Two Weeks in Tensleep

I’m back from Tensleep Wyoming, it was such a fun trip, I feel that I can’t do it justice by just writing a few paragraphs about everything we did here, but I’ll try. We took our time getting over there, stopping to climb at Post Falls Idaho and in Montana so Chas could attend a wedding. On the way over we could see the extent of the flooding that has affected large areas of the country, the raging rivers overflowing onto the floodplains were pretty incredible.

This is real America, the Tensleep (pop. 304) 4th of July rodeo



Chas on a 10b at Post Falls Idaho on the way over

In Tensleep we checked out some new, and new to us areas. Home Alone, Hound Dog Crag, Downtown, and the Godfather boulder amongst others, and to be honest we didn’t climb at an area we didn’t love. The first day there I wasn’t sure how I would do, since I hadn’t been in the kind of route shape I was hoping for. After warming up, I managed to onsight a 12a, then I sent a 12d on my second go. I wasn’t expecting such a quick send, and to be honest it didn’t feel that hard. The next day I onsighted a 12a, then tried another 12d, hoping to start a trend. This one however felt really hard. I didn’t really like the pressure of redpointing, and I could tell Laura and Chas were bored as I dangled on the rope trying to figure out moves. I decided that for the rest of the trip I would focus on onsighting easier 12’s. I loved the fight of a good onsight attempt, although I managed to pretty much onsight all the 12a’s I tried (there was one route I technically redpointed because a hold broke on me) each one of them gave me a good run for my money. I also managed to onsight a couple of 12b’s, and a 12c although I think the later was pretty easy for the grade, and got another 12c second go. In total I sent 15 5.12’s.

Laura negotiating the cruxy start of Moltar (12a)

Laura higher up on Moltar

Chas blew us away with his improvements this year. While last year he was struggling on 5.11’s here, this year he looked like a different climber cruising up 5.12’s. His training and traversing has certainly paid off, he flashed or onsighted a handful of 12a’s, redpointed his first 12b then got his first 12b flash! Laura was climbing really strong as well, she came within a couple of moves of sending a 11d/12a and looked really good toproping harder routes than she normally gets on.

Chas goes for the flash of a 12a at Home Alone

We met a lot of really friendly climbers from all over the US. In general we found that the further people had travelled to get there, the friendlier they were, although the Wyoming and Colorado climbers were also very friendly. We also got to meet a couple of the route developers, Aaron Huey and Mike Decker, both of whom were very nice to us, it was obvious they were both very passionate about Tensleep.

A patriotic American on an excellent 11d at Hound Dog Crag

Hound Dog Crag was one of my favorite areas

We were there over 4th of July Weekend, easily the busiest few days of the year there, compared to last year it was crazy. On Saturday night there was a big bonfire where about 80 climbers turned up. We talked to a ranger who estimated there were about 400 climbers that weekend, which seemed like a bit of an overestimation to me, but there were certainly a ton of climbers. The forest service are coming up with a plan for how to manage the influx of climbers there, pit toilets are needed to mitigate the effect of climbers on the environment. We did our part by leaving our campsite cleaner than when we arrived, and picked up three large black bags of trash from the main climbers parking areas on a rest day.

Laura on Cocaine Rodeo one of the best routes I've ever been on

Chas at the bottom of Cocaine Rodeo

I know that this will not be my last trip to Tensleep, there are still hundreds of routes I want to get on there, and at the pace that new routes are going up its hard to imagine running out of routes to try there. After talking to some other climbers there I’m looking forward to checking out some different climbing areas as well. Right now I’m really psyched on climbing, so if you want to get out climbing with me drop me a line, I’ll drive!

Chas on a fun challenging 10a on the Godfather boulder

Me flashing As Wicked As It Seems (12a) on our last day



What I've been up to

Summer is officially over, whether it ever arrived is still up for debate. I haven't been climbing as much recently. After my Ten Sleep trip, my parents visited from Scotland for a couple of weeks. This was their first time visiting me since I moved to Washington in 2006. We had a great time, they liked Olympia, and I showed them around the NW a bit including some places I had never visited before like Mount St Helens and the Oregon coast, both of which are beautiful. When they left, my student teaching placement started up, and I've been busy with that since. I'm at a High School in Tacoma, which has been difficult at times, but I'm really enjoying the experience. I did manage to get out a couple of weekends ago to Leavenworth bouldering which was a lot of fun. My bouldering strength is not what it should be, but I just renewed my membership to the Warehouse, so that should improve soon. I'm probably not going to get out as much this fall since I'll be pretty busy, but I'm getting out climbing at Vantage tomorrow, and I wouldn't miss The South Sound Pull Down for anything. Below are a couple of photos from Leavenworth, a shot I forgot to include from Ten Sleep, and a funny video from Ten Sleep.

