Dayshot: Family Jewel at Malibu Creek

I spent last Sunday climbing at Malibu Creek with friends. It was glorious; perfect weather at Stumbling Blocks all day, followed by not-too-hot at Mt. Gorgeous in the afternoon.

Trying not to fall too many times on Family Jewel. (Taken by Tani.) 04/08/12

As some people put it, climbing at Malibu Creek is often a "jug haul" involving steep climbing with big holds, but body position and footwork still help immensely. I have to work on not having one foot dangle uselessly during a climb. As a shorter climber, I find that I use high knees and wide stances a lot, and the pocketed volcanic rock is great for pseudo-smearing. Is it pseudo-smearing, or is it "real" smearing? I guess it's just smearing. Or just using very tiny footholds.

I got my wish and it was a nice quiet day at the crag-- except for the group of 8 people with 5 ropes between them. Which I was a part of. It was a happy accident. Luckily the few other groups climbing were mellow. OnRope Consulting had a group out, but they were climbing at a completely different area. Malibu Creek is such a great place for summer climbing except for how crowded it usually is on the weekends. I envy those who can get out during weekdays. I guess I shouldn't speak too soon since I will be one of them in a couple of months.