Valentines Day Date Ideas For Rock Climbers

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! This a totally arbitrary holiday that was made up by Hallmark to sell you things! However, it’s also garnered some real attention from folks over the years and now actually has some meaning to people. 

If you don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, then hooray this post isn’t for you. But! If, like Valentine’s Day, you enjoy things that are made up and pointless but ultimately bring you and your loved ones joy, then read on! Because this is about rock climbing. 

Here are some fun Valentine’s Day date ideas for you and your rock climber boo to try this year.

Night Climbing

A full moon climb? With maybe some candles and a bottle of whisky to share at the base of your project? What’s not to love about that! I recommend bouldering for this one, since you never know when you’ll want to stop climbing and start canoodling on the crash pads. It’s night time anyway. And who other than you is out at this hour rock climbing?

Pedicures 

Long gone are the days when men could not get their nails done, for fear of being perceived ‘unmanly’. Let’s collectively agree that all rock climbers’ feet (and hands) are gross and that we need to be able to care for ourselves in more ways than just being able to do a lot of pull ups. Take your sweetie out to get their poor aching feet cared for! You definitely both need it. Maybe get the same nail polish you use to mark your cams, then you can say, “This one belongs to me.” Whenever someone asks. 

Drinking Wine and Cleaning Your Cams

This is a great one for the trad climbers out there! You know you need to clean your cams. We all do. Pop open a bottle of wine, put on a climbing movie (like Girls Gone Wide?) and get to work cleaning your cams! All it takes is some hot water, a toothbrush, some cam lube and a positive attitude. It can be a fun thing to do together that also helps move you towards mutual care and success in the sport that you both love.

Going on a Hike and Looking for New First Ascents

This is a really fun way to spend a day out with your boo, that is climbing adjacent, but not quite climbing. Pick out a spot that looks like it’s got some great potential, and double check Mountain Project to make sure you’re not wandering into already established territory, and then start searching! Make sure to bring some binoculars, lots of water, a map so you can mark the locations, a bottle of your favorite alcoholic beverage, some snacks, good hiking shoes, and a blanket (just in case you wanna… you know..)

A Guided Hike with a Geologist

Rock climbers love rocks. I know. Groundbreaking. 

But in all seriousness, a guided hike with a geologist would be a really fun way to learn more about the area you know and love to climb in. How would it feel to not just climb the rocks, but understand how they were formed all those millennia ago. Plus, anytime spent out with your loved one is time well spent!

Tower Picnic 

What is more romantic than having a picnic on top of a tower? If you don’t have any towers around you, then how about just the top of a multi pitch climb that you both really like? Bring up some sandwiches and a bottle of wine and enjoy each other’s company after a fun day out climbing. The view from the top of a climb has never looked so beautiful. 

Go through Each other’s Mountain Project To-do Lists

Looking for a cozy date activity to do after a long day of climbing? Get on to Mountain Project and browse each other’s to-do lists. Maybe you have some in common, maybe one of you has heard of some climbs that the other has not. A stroll through your to-do lists could end in planning a climbing trip together!

Anniversary Pitches (one pitch for every year you’ve been together!)

Finally, if all these ideas seem too conventional for you, then go with the classic birthday challenge idea with a twist. Do one pitch for every year that you’ve been together. If you haven’t been dating that long, then just go cragging with your partner. It’s something you both love right? 

Happy Valentine’s Day Rock Climbers

The most important thing to remember is to get your partner some chocolate. You can ignore all the rest of these ideas as long as you get your partner some chocolate. Failing that, you can definitely do one of these things on this list. It won’t make up for forgetting to get them chocolate, but it will help. Kind of. 

Happy Valentines Day climbers! 

All photos by: Kaya Lindsay