Climbing Forecast › Highlands › Whiteside Mountain

HIGHLANDS · GNEISS · bird ban

Whiteside Mountain climbing conditions

Poor — wet, too windy or closed

Right now

Temp70°F
Wind3 mph
Gusts5 mph
Humidity89.5%
Rain 48hdry
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

3.9mm rain forecast
High humidity (89.5%) — gneiss friction compromised, particularly for bouldering
Humidity 89.5% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 21 August
Poor
Temp72°F
Rain0.2 in
Wind5 mph
Gusts5 mph
Humidity82%
3.9mm rain forecast
  • Wet gneiss is slick — let the rock dry before leading
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
14:00 70° dry 3 — 89.5%
15:00 72° 0.01 in 4 — 79.5%
16:00 72° 0.1 in 6 — 78.4%
17:00 68° 0.00 in 6 — 89.6%
18:00 72° 0.00 in 4 — 80.7%
19:00 74° 0.01 in 6 — 73.1%
20:00 74° dry 8 — 70.8%
21:00 76° 0.02 in 8 — 57%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Caution
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity86%
Should be dryHumidity 86% — potential fog
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Gneiss climbs well when dry; foliation planes can hold moisture on shaded aspects
  • Damp air — friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 60° dry 5 — 99.6%
07:00 60° dry 6 — 99.2%
08:00 60° dry 6 — 99.3%
09:00 60° dry 6 — 99.2%
10:00 60° dry 7 — 99.5%
11:00 60° dry 6 — 99.4%
12:00 62° dry 6 — 95.7%
13:00 65° dry 5 — 92.2%
14:00 68° dry 4 — 82.7%
15:00 71° dry 5 — 73%
16:00 73° dry 5 — 62.8%
17:00 76° dry 6 — 52.7%
18:00 77° dry 7 — 45.6%
19:00 77° dry 8 — 45%
20:00 77° dry 8 — 46.5%
21:00 76° dry 9 — 46.4%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Good
Temp64°F
Raindry
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity77%
Should be dry
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Gneiss climbs well when dry; foliation planes can hold moisture on shaded aspects
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 64° dry 7 — 77%
07:00 63° dry 8 — 79.5%
08:00 62° dry 9 — 82.5%
09:00 60° dry 9 — 88.2%
10:00 60° dry 8 — 89.3%
11:00 59° dry 8 — 91.9%
12:00 61° dry 7 — 90.4%
13:00 64° dry 6 — 81.7%
14:00 67° dry 6 — 72.2%
15:00 69° dry 6 — 61%
16:00 71° dry 7 — 50.4%
17:00 73° dry 7 — 44.1%
18:00 74° dry 6 — 41.6%
19:00 75° dry 6 — 38.8%
20:00 75° dry 7 — 37%
21:00 74° dry 8 — 37.9%
Mon Monday 24 August
Good
Temp59°F
Raindry
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity77%
Should be dry
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Gneiss climbs well when dry; foliation planes can hold moisture on shaded aspects
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 57° dry 6 — 80%
12:00 60° dry 2 — 77.4%
18:00 74° dry 4 — 34.7%
Tue Tuesday 25 August
Good
Temp63°F
Raindry
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity62%
Should be dry
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Gneiss climbs well when dry; foliation planes can hold moisture on shaded aspects
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 60° dry 1 — 64.1%
12:00 63° dry 2 — 62.2%
18:00 77° dry 5 — 38.8%
Wed Wednesday 26 August
Poor
Temp66°F
Rain0.02 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity76%
0.5mm rain forecast
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Wet gneiss is slick — let the rock dry before leading
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 66° dry 5 — 68.2%
12:00 66° dry 2 — 75.5%
18:00 75° 0.02 in 6 — 59.5%
Thu Thursday 27 August
Poor
Temp63°F
Rain0.05 in
Wind3 mph
Gusts—
Humidity99%
1.2mm rain forecastHumidity 99% — likely fog/cloud
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Wet gneiss is slick — let the rock dry before leading
  • Damp air — friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 62° dry 2 — 94.9%
12:00 62° 0.02 in 3 — 99.2%
18:00 69° 0.02 in 5 — 87.9%
Fri Friday 28 August
Poor
Temp63°F
Rain0.02 in
Wind3 mph
Gusts—
Humidity98%
0.6mm rain forecastHumidity 98% — likely fog/cloud
  • Good conditions for gneiss
  • Wet gneiss is slick — let the rock dry before leading
  • Damp air — friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 61° dry 3 — 99.6%
12:00 62° 0.01 in 3 — 98%
18:00 73° 0.01 in 4 — 73.4%
Bird ban (01-15 to 08-15)
Peregrine falcon seasonal closure — routes between Southwest Arete and Mainline on the main southeast face are closed each year. Confirm current closures with USFS Nantahala National Forest before travelling.

About Whiteside Mountain

Whiteside Mountain is one of the East Coast's most serious multi-pitch venues — a 700-foot southeast-facing wall of quartz-diorite gneiss (locally called "Whiteside granite") sitting at 4,930 ft between Highlands and Cashiers NC, south of US-64. Long committing trad and mixed climbing with legendary lines like Original Route (5.11a, 10 pitches) and hard testpieces like Warrior's Way (5.12c, 9p). Reputation for loose rock, skimpy gear, and unpredictable weather — "most route ratings could have an R or X added." Peregrine falcon closure January 15 – August 15 covers most of the climbing year; short window September through December is when this wall is climbable. Free USFS access.

Region
Highlands
Rock type
Gneiss
Aspect
southeast-facing
Altitude
4452 ft
Exposure
high
Seepage
low