Last week Laura, Micah and I made our eagerly awaited pilgrimage to the bouldering mecca that is Bishop California. We left Olympia on Monday afternoon and 20 hours and a few energy drinks later we pulled up to The Pit Campground near the Happy Boulders, pitched our tents had a quick bite to eat and headed out to the boulders! The Happy boulders area is basically a mini canyon in a volcanic tableland, with a jumble of free-standing boulders in the middle and on the sides of the canyon. The boulders have a good range of lowballs and highballs, with nearly all perfect sandy landings and are heavily featured with pockets and huecos. When we first entered the canyon and all the chalked up boulders came into view we were overwhelmed. We ran around exploring the overhanging faces and running up to the top of the boulders to get better views. After a quick warm up we found ourselves at the Central Happiness area, the epicenter of the happy boulders. There was a large crowd there with several mats under The Hulk (V6), there was even some guys with a tripod filming. Then some guy shouted out to me ‘dude, I see you everywhere’ he was from Tacoma and had seen me around at Smith and Little Si. I have to admit it felt pretty good being recognized in Bishop, it just goes to show it’s a small world in the climbing community.
Laura on the excellent Solarium V3
There was a long line on The Hulk, everyone seemed to be falling of the big crux cross-though move. I watched a few people on it to get the beta and waited my turn in line. From the sit I got through the first few moves, but the cross-through move felt pretty burly to me and I quickly found myself on my ass on a large pile of pads. I talked Micah into trying it knowing it would suit him down to a tee. He made it look easy and cruised though the crux move, only to fall off the next move hitting the wrong part of the next hold. He got it with ease 2nd go impressing everyone else who was trying it. We also did the awesome Solarium nearby which has to be one of the best V3’s I’ve ever done. Technical vertical moves up to a punch for a jug on the lip, then finishing on great jugs. Laura came agonisingly close to latching the jug, but came off from the crux move again and again. Eventually we decided to move on and explore more of the canyon. We were really impressed with the quality of the problems and how densely packed the area was. Pretty soon we were jumping on anything and everything we saw, trying to flash as much as possible. Micah and I searched around for some good looking harder problems to try to work. We got on Disco Diva a classic V8 featured in the best climbing movie ever - West Coast Gimps. It starts low on a thread in a large hueco, then goes up a steep wall with big moves on crimps up to another hueco and the top. After working it for half an hour or so, I figured out good beta that got me through the first 4 crimpy moves, then you have to make a big throw a sloping hueco. I couldn’t even get close on this move so we decided to save our energy for other problems. On our way back down the canyon, we spotted a well chalked up hard looking line. A quick look in the guidebook showed it to be a V7 called Froz. It starts low in good pockets with a heel hook, then you make hard crimpy moves up left and snatch for a good right hand sidepull crimp. From here you turn the right heel into a toe and make a hard throw way out left to a decent pinch on the arete, you then get another heel on and slap up on opposing holds then one last lunge up left to a good hold and top-out. It sounds like a lot of moves but its actually quite a short problem compared with some of the other boulders. Its cramped and crimpy just my style. After 20 minutes of refining the sequence I latched the big throw to the pinch. Then pop, my right hand greased off the crimp. I thought that was my go on it, but I knew I could get through those moves again, so I took a minute then got back on it and dispatched it. YES! Bishop V7! I had completed my goal for the week in the first day. Micah didn’t really like the cramped nature of the route, so we decided to call it a day it was getting dark and cold. Back at the campsite we got a fire and some food on, it was getting cold really fast. As soon as the fire died down we got straight in our tents and tried to get some much deserved sleep. The next morning I woke to find out that Micah couldn’t handle the cold, and had perished during the night…only kidding, he got really cold so bailed and booked a room in the Motel 6 in town for the rest of the week. Fair enough, he was rested and ready for the next day at the Buttermilks.
The Buttermilks
The Buttermilks is a couple thousand feet higher in elevation and it was cloudy, so it was pretty chilly. We drove up the dirt road and parked right across from the giant Grandpa Peabody boulder. We were immediately drawn to the classic steep problem Evilution. I stood up on the cheat stone (pile) and felt the first holds, not bad I thought, then I saw how far it was to the next holds. At that point a friendly guy from Truckee came up and started telling me the beta, I guess I look like a V12 climber. I quickly explained to him I wasn’t quite climbing that grade. He gave us some good recommendations for some problems for us to try. The first boulder we climbed on was the Green Wall boulder, a midget boulder compared to the rest of them, but it felt plenty tall to me. We did a tough V2 on the left side of the boulder, then after a few tries I finally got the crux high step and sent Green Wall Center a cool V6. We walked around some other boulders, but unlike the Happies it’s a bit of a walk between each boulder. Micah and I then decided to try the super-classic High Plains Drifter (V7) which must be one of the best problems of its grade in the world. We worked it with a Quebecois guy, we were struggling to do the first move off the ground, then I figured out it was easier to just campus it. The first few moves are really good, once you hit the first crimp, you get your heel up to the starting hold, then make couple powerful moves out right on good positive crimps. You then have to reposition your feet and get a big incut right hand crimp, then throw up high left to an open hand sidepull and make a couple more moves on grainy slopers up to thank god jugs, and a 5.6 (or so they say) highball top-out. I didn’t manage to get it in the end, but its something I’d definitely like to go back for. Here’s a video of me getting to my highpoint.
