Stoney Point And The Price Of Vanity

Packing for a spur-of-the-moment family trip to SoCal, tossing my shoes and chalk bag in the car was a no-brainer. The next step was figuring out how to carve out a little time to climb, and decide where to go. I hadn't done much research on LA area climbing, but I knew there had to be something in driving distance, or at least a gym nearby. Then I remembered Stony Point, an old stomping ground for rebellious LA teenagers who would go on to become some of the leading pioneers of Yosemite climbing. A quick google map search told me it wasn't too far from where we were staying in Santa Monica, and a plan was hatched.

After a couple days of beach bumming and my first attempt at surfing, I got up early on morning to check out the urban sandstone of Stony Point. My bro-in-law John and my son Asher got up with me, and we made the drive across Topanga Canyon to the San Fernando Valley and Stony Point. We arrived to find a big dome of featured sandstone, with boulders scattered around the base. Despite the urban appearance - and warnings of gangs, glass, and homeless residents - the place looked promising for a good session of bouldering.

For anyone interested in climbing history, Stony Point is worth a visit just for the chance to pull on some of the same polished holds as many of the pioneers of our sport : Royal Robbins, Bob Kamps, Yvon Chouinard, John Bachar, John Long, John Yablonski, and many, many more. Many got their first taste of rock climbing top roping the sandstone cliffs, and went on to hone their skills on the technical boulders below. One of the facets of bouldering I've always enjoyed is trying the classics established by previous generations - I've been fortunate enough to attempt Gill problems in at least four states, and Murray problems all over the SW. This was a chance to spend all morning smearing my feet in the same spot as the California legends I've been reading about for years.

A Young Royal Robbins At Stoney Point
Photo stolen from supertopo.com

I was immediately impressed by the quality of the rock and the aesthetics of the climbing. The first boulder you arrive at is a big square block of sandstone sitting in flat, empty expanse. Nice sandy landings tempt you to keep climbing higher and higher, even as the holds start to disappear up high. Pockets, slopers, crimps, and jugs, the rock here seemed to offer a little bit of everything. Years of use have given some of the holds the polished sheen of marble, but elsewhere the sandstone is finely textured and sticky (and a relief after climbing at The Steep a few days earlier). Like many urban areas, eliminates and variations abound, and nearly every possible hold on every rock is chalked up. This doesn't distract from the obvious and stellar lines found around every corner.

While we only hit two boulders - Boulder 1 and Turlock - I managed to get on a few of the classics of Stoney Point. Every problem I hopped on was fun, and every problem seemed to have unique and memorable movements. On Boulder 1 I did Three Pigs (cool fingerlocking in pin scars), The Nose (slopey arete), Leaping Lizards (featuring what could be the worst sloper west of the Mississippi) and Boot Flake (a sweet dyno down low into a tall and insecure topout I backed off of). For someone who hadn't climbed in a while, John looked pretty solid on the rock, and pulled off a few good sends.

Following these problems, we headed over to Turlock, where I was especially excited to try Crowd Pleaser, an gorgeous overhanging arete with a crux at the very top. Walking up to it, the problem was definitely taller than it looked in photos, but was an undeniably striking line that had to be climbed. Originally climbed by John Yablonski, and today given a rating of v2 (cough cough SANDBAG! cough cough), Crowd Pleaser followed good holds up an arete to a powerful lock-off and reach for a faraway edge. Hopping on the problem, I moved up the arete in characteristically clumsy fashion, then found myself at the moment of truth. I made the first committing move to the slopey knob at the lip, matched my left foot with my left hand, rocked up and grabbed the good but distant edge. Whew! Not too hard, but definitely glad I didn't blow that move. Especially with only a new and still stiff Metolius pad way under me.

John standing below Crowd Pleaser

John on Hoof And Mouth

photo by: Asher

Next I did The Corner (an easier but thuggish arete), Hoof And Mouth (which climbs through a huge hueco) and Slime (a polished classic). John worked on Hoof And Mouth and Slime a bit, but couldn't quite figure out the tricky sequences of the problems. The sun was starting to get hot, and we had a day at the beach ahead of us, so we decided to start packing up. I was just about to put my shoes in my pack when I looked back at Crowd Pleaser with a plan.

"Hey John, will you take video of me if I climb this problem again?"

It was such a good problem - it would be a classic anywhere -I figured I needed to get a video for all the loyal readers of this esteemed climbing blog. Or maybe after a couple of days in Santa Monica, a little bit of SoCal vanity was rubbing off on me. Either way, I needed to get this problem on video.

Confident and sure of myself, I climbed the bottom part of the climb much smoother this time. Slapped the knob at the lip, hiked my left foot up, rocked over, reached for the final edge and....whoa, where is it? Wait, that thing?? It's so far away!! Let's try this again....nope. Damn. Somehow I just couldn't reach the hold this time. Maybe I didn't get my foot in the right spot, maybe I was tired. I dunno, but even after resetting a couple of times, it was clear I wasn't going to reach the edge. I looked down at the pad below, dangled my feet, then dropped to the pad. And just as I was afraid of....I rolled my weak ankle. I paid the price for my act of vanity, and limped back to the car.

While certainly not a destination area, Stoney Point is a great local area worth a visit for anyone visiting LA. And with a free place to stay 6 blocks from the beach of Santa Monica, and a bit of the surfing bug, I will certainly be back.