Stoney Point
Stoney Point:
Los Angeles
Just an hour's drive just north of downtown LA, the greasy boulders of Stoney Point offer a challenging LA outdoor climbing experience that’s steeped in history.
All-Around Collection
The Crew
A professional climber, a filmmaker and photographer, a researcher and developer of laboratory equipment, a phlebotomist—those are just the day jobs. When work isn’t calling, the rock walls are.
History of a Place
To the non-rock climber, Stoney Point—located in Chatsworth, CA at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and the 118—is simply another LA-area state park where people walk their dogs. It’s an 81-acre plot of rocky outcroppings situated right on the edge of an area densely populated by roughly ten million people. Hardly what dreams are made of if you’re in search of pristine outdoor environments.
But for rock climbers, Stoney Point has history. Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard and Bob Kamps all put up first ascents in the area. And if you don’t know who they are, do yourself a Google . Long before they became climbing icons and brand founders, they were exploring Stoney Point—projecting boulders before projecting was a thing.
For LA climbers, Stoney Point offers an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of legends of the sport, tackling highballs, long traverses and the often challenging winds.
It's Shitty...But In A Cool Gritty Way.
The creative energy of passionate climbers makes it hard to have a bad day, no matter how challenging the conditions. “I mean, it's one of the reasons I love climbing—you know, the community,” says Pak. “I got welcomed with like, what's ups and hugs and everything”, he said of meeting the crew for the first time. In typical Stoney Point fashion there was assorted trash here and there, and try as the California State Parks Department might to keep the boulders pristine, a smattering of graffiti and painted-over graffiti was on-hand for some of the greasiest holds you’ve ever jammed your mitts onto.
Reframe Your Idea of a Project.
The day’s project was Hot Tuna, a climb that Katie Jo Myers knows well. “I have wanted to send it for like five years,” she says. Evolv athlete Anna Hazlett echoed her sentiment: “It's just like a full traverse in a cave. It’s pretty intense.” A low long traverse, tucked away into an overhang, Hot Tuna is soundtracked by passing cars and motorcycles . Most of the crew’s attempts at Hot Tuna proved unsuccessful, but a successful climb isn’t always about the send. It’s often more about the company you keep, the friends you make and the almost-sends where you learn the most about yourself. “A place like Stoney Point, you go to hang out with friends at a local spot,” says Hazlett. “And that’s what makes the climbs as fun as they are.”