Tuesday, November 28, 2017

For over 25 years I've done ~1000+ first ascents with ~100 this year alone on almost every type of stone. Cleaning/trundling loose rock off first ascents is an often overlooked and under appreciated risky part of establishing new routes. It is risky for the person doing it and it is risky for all those that follow if it is not done properly or not done at all in some instances. There is also a fine line between over cleaning for safety and under cleaning for aesthetics (good) and laziness (~bad). Never assume the rock even on established old classics is solid until every hold is searched for visible fractures as well as inspected by hand, knocking and listening as well as feeling for hollowness and vibrations. Even then I have still had seeminlgy solid holds break on me. This dude is lucky this was not worse - be frkn careful; 
https://www.climbing.com/videos/video-boulderer-falls-pulls-300-pound-block-off-with-him/

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Pinnacles Bouldering

East Side - Moses Spring Trail/Bear Gulch Caves
Moses Spring Trail
Yellow Jacket Boulder
1 "Yellowjacket" V3/4 classic line up center of steep yellow lichen and green moss covered boulder FA=Chris Summit/Anson Shmanson
2 "Yellowjacket Traverse" V5/6? traverse into Yellowjacket!?
3 V6/7? face right of Yellowjacket!?
4 "Dabbage Incorporated" V4/5 FA=CS
5 steep face left of Dabbage Inc?
Monkey Boulder
6 "Chunky Monkey" V3/4 low sit V1/2 stand - short left arete. FA=CS
7 "Funky Monkey" V3/4 center face/roof low sit. FA=CS
8 V2/3 right arete/roof sit. FA=DH
9 ?
High Arete Boulder
10 high left arete next to Yellowjacket?
11 high face corner right of high left arete?
12 high arete/face on hill?
Bear Gulch Caves
13 steep cave face far left - and/or traverse lip right?
14 "Direct Cave" V3/4 steep cave face right side left of hueco direct to lip or traverse right. FA=CS
15 V1/2 steep cave face right start hueco to lip or traverse lip right into #16. FA=DH
16 V0/1 steep cave face far right start hueco then traverse right. FA=CS
17 V3/4 short steep boulder in cave. FA=DH
18 V2/3 low start right hand pocket past edge to lip match and drop. FA=CS
19 "Knobby Bulge" V3/4 knob face sit start next to trail up left into slot. FA=CS
20 crack roof face over trail!?
21 "Monolith Traverse" V4-V6 harder depending on exactly where you start or finish - traverse right to left from Cantaloupe Death to Regular Route. The first official boulder problem on Pinnacles East Side. FA: Jim Thornburg
22 Discovery Wall area traverse(s)!?
23 "Reservoir Problem" VB/0/1? boulder face next to reservoir?
24 boulder face right side next to reservoir?
Teaching Rock/High Peaks
25 "Teaching Rock Traverse"VB/0 traverse backside/south side of Teaching Rock FA=CS/DH?
26 semi highball knobby slab/face above traverse?
27 semi highball knobby slab/face above traverse??
28 ?
29 ?
30 ?

West Side - Juniper Canyon Trail
Juniper Creek Boulders
1 traverse on hill below trail?
2 slab face?
3 sit overhang prow into slab?
4 pillar in creek!?
5 steep face to lip drop or high slab top!?
The Choss Balls - Lower Choss Ball
6 "The Scrotum"? chossy highball crack jug seam on center face of the lower choss ball!?
7 lower choss ball face(s)??
8 ??
9 ??
The Choss Ball (Upper Choss Ball)
10 V0 easy up/downclimb far right side.
11 "Shake The Monkey" V0/1 up left across shaky jugs into face left of downclimb. FA=CS
12 V2/3 sit start up into face left of downclimb. FA=AH
13 "Slob on my Knob" V2/3 sit start face center-right. FA=CS
14 "Jukebox Hero" V2/3 sit start face center-left or V0/1 stand start. FA=CS
15 "Flotsam" V2/3 left low stand start up into center-left face or direct start "Jetsam" V3/4. FA=CS
16 "Ballers Traverse" V5/6 sit start face center-left then traverse right into downclimb. FA=CS
17 "Ball Fondler Traverse" V5/6 start on downclimb traverse left into left face top out. FA=AH
18 ?
19 ?
20 ?

