Bummer Boulders

Bummer Boulders - part 1

These are the boulders along the ridge off CA1 on the trail down to the classic Bay Area sport climbing test-pieces Endless Bummer (5.13b) and Surf Safari (5.13d/14a). I did the main problem here (semi highball V1/2ish?) about 15 or more years ago and I think I remember hearing from some locals that it might have been done before me. If it had it had been done it was by Scott Frye and friends while developing the Endless Bummer crag. Maybe a few others did it but probably just from a stand start if at all since it was very dirty when I found it. It is not the best problem due to some crumbly/hollow holds low down and the poison oak covered landing, but, it is pretty high, has a cool hueco in the middle and a great view. I went back a few years after I did the stand start and did the sit, which basicly adds a grade but takes off a star because of the hollow holds. The whole problem always needed a good cleaning but was barely worth it. There is also a lot of poison oak at the base and a rocky landing so no local boulderers ever seemed to care enough about it to clean it off or landscape the landing.

Nowadays, I am all about new bouldering so I went back to check it out again and found potential for some new problems - about 10-12 problems total. 4-18-12 - I finished cleaning the original problem and also totally cleaned most of the main face. It is now ready for a few more problems to be added. The smaller boulder next to it could have a few problems as well. If you get poison oak very bad at all then you don't want to boulder here. Otherwise it is at least worth a quick stop sometime on the way to or from Stinson or Mickey's Beach bouldering areas.


*List of problems so far (right to left):
1 "Main Course" V1/2 stand V2/3 sit (original/main line)
2 "Horizon" V2/3 stand V!? sit
3 "Thundercling" V2/3 stand V!? sit

TOPO SECRET Sonoma County Schist Classics on "The Slither Boulder" aka "The Big Boy"

Giovanni "G" Traversi does a lap on "Slither" V7
{video screen shot from his Coastal Trip vid}

Coastal Trip
"Stigmata" V11 2nd Ascent! + "Slither" V7 as well as the nearby Fort Ross classic "Relentless" (or/aka "Grand Finale"?) V10 - Giovanni Traversi
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=100847180038442


"Adrift" V13 First Ascent by Giovanni Traversi - The hardest problem done yet in Sonoma County!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=127491947373965



Slither Boulder
First discovered for bouldering by Richie Esquibel and I about 1997-ish its quality is impeccable. It has a couple of the most difficult boulder problems in Sonoma County and one of the best, steep problems in Nor Cal and probably the world, "Slither". Unfortunately, it is deep in Private Property and requires someone with permission to access or a long hike up a rocky creek or exact beta for parking and a steep and rugged hillside approach. The Slither Boulder (aka Stigmata Boulder) is also known to geologists as "The Big Boy" and is part of the Ward Creek Schist Area. The classics are;

>"Big Boy" V2/3 stand start on ledge on far left {FA=Chris Summit/Richie Esquibel - 1997/1998?} - sit start was V6/7 {FA=Mike Papciak - 1998/1999} but a hold broke and now its V!?

>"Middle Man" V6 stand start between the far left problem and the stand start for Slither and bust a few tough moves up into the finish of Slither {FA=Ryan Tolentino - 1999/2000?}

>"?" V!?? PROJECT!! not even sure this is possible :-/ but maybe!!?
soo sick.

>"Slither" V7 same sit start on jug rail as Stigmata and Adrift then traverse the rail up left out the steep roof into high top out! - or V5 stand start on sculpted jug off pointy rock. (V6 sit to lip then drop)
{FA=Chris Summit - 1997/1998?}

>"Medusa" V6 stand start off rock on good in-cut edge above rail on Slither and go up high face into same top out as Stigmata. {FA=Charlie Barrett - 1998/1999?}

>"The Hand of Perseus" V12 stand start on the center rail of Slither and move up past a hard right hand sloper lump into Medusa {FA=Carlo Traversi - Thanksgiving Day 2013} -or- V13? add the sit start from Slither into Hand of Perseus - PROJECT!

>"Stigmata" V13 (was V11 but a hold broke) same sit start on jug rail as Slither and Adrift then do a few tick tack moves up into the crux move out left into the same high top out as Medusa!
{FA=Kevin Jorgeson - 2003/2004? - cleaned/named by Richie Esquibel}

>"Adrift" V?? (was V13 but the shared hold with Stigmata broke) same sit start on jug rail as Slither and Stigmata then do the same tick tack moves as the start of Stigmata but instead of going out left like Stigmata go straight up into the crux dyno!
{FA=Giovanni Traversi - 2012}

>"?" V6/7 {FA=Sean Brady - 2000/2001?} -or- Afro Samurai V7/8 {FA=Giovanni Traversi - 2013}


>"??" V2-V6 short boulder with 3-4 problems - to the right of Stigmata/Adrift. {FA=?? 199?}

Alton Richardson 2012 Demo Reel

Featuring clips of the Bay Area classic "Dreams of White Porsches" 5.13b Mickey's Beach, Marin County, CA and my very own local classic "Judge Dredd" 5.13b Sea Crag, Sonoma County, CA.

http://vimeo.com/34980601