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First time outdoor bouldering in Oregon? Place? Equipment.

Original Post
fredylee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 10

Guys,

I started climbing about 3 months ago. I loved it. Did plenty of top rope and bouldering at different places. I can do up to v3 at the circuit gym, and my current gym does not put ratings.

Anyway, I am planning to go to carver for bouldering before it get's really cold. It will be my first outdoor attempt.

I've got few questions.
1. If I mainly do v0-v1 for my first attempt, do I need crash pad.
2. Is there any bouldering place that is close to Hillsboro Airport?

Thanks and Send hard,

Fred

redlude97 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 5

Did you join the CCC yet? http://www.carverclimbingclub.org/ you will threaten access to Carver. You need a crash pad for anything you might fall on. Carver is often mossy and chossy so I wouldn't bet on not falling on a V0-V1, especially if you are only climbing V3 at Circuit, its a bit soft and outside is much different

fredylee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 10

Planning to join ccc so I can go to carver.

What would you recommend for first time outdoor boulder-ing experience in Portland vicinity then?

Thx.

fredylee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 10

I take it, it will also be best if I wear a helmet then?

Evan S · · Denver, Co · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 510
fredylee wrote:I take it, it will also be best if I wear a helmet then?
I've seen more than one person wearing a helmet bouldering who was glad to have it on. Depends on the angles and heights you plan on attacking. If your body is parallel to the ground and you slip off all points, cracking your head off the side of a pad is a concern. You'll get mercilessly laughed at for wearing one on a 10ft v0 though...
fredylee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 10

Ha, I will remember that when I boulder 10ft v0.

How about Rocky Butte? Any decent boulder routes there?

PDub-Trad Forschizzle · · Corvallis, Oregon · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 241

Rocky Butte has a minor bouldering area - its called the Schwingus. Unfortunately, while all of Rocky Butte sees occupancy from local bums, vagrants and drifters (outside of the climbers), the Schwingus is ground zero for bum village.

The Schwingus consists of one large boulder with a half-dozen pure lines and a crazy number of eliminates and variations, that tops out fairly high and has lots of great bouldering terrain. The landings been cleared for years but still isn't great. There are two or three other small boulders below the primary Schwingus boulder, but they usually have the full sleeping bag and wordly possessions of said homeless community.

When folks were bouldering there a lot more (and roped climbing there a lot more) it felt relatively safe to venture thru the homeless camp to get to Schwingus. In the last few years - not so much.

More people use the man-made wall structure above the cliffs and above the bible college for bouldering work-outs outside of climbing quality roped routes at RB like Blueberry Jam, Wizard, Phylynx, Warrior...

If you don't want to pay or wade thru the masses at Carver look into some of the newer bouldering sites in the Portland/CRG vicinity - Cascade Boulders, Larch Boulders, West Fork...

here's a link: tymunabbott.blogspot.com/

If you have the ability to travel - come down to Corvallis/Philomath - we have a great new local bouldering area, there is the old quality stand-by the Garden, and Corvallis isn't far from Oregon's bouldering Nexus - Sisters, where there are more sites of high quality than you can shake a stick at...

Haven't followed up on it but I've also heard bouldering present at Knights Bridge Cemetary? and near Canemah/Canby?

The bouldering at Broughtons Bluff - its called the Magma Zone, and outside of the first couple boulders (that take 20 minutes to hike to) the area is kind of lame. After Magma Man v2 good problem, the trails disintegrate and the bouldering is limited to steep horizontal roofs leading out over no-landing steep hillside. Magma Zone had a rich history for a few hard-sending locals back in the day, but its not a bouldering destination.

bryans · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 432

Just go to carver, don't make this decision harder than it needs to be. I've bouldered at carver at least 6 times this summer, 3-4 times the past month alone, and the boulders are as clean and scrubbed as I've ever seen them (dating back to 1999). The Bonzai Boulders at carver offer at least 20-30 good moderates (a V1 at carver being a V3 at the circuit) on maybe 10-15 boulders all within 150 feet of the parking lot. With flat landings, i should add. The main forest area also has scattered moderates - with some weirder landings - but are also totally worth checking out.

The other areas mentioned are much more high maintenance for one reason or another - longer drive, hard to actually find the boulders, etc. When you're bored with carver and its annoying sit-start cruxes, which will happen soon most likely, then check out the cascade boulders. huge potential there, but you also have to wander quite a bit for the boulders, esepcially if you're not there with Tymun or some other local.

oh, and hit carver before the rain starts on friday because once the rain stays around that place will be out of season until next may/june.

fredylee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 10

Guys,

Thank you for the inputs. Sadly, I have been swamped with many work and church related stuff and have not got a chance to sign up and go to carver.

I will make notes of the bum village at Rocky Butte and stay away from that area.

Sadly, rain season is here already. So there is no place to boulder safely during this fall/winter/spring until next May? That means, to "The Circuit" or "Stoneworks" it is.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Pacific Northwest
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