Squamish: II

Getting into the Forester I was thinking; why am I leaving, I just want to stay, for the second time this year. The first time this thought occurred was when i was leaving Bishop and felt like an idiot cramming back into the jeep and heading back to the rain city of Olympia, I already miss the real dedicated climbers, the amazing blocs, the relentless routes, and the climber scene.

This weekend Micah and I made the return journey back to Squamish and, unlike last time, found a campsite! Things were looking great already! We threw up our tents and marched out to the boulders. Our first stop was the Rookie V8 and after a couple minutes of debate of where the starting hold was, I flashed my way to the top! Micah gave it a few burns but had problems getting over the scary-factor of some of the moves. Then the rain came and after a slightly drenching sprint to the car, we decided to go and check out this new area called Paradise Valley, 5 miles north of town. So we got our rain gear ready for no reason! The place was bone dry! So we replaced our jackets for pads and checkout the rock lady, a long vertical face boulder. It had some cool probs and some very technical ones too. Micah fell in love and we came back here later.

Up next was the rope day and we visited the Sport Temples sister crag, Pleasure Dome. After a some what intricate onsight of the warm up I set my sights on the classic 13a Ibiza. After a longer than expected hang dog sesh it was time to red point. coming up to the first crux i hit the hold but my fingers screamed pain! and I let go. After pulling this move I took once more to clip and then made to the top. It was hard to let this one slip away but it'll be there next year, and so will my skin. After this it was going tot be a rest day afternoon and we headed back to paradise valley where Micah did some crushing on a V8 called Storm Trooper and flashed a V7! He hit his stride on these problems. Then we moved on to a cool steep problem called the fridge V7. This became a mini epic send for me getting to the last moves and not seeing a way to the slanted jug. So relying on what trad skills I have, I finger jammed with my left hand and then crossed over with my right to the victory jug! I then took the rest of the day off.

Saturday was my project day and it was to focused around Worm World Cave Low V10. I had previously sent worm world last trip and really wanted to do the low start. So we spread out the pads and i go to work. Micah kinda rembered some of the starting beta which wasn't working for me, so i tried it my way. After sticking this move I worked the begginnig in three pieces and then went for it. I got all the way into Worm World proper but din't know what to do after hitting the crimp, I then fell in desperation. After this i hopped right back on here, found the heel hook, and sent next burn, giving every move full effort to stay on. This is a problem that I was really psyched for and glad to have sent for my first solid V10. After this Micah tried a few problems and sent The Rail Thing V7 and then we headed over to the Rookie. Micah got started on this and I began trying the new beta I figured out over night. And after a few burns I was manteling over the lip! Another V1o, soft but whatever. Two in a Day! After this we ran into Sam and Audrey from Vertical World and tried a cool V7 caled styx that Micah sent 2nd go!

The last day I was wasted and didn't get on much besides a V8 dyno and a classic V4, both I was too lazy to put my shoes on for. Micah on the other hand was crushing left and right. After sending a V4 he went on to send V4, V5 and V6! I can't wait to start hitting up Gold Bar and Leavenworth this fall inbetween homework sessions and then the Bishop trip! No footage once again because its being saved for Crunked Climbs 20-10

Squamish: Buisness before Pleasure...

It felt good to be back in Squamish. The land of no holds, body tension, and the heel hook. For 3 days Micah and myself lost a good amount of skin on the cool granitic blocs of Squamish. All in all it was a good trip and a good portion of it was caught on camera for Crunked Climbs 20-10.

Day 1 began with an epic adventure to find camping and we eventually pitched our tents behind a camper and called it good. We started off in the Grand wall boulders so I could finish off the classics Worm World Cave V9, and then Gibs Cave V8. We also spent some time on ATD which we both fired off. Micah had some pretty high ambitions for this trip and I had none. The first two days were rough for him but now he is REALLY psyched on bouldering and it'll be good to see what the new 2010 Micah busts out this fall. The second day we checked out a new area to us, North Walls, and found some cool classics and the place had a very Gold Bar feel and look. We tried some stuff and I managed a send of the classic Squealing Pork V7. Then on our way in to town,to kill some time, we stopped off at the local gear shop and Micah gave in and bought the new guide to the boulders.

