Team PBR

Rockcastle

2010-11-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

We were feeling DENSE from Thanksgiving turkey as Andrew, Matt, and I headed down I-75 toward Rockcastle, KY for some bouldering yesterday. The weather was perfect, 50s and sunny, and we were ready to deflower some Kentucky boulders!

We started on Boulder One at Mainside where Andrew flashed two really good v6's and Matt and I were left to struggle. He tried Adam's v10 crimp-crimp-dyno while I tried to link the Seam. Here's a pic of Andrew doing the v8 traverse across the boulder.

We then trekked over to the Otherside to the Credit Crunch area. After stomping off the loose jug-foot on Credit Crunch, Matt got the first post-"break" send, one of his favorite of the day. Andrew brushed and cleaned David's arete project for later and then we tried out some lines on the Gotham City roof.

After some cleaning and beta figuring a SICK line materialized. A huge jump move followed by sagging into double toehooks on one hand! So good. FA of Core Values v7! The low start Full Value v8 will definitely be sent next time!

By the end of working the super core-intensive roof for a couple hours we were pretty shot and climbed a few tall slopey problems before heading back home. All in all a very awesome day!

Triple Crown HP40

2010-11-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

Great Success!!

Every conceivable factor contributed to this years HP40 event being an excellent weekend. On Friday Hannah and I loaded up the X-Terra and headed towards Lexington to pick up Matt and Chelsea then trekked south to the sandstone mecca in Steele, Alabama. Psyche was high as I described the intricate subtleties of Horsepens to Matt and Chelsea (neither had been there before). We finally arrived around 11pm Friday night but couldn't help grabbing the pads and rushing into the boulderfield for a late-night session! 2 hours and a little lost skin later we stumbled towards our tents for some much needed sleep before the main event.

The morning dawned bright but cold, with nighttime lows dipping into the high 20s. Competitors moved slowly around the demo booths trying to shake off the frosty air and work out their circuits as they accumulated stickers, t-shirts, coffee, and other SWAG. All of us exploited FiveTen's policy of giving out free t-shirts with their free shoe demos and I excitedly procured one of their new models, the FiveTen Hornet, for the day.

OK before I talk about the comp, let me say these shoes are freaking SWEET! They are a soft downturned shoe with ridiculously sticky rubber, a good heel, and are so comfortable! I can't wait for these things to hit the shelves. (Think FiveTen Project mixed with La Sportive Testerossa)

ANYWAYS... The four of us started off the day together near the Front Slabs on a pretty awesome v2 that deserves a cooler name than "Groove 2". Chelsea, who came really close on it the night before, managed the send on her first attempt and was able to quickly get some points on her Beginner (V0-V2) scorecard. They then graciously followed me to Slag (v5) to give me some inspiration and a careful spot for the dyno. I was able to stick the lip 2nd go and was psyched to start my day off with a quick v5. Chelsea took a video of the send but they're waiting til they purchase a new computer to edit their footage.

Matt then came with me to Permanent Scream (v5) where quite the long queue had developed. I had never tried the problem and am not generally a fan of flailing in front of a bunch of strangers so I sat back absorbing beta for a couple minutes as a pulled on the Hornets. Luckily for me they had excellent toe-cam beta for one of the moves, and I came very close on my first go. After modifying the beta for my body and adding a toehook for the crux lunge I summited the boulder with another v5 in the bag in only 5 or 6 go's.

After Permanent Scream I split with Matt, Chelsea, and Hannah and made my way over to the Slider boulder to try another problem I'd never been on before, Cuts like a Knife (v5). It was PACKED. Nearly 20 people crowded into a tiny corridor left me a bit hesitant to jump in, but I saw Holly and some other Chatty peoples so I sat down and relaxed for a few minutes before hopping into the line for Cuts Like a Knife. After finally getting my turn I pulled onto the jug, pasted a right toe, and started climbing... FLASH! I hardly remember thinking anything while I was climbing, no awareness of all the people, that it was a comp, that I was doing anything other than what I wanted to - just climbing. After getting signatures I joined up with the Chatty group to head over to another v5, Warning Signs.

(Matt trying Cuts Like a Knife after the comp)

After watching 2 people climb Warning Signs I pulled on hoping for another flash, but to no avail. I blew off a Very sharp crimp and was left stomping around cursing the pain in my middle finger for a few minutes before I tried again. 3rd go was money and I topped out with my fourth v5 in only 10 or so total attempts!!

While a few other people in our group tried Warning Signs, I tried a v6 close to there called Old Inspirations. I was able to come decently close on this boulder but decided to leave it for another day when I had more time, energy, and skin to waste. It isn't a particularly beautiful piece of rock but I really like how it climbs!

Next on the agenda was Redneck (v6) back by the lookout boulder. I got a little beta for the problem but my first go was relatively blind. It went well, making the initial iron-cross move with ease then mixing up the flow on the rest of the problem. I was able to piece the moves together quickly and anticipated another quick send. This, however, is the point in my day that Horse Pens 40 bit back. For 2 gruesome hours I fell on the end of Redneck, with many tantrums in between. Finally, after realizing I was ruining my day, I grudgingly trekked back to the front to get eat some trailmix and drink a Gatorade to replenish my body and mind for the remaining 6 spots on my scorecard.

Next was Whiplash (v5), which fell quickly on my 2nd go. Back in business! Then on to Slabalicious (v6)... CRAMP! Holy Mother of hamstring cramping. My body was worn out, and I only had 5 problems.

I knew I only had a little left in the tank so I grabbed Matt and headed to the Centerpede area and quickly tick'd Centerpede (v4), Double Groove (v3), and Horsepower (v3). I gave two attempts on Sideline (v5) but my skin and muscles were rebelling against me and I had to move on.

I then, for reasons only known to me, thought it might be a good idea to take repeated falls from the top of the mega-highball Fun Dip (v5). It is so tall that a climber, walking by me and Matt who were trying the problem with one pad, said "I don't want to climb that, but will you please use my crashpad? I can ask my friends if you can use theirs too, you're scaring me..." I once again failed to manage the send and hobbled away even more exhausted than before. I finished off my scorecard with Bump That (v3) and Grooverider (v3) and slowly made my way up to turn in my scores.

