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free

summer2013

N 0530 /LIZARD’S MOUT40 /LITTLE EGYPT52 /SUGAR PINE

DESTINATIONS

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California Climber

ON THE COVER

Catrina Behling onEspresso Crack (5.11c),Little Egypt, Bishop.IMAGE + DEAN FLEMING

THIS PAGE

Eric Sanchez on Bad Larry (V6/7), Christmas Valley,Meyers.IMAGE + ALTON RICHARDSON

26/ MOON SHADOWS30 / LIZARD’S MOUTH40 / LITTLE EGYPT52 / SUGAR PINE

NO. 05SUMMER 2013

DEPARTMENTS08 / EDITOR’S NOTE10/ ROUTE OF THE SEASON12/ CALIFORNIA CLIMBER14/ REVIEW18/ GOLDEN STATE GALLERY

FEATURES

CALIFORNIACLIMBERMAGAZINE.COM

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CALIFORNIACLIMBER8 || SUMM| SPRING|ntain tools . carmel . california . since 1980

PASS THE STICKERS, PLEASE

C H E C

K H A

R N E S

S & T

I E - I N K

N O T K E E P B E L A Y O N T I L A L L A R E S A F E

K N O T

R O P

E E N

D S &

B A C

K U P

R A P C O

N F I R M B E L A Y B 4 L O W E R I N G

M O U N T A I N T O O L S U S A

C L I M B

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN TO ELIMINATE COMMON ACCIDENTS & INJURIES

“Gonzo” Chris Gonzalez comtemplates the remaining free moves to Sickle Ledge, LARRY ARTHUR

Stickers Free w/Order or SASE

l l d o e s i t a l l5.10-2-5.14

CALIFORNIA CLIMBER22502 Colorado River DriveSonora, CA 93570Phone: (209) 768-0110Email: [email protected]

MOST,IF NOTALL,OFTHEACTIVITIESDEPICTEDHEREINCARRYAND

PRESENTSIGNIFICANTRISKSOFPERSONALINJURYOR DEATH.Rock climbing, bouldering, ice climbing, mountaineering, alpineclimbing and any other outdoor activity are inherently danger-ous. The owners, staff and management of California Climber do not recommend that anyone participate in these activitiesunless they are an expert or accompanied by an expert. Pleaseseek qualied professional instruction and/or guidance. Under-standing the risks involved is necessary; be prepared to assumeall responsibility associated with those risks.

Neil Mahar on Welcome to the Dark Side (5.10c), Little Egypt, Bishop.

CALIFORNIACLIMBERMAGAZINE.COM

California ClimberPUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEFDean FlemingART DIRECTORAlton RichardsonSENIOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSJerry Dodrill, Jim ThornburgSENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORSFitz Cahall, James LucasCONTRIBUTORSJim Thornburg, Greg Epperson, Dave Hatchett, GrantOrdelheide, Christian Adam, Anthony Lapomardo,Michael Eadington, Marta Czajkowska, Charlie Barrett,Melissa Tomes, Gustavo Moser, Kelly Heslin, Alton Rich-ardson, Melissa Tomes, Dean Fleming

D E A N F L E M I N G

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This summer issue marks theone-year anniversary of CaliforniaClimber. The goal of this magazine hasbeen—and always will be—to celebratethe beauty of California’s spectacularclimbing areas. We want to publish pho-tos that kids will hang on their bedroomwalls. We want to tell stories that willinspire people to get outside and enjoythis state. But above all, when the nextgeneration heads to the crags, we wantthem to experience these areas as theywere meant to be: clean and natural.

In practice, respect is simple.Most people would agree that littering,chipping and cutting down trees are badthings. But awareness of these impacts,options for preventing them and solu-tions for restoring the damage shouldbe widespread. If you are the youngergeneration, take it upon yourself tolearn Leave No Trace ethics and properwilderness etiquette. If you are the oldergeneration, set an example by pickingup trash, staying on trails and utilizingrespectful rst-ascent tactics. Remem-ber, when you are in the presence ofyouth, you are the teacher.

EDITOR’S NOTE

ETIQUETTE IS REQUISITE

—DEAN FLEMING

IN MOST CIVILIZATIONS , people feela certain level of detachment from the environ-ment. The human race has invented words like“nature” and “wilderness” to describe placesthat differ from our modern habitat. The city isnot the wilderness. A gas station is not natural.Unfortunately, most people will never ventureinto the world that is truly natural, and eventhe most dedicated climbers speed past vaststretches of forests and deserts in air-condi-tioned cars on the way to the crag. We are allCalifornians by birth or by choice, but we are stillonly visitors to the cliffs, canyons and boul-derelds that make this state a rock climber’ssanctuary.

Over the last 10 years, the standardintroduction to rock climbing has changeddramatically. Gyms and easy access to climbingmedia have increased training options and builta wealth of psych for the sport, but these re-sources cannot replace a thoughtful and diligentoutdoor mentorship. Whether you’re transferringfrom the gym to climbing o utside or you’re anold, crusty Trad Dad with 30 years and just asmany El Cap routes under your belt, stewardshipfor California’s climbing areas is vital to protectaccess and ensure the lasting beauty of WestCoast crags.