West Side - Balconies Trail
Red Sun Boulder
Short red boulder just right of Balconies Trail at entrance to first caves next to trail to Elephant Rock and The Citadel:
1 "Hot Flash" V1/2 or V2/3 direct left - sit start short steep bulge next to trail. FA=SL/CS
2 "Mood Swings" V0/1 start on left and traverse up right along lip to far right top out. FA=SL
3 "Red Dwarf" V0/1 short left face stand start - a bit crumbly.
4 "Red Sun" V3/4 sit start center face - V1/2 stand start. FA=CS
5 "Redline" V3/4 right stand start on crimps up left into to Red Sun. FA=CS
6 right arete - same stand as Blood Red?

7 "Split Boulder" V1/2 sit start hueco up left past hollow jug to drop off on good holds up left - boulder left of trail at entrance to first caves.
8 boulder(s) in creek left of trail at entrance to first caves.
9 "Shepherds Traverse" aka "Anticlimactic Traverse" V4/5 traverse huecos, underclings and pockets on center face on base of cliff just right of trail FA=CS - or V5/6 natural thread start?
Bouldering Rock
10 northwest arete - vert left or slabby right side.
11 "Bouldering Slab" VB/0 classic main line up the center of the slab ~bolts on top - many left or right variations or traverses up to V0/1. FA=??
12 "Pocket Problem" V1/2 left side of main east face face from right hand slot pocket start.
13 "Flake Problem" V1/2 stand start left hand flake face or V3/4 low hueco sit start. FA=AH(sit)
14 "Deadpoint Face" V2/3 stand start edges and crank or deadpoint to lip and top out or V3/4 low hueco sit. FA=CS(sit)
15 V2/3 direct sit start face left of northeast arete.
16 V1/2 sit start northeast arete.
17 V5/6 low start steep face right of arete. FA=AH
18 "Original Classic" V3 low start on right side of steep face up left past rail to top out direct or left  FA=??
19 V2/3/4? right arete/lip traverse up into top of the original classic.
20 traverse up right into high face!?
21 sit start rail up right into high face!?
22 sit start direct up into high face!?
23 right start up into high face!?
The Rookie Rock
24 5th classX grungy tall solo slab on southwest face - accèss for top of Rookie.
25 "The Rookie" 5.10d top rope northface ~bolts on top - access via 5th classX solo slab.
26 "Ring of Fire" V3/4 stand start left pocket on big overhang and pull up and right onto slab - or low start project; fire up into the "ring" pocket!? FA=CS
27 "The Nookie" V2/3 low sit start arete on big overhang up left and top out onto slab in the same spot as for Ring of Fire. FA=CS
28 ""Sharma Project""!? - high face project - left feature up to steep high headwall onto high slab.!?
29 face(s) right of Sharma Project!?
30 face far right of Sharma Project over trail near corridor!?
31 short face on rock next to Rookie Rock in corridor?
32 short face/crack on rock next to Rookie Rock in corridor?
33 short traverse on rock next to Rookie Rock in corridor?
The Machete Boulder
34 ?
35 ?
Balconies
36 "Balconies Traverse" V0/1/2? traverse along base of Balconies Cliff. FA=??
Balconies Caves?
37 ?
38 ?
39 ?
40 ?







Wednesday, November 22, 2017

The Rockshelter aka "Coyote Hole"


Rockshelter/Coyote Hole - right to left:
{Please tread lightly here - respect this precious sacred ancient historic cave - leave no trace.}

1 VB easy way up/down.
2 V0- sit start short slab corner ,watched on low right hand layback. FA=NJ
3 Sabertooth Sneak Attack V2 right sit then up left - or V0 stand. FA=SL
4 The Coyote V2 right sit then traverse left and up into main top out same as #5+6. FA=CS
5 Wlie E Coyote V4 sit under cave and up over main top out. FA=CS
6 The Coyote V1 stand start main top out. FA=CS
7 Coyote Ugly V6 sit start near back of cave out right into main top out! FA=CS
7 Sacred Spirit V6 right sit then left into #8 to top out. AKA Coyote Traverse FA=CS
8 Coyote Arete V2 high stand start off bush/rock or V3 low campus stand start off lip holds up orange left arete/corner of cave over tilted highish bushy landing. FA=DW old school original classic.
9 Road Runner V6 left horizontal crack to left facing corner up into #8 to top out. FA=CS
11 ?
12 ?
13 ?
14 V0 stand start or V0/1 sit left side. FA=?
15 VB far left stand.