I didn't place. Oh well, my best day at HP40 by far! Hopefully LRC will mean a victory for me!

On the other hand, Chelsea Rupp, in her first ever outdoor bouldering experience, won Beginner Women!!!!! She was grinning for hours as she carried around her Dolomite bouldering bag that contained, among other things, a $150 gift certificate to Five Ten!!

Hannah Gill did awesome as well! Filling out her entire Beginner Women scorecard that even included a highball v2!! Congrats!

Matt, who apparently didn't try hard enough, was insistent that we go back out climbing after the awards party so we lit up the lantern and went to the Lou-ser roof where he was able to do Crisifix (v4) really quickly! Good work man! I tried Lou-ser (v6) some but was pretty thrashed. He then tried Cuts Like a Knife (v5) while I gave a couple tries on Boomslang (v6) and we called it a night. All in all... a fantastic weekend!

("Maybe I am tired...")

Sunshine Ridge

2010-09-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sunshine Ridge. Mile 111 Seward highway.

Grade 5.7

Pitches 3-4

Gear: Trad rack, medium and small cams. Slings. Some bolts.

Anchors, bolt, bolt/chain

The best route on the highway! Easy relaxing climb with some chossy sections to keep it interesting! two or three variations possible, the hardest pitches come gaining the ridge. Several options between 5.8 and 5.10c.

Great free solo, some great exposer on the first and 3rd pitches!

The view down from midway through the 2nd pitch, March 2009

Tyler Johnson on the 2nd pitch, summer 2010
View from the top of the final pitch

Derby Pie Photoshoot

2010-09-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Red River Gorgeous this past weekend! Sunday consisted mostly of shooting a picture for the upcoming Derby Pie calendar, starring Matt Rupp as the stud climber.

Saturday was a mileage day for me at Drive-By-Crag! I tried to get several pitches in and try to build a little endurance for the upcoming fall-tacular season at the Red. In order:

Breakfast Burrito 5.10d (onsight)

Spirit Fingers 5.11c

Whip Stocking 5.11a (flash)

Spirit Fingers 5.11c

Yadda Yadda 5.11b

Breakfast Burrito 5.10d

Hatcher Pass, Archangel FA's

2010-09-19T16:03:00.001-07:00

Weather has been clear and beautiful now that school has started, but I took some time off from writing a paper on Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Paper 29 to get some bouldering in at Hatcher Pass with Nathan, Carly, and Tyler. We started one some established problems, then headed into new terrain. I found some highballs with death defying falls that I'd like to go back and crush. We did find a few beautiful looking lines which we cleaned and climbed. The first, christened Langston vs. Captain had a stand start that went V3/4 and a sit start going at V5. Nathan Crushed this for an FA.

Next we goofed around on a boulder that we called the "KIng Big Good Boulder" It has a face that can be played on. It can be anything from V0 to V4.

I scoped some lines that need some serious cleaning to remove some death flakes, then several good spotters to be done safely.

Then we hit the jackpot. Nathan found several boulders with roofs underneath them, we cleaned a only a few of the potential lines, and established a climb in a cave that I found and got the FA on named "In Shelob's Lair"

We also cleaned a V1 that Carly got the FA on, and started to work what has the potential to be something hard, perhaps V8 or V9. It's a slopey heel hooky project we are calling 'You Shall not Pass!'
Tyler on "You Shall Not Pass!" V9?

Nathan Welker on "In Shelobs Lair" V5
Carly Bond On Langston vs Captain

Rain.

2010-08-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Alaska Weather Report.

Alaska's weather has been dismal for the last month, literally. We've just had our 30th consecutive day of rain, which breaks the record for consecutive days of rain for Anchorage AK. This weather has put a damper on spirits and made climbing next to impossible. Last week I managed to get out twice. The first time, Aleks, Tyler, Rachel and I left town headed towards Hatcher pass. It of course started to rain as soon as we got to the 'Snowbird Slab' a beautiful wall with almost a dozen routes from 5.6 to 5.10b trad and sport. We got a route each in, Aleks and I on a wet run out 5.7, which was only climbable by going off route and doing a scary traverse across wet slopey chicken heads, which I of course fell during, give Aleks a trial by fire in lead belaying, and due to runout I still hit the ground, although Aleks pulled in slack. Aleks and I went swimming, or rather skinny dipping in a beaver pond. Then we bailed drinking makers to keep our spirits high!

On Thursday I went out to Wookie with Britta and Ian and sent a 5.11c called 'Seismic Wave' a classic of the area. I also worked on 'Catalyst'.

Reel Rock Film Tour

2010-08-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

Vote for "Vertical World"! Spencer Victory's production shot at Red River Gorge!

http://www.reelrocktour.com/contest/

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-08-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

So Wednesday was my birthday and I must say, the people that love me have spoiled me this year. Steph got me a Jetboil cooking system and my parents got me a Tokina 12-24 f/4 wide angle lens! I can't wait to make hot spiked cider and shoot epic bouldering pics this fall!

In other news, I really am sick of this heat. My birthday was the hottest day of the year thus far with heat indices of 115 all day, and it shows no sign of breaking. I feel super motivated to climb and take pictures but all my plans are in a holding pattern until the weather breaks, which will be another month probably.

I signed up to take the LSAT in October! In a rare show of initiative I also got a prep book for the exam so I don't fly in completely blind. The first recommendation of the book was to take a practice test, which I did. Scored a 166 (95 percentile), which is pretty decent, but hopefully I can raise it another 5 points or so on the actual exam.

Top 3 Law School Prospects:

UNC Chapel Hill, NC
UC Boulder, CO
Cornell Ithaca, NY

So this Saturday-Wednesday Steph and I are gonna be out at the Red! Hopefully I can tick off some hardish routes despite the heat and put some beta work on some harder routes for the Fall. We're taking road bikes too so should be a good time!

Kevin Jorgeson at Hueco Tanks

2010-08-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

Hueco Rock Rodeo ticklist (top 6 problems count)

v11,v13,v12,v12,v12,v12

Updates from the North

2010-08-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

Tyler relaxes in the "seat" after the mental Crux of 'First Amendment'

Me Working 'Red Scare' V8 (Photo by Matt Lowber)

Tyler sticks the crux of 'Rock Biter' V7/8
Some Quick Updates from Alaska.

