Frustration Station

Prepare for an insignificant rant that may have no real world value to you, but may just be cathartic for me.

You've been warned...



AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I want to climb hard boulders faster!

Right now I either do a boulder in a handful of tries or it takes 2-3 days. I'm going to whine about that for a second.

It takes me so long to settle on proper beta and I always second guess myself. So by the time I finally figure out how I want to do a boulder my skin is shredded and seeping fluid like a geyser. It sucks. Then I have to go all the way back to wherever it was at a later date to finish the boulder. It sucks because boulders are far away, gas is expensive, and jobs generally require you to show up with relative frequency. I know I could accomplish more if I either got better at reading beta or figured out how to make my skin last longer.

If anyone knows skin sorcery secrets, let me know. I've tried everything I know of: All the salves in existence, hoof maker, working hands, badger balm, Anti-hydral, and pretty much everything else. Right now the only thing that works is Anti-hydral, but I have to use it 2-3 times a month to keep the puddin' tips at bay.

I'd love to get better at reading beta, but that would require me to climb outside more than once-a-week and that probably isn't going to happen.

I keep getting stronger and I know I could do harder boulders, I just need to find the time.

Whining over.

Nothing But Sunshine

The first three times I went to Chaos Canyon I got rained out. On one of those days I was able to work the moves on Nothing But Sunshine before a light drizzle turned into a full on thunderstorm and we had to run out.

A grainy screen-shot for your viewing pleasure

Yesterday was different. No rain at all, crisp temps, a little cloudy, and a brisk wind. PERFECT! After warming up on a few boulders we headed back to NBS. I was able to get it done in less than an hour and still have time to do a few more classics and check out some other harder lines.

I don't think I'll be able to make it up to the park for another few weeks, so hopefully the snow holds off!

Here is a sweet video we made: https://vimeo.com/110148792

Bouldermoon Update

I'm married!

It's great.

Chelsea and I took our honeymoon to Chattanooga, TN to do some bouldering for a few days as well as eat a lot of good southern food.

Chelsea stomped some boulders that had given her trouble 2 years ago, but a pre-wedding bout of sickness took her out of fighting shape for most of the trip.

Chelsea working on Rail Rider

I was able to do: The Law (V11), Bosley Traverse (V9-), and Shotgun (V6) on one day and then the next day did: Power of Amida (V10) 3rd try, Cleopatra-Cinderella Trav. (V9) 2nd try, I Think I Can (V9), Interplanetary Escape (V9), Cleopatra (V8) 2nd try, Fatigue Syndrome (V8) flash, Aneardon Low (V8), Cinderella (V7) flash, and The Hulk (V6) 2nd try.

The Law

We met some awesome people and had a great time.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Chattanooga, definitely check out The Crashpad. The greatest hostel ever!


And now we are headed back to Colorado!

Carnage

I climbed up a hard (for me) boulder!

"Carnage" is a really cool line that Daniel Woods put up at Guanella Pass on the Ice Knife boulder. It starts on a sweet side-pull pinch for the right hand and a good flat edge for the left. Tristan and Rowland found a way to start on a slightly lower undercling for the left hand and started with their left foot hight on the flat edge instead. It is a totally legit start and is probably good beta for the shorter folks, but didn't work for my long legs.

Anyway...The first day I tried this I fell going for the dyno bump, which is essentially the last hard move. It's a doozie. Even though you are going for a full-pad-3-finger-incut (what you would call a "jug" on a boulder this hard I suppose) I only stuck the move once, it was on the send, and I yelled really loud (rare for me). The move might not be that bad, but I had a hard time committing to actually grabbing the hold because it is pretty sharp and most of your body weight swings off of it, while you try to stay on a 3-finger 1/5pad edge near your belly button.

I'm happy I got it done when I did and it was cool to get the 2nd ascent of such a nice line. Unfortunately it probably marks the end of my outside climbing in Colorado until I get back from my honeymoon at the end of October. Hopefully everything won't be snowed in!

I didn't get video, but here is a sequence of shots from the first day I worked on it that shows all the moves.

Move-by-move of Carnage

Love Mattress

2 Realizations:

-My climbing ability/psych fluctuates in 4 month cycles.

