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prisonbound
Mar 11, 2005, 12:04 AM
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I'm currently in the latter stages of planning a spring break trip with a group of friends. Basically, we're going to be leaving 3/25 Friday evening and arrive in Bishop sometime that night. According to one of my friends, there is plenty of camping to be found, but I'm definetly going to research into that more before leaving. On the 30th, we'll be taking off for a condo in Mammoth for some snowboarding. Climbing and snowboarding, should be a blast! Anyhow, while I will certainly be looking up a lot of info. regarding this trip myself, I have a few basic questions for those who have climbed in this area, or even live in it.
Any info. on probable weather conditions for mid-to late March, camping availability and costs, best bouldering areas/problems to concentrate on while there, whether or not other types of climbing are available/prevalent(I just know Bishop for its bouldering), and any info. regarding hot springs.
I may have just made that last bit about the hot springs up, but I could have sworn that I saw a picture on this site regarding it.
Either way, any first hand knowledge you guys have will be greatly appreciated. Thanx in advance, Chad.
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prisonbound
Mar 13, 2005, 1:46 AM
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Registered: Dec 24, 2004
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While I orignally had planned to just "bump" this post back up to the top of the list to encourage some responses, I now have a pathetic story to elicit more responses as well.
At around nine last night a few fellow climbers called me up hoping to get together for our first SDSU urban climbing experience. Naturally I was as excited as they, and all for it. So after scoping the campus out for a while, we decided upon a few seemingly doable problems in one of the parking structures. We threw down our makeshift crashpad and had at. The better or the two problems consisted of a jump start from the ground level, followed by "campusing" up inch and a half wide cement 'rungs' on a foot bridge about a story up. After "campusing" a bit, you could easily get a decent foot on the 'rungs' as well.
Well, long story short, after fooling around a while I finally got down to it and ended up peeling off near the top. While not really very high, I landed half on/half off the pad and fucking hurt my right ankle like a mother. Now, with my sprained ankle in a wrap, and a pair of trusty crutches by my side, I'm just praying that I'll feel better in two weeks for the spring break trip.
Anyhow, I'll try and post a few pictures if I get a chance. Although they're going to be quite humbling. Looks like I'll have plenty of time to haunt these boards now.......goddammit.
Chad
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brianthew
Mar 13, 2005, 2:23 AM
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Registered: Mar 25, 2002
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In reply to: Any info. on probable weather conditions for mid-to late March, camping availability and costs, best bouldering areas/problems to concentrate on while there, whether or not other types of climbing are available/prevalent(I just know Bishop for its bouldering), and any info. regarding hot springs. I may have just made that last bit about the hot springs up, but I could have sworn that I saw a picture on this site regarding it.
March is a great time to go to Bishop. The crowds are less (at least when I was there last year this time) and the temps are great. The Happies/Sads will be on the warm side but still nice, and the Buttermilks will be very nice. Download and print the free bouldering guides from http://www.drtopo.com .
I suggest camping in the Pit. It's first-come-first-server, at $1 a day. There are other camping options available; the pit is basically just sites and some port-a-johns.
Visit http://www.rockfax.com/...s/country.html?id=12 to and check out the RockFax guides. Many are free; the ones dealing with staying in Bishop and a hot springs guide are among the free ones.
If you want to rope up, visit Owens River Gorge just a few minutes to the west. Lots of sport climbing, a little trad; go there for sport if you go there at all. There's a good guide out by Marty Lewis, "Owens River Gorge Climbs" from Maximus Press. Routes of all ratings. It's going to be rather hot there when in the sun, though.
Sucks about your injury! Bishop is a beautiful and wonderful area even if you aren't in full climbing shape.
Have fun!
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the_dude
Mar 13, 2005, 7:27 AM
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Registered: Jul 30, 2003
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The hot springs are up by mammoth. Turn at the green church (a cross will be lit up at night), it's on the north side of 395(right side when you're heading to mammoth). Follow the main road and look for steam and lights from other people at night. There are alot of tubs out there, I'm sure you'll find one. They're a blast at night but camp elsewhere, you don't want to see what kind of crap you were soaking in the night before when you wake up.
