maxwell silver

Friends

2011-09-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

NW Granite: A Good Picture Tells A Story

Kelly Sheridan shares the NW climbing lifestyle

jensholsten.blogspot.com

Relocating

2011-08-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided to move shop over to Wordpress, so if anyone is still looking at this site wondering what the hell I'm doing I'm relieved to share that I've motivated to post a new blog, and it can be found HERE

Thanks and enjoy!

Tableland Life

2011-03-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

With the exception of one day, cut short by snow, I have been climbing exclusively in the "Tablelands", Bishop's low quality volcanic version of Hueco Tanks. While the rock sometimes lacks integrity I'm finding the climbing itself to be pretty enjoyable. The snowy peaks are always looming to the West and the broad plains lend a unique ambiance to this classic winter climbing destination. Not a bad place to wait for the snow to melt in Yosemite...

rare photo of myself by Creg Phares

Eastside Love

2011-02-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

Life in Bishop, bouldering in the Volcanic Tablelands over the last week.

James works a classic Tablelands traverse

The one and only Charlie Barrett

Deep in the electronic vortex

James traversing in to Mr. Happy

Sweet Lapis love

The Clapper

Wesley

Sierra storm

The last of Hueco

2011-02-19T23:17:00.000-08:00

After two months in Hueco I took a brief climbing hiatus in New Mexico. I moved rocks, concrete and enjoyed delicious food and excellent company. Eventually the rocks called and I made my way to Bishop, CA with a detour through Joshua Tree where I waxed nostalgic on numerous gritty pebbles and supernatural domes.

Tim and Clayton tick the Between the Sheets Wall

Kevin cranking on Natural Disaster

Tim on a new line to the right of Natural Disaster
(no name was suggested but the theme is entertaining,
'Act of God' or perhaps 'FEMA's Always Late'?)

No rest for the committed, Cedar works on some coloring

Sam painfully close to the Ugh

Ana on the Egg

Drew low on Natural Disaster

They don't call it the Bloody Flapper for nothing

Post flapper, I manage an ascent of Banana Juice (Ana Burgos photo)

Plowing through another rest day

Her Highness, Princess Funny-face

Hueco shopping at its finest, the incomparable Vista

Two Minutes Underwater

Yes, Allen is chalking up his foot...

Footless beta on Big Nose Milley

Gigi the wonder horse

Sterling the nibbler

And Grandma Ellie

Getting close to Bishop....

2010: What you haven't seen yet, part 2

2011-02-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the promised second half of 2010, it's been an interesting exercise to see how I spent those 52 weeks. Hope you enjoy.

Jewelry by Keri Carlton

Jess Campbell on the Upper Town Wall, Index, WA

Intimidated? You should be.

Dragontail Peak

Jess and Jens relaxing at the Colchuck Lake Heli-Pad

Colchuck Balanced Rock, object of late summer obsession

Jess and River at the beach in La Push, WA

Twilight country (yeah, the movie)

Barrett works the roof, Lonnie supervises

Team Asana member Charlie Barrett ignores my outdated Revolution and Cordless pads

Mono Lake

Cathedral Spires

No caption required

Princess Funny Face, aka Cedar Pidgeon

Scream, Hueco Tanks

Christmas morning

Thomasina on Babyface

Loaded With Power

2010: What you haven't seen yet, part 1

2011-01-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

A few from Hueco

2010-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple pics from a day on North Mountain, Hueco's been a little warm but it's hard to complain about the best winter weather to be found.

Thomasina working out the finish to Power of Silence

Pete Zamazi tries the conventional beta

Same problem, different angle

Pete crushing El Techo de los Tres B

Wopama-rama

2010-12-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

Luis (Lucho) Rivera crossing the dam en route to Wopama Rock

I've climbed at the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir twice now, both times with my old friend Lucho. The first adventure ended poorly, I contracted a severe case of poison oak and our hoped for first ascent came with surprise anchors. Predictably, it took several years and a little more convincing for me to return. I was sucked in once again by glory, this time a potential first free ascent of Solaris, a route put up a couple winters ago by Tim Tuomey and Nick Simon. Along with Lucho these Bay-Area locals comprise the bulk of the Hetch Hetchy climbing scene.

Wopama Rock on the left. Solaris takes a line on the wall just left of the Nose-like arete.

After getting chased out of Yosemite by torrential rain I sought refuge with friends in Oakland and San Francisco, where the weather was surprisingly pleasant. Relaxing into Lucho's overstuffed recliner he began to entice me with visions of glorious cracks and splitter headwalls. I looked at pictures and studied the topo while he connected the dots and insisted on the potential for Wopama's first all free route.

