Life On The Move

Mountain Khakis Bouldering

The bouldering in California is superb. Since I was in LA for a week in summer I thought that it would be a good idea to check out Horse Flats since it is at 5000ft elevation. As it turned out the weather was great. The temps were in the 80’s and in the shade, with the cool breeze, it was more like 70. I have to say that Horse Flats is a really beautiful place. There is not an obscene amount of boulders, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. The rock is granite and the moves are powerful. To me granite is only second to southern sandstone. And powerful moves really make me want to crank hard.

The only guidebook that I could find in print was the Southern California Bouldering Guide. This guide was last printed in 1997. There has since been significant development in the area. So walking around the main area was interesting . The guidebook uses YDS and the B-scale, no V-scale. With the beta online combined with what is found in the guidebook, I was able to locate some stellar lines. I think that this area is great to go to a few times a year. As you progress as a climber you can climb up the V-scale and really enjoy all that Horse Flats has to offer.

I was able to visit Horse Flats twice on this trip. Once with my Parents and once with a first time climber. The visit with my parents was very nice because my step-father enjoys taking photos and was not bothered by me nagging him about taking photos of me climbing. It is a real treat to have my photo taken. I am usually the one behind the camera while climbing. He was even open to using my camera and letting me set the shot up for him, which I did not have to do, he is a very competent photographer. He had just never shot climbing before, so I wanted the photos to turn out nice.

On my next trip I explored more of the popular boulders. One of my favorites is the V4 on Swiss Cheese and the 5.11 highball on the back of the B1 Traverse block. Two fun problems that I think really give the first time visitor a true sense of what this area has to offer.

I really have to thank Ken my step-father for snapping the shutter for me. I also want to thank Mountain Khakis for making such a great product. I love my Granite Creek Shorts. I recommend them to every climber and really anyone who goes into the mountains. A super light and burly material combined with zipper pockets and a gusseted crotch makes for a great pair of climbing shorts and pants. Anyway, Thanks for the support and keep making great products built for the mountain life.

Here are some photos from Yosemite and Horse Flats. Did I mention that I love my Mountain Khakis?

 

Go Climb Something!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Friday, September 16th, 2011 at 9:13 pm. It is filed under climbing, sandstone, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.