San Diego, Mission Trails! Another beautiful day with great views. Nick is getting some climbing done on "mission control" (5.8). This climbing area is only a 20 minutes drive from the beaches or downtown. Great spot to get a few hours of climbing in. The whole cliff side is southwest facing – therefore one of the few places where you can enjoy shady climbing in the early, which is essential for San Diego's hot summers. Way to go @chefnickbrune
Climbing without a rope (free-soloing) is not dangerous! 99.99% of all climbers who free solo know what they are doing. Most of them have climbed their free solo route x-times before they even consider a rope less ascent. They pick their route difficulty much below of what their limit is. Free solo climbers want to know what they get into. They want to have a 100% control over what they are doing – there is absolutely no room for error and they know that!As a free solo climber you should be aware of two things:1. What is my physical limit and technical skill?2. What is my psyche? How do I deal with the fact that there is no room for error?#1 is all about what your body can do. Are you flexible? Do you know how to move your body? Do you have the strength to hold a certain hand hold?#2 is a much more complex area because it addresses your psyche directly. Are you comfortable with heights? Can you stay calm and not become hectic when you encounter a difficult section of the climb? Can you maintain your breathing at a constant pace? Are you scared? Do you picture consequences often – what if…? Knowing what your body can do is the best precondition for building your mental strength. After that it is all about your mental conditioning. This touches upon your every day life personality… How many risks are you willing to take? Do you have goals in life? Are you concerned with failing? How hard do you try to achieve your goals and the list goes on… It is inevitable to mention that mastering both skills (physical+mental) make up a good free solo climber – knowing your skill and being confident about it makes you forget about all the what if's?A strong climber may never attempt a free solo climb due to mental limits. A weaker climber with a strong mind may consider a free solo climb more likelier than the above.Please give me se input about free solo climbing as there are certainly more aspects to it than what I mentioned above.Know yourself and know what your limits are… And don't forget to push them once in a while (does not have to be a free-solo ;) Stay safe!
Last move to the top! While others are relaxing, Jamie is going for it! Joshua Tree are always guaranteed good times. Wether you are climbing or just lean back and enjoy magic landscapes… Climbing season starts mid October and runs through May. The winter destination number one for US climbing. While most other areas are shut down by snow,rain and freezing temps "JTree" is mostly just fine! Only few days are windy, cold or even snowy. Find out yourself and visit this beautiful place on earth. PC @shepherdimages always rock'n it @jaimiegunn chillin on the ground @calistyla and @erica___claire
Rappelling is a very essential part of rock climbing! When there is no "walk off" the climber has to descent the rock formation via rappelling. Most established climbing areas have fixed rappel anchors on top of the rock. Rappel anchors consist of at least 2 bolts with each bolt having a metal ring threaded through (rappel ring). Those rings have a round and smooth surface and are used for the rope to be pulled through before rappelling. Once the climber is on the ground the rope can be pulled off the rings Rappels need to be backed up every time! In this picture Iwan @calistyla is backed up through a "fireman's belay" which is a person on the ground holding the rope in order to stop Iwan from involuntarily descending! Stay safe! And have fun on the rocks PC: @shepherdimages thanks for sharing these wonderful moments out in Joshua Tree
That moment when you accomplish something that seemed so far out of reach… Here Natalia realizing how simple it is when you just try. Often this is just what it takes… try…try… and try more! Explore, do something new every day, every week, throw away your old reservations, play free… And you will find yourself up there. Thanks for the great moments and teaching each other lessons for life! @natyyydreaddd PC: @shepherdimages
Mt. Woodson, San Diego. Thousands of high quality granite boulders that are sprinkled over the hillside of the mountain near Ramona. Woodson is quite a special climbing area since many of the boulders are too high for just a crash pad but too short for a legit lead climb. That is why this area is often described as a "world class" top roping area ;) with many of the boulders featuring bolted TR anchors. Climbing styles are typical for California desert granite with many excellent crack and slab climbs and a few face climbing lines. Many classics routes are home to Woodson just as the one in the picture – "Rockwork Orange" (5.10b) is the definition of a perfect dihedral – 30feet/10meters of a perfect corner featuring a parallel sided (splitter) crack between the left and right side. Mostly climbed with ropes due to length and bad landing. @shepherdimages thanks for capturing this one. See you guys out there! Fabi
Zion National Park! World class climbing on sandstone with big wall style climbs. This is here is André just about to get ready for the short and incredibly amazing traverse pitch on "Moonlight Buttress" (5.12d) – this is Zion's most famous long route following a continuous wide finger crack pitch after pitch. Most parties skip this traverse pitch and aid climb via a bolt ladder straight up from the belay stance. 12 pitches of hard and sustained climbing including views and exposure that is unbelievable!
Hard to beat this aesthetic line! It seems so intuitive to want to climb this beauty – "bird of fire" (5.10a) is certainly one if the great classics in Joshua Tree National Park. Some few face climbing moved quickly guide your way into this beautiful steepening crack feature – with the hardest part waiting on the very top. Diana Gri enjoying every bit of it – ready to pull the last moves. Ultra classic, ultra Joshua Tree, ultra fun
Santee Boulders! San Diego's most convenient boulder hotspot. You park you car – 5 minutes later you climb some rocks. Santee's granite boulders are mostly low angle climbs with smaller holds rather than big ones. A great playground to learn how important it is to use your feet/lower body. "It's all in your feet" I cannot repeat this often enough! Here Diego enjoying another ascent of "donkey dick" (V1). Crash pad and spotter in position! Stay safe on the rocks! See you out there!
This is the time San Diego! One of the finest "winter" climbing destinations! Where many other areas are shut down by rain, snow and freezing temperatures at this moment, SoCal presents itself from its best side. Here Thomas in action following up "grip tape ramp" (5.12a) – another beautiful climb way up on El Cajon Mt. in San Diego. Great exposure, awesome steep approach hike, gets your pump going, flying with birds. @sqmot @grottoclimbing #sandiegooutdoor #sandiegorockclimbing #sandiego #rockclimbing #rockclimbingschool #elcajonmountain #griptaperamp