The intimidating spires of The Needles draw climbers from all over the world to savor classics like Igor Unchained (5.9), Thin Ice (5.10), and Romantic Warrior (IV 5.12b). These routes have 'pucker factor'. If given a choice between The Needles and The Valley I'll hands down take The Needles. Beautiful green lichened rock in a more solitary environment. No tourists here! The rock is solid granite offering everything from hard crack to hard face.

One important caveat -- the Needles is not a good area for beginning leaders; you should be self-sufficient and comfortable leading sparsely protected 5.9 on gear, at a bare minimum. Extensive racks with doubles of everything are required for many climbs. As E.C. Joe one of the early developers of Needles, puts it, "do not venture out to climb at the Needles unless you are prepared to take care of business."