Winter is Coming!

[DaveyTree]

It's a weird year since I am normally only duck hunting at this point in the season. I am curious where ya'll go in the winter. I know the Fresno locals will head to Tollhouse and Square Nail once the snow gets down to 5k'. Some Shaver area crags will be open until then Like Dogma, Musick Mtn, Hidden Rocks, Condome and Mowavi Pluton (Shaver Dome). Yosemite Valley is always there with less people during the winter. Pinnacles is an option but I am not a fan. Danland and the other crags out of 3-rivers is about the same elevation as Tollhouse and should be good all winter. Lower sections and formations in the Patterson Bluff area never see snow during the winter and can be a great get away. The Mesa at Millerton Lake, if you can find it, is a winter crag.

Further from me is San Luis with Bishop's Peak and other crags. New Jack City and  J-Tree for a weekend trip.

What else am I missing?

[mungeclimber]

Table mtn on 108.


Pinns is hella fun!

[John]

The Valley, minus the crowds is pretty awesome as an option in the winter. The camping situation still sucks but its better than staying home.

Pinns...pass. I still go there sometimes just to get out.

We do a day trip to the Grotto on 108 sometimes since the cracks there are pretty cool but you couldn't make a weekend out of it unless you like the Table Mtn stuff like Munge does!

We go to Red Rocks for a week or two over Christmas/New Years most years. That has worked out really well for us for a long time.

Winter options within a reasonable drive seem to be mediocre but when you get to climb after a long spell of not climbing its suddenly the best climbing ever!

[DaveyTree]

Haven't been to Grotto or Table Mt. I like the idea of good cracks. I forgot about Red Rocks! That place is awesome.

I did a trip to Pinns about 4-5 years ago. That flexing of the river rocks in the hard mud was not my favorite. I remember climbing one where it felt like the rock I was stepping on was going to pop out while I had my hand in a perfect pocket and realized it used to hold a rock like the one I was standing on. The pile of stones on the ground that used to be on the wall didn't help the sketch. Hahaha.

The funniest part of the trip was when I was awoken from my whiskey slumber in my zero gravity chair under the stairs to some kind of fight. I opened one good eye to see Paul running back and forth kicking raccoons that were trying to walk away with our food. They actually moved the ice chest about 25 yards away from camp. My only response before returning to my slumber was "Huh! The raccoons are thick out here". Paul ended up putting all the food in the back of his truck but forgot to close the camper shell. The next morning they had gone through most everything and eaten parts of all the food. We found dusty paw prints all over his dash and steering wheel as if they had tried to steal the truck while tuning the radio to some good garage band stuff.

[John]

That's hilarious about the racoons. We were in the campground there eating at a picnic table at dusk and one of the little bastards grabbed a bag of chips and ran for it. Mucci yelled "oh, hell no" and chased him into a ravine in the dark. You could hear a scuffle in there for a bit and he comes back and puts the chips back on the table in silence and just sits down like he wasn't wrestling with a wild racoon at all...

[mungeclimber]

LOL, hilarious!

Owens Valley, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, has the same racoons. Window cracked a little, the tiny hand print within centimeters of the door on the inside of the window!!! Almost had a Nissan driven off, I'm sure of it!

The cooler in the back of the truck? Forget about it. Everything ransacked, nothing left behind (not even wrappers). The only thing unopened?  A jar of jelly. So moral of the story?  Put everything in glass jars!  Fukc the racoons! LOL

[Gerard(Jerry)Jessurun]

Look forward to visiting the Danland area this season. Still want to get to Hidden as well.

[DaveyTree]

Too funny! I have wrestled with raccoons in attics when I used to do some trapping as a job. You get one of those big mamas on the end of a catch pole, you better hang on. Eyes turn red and all plans are out the window.

Jerry, If I end up going to Danland I will let you know. I have yet to go but everything I have heard about Danland is that it is a fun spot with some good cracks to boot. Got to talk to a few people at the Reel Rock showing who climb there pretty often. They got me jazzed about a visit. Just park at the gate a few miles out of 3-Rivers toward Mineral King and head up the trail on left side of road. Trail reported to be very well maintained. I was also told there is a weather station on Case Mt. across the way from Danland which is the same elevation that will give a pretty accurate weather picture for climbing there.

Hidden Rocks doesn't have near the amount of established climbing routes but potential for FAs. There were a couple lines I spotted back in the day but never went back to get on them. There is a couple fun cracks, "Z" and "Y" crack. If memory serves me right they are 10b and 10d. They start at the same spot with Z heading up and Y taking a left at the kneee bar hueco spot. If you climb Y crack taking the left, DO NOT clip the the piton. It is there holding in a large boulder. Makes for additional excitement. Elev' is 5,870 so it definitely got snow. I can give you GPS cords if you message/text me.

I just saw pictures of a buddy's house who lives on Lower Cressman's Road @ 4,800'. From this storm, Tuesday night, he got around 6"-10" of snow already.

[John]

If you climb Y crack taking the left, DO NOT clip the the piton. It is there holding in a large boulder.

What the hell?

[mungeclimber]

yeah, that's what I said!

[DaveyTree]

That's what I was told back in the day. Regardless, I didn't clip it. Hahaja

The piton tightened up a loosening rock about the size medium ice chest from why I remember.