Jailhouse Unlocked
At the Iron Horse, in downtown Sonora, California, I was drinking pints with two climbers when a round man wearing a “Primus Sucks” hat and T-shirt approached. “My name is Mud,” he said, “like the Primus song.” Mud gave us an elaborate history of the band. At the height of his speech, he ripped off his shirt and exposed a keg of a belly as well as a tattoo. “Primus Sucks” was etched across his fat stomach.
Clay Usinger fights for the Fugitive (5.13a)
Fanaticism of all kinds runs deep in the Sierra foothills. On the outskirts of Sonora, a sign for Saturday night strip shows at the a motel sits a hundred yards from one promoting Sunday morning service at the Sonora Cowboy Church. Nearby is the state conservatory, a jail. Meanwhile, those with a diehard obsession for climbing blaze past these disparate venues on their way to Jailhouse, one of America’s best, and until now “ secret,” sport crags.
On November 16, permanent protection and access to Jailhouse was secured thanks to the efforts of the Access Fund, and Tom Addison, a 48 year old environmental lobbyist from El Cerrito. Though climbers have been visiting Jailhouse since 1990, the crag and approach (access has always been tenuous because the area is privately owned)have always sat on access-sensitive private property. A short-term $100,000 Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign loan to the current landowners secured a conservation and access easement agreement.
Christophe Paquot climbs on Violated (5.13a)
“For over 2 decades, I’ve had a great time falling off routes at this cliff and I am delighted that tomorrows’ climbers will be able to enjoy this crag,” the long time Jailhouse climber Addison said.
When property owners first discovered that a handful of people were climbing on their land in the early ‘90s, they shut the crag down. Climbers, with legal assistance, worked to reach a tentative land use agreement, and a “no guidebook, no publicity” policy was instated. Climbers remained wary; they could be kicked off at any time.
Denise Miller, a 36 year old teacher from Auburn and devoted Jailhouse climber, talked about the agreement between the owners and the Access Fund saying, “It is a very positive act toward ensuring our access to such a great crag,”
Jailhouse, a 200-foot enduro cave, boasts nearly a hundred showstopper routes, from 5.11+ warm-ups to Brad Johnson’s recent 5.14+, Yoga High. The best and largest concentration of grades is in the 5.13 range. The setting is pleasantly rural, and though the rock is admittedly fractured and scruffy looking, the athletic style of climbing is great. Hummingbirds buzz between California fuchsias, pollinating the brightly colored flowers. The skies are filled with swallows, osprey, turkey vultures, hawks and crows. Horses graze the surrounding land and blue herons fish in the waters of nearby Tulloch Lake.
Terence Tseng runs an evening lap on Burrito Supreme (5.12c)
The definitively blocky stone defines the climbing style at Jailhouse. No place, not even Rifle, lends itself to kneebarring better than Jailhouse. In fact, Jailhouse, not Rifle, is the birthplace of the kneepad, a tube of neoprene outfitted with sticky rubber that is pulled onto the thigh and duct taped or sometimes glued onto the leg. Troy Corliss of Tahoe and Tommy Herbert of Reno, two early developers of Jailhouse, are both argued as the inventors of the kneepad. Corliss stitched rubber pads onto a pair of baseball pants in the early 90s according to Addison. Herbert claims he was the first to glue sticky rubber on a neoprene pad. The California climber Chris Knuth imported the gear and its associated technique from Sonora to Rifle, when he moved there in the mid 1990s, where it was popularized.
Ginny works Electric Chair (5.12d)
Jailhouse’s three-dimensional basalt encourages climbers to press their thighs into the wall, both to rest their arms and to ratchet their bodies higher to better holds. Every route at Jailhouse has a kneebar, knee scum, or some kind of leg press. Show up at the crag without basic kneebarring skills and it’s like bringing a knife to a gun fight (I really like this line but we can do the showing up in Yosemite without knowing how to handjam line) .
“We’re like adult babies,” said Brad Johnson, who has established a half dozen 5.14’s here, referring to the style of climbing. “It’s a lot of crawling.”
Word of a sport-climbing mother lode a mere two hours from both Yosemite and the San Francisco Bay area first traveled to Camp 4 in the early 1990s. Dave Schultz, a long-time Valley climber, thrashed through poison oak above Tulloch Lake to stand in the enormous basalt cave. Schultz bolted a steep section of the wall ground-up, and began his long-time project Life Sentence (5.13b). Schultz continued the jail motif with the cliff’s first routes: Cell Block (5.13a), Iron Junkie (5.12c), and the classic Soap on a Rope (5.12d). The only route to top out the 200-foot crag is the Mountaineers’ Route, also known as Three Strikes (5.13b), which climbs the extension of the extension of Electric Chair (5.12d). It’s a seasonal rarity to see someone successfully escape Jailhouse and top out the wall.
