Making time for Climbing

I've been pretty busy recently, but I've managed to make time for climbing. The past couple of weekends I've managed to squeeze in some time. Last weekend I finished all my school work on Saturday, so headed out that night and met up with friends at Vantage for a good campfire and a fun day of climbing. It was still pretty hot out there to try anything hard, but that didn't stop Laura from onsighting an 11a.

Sierra trying an 11a on a sunny day at Vantage

This weekend, after getting my work done Saturday, I headed out to Leavenworth late that night with Tony, slept in the car and got some awesome trad pitches in on Castle Rock the next day. A few weeks ago when I was in Leavenworth, I looked up at Castle Rock and thought wouldn't it be fun to be up there on those routes, so that's what I did. This crag is awesome, my kind of approach (short), and really good varied rock climbing. I like trad routes that aren't just boring cracks, I like lots of features and holds, with good gear, Castle Rock delivered. First I warmed up on a really fun 5.8+ the South Face of Jello Tower. Then did Angel Crack, a short 10b glassy finger crack, which was pretty good. Then we headed up Canary a 3 pitch 5.8 route to the summit. It was great, good rock, nice exposure, not too hard. This was exactly was I was hoping for. We got back down and made it back to Olympia by 9. It was fun to climb with Tony again after a while not seeing him. He is a great climbing partner that inspires confidence in me, I'm looking forward to the next time we get out together again.


Tony heading up the excellent first pitch of Canary



Me about to do the exposed 'scary canary' move at the start of the second pitch.



Phew, that wasn't so bad!



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.

Hitting my Stride

I sent my summer project yesterday, Gerbil Killer 13a. Its my 3rd year running climbing a 5.13, and I feel like I really deserve this one. Over the past few weeks I've been getting in good shape by climbing regularly at Little Si, and it paid off yesterday when I practically floated up Gerbil Killer. Well not exactly... on my first redpoint attempt yesterday (of about 5 or 6 total) I felt really good. I climbed the intro moves smart and conserved energy, I managed to shake out well on the rests, so that when I got to the crux I felt as fresh as if I had just stepped off the ground. Unfortunately I guess a had first go nerves, and while I was focusing on getting my right hand just right, my left hand popped off and I was sent flying. I was frustrated, but I could take comfort knowing how good I felt on it. I rested for a good hour before getting on it again. This time I felt pumped going into the crux, but it was a controllable pump. I love that feeling when you know you can do it, but you know you have to fight for it and everything has to go just right. It did, I got got my feet up on the little spikes, reached out for the crux crimp, latched it, set myself up for the big thow, and hit the victory jug perfectly.

Shoes that climb 5.13

Working the projects on WWI

It was a busy day at the crag, and lots of projects went down yesterday. Most impressive for me was seeing Jimmy climb Flatliner, 13c. Everyone at the crag was surprised when he clipped the chains, including him I think. Laura also managed an impressive redpoint of the really thin and technical 11b on the far left end of WWI, her third 11b of the year. It was a good mini-project for her, she went from not being able to do the moves, to going bolt to bolt, then one hanging it, and sending it in the space of a couple of hours. We are both climbing very well right now, which is perfect timing because on Wednesday we are heading out to Ten Sleep, Wyoming with our friend Chas for a week and a half of limestone sport climbing. I can't wait!

Summer Days

I've been enjoying the summer here in Olympia recently, and with my new car, its been a lot easier getting out on day trips. We've been down to the quarry every Wednesday, and I have revisited some lines I haven't done in a while now that the far left routes are drying out. Jimmy is bolting his first route, which will most likely be a stout 12d, I'm not even close to doing the moves on that one. But there are a couple of other lines at more amenable grades that I've been working on, and would love to bolt one before the season is over.

Jimmy placing his first bolt on his project at the quarry

My new car!

We can rely on Little Si to stay cool in the shade, so we've been getting up there a lot recently. On Monday I headed up with Jimmy, Nick, Micah and Antonio. Antonio is a visiting climber from Mexico who I met at the gym, I've taken him out to the local crags and he's done well, on Monday he onsighted Aborigine at Little Si. I had a pretty good day up there too. I warmed up on Technorigine, which didn't feel that hard, then did Viagrophobia (12d) a mini-project first go of the day, and finished up the session with a 12a and a 12b, to climb 5.12a-12d in a day, I feat I hadn't done before. I'm feeling in pretty good route shape right now, but Jimmy is really tearing it up. A couple weeks ago he hadn't climbed 5.13, now he's done three of them including a 13b. He's overtaken me as the #1 route climber in Olympia, according to 8a.nu rankings, and he deserves it. I could see him bagging some more 5.13's before the route season gives way to bouldering again. Nick has maintained his good route form and sent a 12c on Monday, he has one more week in Olympia before he heads back out east, so hopefully we'll climb a few more times with him, and he'll send his project. The weather for the next couple of weeks looks like it will be more of the same, so I hope to keep getting up to Little Si and work on some new projects, and maybe get out on a longer trip next week.