Cheers
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sespegorilla
Mar 13, 2005, 8:49 AM
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Registered: Jun 1, 2004
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I've heard that there are now access issues at Buttermilks, something to do with the pictographs. Anyone know about this?
sesgo
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rocknroll
Mar 15, 2005, 6:35 AM
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Registered: Apr 26, 2003
Posts: 111
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When folks from Minneapolis are giving the beta on a california climbing area, watch out. I've lived here most of 21 years and let me tell you, it's only the fools and the newcomers who try and predict the weather here. Yesterday, sunny warm, pretty close to hot, had to climb in the shade; today: voracious biting wind - a few hardy souls crawled out from their RV and attempted a route in the Alabama's on the lee side of the rocks. I have seen it snow every month in the Sierra, but unlikely in Bishop. When the Spring storms come, they are lingering pissers. However the area around the Happy Boulders stays surprisingly storm free if it's not a big system. If a storm comes, what we say around here is "conditions dictate". Put away that crashpad and ghettoblaster and go ride some fine powder on Mammoth Mountain. But beware of the backcountry. Many people have been buried in slides this winter, some severly injured. Their are a lot of nasty layers with the heavy snow, rain and then warming we've had in the last two weeks.
There is not an access issue with the 'milks (well, there was in December and January...so much snow there was no access). They now gotta a portable throne and the folks that drove off road and created parking areas now have their parking area.
The Gorge is always hoppin'. Don't just be a clip jockey. Bring a rack down there and try some of the splitter cracks. If you want to escape the crowds try Little Eqypt or for long routes the Smoke Stack is doable with a little snow on the descent. Up north Granite Basin and the Hairraiser Buttress (faces south) is good for a laugh and down south they are calling the Alabama Hills "The Joshua Tree of the Sierra". That's one hour south in Lone Pine.
You can camp at the pit if you're idea of fun is listening to the college kids next to you screwing all night. I prefer to roll out my bedroll on any National Forest or BLM land that is NOT designated a no camping zone (Don't camp on the Tablelands around the Happy Boulders or developed recreation sites). The only thing is LEAVE NO TRACE - no fire rings, no toitty paper in the weeds, no shit buried under a bush. Get a small porta potty and take it with you!! Hell I sometimes sweep my tire tracks back into the dirt for that squeaky clean back to nature look.
You don't have to go to mammoth for the hot springs. This is the time of year when the tow truck companies up there make a killin' pullin' those rail thin climber types out of the mud that is around every hot spring. Hot Ditch and it's developed cousin Keough Hot Spring is south of Mishap (that's what we locals call Bishop) about five miles. Naked men and women (discretion please when the youngsters are around) and a bunch of pools to chose from. This place gets heavily used. Bring a garbage bag and take your trash and the trash of others when you leave. And if you meet some drunk native americans leave immediately Now I am not racist, some of my best friends are timbasha-shoshone-paiute. But there have been many cases of whites being assaulted for no good reason. Especially those long haired climber boys. The keyword here is drunk. If they are not drunk, they are the freindliest people in the valley and can be counted on for a ride back to town (and back to your car again) when you run out of gas.
And hey, if it rains, think about spendin' a night in a hotel or catching a meal at our fine restaurants. I know the whole nation is hurtin' financially so Dick Cheney can get his military contracts, but us folks need a little shot in the arm too. And if you get served by Sarah at Whiskey Creek Bar, tip'per double - she's worth it. For Joe - Kava is where the climber's hang out. You can barely get out the door without some knucklehead spilling your coffee as he's showing off the deadpoint he made on some V-zillionteen.
If you want to get away from climbers and hang out with real men (you know the kind that don't wear helmets in our extreme sport called 'rodeo') well, Lone Pine is the place. Beautiful views, their own hot spring (Dirty Socks) and disgruntled white trash tweeker waitresses to startle you awake in the morning.
Well, I hope I haven't offended anybody. I figure that if I throw a knife at everyone I am being pretty fair and impartial.
Welp, gotta rise before the dawn and buck hay. You do have a good time in this here ol' Sierra (Never Sierras plural and it is Moe-no County, not mono like the opposite of stereo)
Smokey Joe
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rocknroll
Mar 15, 2005, 6:37 AM
Post #7 of 13
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Registered: Apr 26, 2003
Posts: 111
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When folks from Minneapolis are giving the beta on a california climbing area, watch out. I've lived here most of 21 years and let me tell you, it's only the fools and the newcomers who try and predict the weather here. Yesterday, sunny warm, pretty close to hot, had to climb in the shade; today: voracious biting wind - a few hardy souls crawled out from their RV and attempted a route in the Alabama's on the lee side of the rocks. I have seen it snow every month in the Sierra, but unlikely in Bishop. When the Spring storms come, they are lingering pissers. However the area around the Happy Boulders stays surprisingly storm free if it's not a big system. If a storm comes, what we say around here is "conditions dictate". Put away that crashpad and ghettoblaster and go ride some fine powder on Mammoth Mountain. But beware of the backcountry. Many people have been buried in slides this winter, some severly injured. Their are a lot of nasty layers with the heavy snow, rain and then warming we've had in the last two weeks.
