mOthEr rOck, Southern California's Climbing magazine, Issues 1-14

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a southern California climbing magazinevolume 1, number 1 july/august 1996

editorial* Welcome to mOthEr rOckl

feature* Classic 5.9 & Under

So Cal Bolt Ladders

trip reports* Jugs Over the Sand* Rotten Rock Valley

mini-guide* The Mentone Boulders

rock of the month* Aiguille de Joshua Tree

reviews* One Summer (video)* Oso Grande! (guidebook)

training* Campusing for Mere

Mortals

brew of the month* Weinhart's Hefe Weizen

spot of thesecretmonth* huh? where?

other }unk* climbing web sites* mOthEr rOck gallery* events* letters* classified

cover photo: Darell Palmer crackin' at Deep Creek Narrows

mOthEr rOck

hangdoggin'...

...with the editor

Oh No, Not ANOTHER ClimbingRag...

Welcome to the first issue of mOthEr rOck, ahomegrown newsletter dedicated to informing andamusing climbers in Southern California.

First let's get something straight. What you won'tsee in these pages is trad vs. sport posturing, run-onsentences about the ethics of bolting on rappel, and othersimilar babbling which seems to take up too manyprecious pages in our favorite magazines like Rock & Iceand Climbing these days. Shut up and climb already!

What you will find here is some fun, adventure,humor, ... whatever. We're not out to find a solution tooverpopulation or world hunger, or make ourselvesfinancially secure by selling billions of dollars inadvertising. We'll simply give you some informationabout local climbing opportunities. You know, the kindof stuff that helps you enjoy your chosen hobby. Notthe kind of stuff that makes you embarrassed to climb.

As you'll quickly find out by flipping through thesepages, mOthEr rOck is organized into a number ofsections:

• Features: General interest stories covering subjectssuch as a certain type of climbing, not specific to asingle climbing area.

• Trip Reports: Narrative descriptions of a visit to a SoCal (or vicinity) climbing site. May include partialtopos, if we feel like it, or may just reference existingguidebooks.

• mOthEr rOck Mini Guides: We're not out to reinventthe wheel here. These are descriptions and topos ofclimbing sites that have been underreported,overlooked, or ignored by local guidebooks. Thesemay also include newly developed crags and routes at

july/august 1996

well-known sites otherwise covered in guidebooks.• Reviews: While most review columns in mags are

little more than just a cheap scam to get free gear andbooks, we're different. We actually bought this stuff,so we're looking at it from your perspective.

• Letters: Give us feedback, please. Write or E-mail.• Training: We'll try to cover as many different types of

training as we can—climbing-specific, general fitness,cross-training, technique, and mental aspects.

• Climbing Web Sites: I've heard that many a climberactually owns a computer these days, and some ofthem even have Internet access. That's good, becauseyou'd be surprised how many people are putting upclimbing-related stuff on the WWW these days.

• Brew of the Month: In the words of the immortalBing Crosby, climbing without brew is like a daywithout sunshine. Well, maybe he didn't say thatexactly, but the fact is that most climbers like topound a few once in a while. Here we'll sample someof the good ones, for the sake of climbing humanity.Under 21? We're just kidding. Don't read it.Climbers don't really like beer. Too fattening. Wereally drink Snapple. Yeah, that's it. Snapple.

• Rock of the Month: Believe it or not, even morepopular among climbers than drinking beer isclimbing. Again, we'll sample some good ones foryou. Warning: may include some good beta, so don'tread these if you're into working it out yourself.

• Events: Lots of climbing events are happening aroundSo Cal every month. Here's the definitive list!

• Secret Spot of the Month: Everyone should have atleast one secret spot. Here's your opportunity toflaunt a picture of it to lots of people. The massjealousy will make you feel very special.

• mOthEr Rock Gallery: Sounds mighty impressive.Really it's just a place to stick a climbing picture ortwo, if we need to fill up space in an issue. Oops.

• Classifieds: We'd like to keep up the reputation ofthis mag (if we even have one yet) as a great source ofinfo on climbing in So Cal, and avoid the big full-page advertising hype. So brief classifieds are the waywe may be able to cut some of our losses on this rag.

Our goal is to provide the Southern California-based non-hardman climber with a voice. 5.0 to 5.11 climbersunite! We may occasionally cover some hard stuff, but itwill be more of a "you can do it!" approach rather thanthe "if it's under 5.12d it's not real climbing" attitude.5.8, 5.9, and 5.10 climbers, mOthEr rOck is designed tobe the place where you will find the bulk of yourinformation!

So subscribe already. Send us a story or a photo ofyourself on your favorite route, we'll more than likelyuse it. Or just pick up a copy at your local retailer orgym and read it. And remember, we're definitely notmaking any money here. We're just having some funwhen we're not out climbing,-ed.

mOthEr rOck july/august 1996

feature

Classic 5.9 and Under So Cal BoltLadders

So, you think you're ready to blast out a few dozen sportroutes, but you are neither a hard man nor a daredevil.You dream of that which is not: classic bolt ladders up afew 5.6 to 5.8 lines, maybe even a 5.9 or two thrown in.You want new bolts, no rusted antiques or spinners;you're simply a PG kind of guy, and want the R/X stuffleft to the movies. Oh, and nice rap anchors at the top.

Then you wake up. All the bolt ladders seem tostart at 5.10c or so, and break the scale at 5.16zzz. Backto toproping or placing gear ...

But wait—a surprising number of moderate sportclimbs have popped up in Southern California in recentyears. And many of them are of exceptionally highquality. You've just got to dig a little for 'em. Here thenis our way incomplete list of bitchin' moderate boltladders in So Cal. It's only a start... but it's guaranteedto produce hours of fun for the whole climbin' family!

J-Tree• Double Dip (5.6 **)• Lucky Lady (5.8 **)• Loose Lady (5.9+ ****)

Climber on Loose Lady, a classic 5.9+ bolt ladder.

High Desert• Mojave Green Arete (5.6 **)• Limpside (5.7 ***)• Cheer Me Up (5.8***)

North Shore (Big Bear)• Barking Fish (5.8 *)• Arete You Can! (5.8/5.9 PG)• Mr. Friction (5.9 R)

Williamson• Is Anybody Out There (5.6 **)• Being There (5.7 *****)• Novus Ordo Seclorum (5.8 ***)

Rotten Rock Valley• Rock-It Man (5.7 *)• This Rocks for You (5.7 **)• Stout (5.9 *)

Big Rock• The Trough (5.5 ***)• African Flake (5.5 **)• The Roof (5.8**)

Otay Crags• D.J.'s Arete (5.6***)• Bullfrog Point (5.7)• Ice, Ice Baby (5.8 ***)

Santa Barbara• The Rapture (5.8 ***)• Klingon (5.8 **)• Ecstasy of Gold (5.8 *)

The Pinnacles (San Bernardino Mountains')• Shantytown Swing (5.6 *)• Coyotes at Sunset (5.8 **)• What a Woman! (5.9*)

So polish up your quickdraws and put the cams inmothballs. HAPPY CLIPPING!

Copyright © 1996 mOthEr rOck/The AMCC Group.mOthEr rOck is published six times a year (unless interruptedby a climbing road trip) by The AMCC Group, P.O. Box7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151.E-mail: [email protected].

Publisher:The AMCC Group

Editorial Board:Matt McGunigleGeoff Wade

Editor:Matt Artz

Darell PalmerJannine Senior

Bob GoffRuth Artz

Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), send acheck or money order for $10 to mOthEr rOck/The AMCCGroup, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20 annually.

Editorial Submissions: Write it, send it to us, we'll considerit, and we'll more than likely use it. We're a no-budgetoperation, so send a SASE if you need your materials back.

Disclaimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If you havenot yet figured that out, you're an idiot and you shouldprobably stop climbing now before you hurt yourself andothers. And if you think you can bet your life on anythingyou read in mOthEr rOck, think again. We make no claimsto the accuracy of any of the information contained in thesepages, and cannot be held responsible in any way for any ofyour actions, acts of nature, or fate. You're on your own,bro. That's the way it should be. You're a climber after all.

mOthEr rOck

trip report

Jugs Over the Sand, Landers

It was late May, and Matt McGunigle and I hoped for onelast trip to J-Tree before the heat got so bad that iteffectively closed off climbing in the Park until Fall.

As we got closer to almighty Josh, dark, threateningclouds warned us that our day was likely to suck. At thelast minute, we turned north and headed towards Landers,to try a new site we had heard about: Giant Rock.

Motorcycle ridin', Coors drinkin', shootin' heaven.Oh, yeah, there's good bouldering here, too.

Giant Rock consists of three main areas: GiantRock, a big boulder with a number of glue-on routes(Glue-ons??? BITE ME!!! Glue-ons are the siliconimplants of the climbing world); DMZ or Sandy Cove, arelatively new sport climbing area; and Jugs Over theSand, primarily a bouldering site. We stopped at JugsOver the Sand, because it was the first site we came toand we were getting a little tired of rattling down the dirtroad.

Wow. Despite the graffiti, the place looked ratherstunning. Where the hill meets the sand there is a clusterof 20 foot high boulders surrounding a large 40 foot highboulder. We started at a 5.9+ arete on the north side andmoved our way west, trying a number of problems from5.8 to 5.10+. We then explored the boulders closer tothe hillside and found a number of nice problems notlisted in Craig Fry's guide book. There was no lack ofroutes, that's for sure.

The holds are generally of high quality and thelandings are typically soft sand peppered with brokenglass and spent shells for texture. One notable exceptionwas the 5.9 face on the northwest corner of the maincluster (route #17), which starts from a sloping platformof stone. High off the deck on this route, I reached upand right for a suspect looking hold. It tested fine whenweighted, but when committed to, it broke off like wetsandstone. Thanks to a very solid left lock, I was able torecover and downclimb without shattering my heels onthe rock below. Next time, toprope this one.

Just as we started to get the feel of the place, the rainclouds caught up with us. We moved around to the

july/august 1996

east side (see photo), to some overhanging problemsprotected from the rain. Arete Lieback (5.11+ OTD),with good jugs just out of reach but tiny, slick, slopingedges down below, kept us occupied for a good fifteenminutes. Stepping out of our cave with fingers to thewind, we noticed the rain was coming down pretty hard,so we decided to bail before the dirt roads turned toquicksand and swallowed the car.

Jugs Over the Sandhillside,more BPs

Adapted from Southern California Bouldering Guide,Craig Fry, 1995.

Pulling away, we noticed even darker clouds in thedirection of High Desert, which was to be our next stop,but blue skies in the vicinity of J-Tree. What the hell.We turned left instead of right, and before long we werehaving a glorious afternoon of bouldering in Real HiddenValley.

Jugs Over the Sand. It could be called Jugs andGraffiti Over the Sand, Broken Glass, and Spent Shells... but it's an awesome site. We'll definitely be backcome Fall.Getting There: You can get directions in Craig Fry'sSouthern California Bouldering Guide.

Jugs Over the Sand Partial Route Listing1-5.? TR2-5.? TR3-5.6 chimney4-5.10BP5-5.11+BP6-The Black Prow, BlI;

7-Arete Lieback, 5.11+ OTD8-5.10 BP9-5.9 BP10—Fallen Angel, Bl- * on polished face11—Polished Steel, 5.10+ * overhanging face12-5.1 IBP13-5.9+BP14-5.10+BP15-5.8 BP16-5.10 BP, OTD17-5.9 BP, OTD/R

mOthEr rOck

mOthEr rOck mini guide

Mini Guide to The Mentone Boulders

The first time I saw reference to The Mentone Boulders—a brief paragraph in Craig Fry's Southern CaliforniaBouldering Guide—I couldn't believe it. Was there reallya climbing site I didn't know about within 15 minutes ofmy house? How could that be?

The Mentone Boulders

Boulder

5.11 arete

5.11+? fa

BPs:5.5 face

Main Boulder

S.9^5.7to5.y 5.10+Rarete face

Rough topo for Mentone Boulders.

Although brief, Fry's description was pretty damnaccurate. A 50 foot high brownish crag juts out of thewater on the south side of the river. Another rock of thesame strange type is the 20 foot high boulder on thenorth side of the river, which appears to have brokenaway from the Main Crag some time ago.

People have been climbing at The Mentone Bouldersfor a number of years, as evidenced by a few rustedquarter inch bolts. And although there are only a smallnumber of climbs and they lack classic qualities, theplace still remains fairly popular, as evidenced by a fewshiny new bolts and white chalk marks.

The Main Boulder has a nice 5.7 arete problem(variations to 5.9) on the northwest corner, a tough5.10+ face on the west side (bad landing, but TR-ablewith two nice, new bolts on top, and a rare-for-So-Calone finger pocket down low), and some lesser climbedproblems potentially in the 5.6 to 5.11+ range. Inaddition, there are traverse opportunities on the boulder.The whole rock is pretty slick, with the slickest partobviously on the upstream (east) side.

The Main Crag has some old bolts that should notbe trusted. Difficult face and crack climbing can be foundon the east, north, and west faces of the rock. Thenortheast corner features an awesome looking, slightlyoverhanging arete, but the rock is loose. The south sideof the rock, reached by hiking up a well-worn trail up theback, is only about 20 to 25 feet tall and sports severalmore boulder problems ranging from an easy face andcrack to a juggy, overhanging 5.10+ that is quite fun.

july/august 1996

A second brown boulder lies touching the water tothe northeast of the Main Crag. There may be somepotential for route development on this boulder.

mm i ' ' *'-'• *8• • ' • " i * - -.'/31 .M:-^"*U,. • " • H i - /r?

Vi's '- • . : .1 ' ;

, ... "ii*lSPr« -

West face of the Main Boulder, with the 5.7 (to 5.9) areteproblem on the left and the 5.10+ face right of center.

Getting There: To get to the Mentone Boulders, drivenorth on Highway 38 out of Redlands and Mentone. Justbefore Mountain Home Village, there is a pullout onyour right, leading to a picnic area. Park and follow thetrail from the center of the parking lot through the treesand across the braided stream. Just as you come out ofthe trees to the river, you will see the Main Boulder infront of you and the Main Crag across the river. Bewarned, the place suffers from the usual rocks-and-water-close-to-urban-areas syndrome: graffiti, broken glass,partiers, trash, etc. Definitely not the garden spot of SoCal climbing, but maybe worth a quick visit if you arein the area.

mOthEr rOck gallery

Matt McGunigle bouldering in J-Tree.


trip report

Rotten Rock Valley, Lake Arrowhead,California

Based in the San Bernardino Mountains, the Rim of theWorld Climbing Club (ROWCC) is easily one of thebest organized and active climbing clubs in California, ifnot the entire U.S. When I first heard they had beendeveloping a new site near Lake Arrowhead that hadpotential to be quite expansive, my palms started tosweat.

But when I heard they were calling it Rotten RockValley, I became skeptical. Rotten? Visions of holdsbreaking off quickly tainted my opinion of this newclimbing Mecca. Luckily, I was wrong. I now think thechoice of the name Rotten Rocks was a clever sandbag,akin to naming J-Tree "Stool Pile" or something.

Geoff Wade, Bob Goff, and I met another 25 or soclub members one Saturday for the "public unveiling" ofRotten Rocks. The ROWCC had put together a draftguidebook of the area which they distributed to clubmembers—nicely done at 40+ pages with 170 or soroutes. It's one of the (many) nice fringe benefits of anROWCC membership.

We followed Mike Rigney, then-ROWCC president,and others up the trail from the shooting range. Afterwhat seemed like two or three miles up steep trails andslogging through brush and over boulders, we finallyarrived at the new climbing Mecca of the San BernardinoMountains.

Feeling a bit winded after the approach, we set up atthe base of the Lower Tier, at a place appropriately calledBase Camp, then headed for the rock. Geoff lead Poppedthe Cherry (5.8 *, three bolts) on the Virgin Buttress,and after we had all climbed it and played on theoverhanging entry moves a couple of times, we movedover to Cut the Crap, Get Real Sweetheart (5.9 *, fourbolts) on the adjacent Rattlesnake Buttress.

Guide book: San Bernardino Pinnacles Climbers Guideby Pat Brennan and Anthony Gough. $10. Published byRim of the World Climbing Club, P.O. Box 1110,Running Springs, CA 92382.

Rotten Rocks is a new area. The vast majority ofthe climbs got their first ascents in 1995 or 1996, andthere is potential for so much more that it boggles mymind. "Almost every time we come up here," oneROWCC regular told me, "we find at least one more areawith potential for dozens of more routes."

After a while, we moved up to the Rock-It Wall onthe Upper Tier Buttress. I lead Rock-It Man (5.7 * PG,four bolts) up a less-than-vertical face, and Bob seconded.We couldn't find the rappel anchors, so were forced todownclimb around the back of the formation and thrashour way back to basecamp. This turned what would havebeen a great lead into a royal pain in the ass. But it is awonderful route.

While Bob played toproping a few of the moderatemoves on the two 5.lib's in The Pit, Geoff and I beganour search for Thumb Spire. While we were no morethan 200 yards from it, it took us a good twenty to thirtyminutes of thrashing, boulder hopping, and crawlingthrough caves to find the base. Thumb Spire is abeautiful formation with three routes on it. We pickedthe easiest route, This Rocks for You (5.7 **). Onlythree or four moves up, clipping the first bolt, Geoff said"I'm really tired, you want to lead it?" It didn't take longfor me to say no. The long approach and the thrashingabout had taken it's toll. We rounded up Bob, gavethanks to Mike Rigney and crew at Base Camp, andevacuated to Lake Arrowhead for 99 cent Whoppers andice cold Samuel Adams.

Since Rotten Rocks is definitely not a summer kindof place, it nicely rounds out the San BernardinoMountains as a year-round climbers' paradise.

Last time I checked, there were close to 200established routes at Rotten Rocks, with potential forlots more. This is one of the coolest new areas around.The only thing that will keep it from becoming anotherSo Cal rock zoo is the killer approach. Belay-from-the-bumper types will hate it, but cardiovascular machineswill revel in the multitude of climbing offered at thisnew miniature J-Tree in the rough.Getting There: This area is not only remote, it'sextremely difficult to find. If you can arrange it, go withsomeone who knows the way. If not, at least get theguide book. And good luck.

reviews

Oso Grande! Rock Climbs of North Big Bear.By Alan Bartlett and Chris Miller.Quail Springs Publishing. $6.95.Picking up where W. Scott Hoffman's 1994 ClimbingRoutes of Southern California's Big Bear Valley left off,this guide lists both some new routes and new areas. Adefinite must if you plan on spending some timeclimbing in the Big Bear area.

One Summer. With Ben Moon and BenPritchard. (video)Excalibur Distribution $24.95.Why is Ben Moon a climbing god? Because he's abouldering animal, that's why. Watch Ben and his matesas they power their way up some of the classic boulderproblems in the UK's Peak District. Marvel at the one-handed and blindfolded ascents of way hard problems.Gasp at them slamming up and down a campus boardlike monkeys. Stare dumbfounded at the TV as you tryto figure out what the hell Jerry Moffat is saying.

You must get this video! Watch it ten times. Whenyou get bored with it, keep it in a safe place foremergency use. After a crappy day of climbing, grab agood brew, slap the tape in the old VCR, and getinspired. Guaranteed to get you motivated!


training

Campusing for Mere Mortals

When Darell told me that he and his wife had bought ahouse and escaped the imprisonment of tiny apartments,he and I of course thought of only one thing: he nowhas a garage, and a garage means a climbing wall.

But alas, an indoor gym was not in the cards forhim. Garage too small. Ceiling way too low. No placeelse to store all the "crap." And his wife didn't seem toothrilled with the idea either.

We briefly entertained the idea of creating a 40 foottraverse along a brand new $5,000 retaining wall in hisback yard, but abandoned that pipe dream quickly.Because he has plenty of storage on the side of his house,along with some tall and sturdy trees in the back yard, weinstead set out to build the ultimate portable campusboard. You can too!

Construction is easy. With two sheets of plywoodand a bunch of two-by-fours, you can build a two-sided,16-foot tall by 2-foot wide board. With various sizedcampus rungs lining one side and numerous holds placedon the other, your woody is a convenient way to getsome climbing-specific exercise in with minimalinvestment of both dollars and garage space.

But Darell is no hard man, and neither am I for thatmatter. So what in the hell are we doing building ANDUSING campus boards?

Mom always said, "don't play ball in the house"...and the experts always said, campusing is for expertclimbers only. But what they didn't tell you is that withextreme care, preparation, proper technique, andmoderation, a campus board can be a useful tool forclimbers in the 5.8 to 5.11 range.

Care. Listen to your body. If you don't haveenough experience in listening for the early warningsigns of damage to your own body, you have no businesscampusing. At the first sign of any problem, stopimmediately. Rest. See a medical professional ifappropriate. Re-evaluate your program and your goals.

Preparation. You are going to use lots of tape.Campusing is murder on your finger tendons and yourwrists. Tape heavily, using a good pattern that giveslots of support yet still allows generously for movement.Warm up thoroughly, too—campusing should not beattempted with cold muscles. And if you are not alreadyusing sports massage for both warming up and recovery,now is definitely the time to start.

Technique. You won't be Ben Mooning on yourcampus board, at least not for a while, Ben Jr. But thereare some useful techniques you can use while training onyour campus board to better your climbing performance:• Death Boarding. The campus board (which sounds so

academic) started out as Tony Yaniro's "death board"(which sounds so, well, you know). The board is thesame, but the difference lies in feet position. Used as acampus board, the feet are left dangling and only theupper body is used for movement. As a death board,

the feet are also used. By using your feet, you'll putless pressure on your precious finger tendons andwrists, yet you'll still get a damn brutal workout.

• Hand Matching. Start with both hands on the samehold, and feet on lower holds. Move the left hand up,match the right hand then move one after the otherback down to the starting holds. Repeat until failure.

• Hand Alternating. Move up the board withoutmatching hands, but rather using alternating rungs.

• Two-Handed Dyno. Match hands on a rung, pull upwith both, and slap both simultaneously on the nextrung up the board. A great mental exercise.

• Blind Folded. Once you get a specific technique wired,throw on a blindfold and go for it (carefully). You'lllearn a lot about judging distances and commitmentwhen you can't see the next rung you're aiming for.

Moderation. Once a week or less to begin with.No more than twice a week when you get really good.And no more than a few laps/variations per session.Stop immediately if anything does not feel right in anyway.

Following the above and being extremely careful notto overdo it, you can expect to see some great gains instrength in a few months. Climb on!

letters

Dear Editor,

mOthEr rOck RULES! Thanks to your mag, er, rag, Iwas able to redpoint 5.14c, develop a vaccine for AIDS,and find inner peace.

-Mom

Editor's Response: Thanks, mom. It's unbiasedopinions from people like you that make it worth thepain of pounding the keys of my PowerBookforcountless hours just to put out another money-losingnewsletter. By the way, your check for a subscriptionbounced, so you won't be getting any further issuesunless you send me a money order for $13 (the extra $3is to cover bank fees for the bounced check). And don'teven think about trying to stiff me and pick up a freecopy at the local REI. XXXOOO, your son.

climbing web sites

Vertical Hold Sport Climbing Center in San Diego has a nicepage at:

http://www.verticalhold.com/Crux Climbing Gym is the hot new place to be in San LuisObispo. See for yourself at:

http://www.crux.com/-crux.For the most detailed information on the WWW aboutclimbing in California, surf to the California Climber'sNetwork at:

http://www.climbnet.com/ccn/Oh, yeah, and check out mOthEr rOck on-line, at:

http://members.aol.com/mOthErrOck

mOthEr rOck

rock of the month

Aiguille de Joshua Tree, North Face

Like any classic boulder problem, the North Face of theAiguille de Joshua Tree—an easy 5.6 boulder problem ona 30+ foot free-standing pillar—sums up the essence ofrock climbing in a neat, compact little package. It ishighly efficient, giving you maximum experience withminimum investment. Rock climbing "Lite."

But not too "Lite." There's a reason for the "X"appended to the 5.6 rating. While the highly exposedroute up the North Face gets a head start almost halfwayup the pillar, the landing is rocky and jagged. And if youwere to slip and fall a couple of feet to either side, you'dcatch big air as the much more difficult and overhangingSouth Face tumbled by your view and you finallyslammed into more jumbled rock, 30+ feet from the top.Yes the route is easy, but can also be veryintimidating—especially the downclimb. CommentedDarell Palmer on his first time up the route, "This iseasy ... so why am I so f*&#ing scared?"

This is not Wales, mate! Brit Geoff Wade, with anunfair height advantage, slaps up the North Face.

It's short, it's sweet, and it's almost over before itstarts. It's maybe 10 moves, including the mantle at thetop, and then you're standing precariously on anapproximately 12-inch-square, slightly sloping platformcovered with bird crap. Yes, the view is magnificentfrom the top, whether you're a climber looking for aquick thrill, or an owl looking for an awesome place to

july/august 1996

take a dump. But be careful up there. Even on calmdays in Joshua Tree, sudden strong winds can kick upwithout warning and possibly make you lose yourbalance. And you probably shouldn't even think abouthow close you are to Landers, epicenter of that 7.6magnitude earthquake a few years back ...

Because it requires 15 to 20 minutes of hiking fromthe parking lot, you're not likely to see many otherpeople around, except maybe on a busy holiday weekend.The place has a remote feeling to it that you obviouslydon't get in some of the more popular and easilyaccessible areas of the park.

While you are in the Jimmy Cliff area of J-Tree, besure to check out some of the other good boulderproblems, especially those found on the Marley Boulder,and the wrist-wrenching 5.1 la route "Palomino" on thePinto/Palomino boulder. If you still want more, wanderover to the classic Turtle Rock bouldering area acrossfrom the Real Hidden Valley parking area, where there aremore than 70 quality bouldering routes.

The Aiguille de Joshua Tree, 5.6 X. A neat littleclimb, for sure, but is it a true classic? That depends onyour definition. But for me and every person I've evertaken to it, there is no question. The Aiguille de JoshuaTree is a climb you'll remember for a very long time.Getting There. In Real Hidden Valley, park in the dirtlot near the start of the nature trail. Southwest of thenature trail start, across from the two porta-potties, is asmaller trail marked for the first few hundred yards withAccess Fund posts. Follow one of the many threads ofthis trail southwest and then west along the southernboundary of the Real Hidden Valley outcrop. You'llwalk right past Loose Lady (5.9+ ****; see photo onpage 2), one of the most popular routes in J-Tree. Afterslightly more than half a mile of trail, you'll see theAiguille de Joshua Tree thrusting skyward from a smalloutcrop between the northern boundary of the JimmyCliff area and the southern boundary of the Real HiddenValley area.(Reprintedfrom What's the Beta. April, 1996, bypermission of the author.)

events

Here's a list of local events happening over the next fewmonths. Please send event info to mOthEr rOck, P.O.Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151, or [email protected].

09 July: Sierra Nevada: Yosemite to Mt. Whitneyslide show. Adventure 16, San Diego. 7 PM.10 July: Sierra Nevada: Yosemite to Mt. Whitneyslide show. Adventure 16, Solana Beach. 7 PM.11 July: Sierra Nevada: Yosemite to Mt. Whitneyslide show. Adventure 16, Orange County. 7 PM.13 or 14 July: Beginning Rock Climbing, Adventure16, San Diego. $79. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.13 or 14 July: Day on the Rocks, Adventure 16. $80-$95. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.


13-14 July: Climbing Skills Weekend, Adventure 16.$145. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.15 July: Sierra Nevada: Yosemite to Mt. Whitneyslide show. Adventure 16, San Fernando Valley. 7 PM.16 July: Sierra Nevada: Yosemite to Mt. Whitneyslide show. Adventure 16, West Los Angeles. 7 PM.20 or 21 July: Beginning Rock Climbing, Adventure16, West Los Angeles. S79. 310-473-4574.27 July: Day on the Rocks, Adventure 16. $80-$95.619-283-2362, ext. 156.27-28 July: Climbing Skills Weekend, Adventure 16.$145. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.28 July: Anchor Seminar, Adventure 16. $80-$95. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.03 August: Junior Tour 96 competition, Rockcreation,Costa Mesa, CA. 714-556-ROCK.03 or 04 August: Beginning Rock Climbing,Adventure 16, Orange County. $79. 310-473-4574.10 August: Beginning Rock Climbing/Women Only,Adventure 16, West Los Angeles. $79. 310-473-4574.10 or 11 August: Day on the Rocks, Adventure 16. $80-$95. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.10 or 11 August: Beginning Rock Climbing,Adventure 16, San Diego. $79. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.10-11 August: Climbing Skills Weekend, Adventure16. $145. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.16-17 August: Sequoia Needles outing, Rim of the WorldClimbing Club. 909-881-5882.17 August: Beginning Rock Climbing/Women Only,Adventure 16, San Diego. $79. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.17 or 18 August: Beginning Rock Climbing,Adventure 16, West Los Angeles. $79. 310-473-4574.24 August: Day on the Rocks, Adventure 16. $80-$95.619-283-2362. ext. 156.24-25 August: Climbing Skills Weekend, Adventure16. $145. 619-283-2362, ext. 156.25 August: Anchor Seminar, Adventure 16. $80-$95.619-283-2362, ext. 156.08 October: Mt. Everest Peace Climb slide show.Adventure 16, San Diego. 7 PM.09 October: Mt. Everest Peace Climb slide show.Adventure 16, Orange County. 7 PM.10 October: Mt. Everest Peace Climb slide show.Adventure 16, West Los Angeles. 7 PM.14-19 October: AMSAR Technical Rescue Seminar,Yucca Valley. 619-228-0933.

secret spot of the month

Be the first to ID the obscure So Cal climbing spotpictured below, and get your name in the next issue and afree bumper sticker if we ever get around to printingthem up! E-mail us at [email protected] with yourstab, or if you're not yet on-line send a postcard tomOthEr rOck, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

The late (not really dead, just moved to upstate NewYork) Tom Murdoch learning to rappel at ????_

Hint: Whoever chopped the rap bolts about two or threeyears ago, thanks for leaving the crappy old quarter inchruster out on the face. Thanks for NOTHING!

brew of the month

It's gotta be Henry Weinhard's Hefe Weizen. I love agood wheat beer. Weinhard's complicates the flavor oftheir Hefe Weizen by adding a few drops of honey.

Weinhard's Hefe Weizen rules. Tell a climber.

page 8


For the climber who loves the microbrew taste butcan't justify the $5.99 to $7.99 per sixer for the smallbatch stuff, and can't stomach processed, pasteurizedurine pissed into cans, Weinhard's is a perfectcompromise: good taste, and many supermarkets carrytwelve packs for around $5.99.

mOthEr rOck gallery

Climber on Sports Challenge Rock, J-Tree.

classifieds

Advertise here for only $10 per issue, with up to sixlines of text. Bro, that's cheap. $5 more gets your logoscanned and dropped in. Send your words along withyour check to mOthEr rOck, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands,CA 92375-1151.

Mountain Sports Unlimited, your new source forclimbing and backpacking gear in the Inland Empire. BlackDiamond, Wild Country, Arcteryx, Blue Water, Metolius,and more. Slide shows, climbing classes, domestic andinternational mountain trips. 24554 Redlands Blvd., LomaLinda, CA 92408. Phone 909-796-8099.Join the Rim of the World Climbing Club. Monthlyoutings. Quarterly newsletter. For information, write toROWCC, P.O. Box 1110, Running Springs, CA 92382.Outdoor Works. Family owned and operated. Equipmentfor backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, search &rescue, law enforcement. Sales and rentals. 28966 HookCreek Road, Cedar Glen, CA 92321. Phone 909-336-0864.

Mom was right: mOthEr rOck Magazine RULES \e today. One year/six issues, only ten bucks. Send

check/money order to mOthEr rOck, P.O. Box 7951,Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

gratuitous self promotion

AVAILABLE THIS SEPTEMBER: mOthEr rOckMagazine's Turtle Rock Bouldering Guide by Matt Artz.The most comprehensive guide available to the mega-classic Real Hidden Valley/Turtle Rock bouldering areain Joshua Tree National Park. This book containsinformation on more than 70 routes, many of which arenot listed by Mari Gingery, Randy Vogel, and Craig Fryin their otherwise excellent guides. Lots of photos andtopos.

Send check/money order for $8 to mOthEr rOckfThe,AMCC Group, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151, and you'll be set. After you buy this guide, allyou'll need is a good pair of shoes, a chalk bag, and oneof these:

JOSHUA THEE

PARK PASS

a southern California climbing magazine

mOthEr rOck isStill Here!

Ten First TimeBig Wall Tips

Interview withLynn Hill!

Striking a Nerve

The WinterX-Games are

Coming to So Cal!

I I The 1984 (?)California

Bouldering Contest

Access FundAlert!

Love on the Rocks

Training: Goals

Classifieds

Brew of the Month

Secret SpotSolution

Events

Parting Shot

cover photo: Darell Palmer toproping Devil's Crack, J-Tree

mOthEr rOck september/october 1996

hangdoggin' with the editor

och

It Feels Like Number Two ...As the second issue of mOthEr rOck hits the streets, I'mthinking to myself, why am I doing this? The list ofnegatives are long. It takes a lot of time to put the issuetogether. It takes a fair amount of money to keep aproject like this going. And I wonder if it's all worth it.

But then I get feedback from local climbers urgingme to keep it going. It seems that mOthEr rOck fills agaping hole in the local climbing community (see theletters section in this issue). I've made many newclimbing friends, and have had the opportunity to see abunch of great climbing areas. So I'll keep the issuescoming for as long as it makes sense. I only hope thatthe same people who like reading this rag also find it intheir hearts to send in ten measly bucks for asubscription.

The Evolution of mOthEr rOckOne of the things hope to do in the near future is look atvarious ways of upgrading the quality of the printedmagazine. The first few issues may each have a slightlydifferent look and feel as I experiment with higher qualityand/or lower costs.

Another difference you'll notice is content. The firstissue had more short articles. This issue has a couple oflonger articles. What do you think?

Get Involved! It's YOUR Magazine!A reminder: mOthEr rOck is not a closed magazine forthe stroking of the egos of some "inner circle." It's youropportunity to get involved in the local climbingcommunity. So send photos, news of new (preferablymoderate) routes, climbing stories, or even just storyideas. Please. We can't pay you by the page like the bigmags do, but maybe we'll invite you to a BBQ andclimbfest at mOthEr rOck gym (my garage) next timeyou're out in the area.

Yes, We're On-Line; Aren't You?For those of you who have Internet access and have notyet checked out mOthEr rOck on-line, do it now! Thefirst three or four issues will be put up on the Internet intheir entirety. After that, only about a third of the newarticles will be put up, so you'll have to subscribe to getyour whole mOthEr rOck. The WWW address is:http: //members. aol. c om/mOthErrOck.

What About Advertising?mOthEr rOck will never make anyone rich, but it wouldbe nice to at least cover the costs and not dip into thekids college funds. Would quarter-page ads despoil theessence of what mOthEr rOck is all about? E-mail me ordrop me a note, and let me know. Your opinion counts.

Finding Some Time to ClimbAs this issue goes to press, a few buds and I are gettingready to hit the road for a week in the Eastern Sierras.Iris Slab, Alpers Canyon, The Buttermilks, Deadman'sSummit, Rick's Rocks, The Tall Boys, The Stumps,Bachar Boulders, and countless other options... man-o-man shall we be busy! I'm sure you'll be reading aboutour adventures in the next several issues of this rag,probably in the form of a long feature story or tripreport, and hopefully a mini-guide or two.

The.summer is winding down, and J-Tree season isagain upon us. Get ready for it! Hope you've beeneither working out in the gym, or hitting one of themany wonderful summer sites we have here in So Cal.See you in Hidden Valley.

MattArtz, EditormOthErrOck@ aol. com

in this issue

• Up "The Prow": Ten (Quite Possibly Original) BigWall Tips. By Cindy Stigall. Page 2.

• A Brief Cyber-Inlerview with Lynn Hill! By MattArtz. Page 4.

• Letters to the Editor: mOthEr rOck Strikes a Nervewith So Cal climbers. Page 4.

• News: Snow Summit Lands Winter X-Games!Page 5.

• Classifieds: Just Tryin' to Pay Some of the Bills.Page 5.

• mOthEr rOck Quote: Ron Kauk. Page 5.

• Relive the 1984 California Boiildering Contest atMt. Rubidoux! By Matt Artz. Page 6

• Access Fund Alert! Page 9.

• Love on the Rocks. Page 10.

• Training: Setting Goals and Keeping Track of YourClimbing Accomplishments. Page 11.

• Preview: In Our Next Issue. Page 11. ;!?

• mOthEr rOck On-Line. Page 11.

• Brew of the Month. .

• mOthEr rOck Guidebook Available. Page 12.

• Secret Spot Solution. Page 12. ,:i-i,,, :,; _ HI

• Events. Page 12.

• mOthEr rOck Parting Shot. Page 12.

page 1


Up "The Prow. . .

Ten (Quite Possibly Original)Big Wall Tipsby Cindy Stigall

Just two weeks ago, my partner and I made a three-dayascent of The Prow on Washington Column (one of theOTHER big rocks in Yosemite). This was my first bigwall climb. Before going I read Climbing Big Walls byDoug Scott and Big Walls! by Johns Long andMiddendorf from the "How to Rock Climb" series, andreceived in-depth instruction about big wall climbingskills through diagrams drawn on napkins from all overby my favorite climber with eighteen big wall ascentsunder his swami. I learned the finer points of packingthe haul bag, cleaning pitons, traversing with jumars,and other vital skills. Each of the aforementionedsources, however, failed to mention the following wordsof wisdom. I share them with you now, fellow climbers,in hopes you will be saved untold frustration on yourfuture big wall climbs.

Stigall Collection

At the beginning of The Prow. Note the naive smile.

Ten Big Wall Tips

Tip #l--Use a wall harness. Not far off the deck Irealized that my bod-type harness became a Marquis deSade-esque instrument of torture. And only eleven more

pitches to go! Each two-and-a-half foot gain on the roperequired that I hang my weight off the harness attached tothe right jumar, sharply yanking the leg straps forwardand up. I developed blisters in places I was unable topersonally view without being a contortionist (and no,Jeanne, a blister kit wouldn't have helped at all!). Thefirst item on my big wall shopping list is a wall harness.

. • :Photo: Cindy Stigall Collection

Tapir Terrace at the 7th pitch—"The Biltmore of The Prow".

Tip #2—Resist the urge to leap after falling objects. Justdon't jump, period. No, seriously. It goes somethinglike this: "I am 600 feet off the deck-don't fall becausewhen you fall you do like this (visualize); I wonder whatit would feel like to be falling like this; if I just untiedhere. ..." I noticed this impulse in myself and myobservation has since been corroborated by otherclimbers.

Tip #3—Bone up on your geology. On the first day,anyway, the feeling of terror is omnipresent. Lookingdown gave me the heebie-jeebies. Looking out at thevast immensity of Half Dome in theory was better thanlooking down; the sheer drop of the face, however, onlyemphasized the seeming precariousness of my

page 2


hanging belays. A sick helpless feeling settled in the pitof my stomach and radiated north and south until itweighted the whole of my being, body and soul.Determining the composition of the granite quicklybecame an all-consuming passion. How much better itwould have been to be able to say "I see here doloriticgranite with mostly calciophosphic (or whatever)inclusions, blah, blah. . ." rather than simply "OK, whatpretty, uh, like uh, white, pointy, shiny things withother black, flaky, shiny stuff mixed in." It's badenough to feel afraid; feeling stupid and afraid was moreinsult than I could stand. Fortunately, by the second day,my frame of reference had changed and the specks on thebeach at Mirror Lake, that intellectually I knew werepeople sunning themselves, were only echoes of somehalf-forgotten apparition. By the third day, I forgot tolook entirely, enjoying thoroughly the rhythm andoccasional problem-solving of taking apart the belay andcleaning the pitch. A little research on the geology ofgranite and the valley may allow you to get to this point.

Tip #4—Enhance your vocabulary before the trip. Andnot the Reader's Digest list, either. Picture this: you aretwisting in the breeze while jugging (jumaring) fixedropes. How many times can you repeat, "g. . .mn, sh .t,"m . . f . . r"? You change the order, but given thenumber of times you will turn to expletives to relievethe tension during the twelve pitch climb and the heinousdescent (don't get me started on that!) it pays to enlargeyour repertoire. A "c.. .r" and "p . . xer" and "dirtystinkin' tr . . .er" can do wonders at the appropriate time.

Tip #5—Don't use pink webbing for the belay seat. Usewebbing, yes, that's good, but it is impossible to trustcompletely in PINK webbing. It's too sissy-la-la.Hanging out over the deck at about a thousand feet, tryswinging your legs over the great abyss on a nine inchby eighteen inch plywood swing. To do this, you need aserious, responsible color—black, red, or blue—neonyellow, even—but NOT frivolous pink. Just like Iwouldn't feel comfortable with a brain surgeon namedTiffany, I am a little suspicious of pink webbing.Enough said.

Tip #6--Don't waste time worrying about the quality ofthe food you take with you. It all tastes wonderful.Sitting on the portaledge, more tired than I ever remotelyconsidered possible, the cold greasy chili beans straightout of the can, topped with warm, oily sharp cheddar on adisintegrating tortilla was at that time comparable to afour-star restaurant meal. The swigs of warm Coke thatwashed it down were a river of velvet gold sliding downmy throat. I have tasted nothing better in all my life,not before or since.

Tip #7-Bring really STRONG DEODORANT wipes orsomething—anything—for your partners feet for the bivy.Especially if, like myself and my partner, you decide toshare a single portaledge (it beats the "my partner has thecomfy portaledge while I'm a human taco in a hammock"syndrome). In such a situation, in order to keep from

tipping the portaledge, sleeping head to foot was theconfiguration of choice. Sweet smelling baby wipeswere NOT, I repeat NOT, sufficiently powerful toeradicate extremely pungent odors quite suitable for Iraqinerve gas testing. My feet, of course, smelled like roses.

Tip #8—Camouflage your derriere. Now I don't know ifit is actually possible, but a can of Formby's GraniteTextured Spray Coating (available at Walmart) may holdpromise. If you are male, it's only an issueoccasionally. For a woman, however, you will berepeatedly conscious of the fact that your bare backsidemay be some binocular-equipped Yosemite tourist's mostmemorable valley sight. And there is certainly nothinglike the knowledge that the nice gentleman you metyesterday soloing the climb a pitch below and to yourright will get the best view of your bare derriere as youlower beneath the portaledge with your feet in thestirrups—er, I mean aiders—doing your business. Whileyou're at it, you might as well spray the brown paperbag as well.

jPhoto: Cmdy~Sligali Collection

Arriving at the belay at the end of the llth pitch.A short 50' segment takes you to 4th class ledges

leading to the top. At last!

page 3


Tip #9--Memorize at a few good songs. It sounds goodthat you'll listen to the Walkman or read a good bookwhile belaying, but it just doesn't seem to work out thatway. So what do you do during the endless hours ofminding the rope? Either you think deep thoughts on theapplicability of the early writings of Kierkegaard tomodern existentialism, or you sing songs. Unless youhave interesting songs at the ready, all that's left is"Three Blind Mice" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."How many times can you sing them? I desperately triedto remember one or two songs from my newest CD, butcouldn't get past the first line on each one, so nurseryrhymes are the soundtrack to my memories of the climb.

Tip #10—A final word of advice—become familiar withthe night sky. My fondest memory of the climb islaying on the portaledge each evening, gazing up a thesprinkled sugar stars between the steel-gray silhouettes ofHalf Dome and Washington Column. Lights from thevalley blinked inconsequentially below as the evening airaround us was warmed slightly by the shimmering of thesilent stars. I watched Corona Borealis slip past themysterious lip of the summit, while the Milky Wayslowly emerged from behind Half Dome. Antares burnedred-orange in Scorpio and eventually Jupiter blazed on thesouthern horizon. Bills and other worries were hundredsof miles away; my daughter, somewhere in a now-alienworld, was happily keeping Grandma and Grandpa awakeas they told each other stories. All was right with theworld. Filled with a deep indescribable joy and onenesswith the universe (I know it sounds trite, but it was realand unreal all at once), tired beyond conscious awareness,I breathed more deeply and relaxed more fully and feltmore completely aware than I had ever known before.Even though I felt totally exhausted, I was reluctant tofall asleep. At the risk of hyperbole, it was enchanted,even magical those nights.

My first big wall. Everything I did was a new skilllearned. My biggest fear, however, wasn't that Iwouldn't be able to master the techniques, but that Iwouldn't be able to come to terms with theapprehension, the solitude, the monotony, the constantneed for vigilance. I needn't have feared. I felt fullyaware and alive and the time passed all too quickly.While I didn't actually want to stay on the rock anylonger—the thought of a simple shower became a drivingobsession—I wouldn't have traded the experience foranything. My only concern is how expensive the climbis becoming-every day I add more, and more, items tothe big wall shopping list for the next climb.

mOthEr rOck kinda-interview

mOthEr rOck editor Matt Artz recently had anopportunity to cyber-interview Lynn Hill. Lynn was onhand for ESPN's X Games, and answered a few of Matt'squestions by E-mail courtesy Outside Magazine On-Lineand Starwave Communications.

mOthEr rOck: Lynn, what's your favorite climbingarea in Southern California, and why?

Lynn Hill: I love Joshua Tree, that is one of myfavorite climbing areas in Southern California. Not onlybecause of the huge variety of climbing there, but I lovethe desert. It's a beautiful place; I love the evenings withall the stars, and the late afternoons with the beautifulsunsets, and I just like the whole idea of climbing withmy friends and running around in the desert.

mOthEr rOck: Do you have a favorite route inSouthern California?

Lynn Hill: As far as a favorite climb, I can't reallysay that there's one in particular. I have memories of"Figures on a Landscape"-it's a beautiful climb-and"Bearded Cabbage," and some of the climbs out in the oldHidden Valley, and there's a lot of bouldering around thatsame area, too.

mOthEr rOck: Lynn, what is your take on elitism inclimbing?

Lynn Hill: Elitism, well that's a big topic. Myreaction to that word is I don't like the idea of elitism.I think people should remain humble and give to otherpeople and not just expect them to adore the so-calledclimbing gods—I do not believe this is a good attitude.

mOthEr rOck: Keep up the good work. You are aninspiration to all of us weekend climbers. Thanks!

Special thanks to Outside Magazine On-Line andStarwave Communications for giving our littlenewsletter the opportunity to ask Lynn a couple ofquestions. Be sure to visit the Outside Magazine On-Line web site at http:// outside.starwave.com.

letters

Dear mOthEr rOck,

Good job on the mag. It looks great, thanks for sendingme a copy. It's great to see a publication that is focusingon climbing like most climbers do it, not the 5.13 hardboys in lycra, or the specious debates about a lettersubgrade or bolt placement. That stuff gets old fast. Infact, I rarely read the mainstream climbing rags anymore.

Happy climbing and keep in touch.

Todd VogelA Taste For AdventureBishop, CAtoddvogel @ aol.com

Dear mOthEr rOck,

Just a quick note to say thanks for the copy of yourpremier issue. Nice to see some genuine climbingrelated journalism, and not more of the now

page 4


"mainstream" bullshit being published by the BIG 2.Hope you can afford to stay grass-roots, and not loseyour ass. Anyway, I'll be sending my subscription orderin, as well as a classified for my resoling service.Thanks again and best of luck on your new venture.

Geoff ArcherGRANITEC ResolesJoshua Tree, [email protected]

Dear mOthEr rOck,

I think that people seldom get the encouragement theyare worth so:

I just surfed to your web issue of mOthEr rOck. I amjealous that we don't have anything similar in Sweden.You are really getting the message over about the fun endenthusiasm of climbing, which I think mostcontemporary magazines have lost. I'll keep you in mybookmarks to watch the progress, even if I live inSweden and will probably not climb in California thiscentury.

Thank you,

Ulrik EklundKiruna, Sweden

mOthEr rOck responds: Well golly gee, seems like wemay have struck a nerve here with some climbers! Thatbig sucking sound you've been hearing was the vacuumcaused by the lack of popular climbing journalism. It'sgood to know that we at mOthEr rOck are not the onlyones who have been frustrated with the likes of Rock &Ice and Climbing magazines. Sure, they have made afew attempts recently at covering moderate stuff. Andyes, after digging through the posing and positioning,the infighting and the childlike name-calling, some oftheir points do have some relevance to the climbingcommunity. But most of that gibberish is only trulyinteresting to a minute fraction of their readership. Youwant a rag that's 100% dedicated to popular climbing?It looks like mOthEr rOck is your only alternative.It may not be as pretty (yet), but it's way more fun!

news • news • news • news

Snow Summit Lands Winter X-Games!by Matt Artz

As the second annual Summer X-Games took place inlate June in Newport, Rhode Island, event organizerESPN announced that the Snow Summit ski resort inBig Bear has been selected to host the inaugural versionof the Winter X-Games. Slated for January 30th toFebruary 2nd, 1997, the Winter X-Games will feature iceclimbing, snowboarding, snow bicycling, shovel racing,

as well as other "non-winter" extreme sports such asskateboarding and in-line skating.

The invitation-only field of athletes will compete formore than $200,000 in prize money. The ice climbingevent will be held on an artificial frozen waterfallconstructed specifically for the event. We can expectmany hours of live television coverage as the Winter X-Games take center stage on ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPNInternational for four days, and potentially severalmonths worth of reruns.

The rock climbing events at the 1995 Summer X-Games were less than successful, and criticized heavily inboth climbing and mainstream media. However, the rockclimbing events were completely reorganized for the1996 Summer X-Games, and the world watched eagerlythis time as 15-year-old Katie Brown took the women'sfield by surprise and won the gold. Let's hope theinaugural ice climbing event does not suffer the same fateas the inaugural rock climbing event.

mOthEr rOck plans to be on hand to cover the iceclimbing event for our readers. Stay tuned!

classifieds

Advertise here for only $10 per issue, with up to sixlines of text. Bro, that's cheap. $5 more gets your logoscanned and dropped in. Send your words along withyour check to mOthEr rOck, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands,CA 92375-1151.

SHOP THE SMALL SHOPS• Black Mountain Outfitters, La Mesa, CA, 619-464-8512.• Backcountry Outfitters, Long Beach, CA, 310-434-6289.Rentals/Sales - The small shops with the big names are youralternative.StoneBone, T-shirts from a climber's perspective. Requesta free catalog of over 10 original designs. Mail, E-mail, orcall: StoneBone, P.O. Box 3688, Santa Cruz, CA 95063,[email protected]. Phone 800-778-3244.Mountain Sports Unlimited, your new source forclimbing and backpacking gear in the Inland Empire. BlackDiamond, Wild Country, Arcteryx, Blue Water, Metolius,and more. Slide shows, climbing classes, domestic andinternational mountain trips. 24554 Redlands Blvd., LomaLinda, CA 92408. Phone 909-796-8099.Join the Rim of the World Climbing Club. Monthlyoutings. Quarterly newsletter. For information, write toROWCC, P.O. Box 1110, Running Springs, CA 92382.

Outdoor Works. Family owned and operated. Equipmentfor backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, search &rescue, law enforcement. Sales and rentals. 28966 HookCreek Road, Cedar Glen, CA 92321. Phone 909-336-0864.Mom was right: mOthEr rOck Magazine RULES!Subscribe today. One year/six issues, only ten bucks. Sendcheck/money order to mOthEr rOck, P.O. Box 7951,Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

mOthEr rOck quote

"John Wayne never wore lycra."— Ron Kauk

page 5


Relive the 1984 California

Bouldering Contest!

by Matt Artz

You still listen to Journey and are proud of it. You buyyour clothes at garage sales, because the stuff the storescarry now is all crap. And nice headband, dude. Youdespise these thousands of new posers, er, climbers, withthe colorful gear, the bolt ladders, the gym calluses, andthe fear of cracks. These Frenchies have nuffin on Long,Accomazzo, Sorensen, Muir... Why can't things just bethe way they used to be, post-Angel Flights but pre-Lycra, back when real men climbed at Tahquitz andSuicide, and trained at Rubidoux?

Hey, bud, sounds like you need to relive your glorydays. Welcome to the 1984 California BoulderingContest!

Yep, Rubidoux has been covered extensively inseveral recent guides. But legend has it that nothingbeats the old fliers from the early days of Rubidouxclimbing. They're like gold. Just try to find one.

Leave it to Aaron Barnes, manager of MountainSports Unlimited in Loma Linda, to dig up a copy of thetwo-page photocopied flier from the 1984 CaliforniaBouldering Contest. Thanks, Aaron. We owe you abeer; no, more like a sixer. It's in the mail bud. Ormaybe we'll hand deliver it so we can, uh, help you outwith it. That's what friends are for.

So, without any further delay, here it is: the 1984California Bouldering Contest. A little tidbit of So Calclimbing history, only 12 years later.

Mt. Rubidoux Overview MapMap 2

AccomazzoBoulders

TrailBridge

Circle CrackWall of Glass Parking Lot

Registration

Lower MaP1A

Parking Lot

Problem List

Map la

Map la: Island Wall Area

11 points (?).9 points (?).

Boulder1. Face.2. Face.

Boulder3. Face. 8 points (?).

Boulder4. Face. 10 points (5.7).5. Crack. 7 points (5.4)5. Crack. / points (5.4).6. Crosswalk. 15 points (5.11).7. One Way Street (traverse). 14 points (5.10+).8. Around the Block. 12 points (5.1 la *, AKA

TR;

V^lIV T T «J k?*M l^V.1. ^LA

Around the Block.Franklin Street).

The Island Wall9. Silverstone. 17 points (5.11+or 5.1 Id * TK;

lieback, direct start or undercling).10. Teflon. 13 points (5.11+; possible escape off

left, after crux).11. In the Picture. 15 points (5.11+ *).12. Overexposed. 14 points (Bl- *).

page 6


direct finish 5. 10+;13. 5.9er. 12 points (5.10+ *;escape right 5.10).

14. Crack. 6 points (5.7 *, AKA Island Crack,AKA Whoopee Crack).

15. Crack. 4 points (5.4, AKA Flake Variation).Boulder

16. Spencer. 14 points (5. 10+).17. Matt. 15 points (Bl).18. Dutzi. 9 points (5.9).

Boulder19. Face. 8 points (5.9).20. Face. 10 points (5.8).

Boulder21. Circle of Willis. 4 points (5.6).22. Linear Fracture. 13 points (5.1 la traverse).23. Cerebral Spinal Fluid. 14 points (5. 10+).

Boulder24. Mantle. 10 points (5.9, AKA More Mantles).25. Mantle. 11 points (5. lOa, AKA Mantle

Place).26. Mother's Little Helper. 17 points (5.11

TR).

35. The Ex. 17 points (Bl).36. The Hourglass. 13 points (5.10).

Borson's Wall

The Black Block

27

Step On It

The Falling Boulder

n

Maplb: Falling Boulder Area

Step On It Boulder27. Step On It. 13 points (5.10+ TR).

The Falling Boulder28. Falling Asleep. 9 points (5.9 TR).29. Falling Rock. 12 points (5.10d TR, AKA

Falling Rocks).30. Falling Away. 10 points (5.10c TR).31. Falling Off. 14 points (5.10b TR).

The Black Block32. Block Block Left. 14 points (5.10d TR cra<

AKA Blockhead).33. Block Block Right. 16 points (5.lib TR,

AKA Black Block Face).The Ex Boulder

34. Alimony. 11 points (5.8).

Map 2I 39 38 37

The Bullethead^JJ5 43 l \—±-+~

The46 Accomazzo

Boulders

51 50

Boulder #50

*** Trail to Road55 56

Map 2: The Accomazzo Boulders Area

The Accomazzo Boulders37. Isn't This Fun. 16 points (5.lie TR; left of

offwidth, AKA Over Your Head).38. Your Typical Geek. 11 points (5.9; offwidth

crack, AKA High Water).39. Run For It. 15 points (5.10d; right of the

offwidth).40. Street Corner. 11 points (5.10a; left side of

arete).The Bum. 14 points (5.1 la; center of arete).Back Alley. 11 points (5.10a; right side of

41.42.

arete).Boulder

Schmult's Demise. 18 points (?).

18 points (Bl or B1+).20 points (Bl).

43.The Bullethead44. Highbrow.45. Bullethead.

Boulder46. Face. 6 points (?).47. Face. 14 points (?).48. Face. 12 points (?).

Boulder49. Continuing Education. 14 points (?).

Boulder50. Face. 7 points (?).51. Crack. 9 points (?).

Boulder #5052. Arete. 12 points (?).53. Mantle. 9 points (?).

Boulder54. Face. 2 points (?).

Boulder55. Face. 13 points (?).56. Face. 11 points (?).

page 7


57—Superstar Slab

Map4a

61 62 63 64 65 66

Map 4a: Superstar Slab

Superstar Slab57. Coathanger. 19 points (5.12c friction; lead or

TR).58. Frosty Cone. 14 points (5.10+or 5.1 la TR).59. Mono Cone Stand. 13 points (5.10, AKA

Mono Cone).60. Superstar. 11 points (5.9 or 5.lOa; bolted lead).61. Flabob. 19 points (5.11+).62. Side of Fries. 15 points (5.lib *, face).63. Face. 12 points (5.9).64. Face. 9 points (5.8, AKA The Waterchute).65. Years Ago. 13 points (5.10a).66. Face. 10 points (5. lOa).

Map4b

PepperTree

.' 72 73 74 ' Triangle' 75 Boulders

67 68 697071

Map 4b: Triangle Boulders

Boulder67. Aggravation. 13 points (5.10a).68. Over Filled Waterbed. 14 points (5.10d).69. Drunk at the Wedding. 12 points (5.10b).

Boulder70. Gully. 2 points (5.6, AKA The Folly Right).71. Horizontal Bands. 13 points (5.1 Ob).

Triangle Boulders72. Left Face. 12 points (5.10 *; AKA Triangle

Face, many variations).73. Right Face. 12 points (5.10 TR, AKA

Isosceles).74. Walkathon. 8 points (5.7).75. Sleepathon. 12 points (5.10+or 5. lOc, AKA

Triangulation).

SmoothMap 3

Map 3: Smooth Sole Slab/Joe Brown

Boulder76. In My Time of Dimes. 18 points (Bl).

Smooth Sole Wall (AKA English Smooth SoleSlab)

77. Jam Crack. 7 points (5.2 or 5.4*, AKA TheJam Crack).

78. Smooth Soul Center. 14 points (5.10+ or5.1 la * TR, AKA Smooth Sole Direct).

79. Smooth Soul Right. 13 points (5.10+ orS.lOcTR).

80. Triple Crack Left. 9 points (5.7 or 5.6, shortflared crack, AKA The T Crack).

81. Triple Crack Center. 11 points (5.9 or5.10a *, lieback, AKA The Finger Crack).

82. Triple Crack Right. 8 points (5.7; handtraverse or left-curving lieback, AKA DiagonalCrack).

83. Skidder. 15 points (5.lid).Boulder

84. Fine. 10 points (?).85. Do It. 12 points (?).

Boulder86. Beat It. 6 points (?).87. Oh. 9 points (?).88. Ah. 11 points (?).

Boulder89. Nice. 8 points (5.3, AKA Sierra Club

Chimney).90. Mr. Nice Guy. 17 points (5.lie TR).

Joe Brown Boulder91. Fred Route. 5 points (5.7 TR, AKA Direct

Tissima).92. Waterstreak Corner. 9 points (5.8* TR, AKA

Waterchute; direct finish is 5.9).93. Powerpack. 14 points (5.1 la to 5.lie * TR,

height dependent).94. Face. 6 points (5.7 TR *, many variations; AKA

Scoop Face).95. Face. 6 points (5.6 or 5.7).

Half Dome96. MFer. 9 points (5.9 *, left crack; AKA Direct

Northwest Face).97. SOB. 10 points (5.9 *, right crack; AKA

Tissiack).98. Face. 5 points (5.2 *, AKA Cable Route).

Boulder99. Black Knat. 12 points (5.11).100. Pink Bug. 19 points (B1+).

page 8


103 Map 5

The CircleinX \8 Crack106 107 Boulders Pine Cove

Market

0*- ™~— -'

Cheri's 109 110Face

The Wallof Glass 120

Map 5: Circle Crack/Wall of Glass

The Circle Crack Boulders101. Face. 9 points (5.9).

DC. 11 points (5.9).Hug Me. 14 points (5.10).Don't Touch Me There.Soft. 10 points (5.8).Touch Me All Over. 13 points (5.8).You're Hurting Me. 14 points (?).Circle Crack. 18 points (B1-).

102.103.104.105.106.107.108.

Cheri's

18 points (5.11+).

Face109. Cheri's Face. 6 points (5.10).110. Cheri's Arm. 12 points (5.9).

Pine Cove Market111. Pine Cove Market. 10 points (5.4).112. Lou. 8 points (5.8 arete).113. The Warning. 12 points (5.9).114. Peggy. 6 points (5.7).

The Wall of Glass115. Roll Up the Window. 14 points (5.lie

mantel).116. Windex. 11 points (5.9).117. Surrealistic Pillar. 16 points (5.lib *).118. Window Pane. 15 points (5.1 Od).119. Stained Glass. 13 points (5.8, AKA Punch

Bowl Right).120. Bulletproof. 11 points (5.6, AKA Punch

Bowl Left).121. Sliding Glass Door. 17 points (5.11-, run

and mantel; AKA Contest Giveaway).122. Suction Cup. 13 points (5.11 mantel).123. Plexiglass. 14 points (5.10+).

Use it as a Training ToolBy publishing the original problem list, we hope topreserve a little piece of So Cal climbing history. Butwe're also giving you a useful training tool. MattMcGunigle and I have been using the problem list latelyon our Tuesday & Thursday morning Rubidouxworkouts. We've been able to locate a dozen or so routesnot listed in any of the other guides to Rubidoux we

have. In addition, we can use the Problem List to setgoals for ourselves, of trying to reach a certaincumulative point total for the day. Try it, it can add anew element of fun to your regular training workouts.

Those Were the Days-David Lee Roth back in Van Halen? It was inevitable.Sammy Hagar sucked anyway. 1984 was the year, man.The year of the California Bouldering Contest...

Details: Problem numbers, original route names, andpoint ratings from the 1984 California BoulderingContest Problem List have been reproduced here as-is(e.g., the "Block Block" in routes #32 and #33 isobviously a typo and should be "Black Block" ...).Original information is followed in parenthesis byknown ratings, different names for the route, and in somecases beta. Routes followed by "(?)" could not be locatedin any of the current guidebooks referenced below.Original maps from the Problem List were scanned, andthe type was reset for clarity. For information on gettingto Mt. Rubidoux or better overview maps to help locatesome of the problems on this list, you should alreadyhave a copy of the excellent book Southern CaliforniaBouldering Guide by Craig Fry.

References :1 ,Problem List: The 1984 California BoulderingContest. Photocopied mini-guide, 2 pages. October27, 1984.Climber's Guide to Southern California. PaulHellweg and Nathan M. Warstler. 1988.Scouting Report: Mount Rubidoux. In: What's TheBeta, newsletter of the Rim of the World ClimbingClub. October, 1995, Issue No. 3.Southern California Bouldering Guide. Craig Fry.Second Edition, 1995.

Access Fund Alert

Randy Vogel recently alerted me to a serious threat tobolting on public lands. Randy is currently the So Calrepresentative of the Access Fund, and shared thefollowing press release with me. Please read it, and takeit to heart. The future of bolting and climbing on publiclands may rest in your hands.

Action Alert!

FOREST SERVICE INTENDS TO BAN "ALL USE"OF FIXED ANCHORS IN WILDERNESS

June 14, 1996

The US Forest Service has announced its intent to makea new regulation that could eliminate or severely limitclimbing at dozens of America's best climbing areas.The Access Fund believes this regulation wouldneedlessly reduce climbing opportunities and climber

page 9


safety. Your immediate action is needed to preserveclimbing in designated wilderness.

(Three years ago we asked you to write to theNational Park Service about this same issue. Thetremendous response to our action campaign — over 800letters from climbers — produced a favorable result withthat agency. But while the issue remains the same, thisnew proposed regulation requires an entirely new andeven more forceful response.)

The Forest Service's advance Notice of ProposedRulemaking, released in May, says bolts "may detractfrom the wilderness experience and are not compatiblewith management of the wilderness resource. The agencyproposes to reduce impacts on the wilderness resource byprohibiting all use of fixed anchors in the wilderness."(emphasis added)

Taken literally, this regulation means not onlywould new fixed anchor placements be disallowed, but allexisting fixed anchors would have to be removed! Thiswould be catastrophic, for climbing history and culture aswell as the hundreds (if not thousands) of popular climbsfound in wilderness areas.

The proposed regulation would prohibit fixedanchors in all national forest wilderness areas. Mt.Whitney, the Palisades, and Tahquitz Rock in California,the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, Granite Mountain andMt. Lemmon in Arizona, the Cirque of the Towers inWyoming - all would be affected.

The Access Fund believes there is no basis for sucha regulation, either in the Wilderness Act or in thecondition of our wilderness resources, and that this ruleamounts to an abdication of management responsibilityby the Forest Service. The Wilderness Act grantsdiscretionary authority to wilderness managementagencies to allow various types of impact in wilderness,even permanent impacts, if they are required for properadministration of the wilderness.

Since climbing is one of the archetypal uses ofwilderness, and since climbing often requires some use offixed anchors, the Access Fund believes that fixedanchors should be considered necessary for wildernessclimbing and their use allowed but controlled, so thatwilderness character and values are preserved.

Surveys confirm that a large majority of climberssupport the Access Fund's position. Thanks tocontinuing activism by the Access Fund, the three otherwilderness management agencies agree. The NationalPark Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service want toallow fixed anchors, with some restrictions. And Bureauof Land Management officials have suggested that somelevel of fixed anchor use would be acceptable in thatagency's wilderness.

It is now obvious that the Forest Service cannot betrusted to treat fixed anchors in an objective and rationalmanner. Therefore we must take our advocacy to a newlevel: climbers must obtain the help of Congress.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking isscheduled for release in September 1996. The AccessFund urges you to do three simple things,IMMEDIATELY:

(1) Write or call your senator and congressperson,and ask them to refuse to authorize funding for the ForestService in the 1997 federal budget until the agency adoptsa policy that fixed anchors will be allowed and managedin national forest wilderness.

(2) Request that Congress write to the Chief of theForest Service and demand that he explain why additionalgovernment regulation is needed. Remind yourrepresentatives that in the last thirty years many areaswhere fixed anchor use is common have been designatedas wilderness.

