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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 11, 2009 - 01:29pm PT
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Given I work on the Westside, I've been thinking about trying to stop in from time to time. Problem is last time I was there was about 25 yrs. ago when you could park on Topanga Cyn., which is now verboten.
What's the best way to approach them nowadays?
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Sep 11, 2009 - 02:07pm PT
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Hey Fat Dad,
Give me a call & I can give you more specific details. I was there last evening from 4 to dark. It does involve hiking along the road for about 1/4 mile which can be sketchy if the traffic volume is heavy. The place is great!!
Bill Leventhal 818-970-7680
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MisterE
Trad climber
Canoga Bark! CA
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Sep 11, 2009 - 02:22pm PT
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Park by the propane center on to the North and hike in. there are a couple of sketchy road crossings, as Bill said. I think there's a handkerchief marker, as well.
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 11, 2009 - 02:34pm PT
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Cool. Thanks guys. I'll give you a call within the next couple weeks.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Sep 11, 2009 - 02:35pm PT
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Great High Ball stuff there and some interesting shite down below the main area. Levy has the place wired.
I was there with Brother Bob Gaines one time and the second we hiked up from the Stones and onto the road we saw a horrific head on collison, so close we had to jump out of the way. So yes, that road is sketch.
JL
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Jim Herrington
Mountain climber
New York, NY
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Sep 11, 2009 - 02:57pm PT
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Definitely watch for cars... blind curves, and they're coming fast...
I used to go there in the '80s and liked it a lot.
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mathew
Sport climber
topanga, ca
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Sep 11, 2009 - 05:03pm PT
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I live right by it - you can park opposite the propane place and walk a bit down the road and on your left after 400yds is a drainage tunnel, locally called the time tunnel. Its impassable if it rains - even a little bit - but it puts you out 1/4 mile up the creek from the stones.
You avoid insane drivers on the S-bends, but get to deal with poison oak and stagnant water for another 1/4 mile. Pick yer poison.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Sep 11, 2009 - 10:01pm PT
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Here's a few pics to whet your collective appetites! \
Did I say that the rock is better quality than any sandstone in SoCal?
I thought not. Well here are some.
Dameat ( Demetrius Fritz )on a project of mine that I could never do. I'd get to the lip & just not have the power to finish. I told Dameat to go get on it. It took a few visits, spread over a few years, but he did it this year. It is F-ing hard & still unrepeated, but a few strong suitors are getting close.
The Lodestone - V4 Highball!!
Largo & I put this up years ago when there was a huge logjam at the base & you were able to just stretch for the lodestone, a perfect big knob out right, the kind of knob you dream about. From there, one has to get standing on the shelf where the knob is, (no easy task)and then comes the insecure part. Laybacking the arete above is much tougher than it looks. The holds are polished & smooth. One must fully commit to leaning out left off the arete & put your foot up by your sternum & get up on it. At this point, you're 15' off the ground but a large rock complicates the landing. You might get injured if you fall at this point.
Now the log is gone and you must do some interesting moves just to reach the knob. It's height dependent do I'll decline to rate the move but it's stout!
Needless to say the problem feels harder now & has only seen 2 or 3 ascents as far as I know since the reniassance at Purple Stones began this year.
Something new & scary!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Sep 11, 2009 - 10:30pm PT
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Man, those pics bring back memories. To get sandstone that flint hard you gotta have water running over it for like ten million years. Back in the 80s, when I used to get thre a lot, one of the only reasons I'd go for those big high balls (a few have hideous boulder landings) is that I didn't think the rock would ever break, and if I ever ripped it would be strictly from pilot error. I could live with that, and pulled down accordingly.
I can't remember the names of those things. There are several faces that have big 5.11 problems way up there on cobbles and other shite - this, opposite the popular arete.
Cool . . .
JL
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MisterE
Trad climber
Canoga Bark! CA
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Sep 11, 2009 - 10:46pm PT
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It's kind of cool that the landings change every year with the shift of the creek. This year's death landing may be next year's soft sand bar. Or vice versa - always changing.
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socalbolter
Sport climber
Silverado, CA
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Sep 12, 2009 - 12:16am PT
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I remember a fairly tall and steep tower line that you pass on the way to the boulders (same side as the boulders?). Always thought it would make a great sport climb.
Then there's the shorter cobbled wall across the creek (on the road side) from the boulders where you could probably ferret out a few other sport route options if you wanted to.
At any rate, it's good to see this quality area getting some attention again.
Oh, and I think I recognize some of those prescription bottles in the foreground of that last pic...
