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Commons Beach in Tahoe City this morning 7am. pinch myself.


First time and this place is better than I imagined it. My impression of Woodfords has been that the goods would be a struggle to locate and scramble too, but there is excellent Donner Summit quality granite trad climbing with good anchors right above the road. Thanks to the guys who put in all the hard work at Woodfords Canyon! I'll be coming back for sure. If you are a route setter, trail builder, skin track maker....email me for a wholesale purchase opportunity. I owe you. I used to do stuff like this pre-kid, but it's hard enough to just get out once a week these days.

Today Eric Perlman and I did 4 climbs on "The Fortress" at Woodfords. It was 17 degrees leaving the car, but by the time we hiked the 30 minutes uphill to this first crag, we had our baselayer shirts on only. Sun stayed on the south facing rock all day, which in December is about 3pm before it starts getting cold.

I drew in the 4 climbs we did. From let to right:
perfect lieback 5.8
sun wall left 10c
sun wall middle 10c
red pillar 5.9


we got the route info from mountainproject as well as printing out the early 90's guide found here:
http://www.supertopo.com/topos/obscurit ... _guide.pdf



All of these climbs had newish open shuts to lower off of, except middle sun wall had old slings with no ring or biner on it. I rapped down 10 feet to the rap station for sun wall left, pulled rope, then went down from there. We used a 70m rope for all of these climbs but a 60 might just make it. Bring a 70 to this place.




did I say it was 17 degrees leaving the car? Actually it was as nice of a day as your going to get for december, and warm in the sun.


first climb we both led the 5.8 perfect lieback at the toe of the buttress. 5 star, white grippy granite with a steepening pitch and easy pro.


next is sunwall left 10c, just up the hill a few minutes to the east. The finger crack in the second half was stellar and straight forward, but vertical. I could do all the moves but had to hang and rest.






putting the other hard 10+ sunwall climbs on hold, we went further around the corner and up the hill to Red Pillar 5.9. Eric led this, and I should have pulled the rope to lead it too. With fading light and cold temps coming, you really can't get that much done in December. Eric has been climbing year round for decades. This is my first season climbing past October! I drew a thin black line up the Red Pillar route on the far right.


This is a great climb with a few 5.9 spots, easy to protect, but the rope goes way into the crack under the roof. Our rope got bound on a cam in there but it came free easily. To keep the rope in one place maybe you could have two cams opposing each other and guiding the rope? Or less pro always keeps ropes moving nicely too I've heard.


Not trying to dramatize this, just playing around.




This climb is awesome. There is some crumbly rock but no mandatory junk to use during the climb. At the top we did an airy step over to the right for the finish. You might be able to finish a few ways, but this is really cool.


Ok, back to 10+ flaring offwidth. Eric flew up this one no problem. I got spanked at the crux for way too long and never really climbed it right. I'll be back! This middle sun wall line is right above eric's head.

_________________
Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

Great pics! I have been wanting to check that place out, that might be just the inspiration I needed!

More Woodfords Sunny Side climbing today left and above where wen went last time. Today was REALLY cold, 12 degrees outside in one place.


We had wind today and colder temps, but south facing rock was good to go without gloves or hat. Belaying was cold. I learned some more 5.9's and 10's that are easy to find and amazing.


This other area a little higher and to the east called The Frontier looks like more of the same. A LOT more. Can't wait to learn some of those climbs. Thanks to all route setters, guidebook writers, and beta sharers. Free gear for all to you. Or at least a great deal, email me anytime!!!


We climbed today in the middle of that massive "fortress" of rock in the sun. I brought crap shoes for the sandy hike up there, but wished I had my approach shoes for the scrambling in-between some of the climbs. I'm sure some of you hard men just do it in sandals...


