The Freaks Climbing

This digital The Freaks climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your The Freaks days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

Sitting across the road from Erratica, this area got its name from its freakishly good volcanic conglomerate. Anyone who’s looked for new rock around this area knows that the vast majority of volcanic rock is pure choss. This spot looks just like all the other choss, but nature was kind, and mixed and baked the matrix between the cobbles with just the right conditions to make the rock almost unbelievably solid. Even for people who have been here before, if it’s been a while they might  have to recondition themselves to the fact that the cobbles don’t just sheer off as soon a... Show more

This digital The Freaks climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your The Freaks days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Sitting across the road from Erratica, this area got its name from its freakishly good volcanic conglomerate. Anyone who’s looked for new rock around this area knows that the vast majority of volcanic rock is pure choss. This spot looks just like all the other choss, but nature was kind, and mixed and baked the matrix between the cobbles with just the right conditions to make the rock almost unbelievably solid. Even for people who have been here before, if it’s been a while they might have to recondition themselves to the fact that the cobbles don’t just sheer off as soon as they’re weighted. Once you get past that, the unusual climbing is pure fun on colorful rock surrounded by tall trees and beds of ferns. Developed at the end of the summer of 2009, most of problems were put up in a month. Some harder things in the basement were added later bring the total to over 60 problems on seven boulders/formations. Less than a quarter mile down the road from Erratica, the Freaks are generally much less buggy than Erratica. The rock sits on a south facing hillside and is more exposed, which can be good or bad depending on the wind conditions, and time of day or year. The two areas compliment each other perfectly. On that note, a word for dog owners. The main trail at the Freaks runs close to some of the boulders and is frequently used by speeding mountain bikers, equestrians, and motorcyclists. They can come on suddenly with little warning. The fern beds are very delicate, and if trampled won’t recover quickly. The areas under the Dazed Wall and The Basement are very confined and dusty. If you want to give your dog room to roam, Erratica has far more open space away from busy trails and dusty hangout spots. DRIVING: From the turnoff to Kirkwood Ski Resort take Hwy 88 west for 4.0 miles (0.2 miles past the turnoff to Erratica.) At the bottom of the hill there is a sharp left turn onto a dirt road marked with a small sign saying “Horse Thief Canyon.” If you miss this turnoff, there is another road 100 yds further up that leads to the same parking. APPROACH: From the parking by the first turnoff, a trail (17E21) heads to the east past a message board. Start up this trail, passing by the trail off to the left. Hike uphill for 5 minutes, and you will start to see the boulders uphill to your left. Just past a big trailside log on your left a faint trail cuts straight uphill leading to the boulder circuit. Watch for mountain bikers, horses, and motorcyclists on this trail. They come on suddenly so keep your kids and dogs close.