Puddles.....R.I.P.

One of Solkintens more popular problems recently lost a very key hold.  Puddles is now a shadow of it's former self, no longer a moderate test piece but instead a heinous crimp project.  It came as a surprise as the broken crimp seemed totally solid and when it broke it left nothing.  I'm sure the problem still goes but it will require long pulls on sharp little crimps and doesn't seem very appealing.

 Bummel mourns the loss of a good problem

Examining the crimp he just ripped off

 Imagine how good this crimp must have felt

Stella and Albin were shoeing up when the hold broke.  Take my word for it,it was a fantastic problem 

The new beta will require plenty of this

Glue the hold back?  Bummel states what we think about gluing

The Once-ler Project

The Once-ler Project is steep and hard.  In a couple sessions I've managed to do all the moves but don't feel even close to completing the thing.  When it goes I reckon it'll be one of the harder things I've done and the hardest think in Solklinten.  Time will tell as new beta might be found or it may just work to my weaknesses.  Regardless, I'm psyched to get back on it on a good day.

Working the Once-ler Project

A closer shot of the big move.  This is the 5th move and you still have 4 more hard moves before easier territory on the top-out.  

Wishing I had more skin and stronger tendons.  

Grickle-grass

Here's another project I finished up in Solklinten.  I called it Grickle-grass.

Grickle-grass sit-starts in little overhanging dihedral 

Pulling over the bulge before the balancy move at the top

Trident

Lately I've managed to tick off a couple projects at Solklinten.  It's nice to finish off stuff as I've got too many projects in general.  Here are some pictures of one of the latest problems that I called Trident

 Erik contemplating the top-out of Trident

 Bummel gearing up for the first of three left hand bumps

Erik doing the first move of Trident 

Newness and Projects at Solklinten

I'm continuing my barrage of new boulder problems with a few from Solklinten.   

Sticking the first move of a new steep climb

After the opening dyno the problem follows good holds to the left before rolling over the lip.  The straight-up is tall and looks pretty difficult.

Working the opening moves of another problem on a second wall only 100 meters from the last one.  This problem shares the same highball top-out with a problem further right and both are undone as the top was wet the day I was there.  Psyched to go back.

Doing the long move on the right problem.

A rather impressive sloper problem on a solitary boulder has several thuggy moves from a sit-start to a hard sloper top-out.  All the move except the top-out has been done

A New Season in Solklinten

As the weather warms we will inevitably be spending lots of time at my mother-in-law's summer house on Tjörn, and that means more time at Solkinten.  We were up there a couple weeks ago and I made it out for some exploration and yet again stumbled upon some good stuff.  It's amazing how this area keeps producing quality rock climbs as just when I think I've seen it all something else pops up.  I know I've been talking about trying to put out more information and a possible mini-guide and hopefully that will happen this summer.  The area needs something as the majority of the roughly 130 established boulder problems have been done only by myself and many of the best and most difficult require a little guidance to find.  There is also potential for hundreds of more problems (yes, I said hundreds) and while a doubt a mini-guide will bring many people willing to brush it might help contribute to development.

So until I get my act together people that want to visit the area should feel free to email me for information.  As always I'm eager share whatever beta I can with folks and if possible provide a guided tour, just keep in mind I might drag you to a new sector and hand you a brush.

Here are a couple of the brand-new things I found

This striking slab line proved to be more difficult than anticipated.  What I thought would be a quick stop to establish a great warm-up turned into a two hour ordeal to unlock beta and finally scrape my way to the top.  I called the slab "Wiggle-room" due to a worm-like feature and the tiny margin that separated the many fails from the actual send.

This is a gem of a boulder for moderate climbers.  What is not visible in this picture are 3 cool aretes and a couple face climbs all with perfect landing and just waiting to be done.  I didn't have my ladder or much time the day I found this boulder and the one problem I tried shut me down.  I was unable to properly brush the top or the stand would probably have gone.  While the stand start alone will be a struggle it's the obvious sit-start requiring thuggy power on slopey rails that I'm ampted to get back to.