(3) Write to Lyle Laverty, Director of Recreation forthe Forest Service, at PO Box 96090, Washington, DC20090-6090. Tell Laverty that you support the AccessFund's position -- that fixed anchors are necessary forclimber safety and the protection of wilderness resources -- and that you oppose any regulation that does not allowfor at least their occasional use in wilderness.

To contact your elected officials in Washington, callthe US Capitol switchboard at 202.224.3121. For localphone numbers and addresses, consult the "Government"section of your phone book. Or call our Senior PolicyAnalyst, Sam Davidson, at 408-424-4705 for assistance.

Please contact your Congressional representativesNOW! Time is of the essence. And thank you for yourcommitment to helping the Access Fund preserveAmerica's diverse climbing resources.

love on the rocks. . .

Geoff Wade Proposes to Jann Seniorat North Shore, Big Bear

It was a warm July 4th as Matt Artz, Matt McGunigle,Jann Senior, Geoff Wade, and about 12 other peoplegathered at North Shore for a day of climbing. Butunbeknownst to Jann, there was a special reason whyfellow Brit Geoff wanted her so desperately to follow hislead on "Hardstart" on Secret Spot Rock.

Geoff was, shall we say, a wee bit nervous.Shaking so ferociously that we thought he would peel onthe approach, he wisely avoided the 5.10 start and tookthe easy way out, making the route "only" a 5.7. WithMatt McGunigle belaying the doomed man and Matt Artzup on top taking photographs for the inevitable inquiry,er, album, Geoff paused a long time at the second bolt toclip a "fake" ring. Jann found it on her second, andthought it quite odd. When she topped out and saw Geoffwith a dozen roses, a bottle of champagne, and the "real"ring, she knew immediately that a proposal wasimminent. She knew what she had to do. She lookeddown to her belayer and said "lower me."

Of course he didn't. And of course she said yes.The happy couple are set to wed this month. Hopefullyit will be an early wedding, so we'll still be able to getin a few routes after the reception.

... and how did you spend YOUR Fourth of July?

page 10


training

Setting Goals and Keeping Track ofYour Climbing Accomplishmentsby Matt Artz

Turnbuckle. A boulder problem in J-Tree. A hideousundercling to a sick mantle. For a few months in early1996, it became my goal-no, my obsession. When Ifinally ticked it off, I sat on top for a good ten minutes.Like the Olympian who won the 100-yard dash, it wasthe equivalent of my victory lap.

But as soon as I had wired the problem, I felt empty.I floundered for about a month, working out in mOthErrOck gym a few times a week, but with no focus. I hadclimbed my first 5.1 la, but the strength I had gained inpreparation was rapidly slipping away.

It took several weeks to figure out exactly what wasgoing on. My goal had been to climb Turnbuckle, yetthat ticmark was just a means to an end, which was tobecome a better climber. Yet without another goal totake the place of Turnbuckle, I was in danger of losingeverything I had worked so hard for.

Keeping TrackThe best way to set and achieve your goals is to keepgood track of them. Make a list of the types of climbingyou enjoy, practice regularly, want to excel in, etc. Alsoinclude types of climbing you don't particularly like butthat may teach you skills valuable to your primary typesof climbing. Depending on how elaborate you want toget, you can include such climbing types as crackclimbing, face climbing, bouldering, leading, iceclimbing, multiple pitch climbing, mountaineering,redpointing, pinkpointing, toproping, soloing, etc.Then, for each type of climbing, fill in the chart:

• What is my biggest weakness? Could this be limitingmy ability to climb at higher levels in the area of myprimary goal(s)?• Are my goals too high? Should I be taking a slower,more measured approach to climbing at higher levels?(For example, "I currently climb solidly at 5. lOa, and Ihope to be able to lead 5.12a within the next sixmonths.")• Are my goals too low? Am I mentally forcing myselfto plateau? (For example, "I currently climb solidly at5.10a, and I hope to be able to climb a few 5.1 Ob'swithin the next two years.")• What types of climbing should I NOT concentratefurther on? For example: My three best solos have allbeen only 5.6 R/X's; do I need to do harder solos, or isthis enough? Will continued soloing of harder climbsteach me the skills I need to achieve my overall climbinggoals? Do I have to solo harder climbs to learn boldnessand confidence, or will leading harder climbs suffice?• How recently have I climbed my three best? In otherwords, What have I done lately?

While the tendency may be to get a little bit negativewith much of this analysis, keep looking at your threebest climbs for any category, and tell yourself you'vedone a great job. Feel good about youraccomplishments. It's taken a lot of work to get thosethree names on that piece of paper. Be proud.

The Importance of Setting GoalsAs climbers, and at a more basic level as humans, weneed to set goals and work to achieve them. However,we must realize that perfection is always a movingtarget. Set your goals too high and you could end upfrustrated or injured. Set them too low and you're sellingyourself short of your ultimate potential. And mostimportantly, once you meet your goals, give yourself a

Type of Climbing

1. Name, grade, date 1. Name, grade2. Name, grade, date 2. Name, grade3. Name, grade, date 3. Name, grade

1 in our next issue . . .

for example:

BoulderingBest:

1. Big Brutha, 5.1 la, 06/23/962. Huevos Grande, 5. lOd, 05/23/963. Nameless Route, 5. lOc, 05/12/95

LeadingBest:

1. Hardstart, 5.10, 06/22/962. Barking Fish, 5.8, 06/22/963. Rock-It Man, 5.7, 03/24/96

Goals:1. Mothra, 5.lie2. Unknown Growth, 5.1 Ic3. Fester's Playhouse, 5.lib

Goals:1. Loose Lady, 5.102. The Dirt Mantle, 5.93. Lucky Lady, 5.8

Analyzing Your Climbing HistoryOnce you've filled out the charts, sit down with them,grab a cold one, and ask yourself some hard questions.

• What is my primary goal? Is it to be a better leader?To be a better boulderer? What kinds of climbs do I needto work on the achieve this goal?

Can't promise anything ... but we're working on aspecial Eastern Sierra (November/December) issue ofmOthEr rOck: The main story will be mOthEr rOck'sEastern Sierra Road Trip! Join Matt Artz, MattMcGunigle, and whoever else shows up for a week ofmoderate boulder problems, topropes, and leads at IrisSlab, Alpers Canyon, The Buttermilks, Deadman'sSummit, Tall Boys, Clark Canyon, or wherever else weend up. We also plan to include a mini-guide to IrisSlab, lots of cool pictures, and enough other stuff to gagyour favorite climber. Whatever we end up printing, itwill be pretty cool, and you won't want to miss it! Soget off yer ass and subscribe already.

mOthEr rOck is on-line!!!!

Visit us at http://members.aol.com/mOthErrOck

page 11


brew of the month

Rhino Chasers Dark AleMmmmmm...dark beer. The nectar of the gods. Thedecaf coffee of the anti-trendy. The carbo drink of thetrue athlete. The J-Tree breakfast of champions.

I cannot begin to describe Rhino Chasers Dark Alewithout the tears starting to well up in my bloodshoteyes. It's got me through many a tough time. It's likean old friend who was always there for me. Sunshine ona cloudy day. If it was a song, it would be "You LightUp My Life," covered by White Zombie. You get thepicture.

Photo: Matt Artz

mOthEr rOck poster child and all-around wonder boyDarell Palmer, with the J-Tree variation to the Grand

Slam breakfast—and no pesky egg aftertaste!

Rhino Chasers is getting harder to find lately. Ifyou can't find it in your area, give William & ScottCompany a call at 800-788-HORN. And tell them I saidhello. <sniffle>.

mOthEr rOck guide book

mOthEr rOck Magazine's Turtle Rock Bouldering Guideby Matt Artz. The most comprehensive guide availableto the mega-classic Real Hidden Valley/Turtle Rockbouldering area in Joshua Tree National Park. This bookcontains information on more than 70 routes, many ofwhich are not listed by Mari Gingery, Randy Vogel, andCraig Fry in their excellent guidebooks. Lots of photosand topos. $8 postpaid. To order, send check/moneyorder for to mOthEr rOcfc/The AMCC Group, P.O. Box7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151, and you'll be set.

secret spot solution

Solution to last month's secret spot: No, itwasn't Onyx Summit, but that was the best guess. Itwas Falling Rock Canyon, a side canyon to Icehouse

Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains. There's lots ofrock in the San Gabriels (the best known site being ofcourse Mount Williamson), but much of it is rotten.Scattered amongst the rotten rocks in places like FallingRock Canyon are the occasional solid crag. You justhave to do a lot of exploring to find them.

Got an idea for the Secret Spot column for our nextissue? E-mail us at [email protected] with youridea, or just mail the photo and a description to mOthErrOck, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

events

It sounded like a great idea. A list of local eventshappening over the next few months. A nice publicservice type deal. Suddenly I was overwhelmed byliterally hundreds and hundreds of event listings, whichwould have taken up nine or ten precious pages ofmOthEr rOck. I can't afford that. Not right now. I'llrevisit the idea at some point in the future. For now, I'llbe more than happy to publish info about events in theform of paid ads in the "classifieds" section.

mOthEr rOck parting shot

"At high altitudes, there's no place for the fantastic,because reality in itself is more marvelous than anythingman could imagine. Could anyone dream up a gnome ora giant or a hydra or a catoblepas to rival the terrifyingpower of a glacier, the tiniest little glacier?"

-- Rene Daumal, "Mount Analogue", 1952.

Copyright © 1996 mOthEr rOck/The AMCC Group.mOthEr rOck is published six times a year (unless interruptedby a road trip to climb somewhere) by The AMCC Group,P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151. E-mail:mOthErrOck @ aol. com.

Publisher:The AMCC Group

Editorial Board:Matt McGunigleGeoff Wade

Editor:Matt Artz

Darell PalmerJannine Senior

Bob GoffRuth Artz

Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), send acheck or money order for $10 to mOthEr rOck/The AMCCGroup, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20 annually.

Editorial Submissions: Write it, send it to us, we'll considerit. We're a no budget operation, so send a SASE if you needyour materials back.

Disclaimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If you havenot yet figured that out, you're an idiot and you shouldprobably stop climbing now before you hurt yourself andothers. And if you think you can bet your life on anythingyou read in mOthEr rOck, think again. We make no claimsto the accuracy of any of the information contained in thesepages, and cannot be held responsible in any way for any ofyour actions, acts of nature, or fate. You're on your own,bro. That's the way it should be. You're a climber after all.

page 12

a southern California climbing magazineNovember/December 1996 Number 3

¥ I 11k/*:; - ;,,^

:, • I .. I I «|m !• plS I!

The EasternSierra: Climbing-

Paradise?

The UltimateEastern Sierra

Road Trip:

• Buttermilks> Deadman's Summit

Tall Boys• Iris Slab

• The Stumps: : : I • Big Springs

•.If: mOthEr rOckMini-Guide

to Iris Slab

1 ButtermilksBachelor Party

Mt. Whitney'sMountaineer's

Route

Brew of the Month:Sierra Nevada

Pale Ale

Cover Photo: Matt McGunigle Bouldering at The Buttermilks

Hangdoggin' with the Editor

mOthEr rOck editor Matt Artz bouldering in J-Tree. Photo: Darell Pali

The Eastern Sierra: Climbing Paradise?A lot of people are really bagging on Southern California thesedays. With smog, fires, earthquakes, riots, the bad economy, andof course O.J., it's very easy to do. For many, the idyllic dreamof Southern California—swimmin' pools, movie stars—has fadedinto the proverbial sunset. In Beverly Hills, yesterday'schampagne is today's urine. Let's all move to Seattle, where wecan live the good life.

Whatever. As a climber, I know one thing for sure: here inSouthern California we have enough climable rock to gag ahundred Frenchmen. And if that's not enough, one of the greatesttreasures of California, the United States, and dare I say the entireworld is just a few short hours away by car...

I'm of course talking about the Sierra Nevada mountainrange. In honor of my favorite range of rock, I hereby dedicatethis issue of mOthEr rOck entirely to the Eastern Sierra.

Photo: Matt Art/.

Christian Harder toproping at The Tall Boys,Indiana Summit Natural Area, Eastern Sierra

In Praise of the Eastern SierraOne of the feature articles in this issue, "Adventures of theMediocre," details my first entry-level mountaineering trip to theSierra: an ascent of Mt. Whitney's Mountaineer's Route. Thelack of technical difficulty of the route got the story idea turneddown by the other climbing rags. Too bad for them, because theenthusiasm of a beginning mountaineer really shines through,

and would make a pleasant deviation from the typical I-am-ultra-hard-man-feel-my-agony stories they seem to be feeding us.

This little adventure really meant something to me, and insmall ways changed my life forever. You don't have to be MarkTwight, and you don't have to solo 3,000 feet of overhanging icein yer underwear with three broken legs in order for a climb toreally mean something, to have a profound impact on your life.That's what mOthEr rOck is all about.

More recently, me and some buds took the mOthEr rOckmobile (kinda like the Batmobile, except it won't save GothamCity, and it smells like stinky climbing shoes) up to the EasternSierra for a week of climbing fun. The good, the bad, and theugly is captured forever in black and white in a fun story in thisissue titled "The Ultimate Eastern Sierra Road Trip."

The Unaclimber's ManifestoFor some of you, this is your first exposure to mOthEr rOck, somaybe our third issue is a good place for me to reinforce what westand for.• Anti-eletisim, e.g., "toproping is not a crime."• Fun and good humor: climb hard, laugh harder.• Climbing for everyone, regardless of the grade.• The destruction of industrial society...oh, wait a minute,

that's that other guy, the one in Montana...

In the last six months, mOthEr rOck has matured from ahomegrown newsletter with a very small cult following to, well,a slightly more professional rag with a slightly larger cultfollowing. True to our goals, and regardless of severe financialhardship, we'll continue to provide our small but highlyenthusiastic subscriber base with a fun and informative newsletterfull of great stuff about climbing in Southern California. Ifyou're in to it, you can help by subscribing; if you've alreadysubscribed, get a friend to subscribe. Thanks.

Long live the weekend warrior climber! Long live mOthEr rOck\ Artz, Editor

m OthErrOck @ aol.com

Classifieds

(Advertise here for only $10 per issue, with up to six lines oftext. Bro, that's cheap. $5 more gets your logo scanned anddropped in. Send your words along with your check to mOthErrOck, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

Join the Rim of the World Climbing Club. Monthly outings.Quarterly newsletter. Only $30 annually! For information, write toROWCC, P.O. Box 1110, Running Springs, CA 92382.Mom was right: mOthEr rOck Magazine RULES! Subscribe today.One year/six issues, only ten bucks. Send check/money order tomOthEr rOck, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

15-year-old Quotes

"Climb hard, do what works for you, and have fun."— Katie Brown, 15 years old

"We're living in the 90's. Climbing is different now."— Chris Sharma, 15 years old

mOthEr rOck #3 Page 1 November/December 1996

The Ultimate Eastern Sierra Road Tripby Matt Artz

It was a perfect late summer day in the Eastern Sierra. A littlehot in the sun, but perfect in the shade, with a nice breezeproviding a fresh, cool feeling that reveals man's attempt at airconditioning for what it truly is: a dismal failure, a poorrepresentation of perfection.

The pleasant roar of Rock Creek soothes my ears. The sharpsmoothness of the grass in Iris Meadows caresses my toes. Theincense of cedar and sage fills my nostrils. My senses combineto whisper one word to me over and over: "relax." This is quiet,peaceful time. Away from the distractions, annoyances, and pettyproblems of the so-called civilized world. Relaxing in nature,overstimulated by the simultaneous complexity and simplicity ofnature, in a state that seems almost timeless, I listen to mysenses and for a moment in time I merely exist.

But one of my senses is rebelling: my sense of sight. Foracross the meadow, on the other side of the river, beyond thepines, the cedars, the quaking aspens, and up the steep sage-covered slopes, lies a rock. It meshes perfectly with thesurrounding environment, yet this integral component of theSierra landscape has assumed a bloated status in my warped mind.For I am a climber, and try as I may to listen to my brain andrelax, some things are just not possible. And this is one of thosetimes.

Welcome to Iris SlabTowering above myself and the meadow and the creek is the faceof Iris Slab, one of the most popular climbing areas in theEastern Sierra. It is calling me. Resistance is futile.

Back in the days before development of the Owens RiverGorge turned that destination into the Walmart of Eastsideclimbing, Iris Slab was arguably the most popular spot in theEastern Sierra. Located in a tranquil setting above Iris Meadowsin stunning Rock Creek Canyon, it's a large, polished slab up toabout 85 to 90 feet high with ten climbing routes on it. Sevenof the ten routes are 5.4 to 5.8, and there is not a single route onthe rock that is not of either good or excellent quality. Combinethese factors with the beautiful setting and the 15 minuteapproach, and it's no wonder that this is still one of the singlemost popular Sierra rocks east of Yosemite. It's also a verypopular site with local guides teaching beginning climbingclasses.

I must climb it. After all, I wasn't here to relax. I was inthe middle of a climbing safari of the Eastern Sierra. No time topower lounge in a meadow for three hours. Matt McGunigle andI were on a mission to climb like crazed lunatics for five days.

We eventually tear ourselves away from the comfort of ouridyllic surroundings, and head up the "trail" to the base of theslab. Setting a toprope above "Welcome to the Iris Slab," 5.8***, we find the right side of the slab tests the limits of doublinga 165-foot rope. Matt cruises the route, hesitating for only asecond at the crux. But then, he's a good slab climber.Reluctantly, I step up to the rope next. I take my sweet time,finding two more cruxes than Matt did, but enjoying the climbquite a bit. It's definitely one of the better climbs on Iris Slab.

Next, using the same toprope, Matt heads up "Sting," 5.8**. He takes it a little slower this time, but still moves fluidly

up the rock. Near the top, where the crack disappears, he pausesfor a long time. He eventually places hand and feet tenuously onnear-nothing holds, and gingerly powers his way over the top.

My ascent of "Sting" goes quite differently. When I get tothe spot that stumped him, I pause for an eternity. This cannotbe 5.8!!??? My left foot begins to fall asleep due to acombination of boredom and still-not-yet-fully-broken-inFive.Ten Moccasyms. When it's finally time to move that foot,I move it to a good hold, but my brain refuses to cooperatebecause of the lack of data flowing to it from the sleeping foot. Ieventually pull off a sick, insane 5.10a traverse on nothing butdime edges and 75 feet of air, and finish off using the last 10 or15 feet of "Welcome to the Iris Slab," which seemed invitinglyfamiliar the second time around.

Maybe after doing a multitude of 5.10 boulder problems theday before, I needed a dose of reality. Or maybe it's just the well-known fact that I suck at slab climbing. Whether it's making mecringe for mama on a 5.7, or spitting me off a 5.8 with glee, IrisSlab continuously humbles me. It teaches me that I still havemuch to learn in order to climb slabs well.

Photo: Matt McGunigle

Matt Artz lards up The Sunshine Boulder, The Buttermilks

Butter-milkingThe day before had been very different, a definite feel-good day inevery way. We awoke at The Buttermilks when the sun waswarm, and decided to concentrate on the area around Grandma andGrandpa Peabody, the two largest boulders. We warmed up onthe 5.9 on Baby Peabody, then moved over to the short, near-holdless (and—cringe—sort of slabby!) 5.10a on the boulderbetween Baby Peabody and Grandpa Peabody. We cooled downfor a minute by doing one of the 5.8 (easy, but fairly exposed)routes on the left side of the main face of Sunshine Boulder.Then we worked the 5.10a/b route on the far right of the sameface-I made it very high, with the last move clearly in reach, butjust couldn't commit to such an off-the-deck problem so early inthe trip. I ended up downclimbing it. Next time, toprope! (Yes,there is a nice shiny bolt on top right above the problem).


Moving on, we arrived at what must be my favorite rock atThe Buttermilks-the Green Wall Boulder. After two years ofattempting it and painfully stretching my finger tendons to thepoint of snapping, this time I finally had the finger strength tocrank the 5.1 Ob on the left side! With that old monkey off myback, I followed with an onsight of the S.lOb route just right ofthe arete. Then, for the next half hour, I put in 12 to 15 tries onthe 5.10c route left of center. Matt watched and rested throughmost of these attempts, pulling it off on his third or fourth try,while I fell from very high on my last try, my arms totallypumped from the many repeats. Oh, well, with the beta and fresharms, I'll nail it next time on my first try. Something to lookforward to—or obsess about—for the next trip.

Dead Man ClimbingOff to Wilson's Eastside Sporting Goods in Bishop. I neededtape if I was going to continue to climb for the entire trip.Besides, I'd been meaning to pick up a copy of John Sherman'sbouldering bible "Stone Crusade," and I knew Wilson's had it instock. It made for great reading material for a road trip.

Photo: Matt Artz

Matt McGunigle, S.lOa traverse, Deadman's Summit

Our next destination was Deadman's Summit, the secondworld-class bouldering stop we'd make that day. Isn't climbingin California the greatest? Anyway, Matt and I had attempted awonderful 5.1 Ob finger crack at Deadman's two months prior, buthad turned back near the top because it was so off-the-deck withan uncharacteristic (for Deadman's) very hard landing. We hadvowed to return and toprope it.

Finding the route again was simple, while setting thetoprope proved to be an arduous task. When we eventually got itset, the climb suddenly took on a ridiculous perspective. Itlooked very short, and it turned out to be just that. With thesafety of a toprope, we had each topped out before we could eventake a breath. It was somewhat of an anticlimax, after twomonths of obsessing over that crack; but it did feel good tofinally do it. And hats off to Bachar and the other hard boys who

must certainly have very large cajones to free solo routes muchharder—and higher—than this one.

Using the same toprope (after an hour of setup and 30seconds of climbing, I'll be damned if I was going to break thatpuppy down just yet!), we moved right to a S.lOa face. I pulledit off, but was on the verge of coming off this vertical pocketfestalmost the entire way. It seemed infinitely harder than the 5.10bfinger crack we had just cruised! Next, Matt attacked the face,doing it with only one hang as he got three fingers painfullystuck in a two-finger pocket. Was that route really S.lOa?Looking at the topo later, I think we were off route and finishedon the 5.10d face next to it. Or maybe Bachar is so damn good,he has no clue how to differentiate between S.lOa and 5.10d.

So my afternoon of slab sucking at Iris had been preceded bya wonderful day of bouldering at two of the premier boulderingspots in California, if not the entire U.S. I must try to conquermy slab hang-up. Pondering analytically, my poor slabperformance was probably 10% sloppy footwork and 90% mentalfailure. I would work on my slab technique more in themorning, trying Iris Slab again. Matt had some ridiculous ideathat we would try to toprope a S.lOa and a S.lOc—on a slab! Butall I could think about was warming myself by the fire andpopping a nice beer.

Revenge on the SlabThe next morning, we awoke cold and tired to watch the sunrisecreep down the crest towards Iris Slab. Christian, Bob, and Joicehad joined us in the night for brew and burritos. The five of uswere now eating coffee cake and waiting for the sun to hit us,giving us a blast of warmth and a hint that climbing may in factbe possible on what seemed to be such a cold day.

The sun broke, and off we were to the slab—me with quite abit of trepidation, with my unnatural fear of slabs haunting myevery step. Under pressure from Matt, we jumped straight on myworst slabby nightmare—a toprope attempt of "Easy Way Out,"at S.lOa ** by far the most hideous slab route I had everattempted, and about four grades beyond my slab comfort level.To my tremendous surprise, I cranked it without a single hang,never even getting out of breath or breaking pace. It actuallyseemed fairly easy. Hallelujah! My losing streak on slabs hadbeen broken!

Feeling unstoppable, we upped the ante by two chips andmoved to a toprope attempt of "Crazy Bald Head," 5. lOc ***. Atthe "bald" section the climb is named for, about two-thirds of theway up the route, I gave it a great try. Smearing and palmingmy way up the 20-foot blank section where dime edges were thejugs, I actually pulled off three consecutive moves on absolutelynothing before I had to hang. Matt and I both moved righttowards the aptly named "Easy Way Out" to get around the crux,then finished off straight up—but not before pulling off somegreat 5.10b/c face moves. Although we had taken a slight detour,in general we were elated with our significant improvement inslab climbing for the day. It was hard to be at all disappointedwith our performance! We finished out the morning with Bob,Joice, and Christian having a great time toproping a series ofclimbs ranging from 5.4 to 5.7.

Next Stop: Big SpringsWe quickly packed up our campsite in Iris Meadows to beat the2 p.m. "check-out time," and were heading south to Big Springs

mOthErrOck#3 PageS November/December 1996

campground...but not before a brief stop in Mammoth foressentials (hot dogs, chili, ice, beer, and Carl's Junior).

Big Springs has got to be among the best campsites in theMammoth area, especially for climbers—it's free, in a beautifulforested setting along the headwaters of the Owens River, andwithin quick striking distance of Clark Canyon, Alpers Canyon,The Stumps, Tall Boys, Rick's Rocks, and many other climbingdestinations including Deadman's Summit. After reclaiming ourprimo campsite at Big Springs that we had "reserved" a few daysprior by leaving an ugly blue tarp and a few empty water jugs,we were off on the dirt roads heading north towards Tall Boys.

The Tall BoysFive miles on mostly excellent quality dirt roads lead us to the"Indiana Summit Natural Area" sign where the guidebook directedus to park for the short hike to Tall Boys. A few hundred yardsdown the trail, we noticed a rocky outcrop on our left. Wefollowed this, and shortly the rock got to be about 15 feet tall andoverhanging. I saw some chalk on a few holds. This must be it!

Tall Boys is the lesser known, less evil twin of Deadman'sSummit. Same type of rock, same letterbox slots. What TallBoys has over Deadman's is a much more pleasant, forestedsetting; an almost complete lack of foot traffic; more usable slotsper square foot on the rock; and numerous climbs that are lesssevere. At Deadman's, however, the rock is more highlypolished, and more exposed to the sun, with an almost completelack of the lichen that forms a vertical carpet of black velvet onmany of the problems at Tall Boys.

Photo: Malt Artz

Matt McGunigle cranks a steep problem at The Tall Boys

We worked the excellent 15-foot tall overhanging boulderseveral times, doing a nasty face full of dynos, then an odd butsomewhat easier arete where I had to throw my left foot aroundthe edge in sort of a side-pull heelhook for balance. We thencontinued south along the outcrop, doing a series of increasinglyhigher and higher (and mostly easier) slab and vertical problems.We then rounded a corner and came face to face with thebeginning of the high problems the place was named for.

Countless 30 to 40 foot classic pockmarked faces and aretes,most vertical and some slightly overhanging, stretch through the

forest for a few hundred yards. Scoping out the top for possibleanchor sites, I was elated to find three coldshuts placed rightabove the long face we had decided to toprope! But my joy lastedonly a short while as a group of bees mistook my out-of-placepurple shorts and multicolored shirt for pollen central, and Ilimped away in pain, having been stung for the first time in mylife almost simultaneously by three bastard bees.

Still wincing in discomfort from the stings, we roped up fora stunning vertical to slightly overhanging pocketfest about 35feet high. It was a moderate classic, but so were dozens of otherproblems at Tall Boys. We did some more shorter problems,finished off with some severe bouldering, then headed back to ourcampsite at Big Springs for chili dogs and ice cold beverages.

The StumpsSunday morning we awoke to ice on our pots and pans. Slowlysipping hot beverages, we stood around the revived campfire anddebated where to climb for the day. Our planned destination,Clark Canyon, was scrapped as we decided we wanted a site botha little closer to the campsite and less crowded. We settled on theobvious compromise, a place called The Stumps.

The Stumps is located about three miles on dirt roads fromBig Springs campground. Forming the walls of a tremendousnatural amphitheater, The Stumps consists of three main crags ofmostly trad crack climbing with a few scattered bolt ladders. Wechose the first crag on the left, which offered us five routesranging from 5.9 to 5.10b. The approach was hideous, up steep,loose, pumicy slopes. But the magnificent setting more thanmade up for the painful approach.

Did I say earlier that Tall Boys was the twin sibling ofDeadman's Summit? Let me clarify: The Stumps is the twin ofDeadman's, and Tall Boys is merely a cousin. The Stumpsfeatures the same polished volcanic faces as Deadman's, with asimilar concentration of letterbox holds and near lack of lichen.But where Deadman's routes may reach only up to 30 to 35 feettall, routes of similar quality but 60 to 80 feet tall are notuncommon at The Stumps.

Matt set two bomber topropes that gave us access to all fiveroutes. We dove straight in, attempting "Free Burning" 5.10b *(TR) as our "warm up." It's a wickedly steep, unrelenting facechock full of a mixture of the trademarked sharp and slopingletterbox holds. Matt made impressive progress on two attempts,the consitent severity of the route spitting him off about twothirds of the way up. I got about a third of the way up beforemental failure: preparing to dyno for a slot high above my head,I spotted what appeared to be bright red lichen on the top of thehold. It turned out to be Matt's blood, fresh and dripping from asharp fang on the top of the slot. The vampire hold would notclaim me as it's second victim of the day. That was enough forme to say bye-bye to "Free Burning."

We spent the rest of the morning toproping routes such as"Orange Zigzag," 5.9 **, a very nice hand/fist crack, and "Roll'em Easy," 5.9 *, another crack which was among the easierroutes we tried because it was one of the rare Stumps routesoffering some nice resting spots on the way up. Most routes atThe Stumps are continuous pumpers.

Thrice Bitten, Twice ShyI wanted in a bad way to crank "Knucklenutz," 5.10a **, abeautiful 50 foot finger crack, but reconsidered when I saw the


beehive inside the crack towards the bottom. Still swollen frommy misadventures in bee-land at Tall Boys, and not willing torisk further disfigurement (not to mention pain) in the name of afine line, I decided to leave it for another day. We must comeback next summer: to tick "Free Burning" after working moreendurance on long, pumpy routes; and to tick "Knucklenutz,"assuming the bees and/or my fears of their kind are gone.

Back at camp in Big Springs for some rest and relaxation, itwasn't long before Matt, Christian, and I had grabbed shoes andchalk bags and gone for a "stroll." Downstream from thecampground, the south side sported some big rocks, but the northside was tempting us with some smaller rocks that might holdsome potential for good bouldering. Within an hour or two, wehad created five or six pumpy jugfests, repeating most of themseveral times. A deer and two fawns watched from about ahundred feet away, wondering why these strange creatures wereheaving themselves up rock faces and making strange gruntingnoises. Finished, we hobbled back to camp totally worked andready to scarf. There's no rest for the wicked on a road trip.

Matt and Christian borrowed my car keys and headed down toMammoth to replenish our dwindling supply of beverages. Boband Joice rounded up all remaining scraps and morsels of food,assembling the most incredible stew ever concocted. I tended thefire, enjoying my last evening of this Sierra road trip.

As the stew disappeared and the brew wore thin, the airturned cold and we huddled closer to the fire for warmth as weswapped stories. The subject matter wavered violently, fromfriends and coworkers, to routes tried and sometimes completed,to wild events factual or fictitious. Matt, a former hang glidinginstructor, told us of the annual parties thrown by hang gliderpilots where they would throw a hang glider into the fire as asacrafice to appease the hang gliding gods.

Looking back, it had been a wonderful trip. I had foundsome new places to climb, learned some new tricks, spent sometime with new friends. The climbing gods had smiled kindly onus. Returning the favor, I threw my trusty old locking caribinerinto the fire. We all watched intently as it began to glow, thenquickly twisted and contorted, dripping molten metal down intothe fire. And as quickly as it had started, it was all over. Tooquickly.

Buttermilks Bachelor Party?!?!

Kidnapped by Ruthless Climbers, GeoffWade Spends His Last Weekend of Freedomat One with Brew and Stoneby Matt Artz

As reported in our last issue, mOthEr rOck groupies Geoff Wadeand Jannine Senior were recently engaged. What better way tosend off the happy groom than a mOthEr rOck bachelor party?

No strippers here. Matt Artz, Matt McGunigle, ChristianHarder, and unknowing victim Geoff loaded up the car on Fridayafternoon, October 11, and headed around the coiner to theFive.Ten warehouse in Redlands to "buy some shoes." On theway back to work, we "took a wrong turn" and ended up at theButtermilks. By 7 p.m., Geoff s head was still spinning, but hewas starting to come around, and we had a real nice dinner at afine Italian establishment in Bishop (Samuel Adams on tap!).

After resisting attempts to be "recruited" by some Germantourists of thankfully still unknown sexual persuasion, we bailedfor the Buttermilks, arriving at the parking lot before 10 p.m.We were all pretty tired, so after a couple more beers and somestargazing, we passed out fairly early.

Saturday morning we were on the rocks by about 7:30 a.m.First, Ranger Rock, where Geoff and I did the 5.9, then Christiandid it—his first 5.9!!! We all worked the 5.10d for way too long,Matt getting a nice big bloody rip on his left thumb from it.

Off to Iron Man Traverse, 5.lid, where Matt got almosthalfway, and I came up a little shorter than that. What awonderful climb—even if it was completely beyond us! Lookingfor something easier, I tried the thin overhanging finger crack atthe left end of Iron Man. I pulled it off first try, but it was veryhard in the crack and I nearly came off. Geoff completed it aswell. Matt got on it a few times, but bailed because his armswere pumped from getting so far on the traverse. (When I gothome Saturday night, I looked up this climb in the guidebook,and stared in disbelief at the 5.1 Ic rating! Somebody pinch me.The guidebook must be wrong on this one...maybe a 5.10c???)

Then over to The Buttocks (lovely name), to fire off the5.10c plates route we admire so dearly. Matt and I repeated itwith ease (it seems much easier than the 5.10c rating, but we'lltake it), Geoff got it on his second try (he was a little off routeon his first try), and Christian put in a great effort for someonewho has been climbing maybe 5 or 6 times in his life and justdid his first 5.9 that morning. I tried the 5.10c "buttocks crack"but it was too dirty for me, little crumblies coming off the rockand embedding in my skin, so we moved on.

Next stop, the Green Wall Boulder, my favorite. I think weall did the 5.9 crack on the right side. Me and Matt (or was itGeoff?) did the 5.1 Ob face to the left of the crack, which involvesa dyno up to the first hold that's hard to stick. Once you get thedyno (first move), the rest is cake, relatively speaking. Next, weworked the 5. lOc just right of the left arete. I had failed on it theprevious month (see story "The Ultimate Eastern Sierra RoadTrip," in this issue), and this time got it second try! I even didthis throw for a hold up at the top where I had fallen on the lasttrip; this time, I missed the hold, but didn't fall, was able torecover then snagged it! Lastly, I tried the 5.10b arete which I'vedone before, but by this time my fingers were buttermilk toast.

We walked around, tried a "5.8" that's more like a 5.10a or b,did the big juggy 5.4 face, and by then it was over. We all putour "street shoes" back on, but I convinced people to try the shortbut physical 5.9 on the Baby Peabody boulder...you grab acouple of jugs, take your feet off the ground and get them as highas possible, then throw a hand way up high to a rounded mantel.I did it 4 or 5 times with my Five.Tennies on, and we all had alot of fun on it.

Lastly, Geoff worked the short 5.10a slab between GrandpaPeabody and Baby Peabody, getting it after about 4 or 5 minutes,and we were off to Bishop for a nice greasy lunch at an authenticdiner on Main Street. We stopped at Little Lake on the way backto check out the boulders there (looks like some fun stuff, butnot worth a separate trip), and of course the Burger King inPearsonville was the usual mandatory stop.

We were back in the parking lot at work by 6:30 p.m. Saturdaynight. All agreed that it was a great way to do a bachelor party.Good friends, good rock, good times. Good luck, Geoff and Jann!


mOthEr rOck Mini-Guide

Iris Slab, Rock Creek Canyon,Eastern Sierraby Matt Artz

As mentioned elsewhere in this issue, Iris Slab used to be themost crowded climbing site in the Eastern Sierra. With the recentdevelopment of the Owens River Gorge and other sites, thecrowds at Iris Slab can seem trivial in comparison, although thesite is still extremely popular with beginning and intermediateclimbers as well as local guides teaching climbing classes.

2^ '

Matt Artz high on "Easy Way Out," S.lOa R **, Iris Slab.

Iris Slab consists of ten high quality slab routes 80+ feetlong, and four pairs of shiney new bolts on top provide topropeprotection for nine of the ten climbs. All routes were first donein the 1970s, with the exception of "You Saw It, But WeClimbed It," which was first climbed in 1994.

Getting ThereDrive north on 395 out of Bishop, exiting at Tom's Place. Drive4 miles up Rock Creek Canyon, and park outside Iris MeadowsCampground. Do not park in the campground unless you intendto stay the night and pay the fee! Walk down the dirt roadthrough the campground and meadow, cross the river, and try tofind the trail up the slope to the slab. There are one or two trailsthat are better than the countless other meandering paths. Try to

stick to the most well-traveled routes, and avoid further erosion ofthe fragile yet heavily used slope. It's a five to ten minutescramble up the hill to the obvious slab.

Routes

10

4.

Jah Irie, 5.7 **. Crack, lead with pro to 3 inches. Noanchors on top, but can be toproped with natural pro.Beginner's Crack, 5.4 R ***. Crack, lead with proto 3 inches. Can be toproped using bolts "A".Two-Step, 5.6 **. Crack/seam, lead with pro to 3

inches. Can be toproped using bolts "A".Crazy Bald Head, S.lOc R ***. Face, lead with thinpro. Can be toproped using bolts "A".Easy Way Out, S.lOa R **. Face, lead with thin pro.Can be toproped using bolts "A"" or "B".Walking on a Thin Line, 5.7 **. Crack, lead withpro to 2 inches. Can be toproped using "B".Welcome to the Iris Slab, 5.8 ***. Crack, lead withpro to 2 inches. Can be toproped using bolts "C" or "D" (use"D" for shorter ropes).Sting, 5.8 **. Crack, lead with pro to 2 inches. Can betoproped using bolts "C" or "D" (use "D" for shorter ropes).Groovin', 5.8 R **. Crack, lead with thin pro. Can betoproped using bolts "C" or "D" (use "D" for shorter ropes).You Saw It, But We Climbed It, S.lOc ** TR.

Face and thin crack. Toprope route. Use bolts "C".

References• Mammoth Area Rock Climbs, by Marty Lewis and John

Moynier. July 1996.• Rock & Ice Guide to Rock Creek Canyon, by Scott Ayers.

Rock & Ice #59, January/February 1994, pages 63-68.• Rock Climbs of the Sierra East Side, by Alan Bartlett and

Errett Allen. 1988. Out of print.

9.

10

mOthEr rOck Quote

"Shamefully, I understand the only blasphemy—to willinglyjeapordize my life, which I have done, and it sickens me."

— John Long, "The Only Blasphemy"


Adventures of the Mediocre

A Guided Ascent of Mt. Whitney's Mountaineer's Routeby Matt Artz

"The heroes I admired in my youth seemed to posses abilities andvirtues beyond the grasp of ordinary men. My desire to emulatethem was very great but never succeeded n approaching their highstandards.

"I discovered that even the mediocre can have adventures and eventhe fearful canachieve."

—Edmund Hillary, Nothing Venture, Nothing Win, 1975

Ed Hillary was my hero, and as can only be expected my attemptsto emulate him fell far short of the high standards he set. Myown visions of adventure started before I can remember, but inthe late 1970's began to focus on something that seemedachievable, even if slightly mediocre. Like Hillary, I wanted toclimb a mountain. Unlike Hillary, my mountain was notnecessarily Mt. Everest.

My cousin Jeff had given me a copy of a booklet calledClimbing Mount Whitney by Wheelock and Condon. For severalyears, together Jeff and I plotted our strategy for hiking the 11mile trail to Whitney's summit. At 14,494 feet, the highest pointin the continental United States, it was the crown jewel of theroyal Sierra Nevada range, and a milestone in the life of manywith interests in hiking or mountaineering. And with some 6,200feet of elevation gain from the trailhead to the summit, this wasno stroll in the park. It would be our adventure. Our mediocreEverest.

Over the next ten years, the dream slowly faded. Little thingslike college, career, and family seemed to put even more distancebetween Mt. Whitney and me. The final series of nails in the Mt.Whitney coffin were revelations of the severe overcrowding onthe peak. A lottery system for permits to hike to the summit.Tales of 200 people intimately sharing the summit on a holidayweekend. A toilet on the summit. A true unwildernessexperience. So I moved on to somewhat wilder, less traveled, and—yes—lower peaks.

Yet dreams of Mt. Whitney—the tall one—continued tognaw at my spirit. More than a dozen years after our initial dreameuphoria, I decided to revisit the possibility of ascending thismountain. With some four years of technical rock climbingexperience, surely there must be another way to the summit. If Icould not avoid the crowds at the destination, at least I couldavoid the freeway leading there by taking a back road.

The Welcome AlternativeIt turns out that the freeway, uh, trail is not the only way to thetop. A number of technical rock climbing routes lead up the EastFace, by far the two most popular being the classic East FaceRoute (first climbed by Sierra mountaineering legends NormanClyde, Jules Eichorn, Glen Dawson, and Robert Underbill in1931), and the more aesthetic East Buttress Route. Yet my mostexciting discovery was something called the Mountaineer'sRoute.

On October 21, 1873, John Muir, father of the Sierras,summitted Mt. Whitney by a new route. Up until this time, themountain had only been climbed by less technical routes, for themost part roughly following the route of today's popular hikingtrail. But Muir ascended the mountain by way of the couloirbetween Whitney's East Buttress and North Face. TheMountaineer's Route. The first "technical" route up Mt. Whitney.My adventure had been identified.

Questioning my own mountaineering skills, and bowing toconcerns from my family as to the safety of such an undertaking,I wondered if this route was something that I should evenconsider. A climb such as this must be worth the risk. At thesame time, risk should be minimized to an acceptable level. Howcould I reduce the risk yet still have my adventure?

The Guide FactorMountain guides, immensely popular in areas such as the Alps,are somewhat a rarity in many parts of the United States. I wasnot too crazy about using guides, especially on something as"tame" as Mt. Whitney, until I read a paragraph in the bookAscent by Jeremy Bernstein, where he describes the death of hisfriend Georges. "I looked forward to seeing (Georges again)," saysBernstein, "but before we could meet he was killed. His deathmade a deep impression on me. Apart from anything else, itconvinced me once again of the extreme dangers involved inclimbing, even forclimbers as skilled and experienced as Georgeswas. I decided that I myself would never climb anything reallydifficult without a guide." While a guide obviously cannotguarantee a climb completely without risk, surely tapping thevast experience of a guide increases your odds of having a safetrip. Bernstein convinced me that a guide was a reasonableprecaution for those of us craving mountaineering but not yetready to pay for it with our lives.

mOthEr rOck #3 Page? November/December 1996

The guide we chose, Todd Vogel, was a veteran of SierraNevada climbs. He had been to the summit of Mt. Whitney someseventeen times, by way of the Mountaineer's Route, the EastFace Route, the East Buttress Route, and other routes. A manafter my own heart, he had never been to the top of Whitney byway of the main hiking trail. And with him, we managed to feelmuch safer.

Human Pack MulesIn the parking lot at Whitney Portal, we made the finalpreparations for our three days on Mount Whitney. Jeff could notmake this trip, but my old friend Steve Harris had stepped in tojoin me. My pack had seemed surprisingly light, and it had been;only 30 pounds with empty water bottles and lacking the fewminor pieces of group equipment to be supplied by our guide.Now at the trailhead, with my three quarts of water, group food, astove, a rope, a climbing harness, and other miscellaneoussupplies, a terrible thing had happened—my moderate pack hadgrown into a 60+ pound monster. Steve's pack was no better. Itwas going to be a long, long way to the top...

Steve (left) and Todd on the Ebersbacher Ledges.

As it turns out, it was a long way just to the trailhead. Wehad parked in the "overflow parking" section at Whitney Portal,which meant a 5 minute hike up the main road to get to thetrailhead. That short hike was a spirit-buster, and it was only thebeginning. Only two or three minutes into the hike, I could thinkof only one thing: I was dead meat. Arriving at the "official"trailhead at exactly 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, we immediatelystarted up the trail. It was wide, and gently graded for the mostpart. And I felt like I was dying. My back was already achingfrom the weight of my pack. How on earth could I make it?

After a short time on the trail, things got better as I foundmy rhythm. Soon we had arrived at a fork in the trail. To the left,the main hiking trail continued for 11 more miles to the summit.To the right, the Mountaineer's Route-to the same summit, withthe same elevation gain, but covering less than half the mileage.It doesn't take a calculator to figure out the one word that bestdescribes this route: steep.

Into the VoidVeering to the right, a dramatic change occurred almost instantly.Gone was the wide and gently graded trail. U.S. Forest Servicetrail engineers had spent a lot of time and thought on the designof the main trail. Mountaineers had designed our route bytrudging upward with barely a glance at their feet. We were headedwhere mountaineers go to pray. Eyes were on the lofty goal, therocky point piercing the heavens, not the optimal foot placement.

People didn't hike up this way to sightsee. If you were on thistrail, you were climbing Mt. Whitney. The hard way.

Our legs functioning like huge hydraulic pistons, wepropelled ourselves and our packs of lead upwards towards theEbersbacher Ledges, the first semi-difficult section of the trip.Heading up Lone Pine Canyon we followed rough trails up bothsides of the canyon until we arrive at a steep section of thecanyon that looks impossible. While not actually impossible,there is a relatively easier way around this obstacle. We crossed tothe north side of the creek and climbed the north wall of thecanyon. Here a series of huge, near-vertical ledges act asswitchbacks. These were the Ebersbacher Ledges I had beenreading about. The exposure is invigorating, and only one spot—a couple of dicey moves while transitioning from one ledge up toa higher one—seemed really dangerous. "If we need to, we cantake off our packs here and pass them up," said Todd. But wemanaged to surmount this testpiece with our packs still riveted toour backs. After some more very breathtaking exposure, theledges eventually dumped us out back in Lone Pine Canyon,above the obstacles.

Crack that WhipTodd was pushing us at a terrific pace. With our late start on thetrail, this pace was necessary. "It would be really nice to get toour high camp tonight," he kept saying. "It would make oursummit attempt tomorrow so much easier." I was all for theeasier. I was determined to push through to the high camp thatafternoon, or evening if it came to that.

I had read several descriptions of the first day on the route,and one word had stuck out: demoralizing. By the time we reachedLower Boy Scout Lake at about 1:30 in the afternoon, I couldhave fallen asleep for quite some time. I was sore, tired, and mostof all mentally exhausted. Instead of sleeping, we ate, and ate, andate. Then, just when we were getting comfortable, Todd remindedus that two-thirds of our journey for the day was still ahead of us.So off we went, headed for Upper Boy Scout Lake.

We quickly fell back into pace, with Todd leading, mesecond, and Steve in the rear. Todd's pace was amazing. Mypersonal pace would have been much faster, but in the long runwould have been slower because of my frequent rest stops. I wasthe sprinter, the fool doing the 50-yard dash, while Todd was theveteran of the mountain marathon. "The single most importantthing you need to do when hiking is to find the right pace foryourself," Todd said. And as a guide, he was doing his best tofind the right pace for us. It was incredible. I was right behindhim the whole time, hiking at about 99% capacity, but I couldfollow him without resting for up to 30 minutes.

Slab CityAbove Lower Boy Scout Lake we followed the south side ofLone Pine Canyon, up several hundred feet over some scree topass another waterfall, and emerged on top to cross the creek.Suddenly we were on huge, low-angled granite slabs that extendedfor at least half a mile up the now very wide canyon. The canyonwalls to each side of us consisted of beautiful gray granite cliffs,with a number of lazy waterfalls trickling down their facesleaving dark stains that looked like running mascara. The slabs inthe canyon bottom were covered with the multiple threads ofLone Pine Creek, making for interesting mixed hiking andscrambling. We hiked past the last few trees, up a steep rocky

mOthEr rOck #3 PageS November/December 1996

pitch, and emerged at an amazing natural amphitheater framingUpper Boy Scout Lake.

We spent about an hour at the lake, snacking and soakingour tired feet in the near-freezing water. Todd pulled out acontainer of half-and-half and placed it in the cold water to chill.We watched trout jump after insects in the alpine lake. Weadmired the vertical rock face to the west, completely blockingour view of the East Face of Mount Whitney that we knew wasso close. A charter member of the Polar Bear Club, Todd took abrief swim in the frigid lake. And just as we were all gettingreally relaxed, it was time to go again.

Finally...CampThe next 45 minutes or so consisted of a steep trudge up thesoutheastern wall of the lake, which put us at a plateau withinstriking distance of the summit. It was 5:30 p.m. Six and a halfhours and 3,700 vertical feet after starting on the trail, weestablished base camp in a sandy, grassy meadow at an elevationof 12,000 feet, between Upper Boy Scout Lake and Iceberg Lake.The view of Mt. Whitney and the Sierra crest from this placecould only be described as awe inspiring. From here, the greatrock face of Mt. Whitney, standing just slightly higher than theadjacent spires of Keeler and Day Needles, simply took one'sbreath away. This was what we had come for. This was whatmountaineering was all about.

An Alpine DesertPractically the only vegetation in this alpine desert was a fewshort, scraggly clumps of grass growing in peculiar rings. Therings were familiar; I had seen similar rings, but on a much largerscale, while doing research on Creosote bushes in the Mojavedesert. Creosote rings could reach a dozen or more yards indiameter, representing 10,000 or more years of plant cloning. Butthe rings of grass clones in this Sierra alpine desert measuredonly a few inches across. I had imagined the Mojave to be one ofthe most inhospitable places on Earth, but the 6 foot tallCreosote bushes made the Mojave look like a rain forest whencompared to the alpine desert of the Eastern Sierra.

Once camp was set up, Todd discovered he had made aterrible mistake: the half-and-half he had left in Upper Boy ScoutLake to chill was, well, still in the lake. Without a moment ofhesitation, he decided to go back down for it. Donning sandals, hestarted running back down the slope that had almost killed us onthe way up, shouting "time me" as he launched down the hill.Before too long, he was back, with the half-and-half in hand, stilldripping a little from the extended chill in the lake. I checked thewatch. His time: 22 minutes. "You've got to take a couple ofminutes off that," Todd said. It seems that on his way back up hehad stopped to chat with a couple of mountaineers. Oh, yes, andhe had also taken the time for another quick dip in the lake. O.K.,so we'll call it 20 minutes. Cardiovascular bastard.

Early RisersAfter a relatively sleepless night at base camp, we awoke thesecond morning in the dark at 4 a.m. Some oatmeal, some water(two quarts!), and a hit or two of Expresso and the now-famoushalf-and-half, and we left camp by 5 a.m. Our headlamps traced adim aura along the rough trail up from the campsite to IcebergLake. We passed another climbing party in the twilight, an eerieencounter between strangers who were by definition close friends.No words were necessary. We were kindred souls, of like mindand with similar goals. We were all obsessed with this mountain,

and with any luck we would all be on top in a short while.We reached Iceberg Lake at an elevation of 12,500 feet

shortly before 6 a.m. I drank another quart of water whilewatching the most magnificent sunrise on the Whitney massif. Itwas a tremendous sight as the sun peaked above the WhiteMountains on the opposite side of the Owens Valley, andilluminated the Sierra Crest in a rapidly changing palette of pinksand oranges. As the light show faded, we filled our packs withtwo more quarts of water from Iceberg Lake, donned our helmets,and hit the road. From this point on, the intensity would onlykeep increasing.

__Steve (left) and Todd looking down the Mountaineer's Route.

The Mountaineer's Route contains a large tongue of frozensnow, so we scrambled up the rocky slope to the left. This directapproach saved a little time and avoided the obvious hazards ofdealing with the ice. Within 30 or 40 minutes, we joined thecouloir above this icy patch. Now in the Mountaineer's Routeproper, we were doing much more climbing than hiking. Theroute was steep, rugged, and rocky, with talus, scree, loosegravel, and sand covering steeply angled slabs. Why, in a fewparts, there was even a little bit of a trail...

One Piece at a TimeOur immediate goal was "The Notch," a prominent feature atapproximately the 14,000 foot level that marked the end of thecouloir and gave us our first views of the other side of theSierras-and also of the North Face of Mt. Whitney, our lastobstacle before the summit.

In most years, even in July and August, several large icysnow tongues plummet down the North Face and force asomewhat difficult passage for the mountaineer. The previouswinter having been especially dry in the Sierras, we were lucky tofind very little ice in our path — so little that our guide determinedit was not necessary for us to put on our climbing harnesses andtraverse the obstacles as a roped team. We simply dropped downabout 50 feet on the other side of The Notch and startedtraversing. After a few hundred yards and only two or threeprecarious foot placements, we turned upward towards the summitplateau. All that stood in our way was a few hundred feet ofmoderate (Class 3) rock climbing. It was at times such as thisthat having a guide really paid off — in the jumble of thousands ofways to scramble up the mountain, Todd was able to quicklypoint us to the best route.

Once off the Class 3 rock and out on the summit plateau, wecached some of our gear and walked up the relatively gentle slopefor a hundred yards or so. To our amazement, we summited at9:25 a.m. — less than four and a half hours after leaving camp.

mOihErrOckm Page 9 November/December 1996

We had gained 6,200 feet in elevation in less than 24 hours. I hadbroken my personal altitude record by 3,200 feet. And I felt great!

Power LoungingTo our delight, there was only one other person on the summit-arugged giant of a man from Colorado who had made the ascent bythe popular hiking trail, from car to summit in only five hours!His whole purpose for climbing the peak seemed to be to find acaptive audience to air his complaints ("the trail was so boring,"and "too many switchbacks!"). His displeasure with his ascentcould not dampen my pleasure. I had gained my summit, andthere were no crowds. The Mountaineer's Route had lived up toits promise.

The view from the summit and the plateau was sospectacular that it was numbing. An amazing side view of KeelerNeedle...Mt. Russell and the gorgeous Fishhook Arete...theeastern half of Sequoia National Park...the Owens Valley and theWhite Mountains beyond...it was all just too much to take in.

"Remember," Todd had said on the way up, "the summit isonly 49% of the climb. You still have to get back down." Cloudswere building to the southwest, and the weather forecast called forrain. Leaving the summit at about 10:45 a.m., we hurriedlyretraced our steps back to our cache of gear. Rather than headingstraight down the North Face from our cache, we continued westfor another few hundred yards. This tactic enabled us to avoidmost of the Class 3 down climbing, and just added a little to thelength of our traverse back to The Notch.

Storm WatchWe continued our cloud watch through the rest of the descent, asthe white puffs became more frequent and eventually started toblock the sun. But it didn't rain. Even with the thought of beingtrapped in a sudden downpour always in the backs of our minds,we were able to enjoy the incredible views on the decent. Victorywas sweet.

Back in camp by 1:30 p.m., we quickly began the recoveryprocess. We ate, napped, and drank as much liquid as we couldhold. And there was plenty of time to reflect upon theaccomplishment of the day.

Exhaustion"The most enjoyable part of mountaineering is getting there,"Todd had told us earlier. "The summit is a bonus." How true! TheMountaineer's Route was highly varied, and completely differentfrom what I had imagined—a veritable treasure of mountaineeringdelights. The summit, however, was exactly as average as I hadexpected it to be-and maybe even somewhat of a disappointment.A great, rocky, gently sloping plateau. A toilet. A tin roofedbuilding. The route up and down had been a synopsis ofeverything good about mountaineering. The summit became atick mark in my climbing diary.

That evening, we went to sleep early-well before dark. Soonthe wind picked up, whipping violently between the sand and ourfloorless tent. Why, Steve even tells me that at one point the tentcollapsed, but I was too busy sleeping...

The Journey's EndFriday morning. It was time to go home, to leave our miniatureadventure and return to our regular lives. Leaving camp and ourmillion dollar view of Mt. Whitney and the Sierra Crest behind,it was time to return to the rat race that we had worked so hard toescape. Yet ironically it was this same rat race that had provided

the money, the gear, and the guide that made the trip possible.The viscous circle of the part-time mountaineer.

It could have been the air getting increasingly thicker withevery downhill step, or it could have been the continuedexhilaration of having made the summit, or maybe we were justin better shape...whatever the reason, our 60 pound packssuddenly felt as light as feathers.

Steve (right) and Todd working their way down the North Face.

Reversing the course that so recently we had toiled over, weraced down the mountain. Before long, our barren alpine desertwas behind us and we were again surrounded by a few trees, thena forest of green. Pausing to look backwards at Mt. Whitneywhenever we could, we were reluctant to say good-bye to our newfriend.

Civilization Sucks"We are now leaving civilization," said Todd, "and enteringchaos." Twenty feet later, we dropped off the steep trail of theMountaineer's Route and rejoined the main Mt. Whitney trail.Within 30 seconds we were treated to the sights of countlesstourists and day trippers, many clearly unprepared for even theshortest day hike in an environment such as this. More peoplepassed us in three minutes on the trail than we had seen on theMountaineer's Route in the last three days. There was even trashon the trail. Hearts sank as the mediocre mountaineers realizedthat the adventure was over. Fond memories and fadingphotographs would have to sustain our desires for adventure, untilthe next time.

In the modern classic Mountains of the Great Blue Dream,Robert Leonard Reid best sums up the credo of the mountaineer."Mountain climbers positively relish the almost perfect rigor oftheir discipline's cardinal directive: Go to the edge and performflawlessly, and you will survive (probably) to go to the edgeagain. How delicious!"

ReflectionsThe evening after our successful summit bid, savoring soup andburritos back at base camp, was a time for reflection.

"So," Todd asked, "was it harder or easier than you thought itwould be?"

"Harder," Steve said quickly. "Harder.""It was exactly like I thought it would be," I replied without

even thinking. "I thought it was going to kick my ass, and that'sexactly what it did."

We had climbed and survived our mediocre Everest, andwould undoubtedly be back in years to come to conquer manyothers. We were hooked. Viva la mediocre!


Mt. Whitney Hikins and Climbing Resources II Brew of the Month

If you are contemplating a trip to the summit of Mt. Whitney,isted below are some resources that can help you in planning

your trip.

BooksMountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, by Clarence King,

written in 1872, is considered the classic historicalmountaineering text on the Sierra Nevada range and contains achapter on an early attempt on the summit of Mt. Whitney.

Mt. Whitney High Sierra Hiking Guide, from Wilderness Pressdescribes a number of hikes in the vicinity of Mt. Whitney.

Climbing Mount Whitney, by Walt Wheelock and Tom!ondon includes background information and a description of the

main hiking trail to the summit as well as brief descriptions ofseveral technical routes, including the Mountaineer's Route.

The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra, by Steve Roperincludes a chapter on the Mt. Whitney area. Concise descriptionsare given for a number of technical routes, from the more popularones such as the Mountaineer's Route and the East Face Route tolesser-known, more difficult ones such as Cardiovascular Seizure.

Mount Whitney Guide for Hikers and Climbers, by PaulHellweg and Scott McDonald contains a good overview of thehistory of Mt. Whitney, a detailed description of the main hikingtrail to the summit, and good descriptions of the three mostpopular climbing routes (the Mountaineer's Route, the East FaceRoute, and the East Buttress Route) as well as the most detaileddescription of the tedious approach to the climbing routes.

Sierra Classics: 100 Best Climbs in the High Sierra, by JohnMoynier and Claude Fiddler includes descriptions for the EastFace Route and the East Buttress Route.

Maps* The Mt. Whitney USGS 15 minute quadrangle covers all butthe first mile of the approach to Mt. Whitney.•The Mt. Whitney and Mt. Langley USGS 7.5 minutequadrangle maps (in metric units) are the most detailed mapsavailable for the approach to Mt. Whitney.

Guides• Todd J. Vogel, A Taste for Adventure, 286 May Street, BishopCA 93514, phone 619-873-8526, E-mail toddvogel®aol.com.

Did we really have a choice? It was so obvious, given this is aspecial issue dedicated to the Sierras...

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: Smooth...Satisfyingby Matt McGunigle

Beer. Mmmmm. I like Beer. Beer is good. Especially after along hot day of climbing. Some beer is always better than nobeer, but some beers are better than others. Sierra Nevada PaleAle is one of the better beers. It's one of those beers that neverleaves you thinking about other beers. It's really smooth. But it'salso hearty. I think it's the smoothness that gets me.

You know when you have to sneeze, and a couple of timesyou start but then you don't quite get all the way to the sneezingpart. And then later, out of the blue you sneeze real big. But it'snot your ordinary sneeze, you notice this one going on a bitlonger. You feel like an observer. Convulsion with clarity. Youthink: "Wow, this is one hell of a sneeze". Anyway, that'ssmooth and satisfying, but not nearly as smooth and satisfying asSierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Or how about: you're going into a room. You go to open thedoor and you don't know it, but someone else is opening the doorfrom the other side at exactly the same time. So for just a splitsecond, you think you're magic or something.Smooth...satisfying. Still not as smooth as Sierra Nevada PaleAle. Oh—I know. You're looking for a parking space, and itfeels like you've been driving around for hours. You see spacesbut they're MILES away. There's GOT to be one somewhere! Asyou pass the front of the store to turn down the middle row foranother useless lap—no way!—someone pulls out from the firstnon-handicapped spot and you slip right in without even slowingdown. Smooth...and satisfying. Still, not quite there.

All right, this is it: you're working on a two-handed dynoand when your feet clear the footholds you still have to travelmore than a foot to the handholds. You've come up short. You'veyanked your arms. You've slipped off hard. You've slipped offsoft. Finally, after all those tries, you arc through the air, yourhands relaxed, eyes calmly focused on the target, you reach theapex of your trajectory and time stops. You effortlessly slip yourhands into position. It's like picking up a baby. And there youare: smooth...satisfied.

Parting Shot"At first glance, the Buttermilks look like an Ansel Adams

poster. On second glance, too."— John Sherman, Stone Crusade, 1994.

Copyright © 1996 mOthEr rOck/The AMCC Group. All rights reserved. mOthEr rOckmagazine is published six times a year (unless interrupted by a road trip to climbsomewhere) by The AMCC Group, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].

Publisher: Editor: Office Manager:The AMCC Group Matt Artz Ruth Ariz

Contributing Editors:Matt McGunigle Darell Palmer Bob GoffGeoff Wade Jannine Senior Rob StauderCindy Stigall

Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), send a check or money order for $10to mOthEr rOcfc/The AMCC Group, P.O. Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20 annually.

Editorial Submissions: Write it, send it to us, we'll consider it. We're a no budgetoperation, so send a SASE if you need your materials back. Photo submissions alsowelcome.

Disclaimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If you have not yet figured that out,you're an idiot and you should probably stop climbing now before you hurt yourselfand others. And if you think you can bet your life on anything you read in mOthErrOck, think again. We make no claims to the accuracy of any of the informationcontained in these pages, and cannot be held responsible in any way for any of youractions, acts of nature, or fate. You're on your own, bro. That's the way it should be.You're a cumber after all.


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Doggin' with the Editor

The editor bouldering in J-Tree. Photo: Darell Palmer

Cold Climbing is BackWinter's back. Like an unexpected guest,winter hit us early this year, withsignificant snowfall in the localmountains before the end of October!Dashed were my last minute hopes ofputting up another moderate route or twoat Kindergarten Rock, or of exploringuncharted territory at my new secret spot,which I call "Peter's Piles" (after myfriend Peter who found it accidentally aftera long mountain bike ride). Oh, well.There's always next year.

So, where to climb? J-Tree, ofcourse; time to dog-ear the annual pass andgive the (Randy) Vogel bible another yearof abuse. But then there's High Desert,Jugs Over the Sand, Rotten Rocks, and ohso many other places. Too many rocks,too little time. California. It's a greatplace to climb.

Has mOthEr rOck Sold Out?????OK, so I spent the first few issues ofmOthEr rOck hammering on Climbingand Rock & Ice, sometimes subtly,sometimes blatantly. Sure, I subscribe toboth of them, and even (try to) read everyissue from cover to cover. I enjoy themquite a bit. The point I've been trying tostress, with some success, is that the vastmajority of climbers in the US don'tclimb 5.13/5.14, and the magazinesshould reflect this.

My goal with mOthEr rOck was togive beginner and intermediate climberstheir voice. But lo and behold, a funnything happened on the way to mOthErrOck...Climbing and Rock & Ice have, inrecent issues, committed to writing somestories that are more approachable to meremortals. Does this mean mOthEr rOck nolonger serves a purpose? Hardly.Climbing and Rock & Ice have to cover alot of ground, at the expense of all thelittle down and dirty regional details.That's where mOthEr rOck comes in: it'sthe down and dirty So Cal climbing rag.

New FacesFinally, some help! After what seemedlike a couple of issues that should havebeen titled "Mart's Rock," I've finallyconvinced some fresh faces to write storiesfor mOthEr rOck. Please welcome RobStauder, Brandon Thau, and hopefully awhole bunch of other folks who will bewriting about their favorite climbingsubjects in upcoming issues.Collectively, we'll strive to make mOthErrOck the crankin'est climbing mag intown.

Until Issue #5, climb hard, climbsafe, and most importantly, have FUN!

Matt Artz, EditormOthErrOck@aol. com

Wanted: Local Writers

Letters to the EditorHey mOthEr rOck,

Thanks for the mag! I would really like tosubscribe, but I'm just a student with nomoney. I hope it all goes well. Youmust have quite a market in So Cal. Keepup the good work.

Joe Nolan, [email protected]

Thanks Joe. It's a lot of fun, but we'rejust starting out, so we don't have muchmoney either. Right now we're a fewhundred bucks in the hole for 1996....butthings look bright for next year! <winkwink> Good luck at school, and keep usin mind when you graduate and can affordthe finer things in life like champagne,caviar, and mOthEr rOck magazine!

Dear mOthEr rOck,

Great idea for a mag!! Just discovered iton Internet. Its about time that someonewrote a mag for the vast majority of theclimbers, not just the elite!! And to haveit focus on So Cal, that's even better!!!One suggestion: maybe a climberspersonal section for locals looking forpartners. Good luck and keep up the goodwork. I'll be sending my check tosubscribe right after sending this letter.