First Tyler Johnson decided Alaska was the place to be, so he drove up here and has been crushing. He's also found a job and is working on a place to stay when it gets chilly.

Bouldering.

Hatcher Pass is the place to be, some sick boulders in the newly established Independence Mine area offer super crimpy hard problems.

Some fun sends:

'Rock Biter' V7/8. Tyler sent this after only a few goes in a single day, I came back three days later and flew up this third go of the day.

Captain Kaboom: V1?

Unknown V3

Unknown V6

I've also worked a sick super crimpy problem sent for the FA later that day by Matt Lowber, it goes V8 and was christened 'Red Scare.'

Wookie Wall:

Tyler, My friends Rachel Silverstein and Aleks Pfaffe, and I made a trip to Wiener Lake to climb at Wookie wall. Tyler tested himself on the goofy climbing of the area on the warmup: 'First Amendment' 5.11a, falling at the difficulty crux, he sent second go. We also worked 'Face the Damage' 5.11b/c, a pumpy route with a hard hand jam crux. Tyler tested his onsight ability on 'Breaking the Chains' falling at the first crux and the upper crux while figuring out crucial beta. Tyler and I also worked a sweet powerful 5.13a called 'Illuminati' which has a dead point and a full dyno crux, this we decided was fairly stout for the grade, probably meriting a 5.13a/b rating.

Hatcher Pass, and Recent Alaska updates.

2010-07-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Alaska climbing has been full of surprises and some good climbing lately.

A few weeks ago Katie Scatena came for a surprise visit. We managed to get some rock climbing in. We did 'Classic Crack' a fun two pitch trad climb which goes a 5.8+, 5.8. The next day we made a trip up to Wookie Wall and did some fun overhanging pumpy granite climbing. I started working 'Catalyst' 5.12c, there is a direct start to this that is quite a bit harder, 13b perhaps. Katie finished up our day leading 'First Amendment'.

Now for the more serious part of the post, perhaps a follow up to Allen's earlier post about the dangers of climbing. On tuesday the 6th (?) of July. I had three friends climbing at the 'Wedge', a high alpine crag with an hour and 45 min. approach, my friend and often my partner Kelsey, and extremely competent and experienced climber was on route when a freak rock fall occurred. A large rock slammed into his chest and throat, ripping him and his belayer off the wall, and into a fifty foot tumble down scree. Kelsey was flown out helicopter with serious although non life threatening injuries, and his partner suffered a broken foot. The moral of this story I suppose is that accidents happen, even to the most experienced climbers, and it's wise to expect them every time you touch the rock. The next day, I went to rescue gear. Accidents and danger are around every corner. On the same tuesday we were heading to climb at 'Pivot Point' A fun short crag with a handful of decent routes from 5.7 to a 5.14 project. We headed up the hill towards the crag concerned about bears. I was about 15 feet in front of my partner, when a big brown shape loomed out of the brush, and started crashing towards me. Before I knew it, this animal was on top of me, and "I'm going to die" flashed through my mind. I fell over and rolled into a small ball trying to protect my head. It was only from the ground that I realized moose hooves were crashing on either side of me. I started screaming "Run Hannah, Run!" Hannah made it to a tree as the moose saw her and went after her, giving me a second or two to regain my feet and dash to the tree. I climbed into the tree as the moose charged us again, and again. The last time I saw her coming from 50 feet away, I had no way to attack back except my voice, which I used. the moose finally backed off. Had I had a firearm or mace, I would have used it.

I've been doing some other climbing. I've had two beautiful days in Hatcher Pass with one overcast one. I've lead some fun trad lines, two pitches of 'Toto' 5.8, 5.7, 'The Slot' 5.7, were two of the best although I did a "sport" 10a that required gear and runouts as well as a 5.7 that required several 30+ foot runouts between bolts. I've also managed to get some bouldering in at the pass. Including some repeat ascents: 'Indian Head Arete' V2, and unknown V5 on the same boulder, and yesterday a FA on a 20 ft V1 we named 'Nuptial Ball'.

Summer at the Red

2010-07-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Red River Gorge in the summertime is not for the faint of heart. The stifling humidity and sweltering heat provide a one-two punch capable of deflating even the most adventurous soul into a sweaty mass of whining and complacency. The bugs bite, the snakes lurk, and bears come lumbering around in an effort to drive the masses back to their backyard barbeques and air conditioned lifestyles. The local flora, even, aides the fauna in their attack upon trespassers. Poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak will leave you itching, stinging nettles will leave you cursing, and at every turn rhododendron fields make movement laborious and claustrophobic. Still around? The indigenous people of the 3rd poorest county in the nation will steal the lint out of your pockets should you turn your head for a second.

For those who choose adventure over comfort, however, the memories of those two low humidity days, the trips into lexington for liquor, and that(those) near death experience(s), are more valuable and enduring than the bugbites, sunburn, or hangovers. The Red in the summertime can be grueling, but the experiences are authentic, lasting, and worth the steep price of admission.

This past weekend, for me, was a reminder of these truths I learned last summer. My Thursday-Sunday trip was rich with stories of sketchy offroading, rainy day crag hunting, a keg of Newcastle with the Miguel’s crew (including the man himself), and excellent climbing. Did I send anything of note? Absolutely not. Didn’t matter at all. A bottle of Ale-8, a good slice of pie, and a group of friends to sharing stories. The good life.

Red River Gorge Bouldering

2010-07-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Part of my last weekend was spent cleaning/poaching boulder problems on Natural Bridge property at the Red. Mark Osbourne, however, informed me that should I get caught by the rangers, its a $250 dollar fine and they will confiscate my gear. Dilemmas...

This boulder problem is on the road easement and is thusly fair game

Table Top v3 from Allen Chaney on Vimeo.

This is Matt Rupp at Friction Slab boulder.