J I MT H

O R N B

U R

G

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ROUTE OF THE SEASON WORDS & IMAGE + CHARLIE BARRETT

CRACK KINGDOM is a 5.10 crackclimber’s dream, with perfect tight-grainedHigh Sierra granite and outstanding views.Just a 15-minute hike from Highway 168outside Bishop, Cardinal Pinnacle is home tosome the Eastside’s best roadside cragging.Routes like the West Face (5.10a), Prow (5.12b)and Cucumbers (5.10b) all have stellar cracksystems ranging from tips to offwidth. Most ofCrack Kingdom is north-facing, but the routesees some evening sun, making it the perfectclimb for the hottest summer days.

ROUTE

Crack KingdomGRADE LENGTH

5.10c 4 pitches, 500’ROCK TYPE

GraniteSTYLE RACK

Traditional protection Gear to 4 inches, mostly nger and hand sizesLOCATION APPROACH DESCENT

Aspendale, CA 15-20 min, talus 4 rappels down Prow route, double 60mSEASON

Summer, fallGUIDEBOOK

Bishop Area Rock Climbs by Marty Lewis and Peter Croft

BETA

PITCH 1 (5.10A) This line shares the same start as the West Face and Prow routes. Start by climbing most of therst pitch of the West Face to a ledge near thetop of the pitch. From here, traverse left along alarge ledge passing a gnarly-looking offwidth anda bolted anchor. Make an anchor at the bottom ofthe next short crack on a small stance.

PITCH 2 (5.10B) From the belay, head up a right-leaning crackthrough some blocks aiming for a wide crack justbelow an ominous-looking are. The next offwidthand are sections are the most awkward parts ofthe climb and the crux of this pitch. From the topof the are follow an easy, low-angle gulley to abelay stance at the base of a left-facing corner.

PITCH 3 (5.10C) This is the crux and the best pitch of the route.

Head up a beautiful corner to a nger crack thattrends right and out of the dihedral. Pass a trickysection to get over a lip and then follow a crackthat heads up to the right. This will bring you toa nice little hand crack and nally to a big ledge;belay here near a thin right-facing ake.

PITCH 4 (5.10B) Climb a thin ake and some 4th-class ledges toreach a large ledge below the actual summit. Todescend, nd the rap anchor that is placed on topof a giant block on the west side of the summit,which will take you down climber’s right of theroute.

CRACK KINGDOM (5.10c)

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BETH RODDEN

“IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. Actually, it was really good; it just takes a lot longer than youwant. You’re like, okay, an hour and fteen minutes later…still cooking.” Sitting in El Cap Meadowearlier this year, Beth Rodden excitedly recalled the chicken she roasted the night before in herYosemite West home. “I cook pretty simple things but use really good ing redients.” Between herBerkeley home with husband Randy Puro and her home in Yosemite, Rodden stockpiles nuts,vegetables and other fresh produce from the farmers market and her CSA (Community SupportedAgriculture) box. “I like really good food,” she says. “I like really good rock climbing, too.”

From big walls and foreign expeditions to technical cracks, competition climbing andbouldering, Rodden is well-known for a long list of hard ascents. In June 2009 at the height of herclimbing career, she experienced one of the most signicant changes in her life. While boulderingin Yosemite, she tore the labrum in her right shoulder. Following rehab from additional shoulderinjuries, she damaged her ngers, tearing the collateral ligaments and exor tendons.

“I think for any athlete—or anyone who likes to be active—injuries are frustrating,” saysRodden. “But to have continual injuries for several years has been really devastating.” The injuriesforced her away from a singular focus on climbing and toward a more well-rounded lifestyle. Shebegan prioritizing local, sustainable food, due in part to dietary restrictions and a rural Californiaupbringing. She adopted a frightened Rhodesian R idgeback named Max and started to concen-trate on rehabbing her body and nding more to life than just climbing.

R odden’s love for climbing began as an adolescent while toproping during family campingtrips in the Sierra. At 14, her father took her to Rocknasium, a climbing gym near her home

in Davis, California. She climbed extensively indoors, winning national championships and going toworld competitions where she climbed with a generation of super-kids: climbers like Katie Brown,Dave Hume, Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell.

When Rodden was old enough to g et a driver’s license, she ventured beyond the Sierra andquickly fell in love with the climbing at Smith Rock, Oregon. During a break from college in 1998,Rodden became the youngest woman to climb 5.14 by sending the Smith Rock testpiece To Boltor Not to Be (5.14a). While working on the benchmark route, she was invited by Lynn Hill on anexpedition to Madagascar. After that trip, Rodden traveled a lot, with each trip becoming moreexotic and exciting.

CALIFORNIA CLIMBERWORDS + JAMES LUCAS / IMAGE + JIM THORNBURG

In August 2000, Rodden, Jason “Singer”Smith, John Dickey and Tommy Caldwell wenton a climbing trip to Kyrgyzstan’s Kara Su Val-ley. “That’s when not very fun stuff happened,”she says of the experience. While on the wall,Islamic rebels shot at the climbers, and thentook them hostage and marched them acrossthe country. The group eventually escapedtheir captors and stumbled into a Kyrgyz armyencampment. Rodden sought refuge in herbeloved Sierra.