Dave Chapman, [email protected]

Thanks Dave. Great idea about gettingpeople hooked up with potential partners.I'll look at the possibility of setting upsomething like that on the mOthEr rOcksite on the Web. Meanwhile, try theCalifornia Climber's Network on the Webat http://www.climbnet.com/ccn/!

mOthEr rOck is looking for a few goodclimbers/writers to periodically contributeto the magazine—everything from localnews and photos to mini-guides and full-blown feature articles. Locals are neededespecially in areas like J-Tree, San Diego,High Desert, LA, Orange County...butwe're open to almost anything. E-mail orwrite us with your ideas. Climbers gettheir name in the mag, a couple of freeissues, and other perks to be named later.

southern California's climbing magazine

PublisherThe AMCC Group

EditorMatt Artz

Contributing EditorsReese Martin (Central Coast)

Matt McGunigle (Mt. Rubidoux)Rob Stauder (San Bernardino Mountains)

Cindy Stigall (San Jacinto Mountains)Brandon Thau (San Luis Obispo)

Editorial AdvisorsRuth Artz Bob Goff Steve Harris

Darell Palmer Jannine Senior Geoff Wade

Copyright © 1997 mOthEr rOck/The AMCC Group. Allrights reserved. mOthEr rOck magazine is published sixtimes a year (unless interrupted by a road trip to climbsomewhere) by The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951,Redlands, CA, 92375-1151 USA. E-mail:[email protected] -or- [email protected].

Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), senda check or money order for $10 to mOthEr rOckfTheAMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151. Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20annually.

Editorial Submissions: Write it, send it to us, we'llconsider it. We're a no budget operation, so send aSASE if you need your materials back. Photosubmissions also welcome. E-mail: [email protected] let's discuss your story or photo ideas.

Disclaimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If youhave not yet figured that out, you're an idiot and youshould probably stop climbing now before you hurtyourself and others. And if you think you can bet yourlife or safety on anything you read in mOthEr rOck,think again. We make no claims to the accuracy of anyof the information contained in these pages, and cannotbe held responsible in any way for any of your actions,acts of nature, or fate. You're on your own, bro. That'sthe way it should be. You're a climber after all.

On the Cover..,Tom Slater took this photo of BrandonThau cranking "Meltdown," 5.lid, atBishop's Peak. Check out Brandon'sarticle in this issue about San LuisObispo area climbing.

mOthEr rOck #4 Page 1 January/February 1997

Comp Report

First Annual ROWCC Boulderfest andTrash Clean-up, Snow Valley, CAby Matt Artz

In the "good old days," Southern California could boast of theannual California Bouldering Contest at Mt. Rubidoux, but sincethe mid-80's comps have been few and far between...unless youcount indoor comps. Indoor climbing is bad enough, but indoorcomps can really bite, or so I've heard. So news of an actualoutdoor bouldering competition in our own backyard got many alocal climber excited.

A core group of Rim of the World Climbing Club(ROWCC) locals has been developing the Snow Valley area inthe San Bernardino Mountains for the last two or three years, andfinally showed it off. Well, at least part of it. The "SnowValley West" area as they call it features 81 fine routes in the 5.4to 5.12 range, about 20 of them toprope routes and the restboulder problems. I can't wait to see "Snow Valley East"...

Photo: Matt Artz

Climber at Jalapeno Cracks on "Ken's Arete," the hardest routeto date (150 points or 5.12-something) at Snow Valley West.

It was a cool autumn morning as we met in the parking lotat the Snow Valley Ski Resort on Saturday, October 19th, 1996.A fair number of the 70 or so pre-registered club members didn'tshow, probably because of the blustery weather, but it was theirloss. The low clouds looked threatening, but the borderlinewarm-in-the-sun, cool-in-the-shade weather was tailor made forperfect climbing.

Travis "The Prez" McElvany assembled everyone in theparking lot for a brief pep talk and an overview of the rules. Hestressed the basic theme of the "comp": to have fun and not takeit too seriously. After a few questions, we were off.

A 20 minute hike led us to Snow Valley West, where Pat"Trash Man" Brennan organized the clean-up crew. Car bumpers,bottles, Styrofoam cups, and almost everything else imaginablelittered the area. The place started out looking pretty crappy, butthe crew picked it virtually spotless in a few short hours (theonly things remaining were a few untouchable objects like soiledunderwear and used toilet paper...yes, people are truly pigs). Patticked off the number of bags each person collected, the winnergetting a nice new rope for their effort. In the afternoon, themuch appreciative Forest Service came by with a truck to movethe mountain of trash bags and larger pieces of junk off to alandfill.

Then there was the climbing. From the easy 1 to 3 pointslabby problems on the ABC Boulder, to the classic verticalproblems on Orca Boulder; from the variety-pack selection offinger and off-width cracks on the Jalapeno Cracks Boulder, to thewicked 100-point overhanging traverse-to-mantel on the BurntLog Boulder; there were excellent problems everywhere, and stillpotential for many more problems and countless variations. Wewandered between the boulders for hours, still only seeing lessthan half of the routes.

How did the contest point system match up to the 5.xYosemite Decimal System or other rating systems? "We're nottelling," Travis told me. By the end of the day, I knew why:because it didn't matter. The point ratings helped competitors toroughly place the relative difficulty of the routes, and did give thecontest organizers a method to quantify the "winners" of thecomp. But I saw more people caught up in challengingthemselves to break through their own limitations, and nobodywith any real interest whatsoever in "beat the other guy"cumulative point totals.

ROWCC Boulderfest Results, October 19th, 1996

Men:Matt Hock (940 points)Anthony Scalise (875 points)Jeff Price (399 points)Craig Britton (362 points)Bruce Rubio (325 points)Dave Walters (227 points)Matt Artz (226 points)Dan Franchin (161 points)Ryan Williams (139 points)Bob Cable (135 points)Brian McGoldrick (130 points)Dave O'Brien (122 points)Edward O'Brien (82 points)David Price (44 points)Steve Harding (25 points)

Women:Lisa Rands (833 points)Julia Cronk (33 points)Dixie Riley (26 points)Diane Rice (1 point)

The whole affair was very well organized. Mike Rigney, JeffRigney, Brad Singer, Tony Gough, and other club officials, withall the beta in their brains and connected by radios, were stationedat each clump of boulders. There was a detailed 13-page problemlist, a porta-potty, two water stations, a big box of apples, abouttwo dozen topropes already in place, and all the free gymnasticchalk you could cram into your bag. Best of all, although thiswas technically a competition, everyone seemed to leave theiregos in the parking lot. It was like spending a relaxing dayclimbing with 50 of your closest friends.


So who won the comp? Frankly, who cares? There were nolosers. Everyone who participated was a winner, from therelatively new climbers trying their best on 1 and 2 pointproblems, to Matt Hock, who flashed the second ascent of "Ken'sArete," the hardest route to date in the area at 150 points or 5.12-something. And the entire climbing population of SouthernCalifornia was a big winner as well, as we now have anothermajor bouldering destination to boast of, along with promises ofa much larger So Cal bouldering contest to be hosted by theROWCC at Snow Valley in June of 1997. Stay tuned!

ClassifiedsAdvertise here for only $10 per issue, with up to six lines oftext. Bro, that's cheap. $5 more gets your logo scanned anddropped in. Send your words along with your check to mOthErrOck, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

Join the Rim of the World Climbing Club. Monthly outings.Quarterly newsletter. Only $30 annually! For information, write toROWCC, PO Box 3283, Blue Jay, CA 92317.Mom was right: mOthEr rOck Magazine RULES! Subscribe today.One year/six issues, only ten bucks. Send check/money order tomOthEr rOck, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

mOthEr rOck Guidebooks AvailableTo order, send check/money order to mOthEr rOck, PO Box 7951,Redlands, CA 92375-1151.

Guide to the 1984 California Bouldering Contest, byMatt Artz. Own this essential piece of California climbinghistory, and get some Mt. Rubidoux route information not foundin any of the current guidebooks. 8.5" by 5.5", bound, 28 pages.Ideal for carrying with you on your next trip up Mt. Rubidoux.Only $5.00 postpaid in the USTurtle Rock Bouldering Guide, by Matt Artz. The mostcomprehensive guide available to the mega-classic Real HiddenValley/Turtle Rock bouldering area at J-Tree. This book containsdetailed information on 64 boulder problems, many of which arenot listed by Mari Gingery, Randy Vogel, and Craig Fry in theirotherwise excellent guidebooks. Lots of photos and topos. 8.5"by 5.5", bound, 44 pages. Only $8.00 postpaid in the USMini-Guide to The Mentone Boulders, by Matt Artz.You read the article, now buy the guide so you can throw it inyour day pack. The only detailed guide to this site available!Photos and topo. 8.5" by 5.5", bound, 8 pages. Only $2.50postpaid in the US.Mini-Guide to Iris Slab, by Matt Artz. The perfectcompanion on your next visit to this classic Eastern Sierrabeginner/intermediate climbing destination. Big slab climbsfrom 5.4 to 5.10c! Photos and topo. 8.5" by 5.5", bound, 12pages. Only $3.00 postpaid in the US

• News • News • News • News • News •Look Out San Diego, the 1997 SummerX Games are Coming to Town!Hot on the heels of the announcement that the first ever Winter XGames will be held this month in Southern California, ESPNrecently announced that after two years in Rhode Island, the 1997ESPN X Games will be held June 23-29 in San Diego!

With the X Games, 400 of the world's top alternativeathletes will converge on the city of San Diego to competing insuch alternative sports as sport climbing, wakeboarding, in-lineskating, street luge, skateboarding, skysurfing, and bicycle stuntriding. The event will be televised by ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNInternational. ESPNET SportsZone will also provide extensivedaily coverage on the World Wide Web. Correspondents frommOthEr rOck magazine will attempt to get Katie Brown'sautograph, I mean, cover the event—even if they have to sneak in.

"In just two years, we have developed the X Games into amajor international franchise and it was time to move it to theMecca of alternative sports — the West Coast," an ESPNspokesperson said. "With nearly 25 percent of our athletes fromCalifornia, coupled with the strong interest we received from SanDiego, the 1997 X Games should be our best yet." A mOthErrOck spokesperson, obviously stoked when he heard the news,could only stammer "RAD! Totally RAD!"

Well over 200,000 people are expected to attend the 1997 XGames. Mariner's Point in San Diego will serve as the primarysite for the X Games. If it wasn't considered such already, the1997 X Games will firmly cement So Cal's reputation as theextreme sports capital of the world!

The "Other" So Cal Climbing Mag.You Gotta Get It!There's another climbing newsletter/mag in town. No, we're nottalking about Allez, the ultra-hardman high numbers mag thatseems to have fallen off the face of the earth in the last year...wemean "What's the Beta," the quarterly publication of the Rim ofthe World Climbing Club (ROWCC). Four times a year, editorAnthony Gough pulls together local access notes, information onclub outings, stories, and other info for club members.

Only ROWCC members get "What's the Beta," so join now!Membership is only $30 annually. For more information, writeto ROWCC, PO Box 3283, Blue Jay, CA 92317.

Wanted: A Few Obscure SitesThere's So Much Out There-Help UsDocument It!Are the rocks in Anza Borrego Desert State Park climbable? Isthere any good bouldering in the Cima Dome Joshua Tree Forestin the East Mojave? What's up with Keller Cliffs, or thoseboulders behind the Baker Creek campground in the EasternSierras? What about those long routes I've heard about in theGranite Mountains, or that black volcanic wall that seems tostretch for more than a mile along Kelbaker Road in the MojaveNational Preserve? Are there really some good ice routes up inthe San Gabriels near Mt. Baldy? And have you seen JimBridwell's super-secret chip-and-glue training site out near PalmDesert?

Do you know the inside scoop on any of these spots, or anyof Southern California's multitude of even more obscureclimbing sites?

If you've got the info and would like to share it with the SoCal climbing community, drop us a quick E-mail [email protected] or send us a note. We'll get in touchwith you and write it up!

mOthEr rOck#4 Page 3 January/February 1997

Surfing the Internet...Climbing and Related Mags on the WebFor your surfing enjoyment, following is a list of climbing andrelated magazines on the WWW. Included are both full-timeclimbing mags, such as Rock & Ice, as well as magazines likeOutside which regularly cover climbing. Some of these are Web-only magazines, such as Available Rock, but most are Webversions of traditional paper mags. If you know of any othersthat we missed, please E-mail us at [email protected].

San Luis Obispo Area Climbing

Climbing and Related Mags on the Weh"mOthEr rOckhttp://members.aol.com/mOthErrOck/

Rock and Icehttp://www.rockandice.com/

CLIMBINGhttp://www.climbing.com/

Al lezhttp://www.kdi.com/~allez/hpagenew.htmThe Thing (UK)http://www.shef.ac,uk/um/academic/I-M/is/rstaff/gareth/thing5.htm] , ' >|t

Available Rock ••-http://www.availablerock.com/ | -,

Kletternhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/klettern/Climb (Australia)http://www.ozcmail.com.au/~climb/

Mountain (UK)http://www.ikhaya.co.uk/mountain/

Cyberwesthttp://www.cyberwest.com/Alphttp://vivaiaa.com/alp/alpenglish/Outsidehttp://web2.starwave.com/index.html

Adventure West Magazine ; SShttp://www.adventurewest.com/

Le Surplqmb (Belgium)http://isis.ltas.ulg.ac.be/surplomb/

The Mountian Zone &http://www.mountainzone.com/

WILDhttp://members.tripod.com/~pscragg/index.html

Get Lost Adventure Magazine!http://www.itsnet.com/home/getlost/mag.html i

Rotpunkt (Germany)http://www.rotpunkt.de/rotpunkt.htm

Go Westhttp://www.GoWest.com/general/genetop.htmFirst-Out (Germany)http://www.first-out.de

NorskKlatring (Norway)http://www.sn.no/home/mariusbe " 5

The Seven Sistersby Brandon Thau

The San Luis Obispo area has been climbed since the 1970's byRusty Garing and Pete Gulyash, and local routes have beenestablished by well known climbers such as Tobin Sorenson andHans Florine. Recently, world class climbers Doug Englekirkand Jean-Paul Finne have visited the area to sample the harderroutes. In other words, the Seven Sisters are not a secret, "localsonly" climbing area.

The Seven Sisters are a range of old volcanoes that stretchfrom San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay. Only Cabrillo and BishopPeaks have free access; the rest of the areas are on privateproperty and trespassers have been shot at. Bishop is the mostpopular spot and is the origin of climbing in the area. BishopPeak is a serene area except for the abundance of cow pies and thewonderful trail the Sierra Club installed last year. Collegestudents and passing climbers crowd the area during weekends.The rock is fractured volcanic with scattered gas pockets, and theclimate allows for year-round climbing.

Photo: Tom Slater

Brandon Thau on "Mushies," 11+/B1-, Clarissa, Bishop Peak.

Most of the routes have been put up on lead and haveconsiderable runouts, the best example being Tobin Sorenson's"Inner Sanctum" 5.10a, with the first bolt 40 feet off the ground.Climbing falls into the slab or vertical categories with a shortageof crack, the notable exceptions being "Sgt. Pepper's LonelyHearts Hand Jam" 5.10b and "P-Crack" 5.9. Most climbs can betoproped, the best place being Cracked Wall. The mainbouldering at Bishops, which contain problems in the 5.6 to5.12+ range, is called Pete and Clorissa. The bouldering area, aswith all areas at Bishops, entertain a full view over San LuisObispo and green hills leading down towards the ocean.

If you want to be close to the ocean while you climb, thenCabrillo Peak is your place. Short climbs overlook the MorroBay Estuary and Morro Rock. This is mainly a toprope area, but


a few bolted lead climbs have been established such as "TanStreak" 5.6, and "Black Gold" 5.8.

Cerro Romualdo has a plethora of easy and hard lead routes.Access is a problem, since the National Guard controls theentrance, but it's only a matter of time before the access isworked out and everybody can enjoy this area. The other areassuch as Morro Rock, Hollister Peak, and Chumash Peak haveroutes but access is currently illegal.

Recommended Moderate Climbs• Bouldering at Clorissa and Pete, (Bishop Peak)• "Camel," 5.10b (Bishop Peak)• "60 Seconds," 5.6 (Bishop Peak)• "Sgt. Peppers," 5.10b (Bishop Peak)• "P-Crack," 5.9 (Bishop Peak)• "Route Canal," 5.10a (Bishop Peak)• "Shadow," 5.7 (Bishop Peak)• "Desperado," 5.10 (Bishop Peak)• "Tan Streak," 5.6 (Cabrillo Peak)• "Chimney Crack," 5.7 (Cabrillo Peak)• "Black Gold," 5.8 (Cabrillo Peak)• "Frosted Hakes," 5.8 (Cerro Romualdo)• "Rainbow Pools," 5.9 (Cerro Romualdo)• "Amputation," 5.10a (Cerro Romualdo)• "Full Metal Jacket," 5.10c (Cerro Romualdo)

Photo: Tom Slater

Brandon Thau on "La Conchita," 5.lib, Cerro Romualdo.

Recommended Hard Climbs• "O.G. ," 5.11a/b (Bishop Peak)• "Western Airlines," 5.lib (Bishop Peak)• "La Conchita," 5.1 Ib (Cerro Romauldo)• "The Phoenix," 5.12b (Cerro Romauldo)• "Tsunami," 5.12b (Cerro Romauldo)• "Throwing the Tube," 5.12a (Cerro Romauldo)

Places to Eat"V Hudsons Bar and Grill, a place for excellent hamburgers and

coffee shakes, is at 1005 Monterey St. in downtown San LuisObispo.

V Hofbrau, known for its awesome roast beef sandwiches, islocated at 571 Embarcadero near the harbor in Morro Bay.

A/ Chili Peppers, which offers cheap massive burritos for theclimber on a budget, can be found at 791 Foothill Blvd., veryclose to Highway 1 when going through San Luis Obispo.

GuidebooksV Rock Climbs of the Seven Sisters, by Tom Slater (more

complete and up to date information for San Luis Obispo).V Climbing in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo, by

Steve Tucker and Kevin Steele.

Photo: Tom Slater

Brandon Thau on "O.G.," 5.11a/b, Bishop Peak.

Climbing Shops\ Stairway, 871 Santa Rosa St., San Luis Obispo.V Wilderness Outfitters, 127 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande.V Mountain Air Sports, 667 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo.

Brandon Thau is a student at Cat Poly San Luis Obispo.

Unconfirmed Rumor DepartmentNew Bouldering Rumored in San Jacinto Mountains

The San Jacinto mountain range, best know for its big routes atTahquitz and Suicide and it's classic bouldering areas like SouthRidge and Black Mountain, still has much to give to theclimbing community. The latest rumors focus on the vastquantity of rock at the top of the San Jacinto tram.

Photo: Matt Artz

San Jacinto: Future bouldering nirvana?

The only drawback to bouldering there would be the $15.95it costs to go up the tram-a hefty chunk of change to shell outjust to go bouldering. But based on the number of potentialroutes and the high quality of the stone there, it may very well beworth it. We'll keep you informed as we get more details.

mOthEr rOck#4 PageS January/February 1997

TrainingCranking on Home Turf, or"The Joys of Having a Woodie"by Matt Artz

It's cold outside. Winter is here. Many of the local haunts areoff limits until the days get longer. The good news is that J-Treeis finally back in season. The bad news is, it can get damn coldat J-Tree; climbing with near-frostbitten fingers is nobody's ideaof fun, except for maybe Mark Twight. Worse yet, with preciousfew hours of daylight, fitting in those afternoon boulderingtraining sessions can be next to impossible, unless you likebouldering by lantern light. Is it too much to ask to have abouldering area with 10 or 20 good problems within 50 feet ofyour brewfridgerator?

Welcome to mOthEr rOck gym. Five years in the making,it's been complete for about a year now. It takes up half of mytwo car garage, but is jam-packed with the following features:• 360 square feet of climbing surface, with 520 holds, mostlyfinger-friendly and forgiving wood, but some plastic.• The main wall has a 17 1/2 foot traverse and a large roof. Thereare about ten hard boulder routes marked on the wall at this time,with room for countless other combinations.

Photo: Ruth Artz

Wood is Good. Pumping Pine in mOthEr rOck gym.

• The "East Annex" has a killer 8 foot wide overhanging section,featuring five or six excellent 5.10 to 5.11 routes; on the back isa large slabby section for letting the kids climb (also great forwarm-ups and one-handed practice).• A short but deadly campus board, 8 strips of 3/4 inch wood(flat, not incut) going up at about a 115 degree angle (ouch).• A selection of small and sloping edges for fingertip pull-ups andhangs.

After building and training on a fairly elaborate "garagewoodie" for the past six years, I have a few bits of advice:

Start Small, Think Big. You can start with as little asa single 4-foot-by-8-foot piece of plywood, although that's prettylimiting. If you do start out small, at least have the grandscheme worked out in your head in advance. Because once youget in to it, you may just get carried away...

The Pleasures of Wood. If you're not up to dropping afew grand on plastic holds, consider the wonders of wood. Forpennies per hold, you can crank out a multitude of wooden jugsand crimpers. And wood turns out to also be much friendlier tothe skin than plastic. This means you'll climb longer and get

stronger, your forearms usually calling it a day long before rawflesh is exposed on your fingertips.

Routesetting. While some may consider it a science, youdon't really have to get a Ph.D. in routesetting to set decentroutes. Think about it: some of the best problems on real rockinvolve decoding puzzling sequences on a random series of flawsin the stone. My best routes have come together when notthinking too deeply, just marking off an absurdly random line ofholds. Working some of these routes has literally taken years.Kind of reminds me of a little something I like to call REALROCK.

Establish a Training Ritual. Donning only your rockshoes and a dab of chalk over your private parts, sit cross-leggedin front of your wall, repeatedly chanting your mantra of "I amrock, and rock is like wood, therefore my name is woodie." Onceyou become one with the wall, its problems become yourproblems, its solutions become your solutions...or, just do likeme. Invite a couple of friends over every Tuesday and Thursdaynight. Climb hard for two or three hours, then order some pizzaand raid the brewfridgerator. And please wear yer clothes!

Campusing. Do yourself a favor: build yourself a smallwooden campus board. Just don't overdo it. See Issue #1(July/August 1996) of mOthEr rOck for all of the gory details.

Linking. With the combination of the campus board andthe billions of short bouldery routes you'll set, you'll build thestrength of a veteran teamster. But endurance-wise, you could endup like a professional wrestler running a marathon: droppingbefore the first doughnut, er, water stop. The solution?Linkages from Hell! Take four or five or six or more of yourfavorite wired problems, and create a sick and hideous sequencewhich links them all. Yes, it's hell. But you'll thank me later.

In our next issue: Rob Stauder will share with us the joys ofhow to build—and train on—a crack machine.

Overlooked Site of the MonthMormon Rocks is Not All Choss!by Brandon Thau

The most significant climbing site that I can think of that hasbeen overlooked in Southern California is Mormon Rocks, offInterstate 15 in the Cajon Pass. The area has great potential forlong moderate routes, and I know of at least three bolt ladders onthe North side of the biggest face.

Photo: Matt Artz

Not all the stone at Mormon Rocks is crap...just most of it.

There's an old 5.6 route that's about 120 feet long, and Iinstalled a two pitch route about four years ago. It's called


"Sandstone Balls," 5.10, all bolts. I don't know the currentcondition of the bolts, but the climb was very nice and all theconglomerate holds were solid. There is a lot of potential forsteep sport routes on the south sides of the rocks, if certainmeasures are taken. Go check it out!

Brandon Thau can be contacted at [email protected] for a topo of his route "Sandstone Balls" in a future issue.

Geoff and Jann Finally Get Hitched!The Forest Falls Wedding of Geoff Wade andJannine Seniorby Matt Artz

You've been following their story for the last couple of issues.First, their engagement on Secret Spot Rock at North Shore, BigBear (issue #2), and then Geoff s "alternative" bachelor party atthe Buttermilks (issue #3). On Sunday, October 20th, 1996, thehappy couple were wed in an intimate ceremony about a half hourhike up the Vivian Creek trail in Forest Falls.

Photos: Matt Artz

The happy couple (left); Sonny and Cher McGunigle (right).

Matt McGunigle played a special song on his guitar for thecouple, and was joined by his wife Gayle on vocals. Matt Artzread a special piece he wrote for the couple, who originally metas climbers looking for partners in the UK several years ago.

The after-wedding party at Geoff and Jann's house went offwithout a hitch. The catered food from the local Mexicanrestaurant was wonderful. The non-climbers in attendance fell forthe cheesy decoy and naively guzzled from the kegger all night,while the climbers hung out in the kitchen, guarding the fridgeand the hidden supply of top quality microbrew.

The party broke up pretty early—wedding night stuff, youknow—and Geoff and Jann left the next morning for a week-longhoneymoon of exploring in Utah and Arizona.

In our next issue: the Geoff and Jann procreation report.

Climbing Insurance AvailableWorld Climbing AssociationThe World Climbing Association (WCA) is a non-profit,member benefit association committed to providing fellow rockclimbers with valuable benefits that will add to their enjoyment

and participation in the sport. They provide climbing insurance,rescue coverage, medical coverage, gear replacement, travelassistance, and other benefits. Annual membership starts at just$75. As with any insurance, certain limitations and policy limitsapply. Call 1-888-922-6362 for more information

TidbitsUS Pro Tour Set for PasadenaIn the increasingly popular market of climbing competitions,Great Pacific Production Co. is putting together a US Pro Tourfor this coming summer. Locally, the Tour is tentativelyplanned to hit Pasadena, September 10-13, 1997. See you there!

Bartlett Promoted to Assistant Sales ManagerCongrats to Reed Bartlett, who was recently promoted toAssistant Sales Manager of Five.Ten in Redlands. Does thismean you can get me free shoes now, Reed?

Shoe Bargains for Persistent PeopleSpeaking of Five.Ten...looking for a smokin' deal on a pair ofclimbing shoes? Five.Ten sells demos and seconds from the backof their warehouse every Friday afternoon. The selection variesconsiderably, so you'll probably have to make a few trips beforeyou find something you're satisfied with. These are not newshoes, but cosmetic seconds, over-runs, old/discontinued/outdatedmodels, or used demos. The sale is held every Friday 2 p.m. to 4p.m. only. Five.Ten is located at 125 Kansas St., Redlands,CA 92373. Let's see, a free "ad"...now you really owe me somefree shoes, Reed. Anasazi lace-ups, size 10, will do just fine.

Scalise Recovering from J-Tree FallLocal climber and Rim of the World Climbing Club memberAnthony Scalise took a whipper on "Spiderman," 5.10a, in J-Tree in early November. He is alive today thanks to the largebush he landed on at the bottom of the route, and is expected tomake a full recovery. Get well Anthony, and we'll see you at aRim of the World Climbing Club outing soon!

Good-bye Allez; Hello Coastal Bouldering GuideAllez, the Southern California high-numbers climbing magazinethat a few hard-core proponents loved for its attempts to makeSouthern Californians climb on par with the EuroGods, andmany critics loved to hate for it's overzealous reporting ofchipped routes, is apparently dead. "(Allez editor) Steve Edwardssays he isn't going to do anymore issues," said one local. "Toomuch work for the money." We here at mOthEr rOck can't arguewith that logic. Edwards is instead keeping himself busy puttingup new hard routes on the Central Coast, and is reportedlyworking on a Central Coast Bouldering Guide.

Check Out Boulderdash!It's the quarterly publication covering climbing in the Southeast.$10 annually gets you four issues. Boulderdash!, PO Box 18615,Asheville, NC 28814. [email protected].

Artz Hooks Up With Rock & IceMatt Artz, the Bullitzer Prize-winning editor of mOthEr rOck,was recently asked by DeAnne Musolf, editor-in-chief of Rock &Ice magazine, to become a local correspondent for Rock & Ice.He will be regularly submitting articles and information aboutthe So Cal climbing community for possible publication in boththe on-line and printed versions of Rock & Ice.

Send miscellaneous new items to [email protected].


Trip ReportJack's Canyon: A Great Place to Crankby Rob Stauder

Newly arrived to California from a hectic midwest existence,I came across a free weekend and an invitation to meet somefriends in Jack's Canyon, Arizona. In other times, I might havescoffed at the opportunity to go sport climbing, but a long layoffhad destroyed any ethical pretensions I used to have. As all formsof climbing are beautiful and valid, I readily agreed to the venture.I pushed aside my preferences for ugly crack climbing andpsyched myself up for a weekend of knee drops and pocketpulling on superb desert limestone.

Over the course of the previous year, I had lead only oneclimb and gone bouldering only a few times. Normally, thisentailed an illegal ascent of university building walls. Jack's,rumored to be "softly" rated and well bolted, seemed like a greatplace to ease back into the adrenaline-fest of lead climbing. Noroutes at Jack's predate 1993, so rest assured that those bolts arequite secure. Plus, it lies in the fabulous canyon country of thedesert southwest, a spiritual place where you can see the skycurve along the horizon. The earth here is as large as an ancientsea bed.

It had been an ugly day at work so I fled at 3 p.m. on Fridayafternoon. I zoomed east across Southern California, intoArizona and the desert night. Late summer cooks the desert butthe nights are clear and you can see the milky way. Jack's liesabout 30 miles south of Winslow, Arizona (of "Take it Easy"fame). Jack's Canyon is actually part of a greater canyon system,the Moenkopi, which snakes around North Central Arizona. Thecanyon entrance lies on public land, across a mesa, about sixmiles from the road. It is conveniently isolated and unmarked.You must even open a gate and close it behind you once youleave the pavement.

My friends Jay and Emily were still awake, awaiting myarrival. A huge night sky arched over us and the other scantdwellers of the high desert like the pinyon and juniper bushes.I spread my sleeping bag underneath one of these, on the softmesa sand, and fell into a deep sleep far from electric power andmotor homes. I had my next day's strategy figured out: toprope afew climbs and when I feel comfortable, grab the sharp end andsend some routes.

Not a cloud in sight. A mammoth mesa in the distance, redagainst the morning sun and miles of shadow. We ate quickly,chatted about our former midwest lives. They had bombed outhere a few days previously and were enjoying the huge westernexpanse surrounding them.

We descended into the canyon through broken and blackwalls. Several tiers stepped their way to the sunny bottom. Ourobjective: the first few routes on the "Casino Cliffs." This bandruns on the west side of the stream that snakes through theMoenkopi. Over 40 routes dot the cliff line. Jay warmed up on"Bet on Black," a slabby 5.9. Quickly cranking the route, hethreaded the shuts at top and lowered off. Emily was up anddown in moments. As I was putting on my shoes, I heard therope come whistling down. I turned around and saw Jay lookingsheepishly at me. Intentional or not, I was sandbagged! Somuch for my easing back into leading. It would have been toowimpy to let Jay take another lead. I had to lead now or forever

compromise my studliness. I jumped on the sharp for a ride up"Double or Nothin'," a 5.9, four bolt arete up a leaning pillar.This climb, while not spectacular, involved strange and fun highsteps. It felt so good that I grabbed the next lead up the nearby"Edge your Bets," another 5.9 but pocketed and vertical. Harderthan the previous route, this one went straight up a 40 foot wallon awesome brown and yellow limestone. Jay cranked "Slot offun," a 5.10a face next to "Edge your Bets." Another four boltline, the route travels over a small pumpy crux bulge. I was tooscared to immediately jump on a 5.10. But this is sportclimbing—well placed bolts every seven to ten feet. You can gofor it. And Jay did on the first line on the Casino Cliff—"Mustang Ranch," a short 5.lib out a paunchy roof to pockets.Jay is usually pretty solid on 5.11 but this route pummeled him.A thin seam travels out a nasty bulge. I swear I heard somepasserby mumble something about 5.12. The most painfulmoves looked to be the one finger-lie-back-to-the-thin-edge forthe third clip. To his credit, he finished the route.

Photo: Rob Stauder

"Genesis," S.lOd, follows the left line of pockets;"Power Trip, " 5. lie, goes up the overhanging face

on the right, ending under the roof.

Forget this. I had massacred my hands enough two dayspreviously on sharp Keller Peak granite, so I was not about toruin my fingers on day one at Jack's Canyon.

With Jay somewhat humbled and the morning barely expired, wedecided to move down the canyon to the "Cracker Jack Cliffs."This band lies half a mile down the Moenkopi and sports over 60excellently pocketed routes. The approach provides a beautifulrespite from recent activities on the Casino Wall. Black pocketedlimestone aeries soar over 150 feet to the Mesa. These arebroken into three sections, each a steep or overhanging wall.Seeing it, you savor the potential for the next type of routedevelopment at Jack's: multi-pitch. Parts of the trail offer viewsof vine covered walls and ancient trees. Jack's has that strange,otherworldly look so characteristic of canyon country.

We scouted a few 5.10s and spent time pondering routes.Boulder problems. A 5.5 sport climb. I lead "Jack's Crown," a

mOthEr rOck #4 PageS January/February 1997

short 5.10a that was somewhat slabby. In other areas, it wouldhave been a questionable 5.9, but that's the canyon rating system.Either way, it didn't matter because I'd come to this place to pulldown and lose my mind in the absorbing inner focus of makingmoves. "Jill and Drill," a similar 5.10a, makes you think moreas you stretch up its pockets. Two routes down from where wewere and under a thin bulge, two Germans fired "Frequent Flyer,"an edgy 5.12a. The atmosphere reeked of dry desert and cranking,focused climbers.

By this time, I was charged. I wanted to get on somethinghard for me and quickly located "Total Lack of Jack," a slightlyoverhanging and thinly pocketed 5.10c. Upon my first move Iwas centered on staying on my feet as my fingertips balanced onthe shallow pockets and edges that wend up the wall. Above thethird bolt I side pulled off a beautiful pocket and cranked off myright foot to stretch for an edge. A high step onto a horizontalfeature put me into clipping range of the fourth bolt. Executingthese moves on lead felt hollow like a breeze. I thought nothingbut floated over the sequence in a crank trance.

The day began to wind down. Emily wanted to head back tocamp. Late afternoon hit as the sun lost its direct shine on thecanyon floor. The wind picked up and I felt somewhat burnt bythe sun, the views, and the moves. As Emily strode off on ahike that eventually revealed a sun-whitened cow skeleton, Jayand I strode off to clip some more bolts.

Pholo: Rob Stauder

Jay Bishop on "Slots of Fun, " S.lOa.

We marched back to the Casino Cliffs to "Sports Book," a S.lOabolted crack. This idea, bolting a crack, has always seemedabsurd to me, kind of like wiping your own ass with your baby'swipes. But, as sport climbing is a celebration of movement andnot placing pro, cracks are to be bolted.

For a Jack's climb, the first bolt was a high 15 feet. Thecrack started here and flared its way up vertically for another 30feet. Then it seemed to angle off slightly. The limestone seemedsomewhat smoother as I felt my way up to the first clip. I couldnot get a good jam. My hands kept buttering out of this crackand I could not torque them correctly. One of my feet was

twisted into the fissure and the other kept skidding off the face.I was about to sail. In one last, desperate, and certainly gruntymove, I craned my head back and levered off the bolt hanger withmy skull. No finesse here. I was back into my element.Having thrust myself back into the crack, I jammed the slipperything another few feet before I could stem out to pockets. Jay, ofcourse, dialed my troublesome spot by stemming and laybackingthe corner. I should have known! No intelligent sport climberwould use something as ungraceful as a hand jam. "SportsBook," S.lOa, is a fine climb, certainly an area classic. However,it would be a much different climb it you had to place your ownpro. And, if I may opine, far better.

Photo: Rob Stauder

Emily Bonansinga on "Double or Nothing," 5.9.

Jay was up for one more, so we moved down to "Ace in theHole," a vertical 5.10b face in the back of a grotto-dihedral. Athin edge to an undercling brings you out to thin pockets andthen up desperate fingertip liebacking. Jay cruised it first try butit did make him think. I followed it and could not believe thethin pockets I was cranking off. This was a sustained, crimpyclimb miles harder than most of the other routes we had done anddefinitely another area must-do. Before we ascended the mesa, wescoped "Ten the Hard Way," a 5.10d thin edge-fest, and "Dealer'sChoice," 5.10c, another bolted crack. Both looked steep andsustained, and tasty tidbits for a return voyage.

The day was done; now it was time to drink frothy, dark beer andrevel in our day's accomplishments. We had cranked ten routesand my body was descending from the day's steady adrenalinesurge. Another clear canyon country night unfolded withmillions of stars. We swilled Australian Stout into the night andlaid around totally enraptured by the sky. Too long incivilization and not enough humbling from Mother Nature'sexpanse. I missed my wife and little daughter tremendously andknew they would have loved to be on this trip. The ancient seabed has a silence that grows at night. In the morning, before thestoves fire up, it is also noticeable. The air is clear and viewsstretch into miles. The scale of the earth makes you formless and


squashes your puny existence. At this point you are ready to turnoff the inner chatter and crank.

Back into the canyon, we follow the Moenkopi down theMain Wall. This wall is Jack's wildest with huge overhangs, bignumbers, and skinny, sullen sport climbers. A sample of atypical route here is, as described in the guide, "Ropin1 theWind," 5.12d: "Rope the wind and take a wild ride on desperatemoves." We, of course, avoid these, and head to the end of thecliff line for a few warm ups. Our first route, "Blackened," is avery thin 5.10a, and easier than some 5.8s I have done. The nexttwo, "Take your Pick," and "Windchill," were a different story.The first, a 5.9, has a hard bouldery start that backed me downonce. I figured out the slopy moves and enjoyed the jugs above.The second traveled out a small overhang to tiring thin edges andbizarre, balancey moves. Both of these are sustained and shouldrank as Jack's classics.

Flying on adrenaline and pleasantly surprised by the previoustwo routes, we made our way back under 5.12s and 5.13s. Somegaunt and acrobatic crankster hung above from one heel and ahand on a distant pocket. We landed at "Last Episode," a 5.10dpocketed crank over four bolts and steep ground. Jay sped up it,got tricked by the goofy left moves, and ended up in the chimneyto the right. A thin traverse out left to the bolts was necessary,and Jay clipped the shuts somewhat freaked and pumped.I figured out the sequence left, pinching and pocket-pulling myway to almost flashing the route on toprope when I was yankedrudely down by the undipped quickdraw at my feet. A stupid leadfall on toprope on this excellent Jack's route.

Photo: Rob Stauder

Jay Bishop on "Edge Your Bets," 5.9.

The wind picked up and gray clouds built overhead. The sun-warmed land chilled suddenly. We were unsure if a storm wasgoing to blow in but things did look ominous. So did the hugeoverhanging 5.lie we were hiding under. Some honemasters hadleft a toprope on it for warm up so we jumped on it. "PowerTrip" voyages 40 feet up through four bolts. Each moveoverhangs the previous and every move is 6" to 1' out of yourreach. Jay cranked it gracefully with a hang. I hung at every bolt

and finished it totally burned. To reach the shuts, I had to stick aheel hook way over my head, pulling up with my leg and onearm.

People started to pack up and head out. We decided to try onemore route before the deluge. The route, "Genesis," is a 5.10dand was the second line put up at Jack's. Seven bolts cruise over70 feet, 50 of which overhang slightly. Pockets and incut jugshaul their way up this beautiful route. Jay lowered from thefourth bolt with sore hands. I climbed up to the high point,hung for a rest in classic Jack's style, and then cruised the finaloverhangs with a dramatic shout of "YOU WON'T FALL!"Above the last bolt, you look down through your stemmed legs70 feet to the ground. I lowered and cleaned, reminded of asimilar route, "Jack in the Pulpit," in another type of canyoncountry, the Red River Gorge of Kentucky.

Back on the ground, we packed up. I was totally satisfiedwith the finale on such a classic route. The wind picked up and aslight rain fell on the desert. I pondered Jack's notoriousreputation for easy ratings. For the routes we did, it was 50-50.Who knows why this is so? Maybe because Jack's is a new placeor that its authors want it to get well known. However, as if toreinforce the relativity and meaningless of ratings, the owner ofthe rope on "Power Trip" returned, tied in, and flashed thebehemoth in his Tevas for his warm down.

Storms in canyon country blow in hard but dump minimalmoisture. The sky gets ugly in its big, threatening way, and theland acquires a darker shade of red, black, silver, green, andpurple. Jay, Emily, and I talked for a while in the back of theirtruck. They were going to move onto the Enchanted Tower inNew Mexico, another stop on their tour of new western sportcrags. My destination was work the following day. Lookingback on Jack's, it is a great place to crank. If you like sportroutes, this is a place for you. You can crank many routes in aday. It is also a great place to warm up for something bigger andmore mentally committing. You can train your body as well asmind on Jack's multitude of well protected hard climbs. It has alot of bouldering which could be the focus of a trip in itself.Finally, it is a great place to relax and focus on the land, the sky,and super climbing.

For more information on Jack's Canyon, see the guide: Jack'sCanyon Sport Climbing by Dierdre Burton and Jim Steagall.

Rob Stauder, with a crapload (well, OK, five) trad first ascents atKentucky's Red River Gorge, now lives in Running Springs.

Book ReviewDatabase of Rock Climbs in California, Version1.1, for PC or Macintosh, by Don Chambers. TheBackcountry, Redlands, California; 1996. Paperback; 22 pagesplus diskette. $21.95.

When I first saw Don Chambers' book "Index to Rock Climbs inCalifornia," I was skeptical. It was obviously a labor of love,but I couldn't see shelling out 20 bucks for a photocopied list of14,000+ climbs in California. Interesting idea, but exactly whatwould a climber use it for?

But luckily for climbers in California, Don had bigger andbetter plans. The database has been updated to includeinformation about more than 16,000 routes in California, and isnow available on diskette for use on your personal computer as


"Database of Rock Climbs in California." Again, it's aninteresting idea, but what would you use it for?

Think about it. You're planning your weekend climbingroad trip to the Eastern Sierra. You're interested in certain typesof climbs, in a very specific grade range. And you want tomaximize your time there by having a clear plan of attack. Thatused to mean countless hours thumbing through the guidebooks.

But this time, you try something a little different. You openup the "Database of Rock Climbs in California." Within a fewminutes, you have your plan. A simple query has given you amega-list of all the 5.10 to 5.11 routes in the Eastern Sierra.Too many, in fact, to climb in a month, let alone a weekend. Soyou refine your search to include only "recommended" routes.The resulting list is still too much to handle in a weekend, but ismuch more manageable.

While you don't have to be a computer expert to use thisdatabase, be aware that this is a raw database, not a standaloneprogram. But it's a fairly straightforward process to load thedatabase into your favorite application, such as Excel, Access,Lotus 1-2-3, ClarisWorks, FileMaker Pro, or whatever youalready have on your computer. Then, using the query toolsnative to that application, you can quickly search for certain typesor grades of climbs in certain areas, or even add your owninformation to the database, such as the date you climbed acertain route, your partner's name, comments about routeconditions, etc.

Will the concept of using a computerized database to planyour next climbing outing catch on? Maybe. New technologies,especially the sudden global acceptance of the Internet, arechanging the ways climbers find and distribute information. The"Database of Rock Climbs in California" may be an idea ahead ofits time, but not by much.

The "Database of Rock Climbs in California" is available fromChessler Books, 1-800-654-8502 or 303-670-0093; or [email protected].

-Matt Artz

Photo of the MonthWhat The?

Brew of the MonthBlack Toad Dark Ale:A Toadily Awesome Brewby Rob Stauder

There I was, newly arrived to Southern California from the newlybrewly diversified Cincinnati, Ohio. Thirsty wife at home caringfor the new family addition, I was searching for a tasty beer. Themain supermarkets had an even worse selection of good brew thanthe most po-dunk of midwest swill mongeries. I began to thinkthat the Inland Empire was beer deficient, that its beer drinkerswere mudweiser zealots—that taste was relegated to "TastesGreat!" and "Less Filling!"

Snooping around Trader Joe's, I was impressed by the hugequantity of cheap libations. I noticed a stack of black six packssporting a green and black toad as a logo. I snatched a bottlefrom the pack, held it to the light for the darkness test, and waspleased to see that only a modicum shone through.

Be the first to E-mail [email protected] with the name of theroute and the location, and win a free one year subscription. Yes,it's a moderate route in Southern California. And yes, if you sawit in color, those tights she's wearing would make you vomit.

Photo: Rob Stauder

Kids of all ages love The Toad.

I had found a dark lager and at $3.99 a six, a possiblesubstitute for all other liquids except water.

The next months became a blur of toads. Toads after work.Toads on the weekends. Toads in payment for watching a friend'scat. Black Toad, with its sharp malty flavor, became the onlybrew I brought home to my family. They do not complain buttoadily agree that the Toad has backbone.

Toad not only has taste but has a conservationist ethic. Goout, buy some, and you're supporting the beer's namesake speciesin the Inyo Mountains. What could be better, you ask, than anaffordable, tasty beer with a social conscious? Perhaps a free rackof Aliens or Camalots? Maybe a fat raise from the boss forcranking a hard route? An all expense paid voyage to a tropical,clothing-optional crag for you and your significant other?

Well friends, until these things become a reality, you mightas well head down to Trader Joe's and stock up on some Toads.

Cheers! Take a Toad on the Road!

When not sucking The Toad, Rob Stauder can be reached atrstauder® esri. com.


Doggin' with the Editor

The editor bouldering in J-Tree. Photo: Darel! Palmer

Help Has Arrived!!!This month, I'm very pleased to welcomeseveral new faces to the throngs ofmOthEr rOck:

Reese Martin, who gives us some betaon some of his favorite coastal climbs,and gives us the topos for two new,previously unpublished areas. But wait,there's more: this is only part one in aseries of three!

Aaron Rough, who shares with us hisexperience on Half Dome's Snake Dike,and will be giving us beta in every issuein his new column, "ModeratelyModerate." Aaron has also beendeveloping a new bolted crag featuringshort, moderate sport routes. Look for anarticle spilling the beans in Issue #6,followed by a new mini-guidebook.

Amos Clifford, who gives us the scoopon the California Ice project (yes, there isice climbing in So Cal...).

Fritz Lowrey, who tells us how to getto the old animal enclosures at the L.A.Zoo, for synthetic bouldering that is"Gunks-like. "

Chris Miller, who will be providingmOthEr rOck readers with updates on hisbackyard climbing area (J-Tree), as well asa few of the billion or so other areas in SoCal he's been to.

With the help of these great folks andothers, mOthEr rOck is getting better allthe time.

Until Issue #6, climb hard, climb safe, andmost importantly, have FUN!

Matt Artz, EditormOthEr rOck@aol com

Letters to the EditorDear mOthEr rOck,

I'm anxiously awaiting your next issuebecause you address the "fun" or

adventurous aspect of climbing better thananyone in the publishing biz.

Thanks,

-Paul

Dear mOthEr rOck,

Enjoyed your current online edition!

—Charles, Redondo Beach

Just a reminder, you can visit mOthErrOck on-line at:

http://members.aol.com/motherrock

E-mail of the MonthDear mOthEr rOck,

please can u send me climbing routes inusemitty national park or send me 2 theresite"

—Zaki, Isreal

TidbitsYosemite Valley Climber's Clean-Up, May 30th-June 1st 1997The sixth annual Yosemite ValleyClimber's Clean-Up is scheduled for May30 to June 1, 1997 in Yosemite NationalPark. For more information contact theSouthern Yosemite Mountain Guides, Box301, Bass Lake, CA 93604 (Tel.: 209-658-8735; E-mail: [email protected]).

Outdoor Climbing Competition tobe Held at High DesertThis competition for intermediate climberswill be held Saturday, March 30, 1997, at9:00 a.m. at the High Desert climbingarea near Apple Valley. Contestants willroam the area and choose from more than adozen set routes to climb. To participate,your onsight ability cannot be more than5.11a/b, and your redpoint ability cannotbe above 5.12a. For more informationabout this competition, contact NaturalHigh Adventures (Tel.: 818-704-0590; E-mail naturalhighadventures ©juno.com).

Menifee Access TenuousWe've recently recieved a couple of E-mails and phone calls about the landownerasking climbers to leave the Menifeebouldering area in Riverside County.Until this issue is resolved, please respectthe privacy of the landowner. If you reallywant to climb in this area, Juniper Flats isjust a couple of miles away and offers alot more variety, including the fabulousLizard King Hand Crack, 5.10, and thestunning Lizard King Dihedral, 5.10c.

Photo of the MonthSolutionThe Photo of the Month in Issue #4(January/February 1997) was of a lycra-clad female climber on The Moon,5.8/5.9, Wallbanger Wall, Devil'sPunchbowl. We received a number ofgood guesses, but nobody guessed itcorrectly.



EditorMatt Artz

Recent ContributorsAmos CliffordReese Martin

Matt McGunigleChris Miller

Aaron RoughRob Stauder

Cindy StigallBrandon ThauTodd Vogel







On the Cover.Geoff Wade took this interesting photo of"Bargain Bob" Goff on a toprope attemptof Solo Crack, 5.10a, at KindergartenRock, San Bernardino Mountains.


Moderately Moderate.

Snake Dike, Half Dome: Something to Rememberby Aaron Rough

I had always wanted to do a major Yosemite formation. I haddone a couple of routes there-The Nutcracker, Bishop's Terrace,Crest Jewel on North Dome—but never once had I set foot on aBig Dog. You know, Half Dome, El Cap, Sentinel, WashingtonColumn, or any Cathedral. I had never had the balls to do aGrade V, let alone a Grade VI. So my options of getting up oneof these behemoths was limited.

As a frequent "rec.climing" Internet junkie, it seemed that atleast once a week someone posted a beta request for Snake Dike,5.7 R, on Half Dome. Through time, this started to peak myinterest. So I dusted off the cover of the Yosemite Free Climbsguide and thumbed through to the topo. From that alone, Istarted getting excited. Ten pitches, only two rated 5.7, mostlybolted, albeit with great distances between them, and a descriptionthat says, "a phenomenal passage on a grand monolith," soundedright up my alley! But then I read on; "there may be longrunouts, but it is on relatively easy rock" that started to make methink. I read about the approach and was startled to find out it isa 7.5 mile hike to the base that involves some exposedscrambling and then a whomping 8.8 mile hike back out. Alittle bit of mental calculations and I knew it would be a full dayof hiking and climbing. I had better pick my partners carefully.

Matt Morris should do-he's fairly new to climbing, but isclimbing trad 5.9's and sports 5.10's, not to mention that he's anex-marathon runner, which should come in handy on the brutalhikes. Eric Husbands, an NCO in the Army, climbs reallystrong and could swap out leads with me since Matt hasn't reallydone any leading. All it would take is some phone calls, somebegging, and some pleading to my wife and I just might havethat first coveted Big Dog under my belt! I arrange it all and thenext thing I know, we're speeding in Matt's 4-runner at 60 m.p.h.around corners rated for 20 m.p.h. It's Sunday night, the daybefore Labor Day, at 4:00 a.m. and we were almost there. Soonafter arriving, we have a brief, but exciting, encounter with a bearat Upper Pines Campground. Not long after that, we find aparking spot along the main road and crash.

6 a.m. rolls around pretty early and I, being wired oncaffeine, haven't slept a wink. Matt and Eric are comatose andonly unintelligible moans and grunts come from their restingspots when the alarm sounds. After badgering and yelling, theyfinally wake and soon the discussion turns from caffeine anddonuts to more serious stuff. It's crunch time: do we do it, or dowe wuss out and opt for short one or two pitch climbs around theValley floor? Well, I'm all for Half Dome and I finally win thetwo over. A brief time was spent sorting gear, racking up, andgeneral confusion, before we were ready to roll at 7 a.m. Theplan was to hike in with nothing extra, not even packs; we climbwith everything we take and hike down as soon as" possible afterwe summit. Ready; Break!

Off go the three intrepid climbers. The first few miles rollby in a blur. The views of the recent rock slide are impressive,and the dust-caked trees are a sight to see. After a brief strugglewith some switchbacks, we were soon at the top of Nevada Falls.What a view! Half Dome is easily identifiable and we can just seewhere our route is on the southwest shoulder, and it looks

impressive! So we rest and start off again. Fresh legs carry usup the path with a spring and we soon overshoot our turn off.Some thrashing and backtracking sets us right again, and soonwe're following a trail of cairns up through the bushy lower slabsto the base of our chosen route.

After what seems like forever, we finally get to the base,scrapped up from thrashing through manzanita. The climb looksvery impressive, and it's easy to figure out why they named itSnake Dike. A raised vertical dike system runs the entire lengthof the shoulder, snaking it's way left and right to the top. Ahuge cairn marks our start and soon we are ready to go. I take thefirst pitch, a nice crack that leads to a runout face friction traverseleft to a nice crack and our first belay 200 feet up.

Photo: Aaron Rough Collection

Aaron Rough at the bottom of the first pitch.

Matt is designated to be in the middle, with Eric and Iswapping leads. I feel good after the first pitch and soon we're all

mOthEr rOck#5 Page 2 March/April 1997

hanging out at the belay. Next, Eric has a traverse right to a boltthen up to a belay.

We think stringing the second and third pitches together maybe possible, but Eric can't see the next belay beyond his so hesets up. Matt and I follow and we've knocked off the easy firstand second pitches. From here, I go friction left pass a bolt thento a bolted belay but pass this up to a belay about what seems tobe 20 or 30 feet higher up the dike. I start out and can't find thebolt. Later I would see it, but only after I was too far away toclip. Ihit the belay 30 feet out, and with a fast clip to safety, Istart up the dike. Well, our initial judgment was wrong, waywrong! It's about 60 feet to the next belay and I go with no proon solid 5.6 climbing to the stance. Eric and Matt seemed muchmore relieved than I when I finally clipped in.

;. _ ,

I• V


Matt Morris on the third pitch.

I guess you get detached from it while leading, but whenbelaying, you're forced to watch your partner move farther andfarther from safety and deeper into the danger zone. Matt and Ericsoon follow up to the marginal belay, with two bolts and noledge. With Matt and I bumping elbows, Eric heads up a short60 foot pitch to the next belay. While it was only 5.5, onceagain there was no pro the entire length. I start off on the fifthpitch, and have a nice easy 5.4 pitch with a bolt down low but a

huge runout to the anchors. The sixth pitch is 5.6, with a boltright near the top of the pitch. It runs up the largest and mostprominent part of the dike system and by now the views andexposure are awesome! Eric and I can see across the valley to theroute we did on North Dome. Up valley, the headwall of El Caprears its head and Glacier Apron is spread out beneath us. With acouple of slung horns and some serious sweating, Eric's soon atthe belay.

Pitch seven is an easy 5.2 pitch up the dike to our first bigbelay edge. Pitch eight is a short 5.2 face that is super easyfriction but no pro the entire length. Pitch nine runs up a smallflake and over a small roof to put you in a huge crack for thefinal belay. Pitch ten is really the never ending pitch: more than1,000 vertical feet of second to third class friction climbing to thetop. We stayed roped up for the death slog to the top and had totake several breaks, as the long hike and climb soon startedtaking it's toll on our bodies.

When we finally got to the top, the first item of concern wasgetting our shoes off! After that, some mandatory summitphotos and the usual "you're crazy for climbing" comments fromthe assembled tourists. But what I thought was rather ironic, Iwas more scared going down the cable route then any point ofclimb on the way up! At 6 p.m., we finally were off of HalfDome and were faced with the torturous 8.8 mile hike straightdown hill to the truck so many thousands of feet below us. Weknew two hours wouldn't be enough to make it all the way downbut we didn't want to waste any time and soon dust was flying.

Darkness caught up with us about three miles out. Ourprogress was slowed even more by light-challenged touristsstumbling their way down the trail. I'll admit, even by headlamplight, things weren't that easy and our pace slowed tremendously.After what seemed like eternity, we hit the valley floor and hadthe .6 mile hike from Happy Isle to the truck. Never has .6miles taken so long! But at 9 p.m., we made it. Tired andbattered, we threw the gear into the back of the truck and left.

, • m - """.- "^*vmrnmsimmmt^nKjJUfti-^ix', •;••" ': > , . " _ 'iA ,,. <*•


Aaron Rough and the mess at the hanging belay.

So after 14 hours of solid physical exertion, I had bagged myfirst major Yosemite climb—my first Big Dog! Matt and Ericagreed to drive back as I had driven there, so I was soon crashed inthe back. I remember a brief off-roading episode when someonefell asleep at the wheel and a short blurry pit stop for gas andTaco Bell grub. At 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, we rolled intolovely San Bernardino. I don't know how we made it alive but,we did! I crashed and had three hours to sleep before I had to be

mOthEr rOck #5 Page 3 March/April 1997

to school and a major biology exam at 9:30 a.m. sharp. Twoyears from now, I won't be able to remember the grade I got onthat test, but for the rest of my life, I'll remember the incrediblefeeling I had when me and two of my friends stood on top of oneof largest and most beautiful pieces of granite in the world.

Aaron Rough lives in Highland, CA. This is the firstinstallment of "Moderately Moderate," a bi-monthly column he'llbe writing for mOthEr rOck.

Local UpdatesEastern Sierra Updateby Todd Vogel

Heavy winters don't always mean cold; this one's been reallymild, and that means the climbing has been good. Except for acouple of days the Buttermilk Boulders have been accessible allwinter. All that rain didn't do the road to the boulders any goodthough, don't be taking mom's new sedan out there...

Camel Canyon BouldersThe Camel Canyon Boulders (AKA Boulder Farm, AKA HappyBoulders, AKA Chalk Bluffs) continue to see quite a bit oftraffic, and for good reason. It can be 25 degrees and blowingsnow in Mammoth lakes and 70 degrees and calm at the boulders,a mere 35 minutes away. Somewhat of a cross between theButtermilk and Deadman's Summit bouldering areas, CamelCanyon features sharp pockets on not so steep to very steepwelded tuff boulders. With an amazing abundance of problems ofall difficulty levels, it seems to be sprouting a fine crop of sit-on-the-ground-to-start problems. If your fingers are still coming outof their winter "soft season" don't count on spending more than acouple of hours at Camel Canyon; welded tuff is just a step awayfrom glass.

Take it Easy on the EnvironmentA major concern at these, and many other bouldering areas, is theconcentrated environmental impacts that climbers bring withthem to the rocks. Bouldering areas tend to develop networks ofbraided trails heading in all directions, and a zone around eachboulder that is denuded of vegetation. In arid environments likethe Owens Valley, it's critical to stay on the well-travelled path;if they don't get smushed, those plants that look dead in thewinter will be springing back to life shortly.

The Owens River Gorge Anchor ProjectOh yeah, the Gorge...While the climbing has been great, most ofthe news from the Owens River Gorge has more to do withmaintenance than climbing. Official permission has been grantedto build a couple of outhouses in the Gorge. Now, if only they'dget built...Anchor replacement continues to be a big chore forlocal crag custodians. Local opinion seems to be swinging fromopen anchor systems, like cold shuts, towards fixed anchorswhich last longer and which are easier to replace when they dostart to wear. Anchors on popular gorge routes have beenwearing out in as little as three months. Multiply this times 500routes, three anchors each, and you start to get a feel for themagnitude of the problem. If you climb in the Gorge, perhapsyou'd like to contribute to the anchor maintenance fund atWilson's Eastside Sports, in Bishop (Tel: 619-873-7520; E-mail:[email protected]).

Lee Vining Ice in Full FormThe real climbing news from the Eastern Sierra is ice climbing inLee Vining Canyon. The heavy rains at New Years took awaymost of the ice...which then grew back bigger than anyone canremember seeing in 25 years. Ice climbs up to four pitches inlength have been done, and former thin-ice desperates are in fatcity conditions. One spectacular new route really stands out:Candlestick Park, climbed in Mid-January by Greg Corliss andAndy Sellers, features two vertical to slightly more than verticalpitches on thin pillars. Shortly after completing the secondascent, Richard Leversee proclaimed the second pitch to be "thebest ice pitch in California." Located on the sunny side of thecanyon, Candlestick Park will probably not wait around too long.

Local EventsThe Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival returns to Bishopthis year with more films and associated events than ever before.It's being held Friday night and Saturday night, March 28-29. Inconjunction with the film festival, local guides are again offeringtheir "mountain mentor" series, clinics, and courses related tomountain sports, all at "fire sale" prices. Wilson's EastsideSports is holding their annual rock shoe demo that weekend aswell (Tel: 619-873-7520; E-mail: [email protected]).

Todd Vogel operates a guide service in Bishop, CA. He can bereached at [email protected].

New Jack CityNew Desert Area Boasts More than 50 HardSport Routes; Much Potential for Moderatesby Matt Artz

The local desert has seen a lot of action as climbers race todevelop a number of new sport climbs at "New Jack City."Located near the desert town of Barstow, the site is also known tosome by the name "Stoddard Valley."

"The climbing is fun, against long odds," notes ReedBartlett. "The area is heavily used by many off-road enthusiastsand local beer drinkers. The bases of crags near the dirt roads arelittered with broken bottles. I think the local adage must be'slam the beer then buck the bottle at full velocity against therock and try to get the biggest dispersion of shards.'Nonetheless, the climbing is overhanging and quite fun. Thereare almost no 5.10s, and nothing easier than that. The routeactivity has been aimed at 5.11s and 5.12s, of which there areabout fifty." He also notes that there is tremendous potential formoderate routes at New Jack City, but that the peopleresponsible for developing the site are not interested in puttingup routes in the easy/moderate range.

"We decided to do The Raven, 5.lib (?)," said Aaron Roughafter a recent visit to New jack City. "It hasn't really had aconfirmed rating yet. It's 12 bolts long, has a long overhang andgets pretty runout near the top. It was great, but overall, most ofit is on really friable rock. Maybe it will clean up as it seesmore activity. "

While New Jack City has yet to be written up in anymagazines or guidebooks, Troy Mayr has been making topos andcollecting information to include in a new guidebook. AddedRough, "I got a peek at the new guide and there are SO manynew routes out there, it's incredible!"


Selected Central Coast ClimbingPart One: Ventura, Ojai and the Sespe

by Reese Martin

The coastal counties north of the L.A. basin offer a suprisingwealth of rock with superb climbs and bouldering. Most of theclimbing is near the coast, where the mellowing effects of PacificOcean marine air make climbing a year-round reality. Climb inthe sun wearing shorts and tank top in January, instead offreezing your butt off flapping in the desert winds. In thesummer the ocean air keeps it cool, instead of the inland bakefests. Most of the climbing is on sandstone, with volcanicbreccia dominating the Santa Monica Mountains. The quality ofthe stone is excellent. Some of my most wonderful climbingexperiences have been here.

If you want variety, everything from radical overhangingroutes to multi-pitch low-angle slabs, without the crowds ofclimbers that have come to plague most Southern Californiacrags, this is the place. I've lived in Ojai and Ventura for thepast 14 years and have never tired of local climbing. We'vesurfed in the morning, gone cragging in the Sespe, and made itdown to the beach to watch the sunset over the Pacific. Summerevenings after work have often found me bouldering trickysandstone.

Ojai is less than an hour and a half from downtown L.A. Toget there, just follow the Ventura Freeway (Highway 101) westtowards Santa Barbara. Once in Ventura, take Highway 33 northout of Ventura for 15 miles to Ojai.

I have listed just some of the climbing areas starting at theocean in Ventura and working inland toward Ojai and the Sespe.For a more detailed description of climbing possibilities, refer toClimbing in Santa Barbara, Ventura & San Luis Obispo bySteve Tucker and Kevin Steele, Lorraine Press, 1994. A newbouldering guide to Ventura and Santa Barbara by Wills Youngand Steve Edwards is expected soon.

Ventura River Wall. In it's heyday, this was the finestfreeway glue-up wall in California. It is no more. On December2, 1995, a loaded gasoline tanker crashed on the freeway rampabove, spilling 8,000 gallons of gas onto the walls below. Theraging inferno turned the wall into a smoking ruin. The heatfrom the fire flaked big sections of concrete, and melted & cookedmany of the holds. The ruins that remain are still worth a stop.This wall was started in the early 80's by several ChouinardEquipment employees as a low key lunch time finger endurancetraining spot. Within five years it had grown to more than1,500+ feet of traversing on 5 separate walls, featuring bizarremoves with long reaches. This is the only place I've ever beenable to do moves Lynn Hill couldn't—she just wasn't tall enoughto make the reach.

The Ventura River Wall is located under Highway 101, at theVentura River in Ventura. Park at the lot by the bike path, or atPatagonia, near where Main Street crosses the river going northout of town. Walk towards the ocean on the bike path and youwill see the concrete panels.

Ojai Valley. The air of this idyllic valley is rich with thescent of orange blossoms and jasmine. The Ojai Valley is amagical place, sacred to Chumash Indians. Ojai was the Valleyof "Shangri-la" where no one grew old in the 1938 movie Lost

Horizon with Ronald Coleman. You will find the climbing inOjai magic, too: mostly moderate face routes and boulders.

Foothill Crag, AKA "The Foot." The Foot is locatedjust outside of Ojai at the very northern end of Foothill Road inPratt Canyon. This crag gets shade most of the afternoon, so itis a good summer spot. The crag is a gritty sandstone 50' to 80'tall, featuring high quality face routes and crack climbs.Protected for the most part by 3/8" bolts, the climbs can be led,or easily toproped. The fifteen routes here are ideal for themOthEr rOck reader.

When I first moved to Ojai, Yvon Chouinard told me therewas a good sized cliff above Ojai he'd visited in the mid-60's, butin his usual way was vague about the location. In the winter of1986 I tore tendons in my hand at Joshua Tree. I had stupidlygrabbed a sling during a fall trying to finish a lead in the rain.My doctor told me to take six months off from serious climbingto let my hand heal. It was during that recovery time we put upmost of the routes at The Foot. Then it only took a couple ofevenings exploring the hills after work to find Foothill Crag.None of my climbing partners would believe that there was a cliffof decent rock 80' tall in Ojai, they would rather just go to Joshon the weekends. I ended up doing most of the climbs ropedsolo, in traditional ground-up style. I'd worked out a self-belaysystem using a jumar. I'd tie the rope off to a tree at the base ofthe cliff, then pay out some rope through a jumar clipped to myharness, climb up, clip a piece and repeat the process at eachprotection point. This method worked pretty well for the firstfew routes, but it was slow going. Each evening I'd dash up tothe cliff to work on a route, climb up to my previous high pointand bang away with hammer and hand drill. Usually I'd only getone or two bolts drilled before it got dark. After doing a coupleof routes this way I was getting fairly confident of this system,actually kinda cocky. I'd not fallen yet.

Placing bolts on the lead in traditional style is hard on yourfeet. You climb up to a stance where you can hopefully hang outfor the 10 to 15 minutes it takes to drill the hole and place thebolt. To place the bolt, you have to balance with no hands whileyou pull out the drill and hammer, reach as high as youcomfortably can, and start tapping away. This can get spooky,particularly if the footholds you are standing on aren't that great.After a few minutes your feet start to scream, then they go numb.You constantly have to shift your weight from one foot to theother to relieve the pain.

