trey-
watch your step! many old phoenix climbers spent 2 days a week there for a decade. 20 minutes to parking lot from many areas in city, 2.2 minute approach (at the time), bolus traverse (have you done it up, and down?), hundreds of variations with stemming, mantles, high balls, etc and 99% it was in afternoon shade. 3 bouldering contests were held there if you didn't know.

If'n I win the powerball I'm buying the house, blading it and dedicating the bolus to climbers!
(yea, I know it is not flag, but it blows anything in tucson away)

I will watch me step. I wouldn't want to step on any holds that were ripped of the wall. I guess I'm not really into climbing on petrified mud with pebbles in it. Even Beardsley is better than the Bolus.

I that what the Panthers is? Is it as bad as Camelback? The main reason i don't like that place is cause i was climbing there, and woke up, on the ground holding a chunk of the rock in my hand. I was looking at the pics you posted and it looks interesting.

Beardsley before paint or after?

The Bolus at least got climbed on enough to pull 95% of the loose stuff off. BTW, Camelback is worse, it is really tertiary mud flows!

Chris et al, we just need a concentration of boulders to work with. I am looking forward to cooler weather (ha) and something interesting.

Trey-

I'll take you on a tour of the real bolus sometime....

If I am mistaken of where the real Bolus is, and it's not what i was told was the Bolus, then please do show me. I love climbing and "new-to-me" areas (which there are a ton of). Hey here is a Question for everyone.

Why doesn't someone get the PBC started again? I know that when the whole closure of Oak Flats started, all the bigger sponsors pulled out. So what's stopping the event from making a comeback?

PBC was called off according to Waugh (at Marty's slide show) because local and regional retailers were complaining about booth discounts etc. As you may (or may not) know Jim has relocated to Thailand.

He specifically told the audience to go begin a new contest so it is in the climber (boulderers) of Arizona's laps.

Once when PD was bean-master he set up a bouldering contest as part of the festivities in the east campground. That was pretty cool. I still have the contest map I think.

Pretty sure I have it if john doesn't.

DrTopo.com has an online guide for the East Stronghold campground that is probably pretty similar to that guide (possibly based on that one). Has anyone bouldered much on the westside? I climbed the Sheepshead a month or so ago, and looking down there were good looking boulders EVERYWHERE. It will be a good haul out there with pads, but definitely worth checking out.

I miss the PBC. Yeah i knew about Jim. He came back for a little while not to long ago. He was a really good coach.

Joe,
Yeah i grew up in Sierra Vista and have been bouldering and soloing there since i was a kid. Those boulders have to ton of problems, but some of them can be a little choss. Most are moderates, but there are some harder problems. A couple pads and a good spotter will help because the falls can be a little uneven at times. Some of the problems can be very tall and scary.

Most of the boulders are around the Isles of You. Some of the problems are between the Rad and Trad walls, up the gully. Many are on the other side of the ridge from the parking loop (has a big boulder in the middle if the loop). There is also another good area nearby one of the other parking areas. There is a low angle slam/dome to the south of the that parking area. It has a "maze" of good boulders with great problems on top. Last time i was there (at the beginning of this year) the brush was tall and thick, so if it's warm down there, watch for snakes.

Trey -

I was thinking more of the clusters of boulders that are more in the backcountry. When I hiked to the Sheepshead, there are a couple drainages that had tons of boulders, of all sizes and some with some good looking overhangs. There were even some cool boulders at the base of one of the routes we did. It would be a solid 30+ min hike out there, but it seems that might be a place where there are a lot of FA's waiting to be had.

If you ever are free during the week, I climb pretty much every Tuesday and Thursday if you ever want to get out.

There are a ton of great looking boulders on the approach to Squaretop in the West Stronghold. Again a 30 hike but some really cool stuff back there.

Today I checked out the "Golden Gate Mountain" boulders, behind Tucson Estates. Surely climbers have been hiking out there for 30 years with the same conclusion. Those are some of the best looking boulders that will never be worth climbing. Wonderfully shaped behemoths with cool edges and pockets. Unfortunately as soon as you flex your hand the rock explodes. It made me want to cry.

