Trip Report
8 days in City of Rocks: the same old stuff everyone else climbs
Wednesday August 3, 2016 11:33pm
Got a chance to spend 8 days in City of Rocks, my favorite crag in the USA. Lucky me. I used to climb there frequently 25 or 30 years ago but I haven't been back since. I climbed with my wife Gaby and my old friend and ex-graduate-school-roommate Joe Cupps. My daughter Cecilia, who used to be a bit of a hot-shot climber at the age of 12, has since decided that climbing is not her thing (teenagers!) but she hung out with us anyways. We climbed the same old stuff that everyone climbs. Here are some photos.

Joe Cupps puts the draws in on a bolted 5.8/5.9 on the back side of Bath Rock

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The old fat guy climbs a 10a on the back of Bath Rock

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Ceci kept busy reading many books

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We avoided Donini's Crack because, frankly, it reminded me of something anal and made me afraid.

Cupps climbs an elegant 5.7 in the Bloody Fingers Corridor

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Gaby climbs an inexplicably unpopular but very nice 5.8 on the Asian Wall

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Of all the 5.9s we did, my second favorite (next to Funky bolt) was this route on King in the Throne.

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Higher up on the same route

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Gaby follows me up to the top

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Another nice 5.9 crack on King in the Throne

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Higher up the same crack

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Get some gear

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We camped right next to King in the Throne and didn't see anyone else climb there for the entire 8 days

Then we took a break to the high country

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This popular 5.9 bolted route on Anteater was marked up with blue tick marks

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Gaby climbs a nice 10b face on Flaming Rock, which was also covered with blue tick marks

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This easy, fun 10a on Bumblie Rock also had blue tick marks

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In fact, even Adolescent Homosapien, or whatever the heck it's called now-a-days, was littered with blue tick marks.

We didn't see any sign of other climbers at the Lost World. Here's Cupps on a 5.9 slab

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and me on a 10b slab on the backside of the Drilling Fields

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Higher up on the same route

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Ceci got a lot of reading in

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Gaby climbs a 5.8 on the back side of Owl Rock

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Me on a 5.9 right next door

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Higher up the same route

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The old fat guy managed to send a short, three-star bolted 11a face on Decadent Wall

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A tricky crux move

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Now just go fast so you don't pump

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A nice 10a on the back of Parking Lot Rock

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Gaby higher up the same route

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We did a few other routes, but lucky for you, we forgot to take photos!

  Trip Report Views: 2,612
yanqui
About the Author
yanqui is a climber from Balcarce, Argentina.

Comments
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Aug 4, 2016 - 03:06am PT
Thanks yanqiu,
Love that place!
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
  Aug 4, 2016 - 03:14am PT

Great TR from a sport climbing heaven. The TR has got everything, even bolts and blue tick marks. ^^^^
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
  Aug 4, 2016 - 03:51am PT
Yeah get some !
Way to go ! Awesome fat old man ! , ? , Not . . . 11a!! Short or not that's a tall order!



Thank you for sharing, that's a trip I'm always recommending as a family trip.
Although the tragedy of ~youth, wasted on the young~ follows me as well.
My kids too, now, have to be forced to climb after scaring their mom for years.
and my daughter is also always reading.
Ah well nothing to be done I guess.



Boo on this painting trend ( no pictures of those blue tic marks? )
the 'climbers' responsible should Have the word LOSER, SHARPIED*
across their foreheads...(*the permanent ink pen most likely used )
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Aug 4, 2016 - 03:50am PT
Nice TR! One of my favorite places too.
Mike Friedrichs

Sport climber
City of Salt
  Aug 4, 2016 - 08:29am PT
So glad that you and Joe have gotten to spend some time together. Nice to see the City hasn't changed all that much. Thanks for the pictures.
Captain...or Skully

climber
Boise, ID
  Aug 4, 2016 - 08:48am PT
Great pics, Yanqui! The City rules! TFPU!
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
  Aug 4, 2016 - 08:54am PT
Sweet!!
Brian in SLC

Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
  Aug 4, 2016 - 09:01am PT
Fantastic! Lotta favorite routes and places in your TR.

Thanks!
Grippa

Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
  Aug 4, 2016 - 09:04am PT
Cici sure had a great place to read. Nice tr! I gotta get up there before school starts back up.
Brokedownclimber

Trad climber
Douglas, WY
  Aug 4, 2016 - 09:34am PT
I missed the annual Fritz sponsored get-together this year. Much to my dismay; hoping to make a trip later this month, if all the right pieces fall into place.

