Santa Barbara Independent ~ February 14, 2002
Rock Climbing Out of the Comfort Zone
By Adam Harmstead

Rock Climbing is not for everybody. It forces people to go beyond their personal limits of physical safety. But if you can rise above your fears, climbing offers the thrill of contact with Santa Barbara's sandstone. Looming over the city, the Santa Ynez Mountains are a great spot for weekend mountaineering. Their peeks, cliffs and boulders challenge novices and chalk-fingered veterans alike.

"The soft sandstone in Santa Barbara is good for beginners, compared to the sharp granite at places like Joshua Tree," said Michael Cohen, head of Santa Barbara Adventure Company. "And climbing here also gives you a great view of the ocean."

Cohen's company takes climbers of all experience levels on routs up to 80 feet off the ground at places like Gibraltar Rock and San Ysidro Rock. He believes the right combination of fitness, training and gear makes rock climbing less risky than driving a car.

"Most of the risk involved with rock climbing has to do with what you perceive instead of what is real, since the anchors, ropes and harnesses can hold more than 4000 pounds," Cohen said.

The use of harness with partner controlling the rope is called belaying, and scaling the crags without safety ropes is know as bouldering. The house-size rocks formations at Lizard's Mouth near San Marcos Pass are a fine spot for bouldering, but Cohen warns beginners to "climb only as high as you are willing to fall." (Some climbers use thick rubber crash pads to soften the impact.)….. Veteran rock climbers recommend a climbing gym to develop strength, flexibility and balance. Goleta Valley Athletic Club and UCSB Adventure Center offer safe rock climbing walls for those who aren't ready to tackle the real thing.