Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 32 of total 32 in this topic |
jack89
Trad climber
England
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 17, 2013 - 04:24pm PT
|
Hi Supertopo,
I will be going on a work trip to South California (Irvine) in a few weeks and would like to make the most of this opportunity by staying 4-5 days extra and climb some rock.
I climb about V5-V6, 5.7-5.8, never been before, would be willing to camp, don't have any partners/contacts (but would like some) and can drive. Let me know if you need more info.
Not sure what is feasible at this time and time scale, so any advice is very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Jack
|
|
Ward Trotter
Trad climber
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 04:29pm PT
|
Hey Jack, welcome to the People's Republic of California.
The usual designation is " Southern California ". Although "south California" does have a certain charming ring to it.
Enjoy your stay.
Contact me and I'll show you Joshua Tree. If it isn't too blazing hot by then . We can climb in world famous Rattlesnake Canyon and perhaps catch and torture some taggers as a bonus.
On second thought maybe its better to arrest the vandals , transport them to Yosemite valley where we can then hand them over to the custody of Werner Braun.
Hahaha.
|
|
jack89
Trad climber
England
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 17, 2013 - 04:30pm PT
|
I did notice as soon as I posted it looked wrong. Oh well.
Thank you. I may well do so!
|
|
brotherbbock
Trad climber
Alta Loma, CA
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 04:33pm PT
|
Beat me to it Ward.
Yeah we take offense to that kinda talk down here.
Just kidding.
There are sh#t tons of places to go.....shit tons.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 05:17pm PT
|
Naturally the correct response is 'somewhere else'
but v5 to 5.8 is a big jump.
suicide rock check mtn project for location.
|
|
GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 05:53pm PT
|
V5-V6, 5.7-5.8
How heavy is your harness...?
|
|
pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:00pm PT
|
go to oxnard
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:16pm PT
|
Time for some name switches:
North California.....Northern Carolina
South California.....Southern Carolina
People in LA don't refer to themselves as southern....people in Columbia certainly do.
|
|
mooser
Trad climber
seattle
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:27pm PT
|
Stick with it, Jack89...you'll get some helpful responses soon. The ST crowd has to get stuff out of its system before providing specifics (like Ward's offer to go to JT).
Have fun!
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:31pm PT
|
Go to JT or if too hot Tahquitz. I agree that V5/V6 and 5.7/5.8 don't line up. If those V numbers are accurate you should be climbing "at least" 5.11.
Have fun!
|
|
Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:32pm PT
|
Get yourself a copy of the Hunk Guide to Orange County
|
|
Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:36pm PT
|
In May Tahquitz opens up. Suicide and Tahquitz would keep you busy. Be warned it's not really cragging, but more alpine.
Not far from Irvine, only a few hours drive, would be the Needles and the Domelands Wilderness. If you brought some camping gear, you could head out to Bart Dome. No lines there.
Five hours driving would get you to Alabama Hills.
|
|
hossjulia
Trad climber
Where the Hoback and the mighty Snake River meet
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:51pm PT
|
^^or The Valley.
Be prepared for blazing hot or kinda cold with possibility of snow or rain. But when it rains in CALI, it usually quits fast.
Isn't there some sort of urban climbing near Irvine? I never climbed in the LA basin, so not sure. But if it's hot there, Idyllwild ought to be perfect, and it's less than 2 hours. Google maps Irvine, CA to Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA for the route. Highly recommend Taqhitz and Suicide, which are right above the town. Beautiful alpine setting, and Taqhitz has some long routes. Sure miss climbing there, it's been over 20 years!
But if you have time, have never been and the weather looks dry, go to Yosemite!
|
|
Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:58pm PT
|
It will be too hot in JT for prime climbing, but doable.
If I were you, I'd look into the bouldering at Black Mtn and up the Tramway out of Palm Springs. Both should be in very good condition, as they are at decent elevation, and both are really good granite bouldering.
Your other best option is Tahquitz, where there are lots of long, moderate trad routes on perfect granite.
All depends on what you're after I suppose, but it sounds like you're more into bouldering.
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 06:59pm PT
|
Yeah Ron, Tahquitz is super nice. High enough for some cool weather, a little uphill hiking to warm up and really fun climbs on great granite up to 6/7 pitches long.
|
|
Dapper Dan
Trad climber
Menlo Park
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 07:20pm PT
|
Anybody ever boulder at Hart Park in Orange I think it was ?
Tiny holds epoxied under a freeway overpass ... Climbing was desperate in the OC
|
|
Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 07:23pm PT
|
"Ive always wanted to hit that "
I say the same thing...about Alyssa Milano.
Oddly, even though it's close for me, I only get to Tahquitz/Suicide a couple times a year. Great climbing though. Hard to beat for the range the OP is seeking too.
|
|
Ward Trotter
Trad climber
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 07:26pm PT
|
really fun climbs on great granite up to 6/7 pitches long.
I can do Tahquitz/ Suicide too Jack.
A fun day on Tahquitz would be Fingertrip(5.7) then drop down and do Open Book (5.9). Or with a little more hiking Whodunit then Open Book.
