Hayden's Rock Scaling

Hey all...

2011-12-21T11:47:00.001-08:00

So its been the better part of a year since I updated this blog. I slowly let it die last spring for a couple of reasons. The main one being that it stopped being fun to blog and instead felt like a chore. I have had a lot of friends express frustration that they missed being able to follow my climbing adventures. So in response I have shifted my online presence into two different venues that I am excited about. The first is Sendage. I left 8a in 2008 because that site stopped being fun. Sendage is the first alternative that was intriguing enough to make me want to try it out. It is essentially an 8a style logbook that links through your Facebook network. The second is Tumblr. My Tumblr started out as an outlet for my non-climbing photography. However, after leaving Blogger I realized I still wanted to post climbing images without feeling a need to write any accompanying text. So please feel free to follow me on those two sites, I will hopefully be updating them regularly.

I WENT CLIMBING!

2011-03-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

So after 77 days of not climbing outside, I made my return to real rock! While no particular climbing moment marked it as particularly triumphant, it was everything I needed it to be. The day provided a much needed break from the intensity of my busy daily life and was filled with the comedic, serious, debaucherous, thrilling, and satirical moments, both on and off the rock, that I have only experienced with good friends while climbing.

Update

2011-01-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

The weather in Boston continues to be less than ideal for rock scaling. I am going to try and get out on Saturday even if I have to put some work in cleaning off stuff. The snow is still coming down hard, looking like we will get a least a foot of the white stuff today. In other news, my good friend Max Krimmer just started up a blog of his own. He has been crushing it recently both in Southern Colorado and Bishop. Check it out.

2011

2011-01-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

New year so I guess the thing to do is a new post. 2010 was an awesome year, although with probably the least climbing in it of the last four years. I finished my senior thesis, graduated from college, got a job, and moved across the country. My plans for post summer 2011 are still up in the air. Maybe Denver, maybe Seattle, maybe somewhere else. We'll see. For now, the goal is to increase my fitness in the gym while the weather is bad. There are still a handful of climbs I would like to do in New England. Until then.

WASHINGTON

2010-12-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

Well, guess what... its been raining in the Pacific Northwest. You know its a bad climbing destination when the weather is worse then New England. I got home last Thursday and Bret and I decided to go for it on Friday. It was the only day of sun in the forecast. It turned out to not be enough sun to dry things out and we struggled with damp rock all day. We both fell off grabbing the lip of Midnite. We also put some good work into the Archtitect but the top (crux) of the problem was moist. We checked out a few other blocks and things were either wet or landings had been washed away by flooding conditions along the Skynomish the week prior.

Snowy Mt Index

Pacific Northwest Rainforest

View from the quiet town of Index

Train tracks to approach Biult to Last. To access this block you have to cross a narrow train bridge. Just before venturing back across it a train came. Real glad we were not in the center when that happened.

"Trail" to get to Hagakure. This used to be a single track trail before flooding conditions last week washed the entire hillside out of any small plant life.

Biult to Last. One of the better boulder problems in the NW but the landing had yet to be biult to last. Once again too much rain foils our climbing plans.

Pawtuckaway

2010-12-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Brayton, Chris, Sam and I headed up to P-Way today. Luckily it was warmer then its been recently and we were able to climb without freezing today. The main objective was Stand and Deliver. I was able to do the first move and came really close to the second. Thing is hard feeling. I also climbed The Rose (V7) and flashed The Font Problem (V4/9). Despite the rock being less then ideal in some spots, I will likely return before it warms up to try Stand and Deliver again.

The Font Problem

Child of the Storm

bRADley

2010-12-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a big ol session at Bradley. Max, Natasha, Jeremy, Brayton, Sam, Kieffer and I all headed down south to pull on the fine rock of central Connecticut. It turned out that 35 degrees is too cold for Bradley and the few sends that took place all ended in completely numb and desperate top outs. I was able to finish up the Prow (V10), and also do Homefront Arete (V7) and Underground Vibezzzzz (V8). In addition, Noah uploaded another nice peak into life at 1127 last year...

Update

2010-11-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

So climbing in Washington was a failure. I ended up spending the night with good friend Ander Rockstad in Salt Lake City due to snow in Seattle. Great weather in Boston, snow in Seattle. In November. It remained wet and cold for most of my trip home. Maybe my trip home in December will be luckier. Maybe. In other news, MZ put together a nice video of three climbs I have done recently and one I should have done:

1127 Reasons to Climb

2010-11-21T19:39:00.001-08:00

For those who know, I post this in remembrance of all the good times we had in 1127. For those who don't, I hope you enjoy all the out of context moments recorded here. Just to have one thing straight, my underwear are wet because I got hit by a water balloon. HD on Vimeo.

Bradley

2010-11-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

Today I got to check out an area I have been wanting to go to for a long time: Bradley. I have to say that I was very impressed. Excellent rock, good lines, and plenty to work on. I climbed some classics up to V8 before setting my sights on The Prow. I made progress each burn until I was able to unlock the trickery of this climb. However, I totally punted and fell off the easy climbing with numb tips. Too bad, cause my skin was wrecked after that and I could not finish it up. Tomorrow I head to Seattle for Thanksgiving. The forecast is looking surprisingly good for the Northwest in November so hopefully I will be able to get out and scale some rocks.

Max projecting the sit start to the Book of Bitter Aspects

Rumney

2010-11-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

Max and I planned Sunday as a different sort of day. Instead of meeting for brunch at 11, we were on the road at 8. After warming up in the Blackjacks, we headed up to Waimea. Despite being PERFECT weather for sport climbing, the crag was deserted. Not one person! Max put some effort into The Fly. A couple showed up for a second. Neil came by and flew through a warm up. Max convinced Neil to give me a belay on Riviera so he could shoot. I failed. Neil had to leave. Max hung on the rope for 45 minutes. I napped. Max came down. I did Riviera. Max tried The Fly more. Joey belayed me so we could finish filming. Max tried The Fly more. We left.

Farley

2010-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Max and I got a very late start to Farley. Max just wanted to get some moves in on the rock to get warmed up for more serious climbing on Sunday. I had the goal of finishing up Prince Paul. I had gotten my beta dialed on Thursday only to be thwarted by wet finger locks at the top. Well, it turned out that getting the final finger lock was hard and it took some solid effort to get to the top of this rig. Dave Wetmore, who had a great day of his own, was there to grab the ascent on tape. With 15ish moves over 24 feet, this guy climbs a bit like route and sending definitely came down to feeling fresh enough at the top to still try hard.

Farley - Sunday

2010-11-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

I recently had a little scare recently with my shoulder. Got it checked out by the doc though and was able to return to climbing after a week of rest. Had work off on Thursday for the vets and went out to Farley with Alex, Nate, and Grady. I worked out more moves on Prince Paul but the finger locks at the top were wet and I was not able to finish it off. We made a bit of progress on War on Terror. I also was able to climb Pterodactyl Sit. This is the first hardish crimp line I have climbed in a while, so that was nice marker of fitness. We finished the day off on the seldom climbed Monkey Butt Love. Its a cool sloping arete with a rad dyno to the lip.

