Park Season

With daily temperatures in the Front Range consistently exceeding 90 degrees, I've been finding myself up at higher elevations quite a bit this year. In terms of fitness, I feel better than I have in at least three years. There are two key reasons for this: 

1. Climbing at CATS - I can't understate what effect climbing at CATS consistently has had on my climbing. Body tension used to be my biggest weakness in climbing and I am now able to rely on it regularly when climbing outside. I have also been a lot more motivated in my climbing because at CATS I regularly session with my good friends.

2. Losing weight - It's really a simple concept: if you weigh less it's easier to pull yourself up a rock. I have dropped 10 pounds in the last 5 months and I have only seen positive effects from this.

Lately I have spent some of my time outside trying to send two four star Colorado classics: Dark Horse at Guanella Pass and Whispers of Wisdom in RMNP. I don't care too much to argue about the grade of either climb, I will just simply say both climbs are powerful, tall, aesthetic, and scary. I managed to piece both of them together, Dark Horse in June and Whispers this month.

I also realized everything I posted about (besides Whispers) in my last post is out of season right now. For now I'm going to focus on Gobot v11 and Bushpilot v11, plus maybe something at Lincoln. Hopefully my friend Bob will continue his weekend flights from Baltimore to Denver to help me send.

Whispers of Wisdom v10

Topping out Whispers

What's Next

Ever since sending Bambi a month ago, I've been searching Colorado for my next project. I've put some work into a few climbs in the Front Range and I'd like to try to send them by the end of the year:

Whispers of Wisdom v10 (RMNP)

Yesterday I hiked up to Whispers of Wisdom for an early season session and was psyched to find it mostly dry and climbable. During a quick session with Bob and Tiffany, I was able to work out good beta for the second half of the climb. Unfortunately the second hold was wet and I was unable to try the climb from the start. I'm definitely excited to go finish this climb, as it's one of the best in the state.

Triton v11/12 (Arthur's Rock)

I hiked up to Triton last weekend and got to try the climb in amazing conditions. I managed every move individually and think I can probably put it together with a few more days of work. Unfortunately it's getting really hot everywhere outside of the alpine, so this one might have to wait until fall.

Desperate Houseboys Traverse v10 (Elkland)

Another cool climb up by Estes. The climb revolves around a difficult traverse on slopers into a committing topout. I did all the moves quickly and am psyched to head back up there soon to finish it. 

Added Planet v10 (Arthur's Rock)

I put some tries into this one in less than ideal conditions, but it's a good line with fun movement. I still need to stick the big move (pictured below), but I'll be going to Arthur's a lot and should be able to piece this one together.

It's pretty amazing to live in a place with so much rock and such pretty scenery. I feel fortunate to be so close to all this rock, and I definitely am not going to waste my chances for sends this year. By January 1st I hope to have all of these climbs sent.

Dream Lake- May 12, 2013

A week in Hueco Tanks

There isn't much to say about Hueco that hasn't been said before.The bouldering is amazing, the concentration of climbs is virtually unbeatable, and it never rains. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but the strict regulations are growing on me. As long as you get your shit together and make reservations, you're able to climb on some of the most amazing boulders on the planet with virtually no one around.

I've spent more time in Hueco than in any other bouldering area, and I feel pretty good about my climbing there. This week I was able to add two more v11's to my Hueco ticklist:

Climb	Grade	Year
Diaphanous Sea	V12	2007
A. Intruder	V11	2010
Dark Age	V11	2013
El Techo de los Tres B	V11	2013
Power of Landjager	V11	2009
Black Mamba	V10	2007
Free Willy	V10	2007
Full Service	V10	2008
Loaded with Power	V10	2007
Mojo	V10	2007
Power of Silence	V10	2009
The Wonder Dyno	V9	2007
Dirty Martini on the Rocks	V9	2007

Dark Age is a power endurance boulder that starts low and finishes on the classic V6, See Spot Run. This is one I tried for two days in early 2011, figuring out beta that changed the crux from 4 or 5 annoying tick-tack moves to one hard dyno off a miserable crimp. After falling on the V6 topout two years ago, it felt good to put it away quickly this year on my first day.

El Techo de los tres B has been a serious battle for me. Although I did all the moves on a previous trip, I had never felt close to a send. This year was very different. I got through the crux move to the fingerlock a few times, only to struggle with the come in move. After making a change in my beta, I rested and then sent on my next go. It felt really good to send a climb that had always felt so hard in the past. However, even better was the feeling of figuring out each move, staying calm, and then putting it together.

Bloody Flapper v4

Bob on Dean's Journey

I left a few climbs still undone, most notably Scream (close) and Barefoot on Sacred Ground (not so close). Tiffany was also super close to both Dark Age and Free Willy, so we will definitely be back soon. Stay tuned for a longer video with climbing from me, Tiff, Bob, James, and Patrick!