This is the situation I found myself in while drilling thesecond bolt on From The Ashes, 5.10b. While changing out adull drill bit for a nice sharp one, I shifted my weight to rest myfoot, lost my balance, and tipped over backwards. I went headfirst for the deck. The fall wasn't far, fifteen feet at the most.With the slack in my self-belay system my head stopped justinches from a boulder at the base of the climb. As I hung there,upside down, hyper-ventilating, I realized I just about killedmyself.

Since that day I have not used a solo self-belay system.The "must-do" climbs to do at Foothill Crag include

Ruthless Poodles, a tricky 5.10a bolt protected face climb, Moon


Doggies, 5.8, and From the Ashes, 5.10b. For something a bitharder, go Chummin' for Splatter, 5.lib.

To get there, drive to downtown Ojai, turn left off Highway150 (Ojai Avenue) at Signal Street, go up the hill past the jog atGrand Avenue to a left at the Los Padres National Forest sign(across from 203 N. Signal), and follow the road a couple ofhundred yards to the Pratt/Foothill trailhead. A pleasant 15 to 20minute walk up the trail along the creek bed will bring you toNational Forest land. Continue a few hundred more yards until aside trail branches off right. Take this trail for 100 yards to thebase of the crag. Watch for poison oak near the base of the wall.

Potrero John WallSespe—Ventura County. Highway 33—34 miles to Ventura

80'

© Reese MartinJan. 1997

Potrero John Wall-Highway 33 East of Ojai

A. El Potrero, 5.9 R. 50 feet, no protection. This routeis generally toproped.

B. Zyzzxx, 5.8. Five bolts, two cold shut anchor, 50feet. 1 ::

C. Pro Job, 5.9+. Three bolts, two cold shut anchor,60 feet. Connects to Miccis at second bolt.

D. Micccis, 5.9 **. Four bolts, two cold shut anchor, 60feet.

E. Menage a Trois, 5.10b ***. Four bolts, stoppers, twocold shut anchor, 80 feet. FA: Henry Barber andYvon Chouinard, 1976. Variation: start left ofclimb, connect at second bolt.

F. Rubber Man, 5.10+ **. Five bolts, two cold shutanchor, 70 feet.

G. Beginnings, 5.4. Gear, 40 feet.

Note: This crag was retro-bolted by parties unknown in 1995with 3/8" bolts and cold shut anchors added.

Thacher School, Ojai. The hill behind the school has agreat supply of twenty-plus sandstone boulders. Thacher School

is in the east end of the Ojai Valley. Climbers are welcome,chalk is not. There are a few short toprope problems in the 5.10range here. Once through the entrance to Thacher School stayright follow the signs to the Gymkhama field, and park. Theboulders are on the small ridge to the East of the fields. The areaisn't well documented, but that's part of the charm. I recommendstarting at the Jameson plaque boulder. Have fun exploring.

Highway 33. Recently in Matilija Canyon, the narrowwinding canyon at the "twin tunnels" known as Wheeler Gorgehas become a sport climbing area. The climbing is right off theroad, seven miles east of Ojai along Highway 33. There are nowmore than twenty-five bolted routes, the difficulty ranging from5.9 to 5.12+. The climbing is face moves on steep and slightlyoverhanging sandstone, conglomerate, and solid shale. Thetwisting canyon is a beautiful and unique place to spend the day.All of the climbing is within a three minute walk of the road.The topos are a mOthEr rOck exclusive.

As an introduction to Wheeler Gorge you cannot do betterthan Ezra, 5.9. This route offers a short romp up a buttressfeaturing shallow pockets and slippery rounded footholds.Technical footwork is a necessity. Just across the creek on thesteep sandstone slabs, the well-bolted Exodus, 5.1 la, and Blush,5.11 a, are must-dos. The black rock next to the bridge has thefirst climb to go in the area, Stu Boy, 5.9, with the trickyDanger Boy, 5.lib, and Velocity Boy, 5.lib, just to the right.These three climbs are good ones to get action photos of from thebridge.

During the heavy rains in January 1997, a big chunk ofMonstrosity, 5.11+, collapsed. The initial pillar is now gone,leaving no climb for the first 30 feet. Currently the route cannotbe lead, but is toprope-able. While you are there, be sure to trybouldering the Trout Farm Traverse.

Black Canyon of the Sespe. The historic Sespe Wall offersmulti-pitch routes up to 300 feet. The sandstone slab that makesup the wall is broken with numerous crack systems. None of theroutes on the wall is particularly difficult, making it an idealplace for the beginning leader to practice their craft. All theroutes are easily protectable with stoppers, wired nuts and cams.There are no bolts on this wall.

Easily the most popular route on the wall is The Tree Line,5.5, a leftward trending crack system with several stout pine treesgrowing out of the crack for belay stations. This route is awonderful choice for your first multi-pitch lead. The EndingCrack, 5.7, is one of the finest easy multi-pitch face climbs inSouthern California. The climb goes straight up a face crack tillit finally ends and there are some moderate face moves (5.7). Tomake a longer and more interesting climb, most parties make ashort traverse right (5.6) where the crack ends. Gain anothercrack system and then climb up to the top of The Tree Line. Ilove The Ending Crack, having personally climbed it more than ahundred times. The moves are interesting and sometimesbalancy, though never easy, it's never that hard. To train forlong alpine routes, I've soloed The Ending Crack, then down-climbed The Tree Route, logging as many as seven laps in asession without setting foot on the ground.

Some of the other routes worth doing include McTavish,5.6, and Hangin' Around, 5.5, both of which have wild movesthrough roofs. The Wasp, 5.8, is fun, and a bit harder is TheSting, 5.10, with cranky jams through a roof to the slab above.Edge of Night, 5.7, follows the left edge of a gully at the far


right end of the wall. The climb is airy and exhilarating, thoughsomewhat runout.

The Sespe Wall is located 17 miles out of Ojai on Highway33. Park directly across the creek from the obvious large wall.The approach is casual: one minute. During high water, crossingthe creek may be tricky, and portions of the base of the wall maybe wet or underwater.

Wheeler Gorge "Narrows

Highway 33—7 miles Eastof Ojai, CA

HI 1 sandstone

G J .,K/ V

blackconglomerate V

Potero John Wall. A half mile beyond the Sespe Wall is agroup of rock slabs on the south side of the road. The eighty-foot-high blank wall at the far left is Potero John Wall. To theright and uphill a bit is a group of large triangular slabs,collectively known as The Fortress. There was some climbingdone on the Fortress in the late 60's and early 80's. These slabsare essentially undeveloped. The Fortress offers excellentpotential for new moderate pitches.

In 1995 Potero John Wall was retro-bolted with fat 3/8"bolts and additional anchors were added. This turned what hadbeen a collection of runout 1/4" spinner horror-shows, into afriendly and fun place for the mOthEr rOck climber. All fivebolted routes are worthwhile. When you climb the insecure,tricky seam in the middle of the face, Menage a Trois, 5.1 Ob,remember the route was first climbed in EB's and protected onlyby wired stoppers in 1976 by "Hot" Henry Barber and YvonChouinard. The bolts appeared recently. After your day ofclimbing be sure to check out the numerous swimming holesnearby. There is a great barefoot boulder traverse over the bigpool 200 yards upstream. Fall off and you're wet.

Reese Martin is a longtime climber living in Ventura, California.He is rumored to be exploring several new climbing areas alongthe Central Coast. This is the first in a series of articles formOthEr rOck about Central Coast Climbing. Contact Reese byE-mail at [email protected], or phone him at 805-643-2422..

Wheeler Gorge--"Narrows"

A. Monstrosity, 5.11+. Eleven bolts, three bolt anchor, 110feet. Bolted & toproped by Reese Martin, 1995. Additionalbolts & RP' by Steve Edwards & Arvin Gunta, 1996. First30 feet collapsed January 1997.

B. Project, 5.11+/I2b. Three bolt anchor, 110 feet. Right ofMonstrosity. FTR: Reese Martin, 1995.Unnamed Arete, 5.9 *. 70 feet. Finishes at anchors forD. Gould project.

D. Unnamed, 5.12b ***, Nine bolts, two cold shut anchor, 75feet. FA: Gould & Tony Agulara, 1995. Wooden portaledgeat base. Tricky clipping.

Aquaphobia--Boulder problems: Traverse above pools: Lto R, 5.12; R to L, 5.10a. FA: Edwards, Gould, 1996.

. Unnamed, 5.12a (5.10, AO). Four bolts, two cold shutanchor, 40 feet. FA: Edwards, Arvin Gunta, 1996. Boulderproblem start.

. Arvin's Rig, 5.10a Four bolts, one cold shut anchor, nohangers. FA: Edwards, Arvin, 1996.

u. Ezra, 5.9+**. Four bolts, two cold shut anchor, 45 feet.FA: Gould & Agulara, 1994.

Boulder Problems Under Bridge. Pockets, 5.10/11+.A-Frame Roof. Toprope by Gould. 5.9, slab above, 5.10.

Project.Exodus, 5.11a ***. Eight bolts to chain anchor, 80 feetFA: Gould & Agulara, 1995. Quality. Variation: 5.1 Ob R,go straight up from fourth bolt. :

I. Blush, 5.1 la***. Five bolts, two cold shut anchor, 60 feet.FA: Gould & Agulara, 1995.

J. Slab to single leeper bolt. 5.9 R? FA: Unknown, 1980's?K. Roadside Distraction, 5.12b/c. Project. Gould &

Agulara.L. Slacker Dihedral, 5.8. Solo. FA: Gould, 1995.M-. Unnamed, 5.lib *. Seven bolts , two cold shut anchor, 50

feet. FA: Arvin, Edwards, 1996.Nf. Unnamed, 5.1 la *. Five bolts , two cold shut anchor, 50

feet. FA: Arvin, Edwards, 1996.O. Unnamed, 5.10. Five bolts , two cold shut anchor, 60 feet.

FA: Louie Anderson, Fall 1996.P. Unnamed, 5110. Five bolts , two cold shut anchor, 60 feet.

FA: Louie Anderson, Fall 1996.Q. South of the Trout Farm, 5.9. Five bolts, two cold

shut anchor, 45'. FA: Gould (solo), Gould & Agulara, 1996.R. Trout Farm, 5.12+. Toprope, 45 feet. Right of South

of the Trout Farm. FA: Gould & Agulara, 1996.Trout Farm boulder traverse, 5.lie. Stay low. High

variation: 5.10.S. Scorpion Surprise, 5.9. Vertical pod. Single bolt

anchor. Project. Gould & Agulara, 1996. Scorpions!!T. Fearless Hyena, 5.10a. Five bolts. Project. Gould &

Agulara, 1996.U. Stu Boy, 5.9. Seven bolts to two bolt anchor. FA: Stu

Ruckman, 1993. Variation: 5.lib; stay right of boltsthrough roof & face.

V. Danger Boy, 5.Ha.**. Seven bolts to two cold shutsFA: Gould, Agulara & Brannon 1995.

W. Velocity Boy, 5.lib **. Seven bolts to two cold shutsFA: Gould, Agulara & Brannon 1995. .-;.-:

X. The Chimney, 5.2. Unknown. Variation: 5.10 finish onlast three bolts of Velocity Boy. i . .


mOthEr rOck InterviewRandy Vogel, Southern California RegionalCoordinator, The Access Fundby Matt Artz

If you climb in Southern California, you know his name. Theauthor of several well-known guidebooks including the JoshuaTree "bible," Randy has also been very active in protectingclimbers' rights and local climbing areas while serving as the SoCal Regional Coordinator for The Access Fund. mOthEr rOckrecently got a chance to ask Randy about the state of accessissues in So Cal.

mOthEr rOck: Randy, how did you first get involved withThe Access Fund?

Randy Vogel: In 1983 I became a member of the AccessCommittee of the American Alpine Club (AAC) which washeaded by Armando Menocal, a precursor organization to theAccess Fund. John Wedberg, myself and several other membersof the So Cal Section of the AAC started an Access Fund;"literally a separate bank account fund set up for the then overlylofty goals of preserving climbing access by having money topay for land purchases, trail projects, brochures, etc. So. CalSection members generously contributed several thousands ofdollars. All this was done without any actual knowledge of thenational AAC.

Around 1988/1989, the Access Committee of the AAC wasactively raising money as the "AAC Access Fund," a spin off ofthe original bank account started by the So. Cal Section. By1989/90, Armando, myself, Rick Accomazzo, and a few othermembers of the Access Committee convinced other members tosplit off from the AAC and become an independent non-profit taxexempt organization. I was one of the original officers anddirectors of the Access Fund.

Currently, I am So Cal Regional Coordinator (but amlooking for a replacement; any takers?).

mOthEr: On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate accessin So Cal? Is it generally a problem, an infrequent problem, or arelative non-issue?

Randy: About a 5—a regular, but barely manageable problem.However, access in So Cal has the potential to be a realnightmare. Both the BLM and USFS are proposing banning ofall fixed anchors in wilderness areas, and there has been amovement by some groups to ban fixed anchors in NFSwilderness. This would include: Tahquitz & Suicide, 83% ofJoshua Tree, as well as several other climbing areas in So. Cal.

mOthEr: In addition to joining The Access Fund, what else canlocal climbers do to get involved in preserving access to So Calareas?

Randy: To get involved, there are several things you can do:

1. Write to your congessman/senators protesting the proposedBLM and USFS regulations to ban fixed anchors. See the AccessFund literature on this issue for more info.

2. Volunteer time or talents to local access projects: E-mail,phone, or write for being contacted on issues that arise.

3. Right now, there has been a move in the local (So Cal andNevada) Sierra Club Conservation Committee to adopt a policythat will support a total ban on bolts and removal of all existingbolts at Joshua Tree National Park. Climbers who are SierraClub Members should write the national office citing theirconcern about such an ill thought out policy that is neithersupportable based upon resource impacts and will do little butcause the many climbers who are dedicated environmentalists tobe alienated from the Sierra Club. Stress that climbers areamenable to Park Service management of bolts and possiblerestrictions on use, placement, etc.

4. Write to Joshua Tree National Park and request to be added tothe Park's mailing list to receive a copy of the Draft BackcountryManagement Plan that is set to be released for public commentlate Spring, 1997. Written comments will be important as it isexpected that the Draft Plan will be anti-climber oriented. Write(a postcard is fine) to: Joshua Tree National Park 74485, NationalMonument Drive, 29 Palms, California 92277. Request toreceive a copy of the Backcountry Management Plan Draft whenreleased for comment.

mOthEr: If a local climber knows of an area with accessproblems, what are the steps he or she should take?

Randy: Contact the Access Fund's National Office at 303-545-6772 ([email protected]), or the regional Access FundCoordinator (Southern California: Randy Vogel, E-mail:[email protected]; San Diego area: Mike Brown, phone:619-743-2928).

mOthEr: In what capacity are you currently serving The AccessFund?

Randy: Currently, I am the So Cal regional coordinator, but Iam looking for someone to take over much of my job.

mOthEr: What would you consider to be the biggest wins—andlosses—in the access battle in So Cal over the last few years?

Randy: The reopening of Echo Cliffs in the Santa MonicaMountains last year was a great success, with many localclimbers contributing time and effort. Incorporating a bolting-neutral policy in the San Jacinto Wilderness Area WildernessPlan (covering Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks) was also a success inworking with a group of concerned citizens, environmentalistsand US Forest Service personnel on a total wilderness plan.

Joshua Tree has been a mixed bag: In the past, we hadexcellent relations with Park Management. Climbers sponsoredseveral Park-wide trash clean-ups, built toilets at Echo, Hall ofHorrors, and Wonderland Ranch parking areas, paid for trail signsat several highly impacted climbing spots in the park, etc.Climbers were instrumental in killing a planned Loop Roadproject in the Park, which would have been an environmentaldisaster.

In recent years, matters have been grim. A bolting ban inwilderness, little progress on a reasonable BackcountryManagement Plan..and an anti-climber posture of many top Parkmanagers.

mOthEr: Do you know anything about Rubio Canyon, a sitein the San Gabriel Mountains on Forest Service land? There's alittle bit of climbing up there, pretty limited, but interesting.The area is technically closed by the Forest Service because the

mOthEr rOck #5 PageS March/April 1997

trail in is unmaintained and in poor shape, but the trail does see alot of use by hikers and a little by climbers.

Randy: No, but this might be an area that climbers could showtheir willingness to work hard and build good relations and trustto open the area.

mOthEr: What about the Mt. Baldy Bouldering Area, where Ithink you used to climb back in the 1970's? I hear that themajority of the boulders are off limits now because the propertyowners are chasing people off.

Randy: That is my information as well. If someone wasinterested in working on seeing if anything might be done, thereare several things that could be done:

1. Get a copy of a land tract map showing private and publicparcels along the creek bed.

2. Depending on the results of this, either find legal access routesto public land, or seek to gain permission of affected landowners.

The latter course is possible, but would require work, first ofwhich is finding out what the owners concerns are...

mOthEr: Is The Access Fund at all involved in trying toreopen the Deadman's Point area at High Desert, which is onprivate property and is now closed to public access?

Randy: No. Several people contacted me about the closure. Iasked for them to do some research to find out who the ownerwas and research the ownership of surrounding areas. If the land isprivately owned and the owner does not want to allow access, inthis case, there may be nothing to do (short of buying the affectedland). Climbing has not occurred long enough on the land for anyprescriptive easement rights to have vested in climbers/public.

mOthEr: What is The Access Fund currently doing out inJoshua Tree?

Randy: The Access Fund and Friends of Joshua Tree have beenworking with the National Park Service and other groups bybeing involved in the Backcountry Management Plan which willreplace the current Climbing Management Plan and determinebolting and other issues in wilderness and non-wilderness areas.("Backcountry" is anything more than about 100 yards off road orout of a campground.) A draft of the Plan is supposed to bereleased for public comment this Spring. Climbers should writeto the Park to request copy of the draft plan NOW. (See addressabove) There is concern that the Draft Plan will be distinctly anti-climbing and anti-fixed anchor.

mOthEr: What about the climbing areas in your earlyguidebook, "The Hunks Guide to Orange County?" I imaginemany of those areas have been impacted by development?

Randy: Some yes, but surprisingly, most have been unaffected.Buffalo Chip in Irvine looks to be the most likely to be gradedover (but I am unsure of what plans have been made fordevelopment). Many areas in the Hunk Guide deserve theobscurity they currently enjoy. There is one new crag in OrangeCounty with a few good sport routes.

mOthEr: Are there any other important access issues that you'dlike to bring up?

Randy: Nationally, there are tons of access issues. Locally,climbers need to restart talks to fix and build a trail to Mt.Williamson and install a composting toilet. Trail maintenance/

construction at Tahquitz is another project needing personswanting to get involved.

mOthEr: Thanks, Randy, for sharing this information with thereaders of mOthEr rOck/

Access UpdateDeep Creek Narrows Ownership Resolvedby Matt Artz

Located in the San Bernardino Mountains near Running Springs,Deep Creek Narrows is a popular beginner/intermediate climbingarea in a beautiful setting next to a stream. Deep Creek is one ofthe oldest climbing areas in the San Bernardino Mountains,having been a training area for the Sierra Club Rock ClimbingSection. Royal Robbins also frequented the area in his earlyclimbing days. Many of the dozen or more routes at Deep Creekwere developed in the 1970's by locals Steve Untch, who died inan accident on K2 in July of 1994 while trying to save anotherclimber, and Aaron Barnes. Many locals feel that although fairlyeasy (5.8), the mega-classic "Open Book"-in which you rappeldown about 40 feet to a ledge positioned about 30 feet above adeep pool of water, then climb the open book back out—is one ofthe classic climbs in the San Bernardino mountain range.

f

Photo: Matt Artz

Into the void: Barrel Palmer gets ready to rappel down to the start ofthe classic "Open Book," Deep Creek Narrows..

Ownership and access have long been concerns at Deep CreekNarrows, but not nearly as big a concern as the loads of litterdesposited by "partiers" and an adjacent manufacturing company.For the last few years Pete Mack, head of the Rim of the WorldClimbing Club (ROWCC) Conservation Committee, hasspearheaded an effort to get the property purchased by the USForest Service. This effort was successful in late 1996, and DeepCreek Narrows has already been incorporated into the SanBernardino National Forest.

The site remains relatively popular in warmer months,despite the fact that it has only been featured in one guidebook,the Climber's Guide to Southern California by Paul Hellweg andNathan Warstler-and much of the information about the site inthat book is wrong. However, Barnes told me recently that heand Anthony Gough, editor of the ROWCC newsletter "What'sthe Beta," were discussing the possibility of writing the definitiveguide to the area.


California Ice: An On-line Resource and Research Projectby M. Amos Clifford

The California Ice Web site was created to gather informationabout ice climbing in California. It's part of a project byguidebook author Steve Tucker. Steve has been an avid iceclimber for more than two decades, and has been especially takenby the seeming incongruity between images of Californiasunshine and the first-rate ice climbing to be found in many partsof the state.

Steve and I have climbed together since we were kids inSanta Barbara in the 70's. I don't remember when Steve learnedto climb ice, but he talked me into a series of road trips to LeeVining in the Eastern Sierra, where he introduced me to thewonder and terror of it all. When I moved to Visalia in late 70's,I began exploring ice climbing possibilities in the SouthernSierra. It was easy to talk Steve into coming up to Sequoia forfrequent excursions into Tokopah Valley. We dreamed aboutsomeday ascending the great central gully of the Watchtower, butnever seemed to hit it on one of the rare occasions when it was inshape. The first ascent eventually went to another party, whonamed the route Moonage Daydream. Meanwhile, we made whatwe think was the first ascent of another very beautiful route justdown the canyon from Moonage Daydream, which we namedHappy's Favorite. I have since heard from Dwight Kroll that hemay have ascended it earlier than we did, but he was uncertainabout the exact date, and didn't seem particularly concerned aboutthe fame and fortune that he missed out on by not getting firstascent credit.

Steve's recent book, Climbing in Santa Barbara, San LuisObispo, and Ventura Counties, establishes him as a serious,thoughtful, and creative guidebook writer. He and co-authorKevin Steele did a great job. I worked with Steve and Kevin overa series of marathon weekends to design the book and createdigital files in Quark Express, which we sent to a printer in Utah.

When Steve moved to Portland a couple of years ago, heasked me if I would co-author the California Ice book. It seemedlike a great way to stay in touch and keep climbing together,since naturally we would have to personally visit every area welisted. One of the first steps we took was to catalog everythingwe knew about ice climbing in California. We then called anumber of ice activists and got their input. I used my personalWeb site to publish what we had learned.

The reason we put the information on the Web was threefold:First, we hope it's useful for climbers who are planning iceexcursions. Second, we figured that if our information wasincorrect, we'd hear about it and be able to fix the problem. Third,we hoped that climbers would use the site to give us furtherinformation about additional climbs, and fill in the missingdetails on the climbs we already listed. This would help ensurethat the California Ice book would be comprehensive. We'reespecially interested in anecdotes—true tales of terror, beauty,wonder, and general tomfoolery that seem to occur where everclimbers and ice meet. There are E-mail links throughout theCalifornia Ice Web site to facilitate gathering these tales and otherinformation, but it's been up about a year and I've received maybea dozen messages total. I'm very disappointed to report thatpeople are keeping their stories to themselves. As a research

tool, the Web site hasn't panned out too well. On the other hand,I hope that at least a few climbers have found it useful.

Meanwhile, events in both Steve and my lives have left uswith little time to pursue the California Ice project. It's on theback burner for now. Until we can get back to it, we hopepeople will continue to use the California Ice Web page. It's attwo addresses on the Web. Probably the most stable is"http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2331/", which gets you tothe index page. You can readily navigate from there to theCalifornia Ice project. Another way to get there is to search AltaVista for "Coyote Coalition" or "California Ice." Use thequotation marks as shown here, so the search engine treats thephrase a single string.

Steve and I hope you find the California Ice Web pagehelpful. Happy climbing, and stay safe!

M. Amos Clifford can be reached at [email protected].

Southern California IceIt's There...If You Have the PatienceFor the benefit of mOthEr rOck readers without Web access, thefollowing is a working list of ice routes in So Cal, mostlyderived from the California Ice Web page. If you know of anyfurther information about So Cal ice climbs—no matter how rare,contrived, obscure, or absurd—please send or E-mail details tomOthEr rOck and we'll forward the info to Amos Clifford andSteve Tucker for inclusion in the California Ice project.

Joshua Tree National ParkAlthough there are no recorded ascents, there have been reports ofice shaping up in the Astro Domes area near the climb Room ToShroom.

Tahquitz, San Jacinto MountainsYvon Chouinard was probably the first to climb the quality iceroutes on Tahquitz back in the late 1960's. Given goodconditions, the following routes can offer excellent multi-pitchclimbs up to 1,000 feet in length. Don't always expect to getgood rock protection on these routes. There are 85 degree icepitches on many of these routes.

Northeast Face (east variation)Northeast Face (west variation)Northeast FarceThe LarkThe Trough: The second pitch has one awkward section. Theremainder of the route is easier with snow and possibly verglassedslabs to contend with.

Suicide Rock, San Jacinto MountainsSurprise, Weeping Wall. FA: unknown. Usually climbed whenthin, chopping through ice to bolts for protection. It is wise toclimb very early in the morning since it receives the earlymorning direct sun.

Strawberry Peak, San Gabriel MountainsThere have been reports of possible routes on the north face,though no route information is currently available.


San Jacinto PeakNorth Side Gully IV, WI 2, 3,000m. FA: unknown. From theSnow Creek area, take the main gully coming down the northside from summit. The bottom can be slush when the topsections are well iced. Expect a long, grueling snow slog andclimb. Permission must be obtained from the local IndianReservation and the Department of Water in order to make theapproach.

Williamson Rock, San Gabriel MountainsWilliamson Rock Waterfall II, WI 4, 20m. FA: unknown, asearly as 1984. Take Angeles Crest Highway to Eagles Roost.Park just down from Eagles Roost. Head down into the canyonto Williamson Rock. Looking at Williamson Rock from thesouth, go to the far right side to a 20m high vertical waterfallcreated by snow melt. It is critical to have a solid spell of coldweather to attempt this climb.

Williamson Slab I , WI 2-3, 20m. FA: unknown, as early as1984. Across canyon from Williamson Rock is a low rock slabwith a few smears that occasionally shape up. The mostconsistent is a 55 degree smear that is climbed for approximately50 feet into a gully.

Falling Rock Canyon, San Gabriel MountainsThis little-known side canyon to Icehouse Canyon offers whatsome consider the easiest access to the summit of SugarloafPeak. On your way up the rugged canyon and in to theWilderness Area, you'll encounter a series of three waterfalls ofabout 25 to 40 feet tall. The second and third intermittently iceover. A few bolts had been placed on one of the waterfalls aswell as a large slabby face between the first and second falls, butmost appear to have been chopped in the last couple of years.

East Fork San Gabriel River, San Gabriel MountainsThe East Fork of the San Gabriel River is a strange place. At theparking lot, you can either walk or ride a bike past the lockedgate up the paved road that ends about six or seven miles later atCogswell reservoir. The first mile or so of the road is littered andnot too pleasant, but go further and you'll discover a beautifulmeandering stream that stretches for miles. If you take the timeto explore some of the small side canyons, you'll also find manysmall waterfalls. Five miles or so up canyon, at thecampground, hike a few minutes on a trail up Glenn Canyon tothe spectacular Glenn Canyon Falls. Although relatively low inelevation, this area holds a lot of potential if hit at just the righttime, during the kind of prolonged cold spell we see once everyfive or ten years.

M. Amos Clifford, Stevecontributed to this article.

Tucker, Matt Artz, and others

It's a Jungle Out There...Climbing on Artificial Rock at the L.A. Zooby Fritz Lowrey

Last year I got some folks bouldering at Griffith Park in LosAngeles, but I no longer go there. To get there,

• Enter park via the Los Feliz gate• Keep going until you pass the park offices• Take the next left (marked as "To Golf Course")• Park anywhere; I used the first lot on the right• Walk up the hill, through the picnic areas

• Once you get far enough up, you'll see a staircase that takes youto the "Old Zoo" area

The Old Zoo still has many of the old animal enclosuresaccessible. These are not real rock, they're spray-crete over somekind of form. I heard the formations described as, "vaguelyGunks-like."

Why do I no longer go there? The concrete shreds yourhands unless you tape aggressively, and my watch was stolenthere. I figure that the Gods are against it for me, but othersmight have other luck. Be sure to take a good brush to get rid ofthe spider webs and urban crap in the crevices.

Fritz Lowrey can be reached [email protected].

Brew of the MonthProspector Joe's Special Dark Golden Beerby Matt Artz

Throughout history, men have done strange things in search ofgold. Countries, nay, entire civilizations have been created anddestroyed based on the strange metal. All in the name of greed.

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, men throughout the ageshave done strange things in search of beer. Opinions, nay, entirereputations have been created and destroyed based on the strangeliquid. All in the name of thirst.

Imagine an ideal place, a world where the minds andstomachs of great men converge. A place where the gold flowslike a heavenly liquid, and the beer has the texture of Black Gold.A place where you can have your gold, and catch a good buzzfrom it, too.

Readers of mOthEr rOck, I'll let you in on a big secret. Thismythical place can easily be attained, for a small cash outlay ofonly $3.99 per packet of six. The road to beverage nirvana maybe arduous for some, but the destination is near: head to yournearest Trader Joe's, and ask the wee damsel behind the counterfor a treasure chest of gold. If she looks at you like yer a bumwith scurvy, simply regroup and ask her to point you in thedirection of the beer aisle, where you can search out a six pack ofProspector Joe's Special Dark Golden Beer.

Dark enough to block 98% of the sun's ultravioletradiation, yet light enough not to be mistaken for used motor oil,Prospector Joe's Special Dark Golden Beer is the perfect mediumbetween ice water and black coffee. As Christian Harder wouldsay, "there's a sandwich in every bottle." But it's not a heavy,greasy patty melt. Nor is it an egg salad sandwich with extramayo. It's^more like a turkey club, hold the bacon. Or a leanroast beef on a croissant, with a healthy swab of Gray Poupon.

We are on the verge of a convergence of cosmicproportions. It's gold. It's beer. It's golden beer. Actually, it'sProspector Joe's Special Dark Golden Beer. Unlike the days ofold, when rough-and-tumble warriors would carry their booty inlarge sacks tied to their waists, yours comes in a convenientcarrying case. Because although all gold does not grow on trees,in this case it comes in a bottle. You must merely muster thelast vestiges of strength in your J-Tree-shredded hands to removethe protective bottle cap, or else find an ally to lend you anopener. Then drink of the sacred liquid, savor the flavor, and sendthanks to any and all you praise, for you have arrived at atimeless place of dreams, where the gold flows like a heavenlyliquid, and the beer has the texture of Black Gold. You are inbeervana.



:•-'• IP!

Issue #6 • May/June 1997

Editorial


A Moment of ReflectionSo, this is the sixth issue. The end of ourfirst year. We've shared a lot of usefulinformation with the local climbingcommunity. We've received a lot ofpraise, and a few reamings. We've lostenough money to buy a dream rack ortwo. Has it been worth it?

In a word, YES! Personally, I've madecountless new friends and have beenexposed to many new climbing areas...andin the process, have become a much betterclimber. But even more important,mOthEr rOck seems to have generallymade a positive impression. With otherlocal publications like What's the Beta andCliff Notes, we're well on our way toinforming and entertaining the So Calcommunity and moderate climbers in waysthat are just not feasible in the high-quality mainstream publications like Rock& Ice and Climbing.

As mOthEr rOck continues to evolve, welike to think we're getting a little bettereach time. The more people who get'involved, the better the publication gets!Join the fun; send us an article, a topo, apicture, or any information you have thatyou'd like to share with your fellow SoCal climbers!

Looking ahead towards out next sixissues, you'll see more topos, interestinginterviews and trip reports, and NOADVERTISING! Until Issue #7, climbhard, climb safe, and most importantly,have FUN!

Matt Artz, [email protected]


I just read through Issue #5 of mOthErrOck again and wanted to tell you that it'sway high on the cool meter! I especiallythought your talk with Randy Vogel was

really good. Also, it's cool that you aregetting help from other writers; thatmakes all the difference, doesn't it?

Cheers,

Mark BishopEditor, Boulderdash! Magazine

Local Access Information

ROWCC Rendezvous

Help Save Bishop Peak!Located in the serene beauty of San LuisObispo is the seldom overlooked morrocalled Bishop Peak. This dacite-toppedlandmark is home to 200+ quality rockclimbs. The climbing varies from thenotorious Shadow Wall, a friction slabwith bolts, to the bold P-Wall, a 250 footvertical face with superb crack and faceroutes. Tobin Sorensen and others gottheir start here.

The issue at hand is the preservationof this resource. Bishop Peaks access isthrough private property. The land ownerhas never had any problem with peopleusing his land, but now the land ownerwants to sell his Bishop Peak Ranch, a138 acre parcel that contains the onlyaccess to the climbing and bouldering.

Two parties are interested in the land,a private developer and the City of SanLuis Obispo.

The Sierra Club, in conjunction withthe Access Fund (are you a member yet?)and the city of San Luis Obispo are tryingto raise the funds for this 138 parcelpurchase. The City of San Luis Obispo isnegotiating with the owner of BishopPeak Ranch to secure the purchase.These negotiations indicate that $500,000to $750,000 will be required to culminatethe deal. San Luis Obispo has applied fortwo grants, totaling $450,000, but has yetto secure the required matching funds forthese grants.

This 138 acre purchase will providepermanent access to climbing at BishopPeak, not to mention the continuation ofthe aesthetic value of quaint San LuisObispo.

To make a tax deductible donation,one can send a check to the Santa LuciaChapter of the Sierra Club (PO Box15755, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406). Ifyou, like me, are strapped for cash, youcan still help by writing a letter to theAccess Fund, asking them for theirsupport.-Matt Pollard,mpollard@ rubens. artisan, calpoly. edu

June 6th-8th, Shady Cove GroupSite, Keller Peak

The Rim of the World Climbing Club ishosting their annual Rendezvous at ShadyCove Group Site, Keller Peak, June 6th-8th. Join them for three days of camping,climbing, food, and fun.



EditorMatt Artz

Editorial ContributorsMax Armpet

Amos CliffordFritz LowreyReese Martin

Matt McGunigleChris MillerPatrick PaulMatt Pollard

Aaron RoughRob Stauder

Cindy StigallBrandon ThauRandy VogeiTodd Vogel




Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), senda check or money order for $10 to mOthEr rOck/TheAMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151. Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20annually.

Editorial Submissions: Write it, send it to us, we'llconsider it. We're a no budget operation, so send aSASE if you need your materials back. Photosubmissions also welcome. E-mail [email protected] let's discuss your story or photo ideas.


On the Cover..,Rob Stauder gives "Big Bob's Big Wedge"a go at Joshua Tree. Photo by Matt Artz.

mOthEr rOck #6 Page 2 May/June 1997

Joshua Tree| : ; " S -.:"• -" •' . % ' •"

- - -: - ; • - . '. .,.. jp5 . p :- .;,--

Selected New Routes

by Chris Miller

Here's some information on selected new routes that have goneup in Joshua Tree recently. You will need a guidebook toreference these climbs unless you know the park well.

1. Good Housekeeping, S.lla ***. Five bolts, need a 2"to 2 1/2" cam also. On the arete just right of PopularMechanics.

2. Remus Gareebus, 5.10+ **. Five bolts, left of Lovey.3. Blackjack, 5.10c/d ***. Seven bolts to a two bolt

belay/rap anchor, right of Pitch Black.4. The Lizard of AMMS, 5.10c ***. Four bolts on arete,

right of Flawless Fissure.5. What a Riot, 5.7 *. Two bolt, left of Live from

Tasmania.6. The Rock Wren, 5.9 *. Three bolts to a two bolt

belay/rap anchor, left of Smoke-a-Bowl.7. Road Runner, 5.11c/d **. Four bolts, FP (need cams to

1 1/2"). On the face left of The Rock Wren (use sameanchor).

8. Hernie, Hernie, Hernie, 5.8 * R. Right of FunkyDung. Up buttress to roof, clip bolt out right then cutright into a thin crack via face climbing.

9. Mind Over Matter, 5.9+ ***. Start on right side ofHead Over Heals roof (bolt) then up to join Spacewalk.Pro to 4".

10. Norm, 5.10a ***. Five bolts to a two bolt belay/rapanchor, left of Leap Your Flake.

11. Happy Happy, Joy Joy, 5.10a **. Obvious flake justleft of Coarse and Buggy.

12. Carlos, 5.9 **. Three bolt brown slab on backside ofCoarse and Buggy (approach from left).

13. Fat Free, 5.9 *. Four bolts, FP, pro to 2 1/2". Right ofLearn Quick or Die.

14. Army Armstrong, A3. Giant roof left of TumblingRainbow formation.

15. Give a Mouse a Cookie, 5.10b **. Four bolts, twoFP's, to two bolt belay/rap anchor. Left of Easy Day.

16. Masochism, 5.8 *. Three bolt slab, right of Tubers inSpace.

17. Elixer, 5.10b **. Three bolts (2 to 2 1/2" cam also needed)to two bolt belay/rap anchor, left of Dharnia Bums.

18. Amanda, 5.9+ *. Face with five bolts, right of DharmaBums (pro to 3").

19. Sniper, S.lla **. Three bolts (optional 3/4" cam), right ofThe Enforcer.

20. Inhaler, 5.8+ *. Four bolts to two bolt belay/rap anchor,need small TCUs at start. Left of Jughead.

21. The Tooth Beaver, 5.10a. Seven bolts to a two boltbelay/rap anchor, right of Eff Four.

22. Blues Traveller, 5.10c/d ***. Four bolts, #1 Friend orequivalent, to two bolt belay/rap anchor. Left of Zzzzz.

23. Silver Lining, 5.11b/c ***. Five bolts (need 1 1/2" cam)to three bolt belay/rap anchor. Right of GumbyPoindexter.

24. Black Rabbit, 5.9+ **. Four bolts, right of WhiteRabbit.

25. Lubricated Goat, 5.10a/b *. Nine bolts to bolt + FPbelay/rap anchor. 50' left of Emotional Rescue.

26. Bish, 5.9 ***. Eight bolts, FP (need #4 Camelot orFriend) (pro to 3" for anchor). Left to right dike traverse upand right from Lubricated Goat. Climbs above andcrosses Emotional Rescue.

27. Mirage, 5.10b **. Eight bolts, two bolt belay/rap anchor(pro to 2 1/2") to reach start of climb.

28. Lone Pine, S.lla *. Seven bolts, two bolt belay/rapanchor, left of Rough Riders.

29. The Happy Meal, 5.10b **. Four bolts, FP to two boltbelay/rap anchor, left of Caramel Crunch.

When not climbing, Chris Miller can be found working atNomad Ventures in Joshua Tree.

Saturday, June 7, 1997Second Annual Southern Sierra Climbers'Association Slide ShowThe Second Annual Southern Sierra Climbers' Association SlideShow will be held at the Ponderosa Lodge, near the Needles andDome Rock, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 1997. The slideshow will feature the images of renowned Southern Sierraclimber, author, and adventurer Richard Leversee. The specialguest speaker for the evening will be Sally Moser, ExecutiveDirector of the Access Fund. Live music will be provided by that"infamous" Joshua Tree band, The Cactus Pricks. For moreinformation, call Rene Ardesch at 209-592-2419.

-Patrick Paul

Saturday-Sunday, June 7-8, 1997Williamson Rock Trail ConstructionOn June 7th & 8th, 1997, there will be a need for volunteers tohelp with the initial construction of a new Williamson RockTrail. Volunteers may contact Eric at the Santa Ana REI storefor more information (714-543-4142). Be sure to mention youare interested in the Williamson Rock Trail Project, as otherNational Trails Day projects are also planned for that weekend.

When completed, this new trail will provide quick and directaccess to the Rock from the large parking lot to the east of thecurrent "short trail." The new trail is being professionallydesigned by Jim Angell of Corplan, Oregon, in cooperation withthe Forest Service, and is funded by the Access Fund. REI andlocal climbers have agreed to provide volunteer labor andappropriate tools. A list of needed tools will be availablethrough REI in the next few weeks. Volunteers may arrivewithout tools, as there will be tools available on site.

-Randy Vogel


byAaronRough

Tunnel Vision, 5.7, 6 PitchesRed Rocks, Nevada

T T ell, it's already time for the second installment of

"Moderately Moderate"...same bat time, same bat channel. SinceI covered Snake Dike in Yosemite in the last issue, I figured Iwould choose a different area this time: Red Rocks, NV. Now ifyou haven't been to Red Rocks before, do me a favor. Get outyour calendar, cross off all planned climbing trips, and pencil inRed Rocks. The place is awesome! Especially if you're intolong, moderate trad routes. Yeah, I know, Red Rocks has worldclass sport climbing...but we've got plenty of that in good oldSo Cal. So next time you're planning a trip to Vegas, bring apocket full of quarters and your rack!

To start things off, Tunnel Vision deserves a big thumbs up.It's an excellent route with a very interesting fifth pitch. Thispitch involves climbing under a gigantic flake; in essence, youclimb through a tunnel, hence the climbs' name. It's a relativelyeasy and direct approach with a straightforward descent requiringonly a single rappel. Allow at least half an hour to an hour eachway for the approach, depending on how fast you can hike.

The players for this episode were myself, Scott Paynton (mybrother-in-law; the person who first introduced me to climbing),and Lance. Scott is currently living in Southern Illinois andattends SIU working on a Ph.D. in Communications. Lance isdoing the same. Scott has been climbing for a couple of years,and cut his teeth on trad and multi-pitch, while Lance has neverbeen more than 100 feet off the ground. This was to be his firstmulti, and he had very little practice at pro. Because of this, wedecided to use a double rope system, with Lance in the middle,and Scott and I swapping leads.

The approach was uneventful, and miraculously we did notget lost. This was a definite testament to the ease of theapproach, as I have been known to get lost walking from myfront door to my car. We roped up and it was determined that Iwould start things off.

The first pitch involved stemming up a corner under a roof,and traversing right under it to access an off-width that led another100 feet up to the first belay. The crack was nice, and thetraverse was on big jugs. The awful-width, OOPS, I mean off-width, was pretty straightforward except for some loose blocksabout 50 feet up that had to be circumvented to continue up thecrack. All in all, an easy pitch except for the rope drag. Bringlong runners as you will suffer the consequences of severe ropedrag without them. It took Lance a while to make it up the

initial corner, but pretty quickly all three of us were at the firstbelay stance.

The second pitch looked intimidating. I was thankful it wasScott's lead. While the guidebook had it clocked in at 5.4, itlooked to be much worse. A large chimney led up to a roof, andthen the rest of the pitch was obscured by the large cap the roofmade at the top of the chimney. The guidebook showed thechimney continuing to a belay on a flat spot. Scott was soon onhis way, and he gave us a running commentary on how easy itwas. After a few minutes, we lost sight of him as he left thechimney and proceeded up the face. It didn't take long to hear anechoing "Off belay" and feel some sharp tugging to let me knowhe was at the belay stance.

Lance headed up on TR and had to leave a piece or twobehind for me to clean. He was staying pretty composed for hisfirst multi experience, and I was impressed. Not too long afterLance left, I could hear another party starting up behind us.About the time I was on belay and ready to head up, a head pokedover the ledge and asked if there was room for him. I let himknow I was leaving and I told him we'd let them pass if theycould catch up to us. It turned out they were slower than us, butI'll mention more about that later. So I headed up and found thechimney relatively was easy, and worked out a hex that was reallyburied into the crack. When I reached the belay, I tried to giveScott back his hex only to find out that it wasn't his and that Ihad got a free piece of booty gear! The joys of multi-pitches!

Photos: Aaron Rough

Tunnel Vision takes the middle sunlit arete for six pitches.

After the gear swapping was done, I finally took some timeto look up at the next pitch. The guidebook called it a "steep andexposed chimney" and gave it a 5.7 rating. That's not what Isaw. I saw a horrendous flaring off-width/chimney that looked tobe too small to fit in and too large to jam. It turned out to beworse than I had even imagined. I ended up slinging a cornflake,(a really scary sandstone flake that wouldn't have held anEthiopian falling a mere two feet), and then worming/bellycrawling through a constriction in the chimney above Scott'shead. One slip and I would've ripped the flake and parked my bigbutt directly on to his noggin.

This situation really got my heart pumping, and I'm notashamed to admit that I was severely freaked. I wormed as farinto the chimney as I could and did what any sane person woulddo in a similar situation: I cried like a baby. Well, OK, so Ididn't actually cry, but you can bet there was some promisesmade to God if he'd only let me make it through the pitch alive.I continued to thrash past some fixed pieces and eventually sat aseverely scraped and battered butt on a nice flat ledge. I wasamazed at how quickly Scott and Lance made it up the chimney.

mOthEr rOck#6 Page 4 May/June 1997

Turns out, they climbed the knobbed face to the left of thechimney and Scott just reached back into the chimney to get thepro out. Either that's a testament to how crappy my pro was orthe guidebook just misled me into thrashing up that sucker fornothing. Oh well.

Looking down from the top of the third pitch.

The fourth pitch looked to be an easy straight-in crack to aroof, traverse right, then up the crack to a large belay ledge at thebase of the "tunnel." We were making good time, but the winterdays are short, especially when you're surrounded by loomingsandstone buttresses on both sides. It looked like we had plentyof time to finish, but the group behind us was nowhere to beseen or heard. Scott ate a bagel, and then proceeded up the crack.At 5.5, it presented no problem for him and he was soon at thebelay. By this time, the novelty of multi-pitch climbing waswearing off on Lance. I could see he was getting a little strainedwhen he looked at the ground more than 300 feet below. But hedidn't let that stop him, and he made short work of the pitch. Ifollowed up, and we all agreed the pitch was a very nice andenjoyable one.

The fifth pitch is what I was concerned about the whole timeI was climbing the third one. The third pitch was 5.7 withouteven a PG pro rating. The fifth pitch was only 5.3 butguidebook author Todd Swain gave it an X rating for pro. Thatscared me. Scott took one look up at the pitch black tunnel, andwith a grin, said "you're up!" The main dilemma here was whichway to go in the tunnel. It seemed the logical line went straightup to a distant light source, and there was chalk headed up thatway...but the book showed the line traversing left to the back ofthe tunnel to a different exit.

While I was severely tempted to go up to where I could seethe light, I decided to follow the topo directions and thank God Idid. Turns out that straight up is a sucker way, and there is noexit out of the tunnel. Who knows how many people have gonethat way, but I bet you could find a crap load of fixed gear peopleleft up there to get back down. So I turned on my headlamp andheaded into the blackness. The rock was smooth, water polished,and didn't have much in the way of features. Fortunately, I wasable to find a small seam to put a #3 nut into. Not much forpro, but a definite psychological boost. I keep traversing leftwhile diagonalling up and soon was faced with a mantel onto aledge a pretty long way above my last piece of pro. Not muchchoice evolved here, so I manteled up. This is definitely the Xpart, as a fall here would wedge you somewhere in the back of the

tunnel that would make things a little hard for a rescue. Itraversed left along a good ledge and then did a fun chimney exitmove into the sunlight. Easier moves up parallel cracks lead to aflat belay ledge. Scott and Lance both came up and soon we wereall ready for the sixth pitch.

By this time it was getting a little dim, and we started to feelthe need to hurry. Scott headed up the knobby face and cracks toa bulgy finish beneath the last pitch. Lance headed up next andhad some problems, but managed to get past the bulge. I arrivedat the belay and scoped the last pitch. We could either go up acrack, or traverse left. I opt for the traverse, as the light isdefinitely dimming and by now Lance isn't the only one whowants off the rock. I headed across the ledge into the unknown tofind a crack running horizontally—perfect for pro. I zipped this upand soon was smiling at a large ledge. I shouted "Off belay," andLance started to come across. Scott asked Lance, "How arethings going?," to which Lance responded, "I'm going as FASTAS I CAN!" At this point, it was definitely getting a littletense. By the time Scott came across, there was not much lightleft at all.

Scott Paynton finishing the sixth pitch traverse.

We quickly snapped the obligatory summit photos andstarted the descent. After a short rap, we were hiking down ascree gully to the base of the climb and our packs. We retrievedthem and started the hike out. On the way back, we looked up inthe twilight at the route we had just climbed. The large tunnelmouth, now obvious to us, was quite impressive. Whilelooking, I could see a sudden dim flash of light. I pointed it outto Scott and Lance. With the aid of some binoculars, we couldsee the group that was following us—they were just getting out ofthe left side of the tunnel. I was a little worried, but figured theyall should have head lamps and the climb eased up at this pointso they should be O.K. We finished up the hike back to the carand unloaded the gear.

From here, it was the usual routine: a short drive back toVegas, a stop at In and Out for a double double cheese burger, andthen the long four hour drive back home. The drive was asession in suffering. Dirty and sweaty, we longed for hotshowers and sleep, but by Barstow I had cracked the guidebookand started planning the next adventure.

Guidebook: Red Rocks Select, 2nd Edition, by Todd Swain.

Aaron Rough has been climbing for three years, and lives inHighland, CA with his wife and daughter. He can be reached byE-mail at [email protected].


Box SpringsA New Sport Climbing Area

Near Mt. Rubidouxby Aaron Rough

Ever get home from work with only a few hours of sunlight left,but still would like to get some climbing in? Yeah, I know, theeasy fix is bouldering at Mt. Rubidoux, but you sometimes feellike leading something. Maybe you like trad, maybe you likesport, or maybe you just want to try bouldering at a new area.Well, I've got a secret to let you in on...you can do all three at anewly developed area that is probably closer than you think. Infact, if you live in the San Bernardino/Riverside area, it's onlyminutes away. You don't believe me? Well, check this out!

Ill** m.:. .'iiiK :.

iiPhoto: Aaron Rough

Greg Hartt crimps down on Creature Comforts, 5.10a/b,a Box Springs classic!

I found myself in the above mentioned dilemma more timesthan I cared to admit. I had been to Mt. Rubidoux more timesthan that guy who breaks into the cars parked on Glenndale. So Iset out on a quest to find a local spot where I could put up somenew routes. You would be surprised where I found them. BoxSprings. Yeah, that smog-choked valley that seems to be

nothing more than a fire hazard waiting for a stray match. I hadto do some exploring, but what I found got me and some of myclose friends pretty excited. In fact, I bet it will get you goingtoo. What, still don't believe me? How about a multi-pitchroute within 15 minutes of your house? Believe me, its there.

My first trip to the new area was in May of 1995. A short10 minute hike left me staring up at a cliff band that now houses24 routes and boulder problems. And that doesn't even includethe routes put up on the many nearby free-standing formations!Now you're interested.

Many of the new routes are sport, and most are in themoderate range, from 5.9 to 5.11. There are quite a few easierTR's, boulder problems, or gear leads. Oh, yeah, there are alsokiller cracks to be done here! Try the technical Beat You To It,5.10c. Ever tried pulling a roof finger crack? Or the classicBroken Heart, 5.8. This great crack has spit more than a fewpeople out. Or the overhung boulder problem crack of CrazyNights; at 5.9+, its moderate. If you're not feeling particularlyballsy, there are two TR bolts up top. How about 77 Hit Squador Cavity Search! The list goes on and on. That multi-pitchedclimb mentioned earlier is called Aids Patient—it goes at 5.7 andis two pitches.

The bouldering at Box Springs is just taking off, and withthe new additions like Sideshow, 5.10b, and Circus Freak, 5.10c,even the semi-hard man will have something to do. Thebouldering potential is just about unlimited, and the attitude fromme and other developers of the area is the more routes and BP'sthe better! The new discovery of some larger walls has got usexcited, and soon some longer sport and trad routes will be goingup. In fact, by the time you read this, they'll probably be done!

Now all good things don't come cheap, but every now andthen something good comes around that doesn't cost you an armand a leg. How about $6.00 for a guide to the area? That soundspretty good and cheap to me! The proceeds from this guide arenot going to be wasted. We plan on using any money the guidemakes to buy more bolts and equipment for further developmentof the area. So by buying this guide, you're in essence fundingnew routes just for you! Damn, we are such nice guys!(Actually, we're just too damned addicted to climbing). So ifyou're interested, check out the mOthEr rOck Web page(http://members.aol.com/motherrock) or use the ordering infofound below to be the first on your block to get the new guide toBox Springs.

Box Springs Sport Climbing Guideby Aaron Rough

Available June 1997. All profits are reinvested in bolts andi equipment for further development of the Box Springs area. Toi' order, send a check for $6.00 to:

mOthEr rOckPO Box 7951Redlands, CA 92375-1151 USA

V Please send me the new Box Springs Sport Climbing Guide\:

Address:

[City/State/ZIP Code:


Selected Central Coast Climbing

^ . I ' I ' " '

Part It Sant fjaraby Reese Martin

he counties up the coast from L.A. offer a surprising wealth

of rock with superb climbing and bouldering. This article coverssome of the climbing near Santa Barbara. Most of the climbingis in the Santa Ynez mountains immediately behind SantaBarbara and the ocean, where the mellowing effects of the Pacificmarine air make climbing a year-round reality. Climb in the sunwearing shorts and tank tops in January, instead of freezing yourbutt off flapping in the desert winds. In the late spring and earlysummer the fog and ocean air keeps it cool, instead of the inlandbake-fests. The climbing is mostly sandstone, but someblueschiste can be found along the Camino Cielo ridge at "TheKryptor." The quality of the local stone can be excellent.

Photo: KathyTailey

Reese Martin leads "The Bolt Ladder, " 5.10+, Gibraltar Rock.

Things to do in Santa BarbaraA visit to Santa Barbara is not just a climbing trip-there is justtoo much else to do. The red tile roofed city of Santa Barbara is aworld renowned tourist destination. It is as near a perfect placeand environment as any where on the planet. The ocean andsurfing are right in town. Santa Barbara is also a cultural andentertainment Mecca. The climbing and world class mountainbiking are right behind town, so the delights of Santa Barbarawill beckon to you at the end of the day. A micro-brewery onState Street and great restaurants abound. Start your morningwanning yourself in the sun and getting caffeinated in front ofSanta Barbara Roasting on lower State Street. From the porchout front you can look up to see the mountains and the cragsabove, while watching the beyond-cool Santa Barbarians starttheir day. This is a popular launch point for mountain bikers andtheir road bike brethren, clomping about in cleats and funnyshirts. Lotsa healthy young things to look at too.

Santa Barbara is under a two hour drive from downtown L.A.To get there, just follow the Ventura Freeway (Highway 101)west to Santa Barbara. Once north of the farms and citrussurrounding Ventura, you'll find the character of the land rapidlychanges to coastal scrub and the Rincon. Enjoy the drive, withthe Pacific Ocean and surfers on the left and the yellow mustard,sage, and chaparral hills of the coast on the right.CampingSouth of Santa Barbara, there is reservable pay camping at theState beaches in Carpinteria and along the Rincon at the VenturaCounty Parks. North of town there are State beaches at ElCapitan and Refugio. Additional pay camping can be found atLake Cachuma or along Paradise Road. For those of you toocheap to pay to camp: mOthEr rOck climbers are welcome todoss in my backyard in Ventura.

Restaurants• Super Cuca's Taqueria y Carneceria. 626 W. Micheltorena.

Best burritos in Santa Barbara.• Santa Barbara Brewing Company. 501 State Street. Rehydrate

& refuel on the local micro-brews. Pub grub, good salads.• La Super Rica. On Milpas Street, it doesn't have a sign out

front. Some of the best Mexican food ever.• Esau's Coffee Shop. 403 State Street. THE cool breakfast

spot; expect a line.

To get tuned into the nightlife pick up the Santa BarbaraINDEPENDENT, a free arts & entertainment paper available allover Santa Barbara.

mOthEr rOck #6 Page? May/June 1997

San Ysidro Canyon

Beautiful San Ysidro Canyon is located behind the rather upscale,affluent "village" of Montecito. The climbing is on a 300 footwide face a short distance up the canyon. Abundant poison oak isnearby, so watch out. You are not likely to get any if you stayon the trails.

Photo: Reese Martin

Kathy Talley and Gwendolyn Alley (belaying)enjoying the "South Face, " 5.5, Gibraltar Rock.

To get there, exit Highway 101 at San Ysidro Road and head uptoward the hills. At East Valley Road, turn right, then left upthe eucalyptus-lined Park Lane, and bear left on Mountain Drive.A couple of hundred yards down Mountain Drive is the poorlymarked San Ysidro Canyon trail head. Hike up the trail pasthouses and another ten minutes up the hill; after the houses thetrail is really more of a fire road, and you'll be able to see thecrag across the creek. A short climbers trail crosses the creek andleads to the routes. Access & parking for the trail is a sensitiveissue for certain residents, so please respect the no-parking areason Upper Mountain Drive.

Lower San Ysidro Canyon, Santa Barbara7 var. 3rd

130'

80'

<$=* Road and Trail© 1997, Reese Martin

Lower San Ysidro Canyon—Selected Routes

1. Puny Prow, 5.10. Single bolt.2. Vanishing Flakes, 51 la ***. Difficulty seems to depend

on the humidity and temperature; if you can get up to thedrilled angle, life will be sweet. A #4 Friend is useful toprotect the top.Young William, 5.12a R. This is a thin and runouttestpiece, with high ground fall potential. "Jeepers Wally,you lead this one."

4. Rockocco, 5.5. Take a couple of larger Friends with you.Applied Magnetics, 5.9 **. FA: Yvon Chouinard and SirChristian Bonnington. Climb a bit of history. Cool start tothe route. Wired nuts keep it from getting run out.

Too Mucking Futch, 5.8. Climb the crack. Pro: wiresand small cams.

7. Face Lift, 5.7 ***. VERY popular. Be sure to take twolong runners to reduce the rope drag on the first pitch. Thereare three variations to the second pitch: go up and split to theright (5.9), or traverse right from the belay to Scrub Job(5.9). Or farther right to Chavez/Mosher, 5.10 R, it'sthin for a long ways after the bolt.

8. Great Race, 5.10a ***. The best 5.10a in Santa Barbara.Don't chicken out: move left at the fifth bolt to get to theupper face. The direct start is 5. lOb.

9. Peels of Laughter, 5<5 R **. Easy arete, but only twobolts on the entire pitch.

10. Many Happy Returns, 5.9 ***. Fun climb, seemseasier; take a #2 Friend & some medium size wired nuts.

lOa. Amish in Space, S.lOa R. From the ledge on the secondbolt on Many Happy Returns, head left a bit thenstraight up through steep rock. A real trouser-filling lead.

11. Orangahang, 5.7 ***. Corner to a bulge. Classic.12. Rick's Route, 5.7 **. Thin face.13. Fine Line, 5.9 **. Thinner face climbing. Three bolts.14. Ricky Don't Lose That Number, 5.9 R. Don't worry

about gear, there isn't any. On-sight, free solo first ascent.15. The Weeny Roofs, 5.9. Crux is setting up the roof

moves. Four bolts.


Gibraltar Rock The Kryptor

Gibraltar Rock is the climbing spiritual center and most popularcrag in Santa Barbara. The area sits way up above Santa Barbarawith exposure and a great view. The crags are scattered aboutboth above and below Gibraltar Rock.

To get to Gibraltar Rock, exit Highway 101 at Mission Street,head towards the mountains on Mission Street to Laguna Street,turn left then right onto Los Olivos Street in front of MissionSanta Barbara, keep left until Mountain Drive, and head uphill onMountain Drive staying left past Sheffield Reservoir. Take aright onto Gibraltar Road, and go uphill for five miles to theobvious crags. Park on the right side.

Gibraltar Rock Area—Sticky Possibilities

T-Crack, 5.10 ***. Beeeuutiful climb. The mantle is onlp5.8, but seems scarier. Cams & a few nuts. Often toproped.

Any Minute Now, 5.6 **. Easy to protect.

The Nose, 5.1 la ***. Wide hand crack through a roof. Take a#4 Friend to protect the crux.

Klingon, 5.8 **. Fun. Take some smaller stoppers. Easy to

The Ladder, 5.3 **. Immensely popular, expect a line. Cantoprope the main face anywhere at about 5.7. Good anchorson top,

Lunch Rock. Features several good 5.10 toprope problems.Right off the road.

Crank Start, 5.11+ **. Strenuous, well protected sport climb.

The Bolt Ladder, 5.10+/5.11 **. Old aid bolt ladder withBAD bolts, difficulty depends on how close you stay to theoriginal bolt line. Can belay from your bumper.

Sweating Buckets, 5.lie **. Brilliant. You'll need somegear for the initial crack.

The Crescent, 5.7 ***. Curving crack. Climb it via the firsthalf of Triple Overhang, 5.6.

Pseudomania, 5.11- ***. Quality overhanging crack in a rightfacing corner. Rap in. Will need nuts and cams.

Lieback Annie, 5.7 **-*.Gear route.

Includes a strange mantle move.

Stormbringer, 5.11+ ***. Quality. Five bolts. Somebushwhacking necessary to get to it.

Makunaima, 5.lie ***. Ultra-classic overhanging crack onCold Springs Dome. Usually toproped from a three boltanchor on top.

Magic Bag, 5.9 **. Don't know why more people don't climbthis quality route. Cams and stoppers.

Master Cylinder, 5.9 ***. Overlooked. Full pitch of variecclimbing. Two bolts, but you'll need cams and stoppers forthe first half.

Also known as the "Green Dome," The Kryptor is a hardblueschiste, which makes for steep edging—very differentclimbing than the usual sandstone found in Santa Barbara. All ofthe climbs here are bolted sport routes. From Gibraltar Rockcontinue uphill to East Camino Ceilo Road and turn right; after 61/2 miles of winding driving along the ridge, the pavement endsat Romero Saddle. Park here. The crag is downhill on the SantaYnez River side of the ridge (away from the ocean).

Photo: Reese Martin

"John" rope soloing "T-Crack," 5.10, Gibraltar Rock.

The Kryptor—Tubular Tuggin'

This Side of Paradise, 5.10c **. Four bolts. Goodintroduction to climbing in the area.

Rock the Kasbar, 5.9. Four bolts. ;

Piece of the Action, 5.10b *. Six bolts.

Anti-Bro, 5.10b *. Four bolts.

Dancing Fingers, 5.10+ ***. Good pockets.

For the World is Hollow & I Have Touched the Sky,5.lib *. Eight bolts. Named after a popular science fictionstory.

]|| |Looking for Spock's Brain, 5.9 *. Four bolts.

What Have You Done With Spock's Brain?, 5.9+ *.Move right around corner at the fourth bolt of the previousroute, then up past two more bolts.

That Which Survives, 5.lie *. Arete, four bolts.

Stealing Fire, 5.12d/13a **, Six bolts. Way tricky, has spitoff some of the hardest climbers around.

Quartz Crystal, 5.12c/d **-*. Six bolts, worth toproping.

Dagger of the Mind, 5.12c ***. Four bolts. I still haven'tlinked all the moves on this one. : ;;;


The Fire Crags Painted Cave

Fire Crags is a relatively new sport climbing area on largesandstone boulders above Highway 154 at Painted Cave Road.Access to these rocks was made possible after a fire that burnedoff the impenetrable brush surrounding the rock. These routesget sun in the afternoon & are hot in the summer.Unfortunately, there was significant chipping and "alteration" ofthe rock by the fools who put up the routes. Hopefully, byexposing this stupidity, we can prevent further abortions fromoccurring. Chipping destroys our rock and steals climbs from thefuture.

From Santa Barbara take Highway 154 toward Santa Ynez; turnright at Painted Cave Road, and head up the road for about half amile to a hairpin turn with a pull-out on the left. Park here. Afive minute walk along a traversing climbers trail leads to theboulders. Be sure to park completely off the pavement—you don'twant a ticket do ya?

The Fire Crags, Santa Barbara20 ^ 18 1?

16

© 1997, Reese Martin

to Painted Cave Roadand Parking

The Fire Crags -- Route List

16.17.18.19.20.21.22.23.

Europe Revised, 5.7. Two Bolts.Tester, 5.9. Three bolts.Short Shot, 5.7. Toprope out of cave.Bent Brain, 5.8. Toprope route.Jensen's Jugs, 5.1 Ob. Four bolts.Movin' Out, 5.lib. Five bolts, chipped holds.Grib Dat Hole, 5.1 la. Six bolts, chipped.Finger Fit, 5.lib. Five bolts. Has been done without

the drilled pockets (5.12).Face the Seam, 5.10. Four bolts.Black Crack, 5.9. Take a #3 Friend.Quick Crank, 5.10+. Don't bother.Screaming Knee Knee, 5.lie. Three bolts.Flaccidily Flexing Forearms, 5.lid. Three bolts.Would have gone without the drilled pockets.

29. Crack It Up, 5.9. Long boulder problem.

24.25.26.27.28.

If you keep going up the Painted Cave Road past the Fire Crags,you'll soon come to the four Painted Cave boulders. Don'tworry, you can't miss the boulders—they are literally right on theroad. This is some of the best bouldering and home to thecurrent hardest boulder problem in Santa Barbara: Broken Flake,V9. There is usually somebody hanging out who can show yousome of the 50 plus problems. The local residents regardclimbers as a minor annoyance, so please, be low key, keep thenoise down and don't block the road, staring at a problem.

# # # # #

Photo: Kathy Talley

Reese Martin scared poopless from the ancient spinner bolts withcracked Leeper hangers, "The Bolt Ladder," 5.10+, Gibraltar Rock.

This article is just a sample of climbing available in the SantaBarbara Area. For a more detailed description of local climbingpossibilities, refer to Climbing in Santa Barbara, Ventura & SanLuis Obispo by Steve Tucker and Kevin Steele, Lorraine Press,1994. You can buy this guidebook and get gear and local betafrom either of the two mountain shops in Santa Barbara:

Great Pacific Iron Works Mountain High SportsState Street (at Anapumu St.) 14 State Street (near the beach)Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara,805-966-7370 805-962-0049www.patagonia.com www.mountainair.com

Reese Martin lives in Ventura, California. To reach him by E-mail, write to [email protected]. Reese will cover the betterbouldering along the Central Coast in the July/August issue ofmOthEr rOck.


DMZ, Giant Rock Area, Landersby Steve Parker

DMZAKA Sandy

Cove

Giant RockArea, Landers

TR anchorsfor N.face

Critzer Tower80' rap chains

Spy Buttressdescentchimney

5.7 crack40' So. Eastand upfrom "L"

H IJ K

4 bolts tocold shuts,So. face

topo by Steve Parker

To get to the DMZ area, see Craig Fry's Southern California Bouldeirng Guide, Second Edition. The Giant Rock and Jugs Over theSand areas are described on pages 120-121. To get to the DMZ area, continue north then west about a quarter mile past Giant Rock.Several other routes exist scattered throughout the hillside. There is more route potential on the North Face area and on all hillsides,and there is good bouldering in all areas.

