Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
salad
climber
San Diego
|
|
slakkey,
lets hook up, im in Dido.
|
|
Hootervillian
climber
the Hooterville World-Guardian
|
|
Slakkey,
ever check out those guns up above ya on Israel?
|
|
Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
|
|
SD Rocks!! I grew up there, and I lived in Hodges for 8 years. Cool place!! I've been up to the old battleship guns atop Mt. Isreal. They were going to use the turret for a rotating platform to build this eccentrics home on!! I also put up the sport route "The Hodgeness Monster" just above the spillway of the dam.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
|
|
aye, many a classic at Rubidoux that I miss.
oddly enough I miss all the concrete overpasses with glued on holds. many a high school afternoon was blown doing traverses on concrete.
|
|
Hootervillian
climber
the Hooterville World-Guardian
|
|
"The Hodgeness Monster" classic. we could ride horses to the Rancho Santa Fe quarry, RIP, the back way too.
if'n anybody gets back up to the guns, there is a 'film canister' eh, uuummm, in the barrel of one. leave it!
hey Watusi, you musta been around for the 'three falls' hayday?
|
|
Standing Strong
Mountain climber
1st star to the right & straight on 'til morning
|
|
hey tahoe climber, you're moving? ok well, good luck in so-cal! go to the beach! and mexico's right there too! have fun.
|
|
nutjob
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
|
|
I went to school at UCSD (La Jolla) a while back. Went to J-tree a lot for camping, rock scrambling, and later roped climbing. Consistent 4 hour drive from La Jolla (same for Encinitas, Del Mar, etc.).
I did my first lead climbs on 5.9 cracks at Mission Gorge using hexentrics. Really fun place (a little dirty though), though I had nothing to compare it to at the time. It's a pretty little sanctuary from the surrounding urbanity. Don't get locked inside the gate after dark! They are strict!
My personal favorite for day-to-day was People's Wall in La Jolla (a 2 minute walk from where I lived one summer). Nice 5.9 traverse great for endurance training... do it in climbing shoes or regular shoes to increase difficulty. About 100 yards wide, 3-4 feet tall on ends and 20 feet tall in mid-section. Lots of possibilites... do laps finding easiest way, or seek on tougher problems, etc. All in the most beautiful setting right on the beach with the sound of breaking waves behind you. There is a sandstone cliff near a point that I never had the balls to top out on, but it was a great overhanging series of shelves with positive grips. Probably a V1 or V2 highball boulder problem over tidepool rocks & a little water at high tide. An old SoCal guidebook shoes this cool roof that collapsed some time before early/mid-90s. I spent a lot of time walking back and forth looking for it not knowing it was gone.
Somewhere out on Highway 8 or 10... forget which one... if you keep going east past the A16 shop and San Diego State and then about an hour east, you'll find it... a place called Valley of the Moon. 12 years ago there was no sign of climbers out there, no bolts, all granite nubby balls on the face that peeled off when you wiped your hand across it... this place has amazing potential. Cool formations, etc... I think I remember hearing it's actually developed as a regular climbing place now. Definitely worth checking out.
|
|
ikellen
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
|
|
San Diego is a good place if you lots of various interests. If climbing is all you do, either hope you develop a new hobby, or think about somewhere else. In terms of climbing in San Diego proper, here are some notes from back when I was living there:
Mission Gorge
Somewhat dirty rock, but some decent routes. Most routes are short (less than 80ft.), but offer good options right in the middle of the city. Moderate routes are VERY crowded on weekends. Expect to take a number when trying to get on routes like "The Ramp", "Suzie's Wild Ride", and "Skyline Arete". However, most people climb at the Main wall, and Middle Earth offers some decent 5.10 sport climbing.
Santee Boulders
Thin, thin, thin slabs with a few vertical to overhanging problems. Intermixed in all this are a few akward yet fun problems like "Jumpstart" and stuff around the "Masochist Crack". The testpieces include a few stiff problems on the Amphitheatre boulder, and "Suzie's Discharge", a consensus V6/V7, with a v10 sds. Good afterwork spot, but traffic on the 52 getting there can be a pain.
El Cajon Mtn.