Alaska Update

2010-06-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Climbing Season is in full swing here in AK, and with 17 hours of day light climbing can happen at almost anytime! Wednesday and Thursday my friend Carly and I headed out to Wookie Wall to get our climb on. I warmed up on the classic 'First Amendment' a fine 5.11a that never ceases to scare me at the top. After a few laps on that, I made quick work of a technical balancy 5.11c by the name of 'Grainstorm' for most, the crux of this climb comes at the top as you enter an overhanging layback crack, Carly enjoyed this route immensely . To lead this safely you need to place some small/medium cams until the last bolt. Then I threw a top rope on 'Dreams Never End' a fun pumpy 5.12a that I sent last time at the crag. To finish the day, I led 'Breaking the Chains' a fun interesting 5.12b, while I fell hanging the draws, my second go went well with a solid send! Carly spent a good deal of time working the first crux, a series of strange barn door moves, with a strange slap or two! She made great progress. We camped at the base of the crag that night and I got some fishing in. I had a fun tussle with a beautiful plump rainbow trout.

Day two broke and we headed to the wall. I warmed up on breaking the chains, as I had draws on it, Carly worked it for a couple burns. Then I went and got on a climb I'd never tried before called 'Quantum Wave' 5.11d. this was a fun pumpy slabby to overhanging line that required a good deal of thinking. Carly finished up the day working chains.

Other climbing this summer has included a bit of scary highway climbing during which a shit myself up "Gain a turn" 5.12a, and a handful of 5.8s-5.1os. Nathan and I also have spent some time bouldering, establishing 'Heifer Arete' a crimpy heel hooky arete that goes at V5/6. Beside this is a super hard line which we have christened the 'China Project' I think it will go double digits.

"Black Fly" - Boone, NC

2010-06-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Black Fly from Allen Chaney on Vimeo.

Climbing Is Dangerous

2010-05-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

This may seem like an obvious statement, but scaling large rock faces can pose significant health risks to its participants. Somehow, though, this seems to be a point of fact lost on the mass migration of gym rats from plastic to rock. Yes, you can climb v8 problems in your gym, but can you thread a rope through a gri-gri correctly? Can you keep your hand on the brake rope? Can you clean a route then rappel from the anchors? When it comes down to it, there is no substitute for experience outside climbing, but hubris has prevented the new generation of climbers from asking the right questions, and learning from the dirty old veterans. There are reasons they were able to survive the climbing lifestyle.

2010-04-29T17:47:00.001-07:00

Climbing season is really beginning in Alaska. I've been out a few times now, and what to get out a few more times before I run off to China for a few weeks. The other week, Kelsey and I headed out on the Seward Highway and climbed at a lovely little place called Bermuda Triangle. Seward Highway climbing never ceases to scare me. The first climb I led was called "Chunks From Above,"(5.8r) rather ominous. It was a 30 foot, no gear run to the first bolt, the first bolt looked ok, the second one was only a few away and rusty, the third made me shudder, it was an old pin bolt with a homemade hanger that would NEVER hold a fall, then I made the 30 foot run to the chains, rock crumbling around me. The rest of the climbs that day were much less scary, there were a handful of of 10s and 11s that were long, steep and techy.

Last night Kelsey and I again went out to gather some information on some routes for the 2nd addition of "Rock Climbing In Alaska." We intended to get information on some routes that seemed to have mostly fallen off, as there was a pile of rubble beneath them, and no bolts for 30-40 feet, while hiking above them to find an anchor for some TRs, we stumbled across some super decent looking rock, and there were bolts on it. Neither Kelsey or I had heard anything about this area, nor was it in "The Scar," one of the original Alaska climbing guides. We decided to climb it out, and gather info; I got first lead. I racked up with some medium cams, BD .5 through 2 and a set of stoppers and powered to the first and only bolt, it was the worst bolt I've seen to date, rusty, and tightened with an allen wrench, the metal of the hanger flexed side to side. I clipped it and headed for the upper crack, and placed some decent gear. and built a trad anchor. we rated it 5.8 likely R with the current bolt. We then headed to the one bolted route, old, but decent chain hangers met us. Kelsey moved up the three bolt climb to a tree anchor. I flashed the route, giving it a 5.10c rating. It was one of the most fun routes I've been on along the highway! next Kelsey led a 5.9/5.9+ R/X line. I led it after him, super sketch and awkward with a low crux and then an upper one, gear from BD #3 to very small stoppers, and small cams up high. Then I got the final lead, a scary 5.9+ on which I placed a BD .4 very low, and slotted a perfect and very small stopper 6 feet above it off an awkward yet secure stance. For me the crux came high after a 25 foot runout on slab. A fun day!

Dungeon Roof (Hwy 221)

2010-04-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Dungeon Roof (Hwy 221) from Allen Chaney on Vimeo.

February Climbing

2010-02-21T01:29:00.000-08:00

Alaska isn't known for it's winter rock climbing, but none the less, with current temps in the high 30's to mid 40's, we decided a climbing trip was in order! We drove about an hour and 45 mins north of Anchorage to Puritan Wall. This wall is close to the road which makes a snowy approach. After a failed attempt at driving off road to a camping spot, which quickly turned into a truck rescue, as we dug out of a snow bank, we got up to the wall. we set up a one bolt belay about 20 feet off the deck, we didn't get climbing until it was dark. Kyle quickly (and intentionally) kicked a large rock of the ledge, as it was threatening anyone on the ground. By headlamp, Kyle led a 5.10a and quickly got off route, finishing on the chains for a 12a next door. he clipped three bolts on the 60 foot route. Kelsey began rope soloing aid climbing the "11b" to our left. about half way up, he discovered that Kyle's Rock had core shot his rope, meaning he had been essentially free solo aid climbing. I quickly polled his rope through and reanchored it.

After we got our fill in, and temps started to drop, we rapped to the ground, and set up camp. we huddled around a fire to keep warm and ate food, and drank some Moose's Tooth brew. Then it was bed time. Over the night, temps dropped to 0 to -5 degrees. In my -20 sleeping bag, I remained toasty.