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Sep 12, 2009 - 12:29am PT
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Take a cold shower! Oh, I've climbed there!
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altieboo
Boulder climber
Livermore, Ca
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Sep 12, 2009 - 05:59pm PT
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Wow this place looks amazing!
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MisterE
Social climber
Cinderella Story, Outa Nowhere
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I'll share a funny story.
We were at some event, and Bullwinkle, Medusa, and Dean Potter were there. Medusa was following Dean around, raving about the Purple Stones and how great the climbing was. After a while, he turned to Bullwinkle and said:
"You gotta get some shots at The Purple Stones!"
Bullwinkle replied, "I don't know..."
Medusa: "But, Dude! They're purple! They must be the only purple rocks you may get a chance to shoot!"
Bullwinkle: "Um, yeah. I usually shoot in black and white..."
and wanders off.
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willittt
Boulder climber
Topanga, California
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Mar 21, 2013 - 01:55am PT
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Does anyone know if The Thimble of the Santa Monicas has been repeated? or if the traverse in the link below has been done before? I want to name the traverse :) but dont want to step on anybody else's hard work!
If this is an FA i could use some help naming it....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8W-wqfw8Ow
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cbburton
climber
Burbank, CA
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does anyone know what this boulder/problem is called?
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 8, 2015 - 10:19am PT
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Oops. Never got around to giving Levy a call (though I really appreciated the offer). Still need to get my ass over there. The photos are a nice inducement.
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Levy gave me the tour back around in 1987.
He did everything so fast I wasn't even able to get a good photo.
Way wired!
He had the place wired like I had the beach wired, it all looked too easy.
But of course it was all "way hard"
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Sam E
Boulder climber
Malibu
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Cbburton, that's " The V10 Traverse" Starts down and left and traverses the lip for a few moves before dropping down and across slopey holds back to the lip, stepping off at the trees. The straight up isn't named.
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cbburton
climber
Burbank, CA
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Thanks Sam.
Here's my oldest son on the Camp 4 (?) boulder:
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Jul 10, 2015 - 07:40am PT
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Nice fabricated story MRE. Ah the fantasy life you live. Bruce Jenner Style.
Absolutely NOT fabricated BTW- This happened at the Yosemite exhibit in LA. Ana and I were talking to Dean+Dean when Medusa busted in and the whole funny exchange went down.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Jul 10, 2015 - 09:44am PT
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The glory days were when we could go there and do new routes like Cacciatore or however the hell you spell it and watch E go crazy because he couldn't do the final sequence. And highball WAY above the water when it go high. And yard on those big cobbles, and all the rest.
Hard to believe that was 30 years ago. Getting old. Great to have such magic to look back on.
I gotta describe the horrendous wreck Brother Gaines and I wittnessed on that road just above the Stones.
JL
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 14, 2015 - 02:49pm PT
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Dave Katz on the Naked Edge, 1979. Photo by Bob Gaines.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jul 14, 2015 - 04:01pm PT
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Awesome shot Bob. Man, those were some good times.
Love the old image, do ya have anymore?
Post em if ya got em.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 14, 2015 - 06:53pm PT
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Photo by Bob Gaines
Thanks Bill, I have dozens of good shots from the early 80's, mainly of Dave Katz, Mark Bowling, you, Banny Root, Lynn Hill, and JL. I keep all my slides at my Joshua Tree house, so next time I'm out there I'll scan some more.
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Jul 14, 2015 - 09:46pm PT
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Nice thread!
Long wrote:
Hard to believe that was 30 years ago. Getting old.
BG wrote:
Naked Edge, 1979. Photo by Bob Gaines.
Largo you mean 38years ago!
love the purple stones...
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Sam E
Boulder climber
Malibu
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Jul 14, 2015 - 10:14pm PT
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Great photos. Largo on Mucle Beach! Classic!
Cool to see the tree underneath Lodestone too.
We just put a rope on the Naked Edge the other day. Mega good.
The Purple Stones are rad. More pics and stories please!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 14, 2015 - 11:14pm PT
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Here' another shot of the Naked Edge, this time of John Long, about 1982. The Forrest swami and EB's carbon dates the pic.
What I remember about those days when we first discovered the Purple Stones was the magic of finding new and amazing boulder problems with every visit. In those days (early 80's) the main area was filled in with sandy landings, creating an environment that promoted highballs. Among our little tribe of boulderers we swore secrecy and never let the cat out of the bag until we were satisfied that we'd done all the mega-classics. Sometime in the mid 80's a big storm washed away all the sandy landings and it wasn't quite as hospitable. I guess it will keep changing with every big winter storm.
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