A true gem, and well deserving of the Rock and Ice cover it got. Great multi-pitch sport climbing, with some good trad lines mixed in. Classics from 5.9 to 5.11, and a few 5.12 testpieces. 45min to 1hr Approach, and deathly hot in summer, but it is prime in winter. Unfortunately, a certain individual has taken to chopping routes there, acting as though he owns the crag. Rumors have even said he stole thousands of dollars in bolting gear. Most of the routes are still there though, and it doesn't get much better in San Diego.
Pump Wall
My workout spot of choice. Vertical cracks and rails on a textured erosion prevention wall. Cool location, and a good spot for C1 aid practice.
Valley of the Moon
Long Drive, and winter only season, but great J-tree esque rock with lots of patina and knobs. Highly reccomended.
It's a great city, nice people, and plenty to do. Surfing is great, but most popular breaks are crowded. Close to Mexico (good surfing, Canon Tajo, El Trono Blanco), and excellent hiking and mountain biking fall through spring. Once late spring hits, everything inland reaches 100+ F, and is no fun. However, Fall, Winter and Spring are all great times for getting out in the bush.
|
|
Slakkey
Trad climber
From a Quiet Place by the Lake
|
|
Salad, Will send you an e - mail
Hootervillan, I have been up on Mt. Isreal a number times as it is a good hike and recently is part of my re hab program for my shoulder.
The Hodgeiness Monster myth still exists as well Hodgie for short.
I agree that the transition from Tahoe to SD would be more or less of a shock. But as far as So - Cal goes it is not a bad place to live. There is a lot to do year round.
|
|
mooch
Big Wall climber
The Immaculate Conception
|
|
Check out Big Bear climbing (ie Holcomb Valley Pinnacles).
And, yes, munge....I hate it down here too!
|
|
mooch
Big Wall climber
The Immaculate Conception
|
|
Valley Of The Moon?
Watch out for La Migra! Bad place for a nice new car!!!!!
|
|
kk
climber
overrun with traffic and people land
|
|
i killed a 2x4 toyota at valley of the goon!! battery bounced and the sh!t burned up!
|
|
bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
|
|
i know why lots of people dis san diego climbing. it's 'cause they got their fukking asses kicked on the 5.11's, then they run home to momma where they can circuit V6's at the happies.
there is a reason san diego spun off some of the better california climbers of the 70's and 80's (mike paul, rick piggot, greg cameron, greg epperson, randy leavitt, tom lindner, chris lindner, etc.)....the climbing there is fuking HARD. spend your days at woodson and when you go to the valley sh#t like dog's roof will feel like a f*#kking warm-up.
any a you sukkers dissing san diego care to post your tick list? i'm guessing you guys got shut down on lie detector, hear my train, mission impossible, all those "oldskool" routes that the hardcore were running laps on 25 years ago.
you wanna get swoule and crush every area you travel to? train in san diego. oh, you fukking bisshes don't even know.
sandiegocragging4lyfe, bisshes.
|
|
Slakkey
Trad climber
From a Quiet Place by the Lake
|
|
Bvb. You rock, S.D has some killer climbs. There are a lot of great places to go and the climbing is first class.
|
|
salad
climber
San Diego
|
|
bvb represents. love how you make it look like im sending.
next time you come out, IF YOU F*#KING CALL ME, ill buy the Macallan 18.
f*#ker.
|
|
salad
climber
San Diego
|
|
more tv screen
munge crushin lemon
|
|
mooser
Trad climber
seattle
|
|
I was recently down at the Happys, and ran into a little squad of posers who'd been down to So Cal. I asked them all friendly-like if they'd been able to tour Woodson. In typical poser style, they started in on what a crappy place it was...blah, blah, blah. My first thought was: "How could someone have such antipathy for relatively small, inanimate, free-standing hunks of granite??" My second thought was: "You got shut down, didn't ya??!!"
Having lived only about 10 minutes away from Woodson for many years, and having cut my teeth (and fingers) on Woodson granite--I got a whole lotta love for the place. BVB is absolutely right about the place. It's old-school hard, but classic as it gets. Woodson is fantastic, and will keep you busy for years!
|
|
bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
|
|
hey mooser, is that you and debbie spotting piggot in the photo of "nightmare on elm street" upthread?
|
|
mooser
Trad climber
seattle
|
|
Hey bvb...no, that's not me. There are a couple of black and white shots of me at JT in the "Adventures with Swamis" thread...
Not quite sure, but it looks a lot like Dave Hersey. Did you know him? I used to climb with him a lot back then. He's in the Boulder area, these days.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!