I’ve been climbing for about 10 years, but ask me about our sport’s superstars and I’ll stammer to give you three names. Talk to me about the most recently opened climbing routes and their grades or which rock god just sent it and I’ll shrug my shoulders and give you a blank look. Tell me to rate a climb or a boulder problem and I’ll scratch my head.

I may not be as technical or experienced as the other “old timers,” but like you, I love to climb. And in recent years, I’ve discovered a love for bouldering.

I’ve had the pleasure of going on two rock trips: CDO’s Goo Goo Gaga in November, and just two weeks ago, to Baguio’s Ambongdolan Rock Trip. And just because the latter is the more recent adventure (and the one my memory will allow me to remember), I’ll chew the fat on this one.

After a five-hour ride up to our country’s summer capital, I was hoping to get to the crag and climb. But Ambongdolan is 1 ½ hours away from Baguio City via a hired jeep (or in my case, Alvin’s 4×4), so the wait only got me more excited. Miles later, we reached the Barangay Clinic—our home base for the weekend.

The crag is a 20-minute up and downhill walk—which is a great way to warm up (although on the first day we drove there). The site itself is breathtaking, full of off-white and sand-colored boulders ready to be pinched, crimped, poked, sat or stepped on, grabbed—whatever way you want to hold them—to send any given problem. The Baguio crew did an excellent job finding the area, creating the problems, and discovering us even more future areas to climb—we took a peek and our hearts beat wildly to see all the possibilities (thanks, guys!).

And since I’m a non-technical climber who can’t tell my V0’s from her V10’s, I can’t say what grade these problems are. But I do know that everyone on the trip—from the most inexperienced to the most seasoned—got their hands on a lot of juicy problems. Some easily and happily sent, others refusing to be finished until we come back (very soon, I hope). No waiting in long cues to jump on a problem—you can hop on another one if need be (although we had a shortage of crash pads, so when you do head over, make sure you’re well-stocked).

The Ambongdolan locals pride themselves in their caves, which are popular spots that tourists like to visit. On the second day of the trip got the chance to explore one cave whose formations we all marveled at mini rice terraces, a fried egg, a giant mushroom, angel’s wings, and more. The spelunking was a good break for our tired bodies and raw fingers, but we didn’t expect this cave exploration to take a lot of work. We crawled through soil, tiptoed around precious stalagmites, and kept our balance through the wet ground, all in the dark. Our eyes could take the dark for only so long, so we were thrilled to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

By early afternoon, it was time to pack our things and clear the Barangay Clinic. We boarded our jeepney and in Amazing Race-style, got back to the jeep terminal in time to grab a quick dinner and board our bus back home. Two weeks and a sore ring finger after, I’m still dreaming of going back to Ambongdolan. Who wants to come?

(Check out the photos posted by Rhei, Alvin, Ian, and Harley)

Registration fee to cover lodging, daily transportation from the hotel to the crag, and of course, a party on the last day!

More details to follow. Check back again soon!

Venue: Manila Ocean Park, Luneta Boardwalk, Manila

Discipline: Bouldering

Category: Men’s Open; Women’s Open

We might get a lot of entries so just expect a short reply back saying that we got your photo.

PRIZES:

1st Free Cushe slippers

2nd Free Cushe/Enemies Of Saturn shirt (double sided and really cool) and CD of the latest EOS tracks

3rd Free Cushe shirt

HAVE FUN,

Any questions email me at climbphil.contest@gmail.com

Remember to participate. If we get a good response, this will encourage us to do more contests like this in the future.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The Wildest Rock Trip!!! More rock…more new climbs…and more…scandals…at the brightest white limestone crag of Brgy. Cantabaco, Cebu.

I’ve been climbing all over the Philippines for the last ten years. I’ve seen the outdoor scene grow and progress. Just when I thought I’d seen it all, here was another area with a whole new experience.

I visited Cagayan de Oro last August 19 to 24 to check-out the new bouldering spots and meet some old friends.

Right from the first day, I was amazed with the texture, movement and features of the CDO rock. I couldn’t name the type but it’s not limestone. It wasn’t quite like the boulders of Montalban and Manalmon, which were almost frictionless and smooth. Also compared it to bouldering in Baguio, whose weather is as cold as it can get, and friction as best you can get, in the Philippines.

