Intro to Rock Climbing at Calamigos
Malibu’s picturesque beaches and glamorous celebrity culture hardly fit the bill for dirtbag climbers; yet world-class athletes Alex Honnold, Chris Sharma and Kyla Lucey have all spent time around our local rock climbing crags. There is little doubt that us Pepperdine students (especially those at Calamigos) have convenient access to quality rock climbing that is diverse in type and difficulty. This quick guide will cater mainly toward beginners. However, Malibu is truly the perfect place for any type of climber--from those looking to get into the sport, to those freaking 5.13 senders looking to start their professional dirtbag career. Below are two crag destinations close to Calamigos as well as some introductory information about climbing.
Introduction
There is no better introduction to climbing than taking a class at one of our local indoor climbing facilities. You’ll be able to try out climbing in a friendly, safe, and squishy environment and rent any gear you need. Check out Boulderdash in Thousand Oaks for a student discount. Further, there will almost certainly be Calamigos residents hitting both indoor and outdoor climbs on a weekly basis at any point in time. This is also a great way to be introduced to climbing!
REI makes some great introductory blogs about the basics of climbing that are worth checking out:
You will probably start with bouldering or top roping, either indoors or outdoors--both are suitable for beginners, though if you are going outdoors you must have someone experienced with you. You can always go indoors on your own!
Includes a guide on what the heck rock climbing difficulty grades mean and which you should be looking for. Remember, bouldering and roped climbing use different difficulty grades. With bouldering, beginner climbs will be V0 to V2. With roped climbing, beginner climbs are anywhere from 5.5 to 5.9.
Especially with outdoor climbing, I can’t stress enough how worth your time it is to reach out to other Calamigos climbers. Climbers love taking potential new climbers; every new climber is a new belay partner!
Malibu Creek State Park
(top rope and lead climbing -- Mountain Project)
Malibu Creek hosts over 100 routes ranging from 5.5 (very easy) to 5.14 (insane). One of the coolest top rope walls in California is here, suitable for beginners and experts alike. And because it is all toprope, little previous experience is necessary if you are going with someone who knows the ropes. It is called the Planet of the Apes Wall.
(Photo from Matt Nicassio on Mountain Project)
While beginners will have plenty to do on this top rope wall, there is much more lead climbing around Malibu Creek that you may eventually try with some other climbers guiding you. For either, I recommend going with an experienced party or going on your own to check things out! There will often be other climbers to watch and it’s beneficial to look around a potential crag before getting roped up. Getting to the Apes Wall is pretty straightforward: from Calamigos it is a roughly 15 minute drive and 15-30 minute hike from the road. Cistern Trail Parking or Grasslands Trail Head can both be looked up on Google Maps, have free parking on the side of Mulholland and a straightforward trail to the Planet of the Apes Wall as well as the rest of Malibu Creek.
Miniholland
(Bouldering -- Mountain Project)
Miniholland has two boulders just off Mulholland and is a quick drive from Calamigos. One of which, the furthest from the road, has a few great beginner routes. All you need for this destination is your shoes and a crash pad (chalk is aid). Once again, there will likely be others going who will let you borrow a crash pad and offer bold, loud encouragement while you get the shakes halfway up a V0.
(Photo of the first boulder from the highway on Mountain Project)
(Photo of the second boulder just down the trail from Mountain Project)
Regardless of where you go, the rock climbing experience as a Pepp student is worth trying. The climbers here are supportive, fun-loving, and eager to have new people tag along. Climbing is a great physical and mental exercise and there are few places better to tie in for the first time than here at Calamigos.
By: Preston Gromer