Grady on War on Terror

Grady on Monkey Butt Love using his tall man beta

Alex using the standard dyno beta on Monkey Butt Love

New Five Ten Shoes

2010-11-08T11:11:00.001-08:00

Metrorock held a shoe demo the other week and Dana was there showing off Five Ten's new shoe lineup. While I have tried many of Five Ten's new shoes over the last couple years, I have consistently gone back to the Moc, 5X, and Dragons. All these shoes have been around for a few years now (and in the case of the Moc, much more then that) and I have been happy none have fallen to Five Ten's different approach to shoe production and marketing (in with the new, out with the old). However, I have to say that this year was a bit different. I think Five Ten has really created a diverse set of climbing shoes with some of their best models ever.

Five Ten Supermoc:
This is essentially a trimmed down version of the classic Moc. I use my Moc for two things: thin cracks and gym climbing. The super Moc is better suited for bouldering and sport climbing. It has a very thin sole (think the old school Mantra S) and a nice fitting heel cup. The main complaint I have heard from people about the Moc is that it cannot heel hook. I tried heel hooking on many different type holds and was only able to pull it off once (on a move that also nearly pulled my Dragon off). This shoe is also extremely comfortable but remember to size down if you want to maintain a performance fit since it is unlined leather.

Five Ten Hornet:
When I asked Dana about this shoe he said it was designed for "steep limestone with small pockets and tufas." Wow, well that is pretty specific. But luckily this shoe performed amazingly well on a variety of terrains. I am a big fan of soft shoes and this shoe is essentially a cross of the Dragon and the new Super Moc; its a soft, thin, downturned shoe with an excellent heel cup. People always talk about pulling with your toes in downturned shoes but I have never be able to do that like I did with this shoe. I was able to keep my feet on the wall while using very small footholds on a roof that I was not able to do with any other shoe. Furthermore, the innovative lacing system aligns the natural arc of your foot into the shoe. No more torquing on your foot once you pull the shoe on to get your shoe to sit comfortably.

Five Ten Quantum
I was also impressed by this new shoe. It is a nice mix of the Anasazi Velcro and Dragon. A stiffer, lace-up shoe with a slight downturn and an excellent heel cup. Not to mention the purple makes it one of the best looking shoes I have ever seen.

Unfortenatly I did not get to try on the new Dean Potter shoe but it looks sick for offwidthing!

Farley - Sunday

2010-10-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Despite possibly inclement weather and a much smaller crew, Brayton and I met up with Matt and Josh for a short Farley session today. After warming up and coming close to War on Terror, a hard slab/mantle climb heading left from Speed of Life, we all got excited about Prince Paul. Using only a few pads (and some conveniently placed natural vines to anchor one), we were able to safely protect all but the very top of this stunning line. We had a great session working out the moves on this and everyone tried it in great ground up style. I think this climb has only seen one ascent, after heavy top rope rehearsal, and I think it would be very cool to do the second ascent ground up. After a bit of rain, we finished up on Scarab and Pterodactyl but with tired bodies and worn down skin, today proved to not be quite the day of sending that Saturday was.

Entering the crux of Prince Paul

Mid crux of Prince Paul

Farley - Saturday

2010-10-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Despite a few reluctant members, another large crew rallied to Farley from Boston on Saturday. Everyone psych was high and it proved to be a great day of sending. In addition to Dave Wetmore's list of sends, I also managed to climb Appetite for Destruction, Babies with Rabies, and The Wave. I have to admit that Appetite felt a step harder than the three double digit problems I have now completed at Farley but that might just be me. We also had a big session on Speed of Life and needless to say I am excited to try it more.

Brayton on Stereogram

Matt on Babies with Rabies

Farley

2010-10-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday a full Boston crew got out to Farley. In total there were probably around 10 people I knew at the crag with dozens more scattered throughout the forrest. Turns out everyone else had the same idea when they saw 60 degrees, sunny, and breezy as the forecast. I was able to quickly finish off Pipe Dreams today. This marks my second double digit problem in the last week. I did not climb since last Sunday and its nice to come off a short rest and still feel strong. Next up was Party Wolf. This climb is definitely a level up from the other hard compression problems at Farley. Max put in a proud effort on it and was able to send last second before he had to go. Both of us tried it from the ground up every time and it was cool to see someone climb something hard in such a good style. I will be back for this rig. At the end of the day I was able to get up Big, a cool V8 with one distinct crux. Overall a great day!

Alex on Pipe Dreams

Chris on Pipe Dreams

Back in New England

2010-10-10T21:28:00.001-07:00

The last two days have yielded beautiful fall New England conditions. Chilly but comfortable and dry! The trees have begun turning and the colors are amazing. On Saturday, Max, Gavin, and I headed to Farley. It was my first time there and I was very excited. First of all, Speed of Life is amazing. I did not get on it since we did not have a ton of pads and I was not feeling my best. After warming up, I figured the moves to Pipe Dreams out but it was in the sun and I could not link it together. Next up was Stereogram. Both Gavin and I were able to put this one together. This was my first double digit boulder problem of 2010 and it was nice to realize I was in pretty good shape despite having not been climbing too much. Max and I worked on a compression project for a bit called Midsize Man. This rig is one of the most physical boulder problems I have ever seen. The beta is never the same and it comes down to trying really, really, really hard and refusing to let go. I also came close to Appetite for Destruction but by the end of the day was feeling pretty tired. Today, Max and I headed out to Great Barrington. We met up with some other people and set to work on the Speed boulder. Mark, an old friend of Max's, came as close as possible to Roses and Bluejays, falling off after matching the lip of the boulder. Next time man! I made some good progress on Something from Nothing and am excited to return.

Veterans with Vertigo

2010-10-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Before heading back to Boston, I knew that I needed to go and climb something bigger since I would be mostly sport climbing and bouldering in New England. I headed for the Black Canyon last Friday and roped up with my friend John Schaffer. John is one of the most bad ass climbers I know, having done over 50 Black Canyon routes. He was interested in doing a climb called Veterans with Vertigo, a Grade IV 5.11+ down the SOB Gully. John started us off with the plan of me taking the crux pitch and him taking the first (and harder) or the two R rated pitches. Pitch 2 was my first lead and there was very little information on the topo about it. Near the top was a long, unprotected traverse on less than ideal rock. The pitch felt like it deserved an R rating and knowing we had a couple pitches that actually got R higher up, both of us were curious to what would follow. Route finding was difficult and we moved slower then we were hoping to. By the time we reached the crux 6th pitch, the sun was baking the wall. I took the lead and got to the crux section before reading the movement totally wrong and falling. After a few attempts at working the beta out, I was able to fight my way to the belay ledge. John managed to follow the pitch cleanly in an even more powerful way then I did it. Very impressive! The two R rated pitches that followed turned out to not be so scary and we soon found ourselves on the rim. We considered bombing back down a gully and doing a second route but ended up deciding to call it a day. The Black Canyon remains my favorite place to climb in Colorado and I hope to get back there next spring.

