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Professionally Guided Rock Climbing in San Diego and Joshua Tree

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Our friend Dr. D. on a fresh crisp day out at Mount Woodson.Mount Woodson is one of the most popular rock climbing area in San Diego.With great character, Woodson features thousands of beautiful granite boulders sprinkled over the hillside of the mountain near Ramona.It is a special rock climbing area with many boulders too high for just a crash pad and many too short to call them legit lead climbs.That is why climbers often end up top-roping the taller climbs. However, bouldering at Mount Woodson is also incredible with many options and a variety of climbing styles from challenging slab to splitter crack or contrived face movements.Many of the boulders are equipped with bolts for toprope anchors. Since the boulders are relatively short it is enough to bring a short rope of 35 meters. This will keep your pack lightweight and ready for most climbs.The faster option to enjoy climbing at Mt. Woodson is to take the trail (utility road) from Highway 67. Next to the ditch, there starts a trail that leads to a paved road that continues to the top of the mountain.The road is not for public car traffic and only reserved for vehicles serving the cell phone and radio towers that are installed on the mountain top.The first rock climbing is as close as 10 minutes from the car. There are fantastic warm up boulders right and left off the paved road. Further up-left there is more to discover such as classic hardlines named “I hear my train a comin, 5.11+”. And also less challenging climbs are available with beautiful 5.8 cracks and faces.Mount Woodson is not an easy-to-navigate area especially when leaving the road to start looking for classics that are published in guidebooks. Many climbers have struggled, bushwacked and finally not found the climb they were looking for.For first time visitors it is the easiest to stick near the road and keep walking up towards the top.Along the way there are plenty of rock climbing opportunities with more than one day of exploring. Mount Woodson is a popular climbing destination for San Diego and even Southern California..#chillinorockclimbing #sandiegorockclimbing #rockclimbing #climbing #sandiego #guide #guiding

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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!