Areas to practice taking lead falls and pendulum falls near SF

Anyone knows of good non-congested area somewhat close to SF (preferably not Beaver Wall, Castle Rock or Mtn Diablo) to practice taking lots and lots of falls on sport leads? That is, both regular falls and pendulum falls.

I'm working toward taking short, long, and pendulum falls outdoors so that I could lead at the level I'm physically and technically capable of and not be paralyzed by irrational fear/mere lack of experience with falls.

I know I can't be the only climber who needs to get outside of his/her comfort zone so drop me a line if you're safety-conscious, patient, and wanna work on this together in a supportive manner.

I weigh 115 lb, would rather not be tethered to a ground anchor so partners who weigh 170 lb or less would be most ideal.

Cheers!

Indian Rock, in Berkeley, has some anchors on the big boulder atop two other formations. I'd say it's a 30-35 ft climb. Not sure if you'll get a lot of pendulum falls, but it might be worth checking out. I'd like to TR it with ya, but weigh a buck-ninety, so don't really meet your requirements.

You could take some leader falls on the longer routes at Mickey's beach. Some of the shorter routes have a minimum of bolts and could create potential ground falls.

Either way, it would certainly be an adventure.

bear cliff at mt st helena has steep well protected climbs, several in the 10-11 range.

Head to the Auburn Cliffs

Lots of vertical to overhanging routes to practice taking falls off without hitting a ledge. Most of the bolts are new. The lower tier can be congested on weekends but there's never a crowd up top at twin towers and wreckage.

Things to fall on:
Overhanging: Destructomatic 11b
Pendulum: Unknown 10c on scale wall
Vertical: Release the Lions 11c; Unknown 10a in horseshoe canyon; 10a to the farthest right on memorial

Why not at the gym? Long, steep, short, pendulum - it's all there waiting. Or maybe you need it to be outside to face the fear. In my experience, though, taking falls in the gym is pretty helpful in terms of confronting that fear of falling.

Thank you to all who have offered great suggestions! I'm making the list, checking it twice, gonna find out which is the best :)

To Sirius, taking practice falls indoors was a good start. But most routes I see outdoors are much more run out. And real walls have features that are quite varied so it's often trickier to take falls.

I am still so unclear on this idea. And yes, i have read RWW, i have taken countless lead falls (50's!!), trad and sport (and for that matter HBB). Go out, climb things which are overhung (clean falls/airtime) and you will fall. Practicing falling is like practicing sex... it just ain't the same. If you want to have the feeling of falling, use a tree. Go to Golden Gate Park, climb a tree, either set 2 lines (one static to jug, the other your 'lead line') jug up, when you get to where you want to go, let'er fly. Or just climb up, tie a rope, jump?
Another thing i have done w/partners is to set toprope on overhung routes, get them out of the 'grounder zone', and let them have a loose belay.
Problem w/practice is numerous, as you know. Falls on < vert can really hurt. Slabs are...slabs.
I admire your desire to break out of your fear, but really the best thing to do is go out and climb. Hard. Find partners who push your grades, inspire, and fall.
Or, just...
youtube.com/watch?v=SpaL_Lc…

Muscrat wrote:I am still so unclear on this idea. And yes, i have read RWW, i have taken countless lead falls (50's!!), trad and sport (and for that matter HBB). Go out, climb things which are overhung (clean falls/airtime) and you will fall. Practicing falling is like practicing sex... it just ain't the same. If you want to have the feeling of falling, use a tree. Go to Golden Gate Park, climb a tree, either set 2 lines (one static to jug, the other your 'lead line') jug up, when you get to where you want to go, let'er fly. Or just climb up, tie a rope, jump? Another thing i have done w/partners is to set toprope on overhung routes, get them out of the 'grounder zone', and let them have a loose belay. Problem w/practice is numerous, as you know. Falls on < vert can really hurt. Slabs are...slabs. I admire your desire to break out of your fear, but really the best thing to do is go out and climb. Hard. Find partners who push your grades, inspire, and fall. Or, just...

Practicing falling isn't the real thing but it definitely gets you ready for it. It takes practice to get the body awareness to orient yourself the correct way and spot your landing (especially on slab falls). Somebody new to falling hasn't learned it yet. Quickest way to learn any new skill is by practicing drills, pushing your comfort boundaries in a controlled way.

When you're learning to drive, sure it's possible to just jump in and start driving on the street. But that doesn't negate the value of practicing in a parking lot first.

The best way to practice falling is get on routes at or above your max and tell you belayer before you leave the ground to not respect the "take". You will very quickly get over your fear of falling. Staging repeated falls for no other reason than to practice seems an unnecessary artificially created stress on fixed gear.