Newlin Creek Adopt-a-Crag Day

2010-08-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

So I just received the good news that an Access Fund Adopt-a-Crag day has been organized for Newlin Creek. As some of you know, I have gone back and forth about my feelings with Newlin and crowds, conservation, access, information and the like. Helping develop Newlin has been one of the defining climbing related aspects of my life. Regardless of the outcome of past events, Newlin is now part of the Front Range climbing circuit and the best thing we can do as a climbing community is do our best to treat it with the most respect and care we can. Whether you have lost track of how many times you have visited Newlin or have just swung by for a visit a few times, please come down and help out. We will primarily be reconstructing some trails along with removing any lingering trash. The Forrest Service will be meeting us at 9 AM on September 18th with tools and guidance at the trailhead. More info at Tojo Risen. See ya'll there!

Rumney

2010-08-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went up to Rumney with Nate. I came as close as I could of to sending without sending two of my projects. Fell on the last hard move of both Rhythm X and Riviera. It was the best conditions I have ever experienced at Rumney (~70 degrees, ~60% humidity) and things felt much better then other times I have climbed there. Can't wait for this fall. Heading back on Sunday to finish things up. Then its off to Colorado next weekend for the month of September.

Adirondacks Rock

2010-08-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I got back out on some real rock. PSYCHED. Thanks for the motivation from good buddies Timo Gibson and Nate Popik. While the drive out took forever due to Friday afternoon traffic out of Boston (on a separate note: I have decided ~60% of New England traffic is self inflicted by the terrible drivers. It turns out when everyone drives like a d-bag, everyone gets places slower). We went to the Spider's Web on Saturday. After warming up, I gave Zabba two top rope burns. This thing is THE line at the cliff. An awesome crack leads to a tough boulder problem above your gear. Legit 13a trad. I would love to come back this fall and send this guy. Nate and I also worked Klu Klux Ken (12c). I flashed the route on TR but was not able to get send on lead. Once again, placing gear on the sharp end really does make climbing harder. In total we got 8 pitches in each and came away worked. The next day it was off to Poko. After a few easier routes, Nate and I decided to try a 5.12 that rarely (or at all) ever gets done. We simuled the first two pitches and I set off on the third (business) pitch. It turned out to be incredibly dirty and not without a few loose flakes. I brushed what I could and got about two thirds of the way up before losing motivation at a very sloppily reinforced plate that still had a lot of flex in it. Overall a good adventure but not a route worth returning to. All in all it was a great weekend. I got to see some old college buddies, do some climbing, and feel really old at a party. Good times.

Pawtuckaway

2010-07-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

I went up to Pawtuckaway with Kyle and Britney. It was a bit warm for hard bouldering but we got a good amount of climbing in none the less. After a good warm up circuit, we tried Ride the Lightning. However, a number of holds were wet and we could not get it done. Kyle managed Terrorist after a few tries. We both did a cool arete called Vintage. We also attempted Halcyon a bit but quickly realized we could not grab the poor holds today. We then headed over to a different area and after a lot of shenanigans, were both able to do Leave it to Beaver. We checked out a cool arete thing close by that Kyle though was a project. Looks doable but hard on great rock with a committing finish up high. Psyched to return here in the cold.

Back at Rumney

2010-07-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

I got back out today with Brayton to Rumney. We left Boston at 6 am so we could make it up to the cliff before it got too hot. Unfortunately, it was super humid this morning so despite cool temps, the rock did not feel great. After doing Waimea (5.10) as a warm up, I decided to run a second lap on it since it was so much fun. I then made progress on Riviera (5.13d), falling one move from the end of the hard climbing. This guy should go down quick when things feel better. Next, I quickly put together the moves on Charlie Don't Surf (13b) and should be able to link it together when its not in the sun. I then finished up the day refining beta and trying to link together some sections of the main goal, Parallel Universe (14a). If the weather cooperates, I will be back up next weekend for more. Below are two shots of the awesome rock at Rumney. Some of the best I have pulled on anywhere.

RUMNEY!

2010-07-03T19:47:00.001-07:00

Brayton and I just got back from two days at Rumney. It was great to be pulling hard on great stone again and getting out has really brought my psych on rock climbing back. I have not been climbing outside much the last six months because of school. Having just moved to a new area I think has been a great thing because now everything is new again. I had fallen into a bad spot with Southern Colorado where all the things I had not done did not feel doable at all to me. Its like a whole new playground out here and I am ready to see all that there is to be had. No great sends this trip but the fitness is building and hopefully I can start taking some stuff down when it cools off. More, much more, to come.

Darron (I think, sorry) on Rhythm X (5.13b)

Cannon Cliff

2010-07-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I got out to Cannon Cliff with fellow CC alumbs Nick and Hale. It had rained the day before so we did not get to finish any routes due to wetness at the top of the cliff. However, it was a great day out and it felt good to get back on real rock after almost a month off. My psych is returning in full force. Did a long milage day at Metrorock yesterday and am going to try and go big this weekend. Pawtuckaway and Rumney. More updates to come. I promiss.

Update

2010-06-23T18:39:00.001-07:00

Hey all. Revolution is having a little photo contest thing and I though I would try my luck since I somehow went from three crash pads to no crash pads in the last six months. If you have a second, please "like" my photo to help my chances. In other news, I am heading up to New Hampshire to climb this weekend. Either Rumney or Cannon. Stay tuned.

Dream Canyon

2010-06-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I headed up to Boulder for one last day of climbing on Colorado stone before heading east. I wanted to try China Doll, a route I had heard very good things about. I have to say, I was not disapointed. I met up with Chris and fellow CC alum Madeleine and we headed to the crag. We warmed up on some interesting routes to the left then got down to work. We each got some TR burns in before the line got hit by the baking sun. Chris looked very good on the extention and I would not be surprised if he ticked this as his first 5.14 (trad at that). I am psyched to train my endurance and try my luck at the first 5.13c pitch come September.

Me on a 12a to the left of China Doll (Photo: Madeleine Sorkin)

Same route again (Photo: Madeleine Sorkin)

Boston

2010-06-04T19:35:00.001-07:00

The last two weeks have been a crazy few for me. I graduated from college and have now moved to Boston for a year long lab job dating rocks with radiogenic isotopes at MIT. I started work on Wednesday and still have a lot to learn but starting to get the hang of things. I have also started to find my way around Boston, now only getting slightly lost when I go places. The job has pretty flexible hours so I am every excited to check out all the New England has to offer. Time to spend the summer in the gym getting some endurance for Rumney. More to come.

Rifle

2010-06-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hey again. Remember me, its Hayden. Hopefully in the next little bit I will be able to start posting more again. Two weeks ago, I went to Rifle for the first time. I was lucky to go with my good friends Noah, Tim and Chris. Chris is a walking guidebook so it was fun to be there with him. I have to say, for all the downsides (choss, crowds, assholes), the good climbing in Rifle is really, REALLY good. Despite not climbing routes much as of late, I managed to fight my way up a single 5.10, 5.11, 5.12, and 5.13 while in the canyon for two days. I was especially psyched on sending Eurotrash (5.13b). Having climbed as hard as I ever have on a rope on my first trip to Rifle while not in great shape feels like an accomplishment. Here are some photos from the Anti-Phil wall.

Sheep's Nose Project

2010-05-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I completed college! After a glass of champagne on the quad, Owen and I headed up to Sheep's Nose to try a line I spotted the week before. It begins with some steep compression moves followed by technical arete climbing. We were only able to try the start moves because it was blizzarding pretty hard but I think the line will go around V10. Hopefully I can get back out and try it before I leave Colorado.