A unicorn, minus the horn, hangs at the top of Jailhouse.
The cryptic climbing makes onsighting difficult. If you don’t know how to kneebar, you had better be in good shape. But with good beta and a pair of kneepads, you’ll find that no route has a move more difficult than V7. Rests abound. In December 2006, a 20-year-old Emily Harrington put in a stint at Jailhouse, flying from Colorado a half dozen weekends in a row, eventually sending Burning Down the House (5.14b) and flashing Jailbait (5.13c) on the same day. Harrington’s fitness paid off with one of the most impressive climbing days at the crag to date.
The Jailhouse community is relatively small with a core crew of twenty climbers. Many commute two hours from the Bay area to frequent the crag every weekend from fall to spring. These locals are extremely passionate. During an extremely wet season, one desperate climber waded through the four foot flash flooded river to clip a towel to a bolt on The Juice (5.14a) to dab the wet spot on a hold.
At the crux of the 60-foot power-endurance route Fugitive (5.13a), Sean “Stanley” Leary clipped in direct to a six-foot-long in-situ chain draw to de-pump. After resting, Stanley forgot to unclip. He grabbed a backwards L, crimped his right hand, brought his foot above the roof and set up for a dyno. He threw for the next slot and hit the end of the chain. The long static fall bent the carabiner open and nearly crushed his family jewels.
“They’re small,” Stanley says. “They got out of the way.” Stanley continued to climb. Nothing stops the fanatic.
The Jailhouse parking lot
While the initial phase of saving this world-class crag is over, difficulties remain. The current parking lot and trail cross private land, which is up for sale. A different access point to the crag has been agreed on but forty thousand dollars are needed to build a new parking lot, trail, and begin a stewardship fund to protect the cliff forever. The Access Fund and the Unlock Jailhouse foundation need support to complete the project. Addison plans on a number of fundraisers including slideshows, online auctions, and donations from climbers.
When climbers apply the same obsession that they climb with, crag access can be nearly guaranteed. An unlocked Jailhouse is evidence of this crag stewardship, a part of the climbing experience that means more than the fanaticism of climbing.
The waterfall coming in to the crag.
Jailhouse is located between Chinese Camp and Cooperoplis, CA on O’Byrnes Ferry Road off Interstate 108 just past the Sierra Conservation Camp- the jail and before the bridge that crosses Tulloch Lake. No dogs, no fires, and no camping on the property are part of the agreement with the owners. Up to date parking instructions and requirements of use will be at available of the Access Fund website. www.accessfund.org
Some of the long time fixed draws can be dangerous and need to be replaced. The extensions can be in excess of 35meters. A set of quick draws and a 70 meter rope are helpful.
Soap On A Rope (5.12d), the center stage route, is a classic warm-up and introduction to the main cave. It only counts if you hold on after you clip the chains. The route is the fourth to the right of the large sections of trees, which are in the center of the wall. The first three bolts are equipped with chains and climb a pillar.
Fugitive (5.13a) is an awesome test of power endurance with a 5.13b extension for those that want a bit more of a quest. The first bolt of Fugitive is three feet above a free standing pillar on the right side of the crag. It is located between Soap and the warm-ups on the far right.
Called one of California’s hardest routes by Sport Climbing Magazine in the early 90s, Alcatraz (5.13b) remains a testpiece still. The route begins up a stem corner on the second route to the left of Soap.
Jailbait (5.13c) is an entry into the harder routes and a not to be missed classic. Grab your kneepads and be ready for a fight at the chains. The route is located between Soap and Fugitive on the right side of the cliff.
Overhaul (5.13d), the extension of Hall of Justice (5.13b) is one of the best long routes at the cliff. Hall of Justice begins out of the left side of the big bush system in the center of the wall. Enter the bushes from the left side and it is the second route.
Burning Down the House (5.14b) is a great independent line on the right side of the crag.
“Jailhouse has one of the best concentrations of hard routes in the country, as well as one of the best climates. You can climb there any day between September and June without even having to check the weather. It's an amazing crag,” said pro athlete and Sacramento climber Alex Honnold. The end of September to the middle of December is the best time of year. The temperatures are ideal for sending. Though dry during storms, the winter rain of January and February makes the crag seep a few days after storms. March through the beginning of May are the best time for spring temps, though the crag may still seep if it has been an especially wet year. The summer months are climbable if you like triple digit temps and a desire to work on your tan.
First Published in Rock and Ice Issue 362