Excessive Calories and Puddles

I’ve made it back to the good old USA and I celebrated touchdown at my final destination by consuming a doube-meat green-chili bacon cheese burger.  God bless America.  I’m currently on my way down to Hueco Tanks to burn off those excessive calories. 

I seem to have left Sweden just in time as the first snow has now blanketed the landscape and climbing in Gothenburg just got shutdown.  Fortunately things should be dried out by the time I get back to Sweden in April.

Until I get out on some rocks in the land of the free here are a couple pictures of John on Puddles from my last climbing day in Sweden.

 John snags the intermediate before the crux

 Puddles 

Try face

John tries to seduce Puddles with his sexy face.  Puddles wasn't quite so easy and needs a second date. 

Getting the Word Out on Solklinten

Throughout the summer I've put lots of effort into developing a new area called Solklinten.  I've spent many a precious climbing day running through the woods finding gems and countless hours making them climbable.

I think I have done enough exploring and development around the world to speak with some degree of authority about an area's quality and potential and I can say that Solklinten captured my attention for the better part of a year.  

Solklinten may not be a world destination but it has some amazingly good problems of all levels and the potential is impressive.  I have personally established roughly 100 problems but they are spread over a large area as I've been picking off the problems that appeal to me.  There are certainly clusters with a dozen or more climbs next to each other but some of the best problems are fairly isolated.  I'm still finding amazing things and if the area ever got fully developed it would easily have 500 quality problems and over 1000 if developed to the level of Kjugekull.  I actually liken Solklinten to Kjugekull as it has the potential to be a similar area in turns of the amount of bouldering from a single parking area (I believe Solklinten actually has more but it covers a larger area).  All it would take is some work.

At this point Solklinten will appeal to the explorers who are willing to hike around and find things, hopefully bringing brushes and adding something of there own.  It would be easy for someone to visit the area with little guidance, find only a couple things and right the area off as limited.  Essentially I need to produce some type of guide to help folks navigate around but do to the size and terrain it seems like quite an undertaking.  I guess my stance on grades doesn't help the situation either as folks seem less likely to visit an area without a bag of numbers to chase.  

I do hope to produce better information on what has been done and where the best potential lies but who knows when/if I'll get around to it.  For anyone that would like to visit the area and get a tour/information feel free to contact me at kearneyjourney@gmail.com

Me on a slopey project that should go down the next day with good temps

Hostage Taker once again

Lina on her name's sake, Lina's Arete

Back at Solklinten

Last weekend I recruited the help of the young and strong Erik Grandelius to try the Miracle project at Solklinten.  The crux eluded us and while we are certain that it goes, the fact that Erik didn't figure it out has me (being considerably weaker) concerned.  

After getting shutdown on the project I showed Erik, Fredrik, and Martin one of my favorite problems in the area, Hostage Taker.  Erik got the second ascent.  Here are a couple picture of Hostage Taker from earlier this Summer.

 Ivan on the opening move of Hostage Taker

 Poa working toward the crux top-out.

Poa

The Miracle Project

My buddy Ivan was in Sweden for a couple weeks and brought his motivation.  We went out a couple times and it was nice having someone keen to attack projects.  It was the first time I've had someone to climb with on the Miracle Project and we narrowed down the beta as we threw ourselves at it. It is impressive and I can't wait to get back on it.

Ivan on the beginning of the Miracle Project

Solklinten on WikiBoulder

A friend of mine created a website called WikiBoulder that seems one of the better sites for posting information on bouldering areas.  My skills at creating topos is pretty limited but I've begun the process of adding Solklinten.  Hopefully the information will take some of the mystery out of the area.  On WikiBoulder I've tried to place the "area markers" as exact as possible and while the topos I've created are pretty rough they should give you a basic layout of most of the problems in that area.  There is still lots to add and I haven't put on any grades (like normal) but the site lets anyone edit so feel free to improve on what I've done.  Hope this helps and I'll try to add more in the coming week.

Here's another picture from Solklinten

Oskar on one great sloper problems on the Puddles Boulder

Radar

Gia savagely crimps on one of Solklinten's most popular problems, Radar.

