Shelfer

Went down to Shelf yesterday.  It was a bit windy but at least I did not feel like I was greasing off of holds.  I tried the Example again and fell at the crux, again.  Did the crux twice in a row just after falling and I think I am making progress.  I also flashed a climb called The Good Red Road at Cactus.  Called 12c but it was easier than that for sure.  Hopefully the weather will get better soon!

Updates

Been getting out a bunch recently considering the weather has either been too hot or wet.  Last Sunday I went to Shelf Road and put some goes into The Example (5.13-) and Manly Bulges (5.13+/14-?) but the highlight of the day was flashing Cure for the Common Crimp (5.13-).  It is my hardest flash by far and I had to dig deep to pull it off.  I returned to Shelf on Tuesday only to make no progress on The Example or Manly Bulges.  Wednesday I went to Elevenmile and fell off the top of Nathan's Couch again.  I have not put that much effort into a problem for a long, long time and I think it has to be at least V10.

Me just after the first crux of Cure for the Common Crimp. Brian Rhodes Photo.

Cure for the Common Crimp again. The next 15 feet of climbing is the crux of the climb.  It is probably more like a V6 boulder problem but I was PUMPED!  Felt good to get through it on my flash. Brian Rhodes Photo.

Spring into Access

I am pleased to announce the 2009 Spring into Access fundraiser.  It will be held at the Sport Climbing Center and will feature the photographic work of Keith Ladzinski, Dave Jones, and myself.  I will be doing a slideshow on what it means for me to be a climber in Southern Colorado that will focus on mine and many others effort to establish new problems in the region, along with some photos of bouldering in Washington state that hopefully will show people some new stuff they might not know that much about.  The event will also feature free beer and huge raffle full of sweet swag.  Its Monday May 8th, with the first slideshow starting at 8 pm.

Updates

Things have been moving along quickly for me.  I spent this weekend taking a rock rescue corse from Colorado Mountain School.  Having the skills to move myself and a partner off the wall if an accident ever did occur makes me feel much better about the bigger stuff I am interested in doing right now.  However, between finals being this week and the weather, I have not gotten out since Friday.  Friday afternoon bouldering sessions have evolved into a strong tradition for us, and I had a great time with Nathan, Max that day.  I was able to finish off Song of Sorrow, a cool Jemerson V10 that adds a couple difficult moves into a V7 I established last fall. Hopefully, within an hour or so I will be done with the paper I am procrastinating editing while writing this post and it will be block break.  I plan on spending part of the long weekend pulling on immaculate Dakota Sandstone in New Mexico.  Stay tuned for media from that.

Shelf Road

Yesterday Tim and I went down to Shelf for a full afternoon of sport climbing.  I onsited Lats Don't Have Feelings (5.11d), flashed Arnold! Arnold! (5.11d), flashed Ejection Seat (5.12b/c) and then put some good work into the example (5.13-).  I tried it three times and on my third burn fell throwing to the good hold that marks the end of the hard climbing.  I was about six inches short of hitting it and I think I can send this beautiful line soon.  This is one of the first sport climbs that has really inspired me for a while and I am excited to head back.

Where the Wild Things Aren't

        Nathan, Tim and I went to Elevenmile today to work stuff at the couch boulder.  I got to one move before the lip on the center line but fell, however I do not think the topout would have been doable anyway due to ice.  Today was the first day that I actually thought that the problem might be easier than the last time I tried it.  Looks to be about V9.

        The better news is that I was able to complete the left line on the couch boulder, establishing the blocks first line. I am calling it 'Where the Wild Things Aren't" and it felt to be about V7 or V8.  This is my first really high quality FA in a month or so and it felt good to stand on top of something new.  Here are some photos of Tim and Nathan working the moves.

Nathan's Couch again...

So I went back to Nathan's Couch again yesterday only to get turned down by a ice and snow on the topout.  While Southern Colorado had the best winter for climbing in years, we are getting a very frustrating spring.  Every other day it snows a bit, keep my projects just slightly out of reach.  Hopefully, I will not have to bore anyone much more with my updates of not sending.  Stay tuned...

Five Ten Projects

A lot of people have been asking me about this shoe recently and I am excited to finally be able to share some of my first hand experience with them.  First of all, the rubber is amazing.  Its softness allows you to "grab" things with your feet in a way that I have not seen since the discontinued Mantra.  Its heel cup is the best fitting I have tried, which is partially due to the softness of the rubber, making it possible for the heel cup to conform to each persons heel differently. I am also a big fan of velcro and slipper shoes and I think the one velcro strap closure, in the style of the 5X, is the best of both worlds.

In terms of fit, I think this shoe fits feet a little differently from other Five Ten shoes I have tried.  While Five Ten seems to use a more narrow/medium to low volume foot design, as a person with very wide / high volume feet, I have never had a problem fitting into Five Ten shoes properly.  I have even thought for a long time having a wide foot gave me an advantage of filling the whole shoe more completely.  The Project, however, is extremely narrow and I was not able to really get a good fit in the toe-box and maintain a good fit in the heel and mid area.

Bottom line:  Get this shoe now if you like climbing with soft rubber and have a narrow foot.  It is by far the best shoe I have seen or tried that fits these parameters.  Should you have a wider foot, I would suggest trying a pair on a shop if you can find them before getting a pair to see if they work for you.  Otherwise, the Dragon is an amazing shoe and mine of preference since it fits wider feet so well.