DMZ Route ListA. Plutonic Erectus, 5.8. Two bolts, to two bolt rap anchor. FA: Steve Parker, Tom Thoma 7/92.

B. To Catch A Thief, 5.8. Four bolts, to two bolt rap anchor. FA: Parker, Thoma 5/93.

C. Soldier of Fortune, 5.10c. Two bolts, to rap chains. FA: Mike Paul.

D. Chemical Warfare, 5.1 Ic/d. Four bolts, to rap chains. FA: Louie Anderson, Larry Kuechlin 4/93.

E. Not Really A Spy, 5.10c. Six bolts, to rap chains. FA: Dave Haber 1/92 (TR); Anderson, Kuechlin 4/93 (lead).

F. Merchant Marine, 5.9. Four bolts, to rap chains. FA: Chris Miller, Rick Schull 12/90.

G. Sniper, 5.1 Od. Four bolts, to two bolt rap anchor. FA: Anderson, Kuechlin 4/93.

H. Ambush, 5.6. FA: Parker, Thoma 5/93.

I. False Accusations, 5.10c. Seven bolts, to rap chains. FA: Haber, Parker 1/92 (TR); Kuechlin, Anderson, 5/93 (lead).

J. Blasting Caps, 5.10c. Five bolts, to rap chains. FA: Parker 1/92.

K. Tear Gas, 5.1 la. Three bolts, some small pro up to one inch, to rap chains. FA: Parker 1/92.

L. Sandanista, 5.12b. Four bolts, to cold shuts. FA: Anderson, Kuechlin 4/93.

M. Essex, 5.7. Crack. FA: Steve and Brent Parker 7/92.


Local Access Information

Shoot-Out in the High DesertI was out bouldering by myself on Saturday, March 8th, 1997 atStonehenge in the High Desert, having a great time workingsome problems way over my head. My forearms and fingers werejust about completely wrecked when a guy walked up to me andsaid I was on private property.

I had heard of the recent closure of Deadman's Point, and themost recent maps I saw looked like the line was awfully close to,but just outside of, the Stonehenge area. I also asked a fewfriends, guys who spend more time than me out at High Desert,and they all stated that Stonehenge was in the area still open, asfar as they knew.

Whatever. I wasn't going to argue with the guy. I ended uptalking to him for about an hour; we had a very pleasantconversation. He stated that he wasn't the landowner, butrepresented his father and a friend, who owned the two largeparcels in question.

As it turns out, this was "Alf," the guy who supposedlywhipped out a shotgun and shot at some climbers a week or twoprior to our conversation. His side of the story is that he askedthem to leave nicely about 15 times. When they began cussingat him and threatening him with physical harm, he claims hefired the shotgun in the air, over their heads. Anyway, he said hewas scheduled to appear in court a couple of weeks later. (In fact,he plea bargained a few days later.)

His main concern was liability. He had not talked to anyonerepresenting the Access Fund, but had at least heard of theorganization's name. He didn't understand climbing, but seemedcurious, and he had nothing against climbers~in his words, "90%of them are very nice, apologize, and leave right away."

Together we looked at a map, from Troy Mayr's recent articlein Rock & Ice (#77), and Alf drew the private property line moretowards Horseman's Center, in effect taking out the majority ofthe climbing at High Desert, including the Cemetery and severalother popular areas.

Back at Horseman's Center, I was able to find one climberwho had witnessed the shooting a week or so earlier. He was notdirectly involved (or at least did not claim to be), but hadapparently observed from a safe distance. He was a bit freaked

out about it and didn't say much, other than he knew the guywasn't the landowner, and that the guy was full of shit when hedrew the property line that far west.

I later spoke to Travis McElvaney, ROWCC president, whohappened to be climbing at High Desert the day of the shooting."It was straight out of Deliverance," Travis said. "There was nowarning. We heard the shots before we saw him. He shot fouror five rounds, obviously not in the air, and people were takingcover. He took off pretty quickly, and several climbers withcellular phones called the Sheriff."

Randy Vogel has talked to Alf and the landowners, andoptions are currently being discussed (see Randy's notes below).Meanwhile, Alf is packing a shotgun; so until the whole issue isresolved, I'm going to boulder elsewhere. Soft White Underbelly,V5, is a great problem that I had hoped to work frequently andnail some time before I die, but no boulder problem is worth anass full of buckshot.

-Matt Artz

High Desert UpdateThe owner of much of the Cemetery area at the High Desert isworking on a plan to re-open the area, and possibly theDeadman's Point area, on a fee for access/use basis. Daily andannual use fee options are being contemplated. Camping sitesnearby would also possibly be developed for overnight use for afee. Rates of approx $5.00 per day or $50.00+ per year havebeen discussed, but it is unsure as of yet what the finalarrangement will be. Signing of a liability release form has alsobeen mentioned.

Surveys of the area indicate that much, but perhaps not all,of the Cemetery is in fact on private property which would besubject to any fee use. However, it is clear that the BMX Cragsand Horseman's Center Crags (the Pin, Tower of Power, RidersReady, Carousel, Billboard, and Lightning Bolt formations),including The Undertaker and Stalker routes (on the crag abovethe water tank), all are clearly on public property, are not subjectto any present closure, and would be unaffected by any use fee.

--Randy Vogel


PO Box 7951Redlands, CA 92375-1151 USA

southern California's climbing magazine!

Editors' Corner

The editor houldering in J-Tree. Photo: Darell Palmer

A Moment of ReflectionWith our seventh issue, I've beenseriously reflecting on the issues that leadus to start mOthEr rOck more than a yearago.

One of our strongest issues was theuniversal hatred of the specious debatesand controversies that clog too many ofthe pages of Rock & Ice and Climbingmagazines. We vowed to never go there.

So here we are, in Issue #7, reportingon the recent bolting controversy at KellerPeak. Why go where mOthEr rOck vowednever to go? Because it's an importantstory, a story with more than one side; astory that needs to be told.

Looking out towards the next fewissues, we'll see Reese Martin return foran article on Central Coast bouldering;reports from Moderately Moderate's AaronRough on recent road trips; as many toposto new and obscure So Cal climbing areasas we can get our grubby little fingers on;more information on the Second AnnualSnow Valley Boulderfest, which promisesto be the event of the year in So Cal; andstill NO ADVERTISING! (Unless youcount the "ad" for the Boulderfest, whichwas donated by mOthEr rOck...so youcan't really call it an ad.)


MattArtz, [email protected]


I am a drag queen! I have a lot of friendswho are drag queens! When we gettogether one of the things we like to domost is to rock climb. We love nothingbetter than the feeling of grippingsomething hard, especially when we canstraddle it!

Why don't you write a special columnabout drag queens who participate in the

sport of rock climbing? In fact, I couldwrite a column. I could give tips aboutclimbintg in a skirt, how to do lauderingof delicate things on the top of a rock, etc.

I think your guidebooks are great!Why don't you publish a guidebook aboutthe many areas of California available fordrag queens to climb? You would make afortune! Especially if you put my photoon the cover!!! I can send you a copy ofmy picture so you can judge for yourself!

—Minerva

Thank you for your thought provokingletter, Mike, er, Minerva. I hope to seeyou in your full glory at the Snow ValleyBoulderfest on October 4th. Until then,have fun climbing, and go a little easy onthe lipstick you ugly bastard.

Hey San Diego.San Diego Correspondents Needed!

mOthEr rOck, Southern California'sClimbing Magazine, desperately needsinformation about the climbingcommunity in the San Diego area!

If you have any info about localaccess issues, new areas, new routes, localevents, etc., we would be happy toconsider it for publication in the nextissue of mOthEr rOck. We'll alsoconsider trip reports and photos if you'vegot them. While we can't pay youanything, we'll send you a few free issuesand maybe some other cool stuff.

Please E-mail [email protected] any information (ascii text files) andphotos (JPEG or GIF). Or send it snailmail to mOthEr rOck, PO Box 7951,Redlands, CA 92375-1151. If you'd liketo see examples of what we've publishedover the past year, take a look at our Website at members.aol.com/mOthErrOck/.

X-Games Wrap-UpSpeaking of San Diego, the 1997 SummerX-Games came and went, and some greatclimbing took place in San Diego. Here'show the top climbers placed:

Women—Difficulty1st-Katie Brown (United States)2nd— Liv Sansoz (France)3rd- Muriel Sarkany (Belgium)

Men—Difficulty1st— Francois Legrand (France)2nd- Yuji Hirayama (Japan)3rd—Chris Sharma (United States)



EditorMatt Artz

Associate EditorAaron Rough

EditorialMax Arrnpet

Amos CliffordChristian Harder

Reese MartinMatt McGunigle

Steve ParkerMatt Pollard

Cindy StigallRandy Vogel

ContributorsReed BartlettHeather Dolph

Fritz LowreyTravis McElnavey

Chris MillerPatrick PaulRob StauderBrandon ThauTodd Vogel




Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), senda check or money order for $10 to mOthEr rOckfThtAMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151. Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20annually.



On the Cover.Rob Stauder gives Aaron Rough a spotwhile attempting the first ascent of a routecalled The Chokie, on the Matilda Boulderat a fabulous new granite bouldering areain So Cal. For more sneak previews, seethe article on page 6. All pleadingrequests to mOthEr rOck staff forinformation on the exact location of thisnew area—which currently holds less than40 routes, but has potential for hundredsmore—will be ignored, unless accompaniedby acceptable quantities of good beer.Photo by Matt Artz.


New Bolting Controversy at Keller PeakBy Matt Artz

Editor's Note: This is a tough call for mOthEr rOck magazine.We debated quite a bit over whether or not to get involved in thelatest bolting controversy at Keller Peak. We decided to go aheadand run this story, because it really needs to be told.

I was supposed to go climbing on a particular Sunday in May,but decided instead to take a much-needed rest day. On Monday, Ihad lunch with my two frequent partners, Rob Stauder and MattMcGunigle, and asked them how their afternoon of climbing onthe Hungover Wall at Keller Peak had gone the previous day."It was pretty ugly," they said. "There was a guy there with adrill. He bolted the cracks!"

I gagged on a piece of burrito that clogged my windpipe.As the oxygen quickly depleted from my brain and I began to loseconsciousness, I wondered...had I passed out and woken up inEurope, home of the bolted crack?

That evening, I talked to Brad Singer, former vice presidentof the Rim of the World Climbing Club (ROWCC) and activistin the San Bernardino Mountains. I mentioned the crack boltingstory, with a caveat that I had not verified it and hoped it wasn'ttrue. His reaction was one of shock, horror, outrage, and deepsadness. I could almost hear his stomach churning over thephone. This was going to get ugly, I thought. But then again,maybe that's what was needed.

Keller Peak: A History of Bolting ControversySome people reading this article may not be familiar with thehistory of what most So Cal climbers know as "Keller Peak."The "Hungover Wall" on Keller Peak Road has been climbed intrad style for years. Then, in 1989, Troy Mayr and some friendsdecided to bring rap-bolted sport climbs to So Cal in a big way.Although none of the bolts were chopped, the sentiments oflocals were made clear in Mike Rigney's self-published "Guide tothe Crags of Keller Peak" and his letter to Rock & Ice. Timehealed most of the bad feelings, but people will remember thecontroversy for a long time. Note the nice 5.10b hand-boltedroute at Kindergarten Rock named "Children Should Not UsePower Tools" put up shortly after the 1989 rap-bolting at KellerPeak...

So when McGunigle and Stauder told me they had asked thebolter, "Are you sure this is a good idea" while he was placingthe bolts, and he had responded "Oh, I checked with Troy, and hesaid it was OK," I got a little sick to my stomach too. Isincerely doubted Troy would have said that. But even if hehadn't, this wasn't going to do anyone any good.

"I would be leary of someone trying to say 'Troy said it wasOK,'" said Aaron Rough, mOthEr rOck Associate Editor."Besides, why would Troy want a 5.8 crack bolted?"

Within a couple of days, ROWCC members had removedmost of the offending bolts & patched the holes. TravisMcElvaney, ROWCC president, told me that "most bolts havebeen removed already, but we decided to leave a few of the faceclimbs alone. What glory is there in bolting lines that have beenTR routes for years?"

The bolter was soon identified as Gary Henning. MikeRigney, Pat Brennan, and Brad Singer of the ROWCC contactedHenning and made their position clear. They welcomed him tocome pick up his gear, but he'd need to talk to them first.

I talked to Henning a week or so later, and asked him toexplain his actions for the readers of mOthEr rOck. "I contactedTroy before last winter. We discussed the bolting of the topropeclimbs. He thought it would probably be OK as he knew theanchors on many of the climbs had to be replaced and that(bolting) the toprope problems was not likely to cause much of aproblem.

"I made a huge mistake in not checking out the back of thebook!!! I had assumed all the routes were first done by Troy. Hecalled me after he heard they were bolted and told me that some ofthe lines I had done were not even his. I royally screwed up!

"The reason for bolting the cracks was kind of stupid andspur of the moment. I was replacing anchors on two of them andsome of .the climbers that were there asked if I was going to boltthem. I told them no, I was just putting in some new anchors.They then said 'What a drag, it would be fun to lead them,' butthey didn't know how to place gear". I thought about it andthought, 'Hey, this doesn't seem like a trad area, why not?'"

"I now realize it was incredibly stupid and presumptuous ofme to have bolted them. In my head I am sure I knew it as I wasdoing it. I purposefully overdrilled the holes so the bolts couldbe knocked back into the rock if they were to be pulled.

"I think I would not have bolted them had there not been theguys asking for them to be. I had no intention of going there tobolt the cracks, and I felt quite guilty after I left.

"I have met with Brad, Mike, and Pat. We discussed thesituation and I apologized for my stupidity. They felt the faceclimbs could stay.

"The intent of bolting the existing lines was not to takeanything away from anyone who had climbed them before.Rather, it was to allow others to have some more leads in an areathat is quite enjoyable.

"I hope this issue is resolved now. I let the ROWCC guysknow that I recognize the action for a stupid one and it will notbe repeated."

Round Two: Tunnel MountainMeanwhile, Gary has published a guide to a new area he andpartner Brent Webster have developed. "Tunnel Mountain"consists of 33 bolted routes, up to three pitches long, on thecliffs next to the tunnel near Mt. Williamson.

The climbs and the area are controversial because of theirproximity to the highway. "The possibility of rockfall onto theroad below is high and even one accident could jeopardizeclimbing in the area and cause the type of controversy concerningclimbing activities that nobody wants," said Randy Vogel of theAccess Fund. Added Reese Martin, "It's the potential forstonefall and climbers dropping stuff onto the road, andsubsequent intervention by CALTRANS or the Sheriff to 'solve'the problem that concerns us. We are concerned that a closure isthe only sure way the authorities have to limit liability of ahazard they know exists. Worse yet, the closure could easily beextended to Mt. Williamson because of enforcement difficulties,and negatively influence climbers negotiating with the USESover a new trail & toilets at Mt. Williamson."

(article continued on page 6)

mOthEr rOck #7 Page 2 July/August 1997

|p mothfr NotebookNews from Southern California and Vicinity

1997 Snow Valley Boulderfest PlannedMark your calendars: the Rim of the World Climbing Club'ssecond annual Snow Valley Boulderfest is planned for October4th, 1997. In addition to the 80+ problems unveiled at SnowValley West at last year's comp, attendees this year will betreated to dozens of new problems at Snow Valley West, andclose to a hundred new problems scattered between two new areas:Snow Valley South, and Snow Valley East. Snow Valley Southfeatures Sucking on a Deadman 's Brain on the fabulous VampireBoulder, V6 or so, and a new V8 problem recently put up byWills Young-the new area testpiece.

Photo: Malt Art?

Aaron Rough low on Orca, a Snow Valley West classic.

This year, boulderfest promises to bigger, better, and moreorganized than ever. Participation is limited to the first 200people who register, and the registration fee includes a t-shirt,dinner, and live music. For an entry form, see the next issue ofmOthEr rOck magazine; visit the mOthEr rOck Web site; orcheck with local climbing retailers.

-Matt Artz

County Line CragsRidgecrest has one spot that has received development since earlythis year. The County Line Crags are located a few miles out ofRidgecrest on some dirt roads up in the foothills near the Shell

station in Pearsonville. Scott Loomis has written a mini-guideto the area for Rock & Ice. The rock varies from overhangingsemi-choss to exquisitely clean and crisp granite. There is onlyone 5.8 and everything else is mid-5.10 and up. Moredevelopment has taken place since the topo appeared in Rock &Ice, and more is expected when the weather is cooler.

Also in the same area, just a draw north of the County Line,is Speedway Corridor. Though not as extensive as the CountyLine Crags, there are some quality routes including some cracks.

--Brandon Thau

Bouldering is the WordBouldering is happening all over the Southland. The areas ofrecent development include Horse Flats, Black Mountain, theTram Boulders, and some stuff in Big Bear. I have also heard of alot of new routes going in up in Big Bear. Chris Miller has beendoing some of the new route development.

There is, of course, all the problems with bolting at KellerPeak (see article on previous page). People have been goingcrazy. They have bolted the cracks, old bold lines, and little pissant variations. I think many of these bolts have been removedalready, but it seems a little crazy.

-Reed Bartlett

Big Bear Pinnacles UpdateThis in an update for everyone who climbs at the Pinnacles inBig Bear. I made a recent trip up to the area and made adisturbing observation. Many of the routes that receive lots oftraffic are missing holds. I believe this is due to the giganticamount of traffic this area is seeing and the friable nature of therock. I personally had holds bust on me on several routes,including The Incinerator, 5.1 Id; Road Crew, 5.1 Ib/c; and BucketLoader, 5.10c. I also noted fresh rock scars on Coyotes AtSunset, 5.8. If you frequent the area, you might have noticedthis; but if you haven't, don't say you weren't warned!

--Aaron Rough

Hueco Who1?

The Happy Boulders, near Bishop, California, have been talkedabout for years, but never like they have recently. The upcomingguidebook to the area, currently being prepared by Vertical BrainPublications, promises to be a big seller, and give the area theexposure it deserves. Meanwhile, for those (like me) who can'twait, Vertical Brain is giving us a teaser on the World Wide Web.Point your browser to the following URL, where they've postedtopos and route information for the Paco the Weasel Boulder.

httD://www.climbnet.com/fish/sbm.html

-Matt Artz

mOthEr rOck#l Page3 July/August 1997

The Open Book: A ClassicI just wanted to rant and rave a little bit about the climb mypartner and I did today, The Open Book. I'll admit, I have doneseveral other routes at Tahquitz: Sahara Terror, Angel's Fright,Finger Trip, Jensen's Jaunt, Left Ski Track, etc. But after everyone of these climbs, while walking back to our packs, I alwaysstopped to look at that F&%*ING AWESOME dihedral. I'm notashamed to admit it put the "Fear Of God" in me! I had hardenough times on the 5.7's at that place! But, never the less, Ifinally got out of the shower today and noticed I had a nut sack,and decided to do it!

The first pitch, a 5.7 overhang, was scary: the dihedral wasclassic, and committing to the flake was hard, but the crux pitchwas soon over and I was lounging in style on the great seat forthe top of the first belay. My partner, Greg Harrt, cruised up tolead the second pitch, which was cool. Steep, exposed, andf&%*ing offwidth! He cruised and placed several large pieces-Iswear I saw a #5 and a couple of #4's in the crack.

Next was the slick third pitch with easy fun moves on thatslick orange rock. The roof at the end of that pitch was fun andthe belay quite kosher! Next was the chimney and 5.8 traverse,which is unprotected right above the belayer's head!. Greg decidednot to do it. I believe what he said to me was, "I don't like tolead on that slick stuff unprotected, why don't you lead it?" NowI'll admit, I've done some runout stuff, but to go so far as to say Iliked it? I don't think so, but since our only other option wasBASE JUMPING the thing, and I didn't have a parachute, I wasstuck! So I wormed my way up the chimney and found a niceEASY traverse across the top of the dike system. The crack Itraversed to was easy, and then up was another chimney. Upthat, pull the top yanking on some chicken heads, and WOW! Ifound a bolted belay! Cool! So I put a quickdraw on it andcruised right by it to the top. Greg soon joined me and we beganthe descent. You know what, this time while standing at thebase of that F&%*ING AWESOME dihedral, I wasn't scared. Ilooked up, and for the first time I saw the truely incredible climbfor what it was, a CLASSIC!

-Aaron Rough

New V9 at The ButtermilksOn the XLR8R Boulder at the Buttermilks, Tom Klinefelter hasput up a new hard problem: XLR8R goes at V9.

-Matt Artz

Eastern Sierra UpdateThere's really not much going on up here, climbing-wise. It'sbeen a pretty good Spring, a bit stormy; the Gorge is nice, buton the hot days you need to seek shady routes (of which there aremany), and perhaps siesta during the hotest hours. A new SierraEastside guidebook is in the works and will cover from WhitneyPortal all the way past Mammoth.

In the Sierra backcountry, Spring is still springing. There'slots of snow above 11,000 feet. Even though we didn't get muchprecipitation after January, we're still winding up above normal.This means that backcountry climbers still need to think aboutsnow complicating their approaches, and avalanches-especiallylate afternoon and during warm spells. Recent avalanche activityhas occured during thunderstorm cycles. It should shape up to be

a great backcountry season, with good snow in the gullies. TheMountaineer's Route on Mt. Whitney is still full of snow as ofmid-June. Snow on any aspect other than gullies is becomingquite sun-cupped, making travel difficult.

A fine crop of baby rattlesnakes has been observed recentlyin the Buttermilk Country.

—Todd Vogel

The Buttermilks. Watch out for the baby rattlesnakes.

Second Annual SSCA Slide Show A HugeSuccess!The second annual SSCA slide show went well. The day startedwith shoe demos by Scarpa, 5.10, Boreal and La Sportiva.Climbers were able to check out shoes and try them at theNeedles or Dome Rock for the day. At about 6:30 p.m., thedinner hour started and Pete Brewer offered a burger, salad, cornon the cob, and a drink for $6.00.

The SSCA set up an information and sign up booth, andsupplied climbers with brochures, newsletters and information onthe goals and purpose of the SSCA, the Access Fund, the WorldClimbing Association, and Leave No Trace. A small preshowraffle was held in which lucky climbers won a new rope, t-shirts,hats, chalk, PowerBars, Cliff Bars, and much more.

After dinner and raffle, Richard Leversee presented awonderful slide show/retrospective on his years of adventureclimbing in the Sierra. The reaction by most reviewers: "Greatshow, I liked Richard's combination of narrative and images. Heanswered a lot of nagging questions, told some funny stories anddazzled us with some awesome shots." Post slide showentertainment was provided by The Cactus Pricks, featuring AlBartlett, Todd Gordon, and Don Reed. They played some greatRock and Roll. Unfortunately, we didn't get them started earlyenough and they were only able to play about an hour after theshow before the crowd thinned and snuck off for another day ofclassic Needles climbing.

Thanks to all who attended. If you didn't make it this year,come on up next year; it's gonna be even better!

-Patrick Paul

Stoney Point Clean-up Set for November 9thStoney Point has been a premier climbing spot for SouthernCalifornia for decades. Unfortunately, through time, the largenumber of visitors there has taken its toll. UCLA OutdoorAdventures is organizing a "Stoney Point Clean-up" forNovember 9th. Check the next issue ofmOthEr rOck for details!

—Diane Chakmak and Jason Ballas

mOthEr rOck #7 Page 4 July/August 1997

Tnod.er3.ts . .

byAaronRough

^X iWSplll™|BMB^KSH

Sundance, 5.10b/c, 3 PitchesSuicide, California

A'll be honest, So Cal's Suicide scares me. I haven't done that

many climbs there, but the ones I've done have led me to believethey don't call it "suicide" for nothing. Don't get me wrong, theplace is incredible! Just very intimidating. So when I decided Iwanted to do Sundance, 5.10b/c and a 3-star classic route, I was alittle nervous.

The Sunshine Wall is the big shield-like buttress just left ofthe ever-popular Weeping Wall and houses arguably some of thecountries most intimidating routes. (At least for us moderatetypes!) I'm sure you've heard of Valhalla, it's the next route tothe right from Sundance. The Iron Cross is a few routes to theleft. Insomnia, that incredibly scary-looking crack, can be seenfrom the Sunshine Wall. When you look up from the base, youcan understand why Valhalla was the entrance exam for becomingone of the Stonemasters.

I got a crazy idea to do Sundance after having some successon many of the Weeping Wall routes. I contacted my sometimespartner, Erik Husbands, to see if he was game, but to mychagrin, he had plans for the intended weekend. So I pretty muchwrote it off as another delusion of grandeur, but on Saturdaynight I got a call from Erik saying it was a go. We decided tomeet at his house bright and early so we could get a jump on theroute and get home with some time to spare.

I arrived at Erik's house at 6:45 a.m. and he was supposed tobe up and waiting. Well, the house was devoid of light, so Iknocked on the door...no answer. I then knocked on hiswindow...groaning ensued, so I knew he was there. Turns outour plans for a bright and early start were shot down by a "faulty"alarm clock. I was skeptical! After half an hour of teethbrushing and bagel munching, Erik was ready to go.

With the late start, we rolled into Suicide's parking area at8:30 a.m. That still wasn't too bad, and the weather was lookingperfect. We started the hike in, and somehow with all ourtalking, we missed the trail turnoff. Don't ask me how, all Iknow is we're bush whacking through the Enchanted Forrestwithout a trail in sight. I was in sandals and let me tell you pineneedles, morning dew, plus sandals equals grouchy and pissed off!After an hour of slipping and sliding, we managed to make it tothe base of the rock directly under the Buttress Of Cracks. Turnsout the trail was about 50 feet to the right of us the whole time.(Uh, I'm not a smart man!) Maybe they should paint the trailneon blue or yellow for us trail-impaired people.

We hike to the base of our route and look up, FEAR! Theinitial 5.7 corner looks nice, but from there the wall steepens andseems to be devoid of features. We sit down to catch our breathand sort our gear. We decide on Erik leading the 1st pitch, withme taking the 2nd crux pitch 5.10b/c, and then Erik finishing theleading on the Sundike Variation pitch 5.10a.

With Erik roped up and ready to go, I put him on belay tostart cranking. He cruises the initial corner easily and is soon atthe 5.8 'strenuous' section. He tells me to watch him thenproceeds to go up, then down, back up, back down... After 15minutes of this, he calls down that he doesn't want to commit tothe thing, and he sets up a belay at the top of a pinnacle directlybelow the lieback. I clean the first portion up to Erik and get myfirst view of the lieback. It's steep, rounded, slick, and with badpro. To make things worse, the pinnacle ledge is directlyunderneath the lieback and a fall would result in impacting theledge. I'm not happy about having to lead it, but I have no realchoice. I place a #7 Lowe Tri-Cam and commit to it. The 1stfew moves are slick and the edge your liebacking off of is roundbut if you keep going and don't stop it's not too bad. So after 15feet of tension, I'm soon relieved when I pull the top and reachLog Ledge. I bring Erik up and he manages to get too far abovethe #7 to get it out so I have to lower him down so he can pullit, but that doesn't slow us down too much.

Pitch #2 involves taking off from Log Ledge and pulling upa tricky headwall (crux) to a small ledge with a pin driven in it.Its about 20 feet up and you have no pro between Log Ledge andthe pin, so it's best not to fall! So what did I do? I fell. Nottoo bad, I was only about 5 feet off when I blew off and landedback on the ledge. I started back up and finally got it. Fromhere the wall steepens and the holds go away. The topo gives therest of the pitch several 5.9 cruxes and bolts seem to be 15' to20' apart! The climbing is smearing and mantling on slickSuicide Granite. I start up and get in a rhythm. Smear, mantle,smear, mantle. I sling a chicken head and clip 5 bolts to the topof this section and am faced with a 5.9 traverse on nothing. WellOK, there are a few smears and sloppy dishes but it looks prettyhairball to a large flake about 20 feet to the right. I start acrossand am feeling pretty good until right before pulling the flake.Somehow I manage to get so crossed up and pretzelled that I can'tmove! I'm standing 20 feet out from my last bolt and amsmearing both feet and pulling on 2 slopers. I freak. I reachdown to grab a TCU to put in the crack under the flake... I lookat my foot just in time to see it slip off it's hold...FALLING!Now falling is a necessary evil to good climbing, but exposedfalling is scary. I mean looking down several hundred feet andfacing a 20 foot pendulum fall is not what I consider to be a walkin the park. I was so scared, I ended up holding on to the TCUduring the whole fall and I didn't let go of it! It was clean air andI was OK, but my hat I WAS wearing took the eject route andwas gently floating down the wall. Amazingly enough it landedon Log Ledge and Erik retrieved it.

It took a couple of seconds for me to compose myself but Ihad to get back on the horse! So I cruise back up and start thetraverse....except this time I don't get crossed up and pull theflake without any probs. From here its 60 feet of unprotectedface climbing leading to chain anchors. I block out the exposureand soon am finished. Erik cruises up and has just three wordsfor me: "Nice fucking lead!"

Erik is up next and his pitch leads out a left traversing dikesystem that is slick and fairly well protected at the crux. The last

mOthEr rOck#l Page5 July/August 1997

30 to 40 feet is unprotected and he (and I) is relieved when hecalls "OFF BELAY!" I follow up the pitch and am amazed thatit is possible to smear on such slick rock, but I make it to thetop and see Erik set up his belay directly under the PaisanoOverhang.

We walk over to the rap ledge for the descent and wait in lineto get down. The group in front of us allows us to use theirropes to get down and were soon at the base of the WeepingWall. Only 1 problem. Erik had taken his shoes off at the ledgeup top and now the ropes were pulled! So "Shoe Boy" was facedwith a dilemma. We started yelling at a group of climbersfinishing up Serpentine and they agreed to bring his shoes downfor us. A half hour later, Erik (with his shoes) and I were headeddown the trail back to the car. A couple of beers and awesometacos at Senior Rubens finished off the day. We sat around for anhour or two staring at Tahquitz and Suicide, wondering how longit would take us to get back for our next adventure.

Guidebook reference: Tahquitz & Suicide, by Randy Vogel andBob Gaines, pages 120 & 122.

Aaron Rough has been climbing for three years, and lives inHighland, CA with his wife and daughter. He can be reached byE-mail at [email protected].

New Mountain Bouldering AreaComing Soon!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking...just what SouthernCalifornia neeeds, another new bouldering area. Ha ha!Seriously, though, you can never have enough qualitybouldering. And what better place than in your backyard?

Rob Stauder attempts the crux of The Chokie, on the Matilda Boulder.

Bouldering has much to offer climbers of all abilities. Whatcan be most frustrating about bouldering for moderate climbers isthe lack of moderate routes at many bouldering destinations. Inmost cases, the routes are there... they're just not listed and ratedin the guide. So moderate climbers are stuck trying to figure itout on their own. It's hard to push your limits within reasonablebounds when you have no clue what a problem is rated.

This new area is being developed with the moderate climberin mind. Sure, there's hard stuff...like The Chokie (see photoabove, and cover photo), and some of the other stuff on the

Matilda Boulder. But not only is there a plethora of moderateproblems to choose from, each moderate problem is named, rated,and well-mapped!

Photo: Jeff Brenner

Matt Artz on the first ascent o/Jah Nutsack, 5.8, Rasta Wall.

Look for a new guidebook to the area to be published bymOthEr rOck Press in the Fall or Winter of 1997. Like all othermOthEr rOck guidebooks to date, it will be moderately priced sowe can make sure we lose money on it.

Photo: MattAm

Aaron Rough on a project called Brow Beater.

Keller Peak, Tunnel Mountain(continued from page 2)

Although the controversy is far from over, Henning is tryingto work with concerned local climbers. Henning has invitedseveral local climbers to tour the area with him, and has proposedthat he revisit the site to extensively clean the routes in question."I will climb each one and ensure that there is nothing (left) tocome off," said Henning. Responded Martin, "his offer to cleanthe routes is a good starting point. And that the cleaning willensure that there is nothing to come off, I disagree! You knowwhat the rock is like out there-small stuff will always comedown."

Because Henning is now in Canada for six weeks or so, thetour will not occur until at least late August when he returns. Soa quick resolution is not likely.

In the next issue of mOthEr rOck, we'll give our readers anupdate on efforts by local climbers on both sides to reach acompromise on the issue of keeping Tunnel Mountain open.

mOthEr Page 6 July/August 1997

Dawn PatrolImagine Joshua Tree National Park All To Yourself...

by Matt Artz

Thursday, May 15th. Why was my alarm going off at theungodly hour of 4:15 a.m.? Oh, yeah, I was supposed to gobouldering on my way to work. But the three hours of sleep Igot wasn't cutting it. I decided to do that fatal thing so manypeople do in this kind of situation: "I'll just close my eyes andrest for five more minutezzzzzz..."

Only a minute or two in to it, my wife was seeminglyscreaming in my ear "Aren't you supposed to go climbing?" Shewasn't yelling of course—she was actually asking very politely ina near whisper, but it sure shattered my peaceful state as well asany screaming could have. O.K., maybe I should actually get upand do this thing. Got to save face and all. Maybe I'll just goout and scope a few areas I've never seen before.

By 4:30 a.m., all the junk was in the car, including theessentials like a change of clothes, deodorant, my briefcase, andabout 20 CDs. Oh, yeah, climbing shoes, chalk bag, and tape.

This all started about a year ago, the summer of 1996, whenMatt McGunigle and I needed a change to our Tuesday/Thursdaydawn workouts at Mt. Rubidoux. "Joshua Tree," I said, at firstalmost in jest. "It won't get too hot out there until about 8,8:30. We could be in to work by 10, 11 at the latest." After Italked him in to it, I managed to talk myself into it as well. Weadopted the term "Dawn Patrol" for our insanity, and on one earlymorning session at Real Hidden Valley even coincidentally ranacross some graffiti that said "Dawn Patrol" scrawled on aconcrete picnic table. It was then sealed in stone. We weren'tStonemasters, were Dawn Patrollers. We couldn't lead Valhalla,but we damn sure could get up at four o'clock in the morning togo climbing!

Phoic?: Mall Arc

Real Hidden Valley, 1996:The graffiti that sealed our fate and gave us our name.

This time, though, I was by myself. It was gettingincreasingly difficult to find partners to join me in my temporary

insanity. They claimed their schedules were too busy. But Iknew the truth: the thought I should be committed. Whatever.With the sun rising over the windmill-covered hills and theBeastie Boys screaming "So Whatcha Want?" inside the car at fullvolume, J-Tree autopilot easily guided me to my destination.

By 6 a.m., I was in the Hidden Valley parking lot, scoping afew of the boulders that didn't have campers snoring at the bases.Caveman, B2—a long, overhanging traverse on Huecos through acave—was a lovely looking problem that reminded me of thelower (easier) half of Latin Swing, 5. lib, on the Solosbyformation in Real Hidden Valley. There were a couple goodlooking moderates here as well, including Split Grain, a 5.8arete, and Bushwhack, a 5.9+ lieback crack. There are lots ofproblems in this area, but it can be pretty limiting when thecampsites are occupied, which is about 365 days a year. I bailed.

/ love the smell of Joshua Trees in the morning...

Off to Echo Cove, to check out the problems there. It wasperfect. It was starting to warm up, and nobody was camping atthe bases of the problems. I tried to warm up on the AreteBoulders, which are rated "5.9 to 5.10+; many problems" inCraig Fry's guide, but had no luck. (Later, back at the car, MariGingery's guide told me why: I had been attempting to warm upon a couple of 5.1 Ib/c problems. Ooops. Was I sandbagged, orjust stupid?). I then moved to the fabulous Echo Cove ThinCrack, a right-slanting 5.1 Ib or so. On my third try, at the cruxwith both hands in the thinnest usable part of the crack, I movedmy feet up and was ready to commit to the move up to the"good" hold higher up, after which it would supposedly geteasier. Suddenly, one of my feet popped, and I landed poorly on asharp rock, tweaking my right ankle. In pain, I immediatelychanged back in to walking shoes. Things didn't look good.That was probably it for the day, if not a couple of weeks.

mOthEr rOck #7 Page? July/August 1997

If I couldn't climb, at least I could check out some of theother bouldering Josh had to offer. Next, off to the PeyoteCracks on the Baby Apes formation across from Echo Rock.What a disappointment. These cracks looked do-able—5.8 to5.1 la, with the cruxes down low—but they were horribly high, upto 30 or maybe 35 feet. Call me pussy, but there was no way I'dtouch these without a toprope. By this time the throbbing painin my ankle had almost completely subsided, so maybe it wastime to check out something more to my liking.

I had never been to the Joshua Tree tourist trap known asBarker Dam, but nobody in their right mind would be there at6:45 a.m. So off to the Barker Dam trail I went, to look forwildlife and try a few problems. Near the parking area, the IndianWave boulder had an interesting problem to offer, called OldWave, 5.1 la or b. Too bad I didn't have the energy to pull thefirst move. To the northeast was a boulder more to my liking. Iflashed Liquid Wrench, 5.10d, a traverse up a large flake. On thissame formation, Chicken Wing has to be one of the mostinteresting moderate boulder problems I've ever done. Have youever done a 5.9 that gets you horizontal? The start is a hugepinch with the right hand and a small face hold with the left hand;the right foot is heel-hooked under, and the left foot dangling.From this position, you move up to a right-slanting crack on theface above. This climb was very strange, in a good way.

The dam itself was a bust. While I didn't expect LakeMichigan, what I saw was a 40 foot by 40 foot pool of muck,inhabited by two ducks and numerous mosquitoes. And the worstpart was that the big boulder protruding from the muck lookedlike it might have a good moderate problem or two on it.

Where hardmen play: the amazing Gunsmoke traverse.

On the second half of the loop, I swung by the PianoBoulder. Piano Rock Crack, 5.8/9, was a nice crack but prettyOTD-maybe 25 feet up. On the other side of the trail, TheTube, 5.10d, looked like a nice slanting crack to a fairly sickmantel. I then walked over to the famous Gunsmoke, a classiclong 5.11 traverse. Working on pieces for a while, I noticed howsmooth all the holds were—this route obviously sees heavytraffic, and I can understand why. It's beautiful.

It was getting hot, and getting late. I quickly jogged back tothe car, doused my head with water, used my smelly shirt as atowel, changed in to my work clothes, and dabbed on a littledeodorant to mask at least part of the stink. It was 8:30 a.m.

Except for a quick pit stop at Del Taco in Yucca Valley for abreakfast of chicken soft tacos and a caffeine-blaster 32 ounceDiet Coke, it was a straight shot back to Redlands. I was in towork by 10:15 a.m., had no voicemail messages, only 41 E-mail messages, and nobody even seemed to miss me.

Another 200 miles on the car, and I had only done a fewproblems. But the morning had been an overwhelming success,taking me to a whole slew of new problems. Sitting at my desk,staring cross-eyed at the skin pealing from my hands and drinkingmy fifth Diet Coke in a futile attempt to stay awake, I couldn'thelp but think: isn't it wonderful to be a climber living inSouthern California?

Matt Artz is editor o/mOthEr rOck magazine. He can be reachedby E-mail at [email protected].

New San Bernardino Mountain Climbing Area

Aztec Pond in Cedar GlenAztec Pond is at the end of Hook Creek Road just out of CedarGlen in the San Bernardino Mountains. This area is best knownas "Devil's Hole," a fishing hole that is used regularly duringfishing season. The U.S. Forest Service plowed a road andparking lot, and put in day use tables and restrooms this lastwinter. Climbing is mostly cracks, 5.8 to 5.11, and short faceclimbs just off the creek.

—Travis McElvaney

Access Update

Bishop Peak on Track, But Help Still NeededAs mentioned in mOthEr rOck #6, access to Bishop Peak in SanLuis Obispo is through private property. The land owner hasnever had any problem with people using his land, but now theland owner wants to sell his Bishop Peak Ranch, a 138 acreparcel that contains the only access to the climbing andbouldering. Two parties are interested in the land: a privatedeveloper, and the City of San Luis Obispo.

The Sierra Club, in conjunction with the Access Fund (areyou a member yet?) and the city of San Luis Obispo are trying toraise the funds for this 138 parcel purchase. The city of SLO isnegotiating with the owner of Bishop Peak Ranch to secure thepurchase. These negotiations indicate that $500,000 to$750,000 will be required to culminate the deal. San LuisObispo has applied for two grants, totaling $450,000, but has yetto secure the required matching funds for these grants.

This 138 acre purchase will provide permanent access to theBishop Peak climbing, not to mention the continuation of theaesthetic value of quaint San Luis Obispo.

Fundraising efforts are going well. "So far, so good," saidlocal climbing activist Matt Pollard. "The Sierra Club hascollected about $36,000 (as of mid-May)." But more help is stillneeded.

There's still time to help preserve access to this noteworthySo Cal climbing area. To make a tax deductible donation, youcan send a check to the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club(PO Box 15755, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406). If you'restrapped for cash, you can still help by writing a letter to theAccess Fund, asking them for their support.

mOthEr rOck#l Page 8 July/August 1997

Bummed?

DAMN!I can't believeI missed the

Snow ValleyBoulderfest!

I'm such anIDIOT!

Relax. Here's your second chance.The Rim of the World Climbing Club announces the

Second Annual Snow Valley BoulderfestSaturday, October 4th, 1997

200+ boulder problems and topropes

Fun. Food. Live music. Booty.

For more information and an entry form, see your local climbing shop or the September/October issue of

mOthEr rOck magazine. Call 909-338-1342; Mail to P.O. Box 3283, Blue Jay, CA 92317. Or visit the

official 1997 Snow Valley Boulderfest Web site at http://members.aol.com/amccgroup/97svbf/index.html

Brew of the Month

Samuel Adams Summer AleBy Heather Dolph

If you're a die-hard brew fan like myself—I was even a "beersnitch" as a child—the words "flavored beer" have the power togive you the heebie-jeebies, evoking images of snotty NorthernCalifornia or Seattle microbreweries with their raspberry- orchocolate-tinged concoctions (the latter inviting comparisons tothe astro-treat "Space Food Sticks" from the late 1960's, onlywith fermentation added). Sometimes the whole aura aroundflavored beer just gets too utterly foo-foo for my taste, and Iretreat into more familiar territory.

Look for this label wherever fine brews are sold.

Upon visiting the Samuel Adams Web site athttp://www.samadams.com. however, history is brought to light,and the foo-foo aura is lessened, if not completely dissipated.Apparently the practice is centuries old, with brewers using fruitand spices to stabilize beer long before hops came onto the scene.Go figure.

Striking resemblance or copyright infringement? An album coverfrom The Pogues looks surprisingly like the Samuel Adams Summer

Ale label when viewed in poor light and a drunken stupor.

Summer Ale is Samuel Adams' interpretation of the classicwhite ales, which originated in Belgium in the 14th century, andwere brewed with coriander, juniper berries and orange peel. Theywere called "white" because of the suspended wheat proteinsfloating around in the beer, contributing to its light cloudiness.

Adams' is brewed with lemon zest and a mysterious, centuries-oldessence called "Grains of Paradise," which the cynic in me says isfancy marketing lingo for "You'll play hell trying to guess whatelse we put in here!"

Nevertheless, this brew is crisp and refreshing, with a lightconsistency. It definitely does not fall into Christian Harder's"sandwich in every bottle" category. I prefer to think of it as thebottled equivalent of a big honkin' slice of watermelon on a hotday, but without the seeds. Dumping a bucket of ice water onyour heat-exhausted head or a jump in the pool could hardly bemore refreshing.

Another thing I really like is the labeling. A summer brewthat doesn't have to resort to the pretender's campaign ofjuxtaposing bikini-clad bimbos with some mutant dog.

So get it while it's hot, LITERALLY: Summer Ale is onlysold May through August. In case you have trouble finding it inyour neck of the woods, the Adams Website has a distributorlocator.

New Guidebook Series Available

Guide Books for Climbers by ClimbersMobius Publications (the team that brought you The Guide:Southern California Sport Climbing and The New Jack CityGuide) sets a new standard in climbing guides: the newPocketguide Series. These compact guides (4.25in. x 5.Sin.) arelight weight, yet very durable.

They feature a layflat sewn binding, a UV coated cover,rounded corners, easy-to-read topos, training pyramids, killerphotography and, you guessed it, they fit in your pocket. No needto lug around a heavy book. Leave the larger books at home onyour coffee table with all the routes you've fired highlighted. Itwill impress your friends and amaze your family. With the newpocketguides, your pack will be amazingly lighter. You will havemore energy to climb harder, stronger, and faster.

The Pocketguide to Williamson Rock is now available at theusual places. Get It or Get Lost.

--Tony Sweeney, Mobius Publications

Upcoming Comps

The Rock Gym in Long Beach will be hosting a JCCA JuniorRegional Competition on Saturday, July 19th, 1997.Registration 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.; competition begins at1:00 p.m. Fees: $25 for non-JCCA members, $20 for currentJCCA members.

For more information, contact The Rock Gym at 310-983-5500, or E-mail them at [email protected].

mOthEr rOckWl Page 10 July/August 1997

The mOthEr rOck Back Page...

Start 'em YoungKatie Brown thinks she's so hot. Fifteen years old. WinningPhoenix. Redpointing 5.15zzzz. Well move over Katie Brown.You ain't got nothin' on Katie Wade.

You read about the engagement at North Shore Big Bear inIssue #2. You read about the Buttermilks bachelor party in Issue#3. And you read about the Forest Falls wedding in Issue #4.They followed all of the logical steps. The next logical step wasprocreation. And procreate they did. Brits Geoff Wade and JannSenior gave birth to a sparkling baby girl. They named her Katie(after Catherine Destaville, says dad). Her destiny waspredetermined. She would climb like a monkey.

They wasted no time in getting her climbing. With a snugdiaper, she was brownpointing 5.2 shortly after birth. Soon,they changed her diaper and brought her to mOthEr rOck gym.When she heard the obvious comparisons to Katie Brown, shegot upset. Screw the routes. She went straight for the campusboard (see photo).

Geoff, Jann, and Katie are currently vacationing in Europe,where Katie is reportedly attempting the first brownpoints of BenMoon's classic Om, and Wolfgang Gullich's testpiece ActionDirect. When they return stateside, it's off to Yosemite's CampFour boulders for the mandatory attempt at Midnight Lightening.Says mom, "I hear first ascentionist Ron Kauk still hangs out atMidnight Lightening sometimes. It would be fun to see him. Ihear he has a really nice arse!"

After this tour de force through Europe, the proud parentsplan to give the wunderkid a rest from climbing for a while."Now that she's mastered climbing, we'd like her to work on

walking," said a beaming dad. "We figure her climbing can onlyimprove if she learns to stand on her own two feet." If it worksfor Katie, you may even want to try it yourself, dad!

—Max Armpet

southern California's climbing masazine


A 6 6 T

VcX

Editors' Corner


A Great Day for So Cal!The 1997 Snow Valley Boulderfest isBACK IN BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

On August 14th, 1997, the U.S.Forest Service denied a permit for the1997 Snow Valley Boulderfest and TrashClean-Up. A botanist had done a study ofthe area, and identified the area as habitatfor several threatened plant species. TheForest Service was worried that having somany people up there at one timetrampling through the woods would resultin a significant negative impact on thethreatened plant species. Because thesespecies only bloom in the Spring, it wasdifficult to identify where exactly theywere located, and where bouldering couldand could not be allowed for the comp.

The morning of Friday, August 22nd,1997, Travis McElvany, Jeff Rigney, andmyself, representing the Rim of the WorldClimbing Club (ROWCC), met withthree represenatives of the U.S. ForestService. We met at Snow Valley West,so Forest Service officials could witnessfirst hand the area. Club President TravisMcElvany explained what the ROWCCwas all about, and we then did a walk-through of Snow Valley West, SnowValley South, and Snow Valley East,showing them the main areas where mostof the climbing would take place duringthe Boudlerfest.

The Forest Service representativeswere able to identify a number of concernsthroughout the area-a few of thethreatened plant species were seen, erosionpotential was noted on certain trails, etc.They also noted with disgust the largeamounts of trash left in the Winter bypeople playing in the snow, especially atSnow Valley South.

Recognizing that the majority of theclimbing activities take place in non-sensitive habitat, the Forest Servicegranted the permit for the 1997

Boulderfest. In the Spring of 1998, theForest Service will initiate a plant surveyof the area, the results of which will beused to evaluate permit applications forfuture Boulderfests.

The impact of climbing activities onthe threatened species can be completelynegated by the ROWCC, by redirectingsome trails and educating climbers aboutthe sensitive nature of the area. OneForest Service official was overheardsaying to another, "I think these guys aregoing to do a hell of a lot more good thanbad for the area."

The most seriously threatened plant inthe area-trie Ashey Gray IndianPaintbrush, which is proposed for Federallisting as a "Threatened" species—wasfound in abundance near a parking area andstraddling an official Forest Service hikingtrail, but was not noted in any of the mainclimbing areas. The ROWCC has agreedto line this trail with rocks where it passesthrough the sensitive habitat, to keep thefew climbers and many hikers using thetrail away from the Ashey Gray IndianPaintbrush.

The ROWCC is also in the process ofofficially "adopting" the area. Clubofficials will be working with the ForestService to write up a management plan forthe area, organize periodic trash clean-ups(in addition to the annual Boulderfest andTrash Clean-Up), redirect trails away fromsensitive areas, place signs and other trailmarkers, set up baricades to block illegaloff-road activity, remove graffiti,participate in revegetation projects, etc.

This is a great example of thepositive impacts climbers can have on thelocal community, and how we can allwork together with land managers.

As far as the 1997 Snow ValleyBoulderfest and Trash Clean-Up, it willtake place as originally planned on Oct.4th, 1997. The entry fee is $40 if youregister by September 27th. For the $40,climbers will get a full day of climbing ata great new area, a "goodie" bag, acomprehensive guidebook to the nearly300 known boulder problems in the area,an official 1997 Snow Valley Boulderfesttank-top, dinner and live music at theparty after the event, and the opportunityto win a number of prizes donated by morethan fifteen sponsors.

For more information on the 1997Snow Valley Boulderfest and Trash Clean-Up, visit the official Web site at:

members.aol.com/amccgroup/97svbf/

You can also request an entry form bywriting to:

ROWCCP.O. Box 3283Blue Jay, CA 92317

See you all at Snow Valley!

MattArtz, editormotherrock® aol. com



EditorMattArtz


ProofreaderRuth Artz

Editorial ContributorsLouie Anderson • Max Armpet • Jason Ballas

Reed Bartlett • Diane Chakmak • Amos CliffordHeather Dolph • Daniel Garcia • Nancy Hampton

Christian Harder • Fritz Lowrey • Reese MartinTravis McElvany • Matt McGunigle • Chris Miller

Darell Palmer • Steve Parker • Patrick Paul • Matt PollardEd Schmahl • Rob Stauder • Cindy Stigall

Brandon Thau • Randy Vogel • Todd VogelBruce Wiley • Bills Wong


Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), senda check or money order for $10 to mOthEr rOck/TheAMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151. Subscriptions outside of the United States are $20annually.



On the Cover.Matt McGunigle boulders a fabulous5.10a traverse at Deadman's Summit,Eastern Sierra. Photo by Matt Artz.

mOthEr rOck #8 Page 1 September/October 1997

m0triEr «Qe NotebookNews from Southern California and Vicinity

I :f:"%i

New Routes at Mentone BouldersThree new routes have recently gone up at Mentone Boudlers.For directions and a full topo, see Issue #1 (July/August 1996) ofmOthEr rOck magazine.

A. Unnamed, 5.11d/12a. Five bolts. FA: LouieAnderson, 1997.

B. Unnamed, 5.12b. Four bolts, finish at anchors to OsoSmokey. FA: Louie Anderson, 1997.

C. Oso Smokey, 5.12a. Five bolts on arete. FA: ChrisMiller, 1997.

—Louie Anderson

Echo CliffsOnce the weather cools down, check out Echo Cliffs and the otherareas in the Santa Monica Mountains. At present there are morethan 150 routes out there with room for about a lifetime's worthof additional routes. Echo Cliffs is just one of several crags outthere, but it is probably the most user-friendly to all levels ofclimber (5.9 to 5.13+).—Louie Anderson

Bolts Missing at Mt. WilliamsonOn July 20th, 1997,1 was out at Mt. Williamson and climbedGanactic, 5.8, at the Ramblin' Wall. Another party had toppedout and, I assumed, would be rapped off of Epitaph long before Igot to the top. So up I went.

I climbed this route a month or so before and found that thefixed slings and rap rings had been removed from the bolts. Nobig deal; I was able anchor, bring up my partners, and lower themout and squirm around to rap down She's an Addiction on theEpitaph side of the formation. I brought along some extra slingsand two rings to leave for good Karma if nobody had replaced theold ones. Trouble was, the bolts at the top had been removed!

This made anchoring in order for my second to climb andclean a bit tense. I sat in the obvious "saddle" with a runnerclipped to the rings over the side, placing me way off center fromthe anchor and none too happy.

Fortunately everyone kept their heads. The party before usmanaged to get down to the rings on Rest in Peace and left theirrope for us. Everyone got down with only a bit of whining.

It is fortunate that we had multiple ropes and enoughcombined experience to do the semi-unprotected squirm off of theside without anyone getting too freaked or hurt. Other teamsmight not have the same level of experience. Furthermore, the

bolts weren't chopped since the sleeves were still in place andlooked good. It was as if someone had just unscrewed the boltsand been done with it. Perhaps a well meaning local plans onplacing nice shuts at the top, but there is nothing to indicate thisfrom the ground.-Fritz Lowrey

New Jack City UpdateIf you have not been to New Jack City yet, it is definitely worthchecking out. I would guess that the total number of routes atpresent is hovering around 150 with more going up all the time.The majority of the developed routes so far are 5.10+ or harderwith at least half of them being 5.11+ or harder. There is vastpotential for more routes here (including routes at an easier grade)with the ultimate route number potential being almost limitless(my personal guess would be up around 1,000 routes).—Louie Anderson

The Roots of New Jack CityI grew up in Barstow and used to ride motorcycles in the canyonnow called New Jack City. In High School, we used to havebonfire parties out there during the summer. I went out thereabout five years ago and toproped some, but couldn't convinceanyone to come and check the place out to develop for climbing.

Then, around three and a half years ago, we were climbingalong side Jack Marshall out on Riders Ready Wall at HighDesert, and I spoke with Jack about this area. I explained to himhow to get there and apparently he went.

I have seen Jack several times over these last few years andhave never questioned his "discovery" of this area. I specificallytold him in hope that he would act on my suggestion and developthe area. Luckily, I have climbed there since and I bought a guideto the area from Jack. I think the area is great and holds lots ofpotential for further development.

Oh, by the way, we Barstownians, at least the motorcyclebunch I grew up with, have always called the area "Saw ToothCanyon" because of the ragged west ridge of the canyon.—Daniel Garcia

Tar Creek Bouldering Off LimitsDespite the publicity of Wills Young's recent topo in Rock &Ice magazine, it is technically illegal to boulder at Tar Creek.Although Tar Creek is within a "Condor Sanctuary," all of thecondors have since been relocated. Regardless of the fact that it'sa Condor Sanctuary with no condors, the Forest Service doesn'twant people going in. Another great So Cal boulderingdestination lost to bureaucratic stupidity.

If that's not enough of a contradiction, there's more. "I didsome phone calls to get info about Pine Mountain," Young toldme. "Although there have been condors there, the Park Servicedid their best to shoo them away, so they gave me the all-clear toclimb there as much as I like!," as it does not have officialCondor Sanctuary designation.

Wills summed it up nicely: "It's a strange, strange world."-Matt Artz

mOthEr rOck#% Page 2 September/October 1997

Climbing Half Dome in a Dayby Brandon Thau

PrerequisitesYou'll need at least one strong free climber who must be able toclimb middle to upper 5.10, and who can also do some light aid(Al) efficiently. The second must be able to jug a fixed line,clean pendulums, and possibly (but not necessary) follow freesections.

EquipmentYou'll need to take the following equipment:

• ropes of 200 foot length are preferred• two sets of TCU's (Aliens always preferred)• two sets of Camalots (.75 to #4)• one set of Stoppers (#4 to #12)• ten quickdraws made from slings• five free biners• two double length slings• personal gear (nut tool, locking biners)

ApproachThe best way to the base of Half Dome is the slabs approach:

• take the tram to the Mirror Lake trailhead (trams start at7:30am)

• hike the mile out to Mirror Lake (you could drive if you couldget your hands on a "handicapped" placard...)

• cross to the south side of the river immediately after passingMirror Lake (there are usually rocks you can cross on)

• find the old trail (chunks of asphalt) and walk down it for a fewhundred yards; there is a cairn on your right side marking thestart of the slabs approach

• follow the trail and cairns through the forest and to exposedtalus

• the rest of the approach you'll have to find yourself-just followcairns as close as possible and expect to do some 3rd and 4thclass, and to climb at least five fixed lines; the approachtraverses east twice and goes straight up the gully towardsTissaack.

The slabs approach should take about two and a half to threehours with a light load. I know people who have taken six hourswith heavy loads.

An alternative approach is to take the regular Half DomeTrail from Happy Isles and before climbing the cables routedescend down the shoulder of Half Dome to the base of the route.I know the time to descend from the shoulder is about 30 to 45minutes. I haven't done this approach, but I suspect that it takeslonger than the slabs approach.

The advantage of the slabs route is that you don't have todeal with tourists asking what you are doing, except for the beer-toting tourists at Mirror Lake. The slabs route is much shorterand you get into the adventure of route finding right away. Theregular approach is probably much safer, and the chances ofbreaking an ankle on talus are diminished.

ClimbingThe Regular Route on Half Dome probably shouldn't beconsidered a grade VI, but since it was the first climb in North

America to receive this grade, I guess it must remain that way.Other grade V's, such as West Face of El Capitan and Chouinard-Herbert on Sentinel, take longer than the Regular Route on HalfDome. The Regular Route takes anywhere from 4 hours and 11minutes, to five days. The average speed ascent party can do theclimb in between 12 and 17 hours. This assumes that the partyis combining pitches and averaging 30-40 minutes per non-combined pitch.

You should consider doing the route when there are no otherparties on the route. It is difficult to pass a party and it will slowyou down considerably. When I did the route in July, my partnerand I were hauling ass and arrived at the base of the Zig-Zags in 7hours, then we ran into a traffic jam with three other multi-dayparties. We couldn't pass them, so we stayed behind them for 5to 6 hours and got off in a bad thunderstorm full of lightning andrain. Our time could have been around 10 hours, but it wasextended to 13 or 14 hours because of this obstacle.

If you have 200 foot ropes you should run pitches together,such as: 2 & 3, 5 & 6, 8 & 9, 10 & 11, 15 & 16, and 19 & 20.Not all of these pitches run perfectly together, so you mustcompromise by setting up a belay in the middle of a pitch.Usually you can find a fixed pin, put a piece in, pull up all theslack, fix the rope, and solo off the belay with a Gri-Gri. TheRegular Route has more fixed gear than any other climb I've everbeen on. In fact, on a few pitches I didn't even place my owngear—I just clipped fixed pins the whole way. At the belays,don't expect bolts all the time. There are nice 3/8ths inch boltson the first six pitches, but after that a lot of the belays consistof fixed pins.

SuggestionsThere are some pitches on the Regular Route that aren't desirable,the best example being the 5.9 slot on pitch 12. This pitchreally sucks; either trick your partner into taking it, or wear kneepads (that goes for pitches 13-15 also). Another option is to aidthe 5.1 Ic crack to the left and traverse into the belay. It mighttake longer, but you won't be physically and mentally scarredafterwards.

You can use slings instead of aiders on pitch 10. Aiders arehelpful on the rest of the aid pitches.

After the first six pitches, evaluate your speed. By this pointyou have sampled the difficulty of the climb, and can estimateyour speed after this point. Also, this is your last chance to bailif you are going too slow.

As far as other gear to bring, take a head lamp, some food,rain gear, and six liters of water for two people. The second canjug with a pack for all the pitches except for 12 and 21, whereyou should haul the pack.

Look at trends in the weather before going. Half Dome isknown for its extreme thunderstorms, and since it is a tallmonolith it makes for a good lightning rod.

Good Luck!

Brandon Thau is a student at Col Poly San Luis Obispo.can reach him by E-mail [email protected].

You


Ice Follies on the Grandby Ed Schmahl

Fred carefully front-pointed up the near-vertical greenish icefallabove us, probing for solid pick holds with his ice axe and icehammer, raining small showers of ice chips down on me, twentyor so feet below him. Nervously, I checked the buried ice stakethat protected him and me from a catastrophic slide down the 50-degree snow couloir we were slowly ascending. For a tad moreprotection, I buried my ice axe to the hilt and stamped a biggerfoot platform with my crampons. I stared around at thesurrounding cliffs and the ridiculously steep, ice-choked gully,thinking, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I plannedthis hike back in April."

Here we were on the hardest part of the Stettner Couloir,12,000 odd precipitous feet above sea level, and a couple ofthousand feet below our destination, the "Grand," the highest ofthe Tetons. There was at least 1,500 to 1,600 feet more ofunknown country between us and the top. Just what I had beenthinking of a few weeks ago was pretty vague at the moment, butit involved a solitary stroll with a small pack up the trail belowthe Grand Teton from the Garnet Canyon trailhead to neartimberline, then possibly a quiet little bivvy under the trees,followed by an easy day hike up onto the snow fields in thecanyon below the big peak. Of course the snow was, reportedly,rather extensive this year, so maybe I'd need to rent crampons toget up above 11,000 feet, but I could sample the glaciers and,maybe, with a little luck, climb a smaller arete near the Grandand explore the lesser acolytes surrounding the Grand's summit.

But I didn't reckon with the power of email and the lure ofthe "Grand." No sooner had I mentioned the famous name to Fredand a couple of other climber friends on the 'Net, it was the"Exum Direct" this, and the "So-and-so Couloir" that, and thetrip was out of my hands. Fred is an experienced winter climberof Rocky Mountain peaks, and his Maine brother, Tom, is anavid ascender of near-vertical ice in the winter wilderness of theWhite Mountains. So I was outvoted by acclamation from thestart. It was to be the "Grand" itself, the grandest of the Tetons,the most alpine of America's lower 48 peaks, rising 7000 feetfrom the plains to dominate the range at 13,770 feet. The snowpack this Spring was about 50% above normal, so at the time ofplanning back in April, we had to expect snow and ice for mostof our route on our late June trip.

After some rounds of backing and filling, and bowing outs,and bowings in, we ended up with four final hiker/climbers forthis ascent. It was to be Fred and Tom as co-honchos, Tom'sfriend Peter, and me. I had been hoping that Fred's son, Greg, anArmy Ranger, would make it, because I knew from reports of hisexploits in boot camp that he could carry me and my pack on hisback to the top when the going got tough. But at the lastminute, because of missed flights, he ended up not coming, andour collective strength was reduced by at least half. I wasdevastated. No doubt Fred and Tom would lead us through, butin case of emergencies, such as terror or exhaustion, I couldn'tcount on riding up the cliffs on Greg's back.

During the last weeks before the climb, I struggled to puttogether a pack that contained the essentials of Fred's climbingchecklist. I never did figure out what "BLV socks" were, but Ifinally filled my pack with lots of warm stuff and flew out westto meet my climber buddies at their cowboy digs in JacksonHole. After much greeting and re-packing of ice boots,

crampons, ice axes, ice screws, snow pickets, Power Bars, andthe like, we hit the sack, and got mentally ready for a dawn starton the climb.

6:30 a.m., 6,800' at Lupine Meadows Parking LotWe got lost driving to the trail head-a bad omen-but ourpersistence paid off, and soon we were donning packs in theparking lot. Garnet Canyon trail rises from Lupine Meadows onthe plains directly below Mount Teewinot. Near the trail head,elk, moose, and antelope graze the fields, while to the west, thesteep slopes plummet down to alpine meadows, where cascadingwaterfalls carry snow melt to the Snake River. From the parkinglot, it is seven miles of mosquito-ridden switchbacks out of theforests through the steep, flowery meadows, up the high snow-filled canyons, to the col between Middle Teton and the Grand;this was the "Lower Saddle" (11,600 feet) where we planned tocamp. We hiked this trail in the cool of the morning, throughfour miles of mixed pine and fir, lupines and sunflowers, thenturned west into Garnet Canyon and encountered our first snow.Intermittent for another half mile, the snow became continuous ataround 10,000 feet. From then on, we followed old kicked stepsup the snow fields covering the canyon floor. To either side, upwhere the snow steepened and thinned, the grey granite arms ofthe peaks lay exposed, their bony ridges shining bare in the warmsunlight.

Big MistakeQuite a few fanatic snowboarders and XC-skiers had preceded usinto Garnet Canyon, and were carving tracks into the snowfieldsabove. At a place we later learned was called the "Meadows," westuck to the south side of Garnet Canyon, left of Middle Teton,following someone's footsteps—someone not bound for theGrand. Big mistake! None of us was looking at the scenery withan eye for routes or landmarks. We should have checked the mapor noticed the Middle Teton Glacier, or the signature dike on theeast prow of Middle Teton, the prominent peak standing guardbelow its big brother Grand to the north. Obliviously we hikedon, mesmerized by the excellent snow, stomping into oneanother's footsteps up to the saddle to the left of Middle Teton.Finally, we reached the pass, looked over to the west, checked ourmaps, and realized our error. After rejecting the possibility oftraversing Middle Teton, we shouldered our packs, retraced oursteps, and descended down 1,000 feet to round its eastern prow.The only good part of this back tracking was our passage under afine misty waterfall that dripped a rainbow fog off the southwestbuttress. We rested there, then rounded the Dike. Tom's ankle,still recovering from a 3-month-old fracture, was hurting, so hedonned crampons. I decided to follow suit, and snapped on thestep-in crampons that Fred had loaned me for the climb. Afterfalling on my face once, and using my axe for a quick arrest, mymuscles finally recalled their memories of old crampon climbs,and I followed the group up onto Middle Teton glacier.