-I climb better when I'm having fun with my friends and I don't care if I send or not.

Tyler on Bessie

We rolled up to Guanella Pass yesterday despite the terrible weather forecast...and had perfect weather the whole time! Plus we had the whole area to ourselves. It was a great day. Geoff sent his first V10-in-a-day with Crimping Matters, Tyler FLASHED Dark Horse (V10), Paul had his first alpine bouldering day after driving in from PA, and I sent Bessie (V10), Crimping Matters (V10), Earth Matters (V10), Life Matters (V7/8), Love Matters (V6/7), Beyond Matters (V8), and a new line that we are calling Love Mattress (V11/12).

Geoff sending Crimping Matters

Hooray!

Love Mattress starts on Love Matters, but instead of making the move to the left hand side pull to finish straight up the arete, it climbs into the start crimps of Earth Matters and finishes that. The moves on Love Matters aren't hard so they don't really affect the grade, but the transition into the crimps and gaining the position to make the first move on Earth Matters is probably V9+ by itself. Then you have to actually do the 3 move V10 that is Earth Matters. I think V11/12 is a fair grade since I think it is harder than all the other V10s at Guanella and similar in difficulty to Mind Matters which is considered V11/12.

Finishing the second crux on the FA of Love Mattress

The bad news is that the boulder was severely dug out by Brian, which I consider to be an ethical no-no. I almost didn't go to the boulder because of this, but I got sucked in by the quality of the rock. I understand the need to groom certain landings to make for a more enjoyable experience, but I also think there is a line that should not be crossed. In this case the ground is soft and has already begun eroding beyond the initial excavation/landscaping. Is the boulder going to fall over? No. After a couple of decades could it slide into the trail? Probably. In the grand scheme of things I guess it isn't a big deal and I did enjoy climbing on the boulder. All I know is it makes me feel bad when I see stuff like that and I hope people will make better decisions and think about the long term impact of what they do and how their actions could influence the actions of others. Rant over.

EDIT 9/8/14:

I received a great response this morning from Brian K. Though we still disagree a bit, I have a lot of respect for his willingness to discuss the situation in a really constructive way. It should be noted that he did not act unilaterally in this situation and had the support of much of the Guanella bouldering community.

Whether a person agrees or disagrees with the decision to move this much dirt, what's done is done, and we all may as well enjoy it without too much grumbling. It is just a boulder after all!

Lincoln Lake!

I have been spending most of my bouldering time at Lincoln Lake recently. While it isn't the best rock around, It really is a cool place. The boulders are very striking, with a minimal amount of holds. The granite has a pretty large grain compared to Area A at Evans. It reminds me of Taylor Canyon outside of Gunnison, so even though it can be a bit sharp and sometimes chossy, there is a nostalgia component for me and I love the climbing style.

The other cool thing about Lincoln is the high concentration of hard boulders. I love going out there and getting thoroughly shut down. Right now I am getting destroyed by The Great War For Civilization, a really powerful compression climb with a bunch of slopers for the right hand. Definitely not my style at all. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off this season, but if I do it will be a big step up in my pursuit of being well-rounded.

Here is a video of some sends I was able to film:

https://vimeo.com/103625215

How to Grade

The only grades that matter:

1: Did it!

2: Tried it and haven't done it.

3: Haven't tried it.

"Cleaning"

Digging out and chipping boulders seems commonplace in many bouldering areas in Colorado. It seems like most people know exactly who is doing it, but nobody says anything and the community seems content on allowing it to continue. Yet we completely ostracized Ivan Greene for doing the same thing? This seems extraordinarily hypocritical.

Here, the rock behind the flake was chipped away to create this starting jug.

Much chipping sneaks by under the guise of "cleaning" and these people are quick to defend their actions by stating that their critics don't understand what it takes to clean and develop boulder problems. I have cleaned and developed over 100 boulder problems and a few sport climbs and I understand that there can be a grey area when cleaning a new line, but some of the things I have seen out here are outrageous and blatant manufacturing. 

STOP CHIPPING!

Seriously.

Brain vs. Body

Everyone wants to be better...I guess some people don't, but that seems terribly boring so lets pretend that doesn't happen.

