Saving Santee Boulders and it's History . . .

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Klimmer

Mountain climber
San Diego
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 10, 2006 - 12:12am PT
All good stuff you guys :-)) Hope there is more!

JV-- You have a memory like a steel trap!

Mine seems to be more like Swiss cheese ;-)
mtwoodsonguide

Big Wall climber
San Diego
Apr 10, 2006 - 01:36am PT
If your facing the problem your facing NE. I have to get my feet up high on the left side of the scoop and kind of walk my fingers up one at a time until they find good enough friction to crank off of. Be pretty hard getting those feet up above the best part of the scoop without good rubber.
ikellen

Trad climber
San Diego, CA
Apr 10, 2006 - 01:59am PT
1) Who are you? Kellen Holt (ikellen on ST)
2) What year did you first climb at Santee Boulders? 2003
3) How many times (approx.) have you climbed at Santee Boulders, or from what year to what year? 2003 to 2006, probably 40 to 50 times.
4) Do you personally know of anyone that climbed at Santee Boulders before you ever did? Do you know who first climbed at Santee Boulders and what year it was? no, sorry.
5) Are you aware of a climbing guide(s) in any form (even scribbled notes) for Santee Boulders, that pre-dates Doug White's "Crags and Boulders of San Diego County" (1978)? No
4) Did you climb at any of the Great Western Bouldering Championship climbing contests held at Santee Boulders in the 1970's or '80s? Do you know the specific dates of these contests and who organized the contest? No
5) If you did climb at said contests, can you list some names of any noteable fellow contestants? Who actually won? No
6) Please link to any posts you have made regarding Santee Boulders in any meaningful way.
7) Say something about what Santee Boulders means personally to you. Why should Santee Boulders be preserved? Santee boulders, although not the greatest blocks, are a little pocket of rock that is more accessible to more climbers than any other area in San Diego. While they require a precise and certain technique that can only be honed by many return trips, their is full of old school hardmen who put up the early problems in great style and boldness, in the same way that Mt. Woodson gained it's fame. For climbers nowadays, Santee brings a true commodity in San Diego - Real Climbable Rock - to the masses and brings with it variety, committment, and excellent enviroment. To take away this land from climbers would be ripping a chapter out of history.
illusiondweller

Boulder climber
San Diego, CA
Apr 14, 2006 - 10:32am PT
1) Who are you? My name is Gary McCay aka illusiondweller.
2) What year did you first climb at Santee Boulders? 1981
3) How many times (approx.) have you climbed at Santee Boulders, or from what year to what year? 1981 - 1996 on occasion thereafter till 2004.
4) Do you personally know of anyone that climbed at Santee Boulders before you ever did? Do you know who first climbed at Santee Boulders and what year it was? My climbing "mentor" was R. Barnes from Poway, CA. who introduced me to Santee. G. Epperson, R. Amick, the Almadovar brothers, and M. Paul were there before me.
5) Are you aware of a climbing guide(s) in any form (even scribbled notes) for Santee Boulders, that pre-dates Doug White's "Crags and Boulders of San Diego County" (1978)? No
4) Did you climb at any of the Great Western Bouldering Championship climbing contests held at Santee Boulders in the 1970's or '80s? Do you know the specific dates of these contests and who organized the contest? Not at Santee but I did compete in a GWBC at Magnolia Boulers in '83? when Tony Yaniro walked home with first prize after doing a first ascent of a thin overhanging finger crack, sans shoes, with his toes taped up!

Personally, Santee Boulders offers a great gynasium to those who choose to stay fit outside as opposed to indoors. It is unique in that it gives you a sense of climbing in a private, secluded area in a urban setting. Climbing is not a sport that is readily recognized by the general public. It is this uniqueness that draws someone to climbing. The ability to excel at something, away from the public masses, in private, in a peaceful setting while sharing your accomplishments with a select few that have an appreciation for the craft, the outdoors and the beauty that accompanies it. It would be a shame if fitness centers began to disappear in order to make room for something else. So, make an exception for this small parcel of land that so many have enjoyed for decades.

Grug

Trad climber
Golden, Colorado
Apr 14, 2006 - 11:32am PT
I (Greg Cameron) only climbed at Santee boulders maybe 6-8 times or so, in spite of growing in nearby Poway. My proximity to Woodson (and lack of a car for much of the time I lived there) made climbing at Woodson much more reasonable.

Always enjoyed myself at Santee, in spite of th fact that it offers the kind of hard problems that I've never been particularly good at (more of a crack guy).

