Trip Report
Holcomb-Labor Day Weekend

by justthemaid
Tuesday September 4, 2012 8:42pm
Big Bear.. on a 3 day weekend...

What the hell was I thinking???

Meh....


The line of noobs waiting to get on Coyote's at Sunset:



top left corner top right corner
Credit: justthemaid
bottom left corner bottom right corner

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justthemaid 		About the Author
justthemaid is a climber from Jim Henson's Basement.

Comments
nutjob

Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
  Sep 4, 2012 - 08:46pm PT
Damn, you really have to shout out your belayer's name before each command when it's crowded like that.
A walkie talkie would be safer.

Edit: It feels steeper in real life than it looks in that picture.
Cooker

Trad climber
LA, CA
  Sep 5, 2012 - 12:37am PT
Next time try Tahquitz, there was minimal crowding. The forecasts are in the 90s but I swear it feels like the low 80s ;-)

Holcomb is great, but it's become the outdoor gym. No really, everybody from my gym goes there now, and worse yet, they climb like they are still indoors.
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Sep 5, 2012 - 01:28am PT
No kidding.. I keep having flashbacks of a quieter era up there. I was in denial. Tahquitz definitely would have been a better choice.

Weekdays only from now on. I evidently didn't see the memo telling every climber in the entire universe to storm the crag last weekend. The crowds were completely insane. .. which was weird since the roads were flooded and access was a bitch.

It was like a f*#king amusement park with packs of gym-rats comparing which gyms they climb at and loudly spraying and spouting random mis-information about every conceivable piece of technical climbing information. Every single sport climb under 5.12 had people on it and more cued up waiting.

Fortunately .. we brought the trad gear so we weren't slaves to the bolted routes. We even just built gear anchors right next to bolted ones since the gym rats informed us that a shared anchor was sure to blow out of the rock and kill everyone.

I know.. I'm sounding like a bitter old back-in-the-dayer. That scene turned me to the dark side.

To use our new phrase:

We were nooberwhelmed.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Sep 5, 2012 - 01:07am PT
noobs vote and donate to the Access Fund too.


I know. Hard to not mock the crowd! Mocked I tell you!
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  Sep 5, 2012 - 01:18am PT
OK.

Rant over. I just had to get it off my chest.

.. and yes noobs. Please donate to the Access Fund. Your donations contribute to bomber bolts and anchors that really could hold a dump truck in a factor 2 fall.
Captain...or Skully

climber
Boise, ID
  Sep 5, 2012 - 01:19am PT
I've not had that opportunity yet. Climbing with dump trucks is HARD!!!
Nice pics.
Groove on, JTM.
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  Sep 5, 2012 - 01:32am PT
It was ugly, but it says a lot about the persistence of climbers - even plowing through unknown mud-pits...or wait! Maybe that is part of the appeal!

Either way - lesson learned. Being the early risers helped, for a while.

It was cool to go all 5.7 hard-to-protect flare on the sportos, cruising the heel-toe right and knee-bar left between the clip-up conga lines.
Climbnrok

Trad climber
LA
  Sep 5, 2012 - 02:24am PT
oh man....
I was both out there on Monday....
And actually climbed "Coyote's at Sunset" :(

If it makes it any better, I don't even have a gym membership and I would have much preferred being at Tahquitz.


The group at Coyote Crag did phone in that wild fire over by the boyscout camp. Not totally useless.
T2

climber
Cardiff by the sea
  Sep 5, 2012 - 10:10am PT
I was out there but left my shoes and draws back in the car. It was to much fun riding big red (with my girlfriend and little red) through all those mud puddles.


I did venture over from the parking area to scope out the craggs. Yes I took note to how people were climbing. What do you expect for a moderate sport area? I have never climbed there but would like to.


Nice photo Dave that very puddle little red almost stalled out, I thought I was going to have to rescue her and pull her out but she made it through YAY!
T2

climber
Cardiff by the sea
  Sep 5, 2012 - 10:19am PT
Sorry Bro no License plate :(
Tony Bird

climber
Northridge, CA
  Sep 6, 2012 - 01:08pm PT
i look at that picture and i see opportunity. they make belay devices these days by which a skilled, certified climbing guide can bring up roughly half of that group in one, smooth, top-managed operation. tips, maid, think of the tips!

at tahquitz on labor day, you missed the unfolding of what can only be described as an epic romance. for those in the know, i need mention but one word: virgil. (no, not the aeneid virgil.) in case you're in similar circumstances you should know: 1) cellphone signals are impossible to be had above the junction of fern valley road; 2) the idyllwild liquor store is open until about midnight and, if you look at the able manager with eyes resembling that of an undernourished basset hound, he'll let you cook stuff in the microwave in the back; 3) it's gotta be about 3 miles, downhill, from humber to idyllwild; in trying to bum a ride back up, don't ignore the dangerous-looking teenage boys; their hearts are made of gold.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
  Sep 6, 2012 - 12:55pm PT
"There are too many people."
-People
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Sep 6, 2012 - 01:31pm PT
"There's too many of us, there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,there's too many of us,...." - Fear
ydpl8s

Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
  Sep 6, 2012 - 01:40pm PT
I'm with Kos, I was up there the week before Labor Day and saw all of the cars coming up the hill as I left late Fri. afternoon. It's all about the timing.
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