Video Night at SCC

This Saturday we have put a sick night of bouldering videos together by local climbers. Austin, Nick, and Alex will be showing footage from thier recent trip to Hueco. Byron will be showing Dickfist and Beatnuts. Then I will be showing a 12 minute video called the SoCo Chronicles. It features around a dozen of my first ascents along with a handful of other area classics from the Wet Mountaina and the South Platte. Oh yeah, and free beer, snacks, and slacklining.

Back Out in the Cold

Yesterday I met up with a larger crew then normally roams Southern Colorado in January. Everyone was psyched and the conditions were prime. I managed to send my long standing nemesis Walk Softly. Everyone agreed this was a toughie and it feels great to finally finish this rig off after trying it for three years. Keeping it stiff down here in the SoCo. After that, we went to work on the sit start. Spannuth and I both were able to climb into the stand of Walk Softly but could not link the bottom and top sections. I also made good progress on Austin's arete and both Ben and Jamie did well on William Shatner. I did not take my camera out as much as I should of but here are some nice pictures of Shatner.

Batman and Abstraction Video

Here is a short little video of two problems in Leavenworth, Washington. I thought I had lost this footage until yesterday when I found it on a random thumb drive. I climb Batman (V8) and Bryan Boyko climbs Abstraction (V11). Abstraction is one of those very unique blocs that is suspended between other boulders in a talus field. I was able to climb this line just after Bryan and it is still one of my favorite in Leavenworth. Enjoy.

Milky Dreams

Owen Anderson got the first ascent today of a cool crimp line a few minutes up Highway 24 from Ute Pass. He named it Milky Dreams and we think V9 sounds about right. The line is great, right up the center of a large block. Unfortenatly, I split my tip and will have to wait a bit before repeating this sharp gem of a climb.

The line starts matched on a good incut where Max's right hand is.

Me almost sticking the crux second move. The difficulty revolves around perching on a very poor foot and catching a crimp before swinging out from the wall.

Clear Creek Canyon

Today I took a rare excursion to the north. We started our day off at the New River Wall. After a good warm up and some not so good burns on Dark Waters, we headed back to 268. We made the death march up to Stanley Kubrick. After a lot of failed effort, Nick and I were both able to put the climb together. Getting it done back to back and the end of the day felt nice, not to mention the nice feeling of finishing up a hard boulder problem in a day.

Cold, Cold Southern Colorado

It has been sunny but cold in Southern Colorado. Today, Kieffer, Julia, Ben and I headed south to seek some quality stone out. It has been a bit since I climbed outside and it felt nice. Overall, a good day with friends.

Nick's Trailside Sloper Problem (still to be named)

Austin's Side Canyon Arete (also still to be named)

Playing with my flash

A large ice waterfall above Austin's arete

Bobba Fett Arete

Today I went up to Ute Pass with Byron and his cousin Chris. We met up with Nick and Than and after some delay decided to try an old project of mine. I had dubbed it the Bobba Fett Arete but never been able to figure it out by myself. The group psych came together today and Than managed the first ascent of this very cool line. It starts left hand on a crimp and right gastoning a sloper about a foot to the right, both about head height. Than decided to stick with my old name and we think it is probably around V8.

Evilution

Here are a couple of photos that my friend Brian Sweeny took of me trying Evilution. Despite getting through the first crux many times, I could not put the middle of this rig together. Next trip I will have to try it at the start of the day instead of last...