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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 5, 2017 - 09:52pm PT
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Which do you prefer, and why?
Which would you take a new-to-Pinns climber to first (not a new climber, but new to Pinnacles)?
In my own personal likes and dislikes, I've probably had more better days on the West and High Pikes than days I've had at East Side. Lack of climbers on the West. FA ops on the West. Camping, in the old days, on the West. Tall rocks on the West. High Peaks have that alpine feel with great views and fun climbs. Sh#t loads of adventure at any grade.
East has hard stone and some quality stone, the Fern Chamber and many things to test oneself on, but it just doesn't have the character of the West. Think Feed The Beast, Ubermensch, and Cantaloupe Death.
Walking in to the East is like walking into Joshua Tree. Walking into the West is like walking into Yosemite Valley. Both easy to love, but for different reasons.
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F'ueco
Boulder climber
Peoples Republic Of Boulder
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I like the more isolated nature of the West Side, as well as the drive through that happenin' place, Soledad...
I've got scars on my legs from some of those adventures. The approach to ¡Cuidado! comes to mind....
That said, I like the East Side as well, but it's been longer since I've been over there.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 5, 2017 - 10:02pm PT
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Jody, Unmentionable is definitely shorter from East Side. You may be thinking of Photographer's Delight being equidistant in the high peaks?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 5, 2017 - 10:03pm PT
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F'ueco, where would you take an experienced climber that hasn't been before?
or would you at all? ;)
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F'ueco
Boulder climber
Peoples Republic Of Boulder
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Sorry, I missed that part...
I'd probably take an experienced climber to the West Side. Maybe Balconies, Flumes, Game Show Wall, depending on what they were after.
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F'ueco
Boulder climber
Peoples Republic Of Boulder
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And no, I probably won't be taking anyone there anytime soon. It's a bit far away these days... :)
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Inner City
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Munge,
Your opinion is the same as mine. The open, less crowded and high-Peak feeling of the West Side is better for the first time visitor I think.
High quality camping back in the day too.
East side has it's charms but West Side is more beautiful.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Who climbs Desperado Shootout anymore?
We used to bring beginners to the Westside for their first outing. Second was the Discovery Wall classics. Third was High Peaks. Then starting longer routes on the Westside.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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West side has a more wild feel... but the best times I've had are not actually climbing- but hiking the loop up to the peaks when my kids were little, and hiking from the east to the west with them, playing in the creek, catching fat lizards, and exploring the caves. Both of these we camped and started walking from east side.
The high and airy possibilities on the west side are more appealing for me as a climber.
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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Who climbs Desperado Shootout anymore?
I remembering doing an early ascent of Desperado Shootout in 1974 just after the Richards' guidebook describing it came out. The pitch with no belay anchors didn't faze us at all. I just sat down and started taking in rope. It was the Pinnacles after all and 'normal' rules of climbing didn't apply:-)
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 6, 2017 - 12:52pm PT
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first condor at Pinns raised in wild took flight today.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 6, 2017 - 12:55pm PT
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Jeremy you should definitely visit. Rich history. Yeah, the rock is volcanic breccia.
Maybe JC will chime in with the geo history.
Cobblestones welded into a pinkish matrix of rock that we call mud.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Beware taking youngsters there in the summer!
On the way back from some other vacation, we stopped for a quick side-trip to the caves from the west side. It felt pretty hot, but it was just a quick hit and I had one little water bottle and no pack. After a few hundred yards, the kids were melting down, all red-faced and fatigued, I had my daughter on my shoulders and I was pouring our drinking water on the kids' heads heads and inside hats to cool them off. We did make it to the caves and back, but turns out it was 106 degrees. We've since done other hot weather hiking days (e.g. Angels Landing in Zion when it was about 104), but somehow that one time in Pinnacles westside stands out as a family trauma. It's a joke whenever we drive by 101 in the summer now... "hey guys, want to go for a hike in Pinnacles?" :)
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Machete Direct.... nuff said.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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I've always liked the West Side. Used to be a primitive campground there with coyotes passing through at night and frost on the sleeping bags in the morning. Short approaches to a myriad of climbs of all difficulties and lengths. A few wonderful climbs along the ridge trail if you know where to look. And these days------very few people.
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mike a.
Sport climber
ca
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I like the Eastside way better then the westside, but i am a sport weeny and like chipping bolts Lol :-), plus at the Pinnacles I need The Verdict for a warm up Lol,I love the Eastside :-) happy climbing Mike A.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Went to the Eastside with my grandson, who lives in Hollister, the day after Thanksgiving. Neat place but definetly not a destination.
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TLP
climber
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NutAgain: Dude! BBQed in the Pinnacles, chilled shaken and stirred on the way to Half Dome. Can ya just average it out a bit? :-)
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Stephen McCabe
Trad climber
near Santa Cruz, CA
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What they say in Wikipedia sounds like what we told people when I worked there long ago. It also matches a thesis that was written about the place:
"Neenach Volcano is an extinct Miocene volcano in the Coastal Ranges of California. The volcano was split by a fault in the San Andreas fault system, and over the last 23 million years, the two halves of the volcano have moved about 200 miles apart.
The original volcano formed about 23 million years ago.[1] It formed along a fault in the San Andreas fault system. Through tectonic plate motion, the western half of the volcano moved north at about 1.5 cm per year.[2] During the course of this movement the volcano also eroded away to the minor formations visible today." The western half of the volcanic rock is the Pinnacles. The Eastern half, near Neenach, doesn't have the topography of the Pinnacles.
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