Getting Our Brush On in Norway

When visiting establish areas I like to thoroughly explore before I decide what to climb on and if you've ever been out with me you know I can disappear for hours in my attempt to see everything.  In all my running around I quite often find some undone lines that catch my attention and sometimes they are so good they "need" to be climbed.  In Rogaland I was pretty much guaranteed to find something good as even the popular areas have an abundance of untouched rock.  For some it might seem strange to visit an area and spend half your time bushing new problems but it's normal for me.  When I stand under a striking line I want to do it regardless of where I am or if it's brushed.

In general the problems I choose to brush are not rejects of low quality but good (and sometimes stunning) lines that haven't been seen or were overlooked for one reason or another.  In Rogaland there is no reason to climb on shitty problems as there is so much rock you can just wander around finding gems.  I could easily take a trip to Rogaland and not climb on a single established problem as world-class boulders are everywhere just waiting for someone to clean them up (and don't worry,  there are plenty of world class problems already done).  Maybe it's just my way of helping out the locals as they will need an army of developers to scratch the surface.

Here are pictures of just a couple things we brushed in Rogaland.

The first area we visited didn't have any established problems.  We stopped just to check it out and quickly realized we could spend days at this one place.  The best problems where stunning highballs that we didn't have the time to brush and we settled for a couple more reasonable problems.  Here Pyssel contemplates an awesome rail problem (bad lighting in the photo).  The last move crux was too much for us and it still waits for an ascent.  One of the highball aretes we wished we had time for is in the background.

This prow is also in the fist area and the best problem we managed to do.  The rock in this area does require a bit of brushing but it cleans up nice.  

 Pyssel climbing the right arete of the prow.  There is another obvious start under the roof to the left that Pyssel got painfully close to doing.  We will have to go back for that one.

Pyssel trying one of Tore's projects at Lilandsdalen.  

I cleaned up this line at Lilandsdalen but the landing needed a little work before I could commit.  Would love to go back to this one.

Tore took up to this amazing looking boulder and while the lines are worthy it wasn't as good as Tore remembered.  We tried the left a arete but in the end opted to save our skin.  Anywhere else we'd be chomping at the bit to climb on this boulder but in Rogaland it is nothing special.

Pyssel fondling the grips of another new problem. 

This impressive prow got 3 ascents the day we brushed it up and Tore would later return to add the obvious sitstart.

One of the best lines we saw in Rogaland was a project in Hunnedalen that a visiting Swed had brushed up in the Spring.  We worked the moves on rope and in the end Tumle was the only one to get up this technical masterpiece.  This problem should be on your list when visiting Rogaland.

Rogaland: A Bouldering Mecca

I realize when using the superlative to describe a climbing area it is going to elicit some opinions to the contrary.  That said, Rogaland might be a candidate for the best bouldering area in the world.  I've been to many of the world's most renowned bouldering locations (Rocklands being the most glaring exception) and Rogaland holds it's own or surpasses the other heavy hitters.  Yes, it is just my opinion and I tend to prefer granite over other rock types but I consider myself to be discerning and well informed.  It is indeed subjective but even if Rogaland isn't number 1 on your list there is no denying it as a world-class destination.

Here's a couple things to consider regarding Rogaland......

Quantity:  Having an endless supply of rock is perhaps the easiest of Rogaland's qualities to point out.  There is so much rock that it is almost a bad thing (if that is possible) as you become desensitized to house-sized blocks as you drive past hundreds if not thousands of them.  Needless to say the potential is staggering.

Quality:  Fortunately all that rock is not wasted as the choss factor is low and the vast majority of rock is high quality granite.  As tends to be the case with granite some areas can be "sharp" but others have the feel of sandstone.  The rock is extremely climbable and makes for amazing lines (why I love granite) and steep climbing without being overly featured.

Setting:  Rogaland's breathtakingly beauty is the reason tourists flock from around the world and since the entire region is chalk full of boulders you can look forward to climbing in some of the most amazing settings ever.

Access:  Many areas are roadside or with short approaches and Norway has a solid infrastructure of roads spider-webbing through the rugged landscape.  Finding and developing new areas is pretty much effortless.  There are currently few access problems but some areas are more sensitive than others.  While Norway's "every man's right" guarantees a degree of access to all land users it is important to remember that many boulders are on private property and climbers should be respectful.  It only takes a couple douchebags to ruin it for everyone.


And now for the bad news.....

