Author |
Bouldering/ Climbing in LA |
|
|
14-Dec-2007 10:07:35 AM
|
Hi All,
With bigger areas like Bishop, JTree and possibly Yosemite being weekend options LA seems like it might be a decent place to work/ climb. I was wondering if there were any decent crags closer or even in the city?
WM i know you've been to Stoney Point but cant access geocities site at work, got a quick summary you could copy/ post?
Cheers, Brad.
|
14-Dec-2007 11:08:35 AM
|
The weekend traffic might be a worry though. I remeber being stuck in gridlock 10 lanes wide traffic on a
friday arvo....
|
14-Dec-2007 10:17:14 PM
|
Far better than Melbourne that's for sure. really liked LA, though its highly dependent on living in a nice area (we did). stoney point has some very classy stuff though it didn't seem very extensive from my observations. j tree is a doable daytrip from some parts - eg 2hrs10 from pasadena and ZERO walk ins. Tahquitz/suicide is amazing and maybe 30mins closer than jtree. There's ok daytrip crags and bouldering (horse flats) in san bernardino mtns and in/behind malibu. yosemite is 6.5-7hrs - tough for a weekend. vegas/red rocks is 4? hrs. etc etc etc
|
15-Dec-2007 4:47:48 AM
|
i remember Climbing doing a special on a crag called New Jack City a while back...apparently quite close to the big smoke.
|
16-Dec-2007 1:32:38 AM
|
There's Malibu creek canyon, but I wouldn't call that or stoney pt decent.
|
16-Dec-2007 1:33:25 AM
|
And LA's awful. wherever you are has a great chance of being better than LA.
|
17-Dec-2007 10:42:56 AM
|
I agree with duglash - LA is a f'n hole. Move to San Fran mate. J-Tree is very limited for bouldering, the bouldering is good but Bishop is THE SHIZ for bouldering, mind boggling friction slabs at the Druids and Buttermilks and steep cranking at the Happy Boulders - dunno about the Sads though. Also, just north of SF you have Castle soething or other, Font--style sandstone bouldering - the Californians don't think so much of it but that's cause they all like slab climbing and crack climbing. Yosem is a devilish place to boulder, granite without the friction ... argh! You're going to have a ball, California, Arizona, and Nevada are littered with climbing areas, it's just mind blowing.
get onto drtopo.com and start making and printing your guide books before you go. Especially for bouldering in Bishop (Buttermilks, Druids, Happy *& Sad Boulders) and Yosemite. 'cause the local books are well below average
|
17-Dec-2007 11:57:51 AM
|
All good advise dr_fil_good. Just one correction Castle Rock is just south of San Fran.
Also San Fran is a nicer city to live in but doesn't have the greatest local climbing. Like Melbourne in a lot of ways. Nice city to live in unless you are a climber...
Bouldering is okay but very limited at Indian Rocks and Mortar rock. Mickeys beach is the closest okay day trip location but also very limited.
Ended up making quite a few long day trips to Jailhouse Rock (super long and steep basalt sport climbs) and driving further afield.
|
17-Dec-2007 12:01:04 PM
|
Granite up near Lake Tahoe was super good. Lovers Leap was especially nice - no crowds, 5 pitches
high and very good quality. I didn't think this was too far from San Fran (less than 3 hours?). My memory
is vauge though!
|
17-Dec-2007 12:07:47 PM
|
Lake Tahoe climbing is good with quite a collection of crags, but getting close to Grampians time/distance from San Fran. I vaguely remember Jailhouse being a long 2 1/2hrs each way through Central Valley which was at the extreme end of what I could handle day trip distance away. Fortunately gasoline was still cheap then.
Pity the have closed climbing in Cave Rock. Also a great little venue in the area...
|
17-Dec-2007 12:20:21 PM
|
Cave Rock was pretty good - but i understand why they banned it. We accidently unleashed a boulder
onto the highway trying to scramble down the scree slope...
|
20-Apr-2008 11:31:44 PM
|
Hey Brad, If climbing comes in high on your list for what is important to do in the states, then LA or close to there is your best option. San Fran puts you on the wrong side of the Sierra's for any Bishop stuff, because you can't get through in the winter, passes are closed, and in the summer its to Bloody hot to be there. But if you live in LA you can do Yosemite valley if you want, better yet the Needles, Dome rock, so much stuff on the Kern Platue, Dome Lands, Siquioa. You can run up the east side (Highway 395), sport climbing in Alabama hills, owns river gorge bouldering in the bishop area, Ice climbing in Lee Vinning, climbing in Toualumne Meadows (high contry of Yosemite). Not to mention New Jack (sport) Joshua tree (5000+ routes), Talquitz as trad as it gettes, Red Rocks Fab sand stone, Zion big sand stone walls.
Yeah there is Stonny point It is a s*it hole but if you like bouldering it's cool on week day afternoon sesion plenty of TRs also, and all the other places mentioned ( malibu creek, echo cliffes, santa barbara...)
BTW there is plenty of bouldering in Josh! you just have to find it!
|
21-Apr-2008 10:02:01 PM
|
LA is a grisly place to live, the people will get under your skin. True you can get to the other side of the
Sierras in winter, but what's wrong with Yosemite in winter? It's kind of like Indian Creek in the dead of
winter, stellar days and you're wondering where all the "locals" are. Point being that SF is a nice place to
live as cities go, 4 hours to the Ditch, and maybe winter is a good time to do winter stuff. Salt Lake City
has probably the best local crags around. Heaps of 'em, pick your rock type.
My opinion is that nobody would climb in J-Tree if it wasn't so close to HellA. The rock quality is gerbil
teeth at best.
|