Everyone wants to be better.

Less people have the fortitude to push themselves to be better.

Less people have the knowledge to take full advantage of that fortitude.

Less people have the patience to hone their knowledge and fortitude into actual results.


Sure, some people are born with more advantageous biomechanics or muscle fiber composition, but there are plenty of people with mutant physiology who grossly underperform because they can't get their heads on straight.

Two Dayz

Hooray!

I was able to get out and climb two days in a row this week. Which is about two days more than I've been able to get out recently.

Geoff and I started out Tuesday morning with a trip to Guanella Pass where I was able to send Mind Matters and Darkhorse.

Mind Matters has broken twice in the past few years. The first break made it a lot easier, while the most recent break has restored the boulder to its original state. While the line has been traditionally called V12, I think V11 is a more realistic grade. If you were a seriously short person (like really short), I could see how it would be harder, but whatever. It isn't the prettiest line, but it climbs really well (this seems to be a trend in Colorado).

Darkhorse (V10) is a big steep arete, with a very manageable 90sec approach off the road. This problem is the opposite of Mind Matters in that it is a beautiful line, that doesn't climb as good as it looks. Geoff was really close to the send, falling off the last move twice!

After Darkhorse I worked on Double Dutchez, a short and powerful V12 crimp problem courtesy Dave Graham. I did all the moves and almost sent, but my fingers couldn't handle anymore brutalization. This boulder is WAY harder than Mind Matters and feels like spot on V12. This is the main reason I don't think Mind Matters is V12.

EDIT: I went back today (Wed. 6/25) and did Double Dutchez in 2 tries after switching my foot beta. It didn't feel that hard, but nothing does when you send. It could be easy 12 or solid 11.

Playing with some fun beta after sending Stinkbug

We rolled back to Golden, I went to the dentist, and then we headed straight for RMNP. After camping at Moraine Park we unnecessarily bushwhacked our way to the Stinkbug boulder. I flashed Finite Endeavors (V9), did Stinkbug (V10) in a few tries, and then Stinkbug Variation (V9) first try (not a flash because it shares the first 3 moves with Stinkbug). I worked Power of Ten (V12), but couldn't put the brutal first 3 moves together. I am psyched to come back with some cooler weather!

Geoff on Finite Endeavors

I can't wait to go bouldering again!

Bury Them Bones

I finally made it back to Gunnison to start mopping up the bouldering projects I left when I graduated a few years ago. First on the list was the Nameless Project at the Graveyard Boulders in Taylor Canyon. Caleb Justice and I had checked this line out when we first started developing the Graveyard, but it was too hard back then, so we wrote it off and set to work on the other surrounding blocs. 

Mike getting to work on the project

Two years ago Caleb, Ben Spannuth, and I gave the project another look and the moves finally started coming together. Caleb and Ben figured out some creative toe-hook beta and finally, all the moves were done. Yesterday, Mike Kelliher unlocked some crucial micro-beta at the last minute, and I was able to squeak out a send of the boulder. I named it Bury Them Bones and I think it is probably V11.

Move-by-Move:

The gaston move

The problem starts on a nice flat rail, then powers straight into a hard high-heel gaston match. This sequence leads right into the crux move, a big toss with the right hand to an okay pinch on a slopey rail. After bumping further right to a sharp intricate sloper, the problem transitions from power to tension. Unique bicycle and toe-hook beta allows for a match on the rail and then a blind move around the arete. After turning the arete, an easy slab over a bad landing takes it to the top.

Sticking the crux toss

This is the second double digit addition to the Graveyard Boulders and there are more to be had. As long as you don't mind the river crossing!

I definitely want to give a shout-out again to Caleb, Mike, Ben, and all the others who helped this boulder go down!

Also... I got engaged to Chelsea on Saturday! Hooray!