Finally, the SaddleIt was a long sludge, entirely on well-consolidated snow, up tothe boulder field below the pass, the Lower Saddle camp. Thisbrown, rocky place had only recently been cleared of snow bywind and sun, and tundra plants had yet to emerge this early inthe summer. Here and there, rock enclosures built by climberssurrounded the leeward side of selected boulders. We had ourchoice of sites, and Fred picked a good one with a flat, sandy areashielded from the steady west wind by a pair of granite blocks.Clean, pure water poured from a pipe leading from snow meltunder the boulder field. Conies and marmots piped and eyed us

mOthEr rOck#% Page 4 September/October 1997

from the rocks. Nearby, two quonset huts reserved for rangersand guides hunkered, front doors facing the Grand. Just above uslay the pass, where on the Idaho cliff side the local John had beenerected. It was a low, unroofed enclosure surrounding a deck withtwo chemical toilets. From these thrones, the customers had amost spectacular view of the snowy Idaho peaks below, severalicy tarns, and an unobstructed western horizon. It was a John fitfor a kins.

The Grand. Our route is in a couloir just behind the left skyline.

The Grand dominates the view to the north from the LowerSaddle. On the left is a minor summit called Idaho mountain, andto its east, (the right), a ridge rises between two snow gullies.This is the line of the Owens-Spaulding route that we would useto descend tomorrow. Further to the right is the Exum ridge,which extends almost to the top along the left side of the Grand.Still further to the right run two other near-vertical ridges, thePetzold and the Underhill, both named after luminaries of theGrand climbing scene.

Plan AThe top of the Grand is 2,200 feet up from our camp. Our planwas to ascend the snow and ice of the Stettner Couloir betweenthe Petzold and Underhill ridges, then work our way up the Fordcouloir which branched upwards towards the summit. Monthsago, back home in the lowlands, I had searched in vain for wordof the Stettner Couloir in my old edition of Rossiter's Guide tothe Tetons. It just wasn't there, but I found a one-line mentionof it in some Xeroxed pages of a later Rossiter's sent to me byFred. Later, Fred said that a ranger and another unnamed sourcedeclared that the route was in "fine condition," whatever thatmeans. I had to take it on faith—first that the route was there, andthen that we could do it. Both Fred and Tom were sure we couldget up to the top by 10 a.m. or so, and then down by 2 p.m. atthe latest.

While we sat and cooked and nibbled at our various suppers,we watched the sunlight leave the Grand. A brief hailstorm ofrice-sized snow grains pelted our camp, and then it cleared. Aswe were pulling into our sacks, we noticed some lights flickeringon the now dark Owen-Spaulding route. A couple of late-

climbing climbers on the Grand appeared to be working their wayhomeward in the dark, foregoing the option to sit out the nighton the mountain. There was no chance of that happening to us.No way. We were going to get a pre-dawn start, and be downbefore noon. But I packed my head lamp, just in case.

Early StartDawn arrived all too soon. The rosy eastern horizon didn'tactually show the sun. But if it did rise through the clouds, wecouldn't see it anyway, because it was hidden behind the flanks ofthe Underhill ridge on the right side of the Grand. I was the lastto get my day pack filled, gaiters and wind pants on, my breakfastnot quite finished. Stuffing the bag of soggy oatmeal into myjacket pocket to munch on later, I hustled after the others as theyhiked off in the direction of the Owen-Spaulding trail. Weascended in the cloudy morning light to the Black Dike below thebase of the south-facing ridges of the mountain. From there wetraversed on mixed scree and hard snow along the base of theExum Ridge. A few words of instruction from Fred and Tom, andI kept my crampons flat against the rock-hard snow, and wassoon traversing like a natural. We continued more or less on acontour past the base of the Petzold Ridge into the StettnerCouloir just west of the Underhill Ridge.

Little sunlight reaches this couloir except right around noon,the deep trough being shielded on both sides by nearly verticalwalls. The snow was hard and crunchy, the consistency ofpopsicles, and it sloped about 55 degrees, but it was easy workfor crampons. After yesterday's backpacking, climbing with alight day pack was a joy. Wanting some protection from a fall,but not requiring full belays, we simul-climbed on a single rope.Peter and I clipped into the middle about 30 feet apart, while Tomor Fred led, placing stakes in the snow or nuts in the cracks ofthe walls for protection, the last man extracting the stakes as wewent. A stretch of simul-climbing stopped when the leader eitherran out of pro or encountered something more fearsome thansnow.

Crux after CruxOur first major "encounter" was a 10 to 15 foot high frozenwaterfall sloping 60 degrees, with water running noisily behindthe ice. We discussed this little pitch, Fred remarking that theguide referred to some 60-degree ice, and he figured that it mightbe the crux. It was Fred's turn to lead, and he climbed it using ananchored belay, a snow stake below, and an ice screw for pro onthe falls. Above, and out of our sight, he soon set up anchors tobelay the rest of us. Although it was my first steep ice, I foundit easier than comparable rock, having Fred's stiff plastic bootsthat I had cursed for stiffness on the trail. Swing a foot, click thefront points of the crampons into the snow-crusted ice, and stand.Swing the ice axe in one hand, find a good pick placement, thenswing the Stubai pick in the other hand for another placement,and pull on up to a second stance. Occasional holes in the icemade good foot or hand holds. The only unnerving part of theroutine was the roaring waterfall sometimes visible at arm'slength underneath and between the icicles.

We all dispatched the first steep ice without difficulty,though the others cursed their boots for not being stiff enough.Gathering at the belay anchors, we continued simul-climbing,until the next icefall, and then the next... This was to be theorder of the day-easy hard snow, then a short ice climb 10 to 15feet high, followed by the same. Looking down the curve of theice plunging below us, I saw that the Lower Saddle had recededremarkably. But the top of the Grand remained unseen and

mOthEr rOck #8 Page5 September/October 1997

unknown. After several ice leads and simul-climbs, we reachedthe first fork. The route turned left up an unlikely steep, icy gullyblocked by a bulging slab. Fred continued simul-climbing, and Idubiously followed, brooding to myself, "This is a new order ofdifficulty." And it was, at least to me. The ice was thin inplaces, and the rock underneath bounced the ice picks back out oftheir intended holds. It was the infamous "mixed" climbing thatAlex Lowe revels in. But no reveling for me. I brooded again,this time aloud, that the fearless leader was risking me pullinghim off if I fell. So Fred placed a little pro, and climbed thewaterfall to a good rock anchor. I was disconcerted to see, as Iascended the ice, that one of his pieces of protection was a slingwrapped around an icicle. "Maybe that's the way they do it here inWyoming," I grumbled, "you gotta work with what you've got."But still I found it a little alarming. A bit more simul-climbingon hard snow, a couple of more short, 50- to 60-degree icefalls,and then, finally for good measure, a last vertical 10-foot icepitch. All cool, clean water ice, and lots of fun, if we could justignore the pressure to reach the top.

Traversing below Petzold Ridge to the base of Stettner Coulior.

The Grand BeyondI mentioned to Fred that it was getting to be noon. We wererunning somewhat behind schedule. Was retreat an option? Heresponded that we had to get to the top in order to descend. If wetried to go down what we had just gone up this morning, we'd belucky to get down by midnight. The question came up: "Whohas head lamps?" I was the only one. "Well, make that dawninstead of midnight." It was beyond my imagination to down-climb this insane couloir in the dark with only one light. Thatwas just too much cold hard reality for my brain. It was "top orbust" now.

But the ice climbing seemed to be behind us. We climbedout of Stettner Couloir at last into the broad Ford Couloir. Itwas somewhat steep for safe unroped climbing, since there was awonderfully steep expanse of snow and rock below, and an ice axearrest might not be successful. So we simul-climbed withprotection again. Several hundred feet up we could see a highrock crest looming against the royal blue sky. Slowly, wemoved up toward it, but approaching the end of the Ford, nowout of the shadows of the Underbill cliffs, the snow turned soft

and squishy. Working harder, we changed direction to parallel theridge towards the western skyline. It began to look like we wereclose to the summit ridge, but the difficulty of route finding is inthe details, not in the distance. Hopes of an easy summit routerose when we spotted a rope anchored to a rock north of oursnowfield, so we traversed over to it. Peter was all for climbingthe rock, and made a valiant shot at bouldering the slab, but theroute was difficult, and the prospects beyond seemed dim. Weagreed that it was necessary to make a quick decision. No moreputzing around anymore.

We agreed to bypass the rock ridge, and to cross some verypoorly consolidated snow into another slope heading upward.With solid belays from the rock, Tom made a terrific lead on deepcrumbling snow, and we found a new upward-leading snowfieldwith more options to argue about. Fred led a tough mixed pitchon bad snow and icy rock, and we set up anchors. Eager rock-climber Peter took the sharp end of the rope, and shortly we heardhis call from above, "This is the top!" Well, it wasn't, really,but now there was a three-quarter horizon view to west, south andeast, and' the summit loomed to the north.

The Beginning of the EndFrom that point on, it was easy "simul" snow walking along thetop north-south ridge. Peter and I agreeed that since it wasalmost 6 p.m., we should immediately find the route down andforego the summit. But, thankfully, more experienced headsprevailed. Fred responded, "Let me look around this crag." Aminute of reconnoitering, and he shouted that we could get to thetop and back in less than 20 minutes. We headed up, stoodtogether on the summit, which is about as big as a living room,got lots of summit pictures, took a quick look around at the deepblue sky encircling us, and glanced down at the puny sister peaksbelow. Within moments we headed toward the down trail. Ourside trip to the summit had taken less than 20 minutes. For thefirst time that day, a time prediction had been right.

For a short while we argued about the direction of southwest,which is the direction the Owen-Spaulding route runs from thepeak. Altitude and fatigue seemed to have addled our collectivebrains. But compass and the map set us straight. At first it waseasy snow walking, with care-inspiring steep cliffs hanginginvisible below. Then there was some strolling on rock to adouble rappel site. The first rappel was 70 feet of air to a broadgully, and the second rappel dropped another 70 feet from a chockstone straddling a narrow chimney. Then there was scrambling toa third rappel, down a face and through a misty waterfall. Off thesnow almost for good, there was tricky route-finding across amysterious area called the Enclosure. Luckily, Fred had paidclose attention to a ranger who had described the route in greatdetail. We followed the instructions to the letter, and,increasingly, as we down-climbed, we found pieces of a foot trailto follow. We stayed on a ridge line between two steep snowfields (both of which we were told ended in cliffs). As the sunfell below the horizon, we worked our way down the west side ofthe last ridge onto a clear dirt foot path. The last glow of twilightat 10 p.m. lit our way to the Lower Saddle. I collapsed intocamp after the 16 hours of climbing, thinking to myself, "Icarried that head lamp over the top, and, Odin be thanked, I nevereven got to use it!"

Ed Schmahl is a 55-year old refugee from the Rocky Mountains,now living in in flat, mountainless Maryland. He can be reachedat [email protected].


So You Wanna Be A Stonemaster?By Aaron Rough

It was a typical night for me: I had just finished eating anextremely fattening dinner, and consequently was feeling ratherguilty from straying from my diet, when I decided I needed to goand take a...well never mind where I was at, that's not important.What is important is that I picked up my Tahquitz and Suicideguidebook by Randy Vogel and Bob Gaines and decided that I wasgoing to punish myself for eating such delicious and enjoyablefood. After a few pages of thumbing, I noticed one name wascontinually highlighted in bold letters, VALHALLA. I quicklyzeroed in on the section containing the mention of an elite groupof rock climbers that formed an unofficial club, and you onlyneeded to do one certain climb to become a member,VALHALLA. What better way to punish myself than to do aclassic climb and become an unofficial Stonemaster to boot!I decided to take serious action in the morning.

Rob Jenson pulling some slick stemming on the first pitch.

The next morning I called my partner Rob, and plans wereset. The very same day we were to put ourselves up against therite of passage. I mean, come on, I had redpointed 5.12a and Ihave seen Rob struggle his way through a 5.13b, how muchproblem could one measly three pitch 5.1 la cause us? I hadvisions of an hour or two of climbing, and then an equal amountof time sucking down some beer at Senior Rubens. Rob showedup a little late, but it was of no concern as we had all day. Did Imention it's only three pitches? By the time we pulled intoSuicide's parking lot, the place was packed. We ended up parkingway down at the end of the street. The hike was uneventful, andwe were soon looking up the Sunshine Wall, directly up into thenoonday sun. Did I also mention that it was mid August andnear 100 degrees out there? Oh well, like I said, it was only ameasly 5.11 a.

I had remembered seeing a picture of Darrel Hensel on theroute, and the caption had said, "local edgemaster." So I figuredwe would be edging our way up this thing. Wrong! From theget go, we realized things might not be in the best of conditionsfor doing this route. Rob started up the first pitch, which openedwith a hard mantel onto a sloping edge, followed by slickstemming and another hard mantle pretty far above his last bolt.During the whole pitch, Rob kept commenting on how greasyhis feet were feeling. Could it be the heat, could it be thepolished rock, or could it just be his lack of slab skills? I figuredit was a bit of each, but found the same to be true for myself as Iheaded up. I think I could have used chalk for my hands and feet,

they felt so greasy! This short first pitch served as a good wakeup call for what was to come.

By the time I reached the first belay, I had already usedenough chalk to fill two chalk bags up. O.K., maybe it wasn'tthat bad, but the heat and friction, coupled with the directsouthern exposure and resulting direct sunlight, did make things abit uncomfortable. For some strange reason my calves werehurting, I don't seem to remember that ever happening whiledoing local sport routes at nearby Williamson?!? And to makematters worse, my toes were beginning to feel as if the blackrubber was melting and burning it's way through them. It mighthave something to do with all of that smearing.

The second pitch starts with a traverse across a good ledge, toa stance under a near-vertical wall with seemingly absolutely noholds. The line of bolts went up, but I was having a hard timefiguring out how in the hell I was going to! I don't want to givetoo much away about the crux, but it involved crimping,grunting, smearing, and groaning, and alot of each. By the time Ireached the next bolt, some 15 feet or more up, I needed morethan just to chalk up. I needed a Pierre and a motivationalcassette! Unfortunately for me though, I still had about 80 feetto go, with a 5.10c crux thrown in somewhere! Great...so I startthe left trending traverse and then end it with a mantel onto agood ledge. Somehow during this move, I managed to headbuttthe rock. The lump that immediately began to protrude from myforehead caused me to look more like a unicorn than any kind ofStonemaster. I finished up the pitch with a good 30 feet of easy5.6 climbing, with no pro or bolts to the top of the pitch. Rob'slaughter at the sight of the protruding lump did nothing to helpsalve my wounded ego at having such a hard time on the pitch,but what goes around comes around.

Rob heading out for the last pitch.

Rob started the third and final pitch without too much delay.By this time the sun had drifted behind the top of the wall, givingus much welcomed relief from the heat. Easier friction (but fairlyrunout) led him to join the first pitch of Sundance, then it wasoff right traversing up a 5.9 section with only one bolt in 60feet. He quickly called "Off belay!," and I followed it up. Wewere soon standing at the rap leading down Bye Gully.

The hike out was done at Mach 10, knowing good food andbrew was only a few miles down the road. As I sat savoring thefattening chimichunga and slurping a big fat brew, I didn't noticefeeling any different than I had the night before, i.e. pre-Stonemaster. Then again, I didn't lead the route in 60's shoes onquarter inch spinner bolts. Oh, well, at least I can add unofficialStonemaster status to my modest list of climbing history. Hey,only a couple of million other people can say that!

mOthEr rOck#% Page? September/October 1997

Intelligent Life Found on Mars!Virtually Endless Boulderfields Offer New Hope for

Next Generation Climbers, but Access is Dicey:: by Max Armpet

Through special arrangements with NASA and JPL scientists,mOthEr rOck is the first media outlet to gain access to shockingnew evidence of life on Mars. And we're not talking low-level,single-celled, ice-climbing-type life. We're talkingINTELLIGENT life! Here's the exclusive topo for the new area.

Route Descriptions

A. Lunar Lieback, 5.8 **. Sweet, moderate boulderproblem leading into easy crack, recalls memories of a Joshclassic...NOT.

B. Thin Air Traverse, 5.6 ****. The thin Martian airwill have your chest heaving at the end of this sustained route.C. The End of the World, 5.7 *. Long face route, cruxis at the end.

D. Tiddelly Winks, 5.2. First ascent was a free solo bythe Sojourner on half power.

E. Easy Slab, 5.4 *. Exposed, but easy moves, and if youfall, the lower gravity won't bang you up as bad as you think.F. Hollifield's Ear, S.lla **. Overhanging face, carefulnot to cut yourself on sharp eges.

G. Robot Radio, 5.1 Ic *. Cool face in middle of face, becareful to maintain communication with spotter.H. Phone Home, 5.13b *****. THE Martian classic.Ascend overhanging rock of unknown origin up thin edges. Cruxis mantel over lip.

I. Roger Ramjet, 5.8 **. Trad route up flakes anddiscontinuous thin cracks. Pro to 12 microns.

J. Where Are The Canals?, S.lla *. Looks great from adistance, but when on this route you'll be asking "Is this it?"

K. Crater Face, S.lOc **. Ascend center of face, nicecrater at halfway point makes for a good rest.

L. Gas Money, S.lOb ***. Beans, cabbage, and theforgiving Martian gravity will all help to launch you through thecrux of this route.

M. Pathfinder Traverse, S.lOa **. A thrilling journeyright above the Martian surface, with a great landing.N. JP Hell, 5.12d *. Short boulder problem, really a onemove wonder on sharp underclings.

O. Mars Attacks!, 5.6. Short, uneventful face. Like themovie, few will find it worth the five bucks.

P. Space Arete, 5.9 ***. Way exposed, the thrill ride of alifetime.

Editor's Note: Seems like you can't do anything in a climbingmagazine these days without pissing someone off. Read on...

Dear mOthEr rOck,

I've just seen your Mars bouldering guide on the Internet andfrankly I'm pissed off!! I mean, what the hell?!! I hope you'renot trying to pass that area off as "new"...Actually I discoveredthe bouldering in this area long before Sojourner, whoever he is,ever got there. When I was like six years old or something, Iremember checking it out through a telescope in my dad'sbackyard. In fact, I'd considered writing a guide but didn't want topublicize it due to the fragile ecosystem. You guys are justtypical Johnny-come-lately types trying to get credit for otherpeople's inspriation.

And who does this Sojourner think he is going re-naming allthe problems anyway. I was going to do all those ones you putin the topo, as soon as I could get there, but just haven't had thechance lately. You can cross all those names off right now. Tosay Tiddleywinks is just 5.2, well that's just bollocks. I don'tthink Sojourner is even capable of doing the thing, and certainlynot on half power.

Also on Phone Home, as you call it, although I haven't doneit yet, me and my friends figured all the moves out from here andthe crux is definitely NOT the mantel at the lip, but the dyno tocatch the sloper. Unfortunately, catching the sloper is muchmore difficult than you obviously give it credit for, since you'rerelying on second-hand information. Due to the low gravity,there's a tendency not to stick the move but to end up about 50yards away with a mouth full of Mars dust.

If you're going to publicize some of the best bouldering inthe universe, you might at least get the facts straight. Of course,I'd prefer you hadn't brought this into the open at all. I give it ayear at most before some officious fool closes the place down andbelieve me, we'll come looking for you when that happens.

Yours, very pissed off,

Wills Young

mOthEr rOck#% PageS September/October 1997

Mormon Rocksby Matt Artz and Brandon Thau

Driving out of the L.A. basin, up Interstate 15 through the CajonPass on the way to High Desert or Red Rocks, you pass a hugepile of rocks on your left. At least one newbie in the car willinvariably ask, "Is there any good climbing there?" They are ofcourse referring to the stunning-looking Mormon Rocks. Andthe stock answer is "No, the rock is all crap; nobody climbsthere."

Photo: Man Artz

But guess again. While the sandstone conglomerate is lose inmost places, if you look around you can find quality, climablerock. Several bolt ladders already exist on the slabs here, andthere is much potential for steeper sport routes for those willingto take the time to scout the area and place some bolts.

There are three distinct bolt ladders on the north face. Someof the bolts have been completely exposed and are only 1/2 inchin the rock. There is a 5.6 route on the main wall (the first bolthas a new hangar), and a 5.7-5.8 route on a wall to the east of themain one.

® < ©

Route DescriptionsA. Sandstone Balls, 5.10a *. Two pitches. First pitch: sixbolts lead to a two-bole belay station. Second pitch: three morebolts lead to a one bolt + tree belay station. FA: Brandon Thau,John Thau, Michael Hong, April 25, 1993.B. Unknown, 5.?. Unknown star-dryvin ladder.C. Loose Lisa, 5.7. Incomplete route to the right of a left-facing dihedral. FA: Brandon Thau, Greg Hadgens, 1993.

Note: Two or three additional routes can be found to the left ofSandstone Balls.

Recommended RoutesThau's "Sandstone Balls," 5.10a *, is a two pitch bolted routewith solid conglomerate holds (see topo). Beta: The first bolt(easy) is 20 feet off the ground and is sandstone colored. The firstpitch is 5.8-5.9 (165 feet) and the second pitch is 5.9-5. lOa (100feet). The route starts on the north face of the largest wall there;Thau named it 'The Ladron Wall' after he had his car broken intoby gang members while climbing there. It starts near a lowpoint in the wall (the longest line) and passes about five bolts totwo bolt belay. Hopefully the bolts are still good. Then upabout five more to a belay at a tree and one bolt on a ledgesystem 50 feet from top. Traverse the ledge west and walk downthe backside. It's a really cool climb for the San Bernardino area.

DirectionsFrom Interstate 15, exit at Highway 138 and head west. Dirtroads on your right lead to the rocks.

CampingA U.S. Forest Service campground is located a few miles away atLytle Creek.

GuidebooksMormon Rocks has not been covered in any guidebooks, but thearea was mentioned in an article by Thau in mOthEr rOckmagazine, Issue #4 (January/February 1997). The toporeproduced here also appears in the new guidebook The Best ofmOthEr rOck, Vol. 1, published by mOthEr rOck Press, August1997.

Another mOthEr rOck Exclusive!Through special arrangement with Gern Moffat in Rumplestump,Talley-on-Ho, UK, we were given the following photo of herson, Gerry, at the age of three months. Although just an infant,he was already showing off his now-famous tendon strength.

" "

mOthEr rOck#8 Page 9 September/October 1997

mOthEr rOck ReviewsInto Thin Air, by Jon KrakauerReviewed by Rob Stauder

"...attempting to climb Everest is an intrinsically irrational act—atriumph of desire over sensibility." -Jon Krakauer.

Released before the year anniversary of the "Mt EverestDisaster" of the spring season of 1996, Into Thin Air chronicles atragedy in the continuing saga of deadly climbs on the world'shighest peak. Krakauer's book portrays the chaotic and painfulendeavour of climbing Mt. Everest. He finds the "go for brokeand survive at all costs" ethic appalling in the face of recurringseasonal carnage. Krakauer must embrace this reality to surviveand make the summitt-the price of the peak becomes his soul.

The book details the approach to Everest base camp as acontrast between the professionalism of his highly organizedguide, Rob Hall, the destitution of the trekker/touristoverwhelmed villages along the route, and the physicalexhaustion associated with getting to and acclimatizing on thepeak. The expedition includes mostly inexperienced climberswho have trained for the climb on stairmasters and other fitnessdevices. Some have attempted Everest previously. The quacknature of each climber, whether experienced or not, is revealed asall come from different walks of life and are motivated by the factthat they can purchase reasonably safe passage up the big E. Thegroup comprises wealthy doctors, a New York socialite, a postalworker who held two jobs to pay for the voyage, and others.Some seek the "seven summits" goal. This reinforces Krakauer'sbelief that climbing Everest inspires irrationality and beckonssometimes reckless dreamers.

The author strives for accuracy and detail in the accountthrough interviews with many of the survivors. He patchestogether the events of May 10-12, 1996 with several differentclimbers' accounts. He finds his own recollection murky due tohis hypoxia and exhaustion. Through this brutal recounting,Krakauer assigns himself blame for the deaths of some of theother climbers. He is shamed at his adherence to the "save yourown skin" mentality of Everest survival. He seeks foregivenessfrom the reader in absurd ways like "statistically" it wasn't such abad year for deaths on the hill. To learn from the horridexperience, Krakauer suggests that Everest permits be granted tonon-guided parties only, a ridiculous suggestion in the face of150+ years of guided mountaineering.

Into Thin Air attempts to explain and correct a dark side ofclimbing-those who venture into extemely hazardous situationswill sometimes perish. This danger, coupled with "summitfever," can negate the traditional perception of partnership andshared risk. The book is an excellent read and flows beautifully (Icouldn't put it down), but is laden with guilt. No amount ofanalysis will bring back those who died nor justify their deaths.Krakauer uses the assertion that Everest attracts dreamers andwealthy inexperienced to understand the tragedy and assuage hisfeelings of guilt. Unfortunately, no one will ever understand thistragedy. Five climbers perished during the 1997 spring climbingseason in pursuit of the world's highest summitt. As the fallseason approaches, more will surely follow.

Rob Stauder is a former Byzantine nun currently practicing "non-therapeutic" massage in rural Nebraska.

Uprising Climbing Gym, Palm SpringsReviewed by Bruce Wiley & Nancy Hampton

Are climbers masochists or just plain crazy? Go to an outdoorclimbing gym for the entire day as the temperature hits around112 degrees? You bet!

The "Uprising Climbing Center" in Palm Springs,California is a cool place in every sense of the word "cool."There are more routes on these walls and more are added all thetime, than anyone can possibly do. There are climbs from 5.6 to5.14, overhangs, a really intriguing crack that reportedly has onlybeen climbed ten times, and numerous lead climbs. Theclimbing area is covered so that it is shaded, and a mistingsystem cools the area without getting the walls or walking wet.You will sweat your buns off, but the shading and humidityproduced by the misting keeps heat exhaustion at bay. (I canvouch for this, being prone to this condition - N.H.)

Nancy Hampton in the bouldering cave at Uprising, Palm Springs.

The routes are very well planned with some easy going andgood holds to lots of tough cruxes with very little to depend onother than skill. One problem we found with these walls,though, is that they are mostly overhanging to some degree. Afew more routes with a slight incline would be nice for those ofus who could be in better shape.

The employees are really personable, making everyone feelrelaxed and comfortable. You get the feeling you have knownthese guys who are climbers themselves on the rock as well as onplastic, forever. Paul, Johnny, and Will were very knowledgeableand gave freely of tips and pointers.

The "pro-shop" is limited but offers some nice clothing andshoes. They also have shoe rentals. For 12 bucks a day you canclimb to your hearts content and even take a break for cocktailsand dinner at the Ritz-Carlton if you so choose, then go back toclimb some more.

Uprising is the place to go for a vigorous workout and topractice difficult moves, or if you feel the need for some friendlyfaces. And they sell brewskys less than 100 feet away too!

Bruce and Nancy live in Yucca Valley and spend a lot of time innearby Joshua Tree National Park.

mOthEr rOck#8 Page 10 September/October 1997

The mOthEr rOck Back Page...

Palm Springs DomesBy Aaron Rough

I've spent many an hour combing ourlocal desert and mountain areas looking fornew climbing spots. I don't know what itis-my wife swears I'm possessed-but itseems every spare moment I get, I'mdriving here or there. So when word ofmouth led me to believe there was a"secret" spot I hadn't been to yet, I decidedto grab a bud and go check it out. What Ifound was a "complicated" area that isdeserving of more attention, but also onethat carries some excess baggage.

Excess baggage you say? Well, thesurrounding area the climb listed below isat is one that has seen different "styles" onfirst ascents. Hummm...how to put it...aVERY different style. However you feelabout that different style, it does notchange the fact that a very large graniteface four to five pitches long is nestledaway in canyon less than one hour fromSan Bernardino. The multi-pitch climbs,at least the one I sampled, are fun frictionclimbing next to a large cascadingwaterfall with bighorn sheep butting headson a plateau nearly 600 feet off theground.

The place left quite an impression onme, and that's one reason I'm hesitant toput it in a climbing rag. Don't get mewrong, I'm not trying to keep it all to

myself. It's just as I said before, thesurrounding area has excess baggage.Examples: Controversial ethics a lot ofpeople will not enjoy seeing (I'll leave itat that); a complicated one hour approachthrough tick-infested brush, that alsoskirts private land that is posted "NoTrespassing"...all of this and more add upand result in my hesitancy. Due to thesefactors, exact directions will not be givento the area. If you happen to hear about itor stumble upon it, "So Be It!." and hereis a topo you'll find interesting. Enjoy!

Unknown, 5.10a R, 4 pitches.FA: Unknown.

Pitch 1: Start just under large rightfacing corner. Go up arete past bolts andtraverse left to slings around horn. 5.10a.70 feet.

Pitch 2: Go up flake, then underclingsmall roof/flake. Proceed to climb up andaround roof on the right to bolted belay.5.9. 120 feet.

Pitch 3: Proceed up face to large ledgeand bolt belay. 5.8. 80 feet.

Pitch 4: Go up face and pull smalloverlap. Continue up rotten flake andthen slab to last anchor. 5.6 R. 90 feet.

Descent: Rap the route with two ropes.

Pro: Small to 1", TCUs, andquickdraws.

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I Issue #9 • November/December 1997

Editors' Corner


A Great Day for So Cal!After all the build-up and hype, the 1997Snow Valley Boulderfest and Trash Clean-up came off without a hitch. It seems tohave lived up to everyone's expectations,and then some. Congratulations to MattHoch and Lisa Rands, both second timewinners in their respective divisions. Thisevent promises to be even morespectacular in 1998, so stay tuned!.


Matt Artz, [email protected]


Thanks for a great magazine! It's like X-mas every time it comes! I look forwardto meeting you one of these days. Keepup the excellent work.

—Dan, Lake Arrowhead

Thanks, Dan. Just when we werethinking of packing it all in and taking upgolf, your letter made our day. MerryChristmas!

New E-mail NewsletterAvailable for Free!!!mOthEr rOck Magazine debuted mOthErrOck Mail, a new E-mail based newsletterchock full of useful info about theclimbing scene in Southern California,this past September. mOthEr rOck Mailis distributed by E-mail free of charge toanyone who wants it, at irregularintervals...but at least once or twice amonth. mOthEr rOck Mail is now readby more than 700 climbers in SouthernCalifornia, and that number is growingevery day. Have some news orinformation you'd like to share with theSo Cal climbing community? Would youlike to be added to the mailing list? Thenplease send an E-mail tomotherrock @ aol .com.

Beginners ClimbingComp at REI, Nov. 15thREI will hold their 6th annual beginnersclimbing competition coming up onNovember 15th. Geared for a climberwhose onsight level is no higher than5.11 a, there will be lots of climbing andlots of prizes. Cost is $25.00 before Oct.25th, $35.00 on or after the 25th. Formore info call 818-709-5021, or E-mailNHAClimb @ aol.com.

mOthEr rOck Top TenTop Ten Signs You Are TooDrunk to Climb

10. You lose arguments with inanimateobjects...like really big rocks.

9. You have to grab your pro to keepfrom falling off the earth.

8. Your belayer finds traces of chalk inyour alcohol bag.

7. You can hit that dyno better with oneeye closed.

6. Your two new hard projects are named"Barley" and "Hops."

5. Mosquitoes at the base of the cragcatch a buzz after attacking you.

4. All of the locals say "Norm" in unisonwhen you stagger up to the base of thecrag.

3. Every time you go climbing, you findyour partner's dog more and moreattractive.

2. You don't recognize Ron Kauk unlessseen through bottom of a glass.

1. Climbing trips are interfering withyour drinking.

High Desert Update: NoNew NewsThe stand-off in the High Desertcontinues. Randy Vogel recently updatedmOthEr rOck with the latest news. "Ispoke to one of the owners several weeksago. He has been unable to put together aplan that will allow him to charge forclimbing, yet avoid liability. He isexploring several different ideas, butnothing is certain." Meanwhile, there areplenty of places to climb, so don't crashthe place and encourage the owners of theproperty to continue with their outrageousplans to charge for climbing. As Randysaid, "The more time the area is closed andthe owners realize that nobody is rushingforward to shower them with money tosave this area, the better. As fun as thearea is, it is really not that important of an

area regionally. When more moderateroutes are put up at New Jack City, mostattention will shift to it." Plus, there aremany climbs still open in the High DesertArea that do not lie on private property.And a few miles away liesMargaritaville...



EditorMatt Artz


ProofreaderRuth Artz

mOthEr rOck ContributorsLouie Anderson • Max Armpet • Jason Ballas

Reed Bartlett • Diane Chakmak • Amos CliffordHeather Dolph • Ted Doughty Jr. • Daniel Eubank

Daniel Garcia • Bob Goff • Nancy HamptonChristian Harder • Steve Harris • Amy Lobsinger

Fritz Lowrey • James March • Reese MartinTravis McElvany • Matt McGunigle • Chris Miller

Darell Palmer • Steve Parker • Patrick PaulMatt Polk • Matt Pollard • Ed Schmahl

Jann Senior • Rob Stauder • Brandon ThauRandy Vogel • Todd Vogel • Geoff Wade

Bruce Wiley • Bills Wong

Copyright © 1997 mOthEr rOofc/The AMCC Group. Allrights reserved. mOthEr rOck magazine is published sixtimes a year (unless interrupted by a road trip to climbsomewhere) by The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951,Redlands, CA, 92375-1151 USA. E-mail:[email protected] -or- [email protected].



Disc/aimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If youhave not yet figured that out, you're an idiot and youshould probably stop climbing now before you hurtyourself and others. And if you think you can bet yourlife or safety on anything you read in mOthEr rOck,think again. We make no claims to the accuracy of anyof the information contained in these pages, and cannotbe held responsible in any way for any of your actions,acts of nature, or fate. You're on your own, bro. That'sthe way it should be. You're a climber after all.

On the Cover.James March on his way to a second placeoverall finish at the 1997 Snow ValleyBoulderfest. The route is the classic"The Wall of Voodoo," 50 points, on theVoodoo Formation at the Call of the Westboulders. See the story on pages 3 and 4of this issue. Photo by Matt Artz.

mOthEr rOck#9 Page 1 November/December 1997

aofchEr NotebookNews from Southern California and Vicinity

Climbing Gym to Open in UplandLocal climbers are busy building a new climbing gym in theUpland area, and it's scheduled to open on January 1st, 1998.Called "Hangar 18," the gym will feature a huge bouldering/training area.

New Route on Bubbs Creek WallLate in the Summer, Brandon Thau and Dave Nettle took an eightday trip into Kings Canyon with pack mules and big wall gear.They established a new route on Bubbs Creek Wall, one of thebig three walls in the Sierras. The new route is called SamaraiWarriors, V 5.11- Al. It uses the first two pitches of CrystalBonzai, the next two and a half pitches of Samarai Wind, andthen goes independent to the top. One pendulum and 10-12bathooks are required. It's 14 pitches, with a 200 foot ropemandatory. The first half is awesome, improbable crackclimbing, and the second part is a little bit of bathooking and faceclimbing. The first ascent took four days, and two nights in aportaledge. Brandon says it's defmately one of the better routeshe's done in the backcountry, and a unique route for the Sierras.

Stopwatch, Sequoia National ParkIn early September, on the Watch Tower in Sequoia NationalPark, Richard Leversee, Scott Cosgrove, and Jim Zellersattempted to finish Stopwatch, a route started in 1986 byLeversee, Carl McConachie, and Jay Smith. The route starts onthe Northeast Arete (the Gallen Rowell Route, V 5.8 A3) andfollows the first two pitches. It goes for two pitchesindependenly at 5.11 and comes to what Leversee discribed as a"thin, flared, flakey 5.13+ horror story of a crack," and theydecided to bag any further effort at going higher. The four pitchesof climbing that lead up the unclimbable obsticle are "verygood," however, and have sturdy 3/8 inch bolt anchors forrappelling to the ground.-Patrick Paul

New Off-Width at Castle Rock SpiresIn June, Richard Leversee, Kevin Daniels, and Dave Nettle bravedthe four hour pump through difficult trail finding, ticks, andmonster Poison Oak that leads to the Castle Rock Spires, in theSequoia National Park. They established a new 5. lOc R off-width route on the North face of the Fin. Leversee noted thatthey used sixty meter ropes, and said that the route is nowherenear the quality of the routes on the West face or those on thespire itself. The route starts at the East edge of the arete thatdivides the North face from the East, and every pitch is wide.To descend, use Silver Lining. (Guidebook reference: SouthernSierra Rock Climbing: Sequoia Kings Canyon).-Patrick Paul

New Trail Planned at Voodoo DomeThe Southern Sierra Climbers' Association is currently puttingtogether a plan with the Forest Service to build a new trail fromthe Lewis Camp road to the massive Voodoo Dome at the Eastend of the Needles. The trail will facilitate easier access to the

dome while reducing the erosion and impact on plant life thatclimber use is currently having on the area. A future volunteerwork party is planned.-Patrick Paul

Kings Canyon Moderate TopropesThis summer, my brother and I climbed two terrific routes atRoaring River Falls in Cedar Grove, Kings Canyon NationalPark. This area is not in the guidebook, but offered us two greatclimbs.

Amy Lobsinger on the 5.6 arete, Roaring River Falls.

We toproped off a tree, then rapelled down right beside thewaterfall (on the opposite side of the river from the touristviewing area). The first climb is probably 5.9-, and is awesomebecause of the surroundings as well as the aspects of the climb.A little to the right of the 5.9- is an arete that is probably 5.6.The climbs are beautiful, easily accessible, and great forbeginners!—Amy Lobsinger


1997 Snow Valley Boulderfest and TrashClean-Up a Huge Success!

by Matt Artz

After many months of planning and uncertainty, the 1997 SnowValley Boulderfest came off without a hitch on Saturday, October4th, 1997. 77 climbers had pre-registered, and another 25 to 30registered on-site, bringing the total to more than 100! Add tothat the 25 or more volunteers, and the friends and family whocame along just to watch, and there were a lot of people up thereenjoying the great area and the absolutely perfect weather!

Tad Newman on the second ascent of "Shadow of the Pain,"100 pts., on the Vampire Boulder, Snow Valley South. This hard

crack route had only been done once before, by Kenn Kennaga, andsaw it's second, third, and fourth ascents during the contest.And Tad took first place in his age division, with 1,235 pts.

Participants were given a high-quality guidebook with mapsand detailed beta for each of the 272 problems (many contestantssaid the Snow Valley guidebook blew away the Phoenixguidebook!). Trails were well-marked, and each boulder featuredan orange cone with the numbers of the problems posted on it.

Each clump of boulders had a full-time volunteer nearby, who hadbeen trained on the specifics of each problem. Four wanderingjudges, who were familiar with every problem in the entireguidebook, were available by radio to resolve any issues.

By 10 a.m., the contestants had left the Snow Valley SkiResort parking lot, and got there first glimpse of the boulders-Map #1, the Little Green Valley Boulders. Some folks startedclimbing here, while others, to avoid the crowds, went furtherback to The Block, The Brain, or over to Snow Valley West, toareas like The Incognito Boulders, The Jalapeno Cracks, and TheAnthill Boulders.

Craig Fry attempts the "Northeast Arete" Route, 40 pts., on TheBlock at Snow Valley East, at 3:56 p.m., just four minutes before the

official end of the contest. Despite several valient attempts, hecouldn't complete the problem...but still ended up taking third place

in his age division, with a total of 1,379 pts.


As the day wore on, muscles became sore, the rough SnowValley rock took its toll on fingers and knees, and peoplegradually began to filter out to the outlying areas like Call of theWest and The Vampire Boulder. By the time the horn sounded at4 p.m., everyone was spent, but they were all still smiling.

In the end, 16-year-old Matt Hoch took first place in theMale division with 4,260 points, and 21-year-old Lisa Randstopped the Female division with 1,330 points. Jon Gibson wonthe coveted Crackmaster award with 620 points just on crackproblems, barely edging out fellow crack lover Brandon Thau,who had 615 points on crack problems.

Josiah Micheletti, age 14, on "Gagging on a Mosquito," 40 pts.,near The Brain at Snow Valley East. Desptite a rumored broken

finger, Josiah still managed to accumulate 1,J42 pts., which wasgood enough for a second place finish in his age division.

The party after the event was a lot of fun. We watchedclimbing videos at the bar, ate a spaghetti dinner, cheered on thewinners at the awards ceremony, and danced to the music of theCactus Pricks. It was a long day, but everyone seemed to besaying the same thing: it was an AWESOME event, and they'dbe back for sure next year.

And speaking of next year, the Rim of the World ClimbingClub is already putting together plans for the 1998 Snow ValleyBoulderfest! The event will likely draw twice as many people,due to the overwhelming success of this year's contest. And lookfor at least a hundred or more new boulder problems to beincluded in the 1998 Contest Guide, along with more surprises.Stay tuned: mOthEr rOck will give you all the details as theybecome available!

1997 Snow Valley Boulderfestand Trash Clean-Up

Final ResultsOverall-Male

|;; Matt Hoch;(16)--4,260 pts , : : : i : :

Overall—FemaleLisa Rands (21) - 1,330 pts.

Crackmaster Award—MaleJon Gibson (27) -- 620 pts.

Crackmaster Award—FemaleGretchen Schmeisser (40) — 370 pts.

Women--14 and UnderHarlie Hammond (12) -- 386 pts. |

Kelly LeVoir (11)-203 pts. :

Men—14 and UnderRobby Keisic (14) - 1,651 pts.

: Josiah Micheletti (14) -- 1,142 pts.| Winston Farrar (12) - 830 pts.

Women-15 to 25Lisa Rands (21)- 1,330 pts.

\y Close (23) - 826 pts. jj . • . ' • ; • •:::llsi§at§ Purtil (15) -- 695 pts; $ f

Men—15 to 25I Matt Hoch (16) - 4,|60 pts.

[I Ryan Lewis (20) — 2, 56 pts.: • . : Ryan Rambert (17) - 2,385 pts.1 Brandon Thau (21) - 2,355 pts.

Women--26 to 35Suzanne Paulson (35) - 835 pts.

Narelle Jarry (26) - 570 pts.Anne Wojskowicz (31) — 254 pts.Lucy Wojskowicz (29) - 254 pts.

Men--26 to 35| James March (34) - 3:,845 pts.

Jon Gibson (27) - 2,951 pts.Zack Shields (26) - 2,590 pts.Ian Mindell (26) - 2,279 pts.

Women—36 to 39Laurel Colella (39) - 332 pts.

Men-36 to 39Steve Edwards (36) - 2,076 pts. ;

Thomas Nordberg (36) — 1,750 pts.Craig Fry (38)- 1,379 pts.

i Women—40 and OverMary Ann Loehr (42) - 1,026 pts.

Gretchen Schmeisser (40) — 995 pts.| .. Judy Rittenhouse (58) - 457 pts.

Men-40 and Over"TadNewman (40) - 1,235 pts.Todd Gordon (42) - 1,006 pts.Reese Martin (42) - 995 pts.


moderate .

byAaronRough

AIDS Patient, 5.7, 2 PitchesBox Springs

I've never really been into aid climbing. For a while, a friend andI had great aspirations to climb the Moonlight Buttress in Zion,but time and time again plans got cancelled, things came up, andgenerally it just got shoved to a back burner. We even went outand bought much of the aid gear we would need. Alas, I stillhaven't ever led a pitch of aid, but it's not from a lack of trying.Let me tell you about my first attempt at aid climbing.

It started with an innocent day of skipping some school andmeeting a friend out at Box Springs. I ended up getting to thecliff early and set up a TR on a crack climb. I then fixed the ropeand rapped down to the base. After setting up a semi-elaborateself belay with jumars I decided I should be safe in aid soloing upthe route. It was actually pretty easy, and before I knew it I hadreached the top. Meanwhile, my partner Greg showed up anddecided that he would give it a shot as well.

This short little climb got us in the mood for somethingbigger and better. So we packed up our racks and etriers anddecided to hike up to a large formation further up valley, in hopesof finding an aidable crack that we would be too scared to freeclimb. We deposited our gear at the base of the fairly largebuttress that sat about 300 feet up the valley side. This wouldgive the climb some airy exposure and some excellent views. Ahawk slowly drifted in circles on the light thermals created by thesun. I whipped out the binoculars and scanned the lower slabbybase and noticed a thin seam leading up to a large ledge about 50to 60 feet up. A short traverse left on that ledge should giveaccess to a choice of two cracks leading to the top of the buttress.

I passed the binoculars to Greg and he agreed. I would aid upthe initial seam and then traverse left. I would set up the belay atthe base of the crack that looked most inviting and he would takethe second pitch. We racked up and I decided to take someknifeblade pins as the seam was too shallow to take pro downlow. So with what seemed like a hundred pounds of gear, myetriers, and hammer clipped to my harness, I set off in myFive.Ten Extremes up the slab.

After several free moves, I discovered the seam did notbecome the crack I hoped for, but rather remained thin andshallow. About 15 feet up, I decided some sort of pro would bein order, so out came the hammer and a thin knifeblade. Acouple of quick pounds set the piece nicely and I was soonclipped in. The seam snaked just to the right of a roof and that'swhere I thought I would start aiding, but as I free climbed uphigher the seam opened up to reveal a good TCU and nutplacement. A little after that I was up against more face movesand a mantle to reach the ledge. The mass of gear and hanging

etts made the mantle hell, but I managed it and traversed left onthe ledge. The first crack looked good and was around an inch anda half, but it was filled up entirely with sediment the rain hadbeen washing into it for a couple of million years. I later foundthe crack to be excellent after I bolted an anchor in and rappeddown, cleaning as I went. This crack now offers a new secondpitch variation and is called Tig Bitty's, 5.7.

Greg Hartt on the second pitch of AIDS Patient, 5.7 R.

At the time though, I elected to keep traversing to the left crackwhich had appeared to be a little wider from binocular inspection.What I found was a nice four to five inch crack shooting straightup. It was clean and the face on the left side had large features, soI figured this would be the better of the two cracks. I realized thatthis pretty much shot our chances of doing some aiding, but afirst ascent multi-pitch climb sounded just as appealing.

For the first time, I looked out across the valley and it wasbeautiful. The ledge I was on was totally posh and the view wasincredible. I could see many large formations on the other side ofthe canyon, and even managed to spot an old line I had climbed acouple of days earlier.

Greg quickly flew up the first pitch and was sweating whenhe finally reached the belay. I don't think it was from the climb,but rather from the gigantic rack bulging from around his neck.He looked up and quickly realized the crack above could be a funexercise in offwidth wallowing, or he could simply climb themottled face to the left and reach right to place pro in the crack.Lucky for him, he had a large selection of gear that would fill afour inch crack, and he elected the free climbing on the face. Nottoo long after he left, I felt the constant tug that indicated he wasoff belay and ready for me to move on. I too elected for the facemoves and found them to be extremely enjoyable, but slightlymore difficult than expected since I wasn't in my climbing shoes.

I arrived at the top and was greeted by a smiling Greg. Thiswas the first time either of us had done a first ascent of a multi-pitch route, and it felt good. On the way back down to the car,Greg laughed about hauling all that aid gear up the climb fornothing, and thats when he came up with the name: AIDSPatient. No, it wasn't named in a mean or viscous nature, butrather as a comment on the stupidity of the first ascentionists.Overall, the climb was excellent and as far as I know, it stillawaits a second ascent!

Guidebook: Box Springs Sport Climbing Guide, by AaronRough. Available from mOthEr rOck for S6.00.

mOthEr rOck#9 PageS November/December 1997

"All Mixed Up" on Corte Maderaby Ted Doughty Jr.

The #2 stopper sure looked funky. With my aiders tugging it outof the overhanging crack, I wondered if it would blow. If itfailed, it would be a quick plunge onto the slab below. Thewiddening crack above called to me. "Go for it!" I stepped up,streched my 6 foot 4inch frame, and sunk a cam. After clippingthe rope, I was able to look back down over the last three pitchesand think about my journey here.

Corte Madera is a nice chunk of granite in the San Diegobackcountry. At more than 500 feet high and 1,500 feet wide, itdraws me back time and again. It boasts 24 documented routesranging from 100 foot cracks or faces to multi-pitch Mini-Walls.A two hour drive from San Diego and 45 minute hike leads to thebase of the rock. With a four wheel drive vehicle, the hike in iseven shorter. On most weekends you will find this incrediblecrag unoccupied.

After climbing here for more than 20 years, my partnerJames Barnett and I felt it was time for us to add a route. In May1995, we looked with binoculars and found a line up slabs,cracks, and flakes which lead up to a 100 foot square block and afinal headwall. One outside corner of the block hung out over therock below and had a crack splitting it. We would make this apart of our line.

James began the first lead. He hates to drill, so when facedwith it he placed a 1/4" bolt. On nice solid rock he climbed andsloted. Looking up, he saw that it was going to take more boltsand turned the lead over to me. Five 3/8" hand drilled bolts later(5.10 or 5.8, Al bat hook), I placed a bolt and fixed two pins fora sling belay.

There was an easy corner system to the left, but that was notfor us. A thin, clean crack to the right split a couple of smallroofs, and James aided up that way (5.10 or Al). Past the secondroof, he was able to free up a nice finger and hand crack to a ledge(5.8). Time was running short, so we set a bunch of Hex nutsand rapped.

We have only seen two parties at Corte in the lastcouple of years, so imagine our suprise when we returned to ourroute two weeks later and found the nuts missing from the top ofthe second pitch. I began Pitch 3 in an easy corner leading to aleft facing 5.8 finger crack/flake. From the top of this a few facemoves put me into a short off-width and finaly to a large ledgebelow the Block. A couple of bolts for the anchor and we wereready for the splitter crack above.

James started aiding the overhang with a hook and thinstopper (A2) before plugging into the widening crack with cams.It was neat to see his haul line dangle farther and farther from therock as he climbed towards the top of the block. I followed(overhanging jugging is...different!), and was stunned at what Icould see above the belay ledge. Our line was gone. Moreoverhanging than the last pitch, a headwall separated us from thesummit. No continous cracks were apparent. We were going toneed pins for this pitch. As it was again getting late, and nothaving the required pins, I set a couple of bolts and we rapped.

James's Fire Department job did not allow him to returnuntil a couple of weekends later, so I teamed up with an old friendand Corte veteran, Paul Dowdy. Paul did a couple of first ascentshere back in the 1970's, and I knew he would enjoy going backfor another one.

Photo: Paul Dowdy

Ted Doughty Jr. at the start of Pitch 4 on Mized Up (5.70, A2+)at Cone Madera.

Leading Pitch 4,1 was able to experience the challenge ofthat #2 stopper. Paul let me lead the final, overhanging Pitch 5.This time I was well armed for the Headwall. After a half dozentied off pins and shallow cams (A2+), I ran out of seams. Acouple of 1/4" bolts for aid allowed me to then free to the top.Paul joined me and we marveled at the variety of climbing on theroute. While talking, my concentration waivered and I broke myonly 3/8" bit. I drilled two 1/4" bolts and we rapped the route.

I went back with Tom Scott this Spring. He freedeverything but the last two pitches. The Block may go free. TheHeadwall? Go check it out!

Ted Doughty Jr. has lived in San Diego County for 39 years, andhas been climbing there and other places in the U.S. andelsewhere for more than 24 years.


Mill Wash Boulderby Aaron Rough

For a couple of years now, I've had a little secret. It's not a verybig one, and I am not the only one in on it. In fact, I've seen asmany as three or four different people at the "secret" spot. Iguess there are probably as many as 20 people who know aboutthe Mill Wash Boulder, but when you consider that much ofSouthern California's climbing population lives within an houror so from it, that's quite a secret! Alas, all good things mustcome to an end, and I feel the time has come for this littleobscure boulder to get some traffic.

Photo: Aaron Rough

Rob Jenson on Loose Flake Overhang, 5.11 (Problem #16).

The Mill Wash Boulder is a sandstone/conglomerate boulderthat averages around 15 to 20 feet high. It has overhanging westand south sides with large slabby sections facing east and north.The rock is pocketed and also has small imbedded pebbles whichare common with conglomerates. The rock has 17 knownproblems ranging from 5.0 to 5.12. This count does not includethe many easy problems to be done on the slabby sections. Theclimbing is short and powerful, especially if you're not used topulling on pockets. The holds can be sharp, so tape for tendonsand skin wear.

Getting ThereTake 1-10 east from just about anywhere till the University exitin Redlands. Get off here and turn left onto University. Goabout a mile or so, passing several small intersections till youreach Lugonia Ave./Highway 38. This is the back way to BigBear. Turn right and proceed to follow Highway 38 up pastYucaipa and into the Mill Wash drainage/canyon. Continue upcanyon until you pass Mill Creek Road on your right. Proceed.2 miles farther and a small dirt pullout will be seen on yourright. If you look south from here, you will see the very top ofthe boulder. Trust me, it's bigger than it looks!

ApproachTake the obvious trail heading towards the water tank and thenconnect to the road. This in turn connects to another road about100 yards west. Take the main road left (south) for 200 yards.

You will pass a house foundation with a stone chimney stillstanding. A few yards beyond that you will see a small trailheading off to your right. Take that trail and follow it to therock. The trail is a little brushy, but nothing that can't be easilynavigated. You will see the overhanging west face to your leftand the south face to your right. The following topos shouldhelp you get things lined up. Have fun!

Topos and Route List

Q ©aWest Face

1. Traverse, 5.10+; can finish up through trough, 5.11.2. Easy mantle, 5.7.3. Crack, 5.9.4. Face, 5.10. Do not use crack! (no pun intended!).5. Face, 5.11. Long throw off of pockets.6. Bulgy arete, 5.12.7. Bulge to trough sit down, 5.10.8. Straight up trough, 5.8.9. Pocket traverse up and left, 5.9.10. Pockets to face, 5.9.11. Face, 5.8.12. Face, 5.8.13. Face, 5.9.

SouthFace

14.15.16.17.

Undercling/pockets, 5.10+.Overlap, 5.10+.Loose flake overhang, 5.11.Variation right, 5.11.


Southeast Asian Flashbackby James March

Editors Note: James March took second place overall in the 1997Snow Valley Boulderfest on October 4th. A few weeks earlier,he was bouldering on the beach in Thailand. The followingarticle is an excerpt from the diary he kept on this trip.

Koh Tao, Thailand Sept.12 1997

Planet Thailandl It goes!!!I awoke to the distant sound of thunder. Peering out through

my raised mosquito netting, I could see the outlines of a newdawn. I have been on Koh Tao for eight days, and I had my earlymorning routine wired. Tung Who "espresso taste" coffeepurchased in Bangkok and local Thai fruit were my body's gods.

By the time I left my bungalow, the sky above Koh NaangYuan island across the bay was growing darker. I knew a stormwas blowing in, but how much time did I have before it hit?I trekked the usual sandy path to Ao Jan Som, passing by thelittle black dog with the bad attitude. It barked at me likeclockwork. Some of the other stray dogs followed me to thebeach to witness the amazing moves a giant gecko-man can do.

I warmed up quickly on my newly-established circuit ofmoderate boulder problems and felt pretty strong even though Iwas planning on resting today. I got a half hour Thai massagefrom a lady on the beach by the Jo Po Ro Boulder last night atsunset. It seems to have helped me recover more quickly today.The next problem to attempt was my project Planet Thailand, onthe well textured overhanging side of the mammoth HeavenBoulder. In the spring of 1996 I traveled to Koh Tao in search ofexotic bouldering. It was then when I climbed on this beachtitled "Ao Phak Bung", or Heaven Beach. This current visit Ibought a new map of the island and I was confused to find outthat the beach had been retitled, "Ao Jan Som", or Paradise.Either name gave justice to a place not of this earth, simplyUtopian in beauty and peace.

In 1996 I only climbed three problems here; one was theclassic crack to arete on the west prow of the Heaven Boulder. Onthis visit I added a sit start to spice up "Dao Tao Noi," the LittleTurtle Star (V3). From this same dynamic opening rises PlanetThailand to the left and up, way up. The move to get to themain center hold went without much strain, but the hold was abit dirty and my footing was less then perfect so I dropped off.I rested about five minutes and cleaned off the sloping pinch withmy wire brushed bamboo pole. During this time the wind startedblowing nice and cool as the thunderstorm advanced nearer. Thislittle breeze might be my ticket to success as the balmytemperature dropped a few degrees cooler.

I chalked up good and cranked the bottom deadpoint to thehorn. Chalking up again, I crossed through with my left hand tothe upper side pull and made the long stretch to the right handpinch. My feet are adjusted just right to take some weight off thethin moves. A palm branch blew down nearby as I made thethrow to the crux handhold. This time, instead of grabbing it onthe left side, I get it on the poorer right side and make the crucialhand match. For a second I think I'm on Midnight Lightning inYosemite Valley. A dull thud of a dropping coconut brought meback into reality. I was there on the crux hold just like I hadenvisioned, but I knew I could only hang on it for a short time.

I latched down tight with my left hand in a thumb-locked sidepull and moved up into the upper crack with a gaston maneuver.My moves all went like poetry as I climbed to the upper "off thedeck" holds. I couldn't waste any more energy chalking up again.The hidden slab landing zone under my ascending body didn'tphase me a bit as my mind was clear and focused at the top of theboulder. At VSR, Planet Thailand is Ao Jan Som'scontemporary test piece, the best one on the island if not all ofThailand. I'm proud to dedicate it to all Khon Thai, Thai people.

As I was on a roll, I turned my eyes to my other project,though not as epic was quite hard. It was a sit start from the sandinto the sloping cracks which make up the gradual slab side ofthe Heaven Boulder. This middle crack I titled "Phak Bung PooYing," or Girl Heaven (VI). The moves off the sand arepowerful liebacks on slopers, and I finally worked out the topmoves that are very technical and quite reachy.

I am glad that I decided to boulder today. The rain juststarted pissing down as I ran back to my bungalow, wet as a straydog, but twice as happy. Time for some good Thai fish curry.Mmmmm, food always tastes better when the rains come.

James March lives in Venice, CA. When not in Thailand, he canoften be found bouldering at Black Mountain and Horse Flats.

New So Cal Sport AreaThere's a new hard-core sport climbing area being developed inSo Cal. We can't tell you much, but we can tell you that inaddition to the route in the way-cool photo (5.13c) and a numberof other high numbers routes, there are also routes there formoderate climbers-for example, a 5.10a/b with three bolts, a5.10c/d with four bolts, a few more in the 5.9 to 5.10b range,and a wall with several 5.8 to 5.10 toprope routes.

As soon as the area is completed, the developers have promised atopo...so look for it exclusively in mOthEr rOck magazine sometime in the next couple of issues!

mOthEr rOck #9 PageS November/December 1997

Mount Whitney's East ButtressOne of the 50 Classic Climbs of North America

by Daniel Eubank

Having been "spanked" on a winter ascent of the Whitney Trailon Mount Whitney (the highest point in the Continental U.S.)due to high gusting winds the year before, I jumped at the offer togo along on a "planned" technical ascent of the East Buttressroute (5.8, Grade III).

While getting a good pump at Jeff Lead's climbing gym oneevening, Phil, a friend of mine, told me that he had a WhitneyZone Permit for four people, and only he and a single partnerwere going. Was I interested? Outward enthusiasm wascontrasted by internal doubts about physical performance over12,000 feet above sea level; the strenuous task of hiking theMountaineers' Route with full pack just to get to the base of theclimb; as well as the thoughts of mixed snow, rock, and iceconditions, and the extra gear needed for a May ascent.Enthusiasm immediately overcame doubt and within days I hadrecruited one of my ice climbing buddies for the adventure. Withone and a half weeks to go, Phil's partner dropped out. "Would itbe OK with the three of us climbing?" "No problem." One hourbefore leaving on the trip, Phil called and dropped out, citingschool and graduation requirements. What had previously been aslot on someone else's "planned" technical ascent had nowbecome my own project, and my own adventure.

Matt and I slipped by Phil's to pick up the Whitney ZonePermit, then drove seven hours north to Lone Pine, California.We arrived at about midnight, and camped at Whitney Portal,elevation 8,360 feet.

gear. I felt like a pack mule but was psyched to be in themountains and on the Whitney trail, again. After the secondstream crossing, we turned right, off of the Whitney Trail andonto the Mountaineers' Route.

Twenty feet up this route we were greeted by a North ForkProject sign that advocated the use of "shit bags" and packinghuman waste out of the area. We decided this was a good idea andadded a project pack to our loads.

The next day dawned clear and sunny. We strapped on packsoverloaded with camping, climbing, and winter mountaineering

By noon we had reached the frozen perimeter of Lower BoyScout Lake, and the first continuous snow. We donned gaitersand crampons for the necessary post-holing through the sun-softened snow crust. A few hours later, we were hiking abovetreeline. The stark, barren, white snow covered moraine aboveUpper Boy Scout Lake was contrasted by the towering grayvertical granite of Mt. Whitney. Large boulders were strewnabout like mere pebbles in comparison to the towering walls.We struggled upward under our heavy loads and breathed heavilyin the thin high-mountain air. Rest stops had, by necessity,become more frequent.

By late afternoon we reached Iceberg Lake, having ascended4,140 feet in just three and one half miles. We set up base campat 12,600 feet and fired up dinner on the Whisper Lite stove. AMountain Meal Lasagna guaranteed big time "gas" for theevening, as well as for the following day. A fitful sleep, due tothin air and unknowns concerning the climb, faded with themorning sunlight. A broken cloud cover caused uncertaintiesabout the day's weather, and much debate about it ensued. By8:00 a.m., however, the sky was blue, the sun was shinning, andwe were scrambling up fourth class rock to the base of the EastButtress route.


I was wearing a pair of Five.Ten Guides for this approachand for the climb as well. Solar radiation on the rock leaves theEast Buttress free from snow for most of the year, but the descentoff Mt. Whitney would be down a snow and ice filled couloir, andfor that, we had to carry boots, crampons, and ice axes in ourpacks, along with water, a little food, and our climbing gear. Allour camping/bivey gear remained back at basecamp.

The plan was to climb the East Buttress, summit Mt.Whitney around noon, descend the John Muir Couloir in theafternoon, and be back at the tent before dark. We roped up andswapped leads on the first two pitches of excellent 5.8 climbingup a reddish-brown granite dihedral crack. By the third pitch itwas clear that the combination of altitude and extra gear wasslowing us down, and that at this pace a 12:00 p.m. summit wasway too optimistic.

While belaying on the third pitch, I noticed dark cloudsmoving ominously in over the mountains toward the south.While following the pitch I looked north, and saw clouds pushingin, and filling what had previously been all blue sky. Theweather degraded; the visibility dropped; the wind picked up; andspindrift began to blow. The belays became chiiiily. The funclimb became a "survival climb." Too far along (in our minds)to rappel at this point, we climbed upward. Fortunately, theprevailing winds were out of the west, keeping the steep EastButtress and us somewhat sheltered from the high winds. Theseventh pitch was mixed rock, ice, and snow, making the lead,routefinding, and protection placements more challenging. Mattand I kept pressing for the summit. A large, blocky, graniterock, fourth class pitch lead to the top and gale force winds.

We hastily shot a few summit photos revealing grimacingfaces, and made a beeline for the rock house at 14,495 feet on thesummit of Mt. Whitney, pausing outside only long enough tosign the summit register. It almost blew out of our hands! Intothe rock house, and safely out of the wind, we pondered oursituation. It was 5:00 p.m., five hours later in the day than wehad originally planned for being on top. Reduced visibility andhigh winds made the descent risky since we were not familiarwith the route and would not be able to see where we were going.

If we did descend, we would have about two hours to reach basecamp before dark. If we got off route on the descent (increasedprobability due to lack of visibility, impending darkness, and nofamiliarity), we would probably be stuck and exposed to theelements for the whole night. After discussion, we agreed tobivy on top of the mountain for the night.

All the goods were pulled from our packs and inventoried.We had a bag of gorp and a few Clif Bars. I only had about aquarter liter of water left, and we had no way to make water fromsnow other than by body heat. Snow was placed into waterbottles and the bottles deposited inside our parkas. I had a spaceblanket sleeping bag in my helmet liner for that "emergencysituation" and Matt also had a space blanket.

Well, our time had finally come. This was our first"survival situation." We coiled the climbing rope on the woodenfloor and laid the packs below it for some measure of insulation.Huddling together, each inside of our space blankets, we preparedfor a looooong, cooooold night. Time drug by, as we shivered tokeep warm in the sub-zero temperatures.

The light of dawn glimmering through the small Plexiglaspane in the rock house door was a welcome sight. The wind wasstill howling, but it was clear outside, with visibility forever.The vistas from the highest peak in the Sierra Nevadas wereincredible. Jagged, saw-toothed granite of adjacent peaks filledthe skyline above the tree level. The descent with crampons andice axes was down 55 degree slopes, and a little glissading onlower angle slopes made for an enjoyable morning return to basecamp. A cooked meal and a short nap preceded a relaxingafternoon which was well-deserved, after a successful summit bid.

The next morning we packed up and descended the NorthFork back to Whitney Portal. The air felt thick back at 8,360feet as we hiked into the parking lot to our car. The emotionalrelief of success and completion of the goal were overwhelming.I felt transformed by the experience, like a different entity thanbefore the adventure. Accomplishments in the face of adversityadd to personal strengths. It was truly a classic climb.

Daniel Eubank lives in Bonsall, CA. He can be reached byE-mail at [email protected].


Jet CityRocket RedBy Matt Artz

Saturday morning, June 14th, 1997. Iwas supposed to go climbing, but it wascold, dark, and drizzling. Living at thebase of the San Bernardino Mountains, Iknew what this probably meant: up at7,000 feet, it was likely to be clear andwarm. It was worth a shot, so I packed upmy gear. Just in case it was cold andrainy up there as well, I packed two 22ounce bottles of Jet City Rocket Red.

Wall of Voodoo's "Call of the West"blared from the CD player in my car. Atabout the 6,000 foot level, just aspredicted, the clouds broke to reveal clear,blue skies. Down below, people werelooking for their sweaters, while I wastrying to remember if I had packed thesunscreen.

Pulling in to the parking area at SnowValley West a few minutes later, I wasdisturbed to see only one other car, onethat I didn't recognize. Matt Hoch, myclimbing partner for the day, hadn't

Brew of the Monthshown. Damn him. He was most likelyscared away by the imposing weather. Iwaited a few minutes, then grabbed mypack and crash pad and headed out solo.

Zack Sheilds and Lisa Rands wereworking "Revenge of the Klingon" on theLeft Butt Cheek formation. I talked tothem for a minute or two, then wanderedover to the Wave Boulder. I had beenworking on an "obsession" problem there,but since Matt "Beta" Hoch hadn't shown,my motivation was low, and I sulked offfurther west, off the map, into no-mansland.

