CLICK ABOVE TO VIEW ROCK CLIMBING IN VICTORIA CANYON

A bit of a dark horse in the rock climbing world, the Black Hills are quietly blessed with some of the most varied and scenic climbing routes in the United States. With an unmatched mix of limestone cliffs, granite spires and dolomite faces, the Black Hills region is an absolute paradise for climbers looking for awesome routes and few crowds.

A few days ago my friend Mindy Harrell, who’s quite the salty climber lady and videographer, headed out to Victoria Canyon for some limestone climbing. Victoria Canyon, or “The VC” as locals call it, is located just outside of Rapid City and has routes that have been developed by local and regional climbers.

Mindy and her climbing partners tackled some crazy routes with some crazy names. In the video above you’ll see the following climbers:

• Jake Whittle: college student from Rapid City who grew up climbing with his family throughout the Black Hills. He is sponsored by climbing companies: Mad Rock, Sterling, Vedavoo, ZenLizard and Avid. Jake is shown climbing ‘I Speak Crussian,’ a 5.12b/c rated sport route in The VC.
• Brie Van Dam: graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder who is working towards her Ph.D in atmospheric sciences. Brie made the trip from Colorado for the climbing in the Black Hills and is shown on ‘Map of Japan,’ a 5.12a/b rated sport route.
  
• Mindy Harrell: originally from Dubois, Wyoming but now works in Deadwood as an accounts manager for a communications firm. Mindy is shown climbing ‘Mock Duck RS,’ a 5.10- rated sport route.