Trip Report
Holcomb-Labor Day Weekend
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Tuesday September 4, 2012 5:42pm
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Big Bear.. on a 3 day weekend...
What the hell was I thinking???
Meh....
The line of noobs waiting to get on Coyote's at Sunset:
justthemaid
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About the Author
justthemaid is a climber from Jim Henson's Basement. |
Comments
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nutjob
Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
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Damn, you really have to shout out your belayer's name before each command when it's crowded like that.
A walkie talkie would be safer.
Edit: It feels steeper in real life than it looks in that picture.
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sullly
Trad climber
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Sure looks like the permit system is working!
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Cooker
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Next time try Tahquitz, there was minimal crowding. The forecasts are in the 90s but I swear it feels like the low 80s ;-)
Holcomb is great, but it's become the outdoor gym. No really, everybody from my gym goes there now, and worse yet, they climb like they are still indoors.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Author's Reply
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Sep 4, 2012 - 10:28pm PT
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No kidding.. I keep having flashbacks of a quieter era up there. I was in denial. Tahquitz definitely would have been a better choice.
Weekdays only from now on. I evidently didn't see the memo telling every climber in the entire universe to storm the crag last weekend. The crowds were completely insane. .. which was weird since the roads were flooded and access was a bitch.
It was like a f*#king amusement park with packs of gym-rats comparing which gyms they climb at and loudly spraying and spouting random mis-information about every conceivable piece of technical climbing information. Every single sport climb under 5.12 had people on it and more cued up waiting.
Fortunately .. we brought the trad gear so we weren't slaves to the bolted routes. We even just built gear anchors right next to bolted ones since the gym rats informed us that a shared anchor was sure to blow out of the rock and kill everyone.
I know.. I'm sounding like a bitter old back-in-the-dayer. That scene turned me to the dark side.
To use our new phrase:
We were nooberwhelmed.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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noobs vote and donate to the Access Fund too.
I know. Hard to not mock the crowd! Mocked I tell you!
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Author's Reply
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Sep 4, 2012 - 10:18pm PT
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OK.
Rant over. I just had to get it off my chest.
.. and yes noobs. Please donate to the Access Fund. Your donations contribute to bomber bolts and anchors that really could hold a dump truck in a factor 2 fall.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
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I've not had that opportunity yet. Climbing with dump trucks is HARD!!!
Nice pics.
Groove on, JTM.
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MisterE
Social climber
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It was ugly, but it says a lot about the persistence of climbers - even plowing through unknown mud-pits...or wait! Maybe that is part of the appeal!
Either way - lesson learned. Being the early risers helped, for a while.
It was cool to go all 5.7 hard-to-protect flare on the sportos, cruising the heel-toe right and knee-bar left between the clip-up conga lines.
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Climbnrok
Trad climber
LA
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oh man....
I was both out there on Monday....
And actually climbed "Coyote's at Sunset" :(
If it makes it any better, I don't even have a gym membership and I would have much preferred being at Tahquitz.
The group at Coyote Crag did phone in that wild fire over by the boyscout camp. Not totally useless.
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Dave Kos
Social climber
Temecula
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I was there Friday and saw a total of two other climbers the whole day.
Holcomb is great on the weekdays. Avoid on the weekends.
We had some fun driving up there:
I lost my front license plate driving through one of these mud pits.
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T2
climber
Cardiff by the sea
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I was out there but left my shoes and draws back in the car. It was to much fun riding big red (with my girlfriend and little red) through all those mud puddles.
I did venture over from the parking area to scope out the craggs. Yes I took note to how people were climbing. What do you expect for a moderate sport area? I have never climbed there but would like to.
Nice photo Dave that very puddle little red almost stalled out, I thought I was going to have to rescue her and pull her out but she made it through YAY!
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Dave Kos
Social climber
Temecula
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T2,
Did you happen to find a license plate in the mud up there?
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T2
climber
Cardiff by the sea
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Sorry Bro no License plate :(
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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i look at that picture and i see opportunity. they make belay devices these days by which a skilled, certified climbing guide can bring up roughly half of that group in one, smooth, top-managed operation. tips, maid, think of the tips!
at tahquitz on labor day, you missed the unfolding of what can only be described as an epic romance. for those in the know, i need mention but one word: virgil. (no, not the aeneid virgil.) in case you're in similar circumstances you should know: 1) cellphone signals are impossible to be had above the junction of fern valley road; 2) the idyllwild liquor store is open until about midnight and, if you look at the able manager with eyes resembling that of an undernourished basset hound, he'll let you cook stuff in the microwave in the back; 3) it's gotta be about 3 miles, downhill, from humber to idyllwild; in trying to bum a ride back up, don't ignore the dangerous-looking teenage boys; their hearts are made of gold.
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Farouk
Boulder climber
Sylvan Grove
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YOU GUYS ARE HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVEN LED A FLARE FOR THE NOOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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"There are too many people."
-People
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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"There's too many of us, there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,...." - Fear
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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I'm with Kos, I was up there the week before Labor Day and saw all of the cars coming up the hill as I left late Fri. afternoon. It's all about the timing.
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