I was in the contest in 1979. JW, unless my memory is worse than I thought, I don't think I was in the 1973 contest. I was IN to waterpolo that year and don't remember climbing much at all.
John Vawter

Social climber
San Diego
Apr 14, 2006 - 01:06pm PT
Grug: Maybe it was Jim. I don't have a shot of the finalists so I'm just going on my foggy memory, but I'm pretty sure it was another PMB.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Dec 15, 2009 - 10:00pm PT
there are some video clips on YouTube that might be of interest to the Santee Boulder set...

HERE
mojede

Trad climber
Butte, America
Dec 15, 2009 - 10:33pm PT
One from Ed's link page--a short home made vid I liked:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkfZ5ADq-2k&feature=fvsr



Looks like a pretty proper place to pebble pull, IMHo...

F10

Trad climber
e350
Dec 15, 2009 - 10:43pm PT
Thanks Ed,

I would have lost that bet,

Santee boulders on You Tube,

I must be living under a rock
pyrosis

Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
Dec 18, 2009 - 08:19am PT
1) Who are you? Tavis Ricksecker
2) What year did you first climb at Santee Boulders? 1995
3) How many times (approx.) have you climbed at Santee Boulders, or from what year to what year? 1995-1997, 2-3 times/week
4) Do you personally know of anyone that climbed at Santee Boulders before you ever did? Do you know who first climbed at Santee Boulders and what year it was? no
5) Are you aware of a climbing guide(s) in any form (even scribbled notes) for Santee Boulders, that pre-dates Doug White's "Crags and Boulders of San Diego County" (1978)? No
4) Did you climb at any of the Great Western Bouldering Championship climbing contests held at Santee Boulders in the 1970's or '80s? Do you know the specific dates of these contests and who organized the contest? No
5) If you did climb at said contests, can you list some names of any noteable fellow contestants? Who actually won? No
6) Please link to any posts you have made regarding Santee Boulders in any meaningful way.
7) Say something about what Santee Boulders means personally to you. Why should Santee Boulders be preserved? I learned to climb at Santee during high school. Although bouldering at Santee never developed a lot of power, it is an excellent place to develop technique, footwork, and manteling ability. Many pleasant afternoons were spent there trying to dial into those dime edges, and hopefully the place will hold many more for other locals. I would be very sad if this place was paved over into yet another subdivision. As if San Diego county needs more ticky tacky houses.
gonamok

Trad climber
Dont look at me like that
May 9, 2010 - 12:36pm PT
1) Ron Amick

2) What year did you first climb at Santee Boulders? Around 19753) How many times (approx.) have you climbed at Santee Boulders, or from what year to what year? Thousands of visits starting in the mid 70's

4) Do you personally know of anyone that climbed at Santee Boulders before you ever did? yes

Do you know who first climbed at Santee Boulders and what year it was? I have talked to eric beck, werner landry, kenny cook, jerry galwas and other 1st generation SD climbers, and the general consensus is that people were climbing at santee boulders in the early 60s Everyone has climbed there, including John Gill

5) Are you aware of a climbing guide(s) in any form (even scribbled notes) for Santee Boulders, that pre-dates Doug White's "Crags and Boulders of San Diego County" (1978)? yes, mine

4) Did you climb at any of the Great Western Bouldering Championship climbing contests held at Santee Boulders in the 1970's or '80s? yes, all of them

Do you know the specific dates of these contests and who organized the contest? i can look it up

5) If you did climb at said contests, can you list some names of any noteable fellow contestants? Who actually won? yes i know most or all of that, but too long to list here

6) Please link to any posts you have made regarding Santee Boulders in any meaningful way.

7) Say something about what Santee Boulders means personally to you. Why should Santee Boulders be preserved?
more on this later
hossjulia

Social climber
Eastside
May 9, 2010 - 03:35pm PT
I'm surprised I have not already posted to this. (had to look to make sure)

I lived on Rumson Dr. from 1970 to 1975 or so and played around on those rocks all the time. Would see climbers from time to time, mostly I remember them practicing aid on the big rock we called Moby Dick.

Anyone on this forum live on Rumson back then with a blind Irish Setter and a Sunfish with the name Meatybeatybigandbouncy? Took up the whole side of the boat.

He lived up the street from us and took my brother climbing a few times. Sure would like to find him and chat.

After moving back to SD in the mid 80's, I bouldered there probably a dozen or more times as a climber, amazed at the stuff I got up at 10-14 with tennis shoes.

