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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 30, 2012 - 06:03pm PT
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Ho Man, it's Firefly all right. I had completely and totally forgotten about that thing. I only asked 'cause the last time I was down there was maybe the spring of 1985 with "Clint" Piggot and I think maybe Cilley. 27 years. Christ.
But after drooling over the photo awhile even the moves came back. The hardest moves (11c-ish) are getting into and then getting out of the undercling. Actually the whole thing is pretty sustained. Powerful. Not a lot of giveaway moves on it. You can just barely squeeze the very tips of your tips underneath that flake.
It's really good. Gorgeous feature on gorgeous rock. In fact, I'm putting it on my top ten list. So there. If it was easier to get to it would be heavily trafficked, highly sought after, and widely regarded as one of the best things on Woodson. The photo really tells the whole story. It's as good as it looks.
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REIGN 1
Social climber
Las Vegas, Nv
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Jan 30, 2012 - 06:50pm PT
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Henny I had to throw you under the school bus on VP's office.
I think 'slap you silly' is one of the best routes at woodson. Pink bug on steroids? haha
another good face route is 'high on the hog' nexted to cool jerk. And it's a lead climb.
enough typing.....I'm going mountain biking
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LMo
climber
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Jan 30, 2012 - 08:57pm PT
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BVB, that is Firefly. Now to get Doug, Greg and Mark motivated to do some trail building.
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F10
Trad climber
Bishop
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Jan 30, 2012 - 09:30pm PT
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Firefly is a good one for sure, went down there with Tom Scott many years ago
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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Jan 31, 2012 - 01:13am PT
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Firefly's proximity to the the main trail definitely surprised me. I had the idea that finding the boulder would constitute some epic vision quest. With a trail, the approach from the Ogre would take 2 minutes or less. More people should get on it, that's for sure.
Along the same lines, Christ on Crutches is pretty all-time. Hyperbole aside, that thing defines ultra classic.
As for Train, BVB, it does seem kind of obvious...the rock is super good, the climb has a cool history, and it is tall. There is definitely a lot of magic to running a lap on it. But it just doesn't have the sting that some other problems do. Driving South isn't enduro, but it is full value pulling the lip.
Yea Josh. I definitely did not make Greg's Crack look easy...it made me look easy. Sometime I would like to get back for another try though. With school, the days that I go to Woodson are pretty random and relatively spontaneous. I will shoot you an email.
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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Jan 31, 2012 - 01:54am PT
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And LMo is right, Woodson was happening on Sunday! The entire stretch between the fire station driveway and the driveway west of the fire station driveway was full of cars. Plus cars were lined up (for quite a ways) along the 67 extending past both of those driveways. There were also cars parked on the opposite side of the 67
I can't say for certain, as we tried to avoid the crowds, but rumor is that a good number of them were headed for Christ on Crutches
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 31, 2012 - 09:13pm PT
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Wow is right! Haven't been down to Firefly since being with Piggot back in the 80's, and it was a humbling discipleship to say the least! That was the time when I was first up (not by choice) and after making a lame effort to get over to that flake then hangdogging, Piggot says, "Are you through yet,?" simultaneously giving me slack to lower me to the ground.
Hey Doug, curious, when you headed north from the Ogre, did you end up standing on top of the Firefly boulder before carving down and right to the bottom of the problem, for this was the memory that I have when Piggot took me down there? There was a faint trail up to that point back then but I'm sure it's massively overgrown by now.
My fav unroped top five (that I remember spooking me at one time or another before succeeding):
1. IHMT (standing on the shelf calling for help...which never arrived)
2. Driving South (flying off the lip too many times and almost hitting my chest on the ground, narrowly missing that rock that juts up out of the ground)
3. Left Longs Crack (chickening out before lunging out to that cauliflower-like knob at the top, then forcing my body to swing towards the main wall before dropping to miss the slippery slab below)
4. Lemon Chiffon (burning rubber too many times by taking the cascade down on that thing at the crux)
5. Digits Delight (standing below the thin seam in the slab at the top, and realizing, this is going to suck if I blow it here!)
*pre-pad days youngins!
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 31, 2012 - 09:16pm PT
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We switched to a top ten Gary, so you get to pick 5 more. Back in the '80's the trail went straight to the base of Firefly. I have no recollection whatsover what the TR set-up was. Bolts? Gear? I dunno.
Dogging a Woodson climb? Shame. SHAME. You're lucky Piggot didn't just unclip you and let you drop and then leave you there for dead.
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 31, 2012 - 09:37pm PT
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five more? *sigh*...
6. can't forget the "10d" seam on the practice boulder (that thing STILL requires all my attention!)