Walking haphazardly, with no real planand in apparently random directions,within 20 minutes I had stumbled on avirgin hunk of rock in a very tranquilsetting. On first inspection, the rocksheld potential for only a couple of not-too-spectacular routes, and was really dirty.Hardly worth the manzanita thrash. But Idecided to hang out there for the dayanyway, to enjoy the peaceful setting, do alittle cleaning, and maybe even do amoderate first ascent or two. But mostly,just hang out.

I was getting hungry, and a little cold.Rather than donning a sweatshirt and

forcing down a PowerBar, which wouldrequire two complex actions, in the nameof economy I decided on a single actionwhich would both calm my hunger andwarm my body. Time to dig out the JetCity Rocket Red.

I love red beer. A sandwich in everybottle. Better red than bread. The roguenectar lived up to my high expectations.My stomach full, my body warm, and mymind rejuvinated, I spent many hourscleaning new routes, mapping the entirearea in great detail, doing more than adozen first ascents, and trying a dozen ormore other projects.

Another great area discovered anddeveloped. Thank you, Matt Hoch, forbeing intimidated that morning by thethreatening weather. And thank you, JetCity Rocket Red, for the inspiration.

The area became officially known asThe Call of the West (see cover photo,this issue) in honor of my CD selectionthat morning. But every time I visit thearea, as songs like "Call of the West" and"Tse Tse Fly" ring through my head, I canalmost taste the cool, refreshing goodnessof Jet City Rocket Red.



What is Going on at J-Tree?Politics and planning in a democracy are murky and muddy pro-cesses designed to allow for maximum citizen input.. On the way toachieving consensus, interest groups compete for influence overdecisions makers. Currently, our interest group—climbers—findsitself in a political showdown that could influence climbing access inall wilderness areas in the future. The Joshua Tree DraftBackcountry and Wilderness Management Plan has four proposedprotection strategies regarding climbers and fixed anchors. The parkmanagement has not yet chosen among the strategies because theplan is currently in the public comment stage. In this period, threemeetings were held in which the public was encouraged to explaintheir opinions, thoughts, or suggestions to park administrationofficials like Ernie Quintana. This following statement from the planexplains why this whole ruckus started: "Use of fixed anchors (suchas expansion bolts) for rock climbing has created a need to evaluatewhether the permanent installation of such features into rock faces iscompatible with wilderness values and the National Park Service'smandate to preserve resources unimpaired."

Don't be fooled, though; the issue goes beyond bolts. Wildernessencompasses a lot of land—most walls in Yosemite are consideredwilderness. Will this plan set a precedence that could make illegalbig wall nail ups on El Cap? The plan also carries regulations oncrack cleaning.

The plan also states that "Visitor access to the boulders and rockfaces has created multiple short trails and resource damage at thebase of the rocks." This means that bolts are not the only concern.Unofficial trails to boulders and crags are seen as threats to re-sources. One of the results (whether intended or not) of the Wilder-ness Act—the act that set the Draft Backcountry and WildernessManagement Plan in motion—will be to turn the National Parksystem into a leisurely drive-through-and-snap-photos auto circuit.

The four alternative strategies outlined in the plan are:The Proposed Alternative—This is the one they want to adapt. It

allows for no new or replacement bolts in wilderness, no removal ofvegetation from cracks, removal of all fixed slings, and the imple-mentation of a permit system for new routes. New routes with fixedprotection would only be allowed in the backcountry transition zone.Use of chalk would be limited. Some crags would be closed forpreservation reasons.

No Action Alternative—This is currently in effect; placement/replacement of bolts is prohibited in wilderness. In non-wilderness,bolts are allowed and power drills can be used by permit.

Maximum Protection—Climbing on fixed anchors would only beallowed in the development zone. All bolts in wilderness wouldeventually be removed. Climbing in wilderness would be allowed byrestrictive permit only. Permits would be issued on a limited basis.This option would hurt climbing the most, as 80% of the Park'sroutes lie in wilderness.

Minimum Protection—Climbing would be managed as one of theprimary purposes of the park. Installation and replacement of boltswould be allowed anywhere. Let's be clear: this option will not beadopted, as anti-climbing groups have threatened to sue if it is.

As there is no chance for option 4, and option 2 has placed thepark in a dangerous situation, either option 1 or option 3 will bechosen. This is bad news for climbers. It doesn't matter what kindof climbing you do—you will be affected by these regulations if youtry to climb after the plan is implemented. You may be anti-bolt, but

remember the plan also calls for limiting chalk use, disallowing crackcleaning, and limiting overall climbing by a permit system. Would youlike to make reservations for a day at Josh?

What can you do? The best thing is to support the Friends of JoshuaTree. They have been dealing with park officials since the boltingmoratorium started in 1993. One of their representatives will end up onthe"bolting advisory committee." Become a member, or put a fewbucks into a donation can at Nomad Ventures.

You can write Mr. Quintana and mention that you support the AccessFunds' as well as the Friends of Joshua Tree position on this plan. Whatif you don't know their position? Check out www.outdoorlink.com/accessfund/joshuatree.html for the full story. Here you'll find Mr.Quintana's email, address, and good things to say to him. You don'thave to be a climber to write a letter. My little daughter has written.Don't delay—You only have until February 28th to write.

These regulations affect all climbing, and it won't do anyone good ifyou send an emotional or angry letter to Mr. Quintana. Write a logicalletter with sound reasoning as to why this plan is bad for climbing andwilderness. Then get as many people you know to do the same.

—Rob Stauder



EditorMatt Artz

Associate EditorsAaron Rough, Rob Stauder

Assistnat EditorRuth Artz

mOthEr rOck ContributorsLouie Anderson • Max Armpet • Jason Ballas • Reed Bartlett • Diane Chakmak

• Amos Clifford • Heather Dolph • Ted Doughty Jr. • Daniel EubankDaniel Garcia • Bob Goff • Nancy Hampton • Christian Harder • Steve Harris

Amy Lobsinger • Fritz Lowrey • James March • Reese MartinTravis McElvany • Matt McGunigle • Chris Miller • Darell PalmerSteve Parker • Patrick Paul • Matt Polk • Matt Pollard • Ed Schmahl

Jann Senior • Rob Stauder • Brandon Thau • Randy Vogel • Todd VogelGeoff Wade • Bruce Wiley • Bills Wong

Copyright © 1998 mOthEr rOcA/The AMCC Group. All rights reserved. mOthEr rOckmagazine is published six times a year (unless interrupted by a road trip to climbsomewhere) by The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151 USA. E--mail: mOthErrOck @ aol .com -or- AMCCGrouo @ aol .com.

Subscriptions: To subscribe for a year (six issues), send a check or money order for $10 tomOthEr rOcfc/The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151. Subscriptionsoutside of the United States are $20 annually.

Editorial Submissions: Write it, send it to us, we'll consider it. We're a no budgetoperation, so send a SASE if you need your materials back. Photo submissions alsowelcome. E-mail: [email protected] and let's discuss your story or photo ideas.

Disclaimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If you have not yet figured that out, you'rean idiot and you should probably stop climbing now before you hurt yourself and others.And if you think you can bet your life or safety on anything you read in mOthEr rOck,think again. We make no claims to the accuracy of any of the information contained inthese pages, and cannot be held responsible in any way for any of your actions, acts ofnature, or fate. You're on your own, bro. That's the way it should be. You're a climberafter all.

On the Cover.Rick Accomazzo on Flying Circus, 5.11b A4, Tahquitz.

mOthEr rOck magazine Pagel January/February 1998

Interview with a StonemasterA Conversation with Robs John Muir

mOthEr rOck: Robs, has climbing brought you fame and fortune?

Robs John Muir: When I was in High School and just gettingstarted in climbing, fortune was never a part of the equation.Climbing was really a fringe thing, and the commercial aspectsweren't too evident. I remember talking with Galen Rowellafter his epic on the South Face of Half Dome; his heroism onnew rock DID leave an impression on me as a sixteen-year oldkid. Guys like Royal Robbins, Glen Denny, Warren Harding,Roper, Salathe, etc.~the big names of that time-were rolemodels for us. The desire was to be able to "touch" some oftheir handywork, and being able to do the stuff they could do,drove us on.

I suspect that those of us who started climbing in the Sixtieswere mostly interested in getting "good" for its own sake.Money was never even considered. Mastery was its ownreward. This was undoubtedly a good thing, since I've cer-tainly never seen any money!

The original motivation for me to get into such a deviatesport is lost to my feeble memory, but I was always interestedin alternatives to team sport. Things like tennis, bicycle racing,and that kind of stuff never tall enough for basketball, notbig enough for football, not fast enough for track. Climbingoffered an exciting, mentally stimulating alternative to main-stream stuff. And "alternative" was the operational termduring the Summer of Love.

mOm: You first started climbing in October, 1968 in Berkeley. Howdid you first get introduced to this activity which would play a majorrole in your life ?

Robs: I had a buddy in High School who, like me, was intophotography. We heard about a Kodak cinematographycontest which we decided to enter. Of course this was theSixties, so our film script had "deep" psychological and surrealovertones. We needed some appropriate footage and werecruited another student, who was a "rappeller," to slidedown some of his cord (artistically backlit against the sun),which we would later post process with dayglo special effects.All very groovy stuff, you understand.

After we got the 8mm footage, he showed us how to rappelusing his kit of multiple breakbars (probably just like theyused in the Army or something) on a single strand of 7/16"goldline. Pretty heady stuff on the 100' sandstone crags of Mt.Diablo! Later, I went to the library and snagged everything Icould find about climbing; I was quite shocked to learn peoplereally climbed UP cliffs. I thought going down was the sport!

Back in the good old days, the Sierra Club actually taughtclimbing. So I joined the Berkeley RCS (Rock ClimbingSection) and, over a six-month period, learned the ropes. Ourculminating outing was the standard route on The RoyalArches in the Valley-our first trips onto the sharp end of therope.

Cosmos (VI 5.10, A4), El Capitan, Yosemite, 1976. The second ascent.This photo was taken from the top of the fifth pitch just prior to the

beginning of the first pitch ofA4 nailing.

Later, I discovered that the way to improve was to regularlyboulder at Indian Rock in Berkeley and avoid the "social climb-ers" in the Sierra Club. Unlike the Southern California scene,Indian Rock was in a dense urban setting and there was a stronginfluence of tradition (dating back to the 1930s-40s) combinedwith a large group of regulars, so you would often see the samefaces. Probably the closest thing we had to the Berkeley scenedown here was Stoney Point during the same era.

Stoney had Chouinard, Robbins (before he moved toModesto), and the West Ridge contingent—many of whomworked for Don Lauria. Indian Rock had regulars like KenCooke, Al Steck, Galen Rowell, and a bunch of young whipper-snappers such as Dale Bard, Vern Clevenger, Ben Borsen, PeterHaan, and Chris Vandever. Later, we would see Robbins showup on Saturday mornings; he would drive over from Modesto-aseveral hour trip. Indian Rock encouraged a loyal following.

mOm: How did you wind up in Southern California? Please tell me it

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 2 January/February 1998

was because the climbing is so much better here than in NorthernCalifornia...Robs: I came down to go to college. I have an uncle who is aUC Berkeley professor and, while I wanted to go to Berkeley, herecommended that I go to a smaller UC as a freshman; so I choseUC Riverside. Later, Ben Borsen came to UCR to do graduatework and we exported the Berkeley traditions to Rubidoux. (Atleast, for a period in the early Seventies.)

I liked the Mediterranean climate down here and, althoughnothing compares to the unique rock of Berkeley, the granite wasfirm and clean. Tahquitz was much closer than the Valley was tothe Bay Area, and we could climb throughout the winter downhere. Remember, indoor nerf climbing was not an option;climbing was exclusively an outdoor sport. Plus, Rubidoux wasa very local crag.

My first route here was Serpentine at Suicide, which I led inGalibier RRs~a very stiff, lug-soled boot and a standard issueboot of the day. I was quite impressed with the Idyllwildofferings. Big Rock, at that time, was a place you could drivedirectly to and belay from the front bumper—with shade treesand everything—so I was so pleased with the local situation andthe opportunities. ("An hour from the mountains, an hour fromthe beach, an hour from the desert, in the middle of nowhere.")With such year-round climbing, heading back to the Bay Areanever seemed too attractive...

mOm: You used to spend a lot of time training at Rubidoux. I'm sureyou've got a thousands stories...

Robs: I met several Riverside locals initially. There was aclimbing shop called the Highland Outfitter which helped createa focal point for climbing at the East end of the LA Basin. Guyslike Jim Hoagland, Steve Toy, Dennis Bird, the Gleason brothers,along with John Long, Richard Harrison, Rick Accomazzo, KevinPowell, and Darrell Hensel helped develop a unique local scene,albeit more of a commuter scene. For several years there, wehad regular Tuesday/Thursday afternoon sessions at Rubidouxwhere we'd boulder till dark. The tradition was ropeless for themost part, and I recall that we had several problems that wevowed we would not do with a rope, keeping the game on ahigher plane. (Indeed, these were all eventually worked-outdespite scary groundfall prospects.)

One story, though... We had a bet with Paul Gleason, that noone could do the center route of what is now called the "SmoothSole Wall" without smoothsole boots. It would be impossible todo it without 'em, we claimed. Paul tried for a month to do it inRRs, Kronhoffers, even SuperGuides, without success. Finally,he succumbed to peer pressure and new technology, and got apair of PAs. Of course, he waltzed the thing the next day, andthe name stuck. (Once he learned the moves, he did go back anddo it in lugged boots just for spite.)

There are lots of stories, but John Long is a much betterstoryteller than I! His new book does a really credible job ofcreating the flavor of those days, and I highly recommend it.

It is unfortunate that the local traditions are not better pre-served here in So Cal; with the long commutes, it's hard tomaintain continuity. Names like Phil Haney, Oliver Moon, andPhil and Paul Gleason are legendary among us old farts, yet areunknown to the legions of modern Rubidoux habitues. Yet wesee all their problems in the modern guidebooks. I may raise the

hackles of some of the new guard when I say this, but thehardest of problems at Rubidoux were done in the early- tomid-seventies, and these horrendously thin cranks still remainthe hardest stuff either side of vertical. Standards are hardlymuch harder than they were back in the mid-seventies in thepure bouldering arena. (How's that for curmugeonly bait-ing?!) This is not true for sport climbing, though...

mOm: Do you still get out to Rubidoux?

Robs: Yeah, but family and work mean that these trips aren'tquite so casual or as frequent. Several of us usually grabchalkbags and boots, and together unconsciously recreate thecomradery we've grown up with. I still see "boulderers," butmore often I see harnesses and lycra on routes we're used todoing in tattered cotton shorts and not much else. This seemsthe new trend: to turn boulder problems into toproped sportroutes. I'm sure it's safer...

We don't mean much by it, but it's been our standard formto continue to third-class the same stuff we've been doing for20+ years. While I'm sure that plays wrong to some in theaudience, we are only carrying on the noble traditions that our

The Comici Route, Cima Grande, Ire Cima di Laverado, Italy,1977. "Under variable weather (it rained on the descent), wemanaged to follow all pitches free. This picture was snapped

somewhere on the third pitch (?) before the wall switches frommerely vertical to overhanging limestone."

mOthEr rOck magazine PageS January/February 1998

predecessors modeled for us! (grin)

mOm: Did you do the first ascent of The Beach Problem atRubidoux? It's right next to one with your name on it...

Robs: The only "Beach Problem" I know of at Rubidoux wasput up by Ben Borsen and me back in 1970/71. We didn't callit that, back then. The name got changed after we startedworking out at Pirate's Cove down in Corona Del Mar (whereRicky Accomazzo and I shared a house during college). Thelow start just felt like a Rubidoux equivalent of DiamondMan... Lynn Hill and I worked out some cool eliminates to"up" the interest level. I also managed to do the Beach as aone-arm problem, avoiding the overhang by starting just left ofthe usual sit-down start; Largo is the only one to have repeatedit to my knowledge. At least I witnessed this Largo claim, sowe can trust its veracity!

mOm: You're the founding member of the Stonemasters, becauseyou did the first continuous lead of Valhalla, 5.11a, at Suicide (in theSpring of 1972). How exactly did the Stonemasters get started—byaccident, by design, or by destiny?

Robs: Towards the end of my second year at UCR, I wasfeeling pretty comfortable with So Cal granite. I was living ina house with several other climbers, and Jim Hoagland and Ibegan testing the hard new routes at Suicide that Bud Couchhad been constructing with his (older) friends. Once werealized that things like Sundance, the Iron Cross, andChingadera (at Tahquitz) were do-able, we began pushinghard faces with our smooth-soled boots like PAs, and later,EBs.

Rubidoux, in addition to being a bouldering haunt, becamea place where we would practice moves we imagined to belike the cruxes on the routes we "wanted" in Idyllwild. Thehottest thing on the planet (to our way of thinking) was thenew Couch route, Valhalla. They had done all the hard workof placing the bolts and done each individual pitch, but (webelieved) that Couch, Larry Reynolds, and Mike Dent had stillto do the first continuous ascent. We waited, for a suitablyrespectful length of time, but the stylish single push didn'tcome. The rumor was, this puppy was the first 5.11 face in theU.S., and was harder than other face routes in the Valley. Sincewe were on a roll, having just done an early ascent of the IronCross, we started loitering around under Valhalla.

Hoagland was a quiet, very intense boulderer and the firstpitch of Valhalla looked to us like a boulder problem. With aHUGE aura. So, one afternoon, we clipped the first bolt andseveral falls later, we found ourselves at the end of the firstpitch.

The next weekend, I led the first pitch without a fall, so wewere clearly learning the moves. Jim took several longishwhippers on the crux of the second pitch, and we bailed later,quite mentally initimidated. (Couch, by the way, had numer-ous times happened below "his" routes to see us kids; both Jimand I were quite cowed by his presence. Largo does a good jobpainting the tension we budding Stonemasters felt.) A week ortwo later—after serious bouldering sessions at Rubidoux—wereturned with very calloussed tips. Jim also brought along adifferent shoe for each foot—a stiff one for that too-small, sharpedge on the crux.

"Boulder. Thereis no substitute

for touchingstone, no

'training' thatcan take the place

of rock sense.'n

When Jim, Steve Toy, and I worked out the moves to Valhallaand eventually completed the route without falls on the thirdattempt, we had arrived—in our none-too-humble opinions. Ithink we really frustrated Bud Couch, who wanted to finishValhalla in one go; but he had left the route stand for manymonths, and we felt justified. It didn't help to have a dozen laterascents happen almost overnight, by a ragtag bunch of kids whohadn't paid any serious dues yet. But such is youth.

I transferred down to UC Irvine that Fall. There, I met evenyounger lads like Mike Graham, Steve West, and TobinSorrenson. We were working at a ski and climbing shop inNewport Beach, and during the many slow times we would talk"rock." Grammicci got the idea into his head that Valhallashould serve as a the rite of passage for the truely hard. He evencollected a list of the first dozen or so ascents. The idea aroseamong us that we should label the "in crowd" accordingly; hencethe Stonemaster moniker. Mike even chose a lightning bolt as alogo. (You gotta remember that this was a beach town, so thesurfing mindset was inbred in these guys.)

When Ricky Accomazzo joined the UCI crowd and also gothired at Ski Mart, we really had a nucleus. Originally, the planamong some was to limit the Stonemaster roster to those whowere on the first ten ascents of Valhalla, but no one took thisseriously. Basically, if you were among the cliche you were in.So anyone with merit, who frequented the crags and pitchedtheir tent in the movable, communal campsite, could wear themetaphoric badge.

We would jokingly form impromptu Stonemaster trips to ElGrand Trono Blanco or to J-Tree or to Granite Mountain (not theone in Prescott!), bag lots of new routes, have thrilling adven-tures and never tell our parents—because they would neverunderstand. We would hold mass ascents of new routes inIdyllwild-sometimes with six or eight in the party-just becausesomeone mentioned a new project and the rest of us had noother plans for the day. I even remember us doing silly thingslike mass free-solo ascents of "The Open Book"!

mOm: Valhalla is legendary, and recently celebrated its 25th anniver-sary. In 1998, does it live up to the legend you helped create in 1972?

Robs: I'm not convinced that legends are consciously createdunless one can manipulate the media. Clearly, we Stonemastersspun a few yarns over the years, but the climbing community


jointly and collectively crafts its own mythologies over time.Valhalla is a quality route and set new precidents for difficulty; itushered in a new era of thin face climbing. For that, Bud Couchdeserves far more recognition in the historic pantheon than thepresent mythology includes. And there are other, bolder leadsaround; but Valhalla remains a lovely milestone in Californiaclimbing...kind of like the Open Book marks Robbins'trendsetting first 5.9, or Cenotaph Corner (in Wales) fits intoBritish climbing history.

mOm: Is there any secret beta on Valhalla you can share with thereaders ofmOthEr rOck?

Robs: Uh...No. There really isn't any secret. The glory of thatroute is that everything is so out in the open, with nothing tohide. (But, to truely enter the land of Valhalla, you must climbdirectly between the two larger knobs on the third pitch...)

mOm: When's the last time you climbed Valhalla?

Robs: Damned if I can remember. Probably in the lateseventies...We used to do it quite regularly.

mOm: You also used to train at the Mt. Baldy Boulders, which inrecent years have been plagued with access problems. Do you still gothere?

Robs: You bet. However, I gotta take notice of your word,"train". Back then, we never trained. We went climbing. It wasnot a means to an end; it was the end.

There has been a bit of a resurgence there lately, thoughaccess remains a problem. It's wonderful...every ten years,someone rediscovers old Harrison or Largo problems, andclaims them as first ascents. Which, in a way, they are. This areawas originally developed by Paul Gleason and he shared thesecret with us back in 1971/72. Even I keep rediscovering stuffwe were doing 25 years ago! I look forward to even more firstascents as my Alzheimers progresses.

mOm: Tell me about Flying Circus, 5.lib A4, at Tahquitz, which youclimbed with Rick Accomazzo in August, 1978 (pictured on the coverof this issue).

Robs: Ricky had been looking at that area to the left of theGreen Arch for quite some time. I thought it looked like a daftproject, with some obvious and scary aid. But Charles Cole,Ricky, and I were coming down from something else, walkedunderneath it, and decided to waste some time scoping it out.After a quick 40 feet of pretty cool moves, the wall really over-hangs, the crack peeters out, and the start of more familiar(though steep) face climbing looked within reach. There wasjust that little aid bit. But the upper face looked really sound!

We came back the next weekend, Ricky did some very shakeyoverhanging hook moves off a RURP and eventually sank a boltabove the overhanging bit. We left a 9mm cord fixed, so that wecould come back the next weekend and carry on.

Interestingly, the next Saturday we discovered that somescumbag had cut the cord about six feet above the ground, andthe wind had lofted the remainder onto some knobs WAY off thedeck over by "Ski Tracks!" It took us a very long time to lasso

the rope.Rick did some really stout face moves up to the hanging

belay; that was the end of the day for us.On the third weekend, it was my turn to explore the second

pitch. Chuck stayed on the ground to snap photos-he wouldeventually jumar up to the belay stance so that he could finishas well. I took one very long fall of about 40 feet or more in aneffort to place the bolt above a good sized knob; the secondeffort got me onto the knob. But Rick decided to christen thatpitch "The Muir Trail."

mOm: Any thoughts on why, 20 years later, nobody has nabbed thesecond ascent of Flying Circus? Do you have any desire to go outthere and climb this again ?

Robs: Chuck went back with Gibb Lewis and traversed in tothe section above the aid, I'm told, from the right. But, you'reright. I don't know of anyone who has repeated the Circusproperly.

I've actually had someone in the last year or so ask me if Iwanted to climb Flying Circus. I politely told him that I hadalready done it, and had absolutely no interest in absorbingthat much adrenaline in one dose!

Another obscure, little-repeated route at Tahquitz is TheHangover (5.12). It's a whole lot safer than the Circus, yet ittoo is about 20 years old. But the numbers and the difficulty ofthese routes have far less impact on me now than the peopleand the experiences of those times.

mOm: Were there any "almost" Stonemasters, guys who weretrying to climb Valhalla, but couldn't do it, and never quite made itinto the "club?"

Robs: Naw. It was never like that. If you had the moxie, youwere a Stonemaster. No dues, no cards, no club. Just a wrypoke at the mountaineering clubs of the past...

Quartz Isicle (HVS), Wen Zawn, Hollyhead, Wales, 1977."After rapping down to the North Sea, we climbed out crossing the

Dream of White Horses."


mOm: As a group, did the Stonemasters die, or just fade away?When did it come to an end? Are you still in contact with any of theguys?

Robs: Some (sadly) died, some have faded, and some climbstronger (well... maybe wiser) than before. We sometimes runinto each other at the crag, and we sometimes exchange Xmascards. Access Fund meetings are sometimes a draw; severalyears ago, a photo was taken of some of the motley crew.

Like the mountains we all love, the experience of climbingis highly personal. My experience so far is that the sharedbonds we enjoyed years ago were hard tempered with fire. Iexpect them to remain intact if not strengthen over time.

Back in Berkeley, I remember watching old guys in their 60sand 70s, slowly bicycle to Indian Rock and then proceed towhip off 20 fingertip pullups on Lichman's Lick, as we calledit. Shaming us all. I wish there were more role models likethat today; those guys gave me hope that climbing isn't only ayoung person's sport, but something we can do for a longtime.

mOm: It seems like lately you spend a lot of your summers up in theEastern Sierra, at your cabin, doing some mountaineering andputting up new routes?

Robs: Not so much mountaineering, but technical rock routesin the backcountry... Great adventure, wonderful scenery, andzero posing and posturing. The Whitney Portal has reallycourageous ground-up routes of really spectacular quality insome cases, and absolutely no crowds. Plus, I can take ashower afterwards!

mOm: Do you follow current climbing news? What do you think ofsome of the amazing young climbers like Chris Sharma and KatieBrown, or our very own local, Matt Hoch?

Robs: Sorry, but I find most of the climbing mags reallylacking in the celebration of the process. It's kinda funny, butthis interview is just the type of stuff that I would never readin the "fashion rags" coming out of Colorado.

I remember walking with Johnny up at Rubidoux andmarveling at the sheer, embarrassing idolatry that someclimbers demonstrated, once they recognized Largo's mugfrom the back of his books! I don't know Chris, Katie, or Matt,but I'm guessing that they probably won't continue longclimbing if celebrity status is their primary goal. The rocks-and the friendships made along the way—will be here longafter the ink has dried and the newsprint has faded.

mOm: What's the best route you've ever done in California?

Robs: The last one. Always the last one! In this particularcase, a wonderful trip this Fall in to Charlotte's Dome.) Super-latives really don't apply when the experiences are individu-ally unique.

mOm: Wliat's number one right now on the Robs Muir list ofmust-do climbs?

Robs: Probably getting off the couch to do another big wall. I

Robs at work: "Seems like the 'Net is just another new frontierto explore-not unlike Tahquitz in the seventies..."

was looking at El Capitan from the meadow recently, andthought that its been too long...

mOm: In 1990 and 1991, you participated in a few So Cal indoorclimbing contests, didn't you?

Robs: As a lark. I have access to a few indoor walls where I cango to loosen up and, for a while there, I thought the competitionstuff was cute. But lately I've come to the opinion that thebouldering comps and such are OK only if people can avoidtaking them seriously. For the younger set, this is sometimes noteasy. Gawd, I'd hate to see climbing become like skateboarding!I can just see the ESPN-2 coverage now...

mOm: You're considered one of the elite of the climbing community.Does that carry any burden? Does it in any way interfere with yourability or desire to "just go climbing? "

Robs: Something is only a burden, if you decide to carry it.There are so many better climbers than I, who work much harderthan I do, to do what they do so well. They rightly carry thatmantle. This late in the game though, I really value my precioustime at the crags. It's a pleasure to avoid the trappings and "justgo climbing."

mOm: Climbing has changed a lot in the last couple of decades: hi-techgear, sticky rubber, rap-bolted sport routes, greatly increased popular-ity, etc. In your opinion, have these changes resulted in postitive ornegative effects on climbing?

Robs: I once had favorite shoes in for a resole job and decided totake an old pair of EBs out toRubidoux. Scared myself silly oneven moderate problems! A lot of newer gear has justifiablyreplaced older stuff... I tend to gravitate towards routes thathave been done from the ground-up and I'm far less interested insport routes. Difficulty for difficulty's sake on longer routesdoesn't attract me anymore. (Time is a factor, but so is mypride...those new routes are really impressive!) Bouldering is adifferent matter, though; I still like working out those short, hardproblems.


Summers in the Sierra...the Muir cabin.

I don't think you'll get me to denegrate the new, and pine-away for the "good old days." Change brings both negative andpositive effects. I do miss the celebration of boldness, though.

mOm: What keeps you busy these days?

Robs: I have been teaching physics and computer educationcourses and I also teach graduate courses during the Summer.More recently, I have become a Systems Administrator andNetwork Manager for the school district where I live. Seems thatI spend more time in phone closets and on keyboards than REALstuff like family and friends.

mOm: Sounds quite different from climbing...

Robs: I get to deal with all sorts of events. On one day a fewmonths ago, I personally received more than 3,500 E-mailmessages during a spamming attack, but managed to keep thesystems alive! Within the next 18 hours, I managed to track thetwit to a dialup port of an internet service provider on the EastCoast. They were able to identify the jerk, but couldn't releasethe name without a search warrant. So, there I was, callingReston, Virginia and talking with an FBI dude getting the skinnyon how to prosecute. Gawd, I could tell the Special Agent waswearing aviator shades even over the phone! Seems like the 'Netis just another new frontier to explore-not unlike Tahquitz in theseventies...

mOm: What about your family? Do you take your young sonsclimbing?

Robs: Michael and Galen are mildly interested, but soccer andother diversions are more important to them. They've spentquite a bit of their pre-walking days in the child carrier at thebase of climbs, so they've learned that climbing isn't much of aspectator sport! If (or when) they're ready, they know where thegear is. Extrinsic motivation is no substitute for the intrinsickind. Plus, they'll always have a climbing partner when they'reready.

mOm: What advice would you give a young climber starting outtoday?

Robs: Boulder. There is no substitute for touching stone, no"training" that can take the place of rock sense. And the onlyway to build that subconscious skill-set is to move on real rock.If you leave the gear at home sometimes and reduce the sportto its essence—a chalkbag, sticky edges, and a few friends~theactivity really gets internalized.

Oh. And, as Bob Dylan said, "Don't follow leaders; watchfor parking meters."

mOm: Thanks, Robs, for taking the time to talk to the readers ofmOthEr rOck!

Robs: Cheers.

an Red iffes:

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 7

It was Saturday. I was at Snow Valley, at the Incognito Boul-ders, working some silly new problem. It was not that hard,but I was tired after a full day of boudlering. As I usual dowhen I'm by myself and fail on a new project, when I finallygave up, I brushed the chalk from the holds then threw dirt onthem. It was mine, damn it. If I couldn't have it that day,nobody could.

On Sunday, MikeBoschma, Matt Artz, and I decided to goup together. I went back to this same project, less than 24hours after my last failure, and DAMN IT! There was freshchalk all over the stupidboulder! I was pissed! I didn't evenwant it any more. So I let Mike have it.

Mike was tentative at the bottom, but made it up to theeasier part at the top. Rather than manteling overimmedaitely, he decided to remove the nasty branch that waspoking him in the ass. He started pulling, and I walkedaround the corner. I looked up, and saw this incrediblybeautiful, smooth dihedral, about 15 feet tall, perfect 90degrees, but no seam in the middle—the ultimate stem job!!!As I stood there drooling, I heard a crack—the entire tree Mikewas "pruning" on was coming down, right down the dihedral!I yelled TIMBER!!!!

I turned to run out of the way, and that's when things gotweird. Through the trees, down in the main drainage, I sawsomething moving. After doing a triple-take, I realized it wasa giraffe. It was full-on running towards the road, beingchased by a pair of wildebeast. The wildebeast chased thegiraffe down the drainage, then down Highway 18. Thegiraffe started getting pissed, trying to head-butt a Dodgemini-van on the highway. Then someone yelled "Mobius!," asTroy Mayer pulled up in his truck, and then he tried to run theirate giraffe off the road. By this time, out of nowhere, a crowdhad gathered. I have not seen this many people at SnowValley since the Boulderfest. It was quite cool.

Then I woke up.I blame it on the 22 ouncers of Mallard Bay Red Ale I had

for dinner last night. I highly recommend this brew, whetheror not you're a climber. I'm going to buy a few more tonighton the way home from picking up the food stamps.

January/February 1998

The State of the UnionAn Update on Climbing Areas in Southern California

by Aaron Rough

We the people of the United States of, blah, blah, blah, blah.Let's get right down to the important stuff. Southern Califor-nia may or may not be the best place in the world to be aclimber, but we are luckily blessed with great weather and afair number of pretty good crags. Trying to keep track of it allcan get a little confusing, so here's a summary of most of thecrags, all wrapped up with a nice little bow of the latest news.

Owl TorThis formerly top secret area is also known as "Silly Rock." Itgot it's claim to fame from the now defunct Allez magazineand some mentions in the big rags. It features overhangingsandstone conglomerate sport routes of extreme difficulty. Irecently made the pilgramage to the area armed with the newTom Slater guidebook to the San Luis Obispo Area. If drilledroutes are your cup of tea, this place will suit you just fine.

Santa Barbara AreasWith lots of new routes and bouldering problems going up atplaces like Wheeler, Fire Crags, Pine Mountain, and Tar Creek(Rock & Ice, Issue #77), Santa Barbara is definately a localhotspot. Bouldering seems to be the new trend, and for thelatest check out Steve Edwards' new bouldering guide for thearea.

Santa Monica Mountain AreasDefinately an up and coming area. Check out Rock & Ice, Issue#82 for interem topos before Louie Anderson's mOthEr rOckguide to the area is available. Also, Malibu Creek's polishedbreccia and steep sport routes make the area worth the drive.

Stoney PointTo tell the truth, I don't really know what the current scenehere is. On rec.climbing on the Internet, someone mentionedsome possible damage to some popular boulders from bull-dozers?!? Anyone have the scoop? Give us abuzz...

Texas CanyonWe don't have any information on new routes other than thosereported in Troy Mayer's "orange" Sport Climbing Guide, butrumour has it that Vasquez Rocks/Agua Dulce is seeing newdevelopment.

Horse FlatsJames March and Co. have been adding new boulder prob-lems, and a possible new guide is in the works. Keep yourfingers crossed!

Devils PunchbowlIt always amazes me how little traffic the sport climbing atDevils Punchbowl gets. This place features steep pocketedsandstone conglomerate sport routes. The trad/TR group isalways present in Devils Punchbowl propper, but the northernSport Area is where it's at for the 5.11 and up leader. This

place gets my best crag/least visited vote. New hard routes havegone up on the Hidden Wall and some new stuff may be slatedfor the Gorilla Face. A good albeit short introductory route to thearea is Black Listed, 5.Ha, on the Little Attitude Wall.

Williamson/Tunnel MountainWilliamson has long been So Cal's premiere sport area on frac-tured granite. Something for everyone is up there, and theLondon Wall recently recieved a new route just right of KAOS. ElNino, 5.11a/b, goes up a slab to a long vertical wall. Check outthe new Mobius pocket guide for the latest information. TunnelMountain is the new crag located on the East side of the tunnelson Highway 2. Located right off the road and featuring morethan 30 bolted sport routes, some multi-pitch, this area has a newguide available through REI.

Mt. ClarkAhhh... Mt Clark. Limestone. Exposure. Steep Routes. Some ofthe mOthEr rOck crew, myself included, became instantly ad-dicted when we checked this place out. Randy Leavitt and Co.have done a great job of putting killer overhanging sport routesup near Primm. Look for the beta in the up and coming VerticalBrain guide to Vegas Limestone. I've talked to Mick Ryan atVertical Brain Publishing; the tenative release is slated for March,and he promises this will be THE guide to get. I believe him!

JackhammerYou say "Jackhammer" what? Yes, this new bouldering area is 15miles north of Barstow on Ft. Irwin Road on the right hand side.Park right next to the super-featured breccia crag featuring tall,steep bouldering. Bring a crash pad and a friend to spot you onthe roof!

New Jack CityIt's now winter again, so that means Jack Is Back! A lot of moder-ate lines have been added to round the area out for all levels ofability. Moderate crankers shold check out the White Face, whileexperts should proceed directly to the Roadside Crag or Predatorwalls. No-approach sport climbing awaits!

High DesertA little birdy told me some climbers have been crashing theCemetary closure! Come on guys, you're only hurting thechances of getting the access to the area figured out. If you gottado the desert thing, climb at the BMX Crags, or the Dead Zone onthe backside. Both areas have plenty of routes of all grades, andthere are some new routes on some of the larger formationsabove the BMX Crags. These should be publicized when theacces issue is ressolved. Also, Hercules' Finger is a little harder toget to now days. The BLM wants you to park on the main roadand hike the half mile to the formation instead of driving. Rea-son: too many people are taking too many different paths to therock and are causing damage to the desert plant ecology.

MargaritavilleThis not-so-secret spot has recieved passing mention in Climbing

mOthEr rOck magazine PageS January/February 1998

and has been kicked around the local scene for a while.Charles Cole and the Five.Ten crew have put up more than 200moderate routes on the large rock formations easily seen whiledriving to the other High Desert areas. From Bear Valley Roadlook just left of the Cemetary and way back in a large canyon itsits at the base of a hill. Take really crappy and bumpy dirtroads East from Joshua Road and follow them towards the hillwith the formations. It takes about 45 minutes from the BMXCenter, and you'll pass numerous stakes with Five.Ten stickerson them that lead the way. The routes I sampled were mostlyeasy slabby stuff. Some were missing first hangers. Maybesomeday the information will be published, but I wouldn'thold my breadth. Maybe if lots of people start going out therethe developers will publish information about the area!

GrapevineAnother "secret" area. It was closed a couple of years backwhen the Cajon Pass went up in flames, but the BLM hasrecently opened up road access. From Bear Valley turn righton Central and head South and up the hill to the large obviousformations. This area has more than 100 routes spread outover a large area. Several pictures have appreared in theGallery sections of Rock & Ice and Climbing. The climbs werelabeled "San Bernardino Mountains," and were Vertical Analy-sis and Armegeddon Crack.

Arrowhead Pinnacles/Rotten Rock ValleyLots of routes have gone up at this relatively unknown area. Ifyou want the beta, join the Rim of the World Climbing Club(ROWCC) based out of the San Bernardino Mountains. PatBrennan's guidebook with more than 200 routes, mostly boltedsport climbs, is available from the ROWCC.

Snow ValleyThe site of the HUGELY successful 1997 Boulderfest. Withmore than 350 problems and more on the way, this mountaingranite area will be THE bouldering area for So Cal when thetemperatures heat back up. Matt Artz has recently beendeveloping several new areas at Snow Valley, despite the cold,and has added another 40-50 problems on previously over-looked and under-climbed boulders mostly in the Snow ValleyWest area.

Mill Wash/Forest Falls AreasAnother NEW area. This place features mostly bouldering onexcellent sandstone and now has more than 100 problems (seephoto). Nearby, the Mentone Boulders have some new boltedroutes (see Issue #8 of mOthEr rOck for details), and Issue #9 ofmOthEr rOck included topos for the Mill Wash Boulder. Thisboudler has atleast 17 problems on it. Close by, hard newbolted sport routes have gone up at Frustration Creek; look fora possible topo and route descriptions in a Spring issue ofmOthEr rOck. Brandon Thau has recently added a couple ofnew routes at Frustration Creek.

Keller Peak and VicinityWith the recent bolting controversy and subsequent choppingsnow over, Keller Peak has faded to its previous backwaterstatus. New boudler problems and walls in the area with routepotential were cut short by Winter, but will be picked up againin the Spring. Some ROWCC members have been developingsome new walls out there. Zack Sheilds and Matt Artz aredeveloping a new semi-secret bouldering spot several miles

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 9

Photo: Matt Artz.

Aaron Rough on "Mean Machine," V2/V3?, at the new sand-stone bouldering area near Forest Falls in the Mill Wash.

from here that is said to hold hundreds and hundreds ofproblems...

Big Bear AreasChris Miller has been adding routes to the main Pinnaclesarea, and someone has been developing the large blocks on thenorthwest shores of Baldwin Lakes. Nearby, the 9,000 FootCrag, Onyx Summit, The Coven (in Fawnskin), and CastleRock all have good routes for hot Summer days. Matt Hochand crew have been developing a new boudlering area some-where near here.

DMZ/Giant Rock/Jugs Over The SandThese areas feature bouldering and sport routes on Josh-likerock. See directions and topos in Issue #6 of mOthEr rOck, andin Craig Fry's So Cal Bouldering Guide.

Joshua TreeCheck out Chris Miller's J-Tree update in Issue #6 of mOthErrOck. Also, J-Tree is facing a new climbing management planthat may end climbing as we know it in the park. Please lookin this issue to find info on how we can fight this crap!

Mt. Rubidoux/The QuarryMt. Rubidoux has been pretty quiet as of late...no real surprisethere. The Quarry has seen some fairly recent development on

January/February 1998

the South Facing Buttress. A glue-up, a bolted crack, and aslab route all went up. Some of the bolts have been scalped, sobe forewarned. I've got a copy of the old guide, if you'reinterested in any information E-mail me at [email protected].

Box SpringsBox Springs is now in prime condition for climbing. Thisclimbing is on rock similar to Mt. Rubidoux and features sport,multi-pitch, trad, and bouldering. With more than 50 routesup and more on the way, a new guide or update will be inorder when the magic 100 number is reached. Some new facesare showing up, and I'm no longer the only one out thereputting up new routes. We've recently added eight new steepclimbs on the "Sleeper" wall, ranging from 5.9 to 5.13? Plentyof good stuff awaits, and with more than 30 short (mostlysport) routes up on the main wall ranging from 5.7 to 5.12b,everyone should be able to find something. Look at themOthEr rOck Web page for guidebook ordering info (blatantself-plug).

Black Mountain/Idyllwild BoulderingLots of bouldering action going with lots of new hard BPs.The road is in pretty poor condition, but the great rock andboulder problems make it worth the hassle. James March haspromised an update for a future issue of mOthEr rOck.

Bridwell/Palm Springs AreasNot everyone will enjoy this area, but it is a great training cragif you leave your ethics at the door. The large granite forma-tion in the back of the canyon was covered in Issue #8 ofmOthEr rOck, and is highly recommended. Bridwell's steepsport "creations" will get your forearms pumping. If you visitthe area, don't jump the fence; hike the hill and ridge to the leftfor LEGAL access. Nearby, Chiraco Summit has recieved somedevelopment. Look at the Rock and Road Guide or Web pagefor information.

Tahquitz/SuicideThe old stand-bys. Winter makes these areas out of season, butthey are definately the premiere multi-pitch areas around. Anew route recently went up on Tahquitz, but we don't have theinformation yet.

Big Rock/L-SlabUmmm....Big Rock is still there! If you are looking for someslab climbing but are sick of Big Rock, check out the L-Slab.Located just Northeast of Bernasconi Road, it was featured inthe first edition of Troy Mayr's Sport Climbing Guide, butdropped from the second edition. Maybe we'll have to publisha topo in an upcoming issue of mOthEr rOck... Also, rumor hasit that some new bouldering is happening out there.

Temecula DomesThis area sees absolutely NO traffic. The area was featured inIssue #31 of Rock & Ice, and features more than 40 routes. Themain problems are: rattlesnakes, man-eating manzanita, gunwielding marijuana growers/meth lab operators, and hard tofind legal parking. One of these days I'll head back downthere to get the current scoop.

Sport Boulder/Mushroom BoulderSome new stuff is going up, but rumours of chipping andglueing are flying. If you know what's up, please E-mail us.

Matt Hoch on "Necessary Faggery," V7, his new mega-hardboulder problem in the Cap Rock area at Joshua Tree.

Juniper Flats/Neuvo/MenifeeKiller bouldering! Unfortunately, more rumours of chipping,glueing, and bolting of previously established routes. Whatgives, people? For references to the area, check out Craig Fry'sSo Cal Bouldering Guide.

Corona Del MarGreat gritty sandstone bouldering, right on the beach. Go inthe evening after a warm breezy day and you'll love it. Go anyother time and you'll hate it. Bring a brush for the sand, and acarpet to wipe the feet off before climbing. Again, see CraigFry's So Cal Bouldering Guide.

Orange CountyRumour has it there is a new sport crag out there. Anyonewant to share the information?

The LarksJosh-like bouldering with 300+ problems already up, andpotential for more. Look in Issue #168 of Climbing for informa-tion. This area is seeing quite a bit of traffic, so let's rememberto keep our impact low—please pick up all trash, whether it'syours or not!

Otay & PowayI don't know much about the areas. From what I've been told,Otay is short and severley bolted. Poway is good, but quite ahike. San Diego climbers, give us some information!

Corte MaderaThis large crag saw print in Issue #9 of mOthEr rOck, and Rock& Ice Issue #168.

As far as I know, this is where climbing in So Cal currentlystands. This will hopefully give you a somewhat completeupdate about what is going on. If you have any additionalinformation you would like to share, please [email protected] or [email protected]. Hope to hearfrom everyone soon!


SoCa•• .

Dave's Deviation, Tahquitz, 5.9There are others, but the first, best finger crack I thought ofwas Dave's Deviation at Tahquitz. Rated 5.9, it is classic fingercrack climbing. Repeated, technical fingerlocks for seventyfeet, bomber protection (lots of small wires), and fairly steep(slightly less than vertical) make this one of my favorites of itskind.

—Michael Lane

Perfect Fingers, Joshua Tree, 5.10bMy favorite finger crack in southern California is "PerfectFingers" on Queen mountain in Joshua Tree. I'm pretty surethat it's 5.10b. It features excellent finger locks, requires a nicemove to get from crack to face over a roof, and beautifullocation and exposure and a great opportunity for pictures."White Rain" is a 5.11 face climb about 100 yards to the right.There is also an excellent 5.8(?) crack between these twoclimbs.

-Pat Lott

Airy Interlude and Sea of Tranquility, The Needles"Airy Interlude," 5.9+, or "Sea of Tranquility," 5.12a,come to mind.

-Reese Martin

Bird of Fire, Joshua Tree, 5.10aHigh Crux, well protected, steep, outrageously good fingerjams, and good exposure...plus there are almost no crowds...

—Sven Khatri

Rubicon, Joshua Tree, 5.10dIt's just a really fun route with super cool moves. It isn't asuper pure crack in that the face around the crack is pretty

featured and your feet almost never are trying to stuff in thecrack. The pro is good and the location is super. It is the cleanestway up a large boulder and the route curves a little to the right,so that when you are belaying up at the lip, you can watch yoursecond doing the moves as they work their way towards you.Not super hard, but super classic. In fact, I should get in the carright now and go do it by headlamp. One of the last times I did Idid it with Hans Florine and some other folks. It got dark whilethe second was doing the route, but Hans always wanted to getin one more route, so we lowered an end to him and he tied inand started cranking. The start of the crack is pretty far to theside and since he didn't have any pieces in he would have taken ahuge ugly pendulum if he fell. With his normal confidence hesaid not to worry about it and cranked his way up the crack,following the faint glow of chalk on the side of the crack to figureout where the crack was. He made it to the belay with no prob-lem, and we rappelled in the dark and staggered out to the car toend another good day at Josh.

-Reed Bartlett

Flower of a High Rank, Suicide, 5.9Sustained 5.9 climbing for a full pitch. There's a really strenousmove around the tree mid way up.

-Ben Craft

Solo Crack, Kindergarten Rock, 5.10aLocated on a little-known crag near Keller Peak in the SanBernardino Mountains, it's about 20feet of perfect finger crack,slightly offset so that non-crack climbers like myself can stillenjoy the hell out of it by liebacking it. Solo if you dare: thelanding is a little rough, so if you're at all unsure, throw on a TR.

-Matt Artz



ornia's climbing magazine it

Issue #11 •il 1998

Letter from the Editor...

Better Late than Never?It's not big news to loyal mOthEr rOck subscribers that this issue islate....really late. I could fill the whole issue by listing all of theexcuses, but I won't.

This issue is a little different than past issues. And I don't meanjust the fancy new logo on the cover, either. This issue contains aspecial pull-out bouldering guide to Enlightenment Ridge at PineMountain. When Reese Martin sent me the materials for the articleon Enlightenment Ridge, I realized that is was going to fill up themajority of the issue. So why not format it as a mini-guidebook,something more convenient to take along in the day pack onbouldering excursions to Pine Mountain? Hopefully the extra timeand expense in producing this issue in this way was worth it to you.

Tommy Caldwell catches air in the elite competition at thePhoenix Bouldering Contest. Photo by Ed Wetherell.

Please E-mail me with your feedback, so I can determine whether ornot to go down this path again in future issues.

El Nino has been pretty harsh on the So Cal climbing scene. Theroad to Pine Mountain covered by a landslide, the Santa Monicasclosed for a while because of trail washouts, Snow Valley undereight feet of snow, and numerous other temporary closures due tohigh water and snow. It should make for an interesting summer, asclimbers flock to the higher elevations to escape the heat, yet areforced to deal with heavy vegetation growth and increased bugpopulations in the aftermath of our unusually wet winter.

Although this issue was late, you should know that Issues #12 and#13 are already well underway. We're working on lots of local stuff,as well as a couple of potential stories from as far away as Coloradoand Antarctica. Articles you might see in the next couple of issuesinclude:• To V or Not to V? The V-scale hits So Cal.• John Sherman Interview: Verm talks a little about climbing, and

a lot about his other favorite passtime: beer drinking.• Table Mountian: Max Armpet's spring ascent of this Sierra peak.• The Happy Boulders: Do they live up to the hype?



EditorMatt Artz


Assistant EditorRuth Artz

mOthEr rOck ContributorsLouie Anderson • Max Armpet • Jason Ballas • Reed Bartlett

Diane Chakmak • Amos Clifford • Heather Dolph • Ted Doughty Jr.Daniel Eubank • Daniel Garcia • Bob Goff • Nancy Hampton

Christian Harder • Steve Harris • Amy Lobsinger • Fritz LowreyJames March • Reese Martin • Travis McElvany • Matt McGunigle

Chris Miller • Darell Palmer • Steve Parker • Patrick Paul • Matt PolkMatt Pollard • Ed Schmahl • Jann Senior • Rob Stauder • Brandon Thau

Randy Vogel • Todd Vogel • Geoff Wade • Bruce Wiley • Bills Wong

Copyright© 1998 mOthEr rOck/The AMCC Group. All rights reserved. mOthErrOck magazine is published six times a year (unless interrupted by a road trip toclimb somewhere) by The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151USA. E-mail: [email protected] -or- [email protected].

Subscriptions: For subscription information, writeorder for $10 to mOthEr rOck, POBox 7951, Redlands, CA 92375-1151, or E-mail [email protected] .


Disclaimer: Climbing is inherently dangerous. If you have not yet figured that out,you're an idiot and you should probably stop climbing now before you hurt yourselfand others. And if you think you can bet your life or safety on anything you read inmOthEr rOck, think again. We make no claims to the accuracy of any of theinformation contained in these pages, and cannot be held responsible in any way forany of your actions, acts of nature, or fate. You're on your own, bro. That's the wayit should be. Take responsibility for your own actions. You're a climber after all.

• Frustration Creek: Topos for this new sport climbing area in theSan Bernardino Mountains.

• Mill Wash: Topos for the recently-developed sandstoneboulders near Forest Falls....plus there's a lot more on the "maybe" list. And as always,

we're completely open to ideas. Send us your articles, yourpictures, your story ideas, or whatever you have.

If you have Internet access and have not already experiencedmOthEr rOck Mail, you should subscribe. Simply send us an E-mail ([email protected]) and you'll be added to the list. We tryto send out local updates a couple times a month. The informationin mOthEr rOck Mail is typically brief, and often timely—closures,local events like slide shows, new routes, etc. Distributing thisinformation free of charge by E-mail frees up more space in theprinted magazine for longer, more in-depth articles, topos and mini-guides, etc. Check out the archive of all past E-mails on themOthEr rOck Web site at members.aol.com/motherrock.

Enjoy the issue, and we'll see you again in a month or two. Untilthen, climb hard, climb safe, but most of all, have fun!

—Matt Artz, editor

On the Cover.25 feet off the deck, Wills Young storms the castle on "Gardez1'eau," V5, on The Keep Boulder, Enlightenment Ridge (Route#114 in the enclosed mini-guide). Photo by Reese Martin.

mOthEr rOck magazine Pagel March/April 1998

Insert

RidgeGuide

By Reese Martin|

The rumors spread.

"Ten times more rock than StoneyPoint,"

"Hundreds, if not thousands ofproblems still to do."

pl "Some of the best bouldering north1 of LA."

Most of us discount hype, but foronce it's true. Pine Mountainhas great stone, an amazingmountain top location and low-key camping. One visit, andyou'll be spreading rumors too.

Located in and around thePine Mountain & Reyes PeakCampgrounds at an elevation of7,000 feet in the Los PadresNational Forest, Pine Mountainis an island in the sky of openforest and kletter gardens alonga broad summit ridge. Climbinghere amoungst the fragrantJeffery pines and mixed-conifersis a cool summer alternative to

Photo: Angela Smith climbs Desti-nation, VO, Destination Boulder.Cover: Juan Carlo mantels on Kingof Spain, V3, near the Keep Boul-der. Photos by Angela Smith.

Wills Young, Wall ofNietscheanRhetoric, V7+, at Pine Mountain.

the hot low-lands nearby. The thicklayer of pine needles on the groundmake for soft landings The rock issandstone, similar to Stoney Point andSanta Barbara, but with much morepatina and varnished skin to theboulders, expect good edges, crimpersand a slopey finishes. There is amassive amount of stone here, so skipthe occasional areas of bad rock. Thedeveloped bouldering is close to theroad, good news to folks staggeringunder monster crash pads. Of particu-lar interest to those with calm nervesare the numerous "high-ball" prob-lems, such as the ultra-classic"Rapunzel", V1R arete; "Quiet Soul",VSR; "Welcome to the Real World",V2R; and the mind-expanding pebbleface: "Enlightenment", VSR.

Climbers have visited Pine Moun-tain since the early 60's, but most haddismissed the area as just a bunch of lumpy boulders, and had gone on look-ing for "real" climbs. Yvon Chouinard and buddies were the first knownclimbers here. During the 70's and 80's the area was sporadically visited bylocals such as Mike "Gramicci" Graham and a few Patagonia employees, butthe atmosphere was casual. No one kept track of what was being climbed. Itwasn't until the last few years when Russel Erickson, Steve Edwards, WillsYoung , Reese Martin, Craig Wilson, Juan Carlo, and other nearby locals beganto make regular visits to Pine Mountain that many of the new problems werecleaned & solved.

Pine Mountain is far from climbed out. Opportunities abound. There areacres of rock hiding in the woods. For those with an eye for new problems,and a willingness to explore, there are stacks of plums waiting to be plucked.

This is a three season area. The Forest Service locks the gate to the PineMountain road at Highway 33 for the winter due to the occasional snowstorms. In the past few years the gate has been locked from mid-Novemberthrough mid-March. When the gate is locked, you can mountain bike up theroad from the highway.

Recently, the heavy El Nino rains have caused mudslides and extensiveroad damage to Highway 33 and the Pine Mountain road. It may be a whiletill the roads are cleaned up. Call the Los Padres National Forest, Ojai RangerStation at (805) 646-4348 for current road information.

Getting There

Russel Erickson, Skies of the Blessed, V6, at Pine Mountain.

Access, Guides, etc.There are currently no access problems atPine Mountain. The U.S.F.S. "AdventurePass" is required to park. Be sure to parkoff the main road.

The only guidebook available for PineMountain is Steve Edward's self-pub-lished Santa Barbara Bouldering (June1997; $8.95). About 100 problems at PineMountain are covered. An excellentoverview to the area by Wills Young isavailable in CLIMBING Magazine, #175(April/May 1998).

Be sure to bring brushes to help cleanthe most recent problems. And to explorenew problems.

Pine Mountain is a bouldering area.Leave the drill at home. The boulderproblems at Pine Mountain can easily betoproped with a few nuts, friends, and a40' leash rope to extend the anchors.Wills Young, Heaven On Top, V3R,

at Pine Mountain.

From Ventura, exitHighway 101 andtake Highway 33,inland to the town ofOjai. Then, followHighway 33 north-east into the LosPadres NationalForest to Pine Moun-tain Pass. At thepass, turn east ontoPine Mountain road,it's the paved andgated road on theright, follow it upthe mountain sixmiles to the PineMountain & ReyesPeak campgrounds.You'll start seeingthe boulders nearthe first campsite.The greatest concen-tration of boulders islocated near thesecond to the lastcampsite in theReyes Peak camp-ground, about 200yards before the endof the pavement.

CampingThe Pine Mountain and Reyes Peak campgrounds are low-key, yet with theamazing 360 degree views, a dramatic place to camp. All sites are within easywalking distance of most of the bouldering. Some of the campsites haveboulder problems within steps of the car. The campgrounds are equippedwith picnic tables, grills, fireplaces and pit toilets. Other than having todisplay an "Adventure Pass", the camping is free. You will need to bringwater, there is none in the campground. There is plenty of firewood availablenearby.

Overview Map#lPine Mountain — "Enlightenment Ridge"The boulder problems in this micro-guide are all located near the last campsitein the Reyes Peak Campground, about 50 yards before the pavement ends onthe Pine Mountain road. This area is "Enlightenment Ridge" and offers over a100 developed problems within a two minute walk. There is easily potentialfor another couple of hundred more problems nearby. The bouldering atEnlightenment Ridge is perfect for mOthEr rOck climbers, featuring moderateface problems in the VO- to V3 range. Crimping, delicate faces, and mantelsare the major themes. Beginners and the pusillanimous: there are many easierproblems scattered throughout the area not shown on the topo maps. Forthose of you with ankle biters, the terrain, which is flat to gently sloping, is"baby-friendly."

Many of the problems listed here are previously unpublished. Rather thantry to cover all of Pine Mountain, this micro-guide complements the coverageof Pine Mountain in Santa Barbara Bouldering.

RatingsThe "Vermin" Vsystem is used. A"star" system is usedto indicate the qualityproblems. SS means asit start. The gradingsare subjective at best.Many of the problemsare new and have onlybeen climbed a fewtimes, so consensusmay be a wee bit off.Have fun, crank hard,and be careful outthere.

The She Boulder1. Liposuction Dents, VI. Up the scoops.2. Labia, VI. SS from the obvious lips. *3. Tasty Torso, VI. Edges.4. Alopecia Areteta, V3. Blunt arete.5. VO. Low angle face.6. VO. SS to good edges. *7. VI . SS over bulge in arete.

© 1998 ReeseEnd O' Pavo8. VI. Short face to crack.9. 5.9. Bulge.10. Yikers!, 20' roof crack in slot. Unclimbec11. Crack start to face. Project.12. VO. Pulltohueco.

© 1998 Reese Martin

Road Shelf13. Gimme Five, V4. Hang slope then mantle.14. Butt Up, VI. SS mantle.15. Chumash Challenge, V2. SS mantle, hard to keep from dragging feet.16. V?. Grainy face in scoop with no top out - yet.17. VO-. Easy face.

Camp Rock52. Two Scoops, VO. Delicate.53. Won't Bum, V2-. Balancey, scoops off.53a. Toast the Lizard, VO. Scoop to mantle on ramp, L arete off.

Blunt arete is a project.

115. SeeYa, V2/V3. Campus moves. SS.116. V4. SS, L to R, long reaches.

Map #2


16. V?. Rotten face in scoop with no top out - yet.17. VO-. Easy face.

18. VO-. Crack, then R to top out.19. High Treason, VI . Face to L of crack. ** R finish is VI-20. Softly, Softly, V6. Bald face to hi-stt-p. ***21. VI. R of blunt arete.22. VI. Blunt arete, pebbles & smear.23. V3. L of arete, hi-step on suspect pebble.24. The Crystal Groove V4. Up scoops, L to finish. ***

The Guardpost25. The Grand Canyon, VI. Face to balancy hi-step. *** Hard for short people.26. Quest for the Chalice, VO. Layback & stem for the "Chalice". **27. VO-. Easy arete.28. 5.8. SS, Sandy lip to a long reach.29. Back Way, VI. Bald, gritty arete.

The Raspberry Rock30. Red Rock, 5.8. Featured face, finish L. Use for descent.31. VI. SS Scoop to heucos. *32. Jump Start, V2. Arete, start R. Dirty.33. VI. Crack, R to arete finish. Dirty.34. Raspberry Ripple, VO. Start off small boulder, dirty edges.35. Reese-que, VI. SS L. of small boulder, arete to crack finish. *36. VO. Plated face.37. Trad Red, VI. Face to seam, R to finish.38. Reese-rection, V2. Lined face, R of arete. **39. V2/V4??. SS Lined face, loose hold. Project.

The Saddle40. Back in the Saddle, V3. SS out of cave, long blind reach to big jug. **41. Lizard Lips, VI. Hang start to mantle. SS V3?42. I Knew I Could, V3. SS from hueco on arete, traverse R to large hueco. **43. VI Face to hueco high step. *44. Stem Gem (Not!), V3. SS.

Losing My Marbles45. Losing My Marbles, VI. SS from cobbly ledge, long reaches..46. V3 SS as for 45., Long reach, L to finish.47. V5? OH face to mantel. Hard.48. VOR. SS crack finish R. Be careful of branch.49. Easy slab.

Jaunte54. V5/V6. OH, L on seam top out on Jaunte. SS??55. Jaunte, V3. Huecos to off balance throw for top. ** SS possible.56. V4. OH pulls on huecos.57. V?. OH pulls on huecos. Project?

The Keep110. Clawing at the Walls, V6. Huecos to tiny crimps to mantel. *111. Siege Tactics, VIR. R side of arete, just enough good crimps. **112. We Already Have One, V3. Start on face, move R to arete.113. Rapunzel, V1R. Classic arete. Crux up high! *** A.K.A. "The Keep"114. Gardez 1'eau, V5. Hard start, still needs more cleaning. Descend large tree.

117. Enlightenment, VSR. High, improbable looking pebbled face. **

Map #3 Map #4

\cn ice

ff^l


Rob Zeemer Memorial Boulder50. Rob Zeemer Memorial Boulder Problem, VI Plates & pebbles. *51. VI. Edges to pinch in scoop.

Solitude Standing103. 5.8. Dirty face.104. VO. Mid face, up to good edges.105. Solitude Standing, V2. SS thin face, gets easier up high.106. Beeu-t-ful, VO. Pebbles to good holds.107. VO. SS patina to good holds.

108. Red Rock, V3. SS flat edge, up R. »109. Red Rock Right, V4. Slopers on bulge. **


Trinity Boulders58. 5.6, easy slab.59. Trinity, VO. Edges on face. **60. VO. SS finger to hand crack.61. Non-Social Stressor, V2. SS arete, crack and boulder off.62. Destination, VO. Bear hug arete. **63. Sitting Stars, VI. SS slopes to face, stay just R of arete. *

Campus Boulder64. V3. Arete over small tree, finish on face R.f>5. Campus Problem, V4, hang start slopes to large bowl, mantel bowl. Area Classic.66. Campus Direct, V6. SS, skip bowl. ***67. Squeeze One, VI. Hang start from face holds over small boulder.68. Pure Pain, V4. Climb seam.69. The Piano, V3. Layback crack L to turn roof. **70. V3. Mantel.71. V3. Mantel.

Meditation Boulder72. VO.73. VI. SS, to thin face.74. Easy arete.75. VI. Hang start, mantel.

99. VI. SS off slope to pockets.100. V? Pebbly face. Project?101. V? Pebbly face. Project?102. V? Cave start. Project?

L

Enlightenment — The surrounding area has many fun, easy faces.76. Quiet Soul, V2R. Red cracked face to huecos on top. **77. Welcome to the Real World, V2R. Arete. Will be brilliant when clean. **78. Supraliminal, VO, Rounded face holds L of arete. *79. Clueless, 5.6. Incut face holds. **

80. Over the Moon, 5.8. sub-vertical face, use the large "moon" hold. **81. 5.8. SS,pull.82. Semi-Conscious, VI. SS long reach, avoidable loose holds.83. No Consciousness, 5.7. Lichened arete.84. Gooze Bumps, 5.7. Chickenheads! *85. 5.7. Dirty arete.86. V?. Hueco mantel. Project?87. SS problem. Unnamed, Unclimbed. V3/V4?

Map #5

© 1998 Reese MartinPeerless Plated Boulder88. Reese's Arete,VO. Incut face moves. **89. Peerless Plates, 5.7. Perfect incuts. ***90. Buddaha House, VI. SS friction to plates. *91. Nirvanic Incuts, VO. SS Undercling to underclings, R up face holds. *92. Karma Debt, VI. SS Awkward pulls to good incuts.93. Always in Disguise, VI. SS Good sidepulls to lichened arete. **94. Contrived, VI. SS95. Beginners Slab, 5.3. 40' slab with a big tree at top to TR from.

Chorro Loaf.96. The Chorro Grande Loaf, V2. SS tricky sloper start, R wall off. awkward. *97. Half-a-Loaf, VO- SS up comer.98. Pinch-a-Loaf, VO. SS Horizontal crack to start.

Confessions of a Lard-Ass ClimberPart One—The Formative Years

By Max Armpet

There I was. Run out four feet above my last bomber pro,about to clip into what appeared to be a brand new 3/4 inchbolt sunk deeply in solid rock, with epoxy liberally drippingout of the sides for good measure. I've never felt so helpless inmy entire life.

What's the problem, you ask? Eight feet is not usuallyconsidered runout, and could I have asked for a better bolt toclip?

Well, you just don't understand. See, I'm a little different.My name is Max Armpet, and I'm a lard-ass climber.

My story is one of hardship, trauma, indulgence,liposuction, and lost opportunity. Where do I begin?

I guess it all started when I was born. My parents werequite hefty, and in the Armpet clan, I had large trousers to fill.And fill them I did. I was born with a silver spoon in mymouth, literally. By Elementary School, they called me"Sumo." In Junior High, I had to stop wearing my favoritegreen (or "jade") colored T-shirt when the principal addressedme in a school assembly as "Buddah."

Me with my doggie, "Crashpad." He died young.

Max Armpet: Profile of a lard-ass climber.

High School was no picnic, as I became the "butt" of thejokes of the rock climbing contingent; I was always invited ontheir outings, as pack mule and belay slave, only to find outlater that it was all an inside joke, as the guidebook to the localtoprope area stated "a large friend is useful for setting a TR."That one still makes my gut jiggle, even if it is at my expense.Shorty after graduation, I quickly dropped out of medicalschool when my academic advisor suggested for Christmas Iask my parents for a stomach stapling.