There is not an access issue with the 'milks (well, there was in December and January...so much snow there was no access). They now gotta a portable throne and the folks that drove off road and created parking areas now have their parking area.
The Gorge is always hoppin'. Don't just be a clip jockey. Bring a rack down there and try some of the splitter cracks. If you want to escape the crowds try Little Eqypt or for long routes the Smoke Stack is doable with a little snow on the descent. Up north Granite Basin and the Hairraiser Buttress (faces south) is good for a laugh and down south they are calling the Alabama Hills "The Joshua Tree of the Sierra". That's one hour south in Lone Pine.
You can camp at the pit if you're idea of fun is listening to the college kids next to you screwing all night. I prefer to roll out my bedroll on any National Forest or BLM land that is NOT designated a no camping zone (Don't camp on the Tablelands around the Happy Boulders or developed recreation sites). The only thing is LEAVE NO TRACE - no fire rings, no toitty paper in the weeds, no shit buried under a bush. Get a small porta potty and take it with you!! Hell I sometimes sweep my tire tracks back into the dirt for that squeaky clean back to nature look.
You don't have to go to mammoth for the hot springs. This is the time of year when the tow truck companies up there make a killin' pullin' those rail thin climber types out of the mud that is around every hot spring. Hot Ditch and it's developed cousin Keough Hot Spring is south of Mishap (that's what we locals call Bishop) about five miles. Naked men and women (discretion please when the youngsters are around) and a bunch of pools to chose from. This place gets heavily used. Bring a garbage bag and take your trash and the trash of others when you leave. And if you meet some drunk native americans leave immediately Now I am not racist, some of my best friends are timbasha-shoshone-paiute. But there have been many cases of whites being assaulted for no good reason. Especially those long haired climber boys. The keyword here is drunk. If they are not drunk, they are the freindliest people in the valley and can be counted on for a ride back to town (and back to your car again) when you run out of gas.
And hey, if it rains, think about spendin' a night in a hotel or catching a meal at our fine restaurants. I know the whole nation is hurtin' financially so Dick Cheney can get his military contracts, but us folks need a little shot in the arm too. And if you get served by Sarah at Whiskey Creek Bar, tip'per double - she's worth it. For Joe - Kava is where the climber's hang out. You can barely get out the door without some knucklehead spilling your coffee as he's showing off the deadpoint he made on some V-zillionteen.
If you want to get away from climbers and hang out with real men (you know the kind that don't wear helmets in our extreme sport called 'rodeo') well, Lone Pine is the place. Beautiful views, their own hot spring (Dirty Socks) and disgruntled white trash tweeker waitresses to startle you awake in the morning.
Well, I hope I haven't offended anybody. I figure that if I throw a knife at everyone I am being pretty fair and impartial.
Welp, gotta rise before the dawn and buck hay. You do have a good time in this here ol' Sierra (Never Sierras plural and it is Moe-no County, not mono like the opposite of stereo)
Smokey Joe
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rocknroll
Mar 15, 2005, 6:38 AM
Post #8 of 13
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Registered: Apr 26, 2003
Posts: 111
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When folks from Minneapolis are giving the beta on a california climbing area, watch out. I've lived here most of 21 years and let me tell you, it's only the fools and the newcomers who try and predict the weather here. Yesterday, sunny warm, pretty close to hot, had to climb in the shade; today: voracious biting wind - a few hardy souls crawled out from their RV and attempted a route in the Alabama's on the lee side of the rocks. I have seen it snow every month in the Sierra, but unlikely in Bishop. When the Spring storms come, they are lingering pissers. However the area around the Happy Boulders stays surprisingly storm free if it's not a big system. If a storm comes, what we say around here is "conditions dictate". Put away that crashpad and ghettoblaster and go ride some fine powder on Mammoth Mountain. But beware of the backcountry. Many people have been buried in slides this winter, some severly injured. Their are a lot of nasty layers with the heavy snow, rain and then warming we've had in the last two weeks.
