Photos by tslater

Mike made smooth work of this sporty classic at the Y.

Thin face to a plethora of seams and short cracks.

A thin move left to shallow foot bump (crux) gets the blood pumping a bit.

We had to snowmobile 10 miles, then hike 2 miles in the snow to send it, but it was worth it (I think). I was sicker than a dog the whole day. This was the high point. Grahm took this, great colors and tons of snow in the high country. Shuteye in April...

Ken Klis doing the cross on Wildflower Tower, Figueroa Mtn. Several lines up the Tower, and others on the nearby spires. New area...

Tom Slater on the FA of a classic Shuteye Ridge moderate on Hobbit Dome.

Tom Slater on the FA of a classic Shuteye Ridge moderate.

Took this on the hike back out. Classic summit, new crag for SB/SLO climbers.

One of the longest routes on Hidden Dome.

Brandon Thua on the FA.

Tom Slater on Age of Aquarius 5.8, Wildflower Tower.

Climber on Pine Cone Alley 5.9, Hidden Dome.

Tom Slater on The Fin, San Rafael Wilderness.

...ahhh, they're finally here.

New rock on the central coast...

Owen Slater... the next Chris Sharma?! Somewhere in Santa Cruz.

Literally textbook exfoliation on High Eagle Dome, Shuteye Ridge.

Tom Slater on the opening move of Jump To Hyperspace 5.10c at Millers Crossing. You have to jump (unless you're 6'5") for the first hold to get on, then crank it to get feet. Then it's up and away.

Probably the best route at Millers, very unique climb. Goes at 5.10c/d. This is on the FA.

This is Kristi's first 5.9 lead and she floated it!

Slater on the Trail Boulder. This problem is a lot harder with the sit down start.

I think this problem is easier if you're taller (V1?). The edge is really nice and sharp, but the landing sucks.

This is a nice 2 pitch line up the 180' face.

Tom Slater on "Sith" (.9+) at Miller's Crossing. This is the best route on the cliff (although "Jump to Hyperspace" (.10c) is pretty darn good too).

These are out on the point. I did a line in the middle of the picture. The cliff is almost 20 feet. You could almost TR the routes, enough cracks on top if you have gear. Otherwise... don't fall. You'll break your back and drown.

Easy stuff and a short overhang.

This is probably the coolest route here. Great rock down low but gets a bit dicey at the top.

While the kid was digging himself a crater, and the wife was laying out, I did a few easy problems out on the point. Not great, but not bad either. There is excellent snorkeling here as well, and good surfing around the corner at Asilomar Beach.

You can see Half Dome, Mt. Lylle, Conness, and the Minarets from its summit. Great low key climbing as well. You can see the obvious Red Dihedral in the photo (5.9 III).

An easy, yet fun route. Pretty unique. Got to admit, I was hoping not to get squished.

Tom Slater on Platinum Plus, Cap Rocks of Tollhouse Rock. Great cracks up there.

Super Bowl Sunday always means fewer crowds at the crags and in the surf. I caught this one on the way back from the local crag.

Tom Slater sends it, and enjoys the view, the rock, and just being there.

Ed Reeves about 20 feet from the anchor. This wall is really fun and has great routes.

Pitch 2 is the classic pitch, but this one ain't bad either. Slater heading to the anchor.

Tod Tomlinson jams his way up the fun .8 crack. Anywhere else this thing would be 3 stars, but this is the Grotto, so it's just average.

Tom Slater on one of the newer routes on Roche Ledges, Burst Rock.

There are a lot of cool formations in this area, this being one of them.

This is Tom Slater on the 2nd pitch of Tree Route, 5.6 at Dome Rock.

What trad climbers dream about.

I see natural lines going up. Anyone know anything? Any beta? Is it legal?

OK, many of you would say "Why would you want to?" but it is blocks from my in-laws (enough said) so does any LA urban cragster know if there are any routes up this thing, or is it even legal?

A cool steep climb on the brow of the cave. It's humbling when you see a guy in his mid-forties climb like this. Photo Tom Slater

The guidebook lists this beauty as possibly being the steepest .12a in the state. Any opinions? Doug Englekirk not really caring, just enjoying the downhill climb to the next clip. Photo Tom Slater

This thing is a freak of nature. Half the holds wobble, the other half are gone. Oh yeah, and you belay from a small bush. Photo Tom Slater

This is Hummingbird Wall (left) and the Z Cracks (right) high up in the Sonora Pass. Very beautiful place.

I shot with a 10mm superwide angle to capture the atomosphere of the place. This crag has always been a favorite. photo Tom Slater slatervision.com

This is Tom Slater finishing the arete of Iron Eagle 5.7** , Roche Edges. The Green Dihedral is to the left and is pretty fun too. Photo Tod Tomlinson

This is a 5.7 TR that follows the obvious arete/corner on the right side of the main face. It is more sustained than the regular route, but only a TR. There are lots of TR variations on the face, but this is the best one.

This is Brandon Thau (sitting) and Tom Slater after doing a fun new TR up the outside arete on Slate's Spire (directly below highest point of spire- Poseidon Adventure 5.7).