For her, the best climbing is in Yosemite.“You can climb El Cap one day, then go boul-dering, then go cragging,” she says. From 2001to 2008, Rodden made approximately twentyascents of El Cap including the rst free ascentof Lurking Fear as well as a free ascent ofthe Nose . “So many times [partner TommyCaldwell and I] were rapping down the wall orspending a month on the summit,” she said ofher El Cap years. “It’s manual labor.”

While working on a free ascent of theWest Buttress of El Cap, the always-psyched23-year-old climbed on the granite monolithduring the hot summer months. After long andsweltering days on the cliff, she would headstraight to the Yosemite Village store for a pintof Ben & Jerry’s Mint Chocolate Cookie icecream. “My stomach said, ‘That’s not gonna yany more.’ I couldn’t eat ice cream everyday—once a week, maybe. I needed to learn aboutnot overdoing things.”

In the past decade, Rodden has ap-plied that lesson more to her climbing. Afterdedicating plenty of time to El Cap, she shiftedher focus to shorter routes. In 2004, shecompleted the rst ascent of The Optimist , a5.14b at Smith Rock’s obscure Marsupials area.In 2008, Rodden made the rst ascent of thethin crack Meltdown, a 5.14c at Upper CascadeFalls in Yosemite.

“I’d say the majority of rst ascents inclimbing are usually done by men, so to beable to do one as a woman feels awesome,”Rodden says. “Sometimes we can get stuckin the rut of just following, but to be able toget out there and do it before the guys reallyopens the door.”

A fter a substantial rehab process followingher stint of injuries in 2009, Rodden’s

return to climbing began with cruising 5.8routes at the gym. “I’ve just started climbingagain, and I’m trying to go slow and listen tomy body,” she said. “But it feels amazing, to

just climb. I didn’t realize how much I missedclimbing until I came back to it.”A few months later, she coaxed a ter-

ried Max to a Sono ra sport crag and stuckto the 5.10c warm-up. Last fall, she climbedat Jailhouse and lapped the 5.11d warm-up.“Several times over the last few years I’vewondered if it’s worth it to try and come backagain. But climbing is such a positive thing inmy life. I just want to be climbing—whateverthat entails,” she says. “I think this wholeprocess has taught me that I don’t have toclimb the hardest thing possible to be happy.But I have to admit, I denitely think aboutsome undone projects I’d like to do. I’m pour-ing everything I have into getting back to fullstrength.”

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CLIMBER Mitch UnderhillROUTE Space Walk (5.11d), Eagle Lake, TahoePHOTOGRAPHER Jim Thornburg

GOLDEN STATE GALLERY

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GOLDEN STATE GALLERY

CLIMBER Charlie BarrettROUTE Boats and Hoes (5.12b), onsightFA, northern Yosemite WildernessPHOTOGRAPHER Dean Fleming

WALKERUnknownLINE Grandma and Grandpa Peabody,Buttermilks, BishopPHOTOGRAPHER Christian Adam

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WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER IN THE EARLY 1970S, rock climbing wasn’t evenclose to being recognized as a mainstream sport. A climbing community barely existed in thesmall town of Sonora, California. Most kids growing up there only thought abo ut working on aranch, becoming a cowboy and riding the rodeo. The few of us that did climb spent most of ourtime commuting to and from our Mecca: Yosemite Valley. We were crack climbers, and it wasthe only place we knew to go. Places in the Mother Lode like Jailhouse and The Grotto were richveins of climbing gold still waiting to be discovered.

When the 1980s arrived, few would have guessed that Sonora’s climbing world was aboutto blow up. My friend Richard Leversee and I hit pay dirt at a place in Sonora called Donnell’s Res-ervoir. In high school, several of us noticed the giant rock face across the water that reminded meof Yosemite’s Washington Column. We had made a hasty attempt to climb it, only to be snowedoff at the water’s edge. Now—seven years later—it was time for another g o.

I got the call from Richard in late fall 1982. We were always on the make for rst ascents,and Richard had a plan to climb the wall at Donnell’s, which we gured was about 10 pitches. Talkabout gold mining: This was a very personal, deep and rich vein that Richard and I could actuallyput our hands on. The massive wall, now known as Atlantis, had seen only one rst ascent, aroute put up by Steve Weldon, Don Potter and Knic Seto in the early ‘70s.

“Sounds great,” I said to Richard. “But how do we walk on water to get to the wall?” Don-nell’s holds more than 2.6 billion gallons of water, and we’d have to cross it to reach the wall.

Richard said he had a friend, B en Schifrin, who owned an old canoe we could borrow. Acouple days later we picked up the old red Coleman—equipped with paddles but no life jackets—and headed out. The road to the reservoir was long, bumpy and dusty, the kind that torques yourteeth the entire way. When we nally arrived at road’s end, we carried the canoe lled with all ourgear through rugged, hilly terrain to reach the dam. The scarred rocks where we launched lookedlike a moonscape.