Expensive:  Norway is not cheap.  In fact, it is the most expensive country in the world.  A dirtbag can still get by with selective grocery shopping and camping (there is no shortage of beautiful places to camp) but if you are looking to eat out or have a roof over your head you best bring a fat wallet.

Weather:  Rogaland is not known for it's dry climate.  If you want the "sick temps bro" that come in the spring and fall it will be a gamble to book a trip as it could get rained out. The summers are drier and the long days provide more than enough time to climb but certain areas can be a bit buggy.

More specific info on Rogaland coming in the near future.  In the meantime here are a couple pictures

Kalle on the amazing Little Joy.  A roadside boulder with a 3-star problem

Another roadside gem, Sorgfri.

Kalle sampling the perfect stone of Tirpitz.

A random photo taken from the car.  It pretty much looks like this everywhere, except there are often more boulders.

It takes less than 10 minutes to hike to those boulders but in Rogaland that is considered a small boulder field and a long approach. 

Collaboration, Instagram, and a couple Pictures

The blog has been going along at a snails pace recently and I apologize for that.  At some point I'd like to make some serious upgrades to Kearney Journey but the time required to do so deters my feeble efforts.  That being said there are a couple recent developments for those with a voracious appetite for climbing media.

Firstly, I've joined forces with my friends at Climbingpics.  If you haven't seen the blog it is pretty much what the name suggests as we post a new picture Monday to Friday.  Anyways, I'll be posting pictures there from time to time so if you can't get through the day without your dose of climbing porn you should check it out.

Secondly, I've just signed up for Instagram.  I figured I've got a smart phone so why not pepper folks with pictures from my adventures.  Those of you that are interested in new development will probably like this as I realized most of the pictures on my phone are new areas/problems.  I'll posting the pictures to my Facebook page for those of you without Instagram that want to follow.

And a report from Norway is a bit overdue but it is coming.  In the meantime here are a couple pictures of some problems from Sweden's best coast.

Pyssel on the the FA of Rainbow Rocket 2.  It's surprisingly difficult to coordinate the double-step dyno.

Henrik trying Executive Privilege, a problem I put up a couple years ago.

Sefan on the amazing Hippopotamus with trad-climbers spectating.  

Heading to the Mecca of Rogaland

I've got 5 days and a favorable forecast to visit what I consider to be among the best bouldering regions I've ever seen.  It still amazes me that Rogaland is not on the radar of most climbers but I'll see if I can help turn that around.

Just one of many amazing boulder fields in Rogaland.  A picture from my first trip to Rogaland in 2006.

Slaying a Giant: Abiyoyo Goes Down

Last year I posted about a giant boulder up in Bohuslan and I made several mentions of an amazing arete on said boulder.  I still remember the sheer joy I felt when first laying eyes on the arete as lines like that one are the reason I spend countless hours scouring maps, driving back-roads and bushwhacking through brush.  It is a king line on an impressive boulder and it just "needed" to be climbed.  Unfortunately on the first day of cleaning/trying we were so totally shutdown that the arete became "a problem for the future" that I put on the back-burner, hoping one day my skills would suffice.  It took about 5 years before I paid another visit to the giant boulder where I was greeted by wet rock but I was reminded of how great this problem looked and the arete got bumped up to the top of my list.  So after returning to Sweden this yearI figured it was time to start going down that list.

At first the arete felt every bit as impossible as it did that first day but slowly things started coming together.  In the end it only took one long session of work to unlock the sequence and a return trip with fresh skin and muscles to send.  This problem had been stewing for years and seeing as how the boulder itself is gargantuan I figured I'd name the arete after the giant Abiyoyo.  Abiyoyo is from South African folklore and made famous(ish) by Pete Seeger.  This is up among the best FAs I've ever done.

Here are a couple pictures. 

Thanks to a smaller adjacent boulder we start the arete at an obvious "jug" in about the middle and the problem avoids being airy.  The low start definitely goes and almost doubles the climbing and will add a good amount to difficult.  The landing might look a little sketchy but the risk of falling to into our makeshift landing is minimal.

Gearing up for the red-point crux.  The climbing is the perfect mix of strength and technique and there is no place to take a breath until the lip.

Hold a swing then just a few more "easy" moves before the 6 meters of victory climbing to the tiptop of the giant boulder.

Little Rock City Video

Another little video from my time in the States.  This one has a bunch of classic in Little Rock City (aka Stone Fort).  Hope you enjoy.



Little Rock City Bouldering from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.

Little Cottonwood Canyon Video

Here's a little video from a snowy session in LCC a few months ago.


Three Problems at the Secret Garden: Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.