These are some of the climbs with a slap of photoshop paint to show you some routes. I never draw my climbing routes to be perfect, consult a real guidebook please and don't be mad at me. But I am drawing routes that I climbed or looked at from the bottom.
First we climbed Whisker Biscuit 5.9. Nick led and it was pretty cold at 9am, so I'll lead that next time. This was an excellent jam crack with more hand sized quality parallel crack than it appears from below. Anchors at top. We also did I been Jammin on the way out, which is amazing too.




Nick has buddies that are setting new routes in the Woodfords area, and they were nice enough to draw us a map to get from this Alcove area up into the middle zone below "Way the Hell Up There 11c". It involved moving over to the east a little and climbing some 4th class steps behind a tree, then wandering uphill through bushes and boulders towards that 11c crack (which I believe is on Pineal Pillar from a ST thread). We climbed a new 2 pitch called Serenity Now. The lower pitch is 5.7 and a LOT better than it looks. some bushes to go through, but really good moves in places. There is a 2 bolt anchor about 120' up and just beyond the huge redish house sized boulder up there. BTW, when we rapped down from this spot our 70 meter rope just barely touched down to the start. We also could have down climbed however with less rope, or rapped off of "way the hell up there". The upper pitch is 10d to a 2 bolt anchor. no big cams needed for the 2nd pitch, although I used some on the lower pitch just cuz I had them.


nick comes up to me at the top of pitch one of Serenity Now. I used the wide crack on the right and follwed chalk marks that crossed over to other cracks on the left using some face knobs.


Nick starts pitch two while I freeze in the shade. He was pretty cold too even though he had sun and was on south facing rock. Maybe SE, and we had an east wind today.


I left my jacket and gloves at the base. Whoops. I got creative with my fleece hat. I also keep meaning to try climbing with socks on for more warmth.


I drew XX's for the anchors. Thanks to Chim Chim who I believe put this route up and many more. And thanks to Ron Anderson and the other 10 guys who I don't know. Thanks to all climbers who established routes everywhere! I"m still kind of new to all of this and just overwhelmed with the fun climbs I can do thanks to a small group of people like this. Same goes for mt bike trails I guess too. No one really helps me find ski tours, and our tax dollars pay for most other recreation. But climbing is really a unique and fascinating thing all around.


Lira's in Meyers is a good place to stop for a gut bomb for breakfast or lunch. This huge sandwhich was 6 bucks and made while I waited at 7am. Their donuts are the only REAL donuts in tahoe btw.


Next I led I Be Jammin. I read that this has been downgraded from 10a to 5.9 from Montain Project, but I vote the other way. I felt this was definitely more strenuous than the other three 5.9's in the area. Easy to protect but your falling out of the crack the whole time while you try to figure out the right way to climb it. Can't wait to do this one again, and the others next to it like OULD and Quoia. Open shuts at the top of this climb, which also are for Quoia.




I hope to ski a few laps on the N facing steep trees and chutes across the street.


These are some other areas facing north that will have to wait for next season. This shady side of the canyon has a short approach and a campground at the bottom. Woodfords Canyon is truly a climbing trip destination worthy like the Leap and Tuolumne. You just need the beta, which is found searching online. Buy Ron Anderson's original guidebook by email, as the PDF online is too small and blury. Plus that guy deserves a few bucks.

_________________
Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

For really easy photo topos, try BetaCreator, a free application for Windows or Mac. Google it to find the download and then be AMAZED at how quickly and easily you can make GREAT looking climbing topos.

Great pics! Keep em coming! I have downloaded the free topo online in the past, from supertopo, can you post a link where we can buy the higher quality file? Thanks!

thanks, betacreater.

what I read on supertopo.com is Ron Anderson sells the 1992 guide for $40. Contact him from that website by posting in the woodfords thread or private messaging him.

_________________
Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

finally got a climb in at woodfords on Thursday on our way down the eastside.

you really get warmed up hiking up to the base of the fortress. Climbed the perfect lieback and yes it is perfect, but too short.

the sunwall climbs looks really sweet.

hiking up for 1 climb was just worth it. need to go back for a full day up there.