The American southwest has got to rock climber heaven. Where else will a climber find climbs this challenging, in a landscape this beautiful, where the climate allows climbing all year round? But remember, the operational word here is challenging. Climbing the rocks of the southwest is no easy task. If you're not sure what challenging means, watch as StepOutdoors climbing expert Todd Davis travels to Moab, Utah, for a chance to climb Castleton Tower. This shear rock pinnacle shoots straight up for fifteen hundred feet from a scree pile which, by itself, is one thousand feet high.

If you're going to scramble up a thousand feet of scree, and then do a technical climb for another fifteen hundred, you had better be in shape. You'd better have plenty of gear which is in good condition. And, it better be beautiful when you get to the top...