The sad truth about California climbing.

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mouse from merced

Trad climber

merced, california

Jun 17, 2012 - 04:11pm PT

I claim my right as an American to a double standard. ::00))

This could easily sub-divide to Northern vs. Southern California. In which case

yer gonna die.

I'm going to go watch Graeme win the Open. Later.

Jennie

Trad climber

Elk Creek, Idaho

Jun 17, 2012 - 05:39pm PT

What effect does lutefisk - usually eaten with potatoes - have on intelligence? How about pickled herring?

I don't know, Anders...but all of the states with higher than 100 average IQ have substantial ancestry from Norway and Sweden (except Mass, Vermont and New Hampshire).

Tony Bird

climber

Northridge, CA

Jun 17, 2012 - 05:54pm PT

the high IQ in north dakota is due to large groups of DoD scientists working in underground bunkers. north dakota no longer contains any farmers of norwegian descent, as they have all been smart enough to move to florida. not quite smart enough, however, to understand that california would have been a better move.

the smartest norwegian to immigrate to north dakota was sondre norheim, inventor of the stem christie, the parallel turn, the telemark turn, the advanced cable binding, modern skiing and snow sport in general, and, off the roof of his home in morgedal, ski jumping. however, he wasn't smart enough to know that there is no skiable terrain in north dakota, where his days ended ingloriously as a cross-country skier, save for the glory moment of running the mail out to montana.

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Jun 17, 2012 - 05:57pm PT

Hey, my grandfather immigrated to North Dakota, if only for a few days en route to Saskatchewan.

Sondre Norheim. I've been to Morgedal, and somewhere have photos of his birthplace.

go-B

climber

Habakkuk 3:19 Sozo

Jun 17, 2012 - 06:31pm PT

FA's await!

cliffhanger

Trad climber

California

Jun 17, 2012 - 06:35pm PT

Lowly potato's future buried in Peru's Andes

By Monte Hayes

AYMARA, Peru — The humble potato puts on a dazzling display at 13,000 feet above sea level.

Along the frigid spine of the Andes, men and women in bare feet uproot tubers of multiple shapes and colors — yellow, red, blue, purple, violet, pink with yellow spots, yellow with pink spots; round, oblong, twisted, hooked at the end like walking canes or spiraled like spinning tops.

Their names in Quechua, the ancient language of the Andes, evoke an intimate human connection: "best black woman," "best red woman," "makes the daughter-in-law cry," "like a deer's white tongue," "red shadow" and "like an old bone," to name a few.

Respect for the many variations of potatoes is so profound among Aymara's 650 villagers that it was a natural place for the world's agronomists to produce seeds for a gene bank to preserve their diversity. The cold climate also protects against parasites that infest low-lying potato farms.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003761428_taters25.html

http://www.potato2008.org/en/potato/origins.html

Other Andean tubers:

http://agro.biodiver.se/2011/06/not-all-andean-tubers-are-potatoes/

Lost Crops of the Incas (scroll down for index to online reading)

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=1398

Patrick Oliver

Boulder climber

Fruita, Colorado

Jun 17, 2012 - 10:23pm PT

Hard to believe such a topic could inspire so many entries.
I get the sense Jim likes to pull everyone's leg and will throw out
a comment calculated to stir discussion and aggravate nerves...
just a little.

My friend Royal Robbins has long hunted out various "secret" crags,
mostly granite things in the Sierra around his cabin at Pinecrest,
or not a long drive from there. I did a small measure of this with him,
and a few things were pretty "chossy," if I understand that term.
Other stuff was beautiful, clean, wonderfully steep with
holds on walls that look holdless, great stuff. Not always easy
to find the back roads
to such places. I agree with Bob D'Antonio that there
is more rock in the Sierra than anyone could ever cover in a lifetime.
Even Yosemite... How many of us have done everything we ever could
want to do there? Always there remain so many routes we just didn't
get to. And Tahquitz. That's an important part of the climbing
experience, what remains in imagination, the sense of the unknown,
the mystery of great climbs for which our hearts and minds long.
Just to go and repeat some of the classics, at, say, Tahquitz,
to live some of that history, could be a joyful chore of a couple
decades. Pinnacles, you name it, the well-known areas alone could
challenge the best of climbers, in terms of doing even half of
what's there. Tuolumne... a place of endless wondrous dream climbs...
a seasonal thing, but so much the better perhaps, not to overdo
that world... The bigger mountains, wow, a few photos posted, tons of
stuff. The same is true in Colorado. Endless climbs have not yet
been done, and there are countless areas that await development. I
mean... for example, the high country of Rocky Mountain National
Park. How many more routes might there be on Chief's Head, were
one person or a team interested in that walk...?