This was an important time in my life. At a loss for direc-tion, I took stock of my situation. I had no job prospects, otherthan the fry machine at Mikey D's. Looking back, the closestthing I had had to "friends" in High School were those guyswho used me for a laugh while climbing. It wasn't much to goon, but I had no life, so I decided to dedicate my life to under-achieving as a full-time fat ass climbing bum.

The lifestyle suited me perfectly. My home became myVolkswagen Bus, modified to fit my bulky stature behind the

steering wheel. It didn't leave much of a living area, but I didn'tneed much. To save room, I ditched the stove and lived off myown version of "power bars" (actually any candy bar that's highin calories and low in nutritional value). Since the water at someof these places is often unpredictable, and since diarhea is not anoption when you have a swine's rear end and you don't showerfor six months at a time, I drank nothing but piss-ant beer. Thisbeverage served triple duty as it also helped me maintain mygirlish figure, and when used liberally helped me forget mysignificant inadequacies as both a climber and a human being.

Not wishing to be the butt of any more "large friend" jokes,and not being able to find a harness of sufficient diameter to spanmy ever-expanding girth, I shunned all forms of roped climbingand started bouldering.

When bouldering low-ball problems and when lucky enoughto find a partner for a few minutes before driving them awaywith my powerful personal odor and even more offensivepersonality, I learned to use the "power spot" in ever morecreative ways. As my belly increased in size seemingly exponen-tially, my ability to attract power spotters with enough heft tosupport my manliness went the way of lycra. I found that with asolid redwood 4 by 4 wedged between my ass cheeks, there wasalmost no 5.5 boulder problem I couldn't scale without a fewsolid days of work. With this third appendage sticking out like amechanical tail, at Hueco they called me "Tripod." Well, some ofthem did. Most of them just said, "Hey, who's that fat dude withthe 4 by 4 shoved up his ass?" No matter, though; I was making aname for myself at some of the finest bouldering areas in theSouthwest, by doing numerous FFAs (First Fat Acents).Bouldering purists like John Sherman won't appreciate my use ofpower spotting, but then what would Sherman know, that skinnylittle show off bastard. I hear John Gill did all his supposed firstascents years before he did anyway. All of the really hard ones atleast.

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 2Coming Soon: Part Two—My First "Epic"

March/April 1998

Holistic Healingand the Value of Malt Beverages

A Qitasi-Beer Review by Matt Artz

Things were going well. Pushing my personal limits, I setsome pretty high goals for myself for 1998. January turnedout to be a stellar month. I exceeded all of my expectations forthe month, and some for the entire year! Six or seven daysbouldering out at Josh, and I was feeling invincible.

And we all know what happens when you're feelinginvincible. The superhuman power wears off. If you're lucky,the mind is strong enough to still believe you're invincible;strong enough to mask over the shortcomings of the weak-ened body. If you're unlucky, you get injured.

Call me unlucky. Maybe Popeye forgot to eat his spinachthat day? No, Matt just did something stupid. Climbing onplastic, I felt stronger than ever before. Coming out of a sit-down start on an overhanging wall, up high to a crimper anda jug, bringing the feet up so high I thought I'd flip overbackwards and land on my head, I was in total control. Thenext move was a really long reach up over the lip, to a jug.Not wanting to dyno and risk flipping over backwards, I triedto do it statically. No matter how I twisted and contorted, Iwas about an inch too short to get a good tip placement on thejug. But on the face of the jug was a one-finger pocket (ormaybe it was just the bolt hole...). Sticking my left middlefinger about half an inch in this pocket, I shifted my weight soit was directly under the hold, then attempted the one-fingerpull-up. The tendon didn't pop outright, but it let me knowthat what I had done was a tragic mistake.

I can't believe I potentially blew out my climbing career onPLASTIC!

I did a lot of reading, and the injury was self diagnosed as atear of the A2 pulley. Surgery is sometimes suggested, but isoften counter-productive. The best thing you can do is alsothe hardest for a climber: just give it a lot of rest.

Over the next two months, I whinned like a little baby--enough so that lots of friends came out of the woodwork tooffer advice. Here's a summary of what I learned.

• There's the glucosamine, from 500 to 2,000 rng per day. It's anamino acid which bonds to water, that the body uses to lubricatethe joints-a common dietary supplement taken by arthritissufferers. After a month, I didn't see any real change, but it maytake up to two to three months. The most common side effect isan increased risk of diabetes, which runs in my family, so I'm nottoo excited about the long-term prospects of using this treatment.But I'll give it a few months. Acting on Reese Martin's tip, Ifound the best deal to be $9.99 for 100 glucosamine capsules (500mg) at Trader Joe's.• There's the anti-inflamatories. Advil is my personal favorite.After five weeks, I gave these up, as I was taking them in largequantities and the swelling persisted.• There's the physical therapy option. Acting on tips from a fewpeople, I devised my own treatment plan that seems to behelping some. Massage the damaged area, being careful tomassage against, not with the grain of the tendon; in other words,massage back and forth, from side to side, not along the length ofthe finger.. Work up to applying enough pressure that it's moder-ately painful—it should hurt, but not make you cry like a sissy.Follow immediately with ice to reduce the inflamation. I caneven do this at my desk at work, grasping an ice cold can of DietCoke in my hand afterwards.• Then there's my favorite treatment of all: ice cold, high-quality,microbrewed beverages. Think of the positives: 12 oz. and 22 oz.curls keep the forearms in good shape, but the large diametersimulates a large jug (one of the reasons I prefer 22 oz. bottles).

Speaking of beer, I found another great one: Poleeko GoldPale Ale. (I had to sneak the beer review in here somewhere). Aproduct of the Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville,which is in Mendocino County, it's light, refreshing, blah blahblah. I don't want this to turn into some yuppie wine review ("acrisp performer with a smoothe yet complex finish"—what thehell is that all about anyway?). It's just a good beer, damn it. It'sa healthy beverage, good for a snack in the 12 oz. container, or acomplete meal and a good forearm pump in the 22 oz. size. Andit's not one of those sickening, camel-urine-labeled-as-beer,canned simul-brews like that sorry-ass Max Armpet would drink.No sir, this is a real beer for real climbers.

With a few more weeks of physical/brew therapy, I hope to beback on the rocks soon. See you there!


PO Box 7951Redlands,CA 92375-1151 USA

(3 s, imuo//;u;>

Letter from the EditorSo here it is, Issue #12. I bet you're more than a little bit surprisedto see it so quickly on the heels of Issue #11, but then Issue #11 wasso late...

mOthEr rOck is back on track, and the next several issues are indevelopment. So with a little luck, the scheduling epic of Issue #11will never happen again.

Off to a late start because of record snowfall in the San Bernar-dino Mountains, preparations for the 1998 Snow Valley Boulderfestand Trash Clean-up are now well underway. Mark your calendarsfor Saturday, October 3rd, 1998, and for more information be sure tocheck out the Rim of the World Climbing Club's Web site atwww.geocities.com/~rowcc. Posters and entry forms will bedistributed to local gyms and shops soon, and entry forms will alsobe available on-line from the ROWCC Web site. The format for the1998 Boulderfest will be very similar to last year, with a few minorchanges to keep competitors guessing. The only hint we can reallygive you is this: train for endurance!

Perhaps the biggest "problem" at the Boulderfest last year wasthat many participants spent the whole day in the East area of SnowValley, leading to congested conditions there, while almost nobodyvisited such classic yet "backwater" areas as the South (Vampire)

there, we mapped almost the entire place, and identified more than 150potential problems. The boulders are similar to Snow Valley, theapproach is miniscule, and...that's all we'll say. Look for a mini-guide tothe area soon, hopefully in the next issue or two of mOthEr rOck.

And as if that wasn't enough, yet another bouldering area in themountains around So Cal has been found. This area is a little limited, butis definately worth checking out, with super featured granite boulderswith great landings. Many good steep moderate jug hauls (yeah!)—seethe photo below, left. More information will be published in a futureissue of mOthEr rOck magazine.

Personally, things are back on track for me, too. After nearly 3 1/2months off due to a tendon injury, I started back slowly in mid-May, andam now climbing several days a week on real rock. I'm doing moreopen-handed stuff and trying to avoid the crimpy stuff, and so far thetendon is holding up just fine. Rob Stauder has threatened to teach mecrack climbing, and I may just take him up on the offer.

Until Issue #13, climb safe, climb hard, and most of all, HAVE ABLAST!

-Matt Artz, editor

Aaron Rough at yet another new So Cal bouldering area, as yetunnamed. Stay tuned to mOthEr rOck/or details.

and Call of the West. As a special treat to mOthEr rOck subscrib-ers, we've included a topo and information about Call of the West.If you didn't make it to the Boudlerfest last year, this will give youan introduction to Snow Valley, and get you in the vicinity of therest of the 300+ problems up there.

Bouldering all over So Cal continues at a breakneck pace. It wasnever intended that mOthEr rOck become a bouldering magazine,but sometimes it seems like that's what it is, probably because that'swhere most of the action is right now in So Cal.

Doing our share for the bouldering craze, Enrique Yaptenco andI have been busy developing a new area in the San BernardinoMountains. Tired of all the hype about the Happy Boulders, the SadBoudlers, the Lonely Boudlers, and now the Sexually DisfunctionalBoulders? Then try our new place—the Indifferent Boulders. Wefirst thought that the Indifferents would be a minor area, holding SO-SO problems when maxed out. But on our first day of climbing

mOthEr rOck magazine

out hern C a l i f o r n i a ' s


EditorMatt Artz


Assistant EditorRuth Artz

mOthEr rOck ContributorsLouie Anderson • Max Armpet • Jason Dallas • Reed Bartlett

Diane Chakmak • Amos Clifford • Heather Dolph • Ted Doughty Jr.Daniel Eubank • Daniel Garcia • Bob Goff • Nancy Hampton

Christian Harder • Steve Harris • Amy Lobsinger • Bill Loux • Fritz LowreyJames March • Reese Martin • Travis McElvany • Matt McGunigle

Chris Miller • Darell Palmer • Steve Parker • Patrick Paul • Matt PolkMatt Pollard • Ed Schmahl • Jann Senior • Rob Stauder • Brandon Thau

Randy Vogel • Todd Vogel • Geoff Wade • Bruce Wiley • Bills Wong

Copyright© 1998 mOthEr rOck/The AMCC Group. All rights reserved. mOthErrOck magazine is published six times a year (unless interrupted by a road trip toclimb somewhere) by The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151USA. E-mail: [email protected] -or- [email protected].

Subscriptions: For subscription information, write to mOthEr rOck, PO Box 7951,Redlands, CA 92375-1151, or E-mail [email protected].



On the CoverEnrique Yaptenco on the first ascent of "Oh, Shit," Midget Boulder, SnowValley. After completing this hard new sit-down problem, guess whatEnrique found on his back and on my crashpad? Hint: it smelled funny...Photo by Matt Artz.

Page 1 May/June 1998

Vermin SpeaksThe mOthEr rOck Beer Interview

By Matt Artz

When I think of John Sherman, I think of several things: hardcore bouldering, a sarcastic and dark sense of humor, and evendarker beer. Since his sarcastic humor is well known throughhis own prolific writings, and he's done way too many inter-views about climbing, I decided to tap the unknown so tospeak and ask the probing questions no other interviewer hashad the balls to ask, such as: what kind of beer does Vermindrink?

mOthEr rOck: When did you start climbing, and were you alreadydrinking beer at the time?

Vermin: 1975. I was 15 and had been drinking beer since 1972-73 when I spent a year in Switzerland. (This doesn't count thetime I was around 10 years old at my cousin's wedding,washing down allergy pills with lots of champagne punch.That was the first good buzz I remember. The last good buzzwas... I can't remember.)

I was pretty buzzed when I did my first rappel. Back in thosedays a quart of Miller on an empty stomach did the trick, butmy standards soon raised. My friend Craig—we called himKeg-shoved me in the chest to get me to lean back as I wentover the edge for the first time. It worked. Anyway, climbingwas a good sport for a budding lush-I met lots of partnerswho were old enough to buy me beer. When I finally turned21,1 realized that climbing was pretty cool in its own right, so Ikept doing it.

mOthEr: I've heard you 've climbed in France. Is the beer any goodthere?

Vermin: What lying sack of shit told you that? Any foolknows the French can't brew beer. Hence, I have neverclimbed in France. Fisher Amber imparts a quick buzz, but Ithink it's more from the formaldehyde than the alcohol. Eitherway, it's a bad hangover. I can only recommend it if you'recollecting swingtop bottles for home brewing.

mOthEr: What's the best boulder problem you 've ever done that wasnamed after a beer?

Vermin: The best beer climbs are actually ice climbs, notboulder problems. These are of course the famous "beerclimbs" near Field in Canada. "Guinness Gully," "CarlsbergColumn," "Pilsner Pillar," and "Super Bock." All are superb.

"40 oz. King" in the Gymnasium at Hueco is probably the bestboulder problem named after the worst beer, though, of theethnic malt liquors, I must say King Cobra is my favorite. Idon't believe "King Cobra" (behind Camp 4 in Yosemite) wasnamed after the beer, and besides, I haven't done that one.

"The Tall Cool Red One" (also at Hueco) is one of the finestproblems I've ever done. It's not actually named after a beer,but after the red-headed bikini model in a Killian's poster. Anintersting undercling move down low, followed by a wild


lunge for a sloping jug two-thirds of the way up, and toppedout with beautiful face moves. Nothing could be finer.

mOthEr: What's the closest brewpub to Hueco?

Vermin: I haven't been to Hueco in almost two years. At thattime Jaxon's at Viscount and Airway had just turned into aninsta-brewpub. Unfortunately, most popular brewpubs selltheir beer so quickly that it doesn't have time to mature. Ittastes green, but faux beer snobs buy it anyway and it's allgone before it can be its best. There simply isn't enoughstorage capacity at the average brewpub to avert this.

mOthEr: If you were a beer, would you be a red, a porter, a pilsner,or something else?

Vermin: I can't admit to being any of the beers I truly admire.Of course we all want to be something we aren't. During theglory days at Hueco I would have been a mass-marketedAmerican malt liquor—strong as shit, available only as tallboys, and full of poor taste. Lately, I resemble a stout, andsince my fucked-up surgery has left me crippled, I'm so weakI'd have to be an Eddie McStiff 3.2 stout, looks like the realthing until... I shudder to think of the taste. Someday I mayrealize my high-altitude ambitions and become a porter.

mOthEr: What's better for building bouldering strength—fingertippull-ups or 12 oz. curls?

Vermin: I don't know. I never tried fingertip pull-ups.

mOthEr: Can you reccommend a good beer for our loyal readers?

Vermin: You owe it to yourself to go down to the liquor storeand get a bottle of La Fin Du Monde. This is French Canadianbeer out of Quebec. The fine effervescence of a champagnecoupled with the light fruitiness of a wheat beer and thepunch of George Foreman. This could be the best beer everbrewed. Moreover, taken in proper doses it can cause visions.I'd tell you more, but I'm still waiting for the statute oflimitations to expire. Lest you think I'm a trendy beer snob, Iwas drinking La Fin Du Monde long before it won the plati-num medal at the world beer championships. Why it took thejudges so long to clue in, I don't know. While you're at thestore, pick up some Old Rasputin Stout as well.

mOthEr: What advice would you give a young climber who isredpointing S.llc and toying with alcoholism?

Vermin: Stick to Shirley Temples. Redpointing is for sissies.Real climbers start from the ground up every time placingtheir own gear. None of that hangdogging crap.

mOthEr: Tell me about your most intense beer-related epic.

Vermin: Must be when I did The Shield with E. We had agreat plan to celebrate my birthday on Mammoth Terraces.Mucho beer was bought and we had people lined up to jug

Continued on page 6


-

Climbing to Nirvana!Finding the Flow in your Climbing

by Bill Loux

This is it! You've spent the last six months dreaming about thisroad trip. Now you've finally become a real climber. Afterweeks of research, you find the perfect 5.12 climb to prove thatyou're worthy of the title, "advanced" climber. The name ofthe route is "Crack Daddy Bad-Ass," and that's exactly whatyou plan on being after you hike this climb. The years oftraining; the grueling, skin ripping, muscle tearing workouts;the months of barely life sustaining diets; they all come downto this one moment. This is the last day of your trip, andyou've already failed once on the climb. No more screwin'around, this is it, do or die! After one last look at the climb,you say a little prayer to the rock gods, and yell "Climbing!"

The climb starts off well, and before you know it you'renearly half-way up the wall. You're climbing like you've neverclimbed before. Your moves are quick and decisive, yet verysmooth and fluid. You are climbing with an effortless ease thatgives you intense pleasure as you lose yourself in the climb.Three-quarters of the way up you reach the crux move, a longcrossover from a slopy pincher that requires precise footworkand balance. You know because that's where you blew it lasttime. You pause for a moment to plan your attack and thenyou go for it. You start giving yourself verbal cues. "

Pinch hard with the left.Don't forget the drop knee.Pull in closer to the rock.A flicker of doubt crosses your mind, and you tell yourself,

"Just hang on and try harder!" As you reach for the crossover,your left foot blows and you pop off the rock. You failed! Youcan't believe that after all that preparation, you still can't climb5.12! You feel completely disgusted with yourself and knowthat you will never be a "Crack Daddy Bad-Ass." You evenbegin to wonder why you ever started climbing in the firstplace.

I'm sure that we all have stories just like this. Sometimes itseems like the harder you try, the more you fail. What can youdo about it? The solution may be not to try at all!

That's right, stop trying so damn hard! It may be that yourdesire to succeed is what is really holding you back. In ZenBuddhist terms, this is known as the Cycle of Desire.

After your first exposure to rock climbing, you probably feltas if your life had changed. Even though you only did asimple beginner's climb, it opened up a whole new conscious-ness and path to self knowledge. However, after time you losethat feeling and say to yourself, "If I could just climb at thatlevel, then I will feel good." This begins a dangerous cycle.You begin intense training for your goal, and after some time,one of two things will happen. The first possible outcome isthat you fail. After months or even years of training, you failto achieve a goal that you set. It is a devastating blow to yourego, and you feel as if you will never increase your climbingability. The second possible outcome is that you reach yourgoal. Now you are able to climb at a certain level, but you still

don't have that special feeling that you had when you firstbegan climbing. You were able to reach your goal, but youdon't FEEL any better about it, so you decide that you must tryto go to the next level. Both of these scenarios result in moreintense training, ultimately leading to over-training, injury,and depression.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for setting goals, but don't letyourself confuse the path with the destination. The goal ofrock climbing is the climbing itself. After you finish a climb,you are happy to have completed it, but you really wish itwould go on forever. The true test of climbing isn't conquer-ing anything other than yourself. Your goal shouldn't be tobag another peak, but to get in the zone, where you float upthe mountain without any conscious thought as to how youare doing it.

Taoist call this Wu Wei, or non-action. The fundamentalprinciple is to let go and try not to consciously control youractions, but just let them happen naturally. "Use the Force,Luke!" The idea is to blend with the energy around you, not toimpose your energy on the environment. In the Western worldwe call this getting in "The Zone." This is when you are ridingthe emotional high that comes from becoming one with therock. Time slows down, or seems to stop. Your body reactsnaturally, seemingly without any conscious thought on yourpart. You enter into a trance-like state of concentration, whereall distractions and all of your worries fade away. It's really agreat feeling. Taoist believe, that doing something perfectlymeans you must not think about your actions. You mustsimply let them act. Thoughts create imperfections in youraction and hamper your ability to merge with and actuallybecome the action.

Our Western minds are very good at abstract logical thought.We analyze, consider, evaluate all the relevant details, then,after a step-by-step logical process, we finally come to aconclusion and then act upon our decision. Our mindsconsider,

Is that hold going to be good?Should I try that foot position?Is there enough friction there?Am I going to fall?Did I bring enough water?This is a very long and cumbersome process. On the wall,

you simply don't have time for such distracting thoughts. Yousimply have to react to the situation at hand and CLIMB! Thisis where the Eastern mind has an advantage. The Easternmind takes a more relational, higher-level thought process thatbrings the mind up and away from all of this extraneous dataand allows the spirit to meld with the action. When askedwhat he thought of while he was hitting, Yogi Berra simplyreplied, "How can you think and hit at the same time?" Thisexpresses the true wisdom of Wu Wei.

mOthEr rOck magazine PageS May/June 1998

Insert

Call of theBouldering

WestGuide

By Matt Artz

If you were foolish enough to miss the 1997 Snow Valley Boulderfest, and can't waittill October 3rd (because we know you'll come for sure this year!), here's a specialtreat. "The Call of the West" is one of ten areas featured in the 1997 Boulderfest, andis home to a bunch of moderate problems, along with a few hard classics. Mostpeople at the contest didn't get out to Call of the West, because it's the furthest areafrom the Little Green Valley parking area where the contest began. Hopefully publi-cation of this topo will change that, because it's a real nice little area.

The majority of the problems were put up by myself and Rob Stauder, with helpfrom Brad Singer and a couple of other folks. Chas Wilson and James March eachadded a couple of tespieces. For the story of how Call of the West was discovered,read the "Jet City Rocket Red" Beer Review in Issue #9 of mOthEr rOck magazine.

3.

The Drvwall Boulder

/.

N

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. V5 *** Beta: Sit-down start way back in small cave,up through wide shallow crack and over the top.Happy Planet. V5 Beta: Starts on large incut right of "The Good, The Bad, and theUgly." Holds on problem #225 are off. Large hold directly above is off. Move up andright.The Drywall Incident, A.K. A. "It's Not Hard, It's Just My Ankle." V2 ** Beta: Undercutstart with hands matched on lowest incut. Move up incuts and top out.

The Big Heat Formation

So how can you find this place? Ha ha, we'll leave it purposefully a little vague. OnHighway 18, west of the Snow Valley Ski Resort, look for the MARTA bus stop on thenorth side of the road. Further west of the MARTA stop, there's a turnout on thesouth side of the road. Park here. CAREFULLY cross the road. The Call of the Westarea is a hundred yards or so north of the road. If you do any new problems at Call ofthe West, be sure to E-mail the details to [email protected], so they can beincluded in the 1998 Boulderfest guidebook.

4.5.

Voodoo Fist Jam. VO- Beta: Sit down start in short fist crack. Top out.The Big Heat. V6 *** Beta: The classic Call of the West face problem. Above a bulge,ascend face on small edges and crystals, top out. Left arete is off; large edges on rightare off.Animal Day. 5.7 X Beta: Start with hands matched in large horizontal on right faceabove a bulge, and move up the arete. Don't top out over small boulder at top; instead,traverse out left to finish on top part of "Call Box."

7. Call Box. 5.7 X Beta: Move up right side of dished face, top out. Everything is on.8. Stan the Man. 5.7 X Beta: Move up left side of dished face, top out. Everything is on.9. On Interstate 15. 5.7 Beta: Sit-down start in right dihedral, up left-leaning crack, top

out.10. Morricone's Revenge. 5.7 Beta: Sit-down start, lieback the dihedral, top out.11. Good Times. 5.7 Beta: Move up face between dihedral and arete, top out.12. Ring of Fire. VO- XX Beta: On the arete, start in the flaring crack, move up to a shelf,

then up the finger crack to a mantel over the top.13. Dark Continent, A.K.A, Brad's Worst Nightmare. 5.7 Beta: Start with hands matched on

large shelf on southwest arete, with arms straight; mantel up shelf, then mantel overthe next block.

14. Longarm. 5.7 Beta: Flaring crack, top out.15. Back in Flesh. VO X Beta: Start with hands matched low on large incut, ascend arete,

top out.16. Voodoo Dihedral. VO ** Beta: Start low in less than vertical dihedral, top out.

The Voodoo Formation

17. Poop Chute. VO Beta: Sit-down start in crack, top out.18. Jesse James. V2/V3 Beta: Sit down lieback between "The Call of the West" and "Poop

Chute."19. The Call of the West. V5 ** XX Beta: Start on the overhanging face to the left of the

"Poop Chute" crack, using a thin face hold, a small crystal, or a high undercling. Tofinish, don't top out direct, but traverse up and to the left. Rocks on lower left are off.

20. The Wall of Voodoo. VI *** XX Beta: The other classic Call of the West face problem.Start with left hand on high incut sidepull, right hand pinching high on arete. Moveup face to left and top out. Watch out: very bad landing!

21. Voodoo Lieback. 5.7 * Beta: In the double crack, start with hands in thinner rightcrack, lieback the crack. Left face on for feet. Move right up the face and top out on thefinish of "The Wall of Voodoo."

22. TseTseFly. V3/V4? Beta: Sit-down start in left leaning thin finger crack, top out.23. Choking on Toothpaste. VO- Beta: Start with hands matched on large horizontal, move

up through short fist crack, top out.

This special supplement to Issue #12 (May/June 1998) of mOthEr rOck Magazine is ©1998Matt Artz/The AMCC Group. Neither the author or the publisher assume any liability foruse of this mini-guide. Climb safely. Cover: James March on "The Wall of Voodoo," VI.

There are several things that you can do to apply these prin-ciples to your climbing. When you are climbing, try to mergewith the mountain's energy and enjoy the ride. Visualize thatyou, your gear, and the mountain are all one entity. There isno longer you climbing the mountain; there is just the act ofclimbing. Attempt to stretch your awareness out to encompassthe entire universe. Relax and let all of your daily concernsand worries fade away. Make your mind as clear and emptyas a bright blue sky. If occasional thoughts pop into yourhead, don't become discouraged, simply acknowledge themand allow your focus to shift back to climbing. The goal is foryou to become the experience and lose any perception of youas an individual energy form. There is only climbing.

Another important thing to consider is that you must forgetthinking about whether or not you will succeed on your climb.You should have no concern at all about the outcome of yourclimb. Worrying about the future will not help you in thepresent. You should concentrate all your energy into thepresent task of climbing. Bruce Lee once said, "You mustnever concern yourself with the outcome of a fight, it will onlydistract you from the task at hand." This is also true of climb-ing. Let go of your attachment to climbing success, and youwill succeed in climbing. Also, don't be afraid of failure.Setbacks are only gifts from God to help you learn aboutyourself. Analyze your mistakes and try to learn from them.If you do this, you will find that climbing is really just areflection of your life, and you can use what you learn on thewall to not only help you become a better climber, but also abetter person.

Zen master Shunryu Suzuki once said, "In the beginner's mindthere are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."Whenever you sense that your climbing skill is beginning toplateau, be sure to remember that the real goal of climbing is tohave fun. So feel the flow of your climbing, and know thatyou are not climbing for some future reward, because the realreward is now. If you follow this path I cannot guarantee thatyou will proceed up the ranks. However, I can guarantee thatyour climbing will become more rewarding, because it willbecome a new path to self-knowledge, peace, and enlighten-ment.

About the AuthorBill Loux is currently serving out a four year, sentence in theU.S. Air Force, and hoping for a "Kelly Flinn" discharge. Hecurrently lives in Okinawa, Japan, and is an avid student ofAsia and Climbing. Please feel free to contact him with anyquestions or just to chat! His E-mail address [email protected]

Taoism ResourcesFor further information on using the Eastern philosophy ofTaoism in your climbing please try the following books:

• Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: Taosportsfor ExtraordinaryPerformance, by Chungliang Al Huang and Jerry Lynch.

• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by MihalyCsikszentmihalyi.

So Cal Guidebooks from

mothermOthEr rOck's Sport Climbing in theSanta Monica's

By Louie Anderson48 pages. $7.95.

mOthEr rOck's Enlightenment RidgeBouldering Guide, Pine Mountain

By Reese Martin12 pages. $2.50.

mOthEr rOck's Call of the WestBouldering Guide, Snow Valley

By Matt Artz4 pages. $1.00.

The Best of mOthEr rOck , Vol. 1Edited By Matt Artz34 pages. $6.00.

mOthEr rOck Magazine's Box SpringsSport Climbing Guide

By Aaron Rough29 pages. $6.00.

mOthEr rOck Magazine's Turtle RockBouldering Guide


mOthEr rOck Magazine's Guide to the1984 California Bouldering Contest at Mt.Rubidoux


mOthEr rOck Magazine's Mini-Guide toIris Slab, Eastern Sierra


To order, send remittance to mOthEr rOck, PO Box 7951,Redlands,CA 92375-1151. All prices include postage.

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 4 May/June 1998

Night Ride to TikalRestaurant Review and Snow Valley Folklore, by Clem Henriksen

The ride started after sunset. Only the purest mountain bikersshowed up. You had to want to ride. Even so, some of theyoung hammerheads didn't make it in the winter. You had tohave decent lights—two C cells was just not going to make it.

In the dark under the pepper tree across from the MentoneYacht Club, ten or so diehard riders checked gear, shoulderedhydrasacs, and talked bikes. Red rear lights blink as they talk.

"Hey Gary, how ya doin?""Doin1 good.""How do you like that new frame?""It's a plush ride; my arm shocks like it! Bob, I see you

finally got your headlamp together.""Yeah, I been using a Krypton bulb and it seems to be

working out.""Where we goin' tonight?""We did Crafton last week, maybe we'll go Workout."

You can't stand around too long all geared up. When it's timeto go, it's time to go. Just when the group is poised for flight,Peg pulls in. She quickly hops out, unbolts the forks from thebed of her truck and puts on the front wheel. "We're doingWorkout? OK, take off. I'll catch up." A couple of antsytailgunners switch on and cycle off down the dark street, theirlights blobbing the road ahead.

The pack glides by the old Lockheed plant. Then off thepavement, the dirt very rough. Construction vehicles havechurned up round river bottom stones and obliterated the trail.The riders concentrate on finding the right gear with a flurryof shift clicks and thread up the singletrack in an unplannednatural order.

Bob meets up with Mary and Peg at The Wall."And when my daughter finally moved out, I went out and

got a tatoo to celebrate", says Peg."Anywhere you can show us?", laughs Mary."Sure, its a nice little heart on my ankle.""Speaking of tattoos, I got one," says Bob."A tattoo?""No, a story; a goodie. A friend of mine is a climber. And

you know climbers, they're even crazier than mountainbikers."

"Well sure, look what they do for fun.""That's right. Anyway. My friend went to a climbing

contest. Up in Snow Valley." The story came out in bursts asBob he cranked hard to keep up with Peg and Mary.

"It was a big deal. They had sponsors. And a big partyafterwards. One of the sponsors had a booth. And was givingaway press-on tattoos."

"I knew there was a connection in there somewhere.""You bet. During the day folks were getting them put on

their arms, their foreheads. All the usual places. But laterwhen the party started. And the beer got to flowing. One guydecides that he wants a tattoo on his butt. And of course. Once

one person gets a tattoo on his butt. Then everyone has tohave a tattoo on their butt."

"Of course." We're moving along The Wall fast now on thepavement.

"An unwary young woman volunteered...to apply tattoosearly in the day...now she's faced...with an army of asses."

"So to speak.""Right. Soon a few dozen guys...and a half dozen

women...are lined up to bare butt.""She must have been a quick tattooer, to get all those people

done. Most tattoos take a while.""Oh, no, they were temporary tattoos. Not real.""Oh, fake tattoos.""Oh yeah, sure. It wouldn't be funny if they were real."

The full moon is about to rise. The moon glows behindGreyback. Brighter stars are visible, and cast across the domeof sky.

Mary picked her way cautiously past the gate and ontoGreenspot Road. "Clear." Peg and Bob followed. "Clear...Clear.""There's more", said Bob, once they were abreast. "Car back,"said Peg. They swerved in single file to the turnout by theWall. They undipped, stopped, and shut off their lights. "Bobis sharing a tattoo tale," said Peg to the rest of the group."All good clean fun," continued Bob. "The evening went on,more beer flowed, and they got to the awards part of theevening. Many of the folks called up to the stand to get theirawards were people with tattooed butts. When they went up,their friends in the crowd started chanting "Tat-too,Tat-too,"and of course they had to moon the crowd."

"You gotta admit, its more exciting than the usual century,"said Peg.

"That it then? We all here? Let's go." When they made the turnup the hill into the groves, they rode straight to the full moonnow rising behind Mt. San Bernardino. "A-Whoo!!," somebodyhowled in the dark. Most cranked silently, concentrating ontheir cadence as the uphill again sorted the riders. By the nextstop the first riders had been resting at the junction for acouple minutes. Bob, in the slowbie slot, grannied the lastsection to the flat.

"Some moon," said Roger. Bob said nothing, his breathdrawn in deep gasps. That last section up from the conveyorbelt was a steep sumbitch.

"You all right, Bob?""Yeah.""Still talking, good... We all here, then," said Mary. Shoes

clicked in, and the riders strung out along Lower Workout.The rule was the group moved when the last rider joined up.

Lower is fairly level, and the faster riders moved out quickly,following the contour in and out of moonshadow. The SevenOaks Dam conveyor lights were bright at first, but dimmed as

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 5 May/June 1998

they moved east. The moonlight deceptively revealed the trail,but not always the right line. Helmet light if you have it, andclick on handlebar lights for the downhills.

At the gate at the end of Lower the group talked quietly andlooked out over the valley. Peg, riding sweep, came by withouta pause and turned downhill. The rest followed, spacingcarefully for the fast downhill on the smooth dirt road. Rogerwaited, saying "I always outrun my light on this." A couplenewbies, eyes watering, missed the turn at the bottom andcaught up with the group at the wash. The mighty Santa Anawas running six feet across. "So who's gonna get their feetwet?" asked Mary. Roger came up, downshifted, and rodeacross. "No problem," he shouted back.

At Highway 38, the group split up. Another leg up Poles forsome, the rest heading back with wet shoes and dim lights.

"See you at Casa Maya.""What time is it?""8:15.""We can do Poles and get there by 9 easy.""All right, see you there."The Poles group hammered up the stony riverbottom

doubletrack. At the top, they turned into the obscuresingletrack. Only a foot wide in places, it was generallysmooth except for the sudden turns and bumps across drain-age. The low chaparral scratched the riders legs, but did notslow them up. At the highway, a time check. Still time formore singletrack before the restaurant closed.

The lower singletrack was used more, the trail rockier, butwide and familiar. The twisty route through the wash back tothe Wall, and then the last section to Mentone. The riderspushed hard, knowing when they could crank on the straights,and when they would have to unclip to get over rock piles.Once back on pavement, they kept the pace and straggled backto the parking lot. So good to ride, so good to stop.

Stow the gear. A quick cleanup, a change of shirt and shoes.Comb and brush. Drive a block to Casa Maya, the usualcrowded parking lot. Grab a beer from the fridge on the wayto the table. Bob and Doug were on their second Pacificos, andworking on their food. Roger had the big pork quesadilla,Doug his usual bowl of black bean soup, and a chicken taco alacarte. Bob, looking up, advised "Better order quick, close toquittin' time for the kitchen." The riders didn't need menus,and gave their orders quickly. The hungry ones ordered theYucatan plates. The sopa de lima and the fish tacos were riderfavorites for lighter appetites. But it was fun to try somethingnew and the Yucatan specialties were different. And always agreat way to end a ride.

Sherman on Beer (cont. from page 2)

up to Mammoth with all our gear, in exchange for drinkingprivileges and the chance to die rappelling back down drunk.Problem was we were shy a haul bag to do the route with. By thetime we scrounged one up, all the beer was gone. We actuallyclimbed the wall without beer—this seems hard to believe, but it'strue. When we reached the East Ledges, it appeared we mightmiss last call at the MR Bar. Hence, we left our gear on top, fixedthe raps, and sped down. The next morning my hands wereswollen like bunches of bananas, my feet blistered raw andoozing, and my head felt like the bleachers at Mile High Stadiumwith a sell-out crowd pounding out "We Will Rock You" withtheir feet. Pig Ranger woke me, then tried to bust me, then I hadto jug back up the East Ledges to retrieve gear. I have never setout on another multi-day wall without beer since.

mOthEr: Looking back on your long and distinguished career, hind-sight being 20/20, would you drink any differently?

Vermin: I would have you ship me a case of good beer before Ianswer any more questions.

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While the characters in this review are fictitious, the food andthe Snow Valley story are not.


Name the climber and the problem. Be the first to E-mail us [email protected] with the correct answers, and you'll win afree mOthEr rOck guidebook of your choice. The climber andphotographer are not elligible (you know who you are...).


Above the SmoglineNew Video Features Climbing in and Around Los Angeles

Reviewed by Matt Artz

Most climbing videos are like mediocre sex. You hope andpray there is something better out there, but in the meantime,you'll take what you can get.

So when Richard Pelusi first contacted me about his newVideo, Above the Smogline: Rock Climbing In and Around LA, Icouldn't resist.

When my wife and I sat down to watch it, I knew I wouldenjoy it, just like all the other videos in my collection. But whatsurprised me was that I REALLY enjoyed it. Like, it was good!Real good! The clincher for me was when my wife turned tome and said "This is so much better than all of those other crapvideos you watch" (referring of course to videos like OneSummer, The Real Thing, and Three Weeks and a Day.)

Okay, so she's a tough audience. But she was right. Above

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Scott Cosgrove leads Father Figure, 5.12d, Joshua Tree.

the Smogline was different, in a good way. Could it be that it'sall So Cal climbing, and we at mOthEr rOck are a little biased?Could it be the awesome climbers, the groovy soundtrack, andthe wonderful variety? Or could it be that this video is the firstI can remember seeing that almost completely lacks the inanebullshit that gets in the way of the climbing?

Whatever. I don't want to over-analyze why somethingstruck me so positively. I just want to say that if I were you, I'dget ready to shell out some cash for this baby.

In your face: Wills Young on The Frog Traverse, V5,at The Swimming Hole.

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rodsPO Box 7951

Redlands, CA 92375-1151 USA

Letter from the Editor...

Calling it Quits?This was supposed to be it. The "editorial" for Issue #13 would bewhere I announced the end of mOthEr rOck. Too much work. Notenough time. Losing too much money. Interferes with my preciousclimbing time. Blah blah blah.

The other day, I decided to go climbing. I wasn't feeling verystrong, or enthusiastic. Took my new mountain bike along, eventhough I'm totally out of shape—especially for mountain biking athigh elevation. Headed up to the Pemo Boulders, which onlymyself and Peter Moran ("Pemo") knew about, and had neverclimbed on. Why was I doing this? Should have just stayed home.

In the parking lot, pulling my mountain bike off the roof rack,my first positive thought of the day: boy, the new mountain bikesure is lighter than the old one. And with 21 speeds, getting up thesteep parts of the dirt road should be much easier this time. Yeah,things were looking good. Maybe I'd even get in a few FAs today!

Then I stepped back with the bike over my head, and my left footsank into a 6-inch deep hole. As the bike catapulted over my head, Icollapsed in a twisted mess on the bed of pine needles. My leftknee (AKA, the bad knee, AKA, the reason I don't run anymore,AKA, the source of most of the pain in my life) hurt bad. I had ahuge bruise on my right leg. But the bike appeared to be OK.

It would have been easy to back out. It just made sense to. But Idecided to give it a try anyway. After a few hundred yards, acrossthe stream, at the first steep uphill portion, I downshifted to takeadvantage of my new low gears—and nothing happened. Closerinspection revealed that when the bike had caught air and crashed tothe ground, the rear derailer had come loose. And with no toolswhat with travelling light, I was screwed.

Yet another opportunity to bag it in. But for some unknownreason, I decided not to. Panting like a sick dog, pushing the bikeup the hills, through fog that reduced visibility down to 20 feet attimes (would I miss the two important forks in the road?), dodgingraindrops, what would I do upon arrival, if I could even rememberhow to find this supposed clump of boulders?

Find it I did. Planting myself down in front of the first boulder Icame to, after some water, I looked up to behold a nice little seammoving up a face. Within 5 minutes, the first problem had fallen atthe Pemo Boulders: a nice little 5.7 face called "Love at FirstSight." Several more nice 5.8 to 5.10a boulder problems fell thatday, and at least half of the area was mapped.

Let's just say it turned into a great day. The fog made the wholeexperience one of the most surrreal I've ever had. The rock turnedout to be high in quality, some of the finest I've found in the SanBernardino Mountains. And unlike some of the two- to three-movesit-down problems I've recently been developing at Snow Valleyand elsewhere, there's plenty of highball stuff at the Pemo Bouldersto make even you guys with testicals of stainless steel whine for thecomfort of a toprope.

Sticking to my original plans, ignoring the numerous little voicesin my head telling me it would be so much easier to just go homeand do beer exercises on the couch for the rest of the day, I haddiscovered the true potential of a very cool new bouldering area.

Nice story, you might say; but where does that leave mOthErrOckl Frankly, I don't know. I'll continue publishing as long as itmakes sense—which is as long as it makes everyone happy.


rOcksouthern California's climbing magazine


EditorMattArtz


Assistant EditorRuthArtz

mOthEr rOck ContributorsLouie Anderson • Max Armpet • Jason Ballas • Reed Bartlett

Diane Chakmak * Amos Clifford • Heather Dolph • Ted Doughty Jr.Daniel Eubank • Daniel Garcia • Bob Goff • Nancy Hampton

Christian Harder • Steve Harris • Amy Lobsinger • Fritz LowreyJames March • Reese Martin • Travis McElvany • Matt McGunigle

Chris Miller • Darell Palmer • Steve Parker • Patrick Paul • Matt PolkMatt Pollard • Ed Schmahl • Jann Senior • Brad Singer • Rob Stauder •Brandon Thau • Randy Vogel • Todd Vogel • Geoff Wade • Bruce Wiley

Copyright©! 998 mOihEr rOckfThe AMCC Group. All rights reserved. mOthErrOck magazine is published six times a year (unless interrupted by a road trip toclimb somewhere) by The AMCC Group, PO Box 7951, Redlands, CA, 92375-1151USA. E-mail: [email protected] -or- [email protected].

Subscriptions: No more subscriptions. E-mail: [email protected] for info.

Editorial Submissions: Although the magazine is history, we'll continue to publishnew stories on the Web. Write it, send it to us, we'll consider it We're a no budgetoperation, so send a SASE if you need your materials back. Photo submissions alsowelcome. E-mail: [email protected] and let's discuss your story or photo ideas.


But for now, things will be a little different. I don't want to betied to the "6 issues a year" schedule—or any schedule for thatmatter—so I'll no longer be accepting subscriptions. Existingsubscribers will get the correct number of issues they paid for. Non-subscribers will be able to purchase single copies of new issues (andany accompanying mini-guides) individually. Despite the well-meaning comments from many readers, I have no intention to acceptadvertising, go full color, etc. mOthEr rOck was meant to be a littleunderground rag, and I hope it always stays that way. What So Calclimbers don't need is another "fashion mag."

It's been a wild ride. Lots of work, and lots of fun. The best partwas all the people I've met along the way. Reese Martin, JamesMarch, Max Armept, Wills Young, Aaron Rough, Louie Anderson,Chris Miller, and so many others I better stop now before I fill thewhole page with another list of names. While mOthEr rOck has onlybeen on the scene for a little more than three years, I've made anumber of friendships that I have a feeling will last a lifetime.

And yes, I'll let you know where the Pemo Boulders are...as soonas I finish a few projects there.—Matt Artz, editor

On the Cover.Russel Erickson focuses on the crux lunge on "The Home Awayfrom Home," his V5 testpiece at a new secret spot near Ojai,California. Photo by Reese Martin.

July/August 1998

B.K.TTR.&S.S A.K.A.

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This special supplement to Issue #13 (July/August 1998) ofmOthEr rOck Magazine is copyright 1998 Brad Singer.Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any liability foruse of this mini-guide. Climb safely.

The Indifferent BouldersNew Mini-Guide Coming Soon

After driving by the big boulder on the side of the roadprobably a hundred times, I finally decided to stop late oneafternoon. It was getting dark, but a quick ten minute tourconvinced me it was worth coming back for another look.That second look came just a few days later, with EnriqueYaptenco and Dave Scheirer after an afternoon session at SnowValley. Enough looking. Enrique and I went back a few dayslater and went for it.

My initial estimate was, when fully tapped, the area wouldhold maybe 50 problems. That first day with Enrique, Imapped out most but not all of the formations, and identified120 probable lines. With four or five weeks of work, thefinished problem count stood at almost 80, with unfinishedprojects bringing the total count closer to 200 problems.

Two New mOthEr rOckMini-Guides in This Issue

L

Enrique Yaptenco on a face problem on the "Wall of Elation"at the Indifferent Boulders, 28 May 1998.

If you've checked out the mOthEr rOck Web site lately,you've hopefully seen some of the cool photos of the Indiffer-ent Boulders. While much more development needs to bedone there, mOthEr rOck will make every attempt to include amini-guide to whaf s been completed at the Indifferent Boul-ders in the next issue of this fine rag.


Surely you've already noticed the two new cool mini-guidesincluded in this issue. Frustration Creek is the hot new sportclimbing area near Forest Falls in the San Bernardino Moun-tains, where Louie Anderson and others have been putting upsome long, mostly hard sport routes. Fisherman's Buttress is anew sport climbing crag near Big Bear Lake that you haveprobably not heard of before, because it was being kept prettyquiet until recently.

Eco-Challenge, S.llb, Frustration Creek. Photo: Aaron Rough.

mOthEr rOck is already working on several additional mini-guides which will be included in future issues. If you've gotinformation on a new or under-reported area that you'd like toshare with your fellow So Cal climbers, please contact us!

Pasre 2

Photo of the Month SolutionAnd now, the answer to the mystery photo contest that ap-peared in Issue #12 of mOthEr rOck magazine:

Wills Young on "Softly Softly," V6, at Pine Mountain.The winner was Jumpin' James March, who wins a copy of

Louie Anderson's guidebook "Sport Climbing in the SantaMonicas." Congrats, James!

July/August 1998

Mud Wrestling with mOthEr rOckMississippi Mud, Vision Quests, and Things Left Unclimbed

Beer Review bv Matt Artz

I've never been to Mississippi, but when I was a kid I played inthe mud for recreational purposes, and I drink beer as an adultfor similar reasons. This therefore qualifies me to write a beerreview of Mississippi Mud.

Let me just say first thing: Could this be the perfect beer? Abold statement, yes. What is perfection? Let us review for amoment what constitutes a great beer, and see how The Mudstands up.

Flavor. Yummy. What more can I say? A lot, or I wouldn'thave a beer review.

Utility: Bottles can suck, although the only thing worse is acan. Don't you sometimes wish you could pour your brewinto your Nalgene bottle (or is it just me)? Enter The Mud,and if s one-of-a-kind utilitarian holder. I'll just say that if s"reclosable," without implying that if s a "twist-off." It has theclassic "jug" handle that makes you feel like an inbred redneckas you tip the bottle back when drinkin' it. The bottle is evencovered with some kind of strange styrafoam coating, to shieldit from sharp objects and serve as an insulator.

Adaptability: You throw an ice cold beer in your pack,head out to the crag, tear it up, then say to yourself, "I surecould use an ice cold beer right now." Problem is, whileyou've been climbing, 12 ounces of liquid gold has beentransformed into 12 ounces of camel piss. Oh, but not TheMud. The Mud has the unique ability to taste better as it getswarmer! My friends from the UK tell me this is in fact the"propper" English way to drink good beer, but I still thinkthey're full of shit. We won the war, damn it! The Mud is theexception, not the rule.

Diversity. A beer is a beer and a meal is a meal...but a goodbeer, depending on which region of the country you call home,is either a sandwich in every bottle, or a porkchop in every

can. The Mud is different. In the 32 ounce reclosable bottle, TheMud is the all-you-can-eat salad bar of beers. Because of itsblack-and-tan nature, there's a honey baked ham and a finepilsner in every bottle.

Flexibility. You know the feeling. You want a beer, you drinka beer. But you drink a Mud, you drink three beers. Know whatI'm trying to say here? I have no idea either.

Buzz Factor. Archie Fire Lame Deer, in his book Gift of Power:The Lift and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man, describes theprocess of crawling into a small pit for four days and praying foran answer from the Supernaturals. Drink The Mud in thesufficient quantities, and I guarantee you'll see visions. Allquestions will be answered, and you don't have to crawl into avision pit and starve yourself for four days. However, drink toomuch, and you may wish you had crawled into the pit. Now,some people may take serious offense to my comparing apedestrian activity like beer drinking to a serious spiritual questthat means so much to Native Americans. But those people havenever tasted The Mud. No matter our heritage, we all seekvisions.

One of the joys of drinking a black-and-tan beer in a nice bar isthat if s unusual. Now you can carry all the joy along with youto the crag. Go out and grab yourself a 32 ouncer of Mississippipleasure. Pour it in your Nalgene if you must, but you'll bemissing the special character the bottle adds to the alreadywonderful experience.

Just one question: why have I never met a climber fromMississippi?

Note; mOthEr rOck reccommends you climb and drink responsibly.

southern California'a climbing magazine


To V or Not to VThe Vermin Scale Takes So Cal Bouldering by Storm

ByMattArtz

When I first told him I was considering writing an article on theadoption of the V scale in So Cal bouldering circles, Robs Muirresponded, "Grading? Isn't that something we do in SCHOOL?What does that have to do with the real world!?"

That's a pretty interesting observation, coming from a man who isnot only an incredible boulderer, but also a teacher.

Bouldering is but one variation of what can be a very spiritualactivity: climbing. The hours, days, sometimes years you spend on asingle problem, sometimes a single move, can lead to a lot ofintrospection and philosophizing. If you boulder a lot, you knowthis. If you don't boulder a lot, you should get out more.

So why would someone take something so personal, so unique, soindescribable, and try to compare it to thousands of other climbingexperiences by means of a number with the letter "V" in front of it?Good question.

"The glory of bouldering, to my way of thinking, is the distilledessence of movement," commented Muir. "Most great boulderproblems can be reduced to a few wonderful moves; those greatmoves are often dependent on body type, size, type of move (dy-namic, or thin edge, or steep, or mantel, etc.), time of day, phase ofthe moon, and so on. I have not yet seen any satisfactory way tocompare a mantel problem with, say, a difficult overhanging hand-traveling problem. While we might agree that both are difficult,resonable adults will disagree on which might be MORE difficultsince these two problems demand very different skill sets andradically different techniques."

"What's the motivation to try and grade such wonderfully uniqueand intrinsically different problems?," Muir asked me. "Utility, or aneed for ego gratification? Seems to me that just because you canbag a V15 of some type, doesn't mean that you can get off the groundon a 5.11a elsewhere. Does that still mean you're a 'V15 climber'And who REALLY cares?"

Do we really need rating systems? To me, bouldering isn't a sport,but a lifestyle. It isn't a way to compare myself with others, but away to express my own personality. While I personally abhor thethough of using the V scale or any other system to in any waycompete against or compare myself to another climber, I find it veryuseful as a very rough yardstick in setting goals for myself, and fortracking my personal development in realtion to these goals.

The Big V in So CalSo do we really need a yet another rating system in So Cal? Weseemed to be getting along fine without it. "Rubidoux has lots ofvery cool problems," oberserves Muir. "Yet the rating system hasabsolutely no meaning for regular boulderers. Various people havetried to assign numbers to things (Mackay, Vogel, Fry, etc.), andalmost every number is controversial to someone. While ratingsmight give a guidebook writer something to talk about, and mightgive a new visitor to an area some idea about where the harder

problems can be found, I think most of us eventually settle into thepattern of doing the problems that intrigue us aesthetically, challengeus physically, puzzle us intellectually, and satisfy us emotionally."

At first, V was something foreign to most So Cal climbers, like pofor Fountain Bleu (hint: it rhymes with Mountain Dew). It startedshowing up in some guidebooks, and we all heard about it in theclimbing rags, when Messier So-and-so climbed his new V500 inBrand X(TM) shoes. But the V scale has more recently exploded onthe So Cal bouldering scene with surprising intensity. "It seems thatCalifornia is slow to adopt the scale," observed James March, "but Imyself didn't start using it until a few years back." Perhaps the timehas come for a new system, and V is the perfect system. Or perhapsit's related to the rennaisance in bouldering that's hit So Cal in the lastyear or two, and V is simply a new system in the right place at theright time.

Harder than Hueco?Regardless of why it's here, or if we really need it, it's the ratingsystem du jour. Invented by John "Vermin" Sherman in HuecoTanks, Texas, there has been much talk that V ratings in Hueco aresofter than the same number as applied here in So Cal. ScottCosgrove notes that "the V scale in Hueco is about two grades higherthan Joshua Tree." Cosgrove gives an example of V ratings beingstiffer in So Cal than in Hueco. "I did Matt Hoch's new problem("Necessary Faggery," in the Stonehenge Boulders area of Cap Rock)at Joshua Tree. I think it is about standard Joshua Tree V6 or V7. InHeuco, it would probably be V9."

Wills Young disagrees. "Generally speaking, I think grades in SoCal, where they have a concensus, closely mirror the grades atHueco, and other climbers I've spoken to feel the same way," notesYoung. "Certainly the aim is for consistency across the region andacross the world... Although no matter what grade a problem isgiven, this will only ever be a general concensus and will feel harderor easier according to one's body size and idiosyncrasies—generallyharder due to a tendency to go with the lowest agreeable grade!"

Is the adoption consistent across So Cal? Since I've noticed adiscrepencey in the rating system comparison matrices common inlocal guidebooks, I had to ask. Why is it that some folks say VIequals YDS 5.10d, yet others insist it starts at 5.11a? "Center ElMurray was the original VI (now the standard V6) for reasons Iwon't divulge here," replied Sherman. "When I decided to use anopen-end system for the Hueco guidebook, VI got downsized tomake it accessible to the book-buying public. I never imagined itwould escape Hueco Tanks."

"Whether VI is lOb, lOc, lOd, 11 a, or 12j I suppose depends onwhat you think of those YDS grades, which probably depends onwhat area you call home," added Sherman. "I didn't set out tocompare V grades with YDS grades-if I felt bouldering could berated that way, I'd have stuck with YDS grades and never started a

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 1 September/October 1998

Insert

MillBouldering

WashGuide

Aaron Rough

If s very easy to get to Mill Wash. Simply take the 10 freewayeast to Lugonia Ave. Follow the signs that lead to Highway 38.This is the back way to Big Bear (and the way to FrustrationCreek). There are multiple pull offs up the canyon.

The canyons rock is a sandstone conglomerate that in manycases has been washed smooth by the action of Mill Creek.Large cliffs sit behind the boulders, and who knows, someonewith alot of balls may just decide to put a route or two up onthem. The picnic area currently has the only bolted routes; all ofthe rest is bouldering.

Please watch out for poison oak, as it is abundant in the shade.Lots of potential for more bouldering is found on many ofthe boulders shown. Also, there are many boulders found in thecanyon between the picnic area and the bouldering area to thesouth that have potential. Anyone looking to wander aroundand pick off first ascents should have plenty of things to do.Please E-mail me ([email protected]) with information any newproblems or routes you may do, so I can update the topo.

Cover Photo: Aaron Rough on Mean Machine, V2, Mill Wash.

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This special supplement to Issue #14 (September/October 1998) ofmOthEr rOck Magazine is ©1998 Aaron Rough. Neither the authoror the publisher assume any liability for use of this mini-guide.Climb safely.

Insert

mother rock'sGuide to the

Backside BoudlersSan Bernardino National Forest

GuideBackside

to theBoulders

Aaron Rough

The Backside Boulders is an area that has been around for awhile, but no one took the time to document any of the prob-lems. It is very easy to get there. From Big Bear, follow theeasiest route to Highway 18 (this is the way to reach the HighDesert/Lucerne Valley from Big Bear, i.e. "the backside"). Fol-low Highway 18 till the obvious summit where you will startdropping down towards the desert. From the top of the hill(which has a gravel pull out on the right hand side), it is ap-proximately 2.5 miles down the road, which has lots of sharpcurves. You will reach a plateau after around 1.5 miles; watch fora white sign post that says "SH18 60 50". From here, the turn offis 0.6 miles further, and on the right. It is fairly hard to see, soslow down, right at 0.6 miles. Turn right, follow the dirt roadcrossing over another large dirt road, and there you are.

Cover Photo: Aaron Rough on Picasso, V2, Backside Boulders.

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BoulderingJackGuide

Aaron Rough

The New Jack Boulders are located on the south side of the ridgethat divides New Jack City to the south. To get there, turn left offof Highway 247 at Lucerne Valley Road. Follow this for approxi-mately 2.1 miles. You will see a sign post with a blue reflector ontop of two red reflectors. Turn right here, but turn left on thefirstmajor dirt road. Follow this but stay left until you come toan intersection, at which you turn right and head towards thehill.

The rock is similar to New Jack City, but the boulders aredefinately made of a more solid matrix. Many of theboulder problems marked with a "?" on the topos have beendone, but I don't know their difficulty or they have just beenlooked at.

If you do any new boulder problems or know the ratings onsome of the problems marked with a "?,"please E-mail me [email protected].

Cover Photo: Aaron Rough on a V5 at the New Jack Boulders.

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new grading system. That said, I set VI where I thought a noviceclimber that could do 10 pull-ups would succeed, but not afterseveral tries or days. At the time, I felt bouldering should be hard,therefore VI would be a hard problem for a beginner."

"Possibly, when rating problems far from Hueco, those doing therating will often lean towards a lower grade," Young speculates."This may be because they fear subsequent down-rating, and areunsure if the problem is as hard as they think. Sometimes climbersremember a trip they made to Hueco long ago, when they were not asstrong or as good a climber. The result is that other climbers findproblems of a certain grade outside Hueco give them more troublethan did problems of that grade at Hueco. Hence comes the joke ...'Oh, yeah, but you know Hueco V-grades are all soft!' This is a jokethat I often make when people talk about Hueco Tanks and V-grades.I usually state this dead seriously and often people think about it andthen say... 'Really? You think so?'

"Of course it's illogical to suggest that all the V-grades at Huecoare soft," continues Young. "When using the scale elsewhere, theidea is to mirror the very grades used at Hueco. Problems will alsoinevitably occur because of the difficulty of equating problems onrock very different to that at Hueco, and hence with very differenttypes of moves and techniques/skills required."

"As to the spread of V grades to So Cal and elsewhere," saysSherman, "at times I'm flattered to have left a mark on the sport, atother times disgusted. I'd rather be known for the problems I put up,than the V system. Ironically, I put V grades in the Hueco guide, butnot FA stats. I've seen a lot of ugliness done in the name of numberchasing. In bouldering, V grades have fueled this. If this dark cloudhas a silver lining, I hope climbers lured into bouldering by V gradeswill wake up and discover that number chasing is bouldering on thelowest level. The experience beyond that is a thousand times morepowerful. I'll spare you the 'at one with the boulders' spiel."

To V or Not to VAsked about the meaning of bouldering ratings, Robs Muir offeredsome justified criticism. "They mean very little, and often have verylittle relationship to offer by way of comparison to other problems. Ifthe goal of ratings are to allow climbers to compare one problem toanother (instead of the more common use-that of satisfying egos),then ratings fail miserably. The problem, I see, is one of absolutes.Sherman's V system (like most others) can be interpreted in wayswhich force comparisons between incomparable problems."

"I personally think that a open-ended grading scale is better thanthe old B-scale," says James March. "One big plus with the V scaleis that it narrows the gaps between the degrees of difficulty, so whatwas once Bl can now be better understood as V4, V5, V6, or V7.One drawback is the further need to fine tune particular problemswhich fall between a grade, i.e., V5/6.1 feel this can also be definedas V5+, but Wills Young on the other hand says this is like saying thegrade is 12c+. I do see his point, but those Brits just love a goodargument. I feel a grade like V5/6 is better left to those problemswhich are harder for shorter people like dynos or reach problems. Isuppose it could work the other way around, but I haven't yet found ashort guy revenge problem that is graded this way.

"Another drawback of the V scale is that many boulder problemsmight be of a strange nature, i.e., jump starts, cheat blocks, condi-

tions, etc., where a specific grade even V5/6 might not do it justice asa grade. In these cases the old Johnny Gill B1 seems to work betterbecause it is vague," adds March. "Also, the V scale has fallenvictim to the ego inflating chase for higher numbers. Just as milerunners seek to drop their numbers, today's top climbers are pushingthe envelope and raising the standards to an awesome level, V14!With this comes the hopefully rare case of some wannabes chippingthe problems down to there level so they can purport a send of aparticular grade. The complete irony of the V-scale is John Shermanhimself claims that the 'number chasing thing' has detracted from thevery soul of bouldering itself. It is a monster he has created that nowhe doesn't even bother to use. He has told me that he never rates hisproblems these days and for this I have to give him credit."

Muir also sees the benefits of the Gill scale. "I still like Gill's oldmethod of B ratings that takes into consideration how many peoplehave done the problem; this, at least, gives some indication of howphysically demanding is a particular style of move." Others havetheir own favorites. "Personally, I like the A, B, C scale Mari(Gingery) came up with," opines Cosgrove, "but whatever."

Whatever, indeed. All this said, the V scale is just a rating system.It was created to try to correct some of the shortcomings of previ-ously exisiting systems, so it's no surprise to anyone that it hasshortcomings of its own. "One can invest lots of energy in trying todevelop a fair, comprehensive, and inclusive rating system thatwould be universally transportable," notes Muir. "But I think that it'sdoomed to failure, because it doesn't celebrate the uniqueness in agreat problem." Yet rating systems appear to be here to stay, soperhaps James March summed it up best: "If there is to be a world-wide scale, this might as well be the one, since it's already in wideusage."

Assigning grades is inherently fraught with injustice, yet is anecessary evil. Like students in a classroom, each boulder problemis unique, defying description in a 1,000 word essay, let alonedistilled to a one or two character grade. "The biggest mistakepeople make regarding ratings is thinking that things are rated as ifon a level, with all climbs of a certain grade being at the SAME levelof difficulty," observes Young. "This is a logical impossibility, giventhat climbs can be progressively more difficult in innumerable waysand by any degree."

In the real world, a grade is a rough yardstick, and is just one ofmany considerations. When you're old and decrepit, sitting in the oldfolks home peeing into a bag and reliving your glory days with yourbuds, you'll be thinking about the beautiful moves on your favoriteboulder problem....and the grade, whether 5.4 or B2 or V17, will beirrelevent. In the long term, like schooling, what you learned fromthe experience is vastly more significant than some arbitrary gradeawarded to it.

On the Cover.Geoff Wade spots Rob Stauder as he powers his way up theNortheast Arete (5.10+) of the Wave Boulder near TurlteRock/Real Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree. Photo by Matt Artz.

mOthEr rOck magazine Page 2 September/October 1998

Tequilapalooza: TheUltimate Tequila Taste Test

By Dave Scheirer and George Ishikawa

Editor's Note: Rather than do just another boring beer review, we'veopted for something a little different this month: a tequila taste test!

The Mystery of TequilapaloozaOriginally, it started while six of us were sitting by the pool, beingroasted by the hot noon sun. Perhaps it was a delirious reaction fromthe heat, but we had a group hallucination of margarita blenders onthe BBQ by the pool. Amazingly, each one of us saw our favoritetequila-based drink in the blenders. Then-maybe it was Dave whonoticed it first-there were actual electrical outlets located below theblender mirage. Naturally, Dave (a great man of action) took thisvision and confirming sign as a personal mission to fulfill. Thus, thetequila tasting cultural event emerged. We called it Tequilapalooza.

Tequila: A PrimerTo be called tequila, at least 51% of the sugar content must comefrom the blue agave plant. In other words, up to 49% can come fromadded sugars. By using other sugars, the distiller can use fewer oreven immature agave plants to reach the level of fermentable sugarsrequired without the cost of using mature plants. 100% blue agavetequila is more expensive to produce and can only be bottled inMexico under government inspection. I'll have at least four different100% blue agave brands to test. Interestingly, of the common JoseCuervo brands (White, Gold, 1800, and Tradicional) only Tradicionalis 100% blue agave. The 100% brands vary from $15 to $40+ abottle while the blended brands vary from $9 to $20 for a 750mlbottle. One question to ponder in our taste test was whether 100%blue agave makes a difference and is worth the extra money?

There are four types of tequila:• White or Silver (Blanco) - considered as unaged up to 60 days.Tequila fresh from the still which may be brought to commercialproof with the addition of demineralized water. (All four types mayhave demineralized water added.)• Gold (Joven Abocado) - unaged with allowable additions of

colorings and flavorings.• Reposado (Rested) - aged in oak tanks or barrels from 60 days toone year. Flavorings and colorings permissible.• Anejo (Aged)- must be aged in government sealed barrels (nottanks ) for a minimum of one year. Flavorings and coloringspermissible.

The label always identifies the tequila type. For example there arevarieties of Cuervo 1800 in both the Reposado and Anejo type.

Another question to answer in our taste test was whether aging inoak makes a difference? We can answer that by comparing twopremium tequilas, Cabo Wabo (Reposado) vs. Patron (Silver).

The Taste Test• Magueyes Reposado—At $10 a bottle, this stuff went fast. I don'tthink it even made it to the main taste test. It must have been reallygood.• Centinela Reposado-This also emptied fast. It passed the straightup test with seemingly great aplomb, but did not make the bestmargaritas (some blamed the mixer). A bit pricey at $25 a bottle.• Sauza Conmemorativo—An Anejo tequila priced at $22 a bottle, andit also went fast. Gee, that's strange, the same Sauza Conmemorativowe purchased at $17 is still two thirds full?• Patron-Tops in its class, probably the best straight up. Light, butcomplex sweetness and easy straight up. This Silver tequila was alsothe most expensive, at $40 a bottle.• Cabo Wabo-This Reposado tequila weighs in at a hefty $35 abottle. Cool bottle, and it rocks! Great straight up, has a littleoakiness, and mixes with the best.• Conmemorativo—mixes great (made the favorite margaritas),smoky when straight up, and perhaps a little disappointing, becauseour expectation were high for a $22 Anejo tequila.• Hornitos—the pleaser of the bunch, its like Sara Lee "nobodydoesn't like..." A bargain at $20 a bottle.• Sauza Blanco—At $11 a bottle, only one-fouth the cost of thepremium, yet mixes just fine. Straight up it is not complex; simple,like a white grain Vodka.• Cuervo Gold-Mixes fine, but a strong bite when straight up, notsmooth...and $16 a bottle.

The AftermathAre pickles always that tasty with Cocoa Krispies? What kind oftobacco is in Swiss cigars? How long will it be before we havetequila again?


PO Box 7951Redlands, CA 92375-1151

mOthEr rOck, Southern California's Climbing magazine, Issues 1-14

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