Trip Report
Point Mugu: It's Not As Bad As It Looks!
Monday March 4, 2013 11:48pm
In an effort to get in shape for Indian Creek Sushifest:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1984314/SushiFest-IV-XX-Indian-Creek-4-19-13-4-21-13,
we decided we needed to do some crack climbing. We had one day this week, so we decided to check out Point Mugu, which my wife assured me was the only true varied crack climbing within 2 hours of our house - plus it was on the ocean, which may or may not be a good thing depending on the weather.

Being from Washington, I miss the ocean, and jump at any opportunity to smell the clean, salt air.

Upon checking MountainProject however, the psych for exploring a new area was tempered by this comment:

For decades, Point Mugu has been THE spot for area climbers to learn basic crack climbing technique. The little boulder by the highway is simply famous among Ventura- and some LA-County climbers...and as Steve Edwards said in the Santa Barbara/Ventura guidebook, “If you don’t confuse famous with good, you may not be disappointed.”

The prospect of belaying from the car reminded me of good times at Wall Street out of Moab:

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/wall-street/105716961

and the combination of elements was enough to over-rule the common-sense that suggested climbing in a sea-side/road-side, graffitied 20-foot shattered rock was a bad idea.

The approach is pretty brutal:

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It's pretty sweet that the first 5-6 feet is covered with graffiti-covering paint, making for an early pump on an already-steep climb. It really adds a nice element to the 20-foot climbs. The landings are also, super-flat, so bouldering is a nice option, although the commitment gets higher the further left one climbs:

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Be sure and set your emergency brake before belaying:

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Justthemaid on one of the short, painful-yet-educational cracks:

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Two relieved kids after surviving the epic approachaneering and brutal, thuggish fractures:

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After this epic, the colors seemed brighter on the blossoming coral trees that lined the beach on the trip home.

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It's good to be alive.




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MisterE
About the Author
MisterE is a social climber from .

Comments
Cole

Trad climber
los angeles
  Mar 5, 2013 - 02:19am PT
Looks like a fun afternoon! I love stopping by and running a few laps on this boulder every time I drive up north.
matty

Trad climber
Sad the forum is gone =(
  Mar 5, 2013 - 10:04am PT
Looks like a hard landing on that car door.. LOL!
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Mar 5, 2013 - 10:12am PT
Ha, ha, ha.....i've climbed there several times, a microscopic IC! Blue skies and serenaded by the surf and passing traffic.....what could be better? See you in the Creek!
Heyzeus

climber
Hollywood,Ca
  Mar 5, 2013 - 10:55am PT
Fun TR!
After 23 years of climbing in LA I just climbed here for the first time last month.
Maybe the cracks at the Quarry next time? Just bring your anti bird flu kit.
mooser

Trad climber
seattle
  Mar 5, 2013 - 12:13pm PT
Glad you survived the epic!

I think I'd trade in the wet rock up here right now for the Point Mugu IC-like features and conditions.
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
  Mar 5, 2013 - 01:31pm PT
Donini at Pt Mugu?? That's like Rory McIlroy playing miniature golf!

Once in about 1984 I was driving up by there going north on PCH. I was driving my 1976 Porsche, and I came up behind a brand new one. When he saw me he took off and it was game on. What was odd was that about every two minutes a cassette tape would go flying out the passenger side window. After a while I figured out it had to be some music business executive listening to and discarding demos.

At the time I was new to the music business in L.A., and I had not yet been exposed to the level of as#@&%edom achieved by most people who were at the top of the heap. Of course I also met amazing exceptions but that's another story. This clown was getting his rocks off by rejecting peoples work and tossing it out his window.

I broke off the engagement and spun around back down to Pt. Mugu for a nice afternoon bouldering.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Mar 7, 2013 - 09:40pm PT
Way to SHRED the GNAR!!!!
SCseagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz
  Mar 7, 2013 - 09:47pm PT
Very nice fun, you two!

Susan
Reeotch

climber
4 Corners Area
  Mar 7, 2013 - 11:31pm PT
Epic, just epic . . .
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
  Mar 7, 2013 - 11:56pm PT
Right on kids.
Hope you brought the "Ten Essentials"
Drivers license
Registration
Proof of Insurance
Tire pressure gauge
Coolant
Oil
Turtle wax
Sun Shade
Air Freshener
Gri gri


Mugu IS as bad as it looks, but for pure novelty sake it can't be beat!

By the way, there's a mysto spot right there...
Iggy Pop/Kelly Slater/Supertubes

[Click to View YouTube Video]


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