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/tahquitz--suicide-rocks/105788020
If you have 5 days to climb and can travel , and don't know when you'll ever get back to the States, then definitely blast up to Yosemite. De Rigueur.
|
|
GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 07:32pm PT
|
Tahquitz has some of the most fun 5.0-5.9 climbing in So Cal, possibly all of California (for the concentration). Definitely a must-do.
When I hear that the dude (or dudette?) has the ability to pull V6 but limited to 5.8, it makes me curious of what other peices of the puzzle might be missing (building own belay, placing gear, cool head on run outs, swiftness on long routes) so I'm not likely going to recommend too many long gear routes at the grade. Stick with the easier, super classics if 5.8 is your max (depending on where you are from tahquitz 5.8 can feel very 5.10ish).
Black Mountain, South Ridge and to an extent county park/humber park have great bouldering, worthy of a day or three for black/south ridge and an afternoon for 'thothers. If I could climb V6 that's where I'd be camped out. South Ridge Arete > Angels Fright.
|
|
GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 09:56pm PT
|
Just flipped through it today to check out South Ridge :) If you could have 3 guidebooks for Southern California, get T&S from Vogel, the vogel Josh guide and So Cal bouldering by Frye. All you need, the rest is noise and choss...
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 10:00pm PT
|
And don't look for oranges in Orange County.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 10:21pm PT
|
and up the Tramway out of Palm Springs
Well worth the trip. Hike up to the top of San Jacinto and do some 3/4 class on Mt. Cornell. Not really climbing per say, but a good time.
Not much in the Irvine area unless you are looking for gyms.
|
|
Ward Trotter
Trad climber
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 11:16pm PT
|
It is spelt Fry, as in Dr. Fry
No it's spelled Frie. As in " Commodore Frie"
And don't look for oranges in Orange County.
There are plenty of surviving Orange trees in the OC. Just ask some of the lucky homeowners.
Even in LA County. My mom just gave me a bag of squeeze oranges from a tree that grows in her front yard.
|
|
TGT
Social climber
So Cal
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 11:18pm PT
|
And don't look for oranges in Orange County.
Not any more anyway.
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
|
Apr 17, 2013 - 11:54pm PT
|
I thought Orange was solid red, which is strange, considering they got Birchers all over the place there, who hate commies.
Stay out of Orange County, Jack; the Disneyland Matterhorn's not open to the public anyhow.
The secret to Southern California is not to go there, except for Suicide at Tahquitz. Heh.
The secret to telling the boss to shove it and going to Yosemite for the month is priceless.
|
|
Ward Trotter
Trad climber
|
|
|
Apr 18, 2013 - 12:30am PT
|
Stay out of Orange County
Gonna be kinda hard considering that he is staying in Irvine.
Jack , keep your eyes peeled for the best looking, and the richest, chicks on the west coast. Especially in the beach cities.
|
|
jack89
Trad climber
England
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 18, 2013 - 02:48am PT
|
Thanks for all the replies. I’m glad I’ve provided you with a bit of entertainment in return for some advice.
About the grade disparity which you are right to question. I’ve climbed for about 6 years, starting before university. Due to time constrains and other crap excuses, I don’t have much of real-rock mileage for this time, and never really got/made the chance to get out with others significantly better than myself to second stuff and get the head sorted, and consequently, haven’t pushed myself anywhere near my physical limit on trad routes. My local rock is Gritstone - short and typically rather bold, so this doesn’t give me a perspective of what long mountain routes are like in the US hence the conservative grade. I can work 5.11c/d indoors, but there are no good outside sport venues near me to justify saying I can climb 5.11 as far as I’m concerned.
That said I have climbed a fair bit outside, but just not hard stuff, and all not too hard so as not to piss off my second too much. I am pretty good at rope work having done a course that covers problem solving around multipitch trad. Indoors, over the past year I’ve boulder a lot more than routes, and so would feel more comfortable pushing myself on real boulders, hence the high grade (it was partly to angle me in the direction of groups of harder boulders rather than easy, but I don’t think that’s a problem for you guys in Southern California, what with the incredible abundance).
This all said, I’m probably keener to do routes out there and I’ll probably be happy to second and lead some harder stuff once a bit more familiar. I’ve got enough camping gear so camping is a possibility too if worthwhile, otherwise it’s hotels and renting a car?
Ward, Tahquitz sounds pretty good to me. Anywhere is going to be mind blowing compared with what I’m used to! Yosemite would be incredible, and you are right, I don’t know when I’d be back…
Thanks again everyone.
|
|
guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
|
|
|
Apr 18, 2013 - 02:59am PT
|
Jack, welcome to southern California..
Go to the tram, if you wish to boulder.
Taquitz if you wish to do stellar rock climbs.
If you have time to travel, The Valley.
Make the time.
GK
|
|
Ward Trotter
Trad climber
|
|
|
Apr 18, 2013 - 03:29am PT
|
Jack:
One last word. Bring all your gear.
Often people for whatever reason will leave their gear back home. Not a good idea.
Goodbye and good luck.
|
|
jack89
Trad climber
England
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 18, 2013 - 03:38pm PT
|
Everything looks amazing. Climbing in the US never initially crossed my mind before this opportunity. Never felt feasible, but with a job and funds it can be a reality. It's not too expensive to get out (for what you get) and it'll be so worth while. Future trips will be planned...!
|
|
| Messages 1 - 32 of total 32 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!