The CCC is based in the Berkeley - San Francisco Bay Area and consists of climbers interested in all types of technical rock climbing, from traditional cragging, to sport and gym climbing, to bouldering and big walls. We have about 16 trips each year to major climbing areas in California, including Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Lovers Leap, and Joshua Tree. Occasionally we have longer trips to places further away like Utah or Norway. For in-town events, we organize gym nights, social meet-ups, picnics and local bouldering. Check out our current schedule of events.
Contact us if you think you might be interested in joining us on a trip or getting on our email list. We’ll put you on our email list and answer any questions you may have.
Ah! The first club Valley weekend of the season! What a great trip with a big turnout. Many of us traveled up on Friday morning to squeeze in a bonus day of climbing. We were greeted by warm temps, sunshine, and lush green scenery as we approached the Valley. Not to mention the raging Merced River and the waterfalls that drain into it. Sonja, myself and two visitors to the club stopped to climb at Reeds Pinnacle and Five and Dime on our way into the Valley. The pull-out was abnormally full (especially for a Friday morning!) and we just barely squeezed in. We clamored up The Original Route (5.9, two pitches), bruised our knees on Bongs away left (5.8 OW), and attempted (and failed) a clean ascent of Stone Groove (10b). Still marveling in the beauty of such a great day and with 2 hours of sunlight left, three of us ran up After Six (5.7, 6 pitches) starting a little after 6 o’clock.
Submitted by Mark P on Apr 13 8:30 pm
Three more days of climbing and 20+ more routes on the collective list. The weather has been colder and windier than earlier in the week. Wednesday we were in Indian Cove, which is usually a little warmer. Thursday we went back into the main park and were mostly in the Hidden Valley Campgrounds. Today, Friday, we went to Playhouse and Hemmingway but by mid-afternon we had to stop when it started hailing. Øyvind and Øyvind joined us Friday evening for dinner as they near the end of a two week climbing trip.
Submitted by Mark P on Apr 11 6:37 pm
The first CCC climbing trip of the 2012 season has started out great. Ann, Lea, Tim and I arrived Saturday night and got three great days of climbing in the main park. The days are warm with a light breeze to keep it from getting too hot.
During the first three days, our collective route list includes:
Submitted by admin on Feb 9 9:48 pm
Submitted by Mark P on Dec 7 9:33 pm
By Dan Zimmerlin (Article originally from the CCC newsletter, The Crag)
Of course you are. You have been climbing for a fair length of time and have had no problems. A record of safety does indicate something. One big thing is that you probably have the good judgment not to get into bad situations. But what if something does go wrong, despite judgment? Will you know how to deal with it? And what about your partners? What do you know about them? Sure, you have known some of them for quite a while. You know what they know and you know they have good judgment. That is one reason they are your friends. But what about the others? The ones you don't know so well? What do they know?
Submitted by Mark P on Nov 10 10:05 pm
By Dan Zimmerlin
So, you want to learn how to climb. You want to prepare to do the classic, traditional free climbs. Many books have been written about technique, anchors, placing protection, etc.. But obviously you aren't going to learn to climb by only reading about it. You are going to have to get out there and do some climbs. But what climbs? Well, the ratings help some. But if you really want to learn you are going to have to choose the right climbs, the ones that will help you learn.
Submitted by Mark P on Nov 10 10:01 pm
by Dan Zimmerlin
This is the second installment of a list of what I am calling "educational climbs." Based on an idea in Dan Duane's book "El Capitan," these are, in my opinion, good routes on which to learn traditional skills in practice. This is not a list of classics, though there are classics among them.
Submitted by Mark P on Nov 10 9:39 pm
by Paul Minault
On September 29, 2002, I set out with Christian Dragheim and Chris Kerr, fellow members of the Cragmont Climbing Club, to explore the Lost Brother, a seldom-visited formation on the south side of Yosemite Valley between Sentinel Rock and the Cathedral Rocks. We hoped to locate the second pitch of the 5.6 first ascent route taken by David Brower, Ruben Schneider, and Morgan Harris in 1941. Christian, Sam Tabachnik, and Christian's friend Sean and I had explored the route the previous spring, but had not found the second pitch, ascending instead a strenuous 5.9 corner and lie-back system, after which we retreated. I later called Morgan Harris, the only surviving member of the first ascent team, who lived in Berkeley, to ask him to describe the route. He told me in a high, quavering voice that they had climbed a series of chimneys after the first pitch. The Sierra Club Bulletin for 1941 offered a few more details, but not much. Since Morgan was well on in years, I wanted to bring him a photographic record of the climb on our return. I particularly wanted to show him that we didn t have to use a shoulder stand to get through the bulging overhang on the first pitch, as he and Brower had done sixty years ago!
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