Orange Buddha Boulder - Mickeys Beach - Bay Area Bouldering 2017 Update

Winter 2017 the main bouldering rock at Mickeys Beach known as The Orange Buddha Boulder or The Danger Boulder shifted on the sandy beach in the big wet storms. The boulder tilted to the south and east and seems to have slipped west, down and out toward the sea. Several problems are gone or drastically changed and all are different ratings now. Basically the problems on the north/nude beach side are higher but less steep and therefore easier now and the classic Orange Buddha Arete V8 and most of the problems to the right of it are now less than half as high, less than half as hard and way less than half as good. Only the Orange Buddha Face to the right of what was the Orange Buddha Arete is still high enough to be enjoyed and it is steeper and harder now ~ V4/5. The classic west face test-piece Bound By Tension was V11 but is now about V9 since the holds tilted and have become less sloper. The best new classic is the north east arete nicknamed "Plumass"? lol and is about V7.


Orange Buddha Boulder - West Face
(R to L)
1 ~V0/1 short overhanging juggy right arete.
2 Bound by Tension ~V9/10? sloper up steep prow right into #1.

Orange Buddha Boulder - North Face/Nude Beach Face
(L to R)
3 Peeping Tom ~V3
4 Diagonal Crack V1
5 Baseball ~V2
6 Don't Worry Be Snappy aka Wheel Well ~V3
7 Grace Face ~V3
8 Peeping Tom Traverse ~V4
9 Plumass ~V7 was The Changeling (~V4) variation to the left.

Orange Buddha Boulder - East Face
(L to R)
10 New Orange Buddha Arete ~V3
11 Orange Buddha Face ~V4/5
12 ~V1/2/3?
13 ~V6/7 low crimps sit.
14 ~V2/3 face left of arete.
15 ~V3/4 red boulder spire behind trail.


*classics lost or drastically changed;
Orange Buddha Arete V8 or V9 low left sit.
Orange Pleasure V4
Back in the Day V4
Bodhi Day V9
Dayo V6
Shark Sighting V10
Great White V8
Hammerhead V7
The Changeling V4

Mortar Rock Park - Berkeley CA - Bay Area Bouldering 2017 Update

Mortar Rock Park

Mortar Rock - Main West Face
(left to right)

1 V? high face!
2 Nats Traverse V8 low (l to r) low/below rail feature or Baby Nats V6 start at undercling in corner into #6 or Natural Nats V6/7 same start as Nats on slab at far left then use all holds/rail into #6.

3 Nats Crack V0 dirty crack corner.

4 Sunshine V5 sit bulge up right or Sunshine Eliminate V9 direct up left / right of #3.

5 The Brink / Brink of Disaster aka Black Plague V6 face left of #6 or Sun Plague V7 #4 into #5
or Black Sun V6 stand or White Sun V7 sit #6 into #4 or White Plague V7 sit start #6 up into #5.

6 The Ramp V4 stand start featured scoop or V5 sit or V8 sit #9 or Sun Ramp V6 sit #4.

7 Stans Traverse V8 Nats backwards or V9 sit start #9 or Jungle Stans V8/9 from #8+9 stand.

8 Jungle Fever V8 *eliminate - stay right of #6 - or Full Fever V10 sit #9 into #8. 

9 New Wave V9 stand or The Kraken V11 low sit start under bulge.

10 Marks Traverse V11 stand start jug same as #11 bust left into #7.

11 Don't Worry Be Snappy V12 jug start up over steep roof/bulge or Snappy Wave V11 #11 into #9 or Snappy Fever V11 #11 into #8.

12 Impossible Traverse V13 same jug start right into #13 - or Full Impossible Traverse/Mortar Rock Traverse Project V!!?? start #2??

13 Impossible Wall V8 stand start or Mission Impossible V9 low stand.

14 Chinese Connection V12 low sit start #13.

15 Egypt Air V9 #13 into high left finish or V13 sit #14.

16 The Odyssey V7 jump start V9 stand or V12 sit.

17 Beached Whale V6 bulge slab up into to face or crack.

18 Bench Crack V1 high dirty crack or The Scoop V4 low left sit.

19 Bench Wall V2 stand or V3 sit classic high face or Bench Arete V4 stand V5 sit.

20 Bench Corner V3 stand or V4 sit or V0/1 far right slab.

Mortar Rock - Sidewalk Boulders

(right to left)

21 The Hand Traverse aka Sidewalk Traverse V1 lip traverse up left over sidewalk.  

22 Pipeline Traverse V5 with foot ledge V6 without - low face traverse below lip (r to l).

24 The Boys Problem V5 sit or Rimshot V3 stand.

23 The Girls Problem V5 sit or V4 stand.

25 Little Half Dome V1 center face upper boulder or V2 face traverse.

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Grotto Rock Park (uphill from Mortar Rock Park)

Grotto Rock - Main West Face
(left to right)
1 Grotto Rock Traverse V3/4/5/6~
V4/5 right side - start on man-made rock wall on right side and traverse lip holds from right to left to top out at shelf in middle or V3/4 left side - sit start at shelf in middle and traverse along lip to the left to top out on pointy jugs next to bushy corridor or ~V5/6? full traverse right to left with contrived rest(s) midway - West Face.
2 short grungy sit starts/traverses on right side of West Face (needs cleaning)?

Grotto Rock - Backside North
(right to left)
3 slab/face right side of overhang (needs cleaning) - North Face
4 overhanging face (needs cleaning) go up or traverse left - North Face
5 face left side of overhang (needs cleaning) - North Face

Grotto Rock - Backside East
(right to left)
6 bulge up or left (needs cleaning) - East Face
7 mini bulge (needs cleaning) - East Face
8 face (needs cleaning) - East Face
9 traverse (needs cleaning) - East Face
10 short face (needs cleaning) - East Face


A few random fa's I've done in Berkeley that are not very well known:
Grizzly Peak
"Wandering Arete" V6 stand V7 sit (same low sit as for Scotts Arete) - stand start Scotts Roof (right of Scotts Arete) and angle up left into Scotts Arete to top out.
"Stinkbomb" V3 stand or V4 sit - right of Mikes Face/Mikes Problem on a small boulder to the south-west of the main cluster.
Pinnacle Rock/Remillard Park
"The Foolish Traverse" V3 start on far left of Pinnacle Rock same as for Remillard Traverse and traverse right past Bucket Prow up under the roof over the rocky landing all the way up right into steep pumpy jugs to the top of Pinnacle Rock.
Cragmont Rock
"Adventure Club Traverse" V2 sit start left side of small rock next to field/b-ball court/picnic bench gazebo and traverse the lip to the right to finish on the far right. *The crack features on this rock are used by local climbing guides to teach traditional gear placements and anchor systems.