Day two broke sunny and cold. By 10:30 or 11 it had begun to warm up, so we headed up to the wall. we top roped the climbs which we had put up the day prior, and Kyle led the "11b" which after we had all fallen at the blank slab section called solid 12a. We climbed on a core shot rope all day long. On our way back to town, we drove back a side road to look at the Ravine Lake wall, there we discovered a car that was stuck and frantically being dug out. We threw our weight into pushing and digging, to a successful rescue.

I had a great time climbing finally and am looking forward to better temps and warmer rock!

2010-01-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

A hike up Bird Ridge, variation included several sections of class 4 climbing, and a few small sections of 5.2-4 climbing.

Above the tree line

On the ridge

Bird Peak

Bird Valley

WInter in AK

2010-01-09T01:52:00.000-08:00

Grant Begins to solo a small section of ice and snow (sorry it's blurry)

The Flow

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog, so I thought I'd do a quick update of my latest climbing related adventures. Conditions here in Alaska haven't been the best for winter climbing of anything. It's been too warm for ice and snow which made ice climbing and high angle snow climbing unattainable. Nonetheless, this hasn't kept me from getting outside at least a little bit. Shortly after getting back, my friend Trevor and I decided that we were going to try and climb a peak, we started in the dark. We started up, it was hard work, I am out of shape and there wasn't enough snow to make plastic boots a good footwear choice. What we did amounted to a hike. after an hour or so, we had made about 1ooo ft, and that was just the easy part. Indian House is 4200 hundred ft tall, and we were trying to gain the ridge which would take us up steep and perhaps technical climbing. we got to a point at which we'd have to climb another 2000 feet (two hours up at least) We had already moved through some class 4 climbing which was exposed enough that a fall would have been deadly. With no snow, and self arrest impossible, we decided to bail.

My second outdoor escapade was and ice climbing adventure. We decided to hike up Bird Creek, only a mile or two up creek from my house. We found some ice. It was about WI3 and pretty short, but made for a fun adventure and good practice in rope handling and anchor skills. after a few burns each, it was getting dark and we were getting tired so we called it a day.

Rockcastle Bouldering

2009-12-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

The directions and topo for existing problems were recently released for a new bouldering spot in Central Kentucky called Rockcastle. Yesterday Sam and I made the hour and 45 minute journey out there to check it out!

The weather was perfect and we had equal proportions of exploring, climbing, and beer to make for an awesome day.
Impressions of Rockcastle:
Rock Quality - some as good as 4/5 but lots of really chossy flake systems on the roofs. There is plenty of good rock waiting to be cleaned and climbed, and almost all of it tops out. For some reason most of the development has been concentrated on roofs, and the aformentioned loose flakes...

Potential - the best and most expansive bouldering I've seen in Kentucky. Could continue to grow and be a quality playground for Kentucky boulderers, but I cant imagine it becoming a "destination".

Problems:

Main Side

Me on "Waiting Room", V4
Quick send but super fun and committing throw to the top!

Sam battling "Red Line", V3, on Boulder 1
Quality rock with fun moves, starts WAY low under the roof.

Other Side

"Gopher It", V4 FA *****

Stone Fort/LRC Update

2009-12-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

December 5/6 Stone Fort LRC

Andrew, Hannah, Tim, and I woke up Saturday morning to find the parking field and my tent covered in about 1-2 inches of wet Tennessee snow! We quickly entered the newly opened Urban Rocks climbing gym (which served as Triple Crown headquarters) to find that the competition had been postponed to the following day, and that competitors could boulder at Urban Rocks for half price until the Dyno Comp and party that evening.

We decided some coffee was in order so we headed into downtown Chattanooga for some Chatty's coffee and some pumpkin bread. Then back to Urban Rocks for some awesome indoor top out bouldering (that gym has it goin on!).

The afternoon was spend back in Chattytown running around like hooligans with some buildering and parkour to boot! Then to a local brewery for some fresh beer and some tasty eats!

The night was wasted away watching the dyno comp then to bed early for the comp the next day.

Similar to Horse Pens, no one in our group turned in scorecards at the end of the day. We had a blast though! Some highlights were barefoot climbing, a sweet boulder of highballs, and Andrew nearly sending (and paying the price for not) a V10 called King James.

Stone Fort (LRC), TN this weekend!

2009-12-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Andrew, Hannah, Tim, Tanya, Chris, and I are heading down for the final leg of the Triple Crown of Bouldering this weekend, thought I'd post a video of Jimmy Webb and Brion Voges sampling some of the excellent problems LRC has to offer.

Advanced Circuit - Little Rock City, Tn from Jimmy Webb on Vimeo.

Purgatory

2009-12-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Tyler, Tim, Andrew, and I all are siked on routes at Purgatory. I am working "the castle has fallen", Andrew is getting close on "lucifer", and Tyler and Tim are putting in ever-so-close redpoint burns on "paradise lost"

Movies

Its a gorgeous crag of minimally featured grey rock and hosts 4 of the best and most difficult climbs at the Red all right next to each other. Coming around the corner to see the early morning sunlight illuminating these classics is a sight to behold.

2009-11-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

The last few days have held some fun and interesting climbing for me. On Thanksgiving day, Jason, Ben and I went to Muir Valley and warmed up on Preemptive Strike (6b) and Earthsurfer (7a). I sent Earthsurfer second go, it's a interesting climb with fun moves and two hard cruxes, a bulge with a shallow crack that you can suss a finger lock off then make a move to shallow sloping dish, and then hit some jugs. After you gain a breather you can being to pull the second crux, moving moving over another bulge, on small crimpers, make a hard clip and then keep it together on the interesting slab above, palming and making "trust the rubber" moves. It tops out at 100 feet and there is a great view of the Valley, this view alone makes this climb worth doing. After that we went to Midnight Surf and gave Cell Block Six (7b+)some attention and Ben gave Tapeworm (7c)a good burn.

