Saturday, February 27, 2010

Projects

We've spent the first week in the Tanks collecting projects. Lina and Peter have problems that are new and exciting as they haven't spent time in Hueco, but the projects remaining for me are old nemesis I have tried about once a year for the last 5 years. I'm hoping a few will go down before I start spiraling down into bitterness. I've got a little over a week and a long list so we'll see how it goes.


David on Power of Landjager. This is the foremost of the problems I want to do and after falling after the crux the other day I have high hopes

Peter trying Better Eat you Wheaties.


Lina dialing in the moves on Lobster Claw.

Back in the Tanks

We've been down in Hueco Tanks for the last week. It's like coming home for me as I started climbing at the Tanks almost 10 years ago and have spent more time here than any other area. That being said I generally only have projects left and if I don't arrive in good shape I quickly become bitter while stubbornly throwing myself at everything. Fortunately Lina and Peter have never been here so I can keep myself in check by playing tour guide and hanging with Hammie.

We've managed to survive the first week with no flappers or serious injuries as we ease into the Hueco style of climbing. We'll be taking a break for a couple days and hopefully our rested bodies will yield tons of sending in the following week.

Here are a couple pics with plenty more to come.

Derek sending Loaded Direct

Glenn gets close on Diabolic

Prairie on McBain

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Promised Land

Zion National Park is full of potential. We climbed very briefly and hiked around a bit but we mostly drooled out our car window as we drove by hundreds of sandstone blocks. Here's a couple pics.

Lina on the entrance boulder.

Peter on a fun sloper problems

Potential

Vegas Baby Vegas

Here's a couple pics from our brief stop in the land of sleaze a week or so ago. We spent a couple hours at the boulders in Calico Basin and then drove toward the big city lights for a sensory overload. We caught a bad case of Vegas-fever but the debauchery will remain under-wraps. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

The Angel Dyno. What I believe to be the best line in the Kraft boulders.


Lina in the Kraft boulders


Random fun problem

Apparently Vegas is full of hot slutty girls that just want to get with you. That explains the mobs of fratboys wandering the Strip

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Trip report and a few more pics from Bishop

So there hasn't been too much climbing the last week or two. Lina's dad and brother are here and we've been winding our way from Los Angeles toward Pie Town doing the sightseeing/family thing. We've actually been having consistently bad weather and I've come to the conclusion that when more than three Swedes get together they start to produce their own poopy weather. Crazy Swedes.

We havemanaged to get a few climbing days in here and there to keep the shakes at bay and because they happen to be cool places in themselves. We made a quick stop at the Kraft Boulders before heading into Las Vegas for a night filled with debauchery (Hammie picked up an addiction to slots and started chain smoking. Vegas gets them early) and we touched some sandstone in Zion National Park before weeping as we drove away without getting to really explore the park's vast potential. And now we're in Sedona, AZ and hoping for a full day of climbing tomorrow. Psyched.

Hoping to add some pics from Vegas and Zion but in the meantime here a couple more pics from Bishop.




Peter on the Motherload Travers


John on Rio's Arete


Noah on Water Sapps

Monday, February 8, 2010

The Volcanics

Here are a few pics from the volcanics

Lina cruising Heavenly Path


Off the deck on Lawnmower Man


Peter on Slunk


Toe hooking on the Gleaner

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Bishop Report

Bishop is renowned for it's winter bouldering. With thousands of problems and generally stable weather it's a popular choice for those hoping to escape their cold and dark homes for some climbing in the sun. Unfortunately Bishop is not immune from freak storms that can dump snow on unsuspecting road-trippers. It was one of these unplanned storms that chased us to Joshua Tree but several days after the weather cleared we headed back to Bishop to assess the damages.

The good news was that we would be climbing, but unfortunately we had to settle for the volcanic tablelands as the granite areas were socked in. We cut our losses and made the most of the situation, accepting our fate and searching out the best problems in the Happy and Sad boulders. This being Peter's first time in Bishop he had no idea what he was missing and I tried not to taint his view of the volcanics with constant slander and comparisons to my beloved Buttermilks. We did enjoy the extra degrees of warmth you get in the volcanics and I figured worst case scenario I'd get a bitchin' tan.

In the end the volcanics weren't quite the purgatory I thought they'd be as Peter found some problems he liked, Lina went about repeating problems and wrangling with some projects, and I began trying things I've never had the skin or the motivation to try before. Some of the crappy looking "hard" problems turned out to be pretty fun and a few highballs even go on the recommended problems list.

We did get one day in the Milks but our problems were chosen for us as snow still covered the top of most boulders. Being back in the Milks made regret the 5 straight days in the volcanics that had me feeling wrecked but I still managed to flash Moonraker (an uninspiring sideways climb that was dry. thanks to David for "making" me try it) and got close on Little Forgotten and Bubba Gump. Now that I'm starting to feel in shape I'm jazzed to go back.

Peter got painfully close on Soulslinger but as you saw in the last post it ended badly.

Between my wrecked boby, Peter's flapper and a nagging elbow and shoulder for Lina it will be good to take some days off and recuperate. No better place to do that than Malibu.

Here are a couple pics from the day in the Milks.


Snowy

Peter about to get a flapper from hell


David climbs sideways on Moonraker


Bubba Gump proves a little too much for me