+++

W hen the canoe hit the water, I felt like Huckleberry Finn must have felt when he jumped onhis raft looking for a grand adventure on the mighty Mississippi: all happy and shivery and

raring to go.As Richard and I paddled across the water, the rivets holding the canoe together made

strange creaking noises. Richard was all muscle, weighing in at 200 pounds, and I a solid 160.Add that to the weight of our climbing gear, and I wondered whether the rivets would hold, orblow and dump us and all our equipment into the murky depths of the reservoir.

We made it across by 11 a.m. and pulled our canoe up onto the rocky shoreline, both of usfeeling a little nervous about our late start. As we stood under the grand wall, my jaw droppedand my heart started pounding. This was as high quality as i t gets, the cream of the crop, everybit as good as the Valley that I’d spent so much time driving back and forth to. But this was rightin my own backyard.

Suddenly, we heard an engine and spied a shing boat approaching quickly. Our rstthoughts were of rangers coming to tell us to leave. As it turned out, it was two old timers withbeers in their hands asking us what the hell we thought we were doing.

“Ain’t it getting kinda late, guys? Do you know what you’re doing?” they drawled. I thoughtto myself, If this is our rescue crew, we better pull this off .

“Oh, sure,” I replied with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. I didn’t want them g oingto the rangers. But in my head I was thinking we only had about six hours to complete the rstascent of a grade ve—and we weren’t sure just how hard it was going to be.

+++

T here was no beach, so Richard and I started traversing sideways on chickenheads, packs onour backs and water beneath us. I was focused on what I was doing when suddenly I heard

a big splash. As I looked to the right, there was Richard, looking like a big slimy newt, trying toclimb back out of the water onto the rock with all his gear. I was hanging on a knob and could donothing but laugh. Like wet clothes on a line, Richard hung out to dry.

When we reached the spot where we wanted to start our climb, I took off and began tolead while Richard dripped and belayed. Our new route began to take o n its own shape and form.But because we couldn’t see the bulges and headwalls that were above us as the wall steepenedaround the fourth pitch, we had no idea what we were in for.

MOON SHADOWSWORDS + DAVID B. YERIAN

Moon Shadows (IV 5.11a)

Richard arrived at the belay on top ofthe fourth pitch, and we shared ideas of justwhere this line might go. I said left; Richardthought right. He was looking at a knobby dio-rite overhang which could lead to the headwall.We just couldn’t tell due to the steepness. Myidea was a less spectacular, left-leaning corner.

Suddenly it dawned on me that wewere hanging on a two-piece anchor thatconsisted of a #4 Friend and a small brassnut. It hit home hard at that moment that wewere isolated with no one around if we neededhelp. We nally decided to go right to thediorite headwall with Richard leading. Lots ofmoss started oating past me at the belay asI looked up and saw 200 po unds of shakingmuscle. Next I heard, “Shit, this doesn’t lookgood. Can’t get any gear in. I’m scared.”

My own heart erupted as my brain triedto come to grips with Ri chard falling on ananchor that most likely would not hold. He wasnally able to get a piece in and then startedplacing a bolt. He was able to make it over thebulge onto a hanging belay where he sat insilence waiting for me, just below the headwall.

I followed the overhanging dioritepitch—maybe 5.10b—and arrived at the hang-ing stance where Richard had a pin-and-boltbelay. It was about 4 p.m., and we were barelyhalfway up the wall.

For the second time that day Richardtook off on a suspicious-looking pitch. Heleft the belay and made it to a nger crackhigher up in a corner, which looked to be 11afor about 50 feet. Then the real nightmarebegan. It was starting to get dark, and to nishthis pitch required climbing past a series ofbig holes you had to step up and into to drillfrom. Leaving the relative safety of the crackbehind, Richard started climbing, mantelingand smearing from hole to hole.

Richard ended the pitch on a nice ledge,and I was starting to get cold in my cutoff

jeans and sweater. I followed up in the twilightwhile Richard stood at the belay looking up insilence. By now we realized we were going tobe benighted with no headlamps and no help.Richard took off on a 1 0a offwidth, anxious tosummit but with four more pitches to the top. Ilooked down, but because of the overhangingdiorite pitch, I couldn’t see the lower wall at all.All I could see was air down to the water, andmy heart fell.

I climbed in silence and darknessthrough the chimney, and Richard was quietas I reached the belay. He cautioned me tobe careful as he was hanging on a two-inchbranch and a bad hex. Then we noticed thedark was receding as rays of light shone on us;it was the moon reecting on the reservoir’swater. We’d forgotten (or more likely never

knew) that it was one of those huge and full autumn moons. The night was clear, and my spiritlifted as fast as a helium balloon. We quickly pushed on. A big pendulum to the right led to a niceledge. We were both hoping and praying there were straight-in cracks to lead us to the summit.

I followed Richard’s lead, and we arrived at a big ledge around 8 p.m. The fat man in themoon was smiling at our efforts. Lucky for us, it was splitters to the top, and Richard made shortwork of them. The second grade ve on this wall was nished, and our dream of a rst ascent hadindeed come true.