The Lull

     Like most things, climbing involves ups and downs. Last month I had a great trip to Joe’s Valley, and then a good session at RMNP where I sent Low Left Veritas (V12). Recently though I have been experiencing a lack of motivation. This normally happens to me when I start coming down off of a “peak” from my last training cycle. These lulls are just as much a part of my climbing as anything else, and how I treat these lulls has changed over the years. I used to just force myself to be psyched and kept pressing on. More often than not I would just end up getting injured somehow and I never really climbed that well. More recently however, I have learned to accept these lulls and take them as a message from my body that I need more rest and that maybe it is time to switch gears. While it is hard to accept, nobody can operate at their peak constantly. We all have peaks and lulls. The cool thing is that as our peaks get higher and higher, so do our lulls!

    
 I’ve added more rest days into my schedule and am shifting from mostly finger strength training to strength endurance training. Maybe I’ll even sport climb for a few weeks! Crazy! Of course, I’d rather keep bouldering hard, but I know that giving it a rest for a while will allow my psych to return and give my body time to heal before my next training cycle.


    Next time you start feeling weaker and unmotivated, instead of training harder, try resting a little more and switching up your routine. Your body probably needs it.

Joe's Valley Rampage

Whaaaaattt!?!?!

I just had the most successful bouldering trip of my life!

Final tally for 5 days of climbing:

- Slasher (V13)
- Black Lung (V13)
- Blackout (V13)
- Lonesome Animals (V11/12)
- Ghost of War (V11)
- Man From The Past (V11)
- Gentleman's Project (V11)
- Trent's Mom (V11)
- Finger Hut (V10)
- Renaissance  Man (V9 in the book, but probably just scary V7/8)

I went into this trip with the goal of sending Black Lung, a historic V13 by Ben Moon. I had done many of the classic boulders at Joe's so I was planning on buckling down and working Black Lung into submission, even if it took the whole trip.

I showed up on Saturday and it was a little hot, so I wasn't really planning on trying anything hard. However, about 30min into warming up on some easy boulders, I was feeling strangely light. A light breeze picked up, the rock felt tacky and I figured I'd go try to figure out at least the first two moves on Black Lung. When I showed up to the boulder there was a German guy (who's name I forget) absolutely crushing the first two moves, but falling on the third. I was pretty intimidated considering 2yrs ago I had never even been able to stick the first move and I had never climbed a boulder this hard. I thought back to my most recent trip to Rocktown where I was so focused on sending Golden Harvest that I stopped having fun, stopped climbing well, and almost didn't send. I decided to just let it go, have fun, and play.

The first time I pulled on I did the first move easily (which blew my mind and started to boost my confidence). A couple more tries and I figured out the second move. All of a sudden I had done the first 3 moves in a row, all that remained was an easy move to a jug and an easy top out. Unfortunately I hadn't expected to get that far and didn't scope where the jug was, I got flustered and fell. I laughed it off, ticked the jug and then sent.

Black Lung send footage: https://vimeo.com/90828703

Blackout send footage: https://vimeo.com/90788431

Sending Black Lung

After sending my project for the trip in the first hour, I was psyched to push as hard as I could and see what would happen. What ensued was a rediculous string of climbing days where the only thing I tried more than 5-10 times was Slasher, and the only thing I tried and didn't send was Masterpiece.

Amazing movement on Masterpiece

The boulder that took the most effort was Slasher. Such a cool problem! Only 3 moves, but all revolving around this crazy right hand block. After the first session I almost didn't come back because I felt like I was going to explode the pulleys in my right hand. I was lured back in for a second session though and my hand started to get more used to the grip position, but I still couldn't stick the second move. I went back on my last day to give it a last ditch effort.

Ben working the crazy right hand grip on Slasher

I split one of my tips but the psyche was still high. While waiting to give it another go a giant golden eagle flew through the canyon so close to us that I could look it right in the eye. With some crazy spirit animal power I pulled on and stuck the second move, but fell going for the lip. Next try though, I hit the second hold even better, fired for the lip, held a crazy, 3 points off, full horizontal swing with 3 fingers, topped out, and lost my mind.

Amazing rock on Slasher

Working the jump move during session number 2

We ran over to Trent's Mom to finish off the trip with another classic and then headed back to Colorado.

Morals of the story: Training works. Don't be too serious. Have fun. Try hard.

I can't wait to climb more boulders!

Lots of foam for tall/scary/committing top out of Masterpiece. I'll be back for that one!