There is not an access issue with the 'milks (well, there was in December and January...so much snow there was no access). They now gotta a portable throne and the folks that drove off road and created parking areas now have their parking area.
The Gorge is always hoppin'. Don't just be a clip jockey. Bring a rack down there and try some of the splitter cracks. If you want to escape the crowds try Little Eqypt or for long routes the Smoke Stack is doable with a little snow on the descent. Up north Granite Basin and the Hairraiser Buttress (faces south) is good for a laugh and down south they are calling the Alabama Hills "The Joshua Tree of the Sierra". That's one hour south in Lone Pine.
You can camp at the pit if you're idea of fun is listening to the college kids next to you screwing all night. I prefer to roll out my bedroll on any National Forest or BLM land that is NOT designated a no camping zone (Don't camp on the Tablelands around the Happy Boulders or developed recreation sites). The only thing is LEAVE NO TRACE - no fire rings, no toitty paper in the weeds, no shit buried under a bush. Get a small porta potty and take it with you!! Hell I sometimes sweep my tire tracks back into the dirt for that squeaky clean back to nature look.
You don't have to go to mammoth for the hot springs. This is the time of year when the tow truck companies up there make a killin' pullin' those rail thin climber types out of the mud that is around every hot spring. Hot Ditch and it's developed cousin Keough Hot Spring is south of Mishap (that's what we locals call Bishop) about five miles. Naked men and women (discretion please when the youngsters are around) and a bunch of pools to chose from. This place gets heavily used. Bring a garbage bag and take your trash and the trash of others when you leave. And if you meet some drunk native americans leave immediately Now I am not racist, some of my best friends are timbasha-shoshone-paiute. But there have been many cases of whites being assaulted for no good reason. Especially those long haired climber boys. The keyword here is drunk. If they are not drunk, they are the freindliest people in the valley and can be counted on for a ride back to town (and back to your car again) when you run out of gas.
And hey, if it rains, think about spendin' a night in a hotel or catching a meal at our fine restaurants. I know the whole nation is hurtin' financially so Dick Cheney can get his military contracts, but us folks need a little shot in the arm too. And if you get served by Sarah at Whiskey Creek Bar, tip'per double - she's worth it. For Joe - Kava is where the climber's hang out. You can barely get out the door without some knucklehead spilling your coffee as he's showing off the deadpoint he made on some V-zillionteen.
If you want to get away from climbers and hang out with real men (you know the kind that don't wear helmets in our extreme sport called 'rodeo') well, Lone Pine is the place. Beautiful views, their own hot spring (Dirty Socks) and disgruntled white trash tweeker waitresses to startle you awake in the morning.
Well, I hope I haven't offended anybody. I figure that if I throw a knife at everyone I am being pretty fair and impartial.
Welp, gotta rise before the dawn and buck hay. You do have a good time in this here ol' Sierra (Never Sierras plural and it is Moe-no County, not mono like the opposite of stereo)
Smokey Joe
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prisonbound
Mar 15, 2005, 11:58 PM
Post #9 of 13
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Registered: Dec 24, 2004
Posts: 12
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Well aside from the the triple post, I'd like to thank everyone whose responded thus far. In particular RocknRoll and Brianthew, for some inciteful info.
In response to rocknroll, we will definetly be dropping some money at the local restaurants, and simultaneously praying it never rains. However, it seems that me and my friends may fit the depiciton of noisy/horny college kids pretty well. lol. I'm all for a somewhat solitary camp though, and glad to hear that there are plenty of camping options. Naturally, we'll be sure to keep the noise down and the impact minimal.
The ankles feeling better everyday, and its soon time for a break from school. Glad to read any other tidbits of local knowledge. Thanx,
chad
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phaedrus
Mar 16, 2005, 4:35 AM
Post #10 of 13
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Registered: Sep 24, 2002
Posts: 3046
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phaedrus moved this thread from General to US - West Coast.
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mulisha64
Mar 18, 2005, 12:42 AM
Post #11 of 13
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Registered: Mar 28, 2003
Posts: 25
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Do you have any room to give me a ride. I have been to bishop once and would love to go back.
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karmaklimber
Mar 18, 2005, 1:00 AM
Post #12 of 13
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Registered: Jul 16, 2003
Posts: 363
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I'll be her efrom 3/30 - 4/3
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grabngrip
Mar 18, 2005, 3:35 PM
Post #13 of 13
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Registered: Oct 28, 2003
Posts: 252
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hey i wanna go too!
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