+++

T hough we were high on adrenaline anproud of our achievement, we still ha

the descent to think about: a crazy bushwhoff the top and down to the canoe, which wfound still safely tucked in the rocks at abo11:30 p.m. Richard wanted to rest for a whbut I remembered the case of Miller waitinfor us in the truck. So off we went across tglowing moonlit waters, following a goldepath to nish off the day with some beers all the stuff you talk about when you a ccoplish something like that.

We woke up to funny noises in themiddle of the night; it was snow falling onthe camper shell. We had no idea a stormwas on the way, and a forced bivy on the wwas something we didn’t even want to thinabout—a forced retreat with no headlampseven worse to contemplate.

We named the route Moon Shadcause the environment not only gave us a spassage but also granted us a rich strike, anew vein for many to mine in the open coof Sonora Pass.

K E L L Y H E S L I N

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CALIFORNIACLIMBER30 || SUMM|

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Joel Ruscher ghts for another lap onarea testpiece King Dinosaur (V7)sun gently sets over the Pacic and ofery end to the day.

WORDS + ANTHONY LAPOMARDOIMAGES + ANTHONY LAPOMARDO & DEAN FLEMING

LMLIZARD S MOUTH

THE SANDSTONE OF WEST CAMINO CIELO‘

CALIFORNIACLIMBER||32

A N T H O N Y L A P O M A R D O

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SUMM|

FFrom a west-bound exit off Highway 154, the narrow one-lane West Camino Cielo road windsthrough dense brush, river canyons and ranchería homes towards a windy summit high abovethe city of Santa Barbara. Egg-shaped sandstone boulders surround West and East CaminoCielo roads, and the chaparral-covered hills beyond Highway 154 were once home to the thriv-ing Chumash Native American tribe. The artwork at the famous Chumash Painted Cave StateHistoric Park remains one of the nest and most detailed examples of Native American rock artin California.

These hard sandstone boulders are littered across an open hillside with striking views ofSanta Barbara and the Pacic. In the late 1960s, a pair of wandering local teenagers, includingSteve Tucker, were credited for coining the area’s unique name: the Lizard’s Mouth. Today, thearea is frequently visited by day hikers and college students looking to take in amazing sunsetsover the Channel Islands. For climbers, the area surrounding the Mouth is one of the most easilyaccessible moderate sandstone bouldering locations in the state.

Although the entire hillside near Lizard’s Mouth is covered with boulders that can easily beseen from the top of the Mouth, access to the most distant boulders often requires serious bush-whacking. However, a large concentration of problems can be accessed with a quick ve-minutewalk. Problems put up by Bob Banks, Steve Edwards and others are still chalked and waiting forvisitors to paw at their textured slopers.

The dense clusters of boulders in the area offer just over 100 problems from V0 to V10. Ifyou’re looking for some excellent sandstone bouldering while traveling Highway 101 this sum-mer, take a quick pit-stop and drive up to the Mouth; its outstanding sandstone bouldering andbreathtaking sunset views are well worth the 15-minute detour.

Joel Ruscher swings through one ofnumerous variations at the Mouth asun sets behind the Channel Islands

Matus Soblioc navigates the sea of and sandy pockets that make up theexit of The Tunnel Boulder (V4).

A N T H O N Y L A P O M A R D O

D E A N F L E M I N G

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HARD SANDSTONE BOULDERSARE LITTERED ACROSS AN

OPEN HILLSIDE WITH STRIKINGVIEWS OF SANTA BARBARA

AND THE PACIFIC.

Jill Carpenter prepares to navigate theintricate sequence that guards the summthe Lizard’s Mouth highball Lord of t(V0+). If you’re not as bold as Jill, a sinbolt on the summit makes for easy toproing.

A N T H O N Y L A P O M A R D O

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THE BETAGETTING THERE From the city ofSanta Barbara, take Highway 101north for ve miles to the Highway154 exit towards Cachuma Lake.After seven miles heading northon Highway 154, turn left (west)onto West Camino Cielo. After ap-proximately seven twisty miles onWest Camino Cielo, you will beginto see some obvious boulders onthe east side of the road and somelarge pull-outs. Parking for Lizard’sMouth can be identied by severalsmall pull-outs that are close toeach other and a huge, obvioussandstone slab with a few boulderson the west side of the road. Thisis only a few hundred yards froma popular shooting range; if youreach the shooting range, you’vegone too far. The boulders areon the west side of the road andmostly scattered along this slaband the bushy plateau just southof the slab.

WHERE TO STAY Campinbe found at many spots nearLizard’s Mouth. Unfortunatemost of the campgrounds (ining Live Oak and Cachuma Lare maintained by the CountySanta Barbara Parks Divisionare very expensive—especiareserve. A better option for cing is at Los Prietos Campgrwhich offers sites for $20 penight and only an extra $5 feadd a second or third car.

GUIDEBOOK PRINTSoutCalifornia Bouldering by CFry and Ocean’s Eleven, Boing around Santa BarbaraBob Banks ONLINE/APP LMouth Bouldering Guide bPyne (free on iTunes)

Rebecca Taggart onthe Stoned DanglerTraverse (V5).