A Quick Trip to Rocktown

After feeling a little down for a few weeks I made a trip to Georgia with my good friends and coworkers from back in Maryland. I got on a plane early on Thursday the 20th and by 2am the next day I was sleeping on the floor of Ward's van outside of Rocktown. It was a whirlwind trip to say the least.

We climbed all day every day for four days straight. Every time we tried to take a rest day, we ended up climbing a ton of boulder problems. It is hard to hold back when every boulder you look at is amazing. We climbed tons of classic boulders of all grades, heights, and styles. The rock in the south is unparalleled, offering some of the sickest features and holds in the country.

The highlight of the trip for me was that everyone sent the boulder they were projecting. Ward epic-ed on The Orb (V8), climbing into the last 4 moves multiple times over 3 days, and then sent on the second to last day. Jordan crushed Burst of Joy (V8) after multiple bouts of falling off the last tenuous deadpoint. Charlie and I sent Golden Harvest (V10) on our second day of tries after exploring about a million different ways to NOT send the boulder. Overall, an AMAZING trip.

The process of sending Golden Harvest was a roller coaster for me. I kept changing my beta and kept getting more an more frustrated. I was convinced I was "too tall" for this certain crux foothold and I kept trying what turned out to be bad beta over and over. All I wanted to do was just send the boulder... That turned out to be the wrong mindset. I took a long break while Ward and Jordan headed back to Burst of Joy (thats when Jordan ended up sending). It was just Charlie and I at the boulder. I put my shoes back on and decided that if I wasn't going to send the boulder I should at least enjoy it. That change in my mindset opened me up again to the "too high" foot beta that Charlie used to send about an hour before. After deciding to use the right foot beta and deciding to just enjoy the awesomeness of the boulder and the environment around me, I sent on the second try, and it felt easy.

I feel like I keep learning this lesson over and over: Just have fun, enjoy it, and you'll perform better.

A big shout out to Ward Byrum, Charlie Garcia, and Jordan Forney. Thanks for the awesome trip!

Check out this link for a video of some of our sends, including Ward on The Orb, Jordan on Burst of Joy, and Charlie and I on Golden Harvest.

THE VIDEO

Projects!...Kinda.

We had an awesome crew out in Boulder Canyon yesterday. We spent the day at Castle Rock on some cool boulders. Most of the time was spent falling off of the dyno problem Cage Free (V11). If you know me, you know one of my biggest weaknesses is dynos. That makes me want to do it even more. It's been 2 sessions now and I can get my hand on the lip, but haven't been able to stick it yet. Nemesis project! SOOOOON!

Close isn't good enough on Cage Free [Photo P. Danko]

Then Kerrek and I checked out this line called Things Done Changed (V12). While it isn't much to look at, the movement and holds are amazing and I am super psyched on it. I did all the moves quickly, but the crimps are really sharp so I'll have to grow some skin back and try it again on Thursday if the weather holds out. New project!

Bearing down on Things Done Changed [Photo P. Danko]

Lastly, we checked out Koyananisquatsi and the low start Powaqquatsi. I sent Koy 3rd try with some great beta from Phillip London, then chilled for about 2 minutes and sent Pow first try. The given grades on these starts are V11 and V12 respectively, though Phil and I thought the high start was more like V10. The low start adds a short V5 boulder into the high start, which is certainly not V12, but could maybe be V11. The rock was good though and the moves were fun, so it is definitely a worthy boulder regardless of the grade.

Anyway, I am excited to get out and boulder more. I love having so many rocks close by.

Weekend Update 1/19/14

I went bouldering this weekend! Hooray!

I love bouldering.

On Saturday Keith and I went to the Poudre Canyon to climb on the Against Humanity boulder. Poudre is AMAZING. The rock is very high quality and climbs very well. We both flashed the classic V7, Against Humanity. I was able to also send Crime (V9) and Dump Truck (V10). Both Crime and Dump Truck end with a brutal undercling match and subsequent huck around a corner to an okay hold. I struggled super hard on this section for both climbs. I don't know if it is my biceps or body positioning (I'm pretty sure it is the latter), but dang, powerful underclings are not my jam. Definitely something I am going to be working on now.

