Mount Woodson Mega Thread

Loving the stories and history Ron!! So good.

I'm curious what everyone's favorite Woodson routes are? Any obscure favorites?

Here's my list

-Cat Crack

-Victory at Sea

-Dead in the Water

-Big Grunt

-Crucible

-Rockwork Orange

-Jaws

-Out of Sight 

My favorite is the Cave, which is very different from the typical Woodson route. 

Anybody have the experience of being psyched on Woodson but before you were not? What changed?

I moved here a couple years ago and I’ve never gotten motivated for this place but damn I’ve been trying - it’s obviously a great resource and I envy anyone who uses it as such.  There’s a lifetimes worth for me to sink my teeth into but I find myself wanting to drive further or just go to the gym. 

Stop posting cool pictures and stories, it’s not helping my dilemma :)

Speaking of the south side, we tried Everest for the 1st  time last year and was quite fun. The youngen got his 1st crack in and George is till hitting it hard at 70+. I always enjoyed the short slippery ass 5.11 on the Painted Boulder. Pick Pocket is another fun one.

Russell Houghten asked if I have any notable Woodson memories and I have a few.

Most of these concern partners and friends demanding I join them to try and repeat their recent masterpieces, including Rick P. and the Silk Banana (stiff in the old EBs), Bachar for Driving South (I couldn't pull jams over the roof with my fat fingers), and Hear My Train (Bachar insisted we solo it since only the bottom was "hard").  Soloing was the preferred choice which is probably why we never did any of the hard ones, but even stuff like Long's Cracks were exciting to on-sight.  I always thought Mother Superior was a fantastic line. Greg really had the off width game dialed back then.

Working Man in the Rexrodes area is one of my favorites. Fists to fingers, weird offset, and a top out crux.

Other good times include:

Digits Delight

Yoav Crack

Digital Technology

Soylent Green

Dragon Arete

Starface (very good call, Ron)

George Bracksieckwrote:

My favorite is the Cave, which is very different from the typical Woodson route. 

George, I wonder how many here know that you started Rock and Ice Magazine? I had the pleasure of meeting you when you came to Woodson for one of the earlier contests, maybe 85?  You wrote me a check on the spot for a piece I did for the magazine, issue 13 or 14. Good to see you on the thread

John Longwrote:

Russell Houghten asked if I have any notable Woodson memories and I have a few.

Most of these concern partners and friends demanding I join them to try and repeat their recent masterpieces, including Rick P. and the Silk Banana (stiff in the old EBs), Bachar for Driving South (I couldn't pull jams over the roof with my fat fingers), and Hear My Train (Bachar insisted we solo it since only the bottom was "hard").  Soloing was the preferred choice which is probably why we never did any of the hard ones, but even stuff like Long's Cracks were exciting to on-sight.  I always thought Mother Superior was a fantastic line. Greg really had the off width game dialed back then.

John, your modesty belies the contributions that you have made to Woodson. Some of your mantles have stood the test of time and remain test pieces. Being a mantle aficionado, I sought out the classic humps and shelves that abound at Woodson. When I would tell someone about one of my "finds" I invariably heard "oh Largo did that already".  Mantles arent for everybody, but for us misfits who are drawn  to them, you are THE MAN.

Favorites, Hmm

Uncertainty Principle

Airstream

Starface

checkered demon

go with the flow

left longs crack

Alcoa

The Dragon

Hey Ron! I enjoyed talking with you at the’86 comp. You wrote fun pieces about bouldering at Santee and La Jolla in issue 13 and about the Woodson Bouldering Comp in 14. (John Long’s entertaining confession, “The Welder’s Gloves” debuted in 14, too.) I enjoyed the comp because topropes were already set up, including at the Cave. My six-year-old daughter was with me for Spring Break, so I didn’t climb as much as I might have. The after party was at the Lindners, nearby, where we saw Halley’s Comet.

Btw Neal Kaptain started R&I. I worked for him on the first few issues and with him for the next few, before taking it on by myself.

I started regularly visiting SD County in 2010. I met Claudio at Santee then. We’ve since climbed a lot at MG, as well as ECM and CM, etc. I’ve been to Woodson, too. Everything there seems sandbagged, but that’s just my old shoulders making excuses. 

George Bracksieckwrote:

Hey Ron! I enjoyed talking with you at the’86 comp. You wrote fun pieces about bouldering at Santee and La Jolla in issue 13 and about the Woodson Bouldering Comp in 14. (John Long’s entertaining confession, “The Welder’s Gloves” debuted in 14, too.) I enjoyed the comp because topropes were already set up, including at the Cave. My six-year-old daughter was with me for Spring Break, so I didn’t climb as much as I might have. The after party was at the Lindners, nearby, where we saw Halley’s Comet.