ABOVEEman interestinsome uniqueSunset BouleLEFTEddie move from sand killer huslabby, technFritz Bulge

5 Star Routes Lizard’s Mouth Traverse (V0+)

Lord of the Flies (V0+)Call Me (V4)

Fritz Bulge (V6)King Dinosaur (V7)

Heidi Ruscher reels in the bald,sandy slopers of another uniqueLizard's Mouth problem. Short andsteep, the west exit to The TunnelBoulde r (V4) requires powerfulcontact strength.

A N T H

O N Y L A P

O MA R D

O D E A N F L E M I N G ( 2 )

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Little Egypt

Bishop’s not-so-hidden secret

. . .

WORDS + CHARLIE BARRETTIMAGES + DEAN FLEMING & CHARLIE BARRETT

Charlie Barrett on Welcome to the Dark Side

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D E A N F L E M I N G

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Fifteen miles west of the town of Bishop,well-protected sport climbs and uniform cracksystems are situated right next to each other ina healthy harmony at the beautifully sculpteddomes of Little Egypt. Strongly featured quartzmonzonite is similar to the stone at the nearbyButtermilks, but the thin crimps, diorite knobsand gritty slopers at Little Egypt are slightlyless abrasive. Interesting rock and cool temps at6,500 feet above sea level will keep you stokedon long summer days whether you’re onsightingclean splitters at your limit, wandering throughtechnical face climbs or just hanging in theshade.

Dean Fleming Day Afternoon

Charlie Barrett onCrème del Este (5.13b)

D E A N F L E M I N G

C H A R L I E B A R R E T T

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CALIFORNIACLIMBER46 || SUMM|Jerry Dodrill on For Those About to Rock (5.10d)

D E A N F L E M I N G

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5-Star RoutesCrème del Este (5.13b). Guarded by an awkward 5.10 aredcrack at the bottom, this challenging line climbs up a granitetufa-like feature to a huge and heartbreaking last move thatends on an enormous chicken head.

Espresso Crack (5.11c). Reminiscent of the famed and amazingButterballs of Yosemite, this slightly overhanging splitternger crack was originally toproped by Kevin Leary and rated5.12a. Eventually led by Vern Clevenger, Espresso Crack readilytakes yellow and red Aliens and is one of the best pitches t heEastside has to offer.

For Those About to Rock (5.10d). This intimidating but safepitch climbs an impressive undercling/roof past a secure piton

T he striking 13,000-foot Sierra Nevada Mountains loom over Highway 168 and the surround-ing Owens Valley—a quick 20-minute drive from the scorching summertime heat in the town

of Bishop. Highway 168 quickly gains elevation about three miles past Buttermilk Road as itwinds west to the town of Aspendale, a small vacation spot and g ateway to the mountains. Rightas the road hits the 6,500-foot mark and just before Aspendale, you can make out a diminutivebut inviting cache of rock out the driver-side window.

The short and steep approach to Little Egypt gives you a sense of what it was like to walkaround Buttermilk Country before the bouldering boom took place in the early 2000s. Aftercrossing a wide, snow-fed stream, you’ll nd lush rolling hills covered in fragile sage, rabbit brushand pinyon pine trees as you walk the path to a pristine and quiet climbing haven. Surmountthe nal steep section of trail to reach the crag and take in the astounding backdrop of thesnow-capped High Sierra to the west, the desolate Owens Valley to the north and the rugged andominous White Mountains to the east.

+++

F rontier Wall is not only the rst cliff you come to at Little Egypt, but it’s also the best withinteresting and diverse climbing styles. You’ll nd cracks, ns, edges and knobs on almost

every route here, from the easiest to the hardest. If you’re looking to climb perfect splitters orincredibly featured granite sport climbs with black dio rite knobs and incut edges, Frontier Wallhas plenty of each. Many of the routes here are short and steep with bolted anchors and areconducive to doing laps—as long as your skin keeps up with your psych. Once you’ve experiencedsome of the most interestingly featured rock on the Eastside, relax in the sand on the cool perchon the right side just below Espresso Crack (5.11c) and Classic Crack (5.9).

A ve- to 10-minute walk past Frontier Wall takes you to Lambada Dome and the Mussy-potamia Wall where you’ll nd excellent long routes up to three pitches. Routes at the center ofMussypotamia like Chick Dead…Dog Killed It (5.9) and Tricky Goldie (5.11b) climb perfect patina

and huecos up a stellar 300-foot face.The back walls of Mussypotamia and

Lambada Dome do not see as much trafc asFrontier Wall, so it would be extremely rare tosee another person—let alone wait in line fora route. For those desiring rst ascents, thehidden faces behind Little Egypt’s Frontier Wallstill hold plenty of potential for new routes.Even the tall boulders below the cliffs wi llprovide a few new hard and highball boulderproblems.

Although Little Egypt is much smaller,the landscape has a very similar feel to JoshuaTree. If you enjoy wandering around a secludedenvironment searching for new routes, lappingsome pumpy cracks or simply enjoying theview from a cool spot packed with climbs,Little Egypt should be high on your easternSierra ticklist. One-of-a-kind rock and a highconcentration of quality lines make the steepapproach more than worth it, but the viewsfrom the crag combined with the chilly riverbelow make this area an exceptional summer-time destination.

