great stuff all!! makes me miss it

minuteman, wa

minuteman, wa

3 gossips, arches

reeds, yos

and Annunaki at Indian Creek (on the Optimator Wall)


and Clean Crack at Squamish (which unfortunately is now off-limits)


and Lisa on the Incredible Finger Crack in Oak Creek Canyon

Dave Daly wrote:BTW, who's leading most of the 5.8 runout pitches on those Tuolumne routes??

Maybe I am confused, but I'll bite .. my friend Karén led the 5.9 start & 5.8 second pitch of South Crack, which were well-protected. We linked p2 & 3, now that I look back at the book. I led the runout 5.6 - 5.7 slab pitch (p4 in supertopo) -- all that practice at Tollhouse came in handy Next year I hope to lead the standard start.

Great pics guys ! Drool, drool ..

2 views, same (roughly) instant in time:

Sweet pics, thanks for posting.

Makes me think a road trip in in order, not to many great cracks in Josh.

Any of you southwest boys have recommendations?

I was just in Phoenix...it was cold.

what is the earliest time for, Sedona, Indian Creek .......?

I have never climbed at Cochise Stronghold...... any good climbs there?????

keep the "crack" coming. I need it.

Guyzo wrote:…., not to many great cracks in Josh…....

Blasphemy You may absolve yourself by pulling 10 laps on O’Kelly . J/K, I need to get out to Indian Creek for a crack clinic.

Great stuff crackers All this great crack stuff got me thinking what is the most popular crack climb? Just curious, what’ca think
I suspect that Double Cross and Toe Jam at Joshua Tree have got to be in the top 5 climb. It’s amazing how smooth the rock has become on both of these popular climbs after just ~40-50 years of rubberized feet polishing these Josh classics.

Double Cross (photo from Mountain Projects)


Toe Jam (photo from Mountain Projects)

I have never climbed at Cochise Stronghold...... any good climbs there?????

Guyzo, I'm no expert on it but one thing's for sure - you better hurry up because many good crags close for nesting starting March 1. cheers.

Guyzo wrote:
what is the earliest time for, Sedona, Indian Creek .......?

sedona, xmas day 2005:


(yes, I know they got slammed with some shitty weather this year)

rpc wrote:

I have never climbed at Cochise Stronghold...... any good climbs there?????

Guyzo, I'm no expert on it but one thing's for sure - you better hurry up because many good crags close for nesting starting March 1. cheers.

So February it will be. So I reckon as soon as this little storm quits it would be good to go?

Unemployment has it's advantages.


and Graham.... O"Kellys is one of the best cracks in the park.... and one needs to do about ten laps to get that feeling. Ya Know????

Did they ever remove the bolts on Double Cross....

Guyzo wrote: ...not to many great cracks in Josh.

A quick list off the top of my head in no particular order…

Perpetual Motion.Tax Man. Rubicon. Bird of Prey.Crime of the Century. Mental Physics.Hercules. Invisibility Lessons.Dogleg. More Monkey Than Funky.Illusion Dweller.Rollerball.Prepackaged.Exorcist.Heart of Darkness.The Rattler.Such a Line. Touch and Go. Popular Mechanics. Crescent Wrench. Hyperion. Lithophyliac. Knight in Shining Armor. Imaginary Voyage. Friendly Hands.

Thinking of quality over pure difficulty, this leaves out the really hard ones (Equinox etc.,) and does not include other classics like Black President, Bendix Claws and Clean and Jerk which feature sections of face climbing and good crack work.

Now of course there’s nothing wrong with a nice road trip, but not because there is not good crack climbing in Josh. Just reprezentin for my hood…

The Rattler, a burly wide .10d.

photo - Guy Keesee...

Guyzo, double check this exact date (mountainproject maybe or supertopo?) -- would hate for you to drive out there for nothing...on the other hand, there's plenty of stuff that doesn't close, for example take a looksee at something called Stampede on Sheepshead dome.

rpc wrote:Guyzo, double check this exact date (mountainproject maybe or supertopo?) -- would hate for you to drive out there for nothing...on the other hand, there's plenty of stuff that doesn't close, for example take a looksee at something called Stampede on Sheepshead dome.

Thanks ...... I will do some research.

Kris.... don't mean to dis-respect josh..... at all. nope... just looking for some "strange" if you know what I mean....

oh yea you forgot..... Energy Crisis, Popes Crack, Watanobe Wall and one of my all time faves...Sphincter Quits.

I do miss the long and smooth and parallel and steep.....

this topic is getting me stoked.

edit to add more...

Oh GUyzo - I know what you mean. But I had to respond to what you said...

...not to many great cracks in Josh.

Kinda like saying you want to go to Hawaii for some "strange" because there's nothing good in Malibu.. [/url]

No bolts on Double Cross over thanksgiving -
(as the seven million ppl who probably climbed it that weekend can attest )

Steve Larson leading


Me enjoying a nice toprope


Laura having fun !


Loved Mental Physics, Dogleg, and White Lightning. I think Dogleg has been uprated (is that a word ?) to 5.9, but the other two I'd like to lead sometime.

Rob.... dogleg is and has been 5.9 ..... forever.