Jimmy working Chronic (13b) at Little Si before the send

The familiar walk back from Little Si at dusk

4th of July Weekend

Welcome to my new look blog, I thought I'd brighten it up a bit. The banner photo is courtesy of Micah of a 12c that I flashed this weekend, thats right flash! I had a great 4th of July weekend, at one of my favorite places in the state, Tieton. On Saturday after a late-ish start and getting a bit lost, Micah, Laura, Jimmy and I eventually made it out to the sector called The Oasis. There was a 12a I wanted to get on there, after a quick warmup (Laura onsighted a 10d) I got on it, it was a battle fighting the pump and the greasy crimps in the full sun. But in the end I fell off at the last hard move on the onsight attempt. Micah fell on the same move, then with our beta, Jimmy stepped up and flashed it. We also checked out Dream Wall for the first time, I was a bit dissapointed, it wasn't quite up to Lava Point quality, but still had fun routes nonetheless. That night we stayed up late and had a blazing fire, check out the pile of wood we gathered.

The following morning we headed straight to The Cave area, where we climbed in the shade at Oak Wall. I did a few routes I hadn't done before. After onsighting a 12a Jimmy abbed down a 12c there ticked some holds put the draws on flashed it like it was no big deal! It was very impressive, I was psyched to get on it too and with his streaming beta, I managed the flash as well. It was a really fun route, 5 clips up an overhanging wall/arete, on small and sloping holds, I'd highly recommend it. We finished off the day with some really good routes further left. I'm impressed with how well Jimmy is route climbing right now, I need to step it up, otherwise he will take my #1 spot in Olympia. I put our 8a.nu rankings back up on my blog to try to generate some more competition. I'll update it frequently, I can see it changing a lot, especially with Nick coming to town soon and Andrew hot on the heels of Laura for the #5 spot. Below are a couple of shots of Micah working the 12c.

Back on the rock

Its been a while since I last wrote a blog simply because I haven't been out much lately. In fact I think I had four weeks without any climbing outside, which is unheard of for me this time of year. There's a few reasons, the main one being the weather has been pretty atrocious here for the start of summer, we don't have a car so have to rely on others for rides, I was really busy with school at the start of June and since then the world cup has taken priority over some climbing days. Enough excuses, I hope to be getting out a lot more this summer.

I went climbing at the quarry for only the second time this year on wednesday, it wasn't completely dry, but it was getting there. It was good to get the feel for the routes there again, Laura redpointed The Manly Wham for the first time, I wonder what else she can send down there this summer. Then on friday I climbed up at Little Si with Jimmy, Lisa, Laura ,Andrew and Micah. It was a good day out, mostly dry. I realized I need to improve a lot on my stamina, I couldn't even repeat Technorigine, but I did manage to figure out how to do the crux on Chronic, I'm still a long way off that though. Andrew has been climbing really well recently and sent Aborigine on his second go, Laura should have sent too, but she took on the last moves, the redpoint crux.

Then on Sunday I got out to Exit 38 with Laura, Sierra, Melody, Justin, Sara, Sarah and Erica. It was a really good day out. We hung out at Interstate Park which everyone seemed to like, I finished up a few routes I hadn't done there before, including a couple of new ones that aren't in the guide. I did a really steep burly climb that was a lot of fun, I reckon it was 11+ish, but its hard to say. Laura did well, cleaning up a 10c that she had tried previously, and climbing her first onsight of an 11a! Justin and Sierra also got flashes of the 11a, so it was a good day all around. We finished off the day stopping off at the Harmon Brewery in Tacoma for some delicious microbrews and all you can eat fish and chips mmm.

I plan on getting a car soon which will make trips a lot easier and now that it seems like the summer has finally arrived it should mean a lot more climbing, especially as the world cup winds down. So, hopefully it wont be as long a wait til my next blog entry.