The following day was supposed to be ropes but in the end it was another bouldering day. We checked out the sport temple at Chek and it is definitely a cool crag and it has some hard problems. I managed to send the 13a First Blood second go after dogging to the chains. After this Micah couldn't wait any longer so we headed out to the grand wall boulders so he could finish up the V8. After his send we migrated back to the North Walls and he seshed out a V7 and I threw myself at a, very, soft V10 and sent after 15 or so burns.

All in all it was a great trip especially with the rain holding off in the distance the entire time. I'm now psyched on the short stuff but will still hit up chek and then 32 on a regular basis until it is too cold. For now it's back to Squamish, and then a 4-5 day trip to Leavenworth, 32 on Thur back to Leav... Oh yeah, and School...

Newhalem: Granite, almost...

Well, actually Newhalem is gneiss and in my opinion it's highly similar to granite in every way except for the texture, the stuff is smooth! After overgripping every other hold on the warm up I decided to just trust the smearies and, well, it worked well. Saturday, the hard core oly crew of Micah, Lisa and Me all piled into the subi for a longer than excepted drive to the sticks for some non little si sport clippin'. When we eventually arrived at the smallish cliff it blew me away! The climbs looked clean and easy to read plus they were highly over bolted(YES!). We threw Lisa on the warm up, Luna an excellent 5.11a, for the onsight and she did really well deciphering the cray moves all the way to the chains. Next, to keep the trend, we asked/persuaded her to try the 13a OSX first and she put the draws up to the crux. Micah went next and managed the slab but was too scrunched at the crux. I went next and flashed to the jug but only managed to get a pad in and then fell. After a quick sess to the top I sent next go and was happy to go to a new crag and do a 13. It is not really a sport climb, more like a V6, but what ev.

Next up was Lisa's adventure on a 12d which we found out later is a deemed classic, Cinnamon Grove 12c, but after getting shut down in the lower 1/4 part we had to call it quits due to a time frame. I look forward to trying to onsight this beast in the future. After this I was up on a cool 12b called shoe phone. After pulling the very cool first crux, I balanced my way up the top slab and to the chains! My first 12b onsight on probally the most classic(minus the slab) 12b I've ever done! The crux sequence is so cool! Then Lisa gave it a few burns and core shot the rope and had an impromtu lower. Next up was Micah who sussed out the crux but had problems on the slab. I then onsighted the 12b to the left, 12c for a day, and then roped solod(scary) a 10+ to get some draws back. All in all it was a good and fun day for me and I think Micah and Lisa had fun but they seemed to struggle with the lack of footholds and the ocasional power move on the vert/slably walls. I hope to come back here and clean up the rest of the 12s and proj. the 13s.

Also, the dedicated Oly climber crew is always looking for anyone who wants to get out for the purpose of rock climbing let me know, we always love fresh psyches! Come and join the projecting club!

Little Si: Send Train...

Saturday, I think, made Little Si history for the most hard red points in one day. B-Hops Pornstar 5.13d, me Flatliner 13c, Alex Black Ice 13c, me Lizard Prince 13b, Dom Gerbil Killer 13a, Drew and O-town Psychosamtic 12d, and Josh Technorigine 12c! Wow, now thats a lot of Red Points!

Saturday was a good day for me, after an iffy day on thur I was glad to get back on Vanilla Ice 13a and I was getting Mentally prepared for a battle. Well things turned out different. WW1 was semi packed with a good vertical world crew. I wasn't able to do my Pyscho warmup and Bust the Move was occupied so I mixed things up and did Abo and went for a repeat of Chronic. Well, I managed to get to the chains, bust out 5 crimps moves, and hang on while doing 10+ climbing to the chains of Lizzard Prince! Then I gave Vanilla a go and fell due to nerves which is ok, i took the (mini) fall!

Then, well, it got awesome. After watching Dom crush Gerbil I still couldn't get on Vanilla so I said what the hell and hopped on Flatliner 13c. Well i managed to do psycho with less effort than ever and chilled at the changes more for mental reasons than pumpage. After doing the entry moves I shook at the mid route rest and then entered the crux. I stuck the micro crimp and held it together till the finish! I was so glad to have sent and the feeling didn't wear off till the next day. Scott, Nicholas and Micah also made some good progress too. So the current line up is Vanilla Ice 13a, Extended Illness 13c, Black Ice 13b/13c, Porn Star 13d(maybe)...

On a side note, Crunked Climbs 20-10 is in the works and will have a gym preview spring 2011.