Wopama Falls

Sean Jones, a prolific Reservoir free climber, had attempted a line up the Nose, the cliffs most striking feature, a soaring buttress slightly reminiscent of a much more famous route of the same name in nearby Yosemite Valley. Solaris begins on the wall to the left of the Nose, eventually jogging left to join Wopama-Mama where that route tackles a wild orange and black headwall.

The weather finally cleared in Yosemite but Lucho was busy with domestic duties, putting a fresh coat of paint on his classic San Francisco cookie cutter and trying to mend his ailing Toyota. We met again a few weeks later in Chinese Camp, World Monkey Headquarters and home to our friend Bryan (Coiler) Kay. After a leisurely discussion of potential tactics we settled on full wall style, packing the haul bag to the brim and strapping on the double ledge.

Bridge section destroyed by Wopama Falls

Arriving at the entrance station we encountered an unusually friendly ranger who looked perplexed when we explained our plan. "I guess I'll have to get you a backcountry permit, uh, I'll be right back." Clearly multi-day climbing trips are not standard fare at Hetch Hetchy. I signed some paperwork and received a permit. To my surprise no fee was charged, a rare occurence these days on public land.

A couple miles of narrow, windy road took us to the reservoir where I got a better look at the objective. We strapped on our heavy loads and trudged the relatively moderate two and a half miles to the base of the wall. There were a few other tourists on the trail, nothing like the sometimes overwhelmingly crowded Yosemite Valley. They smiled, gave us the typical confused look and gasped through our already unpleasant smell, and odor of freshly applied anti-perspirant and fabric softener lingering as they passed.

The incredibly low angle second pitch, Lucho retrieving our hand line

We filled our water jugs at the base of Wopama Falls, an impressive torrent that falls just to the right of the Nose. Just that week one of the bridges that crosses the outlet of this cascade was obliterated by debris, we ducked under the do not enter tape and took our fill. Bag packed, ropes flaked, Lucho grabbed the rack and charged up a gritty, unprotected slab. Thankfully he found the bolted anchor promised in the topo and commenced the heaviest and most low angle haul of the climb.

It had been a few years since I climbed in this style, most of my wall climbing tricks came back to me over the course of the first day but the first few pitches were a struggle for organization and mastery of the elusive muntner-mule. The second 'pitch' involved carrying the bag by hand across a 200 foot long grassy ledge, marginally protected from a terminal tumble by stretching the lead line from one end to the other. Lucho lead one more pitch up to the first-ascensionist's 'Camp 1' where we had just enough time to untangle the ledge before darkness fell. We had dreamt of greater progress on our first day while lounging in Coiler's man cave but when it came to reality we were happy to make it as far as we did.

Lucho working out the moves
on a potential free variation

It became clear early on that Solaris was a well chosen name. Not only does the wall roast in the sun for most of the day, the massive body of water directly below reflects a second round of radiation. We started chatting nervously about our water supply, eyeing each other's intake of the precious commodity. One round of coffee would have to do in the morning, maybe we didn't really need to cook our vacuum packed Indian cuisine for dinner, how many liters did you drink at the last belay???

I started edging towards survival mode a little earlier than Lucho. We reconnoitered the first free variation but decided not to spend the energy releading this stretch, already this climb was turning into a project. Lucho maintained psyche and managed to convince me into a toprope belay from our second belay. In the dark... I sipped cold gold while taking in the slack, watching his headlamp wander upwards with a sense of detachment.

We were determined to break the mould and climb more than two pitches on the third day. Despite some tedious direct aid and a slightly inadequate pin rack we made it to Eagle Terrace, a spacious ledge where the route joins Wopama Mama. Two more pitches in the morning took us to the base of the aesthetic headwall and the crux. This stretch of thin nailing may go free but it's hard to say, our dwindling water supply did not allow for any time spend fiddling with the moves. I jugged up the line and took the rack without changing into rock shoes, one more pitch taking us to the summit slabs.

Thug life.

Thankfully we topped out with enough light to repack and start the search for the trail. After some delirious wandering we stumbled across the groomed path and lurched downwards through the darkness. Around the reservoir, through the tunnel, across the dam and up a final incline to the backcountry parking where we dropped the gear and attacked a bag of chips.

The park closes at 5pm, hot food and a shower were out of the question, we had no choice but to crawl back into our crusty sleeping bags and wait for the gate to open in the morning. Not long after we got back to the van a big white sedan with green stripes pulled up behind us, we sat quietly in the dark and hoped for the best. Much to our relief the mustachioed ranger just wanted to know how the route went and if the rock was any good.

Relaxing on Eagle Terrace.

There's a growing movement to 'restore' Hetch Hetchy to it's original state, removing the dam and bringing back the meadows and maple groves that graced the Valley for centuries. I always thought the idea was a good one and I would still be curious to see it succeed. However, I also understand that the reservoir allows this valley to remain under appreciated and obscure. No cars can pass the dam, no noisy campers and no concessionaire litter the valley floor. Park officials aren't preoccupied with the angry masses, content to protect their dam and the water.