Captain...or Skully

climber

Jun 17, 2012 - 10:29pm PT

Pat is wise....But then, we knew THAT.
I agree, heartily.

Tony Bird

climber

Northridge, CA

Jun 17, 2012 - 10:39pm PT

a gracious bit of appreciation, mr. oliver.

might we drift this thread in the direction of the possible existence of choss in colorado?

i realize that you have some trouble understanding the term, as its presence in your state would be extremely rare. perhaps, if you would venture close to a population center, if such a thing exists ...

someone once told me there are chossy bells in colorado. i found that hard to understand.

gonzo chemist

climber

Fort Collins, CO

Jun 17, 2012 - 11:08pm PT

F*#K California. There's nothing left to climb there. I mean, unless you like granite. Like really solid, clean granite...even up at 13,000 ft. But who the hell LIKES that stuff??? Perfect weather? WTF?! TOTALLY overrated. f*#k that sh#t. F*#k the Sierra...worthless. I also heard that Joshua Tree has nothing to offer. That's why they call it 'Chossua Tree.'

Don't ever go here...totally blows....there's so many people, you're really fighting the crowds. Might as well get sushi in mid-town Manhattan on a Friday afternoon.

Actually had to take a number to climb this classic. It was like trying to get into NYC's Peter Lugar Steakhouse. Totally overrun by the masses. Except that there was no one there. At all.

Heard this place is a waste of time....nothing but crappy bullet-hard limestone. NO ONE likes that stuff.

Did I mention that the granite is complete choss? And by "choss" I mean "pristine." SURE there are splitter cracks....but really, why bother? The urban feel of this place is a real buzz-kill. The other nice couple that climbed up there (about a half mile away) were so obnoxious that we forgot they were there.

The weather sucks too! And what's with all the crowds???

Its so low-angle here, that everyone just stink-bugs their way up the routes. Its so slabby that the people line up like lemmings! Wait, I swear there were other people out there that day. I guess somewhere...

Did I mention the stink-buggin'? I literally had to fend off the crowds to get on this roadside classic. It was out of control. Hoards were fighting for the lead...I mean, there were like 4 people at that whole cliff. Or was it two? What can I say....climbing on perfect granite patina isn't for everyone.

Truth be told, everyone thinks its Heaven.

But its just filled with lifeless rock.

Just a whole lot of nothingness out there...

Captain...or Skully

climber

Jun 17, 2012 - 11:14pm PT

Maybe the Donini is lookin' for a nice bridge. Who knows?

Jennie

Trad climber

Elk Creek, Idaho

Jun 18, 2012 - 01:04am PT

Nice photos, GC !

bit'er ol' guy

climber

the past

Jun 18, 2012 - 02:18am PT

Good one gonzo c.

just about every cliff in those pics is better than "the diamond"

now that's an over rated slag heap.

there are at least 50+ better walls in CA

HA!!

figure it out!

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

bouldering

Jun 18, 2012 - 02:51am PT

I think the OP meant to say "The sad truth about California climbers". But good luck with that thread too.

mouse from merced

Trad climber

merced, california

Jun 18, 2012 - 10:11am PT

Hey, Big Domino:

"San Francisco International Airport and Tuolumne--our pastoral land of Oz."--from Nerve Wrack Point, pAment/tHiggins

Patrick Oliver

Boulder climber

Fruita, Colorado

Jun 18, 2012 - 10:38am PT

I could not tell if bitter ol' guy was being
playful, or serious... or what... and if
"the diamond" refers to the Diamond on Longs?
A slag heap? Hmmm... Or is this just to carry
on with Gonzo's sarcasm...? Even the Diamond,
one of the most beautiful and spectacular walls
anywhere, has its days where no one is there,
where one can experience that original
beautiful aloneness... Someone else mentioned
how it is possible to work around the "crowds"
and find serenity, even with the most used
rock....

gonamok

climber

dont make me come over there

Jan 25, 2015 - 06:10pm PT

ohh so not true. San Diego county's back country is pure rock, MAYBE 20% has been mined. Mt San Jacinto has so much rock its out of control, and they are just getting into it with the tramway and round valley routes. I dont think garner valley has really been touched, hulking granite formations dominate the skyline there. So much rock hasnt even been looked at yet.

ruppell

climber

Jan 25, 2015 - 10:44pm PT

The sad truth about Cali climbing is it's the best in the nation. That's why I moved here. Not sad for me but sad for the rest of the folks in the other 49 states.