Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2007 - 01:09pm PT
|
Greg,
Thanks for the inspiring thread. This year I'm getting serious about climbing again...gonna start tomorrow...or the day after.
Rick
|
|
Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2007 - 01:26pm PT
|
Yeah Greg!! It's been forever but do you guys have any original Poway Mt. Boys photos? Now that would be a blast from the past!! Peace, Michael Paul.
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2007 - 06:58pm PT
|
That place is truly finger size dependent. You got big fingers you simply ain't gonna do some of the really thin cracks there, and others with comparatively easy ratings (like Hear my Train at 11C) will likely be harder than any 5.12 crack in Tarnation. On the other hand, a lot of the wider stuff is not so bad for bigger folk.
What I'd like to see is a shot of the Silk Banana, an oddball classic with an interesting finish.
JL
|
|
mooser
Trad climber
seattle
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2007 - 07:44pm PT
|
Thanks, JL. I feel vindicated! By the way...there is a shot of Silk Banana (a truly odd classic) in one of the latest issues of R&I or Climbing. Can't remember (or find at this moment) which one.
|
|
Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2007 - 08:50pm PT
|
I've been forever off of correctly judging class 5 ratings having grown-up climbing at Woodson in the seventies. A Woodson 5.9 is more like a 5.10. Many 5.10s at Woodson are more like 5.11. And then of course 5.11 could really be 5.12. There is often a full letter grade difference.
I don't know. Maybe other areas got soft? It has screwed me up ever since. My grading system is very workable though: hard, harder, and damn near impossible.
It would be great to see more of the "Poway Mt. Boys" post up. It would be cool if Rick P., were to arrive and talk about the days of yore. Last I heard from another thread - he was up in Tahoe area.
Greg, are you in touch with him?
PS We should link other Woodson threads to this thread. A lot of history has been discussed here over time. ST is a great resource.
|
|
eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 21, 2007 - 11:03am PT
|
So, this thread's not dead. Good to hear from you Watusi. Seems kind of strange that our paths didn't cross more. In fact, I can only think of climbing with you at Woodson maybe once or twice. But, of course, your reputation always proceeded you (or is it preceeded?). Haven't been in touch with Piggot - the pride of the Poway Mountain Boys. As for pictures, I think the only pictures I have of Woodson are the ones I took this Xmas. My brother Jim must have a lot of them from 1970 and 1971 that he developed himself in black and white. I may try to get some of those scanned.
Hey Klimmer. As a fellow Woodson afficianado, we'll have to boulder there together some time. Radical - good story about Robbins Crack. I've always found the size somewhat difficult as well. Rick - How's that climbing coming today (in the snow)? Largo - I was checking out the Silk Banana on this trip. Never could come close to doing it, have you done it? Mooser - Hey!
|
|
Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 11:22am PT
|
Hi Greg! Yeah I mostly remember going over to the house in Poway and hanging more with Tom and George a little. I got to know Rick a little better in later years but for the most part never really hung with you that much, more with Bob Van Belle (BVB), Ron Amick (gonamuck), and Greg Epperson. But I always had been told of many of your exploits which are legendary!
|
|
Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 11:51am PT
|
Johnny- re: hand size dependent cracks. I will refrain from complaining about certain fist+ cracks, e.g. Paisano Overhang, if you do the same regarding thin finger cracks!
Greg-gonna have to be the day after, looks like snowboarding in the neighborhood again today.
For those who haven’t been to Woodson, there are good face climbs, too. Here is Karl M. on “Go with the Flow”, circa 1979.
|
|
Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 12:45pm PT
|
Wow! Rockamazo, that's a classic of Karl Mueller!! I used to hang out with him a bit back then!
|
|
eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 21, 2007 - 01:15pm PT
|
Although I haven't seen him in many years, I happen to know that Karl is a professor at CU Boulder where he teaches structural geology.