Today, Chase came and woke me up and we headed out to the gorge again. I haven't climbed with Chase for quite some time, and was happy to have some time at the rocks with him. We decided that we were going to go to Foxfire (5.7 R) at Eaglepoint Butress Instead of doing the first pitch on Foxfire, we opted to do Day Dreaming (5.9+). I got the first lead. I headed up the awkward lay back, small hand, and finger crack. Like most "Old School" + rated climbs, it was probably closer to a mid 10 than a 9. I belayed Chase up and we made the traverse across a rat shit covered ledge and built a new anchor on a tree. He led the next pitch, or the actual second pitch of Foxfire, this was the first R rated pitch, it finished on a scary traverse to the the next belay station. I was then on lead, and jumped on the 3rd pitch, again a 5.7 R pitch. I worked up through marginal placments to a roof where I moved onto the face to gain the 3rd belay station. I built an anchor on a tree that would not hold more than a small fall if we were lucky. Chase didn't fall (thank god) and we climbed the last 4o feet of awesome exposer. This is a great route for those who want an adventure. The R rating on all the upper pitches make it spicy!

Paradise Lost (8a)

2009-11-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

Overdue Updates

2009-11-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

So its been a few weekends without an update but that's because I haven't really been taking many pictures and like to update with pictures and words. Plus, I've been feeling kind of lazy in respect to the blog. However...

Bouldering
Triple Crown, HP40
Had a blast with Andrew G, Tim Black, and Johnny Slice. No one turned in scorecards but that didn't matter! What did matter were the almost sends, boulder hopping expeditions, and bourbon-induced teabagging and shenanigans! Tim and John almost sent Mullentino (V7), and Andrew DID send Green Lantern Low (V8), Skywalker (V8/9), and Consumption (V8). "eh, Good Work.."

Trad
The Learning Curve (5.12a)
Chase and I went to Eastern Skybridge a few weeks ago to try this gem of a line. Only 35 ft long, it amounts to a marginally protectable highball boulder problem that feels maybe V6. The crux is at the very top and is protected by a shallow #000 Black Diamond C3. We chose to suss it out on top rope and I feel confident enough to make a lead attempt next time!

Stucco Nu (5.11+)
Andrew led this adventuresome trad route this past Saturday and entertained all bystanders with an epic full body shake at the very top of the dihedral. The cruxy run to the chains eventually spit him out and left him with a joyous 30ft. whip onto a #2 stopper! He finished the route and I top-roped it. It climbs fantastically and I am planning on going for the lead send next weekend.

Snotrocket (5.12+)
AMAZING ROUTE!!! ONE OF THE BEST CLIMBS EVER! VERY HARD, VERY LONG, WITH AMAZING MOVEMENT! Andrew and I both TR'd it, Andrew plans to be going for the lead send soon, Good Luck!

Goodstone (5.11a)
This thin splitter fingercrack gave me my first trad fall! (11/15/09) 20ft on a #2 Metolius TCU

Sport

So much sport climbing to mention, but I'll stick to what I'm currently siked on. Andrew and I have winter proj's at the Gallery and Purgatory. Mine at least are perhaps way harder than I can pull, but I'm going to put the work in and see if I can do them!

Me - Paradise Lost (8a), Zen and the Art of Masturbation (7c+)
Andrew - The Shocker (8c), Lucifer (8c+)

Off Width

2009-11-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

Wide cracks offer a whole new set of challenges to climbing. Finger strength and endurance are suddenly no help, your entire body comes into play. Last weekend, the defining climbing moments came for me on my attempt at "Muscle Shoals" (5.8+) at Muscle Beach, my first off width. While I didn't send, this climb tested me physically and mentally. This crack was full on off width from start to finish. I racked up with the biggest cams I have ever used. I had 1 #6 BD C4, 1 #5 BD Camalot (about a 5.5 in C4 range), 1 #5, and a #4.5 and #4. I wedged myself into the crack and started to inch and grunt my way up. At about 8 feet I found a stance, my chest and back were wedged against the wall, and I worked a knee bar and a heel toe cam. This allowed both hands to be free. I reached down and uncliped the 5.5, reached over my head with my other hand and passed the cam in, then I placed it above my head. Inched up again until it was at my waist. and moved it again. Then the crack got wider, I left the cam behind, and inched inside the crack ENTIRELY! I was able to get the 4.5 all the way back and exteneded it with a huge runner. After that I was able to stand up and scoot the #6 above my head into what I found to be the crux. finally I found a face hold, and was able to top out. I had just climbed a 50 foot crack with 3 pieces. I was battered and bloody from head to toe and sore for three days after. To do this crack safely two number 6's, and two number 5s are essential, I would like to have three 6's if I do it again.

October 23-25

2009-10-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend started with some shabby weather, which only got better as the days progressed. Friday, Allen, Katie and I headed out and made our way to Roadside. Allen made his way up the soaking wet flake of "The Return of Chris Snyder"(5.11d) before deciding bailing was the best answer. We then headed back to the 5.10 wall, where I made two close burns on "Stay the Hand" (5.12a) one fall each time. On Saturday we (Allen, Tyler and I) headed to Muir Valley, leaving the girls to fend for themselves. We started our day by warming up at the "Bone yard" on "Captain Blondie Sinks the Ship" (5.11a/b), and then headed to the AMAZING "Midnight Surf" wall. There Allen worked "Tapeworm" (5.12d), I successfully teched my way through the boulder problem on "Iniquity" (5.12b) and got my redpoint. Tyler made quick work of "Cell Block Six) (5.12c) sending second go! Katie Scatena and I then went to the "Sanctuary" where we worked "Immaculate Deception" (5.12a) me falling one clip away from my onsight. Katie made good progress and her first 5.12 send is not far away!

Day two broke Sunny and Cold, we headed to "Drive By" where we began to climb. Katie Scatena made quick work of "Whipstocking" (5.11a) and "Yadda Yadda Yadda" (5.11b) which she quickly repointed hanging draws. Chase and Allen worked a hard 5.12d, while Katie Erickson and I palmed slopers and held pinches on "Check Your Grip" (5.12a) I managed to get it clean on my third go of the day. Chase and Tyler spent the day working "Beer Belly" (5.13a) while John worked towards the send on "Dirty Smelly Hippie" (5.13b), which I decided to get on at the end of the day. All in all it was a great weekend, with some amazing climbing!