Back on the Rocks

2010-05-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for me. I turned in my final copy of my thesis to the library for binding, I took my last test in college ever, and I went rock climbing outside for the second time in four days. Hopefully we school winding down (the last day is on Wednesday) I will be able to get out more often. Today I met Jon Glassberg and Ryan Silven up at the Pass. Jon quickly dispatched the Green Lantern for its 4th ascent (that I know of). I then showed them Daddy Fat Sacks, which we all decided was not to be pulled on in the warm temperatures. Next we walked up to the Gusher. Ryan and Jon quickly figured out the crux but not soon enough. Jon fell at the top out and decided his skin was too blown out to try anymore. We looked a few more things on the way out and then got some food at Cy's Drive-In once back in town.

Frey

2010-04-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I hope a few of you out there still check this. I have been very busy with finishing up my college education. I turned my senior thesis in last week and it feels great to have accomplished something like that. The countless hours I spent in front of a computer screen got me a bit out of shape but I am getting back into it quickly. I managed to get out to Turkey Rocks the other weekend but besides that it has been a slow month of climbing.

Here are some photos courtesy of Tim Gibson from our trip to Patagonia this spring. After studying the regional geology of central Argentina for a month, we headed south and spent about a week in the northern end of Patagonia. We managed to get some amazing climbing in. This place is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and the ease of access and abundance of climbing make it feel like an alpine cragging paradise. We climbed four granite walls or spires over the course of the three good days of weather we got. I have never experienced granite like this, its somewhere in between Squamish style cracks and Buttermilks style patina. Oh and did I mention there are monster sized featured boulders waiting to be developed. Enjoy.

At the base of Aguja Frey

Following pitch two up the center of Aguja Frey

Torre Principal (right) and La Vieja (left).

Bouldering below M2

Approaching La Tapia

Back again

2010-04-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time! I spent 5 weeks in Argentina and then have been furiously trying to finish up my senior thesis. I will try and get some photos up from Frey, where Tim and I went climbing for spring break. Until then, enjoy a few of my Argentina shots on my other (read: non-climbing) blog.

Updates

2010-02-08T08:54:00.001-08:00

I have been slow to post recently. I appologize. My right, index finger got slammed in a door two weeks ago and I lost the entire pad. I waited as patiently as I could until Saturday when I attempted to climb outside for the first time and split it right open. I am hoping to get outside a couple times in the next week but I will have to be very picky about what I get on. Besides that, I have been setting a bunch at the new gym in Colorado Springs, City Rock. It is a pretty amazing place and everyone in the Springs seems excited about some long rope walls. Next Monday I head off to Argentina for 5 weeks for a geology class and then a little adventuring. I will try to update before I leave but if not, there will be lots to share when I get back.

New Five Ten Website

2010-02-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Five Ten has completely overhauled their website and I have to say it looks great. The new site provides the viewer lots to experience and reason to return. Check it out here.

The Season

2010-02-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Narc posted about this earlier today and after watching the first two episodes, I am hooked. The story is great, the filming top notch, and it is packed with shots from local areas around the Northwest, including Index and Gold Bar climbing and bouldering. Check it out. This seems like one of the best jobs I have seen of someone not just throwing action in your face but telling a interesting and compelling story too.

Video Night at SCC

2010-01-26T10:07:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-21T15:09:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-18T18:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-09T15:12:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

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...

Goldbar

2009-12-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

Today Owen and I made the trek up to Goldbar. It was a nice day and everything was dry. We warmed up and I was able to repeat Twisted (V10) and the Rubix Cube (V9). I came very close to also getting back up Equinox but could not manage it. We spent most of our day at Lighten Up (V9). A large amount of work had been put into the landing since I tried it last and it was much less scary. I stuck the crux move in isolation and came very close to latching the same hold from the start. Guess I will have to try it in six months again like usual. I also put some effort into the newly done Positive Vibrations, which was fun and interesting but also very hard feeling. I probably will not get back out until January 5th or so when I am back in Colorado Springs. Until then.

Bret Johnston gets a blog

2009-12-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

My good friend Bret just created a blog to chronicle his travles. He will be in Bishop until just after the first of the year and should have some good updates when he gets back. Check it here.

Bishop

2009-12-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

I arrived back in Seattle for the holidays last night. I have been in Bishop since my last post. I will write a bit about my trip there in the next couple days, but for now I will just share a few photos.

Kyle on the Mandala

Max on Evilution

Bret on Green Wall Essential

Saigon boulder by night

Big Bend

2009-12-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus from real rock, I am back on the road. I spent the last day and a half at Big Bend. For the size of the area, this is one of the best places on can go, especially in the winter. My primary goal was to work on Hellbelly. I had two long sessions on it and came away with still not having done all the moves. I am already planning a return visit in January for another round with this prize line. In other news, I did manage to get to the top of two V10s today. The first was Return of the Jedi, a low traverse that has surprising fun movement. I then polished off Big Horn Beaver, an amazing upwards rising sloper battle. I came very close to sending early in the morning but had to wait until the sun went down (and the rock to cool off) to hold the tension of the crux from the start. Tomorrow I will be in Red Rocks to check out the bouldering of Black Velvet Canyon, before Bishop on Friday.

Castleton Tower creating its own weather

A snowy and cold north side of Big Bend

Blurry self-portrait on Big Horn Beaver

Back at Last

2009-12-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

I have been traveling for a while now and have finally settled into Colorado Springs for a couple days. I will be leaving again on Monday to Moab, Red Rocks, then Bishop. Very excited. I have been training a bunch to try and get some fitness back and am starting to feel good again. Today Max and I headed up to a new block a bit past Ute Pass and worked on a cool line. Crimps and pinches up a slight overhang. Probably around V9 or 10. Here is Max sticking the opening move.

The Black Dahlia

2009-11-20T03:22:00.000-08:00

I posted about a project a couple weeks ago in Joe's Valley. I got a text from Silven yesterday saying that Mike Bockino had completed it. This problem can now join the ranks with the best Joe's has to offer. A true stunner. Check out the video:

Last days at the Red

2009-11-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

The end of my time in the Red was good. I continued to check out new crags and on my second to last day I decided I had developed enough endurance to head to the Motherlode. WOW! That is a crag! I got on some amazing lines and managed to top a few of them out. Tomorrow I am heading to Rome, Italy to hang out with my family for two weeks. Until then, cheers.

Matty on No Redemption, Bob Marley Wall

Undertow Wall, the Motherlode

Ander trying Kaleidesope, Drive-by Crag

More from the Red

2009-11-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

I decided to take a rest day today. Being as I have climbed for as many as 25 days on, I thought I could stay on for 10 days here. But I have never sport climbed at a high level for so many days and while I still had power yesterday, I could tell my endurance was starting to be drained and my muscles wanted a rest. I did not bring my desktop to Kentucky (duh), so I download Picasa as substitute to Lightroom and Photoshop. Between working on my senior thesis proposal on developing a new paleothermometer using Strontium/Calcium ratios in carbonate nodules (I know, I am dork), I messed around a bunch with Picasa as a break and came up with these. Enjoy.

