Two kinds of rock, one valley, and skin that runs out before the problems do.

The Buttermilks and the Tablelands.

Bishop sits in the Owens Valley under the east side of the Sierra, with two very different bouldering areas a short drive apart. The Buttermilks are big granite boulders below the mountains, coarse and crystalline, home to tall problems and famous highballs. The Happy and Sad Boulders sit in the Volcanic Tableland, carved from welded volcanic tuff full of pockets and sharp edges. The season runs fall through spring, when cold mornings make the rock stick.

Two rocks, two skin plans. Buttermilk granite sands the pads down evenly; tuff pockets slice and flap. The dry air turns everything glassy by afternoon. Toughen before the trip, file every morning, keep water in the skin, and close what opened before bed. A week in Bishop runs on skin, not strength.