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climbingfree
Nov 23, 2003, 8:21 PM
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Winter is here, which for many of us means that climbing is hard to come by these days. I tried a climbing gym and it just didn't work for me, so I ask you...
Is there any decent bouldering or buildering in the Santa Cruz or South Bay areas? Whether it be rock or man made, I just want to get outside and keep my climbing muscles strong. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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iltripp
Nov 23, 2003, 8:30 PM
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Go out on the beach in SC. The cliffside usually has some interesting looking features. I scoped out a couple problems there this summer, but never brought my shoes out to try them. Upside is you have nice soft sand to land in. Downside is often wet rock.
I can't think of any bouldering in Santa Cruz, but there's some good stuff not to far away. It's a long time since I've been there, but I think the place is called Castle Rock. It's off of Highway nine and it's less than an hour from SC.
What gym did you go to? I'm not much of a fan of gyms either, but Pacific Edge is pretty good. Great atmosphere, climber owned, and usually a lot of good routes.
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climbingfree
Nov 27, 2003, 6:27 PM
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Thanks 'iltripp' for the beta from so far away. The beach bouldering sounds like the right idea. Funny, how when you grow up somewhere you become blind to the possibilities. And the gym I went to was Pacific Edge. It's a nice place but I just prefer to be outside. Bouldering on the beach with the sun shining and the waves crashing...now that will get me through the winter!
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corona
Nov 27, 2003, 6:47 PM
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Santa Cruz's supposed best bouldering is at Panther Beach, about five miles up Highway One. Be forewarned: beautiful as the beach is, it's perhaps some of the rottenest rock I've ever pretended to climb. However, some of the inland ravines nearby have some beautiful house size blocs worthy of exploitation by locals.
There are actually a couple guide books that discuss bouldering in the south bay--your best bet's to stick with Castle Rock, though.
It's QUALITY bouldering. Not a lot developed, tons undeveloped if you know where to look--ask around. A great place!
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karmaklimber
Nov 27, 2003, 7:42 PM
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Castle Rock is probably your best bet for anything outdoors. If you're willing to drive, there's Indian Rock in Berkeley, but I'm not sure how much sunshine is left in late autumn. I wish I could comment on the beaches, but I can't, though they sound pretty rad. If you're desparate to get some climbing in and the weather just isn't permitting, a different branch of gyms called Touchstone opened up a gym in downtown San Jose that's dedicated solely to bouldering. Its still fairly new, so it hasn't been victimized by "gym culture" yet. Most are still finding out about the place.
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roseraie
Nov 27, 2003, 10:26 PM
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I'm pretty sure there is no access allowed to those "inland ravines" mentioned. They're all on private property. Someone told me that there was some sort of an access fight with the owners of the land, and it was denied. This is hearsay, though. If you find Panther Beach to be THAT cruddy, it's worth investigating. Good luck.
Meg
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climbingfree
Nov 28, 2003, 3:50 AM
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I appreciate those recommendations. Panther definitely sounds like a worthy bouldering spot. Even if the rock is crumbly sandstone, at least the landings will be soft! And thanks 'karmaklimber' for the Touchstone idea. That will come in handy during inclement weather.
And happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
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corona
Nov 25, 2005, 6:15 AM
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Wow, this is the 2nd anniversary visit to this forum. Happy Thanksgiving, Meg, now that I've actually met you at random in a campground on the opposite side of the planet! And yeah, when I say the rock is rotten, I don't mean that it's loose and crumbly--I mean it's loosely compacted sand. You can poke holes in it with your shoe, and attempting to hold the rock usually leaves you with a handfull of the same stuff you're standing on. I've climbed chalk bluffs before (and enjoyed it!), yet I honestly can't believe anyone has ever actually gone to Panther beach and done any climbing. Unless there's something better way down the coast...
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chris13b
Dec 7, 2005, 5:25 PM
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Dude Sonora has awesome climbing in the winter
do you want to climb today 408-666-9009
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corona
Dec 9, 2005, 7:00 AM
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:) Yeah, that'd be great, except I live in New Zealand; bit of a mission to get to Sonora. I will be in the Bay Area for about 4 hours on the 21st on a layover to Chicago, though. I suppose we could go for a quick trip then.
;-)
Best,
Ryan
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