Jimmy takes it to a whole new level on The Practitioner



Laura works a sweet V4 The Lobster



Totally Flashed this photo. Ten Sleep, we'll be back!



Nine Sleeps in Ten Sleep

My muscles are still aching from our trip out to Ten Sleep, Wyoming. More than one rest day in a row makes me feel guilty. Ten Sleep Canyon in Northern Wyoming is one of the new big up and coming crags of the West (8a.nu ranks it as the 4th trendiest crag in the world right now), with 700+ climbs established currently and more being put up every week, a new guide has to be published nearly every year to keep up. The climbing is on limestone and dolomite, that I would describe as a mix between Smith and Ceuse. Most of it is generally off vertical (usually no more than 10 degrees either way) technical and pockety. I've been to some crags (cough Ceuse) that claim to be pockety, but they are really just slopey crimps or huecos, this place IS pockety. The name of the game here is sticking your fingers in deep, usually two and three finger pockets and mono's and yarding off of them, I love it. The only thing I didn't like about the place is how far it is from Olympia. At a little over 1000 miles each way, it took Laura, Chas and I driving in Chas' car 17 hours to get there. I would happily do it again though, the climbing out there is so much fun. When we arrived we found a nice campsite near some Australians Lee and Sam who were on a long road trip. We crashed and rested ready for some rock crushing the next day.

Laura absolutely flourished on the well bolted, fingery technical climbs, which is to say all of them. Before this trip she had redpointed a handful of 11b's, at Ten Sleep she onsighted many 11b's and 11c's and flashed an 11d! Chas did really well too, onsighting his first 11b, and flashing his first 11c! I know what you all must be thinking, this place sounds soft. But I don't think so, I found the grades to be pretty spot on and a lot more consistent than many other crags, but the style definitely favors climbers who are good on small holds and have good footwork. As for me, I managed to onsight or flash everything I tried 12a and below including 5 12a's onsights, but failed on 3 different 12b onsight attempts. My closest was Happiness in Slavery where I was staring down the chains, and could have grabbed them with my teeth, but I was too pumped to hold on and screamed like a girl as I took the whipper. I did manage a 12c/d (more like a c) 2nd go, but got shut down on a 12d, the harder routes there definitely require a lot of work.

There are so many stories to tell about lightning storms, spiders down clothes, dubious climbing ethics, you'll just have to ask me in person, but for now I'll just leave you with these photos and videos. I'll definitely be back next summer, I want to go for a month, get on more hard climbs, and bring a big Oly crew with me. So Olympia climbers, put it in your calenders. This is THE perfect pocket pulling paradise for mid 5.10 to mid 5.13 climbers.

Just some of the rock in Ten Sleep Canyon, those cliffs are about 200ft tall.

On my first day I managed an onsight of this beautiful 12a on Slavery Wall.

Laura flashing B-1 Bomber Dude (11a) on our first day there.

The small holds and plentiful clip suit Laura's style.

Laura flashing the awesome steep 10d School's Out

The town of Ten Sleep, population 300 or so.

Chas and Laura enjoying Dirty Sally's Ice Creams, Laura's holding mine as well as hers.

A common sight driving through Wyoming. This is America!

Just up the road from Ten Sleep at 9500 ft elevation

Don't expect the local auto shops to have open open slots. Here Chas supervises as I rotate his tyres.

This is what I call a mono. You had to yard off this thing to get off the ground on a 10d.

Chas enjoying the view.

Laura flashing Save the Best for Last (11c). This is not a slab as it appears, but a steep wall.

Laura flashing an 11b/c on the Circus Wall, a great little wall.

Me trying to onsight a 12b, it felt a lot steeper than it looks.

Chas heading up Killer Karma a stout 11d roof climb.

Laura onsighting Vitamin K (11c).

This photo doesn't do it justice, but this climb Great White Buffalo 11b is amazing!

Laura flashing Circus in the Wind (11b), I took the video because I thought she was going to take a fall on the pumpy top, but I was sorely disapointed.

Me redpointing Napalm Death (12c). I don't normally wear a helmet, but I was a little worried about the swing if I fell, luckily I didn't.