When I first met Chris (Savage Spider) at Stoney Point he offered to show me an area he was developing called Texas Canyon north of Los Angeles. Since I have a fascination with route setting I decided to take him up on his offer.

Here's a shot of the rock, the stone reminded me a lot of Pinnacles National Monument. It hasn't had scores of climbers breaking in the routes, so the surface is a bit rougher.


Chris said his goal was to create routes that would be good for beginners to learn on, and he's put together some great ones. Tightly bolted and very safe, it was clear he'd put some thought into it.

As an introduction to the rock we first climbed Goldline (5.6)



Then we did Spider's Line (5.6), which he'd set bottom-up. He had originally disparaged the route, saying it was meandering, but I thought it flowed nicely.


And to make sure that I was safe for the greater climbing community we also went through the joys of escaping the belay. It took me a while (he had time to eat a snack), but after realizing the awesome power of the block-and-tackle I was able to make my escape.


Finally we climbed his pride and joy, Tethys (5.7). It's a lovely route that follows one of the prettiest faces of the rock. He should be proud, for as long as people come to Texas Canyon there will be people who will enjoy climbing it.



All in all it was a fun day climbing and a great introduction to route setting!