High Plains Drifter V7 (almost)
Next we walked over to the cave area, there were some guys trying The Buttermilker (V12/13) which was cool to see. We did Inner Sanctum (V2) and Micah worked on a doable looking V8 on nasty slopers and huecos called Gleaming the Cube. I tried it but I couldn’t pull of the ground. The guide said ‘a high start from the better slopers is an excellent V6’ so decided to try that. I managed to pull off the slopers into the big hueco, and before I knew it I'd flashed it! It was only my second V6 flash ever, I was really pleased! Meanwhile Laura was struggling on the Buttermilk Stem a classic V1. Micah and I walked up thinking, ha we’ll show her hows it done, ten minutes later we were still on the ground and stumped. Eventually we figured out some tricky beta for getting off the ground, and we all sent it, but a redpoint of a V1 isn’t going to look good on the scorecard! We walked around the boulders for a while longer, but it was feeling a bit cold to put our shoes back on. So we gladly took Micah up on his offer of dossing on the floor of the motel room. Warm showers, cable tv, and a mini fridge to keep your beer cool, what more could you ask for.?
Dom on Buttermilk Stem V1
The next morning we were feeling a lot more refreshed after a good nights sleep. We decided to check out the Sad Boulders, just down the road from the Happies. We got there pretty early and had the place to ourselves apart from an English couple. On first appearance the Sads is just like the Happies except for the the obvious lack of crowds. It’s a lot more jumbled and harder to navigate though, we walked past quite a few boulders before we finally recognised an area from the guide. There are a few gems that should be sought out, but there is a higher proportion of chossy-looking problem than the Happies which I guess is what puts people off. One of the gems we found was a awesome looking V6 Rio’s Crack. Its an undercut boulder with a diagonal finger crack cutting right across the face, its basically big moves between shallow finger locks with very poor feet. Micah tried it first but struggled and made it look pretty hard. I got on it and managed the first moves into the finger locks, got a tenuous heel on, then snatched up higher in the crack, I got my feet high on some decent smears and reached up and latched a bomber ring lock, from there I just had to reach up and top-out. Nice, another V6 flash! We checked out some other stuff further up the canyon, but we weren’t that impressed so we decided to sack it back to the Happies. The Happies were buzzing, but it was cool to get some psyche from other groups around, there were some guys who were doing some filming on Serengeti (V5) and they offered a their pads and beta on it. Micah waved away their offers of beta and flashed it anyways. I fell off a couple times trying it Micah's way, then used their beta and got it, it was really good! We lazily did another few things at the Happies, and found some other cool problems to try the next day.
Micah trying a V7 at the Happies
On Friday we headed back to the Happies, and started out in the headbanger cave and managed to flash everything in it (the hardest problem is V4). We were starting to feel pretty comfortable at the Happies now. Micah and I decided to try something a little harder, we found Rave a 3 star V7. It is quite a long problem, it starts out with a hard move to get off the ground where you have to deadpoint a small crimp, then a big out left to a decent shelf. From here its V5 to the top, but still not easy, you have to throw a heel up high and reach up and use two bad slopers, rock over into a shallow gaston and stand up to reach a good heuco. After working it for a while I had the V5 stand start wired, but couldn’t do the first move off the ground. Micah on the other hand could do the sit start almost every time but couldn’t keep it together on the easier upper part. After failing on it repeatedly for about an hour we decided to move on. Its definitely something I’d like to come back to though. We tried some easier problems and goofed around a bit, (see photo below) then Micah decided to try a V6 he liked just next Morning Dove White. My skin was pretty sore by this point so I didn’t try it. But Micah soon got it by means of a cunning drop knee. He was pleased with his 2nd V6 of the trip. But it was getting late and time to go back to the motel.
Micah at the Happies
On Saturday, we packed up our stuff from the motel and headed back out to the Buttlermillks for our last day. The skies were blue and it was warm and sunny, which was a nice change from the last time at the Buttermilks. We headed straight to the Iron Man Traverse, the iconic buttermilk problem. Its one of the few problems in the Buttermilks that isn't highball, and the holds are all skin friendly which I'm sure adds to its popularity. I got psyched and went for the flash. It starts out on a big rail with good feet, then the further right you traverse the smaller the holds get. There is one good incut hold about 3/4 of the way along, then the feet disappear and you have to heel hook and use crimps. Then just about when you're ready to come off you have to lunge out right to a jug on the lip and try to top out with style. I managed to flash it just, but i made a bit of a mess of the top out and it was a bit scrappy.
Micah on Iron Man Traverse V4
Micah struggled on the finish, the culmination of a 5 days bouldering was starting to catch up with him. He gave it a few goes but eventually moved on, we did a few other things in the area on the King Tut boulder and Bowling Pin. My favorite of the day was the excellent Bowling Pin Arete, which somehow only gets 1 star in the guide. Here's a video of it.
The Bowling Pin Arete V4 flash
Before we left, Micah wanted to get back on Iron Man, he knew he couldn't go home with this unfinished business. He refined his sequence and sent it with style, then did again for fun before we had to hit the long road back home.
Heading back home we talked about about the highs and the lows of the trip. Micah said having been to a world class venue like Bishop he rates Leavenworth even higher now. And Laura said she has a new found appreciation of the lowballs at Squamish. Nevertheless we all agreed that Bishop is an amazing place and vowed to return sometime. Having climbed on such quality problems I feel like every other place I visit will pale in comparison. But who knows? The next entry in my blog will most likely be from Scotland!
Laura and Dom at the Buttermilks
George sending an excellent Font 6b in Roche aux Sabot
Eric and Erica the Candians on Yogi a steep Font 7b
The Sit Start to Spongebob Squarepad -V5
Pretty Boy -V7
