, is a juggy romp that climbs a bit like a grit HVS.

Down the Rabbit Hole is a stunning 4* 11a arete

… with a really tricky move to reach this improbable jug:

Shady by 2pm so time for an early finish! Our base for our St George exploration was at the Baker Dam Campground, just north of Veyo. A really peaceful haven, we had it almost to ourselves. $12 a night and empty, compared with $40 a night and rammed in the Snow Canyon Campground nearer St George. No contest!

As well as the expensive camping, you also have to pay a $15 park entry per day, and being averse to “paying to climb” we held back from visiting, until we finally stumped up on our last day in the area. Snow Canyon is undeniably an attractive spot, rimmed with lurid red rocks on all sides, much of which has climbing on it. We picked the well-named Just Deserts, a 300ft 5.7 – jug-packed and varied, it takes the full height of the crag via the pillar in the centre of the shot below.

Amazing vistas from the top, including an enormous Stars and Stripes suspended across the canyon (must have been at least 50m long). In fairness, it was Veterans Day.

With that sandstone refresher course under our belts it was time to head a hundred miles west to Red Rocks.