Two days at Woodfords

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been checking out this cool area near South Lake Tahoe called Woodfords.  It is an obscure area, with not much of a guidebook, except an old old one that you can download here:

http://www.supertopo.com/topos/obscurities/woodfords_guide.pdf

That old guide lists about 90 routes.  According to Dan (modern route developer and all around cool dude), there are now more than 225 routes spread across many crags, with year round climbing.

Some recent discussions on Supertopo got me interested in checking it out.  I have to say, that this place is a worthy destination.  Since it’s not very popular, most of the lines are a little dirty, but not exceptionally so.  On top of that, there are just lines everywhere awaiting development.

Here’s some overview pics with routes sketched in, most of which I have climbed:

One of These Days / King Diamond cliff.  Routes from left to right:

• (unmarked) Unknown (5.??) — I saw bolts going up the left-hand arete, but didn’t ask about it
• (unmarked) Unknown (5.12b) (didn’t climb this, but it looked cool) — Bolted face just left of One of These Days.
• (red) One of These Days (5.10c) (onsight) — sweet 5 star route. Great moves.  Fingers and hands.  120 feet.
• (unmarked) King Diamond (P1: 5.11b, P2: 5.9+) (didn’t climb this) — I think this one goes up into the low angle corner and then up the diagonal crack splitting the sunlit face
• (yellow) Pictures of Me (5.10c) (TR)
• (purple) Bush League (5.10a) (onsight)
• (green) Little Mrs. Manners (5.11d) (TR – 1 hang)
• (blue) Dan’s Unnamed FA (5.10b?) (put up on 2009-08-10) (I didn’t climb this but watched him put it up)

Next up is _______ Cliff (I forgot the name).  We did two routes on this cliff, both of which I would consider 4 star routes at any other cliff.  These climbs were my introduction to Woodfords and Cloudburst canyon.  We used a 70m rope, and were able to lower off.  I don’t think a 60m would be long enough.

Routes left to right:

• D-Cup (5.10c) (onsight)
• Offwidth Your Panties (5.8) (onsight)

Another great crag, no real name, other than “Cloudburst Canyon – West Side – Second Tier”.  This one is on the bottom left side of the canyon, up on the 2nd tier of cliffs above the valley floor.  You hike up just past where the trail to King Diamond / One of These Days cliff splits off left, and then head off right, cross the creek, and scramble up some slabs.  The trail is well marked.

The first four climbs share an anchor.  There is a low anchor without chains, and a high anchor up in the corner with rap rings.  Skip the lower anchor and just use the upper one.  A 70m rope gets you down, not sure about a 60m.

Left to Right, the marked climbs are

• Unnamed – Left Arete (5.10d) (TR)
• Cartwheel (5.10b/c) (TR)
• Numb Bunion (5.10d?) (didn’t climb)
• Groove Tube (5.11a) (TR) — can’t see most of this in the photo, it starts on the right arete in this photo and works up the face and the next arete to the right.  Don’t get sucked into the lichen covered face right of the hidden arete — the climb finishes on the face itself, with some fun, hard slab moves.
• Dan’s project (5.11-something)
• Ativan Grin (5.10b) (onsight) —  fun, balancy moves, slightly tricky pro.
• Halcion Hallucination (5.9) — (unmarked, didn’t climb) — anchors under the little roof right of Ativan Grin

Click on any of the pics below to start a slideshow from that spot.  Most of the photos in the slideshow have additional captions to let you know what they are.

[salbumphotos=4,max,2,n,n,picasa_order,center]