This Weekend: Nevada’s Unsung Ice Climbing

You won’t find a replica of Charleston Peak on the Las Vegas Strip. The 11,918-foot-tall chunk of granite is an hour away, blissfully removed from the lights and noise, in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (702-515-5400). In a good year, Charleston harbors some of the best unsung ice climbing in the West. “The Vegas Hose Monster is ridiculously cool,” says local Jason Martin, describing a three-tiered, 400-foot frozen cascade. Martin also favors Echo Falls: “There’s a good line on fat ice to set up a top rope and play for a few hours.” Approach from the Cathedral Rock trailhead off Route 157. Nearby Mount Charleston Lodge has cozy cabins ($200).

Text by Robert Earle Howells