Keith Dickey working through the undercling crux on Crime (V9)

Today I went over to The Darkside in Morrison for the first time with Kyle, his new wife Sierra, and my buddy Mike. We started off at Rupture, an awesome V6/7 with a scary landing. I flashed it and both Kyle and Mike made ascents. Then Mike and I wasted some time climbing a terrible, lame, and awkward 1-move V6 problem that is certainly a "first ascent" because no one in their right mind would ever think to climb something so lowball and nonsensical. We then headed over to the main objective. The sit start to the Arrowhead Arete (V10). The Arrowhead Arete is probably the best line in Morrison. It is tall and aesthetic, the rock is high quality, the top-out is technical and committing, every move is consistently hard on cool holds, and the landing is nice. I was able to send fairly quickly, though I had to do a lot of beta tweaking in order to have enough gas at the end to handle the lip encounter. Mike got some great footage of the send, which you can see HERE.

1/4in

Yesterday I went to Horsetooth Reservoir with my girlfriend and some of our friends from work. We warmed up with some of the classics on the Mental Block. I did Pinch Overhang for the first time and it was sweet! Such a cool mantle. Anyway… I was psyched to do the sit start to the Moon Arete. The stand start is a classic V10 and the sit was done a few years ago at V12. The first thing I did was repeat the stand to make sure I had the beta right so I wouldn't fall there from the sit. Then I got to work re-familiarizing myself with the sit-start moves. The first 3 moves revolve around tensioning a sharp right toe-hook while pressing into a smear-foot and powering through some cool edges. The 5th move is the crux which requires me to cut my feet for a split second while compressing two poor holds that are narrower than shoulder width, resetting the left foot and powering to the arete and bumping into the start holds of the V10 stand start. I spent HOURS falling on the crux 5th move. Even in isolation. I just couldn't do it. I'd either explode off the left hand (punching myself quite hard), hit the arete and buckle under the force, or I'd lose the foothold mid move and end up on my back. First I blamed my weakness on narrow compression, then I blamed my finger strength, then I blamed my height, then I blamed my skin. Then I took a break, came back, shifted my right hand 1/4in to the left, and did the move EASILY.

Last move on the Moon Arete (stand) V10

I sat down and climbed all the way into the last hard move of the stand. By then I was definitely too tired to actually send. If I hadn't spent all that time and energy making excuses and blindly throwing myself at the boulder for hours, I would have sent it.

Moral of the story:

- Don't waste your time making excuses. It doesn't help you and no one wants to hear you whine.
- Take a break and come back to your project with a fresh mind.
- Sometimes a fraction of an inch makes the impossible, possible.

I'll go back next weekend and send :)

When is a Weekend a Day?

… When that weekend is super freakin' cold.

Propane heater, Honey Wafers, and my Outdoor Research down jacket.
A rough day for bouldering

Caleb and I left for Joe's Valley on Thursday psyched for a long weekend of bouldering. We knew it was supposed to be cold, but bouldering with a high in the upper 30's wasn't too daunting. We generally pride ourselves in being able to climb in the cold.  We arrived on Thursday with just enough light to get a 45min. session in. We both sent a few warm-ups and I sent a crimpy V9 called "Hooters".

We started Friday back at Hooters, where I tried to do the sit-start, Mass Hysteria (V11). I got close, but figured I had two more days, so I would just come back later…WRONG! But I didn't know that yet. Despite starting off by not-sending, the rest of the day turned out to be one of the better bouldering days I've ever had. In an afternoon I was able to send: Frosted Flakes (V5), Pilot Light (V6), Tubesnake Boogy (V9), The Incredible Hulk (V9), Fiery Furnace (V10), Jitterbug Perfume (V10 2nd try), and Skidmark (V11).

Caleb got some footage of most of the ascents. You can see that HERE because I can't figure out how to embed a Vimeo video on the blog.

The next day it got REALLY cold and it had snowed overnight. I didn't have a thermometer, but the windchill made it feel like 20's. It was impossible to get the fingers warmed up and the wind kept blowing out the propane heater. No bueno. With the next day looking even colder, we decided to bail. Now I am typing this and we are watching kung-fu movies. NICE!

Caleb working "Fiddle" V9