All the areas are also just around 30-45 minutes drive from the city with very easy treks. In the six days I was there, I was bouldering three hours into the trip, down to the last hour I possibly could. It seemed that CDO brings in the friction, variety, and overall complete bouldering experience.

There is much to look forward to even when climbing indoors. The very homey local gym, Alwana, offers a variety of angles in all its walls. Though set up with a top-rope for most clients, the walls are also good for bouldering. It also has a weights room and spa, where you can conveniently get your dose of a full body work-out. If that’s not enough reason to drop by Alwana, then you must know that it is the jump-off point to all the crags.

The daily routine of waking up and travelling to the climbing areas by jeep or habal-habal (motorbike) was adventurous as always. During our whole trip, we visited four bouldering areas which all possessed a variety of rock formations. Most boulders averaged from 8 to 12 moves. On a V-scale i would say the problems start from V4 and go as high up to V14. There were highball slab problems climbing on monos, and some were overanging problems on crimps. With the level of climbing it’s suggested to bring at least 4-5 crash pads to maximize the experience.

There was one area with camping grounds, a 250-foot waterfall, and boulders as high as 30-40 feet, with hard and quality problems beautifully located close to one another. If only we could get a bouldering roc-trip going I’m sure we’d find more really good lines.

But for me, the trip was centered on this one route that really caught my attention. I could relate it to climbing Magic Dragon in Manalmon or Narda in Baguio, but this one had a kick to it. The line was superb, coming from a roof, to exit on an overhanging face with really “NICE” crimps and a slab exit. I returned to this boulder more than once and worked the route. It’s been a while for me climbing with some really psyched guys, and their energy helped me inch my way up the wall. I left it as a project, but it’s sure to be a prime line once it’s done.

I can’t wait to get back.

The new routes are located at the left wall of Cantabaco, which meant plenty of pre-bolting landscaping and cleaning had to be done. While this slowed down the actual bolting process, project lead Mackie says that climbers can still expect more routes to be put up in time for the annual rock trip on end-October.

Even more to look forward to is a newly-spotted rock formation located just 30 minutes from Cantabaco. A large rock face with even more potential for hard climbing than Cantabaco, Mackie is eyeing Lamac, Pinamungahan for his next bolting project.

According to our source, Masungi is blessed with huge and beautiful (and sharp!) limestone towers, and so far, they have already established around 15 routes, graded from 5.5 to 5.12, and ranging between 10 to 60 meters high.

While the crag is open to all climbers, it must be noted that it is located in privately-owned land, so best practice is to still ask permission before heading to Masungi.

As for your burning questions…

Q: Is this purely trad climbing?
A: Yes. Be ready with your full rack.

Q: How do I get to Masungi?
A: Take a jeep from Marikina along Marcos Highway. Go past Palo Alto Village. Soon after there is the so-called “Cottage Garden Resort”. These are people that don’t allow you on their land, so do not illegally enter.

Go past Cottage Garden. You will see the high voltage power transmission cable and their towers. Once you pass the first tower, look for a dirt road starting on your right side. It has a sign of ‘No Trespassing’, but this is the entrance to Masungi. Get off the jeep here, walk up, and ask permission at the cottage if you can go on their land to climb.

Q: If I’m allowed access to the area, where to next?
A: The trails in the beginning are obvious and you can’t get lost on them. First climbing area appears after 15 minutes of hiking. If you want to go further, go up the steep slope and you end up a ridge. Turn left, follow the ridge and in the distance you will see the larger rock towers (Man With A Hat, Razorblade routes). Go down into the next valley and up to the rocks.

After a while you can go left to the Man With A Hat and Razorblade, or turn right and follow the main trail into another valley, where there are lots and lots of smaller rock towers. There is much more to climb, but this requires going much deeper into the valleys, where no trails exist yet. Anyhow, the rocks you will find on the main trail will keep climbers busy for a long time if they have the proper gear.

Q: Phew. Isn’t there a simpler way to try climbing in Masungi??
A: Maybe. Route information is being developed by Jeanot Boulet and his climbing buddies. You can look him up in Facebook, in case you need more information about the area.

Check out some photos below. Thank you, Jeanot, for sharing this with us. Happy trad climbing, everyone!