Also, a few days ago I was up around Rap Rock and saw some good stuff. I'm kicking myself for not taking a camera. Already established, but not well documented, it's only a 20 minute walk from the lot. This time of year the temps up there are perfect. At least half a dozen good sized chunks with a few worthy problems each. A couple of them are very tall and proud lines on superb stone. They are just right of where most folks drop packs before descending to the east. Anybody have info on these?

I haven't climbed at those boulders before Joe. Take some pics and tick some stuff next time your out there. I'd love to see the fields you are talking about. Was the rock solid? If you get a chance, you should check out the ones i was talking about too. There are some nice problems.

And thanks very much for the invite. I wish so badly that i could do day trips during the week. Unfortunately I have to work Monday to Friday. Weekends are really the only time i get out. Sometimes I can do a evening session, but mostly i climb on Sundays.

Also, a buddy of mine is going to be in town soon, and we are making 2 trips up to Oak Flats. Anyone is welcome to caravan up there with us. We are going to go the weekends of Oct. 31st and Nov. 7th.

On that note, Phlapper Phest will be taking place the weekend of Nov 7 so Trey, and anyone else interested, feel free to stop by the party at Oak Flats saturday night for some beer, hang out with some Phoenix knuckleheads, and even partake in the Sun morn pancake breakfast if you're still around. The party is usually at the climber's camping (not the main campground) up near the warm-up boulders and the road area.

Also in the West Stronghold, there is good bouldering near Warpath Dome. The MP database has a great description of the approach, which you will want to follow exactly. It is easy to turn off right too early and be at the end of a large group camping area. There is some decent rock here as well (and some to be avoided), spread out left and right at the end of the road. The left trail goes through a gate.

I checked out the DrTopo thing, it has some of the stuff from the BITD beanfest but it's missing a lot of the really good stuff (murray problems) that was up the trail to the East. Most of those problems are TRs due to length and landings.

Kerry, in his first version, printed a copy of that map. If u 2 don't have it, I imagine I do somewhere.

Obviously the fins of rock up by Rap have seen a fair amount of problems over the years. We use to drop packs and use them sometimes for warm up work. I know Bob spent a fair amount of time up in that area. We'd go climb at Rap and he go up and boulder/TR in the area. I know there were a lot of other walls in the area that he was setting TRs up on. I think it was an area he really liked. If I can remember, I'll ask him about it next time I see him.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate any info on the other problems listed from the Kerrey guide. The first time I ever went there I found some real nice boulders after a weird uphill scramble. Next time I went I couldn't find them. There are tons of boulders in that area, it would be good to know what has been done, and where there is a concentration.

I have the Second edition. It has a good guide for the East Stronghold bouldering (Bean Fest 1990 map), but nothing for the west.

Anybody want to go to the Panther Peak Boulders tomorrow?

I was out there today and finally realized how much bouldering there is to be done. Way more than any one or two people should have to themselves. Hundreds of problems, some of them may be the best in town. The walk is about 45 minutes up and 30 back, most of it flat. The rock takes some cleaning but has been well worth the effort. This place has to be seen to believe the size.

A community website would be a great idea for the Tuscon bouldering community. All that is needed now is someone like 30something stay-at-home dad that has lots of time on his hands, intimate knowledge of the boulders, and would like to manage the site. Does anyone know someone like this in the area?

Nice conversation Joey. Glad to see you making an impression down there.

This is THE new Tucson bouldering area: Panther Peak

I am gonna say that I am with Chris in the Panther selection of boulders if cleaned well will be the best bouldering south of the Gila River. It has potential for more overhung jug hauling routes than anything S AZ has to offer. Granted, it is a hike- and an improved trail could eventually knock that down to 30 minutes. If a team could step up and start now by the end of March when the weather gets too warm the boulders could have a solid status and landings groomed and many of the problems to offer a full bore climbing circuit.

I am impressed (even though there were a few bees and I got bit pretty bad by a cholla bud!)

rick,
After you left I started working on a line on the other side of that boulder on the long overhanging side. A few tricky moves lead to more jugs high of the deck. I was so tired that I fell off of great holds 15 feet up a couple times. That's sure to be a popular problem.

To those of you who consider yourselves real boulderers, this is your chance to climb the proudest lines around.