Ben Horowitz > Forum Messages

Dec 27, 2025 The climbing area is slightly northwest of Tokyo, not on Izu peninsula. The most convenient place to book if you don't want to camp is Kinpusan Sanso. Note that you can only re… View Message

Aug 24, 2025 Not sure if there is anything special about the ankle surgeries, but for my foot surgery I used an iwalk crutch-replacement when I was non-weight-bearing rather than a knee-sco… View Message

Aug 14, 2025 Squarenail has a bunch of 5.7s: mountainproject.com/area/10… View Message

May 7, 2025 There are very nice maps available in the Owen's River Gorge guidebook by Marty Lewis. You can find copies coming from the south at Eastside Sports in Bishop, or from the north… View Message

Apr 28, 2025 Another vote for the AAC accident reports! I read them religiously the first couple years of my multi-pitch climbing experience. Since I was climbing a lot of in Yosemite, I wo… View Message

Mar 25, 2025 There are a lot of bolt clipping around both Ogawayama and Mizugaki. The Japanese equivalent of mountain project is probably rock-topo ( rocktopo.net/); with some trial and err… View Message

Dec 3, 2024 Howdy there! California/Japan-based climber who is visiting the area for work. The weather this Sunday is looking pretty good and would love to get some climbing in... Have a s… View Message

Sep 8, 2024 I assume you mean Southeast Buttress of Cathedral Peak? In October the weather will likely be very questionable and becomes much more of an alpine objective than something for… View Message

Aug 27, 2024 I encountered a bear on Royal Arches after the pendulum a few years ago (2018?). He/she was in the big corner just left of the pitch 10 belay (per Sloan's topo); had to climb j… View Message

Aug 22, 2024 Come to Japan! I once went to a gym where the average age was probably 70... View Message

Jul 26, 2024 I usually bring a 70 meter and don't bother with the double ropes. Euros make fun of me, but I haven't run into any real issues yet... I do like a lot of the sport climbing in… View Message

Apr 2, 2024 Yeah, if I'm throwing cinder blocks off a freeway bridge and there happens to be oncoming oncoming traffic, it is my right as an American! Screw those stupid car people...I'm n… View Message

Mar 30, 2024 There is lots of ice in the Sierras that starts forming in snow couloirs in summer/early fall (depending on the snow year and weather). You can find some beta online/on MP. View Message

Mar 18, 2024 I really don't understand the point you are making and it could easily lead people into trouble. Are there some via ferratas that some people can do without lanyards without dy… View Message

Feb 22, 2024 You can pay just shipping here: atomikclimbingholds.com/yan… View Message

Dec 30, 2023 Picking up skiing, even just for the approach, would be very valuable. Skinning up the roads can save you tens of hours and open up lots of possibilities for winter-time object… View Message

Dec 4, 2023 Yes, the a/b/c/d system was invented by famous sport climber Jim Bridwell. ;)https://www.climbing.com/people/innocent-ignorant-insecure-rock-climbers/ View Message

Nov 30, 2023 Not sure what your definition of "re-aiding" is, but on very horizontal sections I don't back clean and instruct my follower to "re-aid" the pitch on the existing gear. It is f… View Message

Nov 6, 2023 At least in California, it is pretty much the exact opposite argument. All SAR calls (whether or not via PLB or InReach) get routed through the county sheriffs office. The sher… View Message

Sep 30, 2023 Big second recommendation to practice on the Leconte Boulder! My usual recommendation for the Kor Roof is to back-clean the whole roof other than the last bolt (you can stay in… View Message

Aug 11, 2023 Maybe I'm very forgetful, but Red Dihedral doesn't have any sustained 5.10 crack climbing? There is one notable well protected 5.9 corner with a little 5.10b bulge move at the… View Message

Jul 11, 2023 There is a great forward by John Dill in the forward material of all the yosemite SuperTopo books called Staying Alive, available online here http://dev.supertopo.com/topos/yos… View Message

Jul 10, 2023 They do have an application specified online: https://www.nps.gov/yose/getinvolved/sar_jobs.htm I haven't been a member of YOSAR, but am a member of Inyo County SAR (where… View Message

Jul 7, 2023 I wouldn't look too carefully at that designation, sometimes it means what you said (it is possible to set up a top rope from the top), other times it means that it isn't safel… View Message

Jun 28, 2023 I did my Physics PhD at UC Berkeley (Astrophysics). Certainly a lot of things in quantum optics/information here, usually under the umbrella of AMO. In terms of climbing, it is… View Message

May 22, 2023 I had surgery for what I would call a "moderate" injury (some info here: https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/122571380/lisfranc-fracturestears-and-recovery). I had inju… View Message

Apr 20, 2023 Via Ferratas are probably a good option! There are lots in the greater Dolomites and many are quite "hardcore," but at least have some degree of safety. View Message

Apr 2, 2023 You can treat your clothes with long-lasting permethrin, which I've found works quite well for tick prevention.(EDIT: confused permethrin and DEET :D)  View Message

Mar 15, 2023 I also had a similar experience not being able to do pull-ups when I first started climbing. I probably climbed 5.11 outdoors before I could "do them." However, I think muscle… View Message

Mar 2, 2023 Another necksling -> broken neck (or asphyxiation) failure mode is a pendulum. If you end up far off your rope's fall line and fall, the neck sling could easily get stuck on… View Message

Feb 26, 2023 Depends on your definition of bottom of El Cap, top of El Cap, and climb! You can start at the base of the Nose, travel east to north east, go up the Yosemite Fall trail, and t… View Message

Feb 24, 2023 "The Dolomites: Rock Climbs and via Ferrata (Rockfax Climbing Guide Series)" has served me well over the course of a couple trips to the Dolomites! It has the classics, nice pi… View Message

Feb 12, 2023 Richard Shore is indeed the man to ask, but honestly it would probably be a more fulfilling experience to just to keep on exploring it without any beta, stay safe, and have fun… View Message

Jan 24, 2023 Maybe someone else has the full story, but at a movement gym in the Bay Area (then Planet Granite) someone got their knee stuck in an artificial crack. The fire department came… View Message

Jan 21, 2023 Be sure to kick over all the cairns too!  View Message

Jan 2, 2023 There is no standard rack, it is very crack and ability dependent. Usually one can bump the same piece for a while through the crack and occasionally there is other pro availab… View Message