RED RED RED

2009-11-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Climbing has been going great. I feel like I am getting endurance and leaning how to keep the pump under control as I continue to move quickly up walls. I feel alright resting on jugs but things seem to work better when I just keep moving and shake a bit on every move. We have been checking some sick walls out: Roadside, Left Flank, Military, Solar Collector, Gold Coast, Biblioteque, and Midnight Surf. I love the names of some of the walls here. I have especially enjoyed going to less popular walls. The routes there are just as amazing but there will "only" be 5 mega classics as opposed to 15 (plus nobody else at the crag). Today I was able to fight my way to the top of Shiva, an amazing 13b at Midnight Surf, on my second go. It is as hard of a climb as I have ever sent and while it was cool to connect with something harder, some of the 12s I have onsited have felt a lot harder. It will be interesting if I can really take a step forward for myself in the next week here. Huge shout out to Dan Dalton for spending some serious hours on a rope today and snaping some photos.

Me sticking the dyno at the end of the crux sequence on Shiva

Ander on Iniquity

Me trying to "manage the pump" through the easier climbing of Iniquity

Red River Gorge

2009-11-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

Dan and I survived the epic drive out to the Red. We were pretty inefficient at leaving and did not get out of Denver until 1 pm on Saturday. We crashed at the gate (which locked at 10pm) to a state park in Missouri for 4 hours before waking up to a shotgun going off somewhere nearby. We got in the car quickly and continued east. After getting in yesterday afternoon, we headed straight to the Roadside crag, where I onsited a couple of low end 12s. Today, I woke up with all the symptoms of the flu. I have about 10 more days here, so the first order of business is to get better while still trying to develop some endurance. I will take some photos soon and post again.

Entry on Five Ten's Blog

2009-11-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a little blurb for the Five Ten blog. If you read my stuff normally, then you will have seen the photos but the text is all new. Check it here.

Project...

2009-11-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Obelisk

2009-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

I took a bunch of shots of this amazing line because it was so beautiful. I got to the lip once and it took everything I had. The mantle seems to be a whole other crux that I was not able to do. Amazing incuts on black rock into a outstanding compression sequence up the arete with a left hand undercling. Totally my style of climbing; I thought it was one of the best things I have been on at Joe's. 1st tier for sure and on the very top of my list for when I return.

Drawn back to Joe's

2009-11-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

Silven and I spent the last four days climbing and exploring Joe's Valley. The weekend was busy but we managed to avoid all crowds with short hikes up to new problems. This trip more so than any previous one really showed me how much potential is left in Joe's Valley. This fall I have spent a combined three weeks in Joe's and have seen undone lines that are as good as the best established problems and that are only a few minutes from the road. I honestly think Joe's Valley is the best bouldering area in North America for its quality of stone, amazing variety of holds, beautiful lines, and great movement. The ease of camping there is a huge bonus too. There are some undone projects that I am really excited about and I will be returning at the start of December, weather permitting, to try them. Here are some photos.

Silven trying Gentleman's Project. Getting the spot from Douglas!

Ryan Young on Godsend. One of the best new problems I have seen. Head straight up the drainage from Eden for longer than you think you need to for this one.

Silven on Skull.

Barracuda, above the Wills boulder just a bit. This guy has the best mantel I have done in Joe's.

Ryan getting his pinch on for the crux slam dunk move on Barracuda.

Me on Botox Stand.

Indian Creek

2009-10-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

After Joe's, I meet up with Kevin and we spent five days climbing the amazing sandstone splitters of the Utah desert. As always it was really amazing and I am very excited to go back. I checked out a bunch of new walls that I had never been to and tried some of the best climbs I have seen in the Creek. I climbed a bunch of rad stuff but of particular note was a 5.12- offwidth that I was able to send. Brother from Another Planet ascents 50 feet of moderate climbing then cuts out a 10 foot roof which you climb upside down, with you feet camming above you. Tim tried it first, and while this method to get rightside up did not work, it was a proud effort and yielded some fun pictures.

View of the creek from the Fin.

Tim and the start of the inverted climbing.

Tim trying to rotate 180 degress to get back upright in the offwidth.

Tim's shoulder after one too many big cracks.

More From Joe's

2009-10-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ryan Held on his problem River Runs Through It (V8). One can find this bloc by driving past the 6 mile marker in Left Fork and parking on the right, opposite of an access road to the dam, and walking up the drainage a minute or two.

Kelsey on one of Rocco's new problems, Raiden (V8). This problem is five to ten minutes uphill in Left Fork. Park in the first large lot on the left after Big Joe, walk back a couple hundred yards to the drainage and follow the cairns.

Ryan Silven's new problem Dunwoody (V8). This problem is located on the backside of the Raiden boulder. Start on the two good underclings and move up. If you are short the second move is hard, if you are tall the first is.

Ryan Held trying Silven's other new problem, Can I Borrow a Fellin'. This problem is the first boulder you pass as you hike up to Raiden and is only 10 yards or so off the road.

Ryan trying Trent's Mom.

Last days at Joe's

2009-10-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

The last two days at Joe's have been very productive. On Tuesday, I onsited a cool problem across the river called Moment of Truth. V10 has been sugested for this bloc but as a taller person it felt a tad easier. That day I also flashed Black and Blue and Moby Dick, both V6. Then on Wednesday, I flashed an amazing problem called River Runs Through It (V8), then did Dunwoody, Raiden, and Love in an Elevator (all V8). I went on to get the second ascent of Silven's new problem, Can I Borrow a Fellin', which he suggested V10 for. I also sent Bow to the East after it broke, which is probably V9 or V10, then finished up the Ghost King (V11). Probably my best day of climbing ever.

I only take pictures of Silven...

2009-10-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Playmate of the Year (V9)

Playmate again

Ryan trying some hard beta on the Ghost King

Coming close to sticking the crux of Jitterbug Perfume

Back in Joe's

2009-10-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I got back to Joe's Saturday afternoon. I ran into Rylan Marshall and we worked Beyond Life, Lumberjack Low, and Eden. I came closer than I ever had on all of these climbs but could not finish them up. The next morning we headed towards New Joe's. I warmed up on an awesome slab that felt very hard and ended up spliting my tip just before doing it. Bummer! After a beta rundown from Jamie, I started working the Ghost Kingand and had some good goes. However, the combination of tape on my split tip and warming temps ended my day on it. I was going to rest for the remainder of the day but ran into Silven and his friend Phillip and got coaxed into trying Playmate of the Year and Battletoads. In the end it was worth it because both Silven and I completed these awesome rock climbs. Today was my fourth day on but I still made progress on the Ghost King, however I could not bring it all together for a send. I will be back for this excellent climb when it gets colder and my skin is not so oozy. Now I am hanging out in town to force myself to rest. Hopefully it will pay off with more good news to come.

Photo Published in Squamish Magazine

2009-10-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

I got a picture that I took a while ago of my friend Eli (who also just started her freshman year at Colorado College) on Trad Killer published in the second issue of Squamish Magazine. I am really psyched on the recent trend of online magazines because it not only provides another outlet for amateur photographers like myself to get their work out there but forces the print publications to not publish crap like they do in order to stay in business. Check the second issue here.