ABOVE Catrina Behling on Warrior Waitress (5.10a)RIGHT Charlie Barrett on Crème del Este (5.13b)

at the crux. Beyond the pin, excellent laybacking,underclinging and jamming lead out a huge overhangto a two-bolt anchor.

Welcome to the Dark Side (5.10c). If you’re here toclip some bolts, don’t miss this amazing and sportyroute. The line starts with perfect incut crimps ongolden rock, and then heads up an exposed arête ona granite rib.

Chick Dead…Dog Killed It (5.9). This 300-foot mixedroute climbs some of the best stone in the area. Theline gains some nice exposure on thought-provokingface and crack climbing.

D E A N F L E MI N

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GETTING THERE From the town of Bishop,drive west up Highway 168 for about 10 miles.Just beyond the rst yellow left-turn sign, turnleft onto an unnamed paved road that takesyou to a gated reservoir. Park on the side ofthe road near the gate—please do not parkin front of the gate. Walk down the road pastthe gate about 200 yards to a small trail thatwinds down and right to the river. Cross thesmall bridge (not for dogs who are faint ofheart), then stay on the trail headed up andleft until it wraps right around the hill andyou’re at the crag. All the walls at Little Egyptare northwest-facing, so if you’re looking toclimb in the shade, get there before 3 p.m.

WHERE TO STAY Bishop has all the ameni-ties you need: hotels, bars, restaurants, etc.There are a handful of campgrounds a fewmiles west of the Little Egypt parking area onHighway 168. Many of these campgrounds arefree in the winter months but collect a fee inthe summer.

GUIDEBOOK Bishop Area Rock Climbs byMarty Lewis and Peter Croft

THE BETA

LEFT Dean Fleming on Cannibal (5.11b)BELOW Catrina Behling on Warrior Waitress (5.10a)

C H A R L I E B A R R E T T

D E A N F L E M I N G

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CALIFORNIACLIMBER54 || SUMM|Joel Zerr on Cruella De V

SUGAp I NE

RWORDS + DAVE HATCHETT

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M A R T A C Z A J K O W S K A

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On a Sierra winter day in 2001, Tom Anderson went on a ski tour up General Creek on the westshore of Lake Tahoe. After 30 minutes in a dense forest, he arrived in a beautiful open meadowfreshly coated with snow. Looking to the south, he saw some inviting pillow lines waiting to beskied. As he approached the slope, he started to notice even larger lumps of snow everywhere,like cotton balls scattered in a eld. Could these be boulders under the snow? They must be. Hevowed to come back in the spring and have a look.

Luckily spring came early that year, and with a posse of friends and cleaning tools, Tomand his crew set out in hopes of nding a nice cache. They started across the meadow and sooncame across massive amounts of standing water. Perhaps they had started their adventure justa few weeks too early. They debated coming back in drier conditions, but their curiosity was notquelled, so they found a semi-dry path through the meadow.

The rst few boulders were small, but they were granite, featured and clean. The next clus-ter was dense and of proper height. To their amazement, almost every boulder had good-lookinglines. By the time summer ended, the crew had established about 40 problems up to V6 on 12boulders.

The word got out, and several climbers, including myself, sampled the goods. Then it satvirtually untouched for a long 10 years.

+++

In the spring of 2010, after climbing at Bliss State Park in South Lake Tahoe for the 20th time,our crew craved something new. I suggested Sugar Pine. I remembered it being really fun, and I

had not returned since my original visit in 2 000. As we walked across the meadow, the rst thingI noticed was granite as far as I could see up General Creek Canyon. I saw rock for at least fourmiles past the lower bouldereld.

Our excitement grew as we came upon Tom’s original discovery. Could they really have ne-glected something as simple as walking farther up the creek? We warmed up, and the problemswere just how I remembered: perfect rock with perfect features.

I can still recall the next hour precisely, and what I saw will be forever burned into myretinas. We weren’t 50 yards past Tom’s high point, and I was already salivating like an adolescentteen on prom night. How could they not have seen all this other rock?! The farther we walked,the bigger and better the boulders looked. I stopped dead in my tracks under a beautiful graniteegg with an incredible line jutting out its steep belly. I uttered the phrase “high priority,” and theproblem was named before it got sent. We pressed on for 200 yards and found another giganticgranite monolith; I called her the Beast, and the name stuck.

Over the next four months, it was full-on attack mode for anyone who wanted a piece, andthe takers were not hard to nd. By the end of summer we had cleaned close to 40 bouldersand established more than 200 problems. Climbers were calling it Tahoe’s Fontainebleau, and itdenitely had the high concentration and quality to live up to that meaningful name.

We were in such a frenzy developing this initial cluster that most of us had forgotten about

all the rock that was up the canyon. On a restday in late fall, I ventured up the single track. Itdidn’t take long before I ran into more house-sized boulders. It was like I was reliving the dayI rst visited Sugar Pine, but I was astonishedby the fact that the climbing looked evenbetter!