Sorry I missed the comps, might have gotten me into climbing sooner.

I know it has always been a liabilty issue to climb there, we got chased off by the sheriffs more than once, the property belonged to the school district.

Makes me sad to go back there and see how it is, the borrowing owl village was where the road is now.
gonamok

Trad climber
Dont look at me like that
May 9, 2010 - 04:34pm PT
I started climbing in 1974, and at that time there were really only 3 developed climbing areas; Mission gorge, the cradle of SD climbing and what was long thought to be about the only quality cliff in the county, Mt Woodson, remote and undocumented but legendary already. In 1975 if you were leading 5.8 then you were considered a good climber, so rumors of desperate cracks and death falls, plus a dearth of moderate routes made woodson more of an aspiration than an option for alot of us. The third area was santee boulders. By the mid 70's santee had seen lots of climbing traffic, and the classic problems were well known trade routes. Infamous for thin, crimpy face problems and greasy, yosemite style friction and plagued by urban type grafitti, broken glass, trash dumping, shooters and off road maniacs, santee was nonetheless a beloved SD institution.


We just knew SD was not a climbing friendly place, and were thankful for the few climbs we had. The back country rock was chossy, small and universally regarded as brushbound talus with zero climbing potential at a time when you went to yosemite to climb, and tahquitz was a poor substitute if you were short on time. Ideas change, but 12 foot tall rounded boulders were not climbing as we knew it then.

Santee got you good tho. It taught edging technique, developed finger strength and bullet tips, and the better you get, the more problems you begin to see there. As hard as you can handle. Mantles, palm and slap technique, friction footwork get honed. The highly disciplined technique and precise sequencing required to send the higher end problems built the mental toughness and control i needed to lead harder more runout routes. Mission gorge was where i learned to climb, santee was where i learned to climb hard. I love the place.

As far as history, forget it. Who knows? Its absolutely pointless to try and claim FAs on a bunch of shopworn boulders. People are constantly trying to rename the problems, some make guides to name and claim things that are older than they are - why, i dont know, but its futile. Everything that needs a name has a name, and no new guide is going to change anything. The history and lore of santee has been built day by day for decades by every person who has climbed there. It is a continuum not subject to revision and not known in its entirety to any single person that we are all a part of. Santee is just there, and that has always been a blessing. We can have it but not own it. You could climb there every day for 20 years, but as soon as your chalk blows off the holds, its like you were never there. Nobody cares and nobody should care who climbed what and when at santee. climbers come and go. Climbers, like the ants and lizards there, are insignificant. The boulders are the stars.
pyro

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
May 9, 2010 - 06:54pm PT
i've been to Santee but just for a little while (dated some surfer/FS chick from O.B.) and absolutely loved the place!

Cracko

Trad climber
Quartz Hill, California
May 10, 2010 - 11:37pm PT

A Young Cracko enjoying the classic lieback boulder uphill from the Carosel boulder in the "very" early 70's. Every time I return to San Diego, I head out to enjoy the Santee Boulders !!! Hey F10, how did I miss you at Bridwellfest ?? Patrick Henry Alums need to stay in touch. Sorry man !! I think Epperson took this picture with a disposable camera !!


Cracko
F10

Trad climber
e350 / Bishop
May 11, 2010 - 12:19am PT
Nice words gonamok,

Cracko i need proof you were there, I have proof if you need it, bummed we didn't cross paths,

Mr. gonamok is a PHHS alumni also
Festus

Mountain climber
Enron by the Sea
May 12, 2010 - 01:45pm PT
I've actually climbed (there) believe it or not, and the photo evidence won't be pretty if I haven't managed to destroy it all. Another reason why I'm not ever going to call myself a climber.

But I'm glad Santee Boulders have survived as long as they have, because I've gotten to go there with my kids (led by their uncle Bob) a few times and they love it. It was still a wide open space filled with limitless possibilities for adventure in the eyes of 7- and 11-year old boys. Really fun to see them charging around the place looking for the next climb, and getting to see it fresh again through their eyes.
Anxious Melancholy

Mountain climber
Between the Depths of Despair & Heights of Folly
May 12, 2010 - 04:44pm PT
santee is a pit.
Watusi

Social climber
Newport, OR
May 15, 2010 - 03:32pm PT
Wow cool thread!! Yeah it's a pit, but I loved it to death!!:)
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
May 15, 2010 - 05:40pm PT
Right on Gonomok. Puts it into perspective.
Arne
Messages 21 - 40 of total 93 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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