Last Day in the SoCo

2009-10-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished up Pretentious Vendor of Invention for the 3rd ascent. I am going with V10 for this one. I tried this problem for six days, which makes me think it might be harder than Silven's suggested V9+. I also climbed the other arete on the opposite side of the same overhang. The problem starts at head height with a good right hand sidepull and a small left hand crimp. A campus move to a sloper leads one onto the arete, where you continue up with heel hooks, bumps, and compression. I am calling it BEARS!, and suggesting V8.

Midnight Lightning

2009-10-15T08:08:00.001-07:00

My friend Ted shot this video of me and posted it to my Vimeo account. It is a bit blurry on the first couple moves but captures the business well. Respect.

Last Update before heading to Utah

2009-10-13T12:49:00.001-07:00

Despite some windows of bad weather here on the Front Range, I have been getting down south. Some problems were wet on Friday but we found some dry stone in places. First up was Walk Softly, in my opinion the best problems in the SoCo. Owen Anderson came very close but could not manage a send. Then we went up to the New Sector where Owen sent Uncivilized (V8). Owen threw to the lip left handed, which I had never seen anyone else do and felt nearly impossible to everyone else who tried to follow suit. Kieffer came very close and I think he will be climbing his first V8 soon. We went back on Monday with much better weather. On his first go of the day, Owen hiked through the crux of Walk Softly and then dropped after over a minute of trying to figure out what to do next. Later, Owen took the most ridiculous fall ever, pitching off near the top of Walk Softly and falling down the hill, past the pads, onto his back without hurting himself. Unfortunately, I did not get video of it. I also made good progress on Walk Softly, nearly sticking the crux move. We then moved up canyon to the New Sector but I was not able to finish off Pretentious Vendor of Invention. Hopefully I can pull it together tomorrow, which will be my last day in Southern Colorado for two or three weeks because I am heading to Utah. For now, check out this sweet picture of a black bear that wandered onto Colorado College's campus this weekend and climbed up into a tree.

Short Video of Failure

2009-10-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Quick Visit to Southern Colorado

2009-10-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

We woke up to bad weather in Gunnison on Sunday and I made a quick decision to head to the Springs. I have spent the last two days doing some bouldering. The conditions are prime and beautiful golden trees abound. I made a lot of progress on Silven's arete in the New Sector, falling off the move to the lip a number of times today and yesterday. Hopefully it will go down on Thursday. Silven and I also tried another line on the backside of the Old Gaurd bloc that will be pretty cool. Interesting compression moves with toe hooks and some bad slopers. Sit looks like a 8B Schulte project. Got some video of a few sends yesterday. Enjoy.

Black Canyon

2009-10-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

After the Creek I headed to Gunnison to meet up with John and do some Black Canyon climbing. John settled on us trying to do two shorter routes. The first up with Trilogy (5.12- R, 6 pitches) and the second was Midsummer Night's Dream (5.11-, 5 pitches). While we did not get climbing until 9:30 in the morning, we were off Midsummer by 6:30. A good pace I thought. Trilogy was an awesome route, definitely the better of the two. The first pitch was a 5.11+ R pitch that John led. In 120 feet there were three bolts and little other good gear. John led it smoothly, protecting the crux off of a fixed bashie head. I led the next pitch. The guide called it 11- but it was more like 11+ and after 80 feet of steep flared fingers I was pumped and fell just a move or two before the end of the business. Another 10+ pitch followed before the crux pitch. I led up the crux, firing it onsite, which I was very psyched about. 30 feet or so of hard climbing up a finger crack to delicate face moves, all of which was through a classic Black Canyon pegmatite band (read: scary choss). The route eased up a bit after that with another 5.10 pitch and then an easy exit pitch. We then banged out Midsummer in about two and a half hours and headed back to Gunnison for some pizza.

Indian Creek

2009-10-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

After waking up to rain in Joe's last Wednesday, I headed south to meet back up with Rich and Kevin in the Creek. I had been having some nagging stomach issues which was keeping my psych at a slightly lower level than the Creek normally produces. I tied into the rope five times in two days, including two top rope climbs but it was a lot of fun and I am starting to get over my fear of #1 camalots. I also played around on fixed lines a bit trying to snap some photos. The light was never ideal but I got a few reasonable frames.

Kevin sending Ananaki (5.12-), his first of the grade on gear

Can you name this spot? Its within an hour of the creek but not in Utah.

Rich sending a 5.11+ at the Cat Wall

More Joe's Valley

2009-10-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

After three days of wearing this sweet blue shirt, I finally captured a good picture of Wes. Here is works the stand to Team Effort (V8).

Paul Nadler sending Mass Hysteria (V11/12)

Paul working his project to the right of the Afterthought. A good line on the most amazing holds I have seen at Joe's. Paul has done all the moves and made a few good links. Probably around 12 or 13.

Paul on the project again

Paul on the Fiery Furnace (V10). The problem sits above The Hulk in right fork and involves a very hard dyno, which none of us stuck.

Daryl on the Fiery Furnace

Joe's Valley

2009-10-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

So a crew of 12 from Colorado College came to Joe's Valley for first block break. I met up with them on Thursday night and we got some good climbing in. Max and Owen were very psyched and both were feeling pretty fit. Here are the photos from while they were there but I will get the rest of my Joe's shots up shortly.

Max on Planet of the Apes (V6)

Max on that one V7 right of Freak

Owen on Beyond Life (V10)

Such an amazing boulder problem!

Owen working out They Call Him Jordan (V8)

More Yosemite

2009-10-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Tuolumne Meadows at sunset

Half Dome from Olmstead Point

The north face of the Rostrum

El Cap

Media Dump Begins: Yosemite Bouldering

2009-10-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

I did not get a ton of photos while in Yosemite. Probably cause I went bouldering by myself early in the mornings or in the evenings for the most part. I was very impressed with what Yosemite had to offer and would love to spend some more time there later in the fall when temps are crisp.

Rich on Bachar Cracker (sandbagged V4). I tried this problem once and tore a large flap of skin off on the back on my middle finger yarding the the lock Rich has with his left hand. Regardless, a very classic bloc and harder feeling than Midnight Lightning.

We headed up to Tuolumne one afternoon to hang out and do a bit of bouldering cause it was too hot in the valley. We drove by some cool looking blocks near the road and decided to stop. This was a great bloc in the classic Tuolumne nob style.

Me on the same problem

Kevin working Atlantis (V6) in Lower Merced Canyon. This was a nice spot to come bouldering since we could jump in the river if we got too hot. The V10 I did is just to the right of this problem.

Night session on Yabo Roof (V12), the best problem I tried or saw while in Yosemite. It was 11pm and still around 70 degrees.

Posideon

2009-09-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool shot of me not sticking the crux move of Posideon (V9), far above The Hulk in Right Fork. A few tries later I got the 4th ascent. Big ups to Paul Nadler for sending me this shot. More to come!

Joe's Valley

2009-09-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have been in Joe's Valley since Thurday night and plan on staying for another day or two. Its been a bit hot but much, much cooler than Yosemite and its perfect conditions in the mornings and evenings. I have sent a number of amazing problems including Worst Case Scenario (V9), Posideon (V9), a flay of Dirty Harry (V7), and Worm Turns (V11). I have also come oh so close to Beyond Life and Battletoads a number of times. I have met up with some rad guys from California and Colorado who have been sharing a lot of new stuff and I am more psyched on this place than ever. I have gotten a lot of very cool pictures and will share with as soon as possible.

