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Secret Beach

  • Grade context: US
  • Photos: 7
  • Ascents: 2
  • Aka: Hwanguchi Area

Seasonality

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Summary

A somewhat hidden location next to Hwanguchi Beach (황우치), this area offers long stretches of low basalt rock that is perfect for traversing or setting specific problems on small parts of the wall.

Description

Many of local climbers know about this spot for its easy access boulder problems on a long stretch of basalt rock, but also for its black sand beach and stunning views of Mt. Sanbang (산방산), Jeju's largest lava dome, that looms over the entire beach area with a serious and quiet intensity. The area undoubtedly has a local name but has been labelled as the "Secret Beach" are by foreigners given its quiet and remote environment while still being directly next to a well-known beach area. This spot also boasts being one of the warmest areas to climb on Jeju, as it is generally well protected from the wind and receives abundant sun all year round. This makes it a highly enjoyable place to climb in the Winter, and almost impossible to tolerate in the hottest parts of the year (July and August). There are three separate coves, while each spot offering countless problems, small caved enclosures, unofficial camping areas, stunning views of Sanbangsan, and seaside views of Hyeongjeseom Islands (형제섬), Yongmeori Coast (용머리해안), and Songagsan peninsula (송악산). It's directly underneath the path for Ollie route 10, and is a great spot both for bouldering, but also for a picnic or camping trip.

There is no location to rent or buy pads or crash mats on the island, so if you intent to climb with them you should 100% bring your own from the mainland, or from outside of Korea (it's also difficult to find them on the mainland, be forewarned). However, it isn't uncommon to see climbers frequent this spot without pads, as many of the problems are directly on the beach itself, and the sand offers reasonable protection from most falls you'd take on any problems. Obviously this isn't recommended, but if you're a strong climber and don't want to bring more than a chalk bag and shoes, this would be a decent place to do so.

There is no official ranking or setting of any problems here, although it's easy to find and set routes within the V1-V6 range, with potential for harder problems around.

Access issues

The Ollie trail people love to rope off the paths down to the beach, simply ignore them and go around the taped areas. It is not a problem or illegal to walk around this area.

Approach

The easiest way is to get to the Cafe directly on Hwanguchi beach 황우치해안, named One and Only (http://kko.to/CBDcW8llh and https://goo.gl/maps/cmJZ3JUHSmt13Bpq7). From there, walk South directly to the water and turn left. Continue East along the water and you'll cross a spot of black rock that sticks out into the water. After crossing this, you are standing on the immediate area of the biggest cove with the longest wall section. The rock closest to "One and Only" is generally a little shale-y, but if you just keep walking East the rock gets better on the other side of some metal stairs that lead up to Ollie Trail 10.

The other two coves are smaller, but are easy to find. Continue East from the fist cove along the water, crossing up to the Ollie trail as needed to cross any streams or areas that are hard to walk over. This entire area has so many potential problems it's hard to describe.

An alternative way is to park behind Ocean Brick View Cafe (오션브릭 풀빌라 카페) on the dirt roads, and walk down to the Ollie trail and divert to the beach when you find a path (http://kko.to/cG_Psi_qC). This is harder to describe as there are several paths down, and all of them will take you to climbing areas. Generally speaking, if you are on the beach or next to the water, you should have boulder problems around you.

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Grade Route

A fun cave-like overhang area with a notable crack and pushy heelhooks around. There are several problems here, including potential for someone to bushwhack the top, set up an anchor and rope down for some bolt placement on the highest parts.

The second biggest cove area, directly near the port and ship docking area (http://kko.to/pRLchd7fj). A strong traverse with sharp crimps make a splendid workout.

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Tue 23 May
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