Better Beta for Solklinten

Solklinten is a large area and that is probably why it gets so little traffic.  It seems counter-intuitive that larger areas deter visitors but it seems most folks don't want to run around trying to find things.  My hope was that people would visit the area, spend some time looking around and break out their brushes when they found something worth climbing.  Unfortunately that didn't seem to happen as nearly all the 70 or so problems have been put up by only a few of us.  So it goes.

Currently I'm hoping to provide more detailed info on how to find the larger sectors and some of the better single problems.  This should entice folks that don't want the adventure aspect of just running around.  If someone has a good program for making topos and wouldn't mind shooting it my way it would be greatly appreciated.

Here are a couple more pictures from Solklinten

 Johan on a sloper project

 The sloper project might have to wait until it cools down a bit

 Another undone problem that has been brushed up

Wild Bill Jones

One of the steeper problems in Solklinten is Wild Bill Jones.  The good edges make for dangling feet and lots of fun.

Johan sticks the first move of Wild Bill Jones

Solklinten Goodies: Left and Right-hand Paths

A couple weeks ago Johan and I brushed up a solitary roof I found a year ago but never got around to brushing.  The roof yielded two problems and we assigned slightly confusing names.

Johan does the opening move of The Right-hand Path, which goes straight up the cleft feature via a bad pinch and a long reach.

Johan on the first move of The Left-hand Path, which traverses right and tops out via jugs right of The Right-hand Path

Chuck Norris Doesn't Fall

Last week I finally made it to a high beautiful arete I've been thinking about for awhile.  I'd found the line a couple months ago but have had a hard time finding someone willing to go out there with me.  So last week when Pontus called and said he was up for an afternoon session I new exactly where I wanted to go.  

The arete is tall and striking.  I was initially worried that the crack running to the right of the arete would "interfere" with the arete line and make it "too easy" but the climbing is such that the crack and arete are two separate lines that share the same start.  The crack line went down quickly but was definitively not easy and at the end of the day, and to my surprise,  I found myself topping out the arete after nearly falling off the last move.

I call the crack exit Lonewolf McQuade and the arete Chuck Norris Doesn't Fall.  Both climbs are excellent and not to be missed by high-ball lovers visiting the area.

      

 Thinking about how much I don't want to fall from the top

At this point on the climb one can go right to the easier Lonewolf McQuade or follow the airy arete and hope to be like Chuck Norris and not fall 

Solklinten Goodies: I Must Break You and Y-Crack

 Y-Crack isn't so hard but will test your mental fortitude as it's a bit high

 I Must Break You has an early crux that requires a heel-hook and a subtle mantel. 

It's a good idea to properly brush and tick the top.  It's a reoccurring lesson I learned the hard way once again.  

Solklinten Goodies: Stallone Area

When entire areas are going up I find it difficult to apply names to all the problems and keep track of what I've done.  I have certainly been slacking as I have only named about a tenth of the 70ish problems we've put up in Solklinten.  Since retro-naming generally doesn't happen Johan and I decided to pick a theme for a small sector we started to brush up and actually name the new problems the same day we put them up.  What better theme than Sylvester Stallone.  Here are a few of the problems that went up.

Johan on the sectors best, Over the Top.  

Sticking the first move and gearing up for the slopy top-out

Party at Kitty and Stud's (the original name of Stallone's first movie) uses thuggery to climb out a short overhang.

Italian Stallion (the re-release name of Stallone's first movie) follow's the arete and shares a top-out with the previous problems.  Both problems will appeal to folks that like steeper climbing

Solklinten Goodies: Hostage Taker

Hostage Taker took longer to put together than I anticipated.  The solitary line of holds out the steep bulge had the look of something I'd put together in a few burns and I initially wondered if it was worth the time to brush up.  Ultimately the line was too enticing and to my surprise I found myself defeated after the first session.  The top-out that I thought would be a gimme ended up being anything but and it would take another session and a little help from my friend Said to finally piece out the problem.  

Hostage Taker is big moves on good holds to a slightly strenuous sloppy top-out.  The movement is sustained and knowing the sequence for the top-out will certainly help.  My friend Pontus was there on the first day and posted a couple more picture on his blog.  

The first move of Hostage Taker uses a heel-toe and bad underclings to reach a jug.