Btw Neal Kaptain started R&I. I worked for him on the first few issues and with him for the next few, before taking it on by myself.

I started regularly visiting SD County in 2010. I met Claudio at Santee then. We’ve since climbed a lot at MG, as well as ECM and CM. I’ve been to Woodson, too. Everything seems sandbagged, but that’s just my old shoulders making excuses. 

Your memory is better than mine George, cheers!

Hardest mantle on the hill?

DylanJKwrote:

Anybody have the experience of being psyched on Woodson but before you were not? What changed?

I moved here a couple years ago and I’ve never gotten motivated for this place but damn I’ve been trying - it’s obviously a great resource and I envy anyone who uses it as such.  There’s a lifetimes worth for me to sink my teeth into but I find myself wanting to drive further or just go to the gym. 

Stop posting cool pictures and stories, it’s not helping my dilemma :)

This was 100% my initial impression. When I first moved to San Diego I wasn't much of a crack climber. I struggled on what I thought would be easy climbs and didn't revisit until about a year later. I treat Woodson as my "climbing gym" and training grounds for my bigger objectives in Yosemite and the Sierras. Having kids made the bigger objectives a lot more few and far between so I get my thrills from bushwhacking to new boulders and uncovering perfect splitters which are sometimes covered in copious amounts of poison oak haha. (Mo's mega proj pictured below)

claudio ricardezwrote:

Speaking of the south side, we tried Everest for the 1st  time last year and was quite fun. The youngen got his 1st crack in and George is till hitting it hard at 70+. I always enjoyed the short slippery ass 5.11 on the Painted Boulder. Pick Pocket is another fun one.

That route is so good!! I've seen it named various different things "cobra crack" Hilary step". Anyone know what the story is? I got so lost trying to get there on my first visit.

John Longwrote:

Russell Houghten asked if I have any notable Woodson memories and I have a few.

Most of these concern partners and friends demanding I join them to try and repeat their recent masterpieces, including Rick P. and the Silk Banana (stiff in the old EBs), Bachar for Driving South (I couldn't pull jams over the roof with my fat fingers), and Hear My Train (Bachar insisted we solo it since only the bottom was "hard").  Soloing was the preferred choice which is probably why we never did any of the hard ones, but even stuff like Long's Cracks were exciting to on-sight.  I always thought Mother Superior was a fantastic line. Greg really had the off width game dialed back then.

Thanks for sharing John!! Psyched to have you in here sharing these stories. Silk Banana is ruthless!! I can't imagine coming across that feature on a larger route and having get through it haha. So with  "Longs Cracks" you just walked up and on-sight soloed it? That's amazing. Did you have any other FA's on the hill? And do you still keep in touch with Piggot? I'm sure many SD climbers would love to hear some of the stories of his Woodson FA's and all of the other SD test pieces that he put up. 

Ron Amickwrote:

Favorites, Hmm

Uncertainty Principle

Airstream

Starface

checkered demon

go with the flow

left longs crack

Alcoa

The Dragon

 The Dragon is so good!! Here is a photo of Brent on a lovely SD day.

Nickwrote:

Hardest mantle on the hill?

That may be The "Curtis Mantle", put up by mantlemeister Shawn Curtis bitd. It is located right on the road almost under the "Jump" route, a circular depression on a small rock facing north. If you like mantles, try "Blind Faith" in the masters of the universe area. Its not one of the hardest, but psych factor is large. Just downhill and  slightly south of masters is Epperson's "He Man" a classic hard mantle.

Nickwrote:

Hardest mantle on the hill?

Do you have a copy of my topos? They show lots of mantles on the hill. The topos include google earth images of the hill with notation to orient the topos. If you want a set email me ronamick000@gmail.com

Ya you gave me 1 a few months back, thanks. I don't live in SD anymore but love to daydream climb san diego stuff still. I never did press out that Curtis mantle, felt impossible. Has that jump problem ever seen a ropeless ascent? 

My favorite mantle has to be the dead animal mantle at Santee.

Nickwrote:

Ya you gave me 1 a few months back, thanks. I don't live in SD anymore but love to daydream climb san diego stuff still. I never did press out that Curtis mantle, felt impossible. Has that jump problem ever seen a ropeless ascent? 

My favorite mantle has to be the dead animal mantle at Santee.

santee is loaded with hard mantles. Jump unroped would be a doozy, never heard of a solo but that doesnt mean it hasnt happened

Today's bushwhacking find...A beauty finger crack reminiscent of a tighter version of Baby Robbins on the main hill. Probably only 5.7 or so but super fun. So much rock so little time!! Now time for a tecnu bath.

creative use of our chalk bags on the hill