Vegas Baby Vegas

Las Vegas has been pretty sweet.  Between playing the slots and cruising the Strip I've managed to get out and climb a few boulder problems.  It's been bronzing weather in the sun and perfect temps in the shade and we generally plan our climbing days accordingly.  I've managed to make it out to some of the more remote areas and have been cherry-picking the gems. Viva Las Vegas

 Lisa on a cool highball warmup

 Tom on the bicep intensive Americana Exotica 

 Richard (aka Big D) on Wishbone

 Lisa on Frailty

Tom working Tailpipe 

Natural Disasters

Looks like I left the Tanks just in time as I hear from friends that it's snowing.  Glad I just arrived in Las Vegas where it I'll be climbing in a t-shirt.  

Here are a couple picture of one of the cooler new problems I managed to do in the Tanks, Natural Disasters.  

 Walter sets up for the dyno after roughly 10 moves of climbing

The cool rail feature of Natural Disasters

Lisa reaching of the finishing jug

Big Boy Climbs

One thing about the Tanks is that it is chalk full of difficult rock climbs.  That generally mean that even the strongest will have a hard time climbing out the area.  I've managed a few supposed hard climbs but there are many many more that I have little or no chance of doing.  Here are a few pictures.

 Brian works the dyno on Yellow Diamond, a problem that has only been done by Daniel Woods and Jimmy Webb.  I will most likely never do this boulder problems.

 Jimmy sticks the crux on Slashface.  Maybe I'll be able to climb this one someday.

Andy trying hard on Power of Silence.  I hope to send this one this winter.

Life in the Desert

The Tanks just got busy as the Christmas breakers are down in full-force.  Gone are the days you could waltz into the park at 10:00 and get straight to climbing as now you best start lining up at the gate 6:00am to ensure a spot on North Mountain, especial during the weekend.  Fortunately I've got plenty of hookups and I've been spending most of my time on tours with friends to the "guided only" areas of Hueco Tanks.  The perks of being a "local".

I've been climbing some almost everyday and my body feels like a train-wreck.  Amazingly I've been able to scrape myself up something almost everyday but the big-time projects are not the 4th-day-on variety so it looks like I'll be taking a real off day before my last day.  I've got one day to grow skin and one day to send everything in the Park.........we'll see how it goes.

Here are some numbers from my time in the States thus far
Days in USA: 13
Days climbing: 10
Days climbing in a t-shirt: 5
New Problems ascended:  9
Percentage of meals that were wrapped in a tortilla:  85%
Flappers: 2
Showers: 1 (I'll be taking number two in a few minutes)
Compliments on hair:  1 (I'm pretty sure she was being sarcastic)
Skype sessions with Lina and Hammie in Sweden:  5
Girls I'm desperately missing:  2

Here are a few lifestyle pictures from the Desert

 Neighbors

 Shepard's Pie with a bacon-lattice.  Amazing

 Andy, Guide extraordinaire and the mastermind of the bacon-lattice 

 Sisters

 The Tanks, aka my backyard

 Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

 Desert plants

Sunset

More Pictures from the Tanks

Prairie grabs the left-hand crimp on Loaded with Power

Lisa knee-barring on Loaded with Power

Andy on the classic Better Eat you Wheaties

Lisa on a newish roof called Bush-league 

The Desert

Four straight days in the Tanks takes a toll on the body.  I haven't been able to control myself as it's so nice to be in the warm (relatively speaking) desert among good friends and epic boulders.  I'm reminded why I love the Tanks and have high hopes for this season as I'm in better shape than the last two years.  I don't want to jinx myself but I think I could possibly send some long-term projects as some of the lesser ones have already gone down (The French Tickler and Chupacabra).  We'll see how it goes.

Here are a few pictures from the Tanks

 Gustavo runs a lap on Jigsaw Puzzle

 Antonio on one the the more beautiful problems in Hueco, The French Tickler

 Cal on Mexican Chicken

Lisa sticks the sloper on Chupacabra

Adam on Loaded Direct.

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. 

Sandsjöbacka Video

I'm gearing up for my flight to the USA and I hear the beckoning of Hueco Tanks.  Hopefully I'm in decent enough shape to slay a few projects but worst case scenario I'll hang with good friends in the sun and circuit classics.

In the meantime, here's another little video of climbing around Gothenburg.  This one features a few of the classic problems Sandsjöbacka, an area just south of town.  Hope you enjoy.