Oops! I forgot the obligatory "Nice TR!"
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
  Aug 4, 2016 - 09:47am PT
Nice to see the place, even if only online.
What's with the blue tick marks!!!!
Thanks for the TR.
Ed H

Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
  Aug 4, 2016 - 10:02am PT
Cool pics - TFPU
guyman

Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
  Aug 4, 2016 - 11:45am PT
Looks good... Thanks for posting, don't worry about teenagers they get over it as they age.... my Daughter who climbed all her life lost interest when she was 14....boys, the Mall, boys, shopping and boys took her interest.... but when she was 17 she watched "Touching The Void" and said it looked "really cool" so we started rockclimbing together again...
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Aug 4, 2016 - 12:15pm PT
I clearly don't know how to read I guidebook since I didn't find any of those gems.

nice tfpu!
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
  Aug 4, 2016 - 01:45pm PT

I've only been there twice, but you mostly were on climbs I forgot or never knew about. Thanks for the TR and the pointers to climbs, if I can find them.

And, you so don't get to play the old fat guy card!
MH2

Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
  Aug 4, 2016 - 07:59pm PT
Glad to see this. I plan to be there this September. That is not the same same old stuff from my previous visits.
Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
  Aug 5, 2016 - 09:20pm PT
Yanqui! Thank you for great photos & a sharing of your fun return to "the city."

Great to see that you took a tour to the suburbs too.
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
  Aug 6, 2016 - 06:48am PT
Thanqs, Yanq! Looks like good times. Gotta get back there. Wasn't that 10a on the back of Bath a 10c?

BAd
yanqui

climber
Balcarce, Argentina
Author's Reply  Aug 6, 2016 - 07:23am PT
Bad: The pic is a route called Coffee and Cornflakes in the Bingham guide. You're probably thinking of Colossus.

Cheers, everyone!
Spider Savage

Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
  Aug 6, 2016 - 07:21am PT
Such a great area. Looks like you had decent weather for the hot season.
mcreel

climber
Barcelona
  Aug 6, 2016 - 07:42am PT
Nice! I have camped a few times at the spot next to the 5.9 crack, an excellent spot with good shade, and some nice routes close by.
CIROranger

Trad climber
Almo,ID
  Aug 6, 2016 - 12:55pm PT
Thank you for coming to City of Rocks! I appreciate your information on the blue tick marks. I will look into this and see if we can find a solution to their removal. It takes climbers like you that care about our resource to keep this place beautiful and timeless. If you know of other climbing related issues that you've seen in City of Rocks or at Castle Rocks please feel free to call or email me. (208)824-5918

Happy climbing and see you out there!

Roberta
lars johansen

Trad climber
West Marin, CA
  Aug 7, 2016 - 07:18am PT
Great mini guide of moderates for us mortals. TFPU-lars
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
  Aug 30, 2016 - 03:47pm PT
That same old stuff sure looks great.
F10

Trad climber
Bishop
  Aug 30, 2016 - 07:48pm PT
Great photos and TR.
Just finished my first trip there after decades of just looking at photos.
I will be back !
Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
  Aug 30, 2016 - 08:53pm PT
Darn Potatohead. I'm sorry I didn't mention that part of the fun on our:

City of Rocks June 2016 Climbing Party Get-Together Thread.

was over on that not so new area on the Lost World Plateau.

Wish you could have been there with us geezes!




And of course we had fine wines after the climbing was done.


http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2753087&tn=120
Curt

climber
Gold Canyon, AZ
  Aug 30, 2016 - 08:58pm PT
Awesome, Tim !!

Curt
Ed H

Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
  Aug 30, 2016 - 08:59pm PT
Nice - never been there, but it's on the list!
Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
  Aug 30, 2016 - 09:27pm PT
The city is a lot of fun. I do like to climb, moderately these days, and have a lot of fun with old friends.

This year, at age 66, I managed to climb every route my group did on every day and still had a lot of fun with friends from the 1960's.

I hope you youngsters can apply yourselves as well, many years from now.

ionlyski

Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
  Aug 30, 2016 - 11:11pm PT
Cool photos. Somehow you made the routes look higher than they really are. Any ideas?

Hey did you climb Double Cracks on King of the Throne? I didn't see it upthread but sorry if you didn't. One of my favorites at the City.

Arne
yanqui

climber
Balcarce, Argentina
Author's Reply  Aug 31, 2016 - 04:02am PT
Not this trip, ionlyski, although I've done it before, BITD. On this trip it seemed like too much of a rude awakening for the first route of the day (the first 15 or 20 feet are pretty intense) and by the afternoon session it was in the sun. Good excuse, huh?
Cheers!

7SacredPools

Trad climber
Ontario, Canada
  Aug 31, 2016 - 06:49am PT
Love The City, what an amazing place! Thanks for the cool TR, you've given me loads of objectives for a return visit :)
hamersorethumb

Trad climber
Menlo Park, CA
  Aug 31, 2016 - 09:40am PT
Thanks
Go