23 February 2019

This weekend, I met my nephews at the Santee Boulders to introduce them to the area and to re-acquaint myself, since it’d been a while since my last visit. Quite a while, actually … far too much of a while. I love this little climbing area. It’s so special to me because I learned to climb here. In 1987, I bought a pair of second-hand Boreal Fires (FEE-rays) and really went after it. I’d train until Santee’s infamous, dime-edged holds tore the skin off my fingertips to reveal tender, oozing layers underneath. Once I read how Skinner and Piana Krazy-glued their flappers back on, I didn’t even need time off, anymore. Skin heals beneath glue. My core skillset as a climber was formed on these boulders. Thin edging on vertical granite became my specialty.

However, thanks to some injuries, life and too much time off, my climbing skills have diminished to the point I no longer have a specialty, so I just pointed Brandan and Cameron at some routes and flailed on my old circuit as they sent problem after problem. Humbling.

Thanks to the abundance of rain, Santee has never been more lush. Tiny, white wildflowers blanket the ground and grasses tall enough to sway in wind make the hillsides look like Ireland, if you squint a little. On this day, there was an actual stream running through the middle of the valley. I heard it long before I saw it. Lot of water, is what I’m saying.

Lots of climbers, too. I’ve never seen it this active. Nearly every feature on the whole, north side had parties. Young kids, mostly. Late twenties or younger. Nice to see.

We ended the session on the 20 Point Boulder where we met Ken and Alaina, a pair of strong climbers from OB. They had good stoke, shared solid beta and helped out with spotting and maneuvering the pads.

I’m psyched Santee is so popular. In the late nineties, it was actually fashionable to dislike Santee boulders. Newer areas with steeper routes were in vogue and those required power and endurance instead of the balance and gentle touch Santee requires. It’s great to know the boulders are still challenging and training San Diego’s climbers.

–Michael Lane