Hot Hot Hot in Yosemite

2009-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Yosemite was an amazing experience but it turned out too hot to stay motivated. After Rich and I did the Rostrum, we were not able to muster the motivation to do another big climb. It was 95 every day and even the shade was a bit much. I did manage to do some good bouldering early in the mornings and at night. My best send being Golden _______ (V10). Rich, Kevin and I then decided to go up in elevation in order to stay a bit cooler. On Wednesday before heading to Utah, we all climbed the Red Dihedral, an amazing 12 pitch 5.10 on the Incredible Hulk formation. It was a beautiful day and a great way to wrap my time up in California.

Yosemite

2009-09-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have been in Yosemite for five days now and it has been amazing. Did Midnight Lightning my first morning here and then yesterday did the north face of the Rostrum. Internet is limited so more will have to wait for later.

Another visit to Leavenworth

2009-09-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I headed over the Cascades for one more trip before I drive south to Yosemite. We arrived in Leavenworth just as it was getting dark. We both sent a cool river block called The Fin (V7) before calling it an early night. After warming up the next morning, we both sent Bananas (V8). Bryan worked the Teacup (V13) a bit but it was in the sun and was feeling pretty hard. Then we moved over to Abstraction (V11), an amazing shaped suspended block. The movement is powerful yet very technical and I am happy to say Bryan and I both sent. This is my first hard block in a couple months and it is nice to be feelig fit again. After sessioning a few other problems, the thermometer read 92 and our skin was fried. On the way home we stopped in Index and we both did J-High (V7), an amazing river polished block.

The Teacup

Abstraction

Gold Bar

2009-09-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I went to Gold Bar today. It was a bit foggy on the drive out but it dried out by the time we neared the boulders. Due to some ancient history involving oil pans and the Gold Bar road, we decided to hike from the parking area for the Five Star Boulder. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the boulderfield, which turned out to be a pretty pleasent hike due to the early morning cool temps and lack of buzzing dirtbikes. We immediatly headed into the shade and warmed up on Dookie's Pinchfest (V8, not a great warm up). Bryan and I both sent, but not without some serious effort. Next up was Funpuppet (V9) and Wheel of Darma (V11), two problems starting on a little pod and moving up a just barely overhanging face on tiny crimps. We made a bit of progress on both but no sends. Then it was to Doja Direct (V11), which we decided we did not have enough pads for and Voilition (V12), which is both very hard and very ghetto (although beautiful). Then we headed up the Sanctuary, where Bryan sent a cool V8 I forget the name of and then we both gangled our way to the top of Metroid Prime (V7).

Dookie's Pinchfest (Washington's V8 version of NMGG)

Funpuppet

Wheel of Darma

Leavenworth

2009-09-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, Bryan and I made a day trip out to Leavenworth. I always thought of Leavenworth as a bit far from Seattle for the day but realized on Tuesday it is almost an hour faster than going to Evans from the Springs if you include the hike. We warmed up at Mad Meadows. There we tried Cloaca (V10) a couple times before checking out The Sail and The Ram. Word had it that a hold had broken and it appeared that it had but without much consequence to either problem. I did the Sail to the lip (V9) and Bryan did The Ram (V12) to the lip first try. Both problems we had each respectively done before. Then I tried The Peephole (V11) a few times before agreeing that my previous conclusion of this climb being too ghetto was correct. Next up was Superman (V10), a powerful problem using underclimgs and a lot of compression out a roof. It was cool but neither one of us was close to doing it without a bit more effort so we moved on. We stopped at Droppin' the Kirshbaun (V10) and worked it for about an hour before giving up. Continuing up Icicle Creek Canyon, we stopped at the Cottonpony (V10). Bryan did it his second try. Despite hitting the good hold at the lip eight times in a row, I was never able to actually hold it. We then moved to Batman (V8), a cool problem with some powerful moves leading to a very hard mantle. Last time I tried this problem it was 95 out and the slopers were in the sun. After chalking the holds up I was able to send. Finally, we went to a problem neither of us had tried before, Spanman. This is a very cool compression problem out a streep prow to a committing top. I figured the moves out but was not able to put them all together. Overall a very full day of climbing, which left me sore the next day, something bouldering almost never does to me. We are hopefully heading back out tomorrow, likely to Gold Bar, then I am off to Yosemite on Monday.

Superman

Spanman

The Cottonpony

Colorado College Alpine Journal

2009-09-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

This summer the Climber's Association of Colorado College finally got our act together and published the 2007 Colorado College Alpine Journal. I have no idea how many hours I put into this calling printers, learning publishing formats, and and trying to make decisions with five other people all living in different places but we did it. Special thanks go out to Michael Wejchert, Joe Forrester, Dave Hoven, and Matt Franco for all their hard work. We have set up a much better organized set of procedures to ensure that the 2008-2009 school year journal is printed in early 2010. Stay tuned. Overall, the journal came out beautifully and I was happy to have a photo I took of a sunset over the Bridger Jacks and North and South Six Sooter be used for the cover image. I also wrote a short trip report on my sophomore year winter break trip to California, where a huge winter storm that dumped 4+ feet of snow on Bishop drastically changed my plans. Accompanying the story was a photo that Ryan Nieto took of me on Evilution. If you are interested in a copy of the journal, please feel free to contact me.

Updates

2009-09-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have been slow to get this up on my blog recently. I have been climbing on ropes this last week, trying to get my fitness up for Yosemite, where I will be in less than two weeks. I have given two top rope burns on Brad's route, Mr Furious (5.13a), up on old stage road. The next time I try it will be on the sharp end placing gear. I also went up to Elevenmile Canyon to check out the Ice Box wall and the Sports wall, neither of which I had been to. Both were very impressive. Chris Barlow sent the jewel line of the Ice Box wall. We are not sure what it is called but it is around 5.13c. There are some other great, unbolted lines on this wall that we are keen to put up soon. I also tried a 5.12+ finger crack at the Sports wall that was very good. Hopefully I will get back up there today and give it another burn. Besides this, I have been climbing in the gym a lot in order to get some of my power back so I can also do some bouldering in Yosemite. More updates to come soon.

The 13c route Chris sent follows the red line. Heading straight up where the line cuts right would increase the difficultly and straighten the route out.

Dickfist and Beatnuts

2009-09-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this a while back but did not get around to it and then forgot. This is a short film of climbing in Southern Colorado. Some of the footage is better than other parts, with the highlight being the very end where Dave gets the FA of the Green Lantern (V11) at Ute Pass. Enjoy.

RMNP Video

2009-08-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

Shot this on Sam's little camera. Not the best quality but I decided to post it anyways. Enjoy.

RMNP

2009-08-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Sammy D and I went to Upper Chaos Canyon to do some pebble wrestling. On Thursday Tim and I had climbed D7 on the Diamond (post to come) and I have in the past found myself feeling out of place and unmotivated to top out at bouldering areas after ascents like that. Despite being hot, I was fairly motivated and tried a lot of things I had never been on. I managed to do Ladybug (V7), flash The Not Bacon Wall (V6), and do Right El Jorge in a couple of trys (V9). This is by far the most problems I have ever topped out at the park in one day and it felt good to finish some stuff up quickly. The park seemed very busy to me and I remembered why I usually stay down in Southern Colorado. However, it was nice to see some friendly faces at the end of the day at the Dead Raccoon, where we all got together and made fun of JJ (with love of course).