7. Hard As Nails (props to those that solo it, jealous actually...what an aesthetic crack and location!)
8. The 5.8 chimney on Tower #2 (classic mantle out on the second ledge!)
9. the top of Lie Detector (I'll never get the bottom but what a classic finger crack it has in it! Aiding the bottom, then leading the top was ultra classic too!)
10. Big Grunt (I STILL will give $20 to whoever can do it without "grunting!")
Edit: I have to list one more for it's too pretty to leave out....Rockwork Orange!
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 31, 2012 - 09:38pm PT
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Bob, I'm rolling....hahahaha!
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 31, 2012 - 09:41pm PT
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All I remember is seeing Rick using a long sling for the anchor.
I'm out guys...gotta put this six year old to bed. He just asked me, "What's "edit"? He's a kick!
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snake pliskin
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jan 31, 2012 - 10:49pm PT
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Top 5 solo/highballs
1. Robbin's Crack
2. Jaws
3. Elsa's Crack
4. 5.8 Arete 20 feet down the road from Hamburger Crack (Does that thing have a name?)
5. Blackfinger or West Face of Painted Boulder w/ the saweeeet high step at the knob
Top 5 wishlist (either haven't sent it or haven't got on it yet)
1. Starving in Stereo
2. Crucible
3. Mother Superior
4. Uncertainty Principle
5. Hard as Nails
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REIGN 1
Social climber
Las Vegas, Nv
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Jan 31, 2012 - 10:53pm PT
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10 now?
6. Fall semester
7. PHD
8. Bat flake
9. Go with the flow via the leap at the start
10. Test tube
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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Jan 31, 2012 - 11:58pm PT
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OK, here are detailed directions to Firefly. Hopefully some more people will go out there.
If you are approaching from the summit, walk the main trail all the way around the Ogre. The trail will then switchback south. Walk the complete switchback so that you are again on the northernmost extreme of the trail. From this point walk through a burned area while heading towards a boulder with three cracks in it. Instead of going all the way to the aforementioned boulder, cut right (east) and walk through brush for about 50ft. Then turn left (north) and walk straight down to the east side of the Firefly boulder. Continuing along the base, you will come to Firefly. The easiest way to the top of the boulder is from the east side (right next to the approach). Use finger size gear for an anchor; 0.3 - 0.5 BD sizes.
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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I think I remember seeing Rockwork Orange listed as Clockwork Orange. Any truth to that?
Reign 1, Fall Semester is burly. That thing's no joke. Who did the FA?
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Nope, it's always been Rockwork Orange. Piggot did the FA's of Fall Semester, Spring Break, and Vice-Principal's Office, early 80's. Man he was on a f*#king roll. Anybody else ever get on Spring break? It's an oldie but a goodie. It's on the way to VP's Office, about halfway down.
I'm gonna add Out Of Sight to my top ten list. I know you'll all be abuzz over that tidbit of information.
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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10, eh?
1. Whatever the last problem I did was
2. Welcome to Rubidoux
3. Kurtains
4. Lie Detector
5. Slap You Silly
6. Night Vision
7. Hard as Nails
8. Air Stream
9. Piece of Mind
10. Whatever the next problem I do is
It doesn't seem possible to put them in any definitive order though. And there are so many honorable mentions. Not to mention the countless problems that I haven't done that if I could/would/should I'd doubtless have to rework the list.
Favorites are so subjective. Hardest? Most meaningful? Most classic? Best smack-downs? etc, etc, etc...
The ones in my list that are the most likely to always be there are numbers 1 and 10. With the quantity of good problems at Woodson those 2 will likely always be true. If ya know what I mean.
Soon we'll be talking about our top 50 favorites and I'll be hosed. I've only done 47.5 problems so far at Woodson. Oh well.
abuzz? nice.
Where and what is Out of Sight?
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Horvath
Trad climber
CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 1, 2012 - 01:00am PT
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bvb,
got any more info on Spring Break? I guess I haven't searched that hard, there is currently no trail to VP's from PhD and the brush up there is some of the most intense I have seen on the hill.
I'm sure buzzing...
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Doug Tomczik
climber
Bishop
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Mike Paul's topo (posted in another woodson thread) shows "20 point crack 5.11" across from Big Grunt. Does anybody know what climb this is?
Have any of the seams by Digit's Delight been freed? There's the one right behind Digits, there is the boulder which has Clicker, and then there is a short seam east of Digits.
Henny, Piece of Mind sounds familiar. What is it? Out of Sight is a right leaning hand crack on the way to PhD.
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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After topping the mountain, before getting to the Dragon it's downhill a bit on the left. You know where Aces High is? It's on the same big boulder. I think there's an old telephone pole somewhat in proximity. I'll have to check a map/topo to give directions as I don't know the names of the other problems in the area.
Steep small hold edging. Tall. It can be led (5 bolts if I remember) or TR'd.
Edit: Now I'm thinking it might be more than 5 bolts. Who knows, I don't remember.
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