The forest up there is more open, andthe rock has formed in a different way. Theboulders are incredible. First, I found Master-piece Theatre: a granite alcove with some ofthe most beautiful highball problems I haveever done—all side by side. I skirted the leftside of the alcove and stared in awe at a clean,overhanging white wall covered in dioriteknobs. It was later named The Dalmatian Wall,and it boasts plenty of rad lines with goodlandings and interesting movement.

+++

T he story of the rest of Sugar Pine goes just the same: The farther up the canyon

you walk, the more boulders you’ll nd. Therock is striking and covered with features. Ifyou see a granite egg off in the distance andit looks like the right height, you can probablycount on it being covered with incut edges andblack knobs.

Currently there are more than 1,200problems along General Creek; this makes upthe Sugar Pine bouldering circuit. With someeffort by eager developers, that number couldeasily grow to 2,000 or more in the comingyears. It’s hard to say for sure, but by the timeeverything is said and done, there could bemore than 3,000 problems in this seven-milestretch of the creek. If you want to climb somefantastic Sierra granite—and put up some newproblems while you’re at it—Sugar Pine is yourplace.

UPPER LEFTBear cub at Sugar Pine MARTA CZAJKOWSKAUPPER RIGHTJimmy Hayden on Westside Slasher (V4)BOTTOMJon Thompson on Splat (V6) MIDDLE LEFTThe easiest access to Sugar Pine is via mountain b

Dave Hatchett on Chutes and Ladders(V4)

M

A R T A C Z A

J K O W

S K A

C L O C K W I S E L - R M A R T A C Z A J K O W S K A

, D A V E H A T C H E T T , G U S T A V O M O S E R

, M A R T A C Z A J K O W S K A

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GETTING THERE Go 1.5 miles south ofSugar Pine Point Campground on Highway89 is Ehrman Mansion. Directly across thestreet from the mansion is a dirt road with alocked gate. This is the trailhead to Sugar Pineboulders, but there is no parking here—pleasepark 100 yards to the north. You can approachAnderson Alley and Sugar Pine 1 & 2 by foot,but a mountain bike will make your day mucheasier. The trail is mainly at, so the ride is

easy and will save you time and energy. SugarPine 3, 4, 5 & 6 are all up the canyon so thebest approach is by driving on a rugged 4X4trail called McKinney Rubicon. You can cut offthe trail before the terrain gets really bad, butyou do need a solid 4X4 truck like a ToyotaTacoma to make it. Subaru wagons need notapply.

WHERE TO STAY Sugar Pine Point State Parkoffers tent camping and RV sites. The park islocated off Highway 89 in Tahoma.

GUIDEBOOK Bouldering Lake Tahoe, NW Edi- tion by Dave Hatchett

THE BETA

5-STAR ROUTESShowtime (V4)

Event Horizon (V6)High Priority (V8)

Shampoo Squeeze Sit (V9)Focal Point (V10)

S ugar Pine is best separated into sevendistinct bouldering areas: Anderson Alley

and Sugar Pine 1 through 6. Here are quickdescriptions of each area and some basic ap-proach information.

Anderson Alley (86 problems, VB to V9)Tom Anderson discovered this rst, as it’s therst to melt out in spring—sometime aroundJune 1 in an average-snowfall year. The prob-lems are good, but the rock gets better at theupper areas. There are a lot of fun, moderateroutes and one hard line named Sneak Attack (V9), which is a denite must-do. The Alley isthe gateway to Sugar Pine 1, and it’s your bestbet if you don’t have four-wheel drive. A moun-tain bike is recommended but not mandatory.The approach time is 30 minutes by bike or 45to 60 minutes walking.

Sugar Pine 1 (257 problems, VB to V11)With a lot more to offer, the boulders here arebigger and host harder problems. High Priority,The Pepsi Challenge, the Conspiracy Boulderand the Beast boulder are a few of the gems.The approach time is 30 minutes by bike or 45to 60 minutes walking.

Sugar Pine 2 (204 problems, VB to V11) The forest opens up a bit, and the boulders geteven more highball; however, there are plentyof smaller problems to be done. The approachtime is a solid one hour with a mountain bike,probably 1.5 hours without—but the world-classclimbing, serenity and scenic beauty will makeyou forget about the long slog.

Sugar Pine 3, 4, 5 & 6 (500+ problems, VB to V11)To access the following four areas, a 4x4 truckis needed for the McKinney Rubicon Trail. Oncedone with the driving, it is a casual 30-minutewalk through an aesthetic forest to the rstboulders. Sugar Pine 3 has a bit of a Yosemite/Tuolumne Meadows feel with boulders perchedon granite slabs. They have a great variety ofpatina edges, diorite knobs, arêtes and cracks.Once at Sugar Pine 3, General Creek turnsfrom an east-west orientation to north-south.To approach Sugar Pine 4, 5 and 6, simplywalk on General Creek Trail, which parallelsthe water. The approach time for these upperareas is 30 to 90 minutes.

Paul Ottis on Focal Point (V10)

SUGARp I NE

MI C H A E L E A D I N

G T O N

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