Sam on the Not Bacon Wall

Andy on the Not Bacon Wall

Elevenmile Canyon - Couch Block

2009-08-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Byron and I took Jaeger up to the couch block. I gave the project some good attempts but it was too hot to pull on the sharp, small crimpers for long. After brushing the topout off and figuring his beta out, Justin got the second ascent of my Where the Wild Things Aren't. We decided it probably was not V7 and I think Justin decided to take eight points.

Photos From the Archives: Fontainebleau

2009-08-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2006 I traveled to Fontainebleau with my good friend Bryan Boyko. Both of us had qualified to compete in the speed competition at youth worlds. We decided we could justify traveling to speed climb if we could go climbing outside in Europe too. Another good friend had an apartment in Paris and offered to let us stay there for a week. Each day we would wake up, ride our rented bikes to Gare de Lyon, throw them in the train and take the 30 minute ride to Fontainebleau, get off and ride our bikes, crash pads on our backs, to whatever bouldering area we chose. Sometimes the rides were mellow, such as to Bas Cuvier (a great system of trails and dirt roads exists through the forest that bikes can use) and other rides, such as to Cul de Chien, would turn into multi-hour sufferfests, riding into the wind with a sail of foam on our backs. We got about as good of weather as we could have asked for in August and got to climb on some amazing boulders. My obsession with climbing had grown significantly since my trip to Switzerland the previous summer and I was excited to take in as much climbing history as possible.

Photos from the Archives: Switzerland

2009-08-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2005, I traveled to the Ticino region of Switzerland with my family. My dad was on a month long sabbatical studying the regional style of architecture found there. The region is one of the most famous in the world for its modern style of design. In between looking at buildings, I got up to Cresciano a couple days. The area was empty and the temperatures were far above ideal but it was an awesome trip anyways. I climbed my first outdoor V6 (a lowball lip traverse). I also got to see Dreamtime, which looked absolutely impossible to me at the time (when I looked at the backside of the boulder, I did not even realize Story of Two Worlds was a line despite the fact that Graham had climbed it about six months previous to me being there). Until I returned to the states and did a bit more research, I did not realize that at other times of my trip I was within kilometers of Chironico, Magic Wood, and Sustenpass.

My first V6. I am still surprised I could hold those slopers in the summer heat.

Falling on Harry Spotter (V6)

Some V5 I do not remember the name of.

Photos from the Archives: India

2009-08-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Over winterbreak of freshman year, I visited a good friend in India for two weeks. We traveled around the south of the country and I snapped this photo just outside of a small town in the Tamil Nadu region of the country. Smaller fields like these were common sights in this part of the country, which is over 500 km from the more massive boulder fields of Hampi. The obvious, large overhanging faces on the horizon are all at least 20 feet tall. Unfortunately, I never got to stop and actually explore any of these likely unclimbed boulders.

The Great Gatzke

2009-08-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

After I failed on Silven's arete, we moved down sector so we could work the Great Gatzke (V7). After seshing the problem together and remembering old beta, Kieffer crushed the line. It was Kieffer's first send of the grade and he did it with the quickness and athority. Word!

Pretentious Vendor of Invention

2009-08-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

So Ryan Silven put this one up back in April. He graded it V9+ and said it was hard. Well I am here to say that I agree with him, it is very hard. As to the grade, I do not know. Both the start and finish moves I have not been able to decipher. I have been climbing with Kieffer a lot in the last six months and he commented that he had never seen me try something as many times as I did this rig today. All that being said, the problem is a clean line on good rock and with awesome movement. The only way I was able to do the start leaves me in the wrong position for the middle section and I am pretty sure my method differs from what worked for Ryan. As for the top, I am equally baffled. The last two photos show different top sequences I was trying. I invite anyone to go give this rig a try and let me know what is up.

Back to the Wets

2009-08-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Kieffer and I decided to do some pebble wrestling today. We hauled all the way to the Atari Sector and warmed up there. Kieffer almost sent Alarmclock Awakening (V7) but decided to save his energy for later. The problem, while very fun, is not particularly photogenic and was a cool challange to work with. While the climber does not offer much in these photos, I really like how the shots are framed by the single aspen tree.

Blitzen Blocks Video

2009-08-09T14:32:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is a video I put together of the two problems Byron and I put up on Wednesday. HD here.

New Finds

2009-08-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to wander around above a small talus area that you pass just before the Atari sector. I convinced Byron and Sam to stop there today with me and we uncovered some really nice boulders. I was able to get the first ascent of one of them and am naming it Blood F**king, a reference to a particularly brutal scene in HBO's vampire television show True Blood. I have decided people take naming boulder problems too seriously (well, actually I have decided people take bouldering too seriously) and enjoy naming problems things that make people feel uncomfortable. The line goes around V5 and is a really fun compression block to a long, still-needs-to-be-cleaned-better slab. By the time we got to climbing on this one, it was pretty hot and Byron was not really feeling it too much so I did not get any great pictures. But the somewhat jumbled sequence below gives a good idea of the nature of the climb.

Riverside Sloper Problem

2009-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today Byron crushed the riverside sloper problem (V6/7) first go. It was pretty warm there today but we moved around to stay in the shade and still got some rock scaling in. The picture of Byron climbing does not do this boulder justice but I snapped a nice portrait while setting up.

Epic in Elevenmile

2009-08-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have been getting out more frequently and it feels good. Byron, Jake and I went to Elevenmile to check out some boulders we found about a month ago. On our way to the blocks we stumbled across a nice concentration of boulders we had missed last time and decided to stop. We cleaned up a really nice arete and I got the first ascent of after a short session. I am calling it Moonwalking Cowboy and it is probably about V5. Next up was a really nice, right moving seam that set you up for a cruxy throw over the lip. Byron casually walked up this one once we cleaned the top jugs. Not sure what he is calling it yet but it goes at V4. I sent just as Byron was finishing the downclimb. There were a number of easier lines and two hard looking ones we decided to pass on so we could check out what we had previously found further up the hill. However, just as we arrived at the next concentration we started hearing a wierd sound. It was like someone was throwing rocks into the air from higher on the hill and they were wizzing down past us. Within a minute or so it became clear we were in an all out hail storm as the sky opened up and small marble sized hail stones began dumping on us. We crouched under the block we were going to climb for about 20 minutes before it cleared and we hurried back to the car. I captured some fun video of the storm along with both of the first ascents that were done. I will post the video next week when I can put another HD one up on Vimeo. For now, here are some stills from the footage.

Tojo Risen

2009-08-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Aaron, Julia, Kieffer and I spent the afternoon in hiding in the shade. It was a very fun day. I worked a bit on Too Many Mind, which seems very difficult for the V8 grade but I am going to go ahead and blame it on the 90 degree heat we are experiencing right now. Kieffer climbed his first V5, Pineapple Express, and his first V6, Tojo Risen, giving him the employee of the day award. Well actually Kieffer climbed Tojo Risen twice so I could get some nice angles and put a video together. HD Here.