I just remembered another time when I couldn't do hear my train a com'in ... I remember a chipmunk looking at me kinda funny, and then like, the sun was in my eyes or something. My hands were extra sweaty - they're always extra sweaty on those Woodson .11c finger cracks. I remember thinking to myself, I don't have a chance.
|
|
Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 03:24pm PT
|
Greg,
Would love to boulder with you at Woodson sometime or anybody here posting to this thread, just shoot me an email and let me know when you're in town.
Awesome,
You guys have just solved my snapshot photo problem after all these years. I'm thinking who is the guy that I gave my camera to and asked him to take a few shots? Karl Mueller. I would see him from time to time up there. I do remember he was a UCSD student, and yes I believe he told me he was a geology major or going for his masters?
Following shots are of me (circa '78/'79, age 17) and Karl climbing the Woodson, roadside face climb just south of and on the same side of the road as "Don't Rock the Boat." Keith Brueckner and Tim Umstead, my climbing bud, are both watching. Although everyone jumped on it. We called it 5.10+, although Kennedy's guidebook now calls it 5.11+. Now, there is a big Laurel Sumac in front of the climb, although it is still climbable. Typical wear for me at the time: EBs with leather covers, OD green Army pants, and wearing my Forest Harness from climb to climb regardless if we were bouldering or top-roping it, function over fashion.
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
The West
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 07:01pm PT
|
Nice Candor, Riley! You expressed soemthing I've felt a number of times. Robbins crack fit me like a glass slipper, I was up and down within two minutes of fire™-ing up. But supercrack, and the first, wide hands part of Spectreman, left me uneasy and wondering why they seemed so easy for everybody but me.
|
|
bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 07:51pm PT
|
Yeah BVB!! Remember the '70's!!
yeah vawto! remember the great mid-week winter session of '77 that came to be known as "Big Wednesday?" one of the top ten days of my climbing life...all of a sudden realized that the sky was the limit!
|
|
bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 08:06pm PT
|
bad lighting, lousy shots of silk bannana from a couple winters ago...standard woodsun socalflyweight elevensee warm-up. 'specially when those interlopers from roo-bee-doo dared come down from smell-eh to tread our holy ground!
|
|
Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 09:16pm PT
|
BVB,
Sweeeeet. "Silk Banana" definately named appropriately. Never could get it. I have the build, tall with long legs. I better start doing my situps now in preparation. I'll be ready in about 6 months, at a 100 situps a day (lol). Nice beta shots.
Here is Boulder 13. As we know the start is easy, it is the finish that is hard 10d-ish. Photo of me, by my good friend George Tabler also from Poway. Circa '77/'78, at 16. (I date photos by HS years for that period of time in my life. Only damn way I can remember the dates)
Bandana on, and at least I'm wearing underwear that day. Good thing.
On-edit: BVB, after rereading your post I think you are definately opening up some old wounds from the SM threads, and days of yore. The turf wars continue . . . (lol).
|
|
bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007 - 11:57pm PT
|
indeed. someday kp and hensel and mike paul and eppi and i will be sitting around the old folk's home beating one another with our canes....SoCalFlyweights4Lyfe!!1!
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2007 - 12:14am PT
|
A two-step knee jam, cool. Looks like tip-toeing until you can move that lower foot up and then - locked. Very nice.
[ Edit: Ooopppss, now that I study it more I see you're actually doing a knee bar traverse - never run across a beast quite like that. Interesting. Have to hand it to whoever came up with that one... ]
|
|
crotch
climber
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2007 - 01:15am PT
|
For anyone who's tempted to come down to SD and hop on these clean splitters on immaculate granite, Chris Hubbard, co-author of the San Diego County Climbing Guide has posted his Woodson topos over on http://www.climbingtoposofsandiego.com. Also some beta here.
|
|
Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
|
|
|
Jan 22, 2007 - 01:57am PT
|
Crotch,
Thanks for the links.
How the heck did I miss this thread?
So-Cal climbing beta (near San Diego)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=262374&msg=290729
Must have been really worried and stressed by the up-coming election in November and I was drinking myself dizzy (thank God the elections went the right way) without checking into SuperTaco. Another worthy thread to link to this one.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!