Triple Crown Hounds Ears

2009-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Our first bouldering trip of the year was a weekend excursion to visit the first triple crown event of the year at the private Hound Ears Club in Boone, NC! Though the weather looked iffy the whole preceding week, all 250+ competitors lucked out with a beautiful 65 degree bluebird day for bouldering

Saturday broke bright, cold, and dewy, with free breakfast from five-ten and the loading of pads and groggy climbers onto trucks and into buses. The anticipation quickly rose to a pre-Christmas fervor as the hoards of climbers ascended the gravel mountain road to where Evolv, Five Ten, La Sportiva, and Scarpa were handing out demo models of their newest kicks. Finally, after some parting rules and wisdom, we were dismissed to shred our tips on the razor sharp crimps of Hounds Ears.

Tim and I got the day started with quick onsite/flashes of Woody's v3 (v5), and proceeded to the mushroom boulder for a cool traverse called Abracadaver (v4), and for Tim to come close to sticking the wicked swing of Mushroom Roof (v6). We then split up for a few hours to negotiate the crowded rocks solo. Teeterpoint (v6), and Capt Crunch (v4) were next for me. I was able to send the highball Capt Crunch, but Teeterpoint allowed me progress and no send, along with stealing several layers of skin.

As the day wound down and the few climbers with skin and hopes of victory rushed about attempted to fill their scorecards, cries of effort turned to curses of pain and bloody tips until the final horn sounded to bus back to the campground.

The party lasted well into the night for most, treated to an, er, entertaining? music experience before the awards ceremony, and the dispersing of much swag and raffle prizes.

Recommended Problems:

Abracadaver v4
The Pocket Problem v4
Captain Crunch v4
2,000 v4
The Mad Splatter v5
They Call Me Nobody v6
Crystallized v1
The Edge v0

Brian Voges, who placed 2nd in Men's Open, got the first ascent of an outstanding Hounds Ears project that links The Crusher (v10) into Flash or Trash (v5) and dubbed it Half Price Porno (v11/12).

Dreary Saturday

2009-10-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, after an adventurous start to my weekend which started with me being kicked awake by Miss Katie E at 3am, we met young Dru at 9am. He was itching to get out to the Darkside to climb, he and I headed out with his father and planned to meet the girls there later. It rained the entire way, fortunately Darkside is so steep that even the tops of climbs stay dry. Dru kicked off the day by climbing the "ramp of death" to get to the start of "Shanghai" (12d) he quickly worked out the moves going bolt, making it the hardest climb he's done all the moves on. After that I got a rope stick clipped to my project, "The Force", Then the ladies showed up. As I began to work the bottom moves of "The Force" again, Katie E. jumped on "Tuskan Raider" (12d) (pictured) and made great progress! I managed to stick the crux move on "The Force" on lead finally, making me hopeful that climbing in decent conditions and feeling 100%, I'll connect the bottom difficulty section in the least! Later in the day Sarah and Lindsay both gave good burns on "Mama Benson" (12a) Dru also gave Tuskan a burn, but then had to go home. To finish our day Katie got on Tuskan and got all the moves! I got on it too and figured out the crux moves, it's a super cool route, and has a sit down rest just after the crux! It was a super day full of climbing and various shenanigans!

Beautiful Weather!!!

2009-09-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the first day of fall climbing, and it was truly magnificent. After a week of rain the sun came out and illuminated a dry 75 degree day full of hard climbing. Lang, Katie1, Katie2, and I set out earlyish to Drive-By.

Team PBR got the day started with some onsights and flashes of Whip-Stocking (5.11a) and Yadda Yadda (5.11b), both of which were enjoyed by all :) Lang then gave Check Your Grip (5.12a) a burn, and I gave it a go on Beer Belly (5.13a) - an awesome 5.11d layback flake into a v5 traversing pocket problem!

Next on our agenda was an afternoon at the Motherlode where Katie E. redpointed Ale8 (5.12b) for the first time- Go Katie! I gave 2 burns on the amazing and brutally hard 8 Ball (5.12d), and one on Stain (5.12c). Lang gave Chainsaw Massacre several burns and also sent Injured Reserve (5.11a) after finding the hidden crimp ;)

All in all a fantastic day even to be outside! Great to feel motivated again to climb til your fingers bleed, and siked to continue to get stronger into the amazing fall season at the Red!

Rain Rain Rain

2009-09-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

It has been raining for days and is starting to dull my wits. A mixture of cabin fever and general recklessness has driven my weekend thus far. A pitcher of Dogfish 90min. IPA and a bottle of Bacardi 151 was enough to get me, Lang, and Katie S sufficiently lubricated and prepared Lang to be picked up for his night at the Red in the rain. Katie and I decided to "tough it out" in her dorm rather than brave the demoralizing weather, and now at 12:40pm I'm attempting to drag her out of bed and to the Zoo for a few burns on Hippocrite (5.12a) and Scar Tissue (5.12a), a couple short 45ft routes on 40 degree wall. Climbing will win out! .... I hope.

NRG, September 18th, 19th and 20th.

2009-09-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Chase, Tyler and I made the trip to the New River Gorge. Chase and I left Lexington Friday afternoon and met Tyler in Ironton, Ohio at about 6pm. While we were waiting for Tyler to arrive however, Chase and I had some adventures. Most interesting was our brief acquisition of a puppy. We were walking around, and this lady yelled at us "Ya'll lose a dawg?" Chase and I answered no, and she asked us if we wanted a dog. Chase's response was "I don't know, I'd have to see it" we walked up and she handed it to us and said "It's your problem now". Chase and I weren't sure what to do, then a man drove by and said "Is that there your dog?" we said no, and he said he'd take it. We then had no dog, an hour or two later Tyler and Langston arrived. We headed off to the New. We arrived at Roger's late, and set up camp and went to bed early. The next morning we got up and headed off to Kaymoor. We came to the Rico Suave Buttress. We decided to warm up on a slab called Totally Tammy (5.10a) This was, with out a doubt, one of the hardest 10's I've ever been on. After that we moved on to a NRG classic, Rico Suave, also a 5.10a. This, the three of us agreed was one of the coolest 10's we'd been on. There was a cool line beside Rico that I was able to hang draws on while cleaning. We then each got a burn on the height dependent and incredibly technical "Out of the Bag", 5.11c/d. After having our fill of technical stuff, we headed off to the Glory Hole, where we wanted to get on some classic and super steep 12's.

