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Location: CA : Yosemite National Park : Yosemite Valley : Middle Cathedral Rock : Central Pillar of Frenzy (5.9) : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Feb 19, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: I thought that the roof below was definitely 5.9. It was the crux of the route for me.
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Hwy 33/Ojai : Derrydale Cliff : Elephant in the Room (5.9+)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Feb 6, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: The next crag that we open should have route names that are ALL surfing cliches...I'm thinking pointbreak, longboard, doubleoverhead...
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Hwy 33/Ojai : The Fortress : Right Side Gully
By: Matthew Fienup When: Feb 6, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: a.k.a. "Milton Friedman Memorial Crag."
As a historical footnote, Milton Friedman died the same week that we undertook our first day of exploration in the Fortress in November 2006. The route "Free to Choose" was the first line that we explored.
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Stoney Point : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Feb 2, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: If you happen to have information about these bolts--how old they are, how they work (i.e. what type of bolt they are), what size they are,etc.--please post information here.
I would be grateful.
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Stoney Point : Mozart's Wall : Right Edge (5.5) : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Feb 2, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: There are a few short, very easy face climbs to the right of the arete.
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Stoney Point : Sculpture's Crack Wall : Sand Blast (5.11c)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Feb 2, 2009 | view comment >> |
Comments: This is one of my all-time favorite routes at Stoney Point.
On the day that we climbed it, there was absolutely no chalk above about 15 feet off the ground--which might imply that the route does not see much traffic. We were delighted to find the movement to be of very high quality with pretty impressive rock quality by Stoney standards. Only the last 10 feet is sandy, but the bad rock can be avoided altogether.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Dec 17, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Very cool!! Thanks for the info and the links, jeffjays.
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Location: CA : The Needles / Kern River : Dome Rock : Vicious (5.11+)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Dec 8, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Approach the Amphitheater by descending the class-2 hillside to the west of the routes. There is a little spelunking beneath and between massive boulders.
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Location: CA : The Needles / Kern River : The Needles : The Witch : Pizzazz (5.10- PG13)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Dec 8, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The Moser, Vernon, Paul guidebook reads, "Poor protection for the move leaving the chimney to get to the crack."
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Hwy 33/Ojai : Potrero John
By: Matthew Fienup When: Dec 6, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: There has been a lot of extracurricular activity going on at this site lately...extensive brush removal including the cutting of mature shrubs at the ground level and the building of rock walls (more than 20 feet long at this point--UPDATE: 40 feet!). Does anyone know what the situation is? The heavy-handedness of some of these site alterations is unnerving.
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Location: CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Nov 2, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I do realize that the snake pictured here does not have an obvious, horn-like scale over the eye. My ID was based primarily on the odd sideways manner in which it moved. Have you heard of Western Rattlers moving this way?
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Santa Monica Mountains : Echo Cliffs : Easy Street : Golden Years (5.8)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The photo sited in the route description does not show the proper location of this route. The routes shown are The Serpent & Watermark. Golden Years is actually the next line of bolts to the left.
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Santa Monica Mountains : Echo Cliffs : Easy Street : Photo (Copy)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Routes 4 & 5 are actually the Serpent and Watermark. Golden Years and Dirty Deeds are father left (Golden Years actually crosses the obvious gully to the left).
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Santa Monica Mountains : Echo Cliffs : Left Flank : Wet Bush (5.10a)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: The crux moves through the overhang are reachy and pumpy. The bolt placements above the roof are not ideal. I once caught a 15-footer that my partner took from above the small roof.
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Santa Monica Mountains : Echo Cliffs : The Grotto : Game Boy (5.8)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: This route feels substantially harder to me than Miss Pacman, to its left.
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Location: CA : Los Angeles County : Point Dume : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: There is not typically this few climbers at Point Dume...unless the hoard of climbers waiting their is just out of the frame.
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Location: CA : The Needles / Kern River : Dome Rock : Tree Route (5.6) : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Very sadly, the two conifers at the top of this pitch (visible in the center of the photo) have died. One was a Yellow Pine, the other was an Incense Cedar.
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Location: CA : The Needles / Kern River : Dome Rock : Just Barely (5.11b PG13)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 30, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Three more pitches (5.7, 5.9, easy fifth) will deposit you on the top of the Dome.
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Hwy 33/Ojai : The Fortress : Central Gully : Blue In Green (5.6)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 24, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I finally led this route yesterday, and I have to take my hat off to my friend Romain. What was originally envisioned as merely an approach pitch to other routes has proven to be a very worthy addition to the Fortress. This route is surprisingly sustained and boasts quality rock.
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Hwy 33/Ojai : Wheeler Gorge : Goulara (5.10c)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 22, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Climbing on the face the entire way (which I have only done on top-rope) yields the most sustained route at Wheeler by a mile. It's harder than some 12s that I have done, just for the pump factor.
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Santa Barbara : Cathedral Peak : South Face (5.7) : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Sep 15, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Hundreds of yards of this stuff!
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Santa Barbara : Gibraltar Area : Toxic Waste Wall
By: Matthew Fienup When: Aug 24, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: To be clear, Jon, I am not advocating "fixing" anything. I am simply asking for truth in advertising. This is not a modern "sport crag" and should not be referred to as such. True sport crags do not usually have areas where a routine fall will result in a broken ankle
I would prefer if the Area Description used Steve's words:
"old-school, first generation sport crag."
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Location: CA : The Needles / Kern River : Dome Rock : Red Mushrooms (5.10c PG13)
By: Matthew Fienup When: Aug 24, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: Climbing past the first two bolts on this route is feeling harder than ever. I climbed this route the other day and the holds seemed weathered. I actually would have said 5.10d or 11a. The remainder of the route still felt like sustained 9+.
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Location: CA : The Needles / Kern River : Dome Rock : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Aug 24, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: I am pretty sure that I saw a bolt on the Last Dihedral whose buttonhead was even bigger than the one on the right-hand of these two. Do you know of any 3/8" compression bolts that were placed in the Southern Sierra?
By the way, the 1/4-inchers produced erratic results in test done by Duane Raleigh. They held between 4,000 lbs and body weight depending upon how well they were drilled. Data
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Location: CA : Central Coast : Santa Barbara : San Ysidro : Photo
By: Matthew Fienup When: Aug 22, 2008 | view comment >> |
Comments: That photo is CLASSIC Sage material
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