Lina in Moe's Valley

Before Lina went back to Sweden we escaped Salt Lake City for a couple days to climb in Moe's Valley.  She figured it was her last chance to climb outside for a spell.  Here are a couple pictures.

 Lina working out Device Ignitor 

 An awesome double arete

Success on Device Ignitor!

Somebody needs a new pair of shoes

Chasing Sun

After dropping Lina off at the airport in Salt Lake City and finishing work Hammie and I headed to St George.  Dad-camp is in full swing and in the next couple weeks we'll really get amongst it.

Our time in SLC was great as I got to shack up with a couple of my favorite people (thanks Hannah and Dain!) but I was ready to leave for warmer climates and dry stone.  Hammie and I will be spending the first leg of dad-camp around St George and due to the shear amount of rock I bet we won't be ready to leave for awhile.

Salt Lake City the day we rolled out.  It only took 20 minutes to escape the parking spot.

 Hodge making the most of a snowy day.

The scene outside St George.  Let the climbing commence 

Las Vegas Bouldering with Colin Horvat

While we were in Vegas I got word that my friend Colin was also in town.  One morning he has 3 hours before work so played tour guide at the Kraft Boulders and watched him crush some classics.  Here is a little video.
Hope you enjoy


Las Vegas Bouldering: A morning session at the Kraft Boulders from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.


And for full disclosure, Progressive Guy and Ultraviolet where actually done on a different day.

Vomit, Ice and Hotels

Even though I escaped the misery of Swedish winters it isn't always sunny and warm here in the States.  A recent cold spell that has farmers throughout California fretting over crops has also troubled us and sent us into contingency mode.  Our little family was snowed out of Joshua Tree and then Hammie spent a night projectile vomiting.  Our attempt to escape to warmer conditions in Las Vegas was interrupted with hurried stops so I could spew into the desert and while Vegas was indeed "warmer" it could hardly be described as pleasant.  The combination of freezing temperatures and sickness has sent us scrabbling to discount accommodations and in the last 10 days I've filled my hotel quota for the next year.

While the hotel life isn't cheap by dirtbag standards it has allowed our little family to recover from sickness and kept my girls warm and sane.  We've also braved the cold a few days and are hoping to escape the hotel a few more times before the journey to cold Salt Lake City.

I do realize that I have no reason to complain about weather as my Swedish friend are hunkered down in Scandinavia but I'm still going to shake my fist at the thermometer and wish I was bronzing under the warm sun.  Fortunately the weather is getting warmer and we have a couple nice days in St. George to look forward to.

Here are a few pictures

 Praire pre-snow on Stem-Gem in Joshua Tree

One of the cooler new problems I did in J-Tree.  Frenchie is a little dirty but with a little more traffic it should clean up nice

 Two sickies.  The vomiting was over at this point but we where far from good.  I'm glad Lina never got the sickness

 Desert Rain is an awesome problem in Red Rocks outside Las Vegas

Lina on a cool steep problem in Red Rocks

On the Road Again

Happy New Year!  It may be a couple days late but I hope 2013 brings big things for everyone.

We brought in the New Year with friends and family in Malibu and have spent the last few days hanging on the beach and hitting up local climbing spots.  Our plans have been up in the air but now it looks like we'll be on a route that takes us through Joshua Tree, Vegas, and Moe's Valley on our way to Salt Lake City.  I'll try to be more on top of the blog as I've been busy sorting video footage (always a time consuming task) and I've got some big plans for Kearney Journey in 2013.

For the time being here are a couple older videos from Joshua Tree in case someone near by needs motivation to come meet up this weekend.



Joshua Tree Bouldering: Bittersweet and So High from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.


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Joshua Tree Bouldering from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.

The Tickler

The French Tickler is one of the best lines in the Tanks.  It is a bit intimidating and when I went there to support some friends I opted not to repeat this great problem.  Here are a couple pictures of the Tickler

 Antonio wishing he had a little more foam.  It's hard to see but the landing is slanted and sky-hooks are used to keep the pads from sliding.

 Nuno using a heel to reach the left gastone

 Antonio focused 

Wobbly Pop

Anyone who follows the blog knows I like to develop.  The excitement of exploration and creating something from nothing is a major draw for me and even when I'm in well established areas I find myself scrabbling around looking for something new.  Fortunately Hueco Tanks has any number of nooks and crannies and some of the climbs waiting to be found are high quality.

Last season I brushed up and worked a cool roof climb on West Mountain and this year I made a point of going back to finish it off.  After a couple days of effort Wobbly Pop was born.  Of the 20 or so problems I've established at Hueco I think this one is the best.  It involves all you'd expect from a cryptic Hueco problem, toe/heel-hooks, a knee-bar and some power endurance to finish it off.

Here are a couple pictures.

Keith Allen sticks the first move of Wobbly Pop

The crux sequence revolves around a small crimp/pinch.  We discovered a knee-bar that helps you easily get the crimp but you then have to make a long pull off it to the lip.  Here Byron reaches for the crimp.

Keith Allen gearing up for the big move to the lip

It's not over when you hit the lip as you still have to core up and pull a toe-hook.