We decided that we would test our metal on Skull F~~k, (5.12c, 7b+)(see picture) This was a line that shot up through two large roofs to the chains. I had never done moves quite like the ones I had to do to pull roofs. Several small crimpers, at least one toe hook and several heel hooks and gastons brought me to the chains, more scared on a sport route then I've been in a very long time. "The Hole" was one of the eeriest places I've ever climbed it was dark, the perma-draws were all on chain hangers that rattled against the wall when the wind blew. After one go each we decided it was time to go check out the old Kaymoor Coal mine. We walked down 800 steps to the relics of the coal refineries. we jumped the fence and explored, then we went down to the river and swam, smoked pipes and had PBR.

The next day we headed off to Summersville lake. On the way we stopped at the New River Gorge Bridge, quite a view. After a poor start, and being lost for an hour or so we managed to find our way to long wall. We warmed up on a spicy 5.10b called "For What? aka Hot and Buttered" at 60 feet or so and 4 bolts I felt runout. Then we moved a little further down the wall and got on a route called "Maximum Overdrive" (5.11c). I have never felt so happy to onsight hanging draws. After we all sent, we headed off to The D.C. Memorial Boulder and got on "All the Way Baby" (5.12b, 7b) We all gave this a few good tries, none of us sending, but all of us coming awfully close. Because of our late start we didn't have much time so we headed over to The Colosseum to look at the climbs there, and decided that would be our destination the next time at the New! After pizza and beer at Pies and Pints, we headed home. All in all an awesome time In West Virginia!

Slideshow

2009-09-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Miguel's Pizza and Sports Porn

2009-09-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

South Western Oatmeal

2009-09-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend, apart from exciting (and often questionable activities), I decided to eat a diet consisting only of oatmeal. I determined that it was ok to add different ingredients to my oats to ensure that I was getting protein and other essential things. The first night I cooked my oats, poured in half a can of beans, big chunks of cheese, fresh tomato and copious amounts of sour cream, topped by taco seasoning, and stirred it all together. In appearance this looked rather terrible and caused my fellow climbers to look disgusted. I was offered pizza by some other climbers at the table next to ours, although some of my friends eventually manned up and tried my food, which looked sickeningly similar to vomit, and decided that it wasn't as horrible as it looked.

On the Second night I again prepared my meal. As I was preparing to eat it cold, Vadim convinced me to wait, and heat it up on the stove he, John and Tony had just used to cook their meal. When it was heated up, it became a gooey mess of cheese, tomato, beans and of course oatmeal. This night I managed to get everyone to try some! It was, oddly enough, an instant classic. Tony admitted that he would eat it again; Allen proclaimed that he would probably end up eating it at home on occasion! Because of this, I have included a recipe for those who would like to further their dirt-bagging skills!

Ingredients:
Kroger quick-cook oats
Kroger brand? sour cream
Kroger seasoned black beans
Fresh tomato
Kroger cheddar cheese
Taco seasoning packet

Cooking instructions:
Boil water, add oats (but don't really cook them), remove from heat. Add half a can of beans, cheese (don't really cut it, just hack it into larger pieces), "chopped" tomato (again be lazy and and just sort of chop it). At this point add a lot of sour cream, and top it off with taco seasoning to taste. At this point your stove should be put away, so look around for another stove to use, ask the owner of the stove to let you heat your stuff. heat until gooey and delicious. Serve hot (or cold if you couldn't find a stove) eat out of the pot and drink a cold (or warm) PBR! Enjoy!

09/13/09

2009-09-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

After sleeping well into the morning, the crew decided that a trad day at Long Wall and Fortress Wall was in store.

I got my 3rd and 4th ever trad leads on Autumn (5.9) and Rock Wars (5.10a)! Such amazing lines, and definitely had my Elvis leg working overtime! John and Lang also led Autumn, and Lang cleaned Rock Wars. John top-rope onsighted the Suitors Crack (7a) which was super sick, hopefully he'll get the send on gear next time!!

Lang and I both gave decent redpoint goes on the 5 star sport line "The Gift" (7a+), and I fell off 2 inches from the final jug...

Fortress Wall also had some firsts with Tony getting his first trad lead (American Crack) and Lang and I free soloing Calypso III (my first FS). Katie Scat led a scary 5.6 (5.8R) crack called Calypso II, as did Lang and I.

All in all a rocking weekend!!

09/12/09

2009-09-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday included gratuitous amounts of laziness from me, Lang, and Chase at the Darkside. There ended up being more substantial quantities of beer, sausage and bacon on the camp grill, and photography than there was actual climbing. I spent what felt like 2 hours hanging in a harness on Darth Moll whilst taking pictures of Jeff, Nick, and Lang on The Force (7c+). Probably worth it, some of the pictures turned out bad ass! Lang figured out some crucial crux beta and Chase was sticking the moves when he wasn't sulking under lack of motivation. I gave it one go on Mama Benson (7a+), and we called it a day.

Met up with Katie, John, Tony, and Vladim back at Miguel's for some pizza and PBR! There we decided some night cragging at Phantasia was in order, and picking up Johnny Slice on our way out.

I hung the draws on Creature Feature and only clipped 3 bolts and then the anchors, running it out well above groundfall potential just for kicks. Not to be outdone, Lang upped the ante by stripping down and getting the first true "flash" of Creature Feature. Moreso than mine, Lang's mischief became the modus operendi of the night, with a total of 4 naked ascents and 1 naked top-rope flail (Vladim). Highlights include John and Vladim standing naked in their harnesses, arms around each other, singing "Throw the Jew down the Well" from Borat, as well as the capturing of one of the most...er...remarkable(?) climbing pictures of all time as Lang's feet cut on the roof to expose, well, everything...

(photos coming soon)

Welcome!

2009-09-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is the maiden escapade of teamPBRclimbing.blogspot.com!

This blog will serve to give narrative and photographic evidence to the wanderings and meanderings of Team PBR from Red River Gorge and beyond. Coming soon will be a post from this past weekend's stories and pictures of epic trad sends, projecting sport, and naked night climbing!