Lucho nails his way up the steep and beautiful headwall.

In the end we didn't free the wall, our glory was restricted to the second ascent of an obscure wall in a valley known more for it's dam than it's rock. I guess what I was really looking for was adventure, finding a little bit of the less travelled and unknown. Yosemite still has this to offer but it can be hard to find between the crowds and historical trade routes. Whatever happens to Hetch Hetchy I think adventure will be found here for many years to come.

Belated Fall Color

2010-12-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last entry, no surprise there, though I do have the solid excuse of a serious computer breakdown. I'm currently in sunny Hueco Tanks, TX, taking a rest day from the seriously tiring pebble wrestling this place is known for. I've also been resting from the camera, sometimes it's just nice to not drag it around. I'll be posting something about Wopama Rock soon, in the meantime here are a few random photos for your enjoyment.

Big Stone

2010-10-17T13:13:00.000-07:00


Grand views from the Spire's summit

It's hard to stop taking photos of El Cap. Someone remarked yesterday that it's not really possible to convey the scale, the way you have to tilt your head up to take it all in, but I feel compelled to keep trying.

Yesterday I climbed the Higher Cathedral Spire with a wild Australian. While the route was relatively moderate we managed to find a stout variation and struggled with proper passing etiquette. It's been a while since I've been somewhere so popular. Despite some awkwardness we enjoyed a new summit and soaked in the views.

Darin the Aussie cranks through an exciting variation


Wild stone on Higher Cathedral


Back to the Captain

Welcome to California

2010-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Good times with Los Hermanos (Joel and Neil Kauffman) on the East side and city life with homeowners Jon Schmid and Lucho Rivera.

Mono Lake

Tuolumne Meadows

Bay Area

Sheltered Kids

2010-09-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

A few years ago Jens and I were climbing at the Guillotine, a small buttress just up canyon from Careno and Purina Crags in the Lower Icicle. After Jens dispatched the cliff’s signature route (a recommended obscurity), I threw the rope down a partially bolted project to the right, labeled in the guidebook as Sodium Penathol. While the upper arete was tenuous and technical, the moves were reasonable. The crux was in the steep and bouldery start.

Shortly after returning from Oregon this spring I wandered up to the top of the Guillotine and rapped in for a solo inspection. I felt stronger on the moves and slowly pieced together a sequence through the crux. The next step was to borrow a power drill and make it lead-able. This process proved to be unexpectedly difficult.

Placing the bolts was physically pretty easy. The drill is heavy but compared to bolting by hand it’s painless. Mentally, however, the act was quite taxing. Part of the problem was the crack at the start. It accepts decent natural protection but only briefly keeps the leader from a questionable fall onto a bit of a spike. The other obstacle to a good bolt placement was the ability to safely clip it. Right off the spike stance the moves are sustained and bouldery.

In the end it took two trips with the bolt gun to prep the route in a way that satisfied my desire for safety while not “over-bolting.”

Then came the challenge of an actual redpoint. I had worked it on toprope while cleaning but it still took four tries to crank through the sharp, crimpy moves. I tip-toed up the arete feeling pretty psyched on my first “mixed” route.

While the name ‘Sodium Penathol’ does follow the Guillotine theme I was inspired by some sad news to change it to ‘Sheltered Kids.’ In the midst of my efforts Jens stumbled on an online obituary of our old friend Carson, who passed away in January. Although we had lost touch in the past few years, memories of many months spent together, roaming the desert of Joshua Tree and bumbling up Big Walls in Yosemite, came flooding back. After Climbing Carson delved deeply into writing and performing folk music, releasing an album with his group, Sheltered Kids.

Special thanks go to longtime Leavenworth climber and route developer Ben Stanton for starting the project before I got here, guidebook author Viktor Kramer for the use of his drill and hardware and the friends that helped out with a belay or just some positive thoughts.

--

My summer has lacked blog posts. I have at least one more story from a busy season and hopefully more to come from an extended winter road trip.

Cragging

2010-06-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Despite the dampest spring I've seen up here we've still managed to climb some rocks. Temps are well below the summer highs but it's been warm enough to shift the focus from the pebbles to the cliffs. A couple weeks ago Jessica, Drew and I met up with Jens in Oregon for a brief but sweet trip to Smith Rocks.

It had been a couple years since my last trip to the tuff (vocanic tuff) and over a decade since I first climbed outside at Oregon's premier climbing destination. While the granite bouldering doesn't do much to keep my arms fresh on Smith's extra long tech-fests, I found a few shorter pitches that suit my style. We were only there for one full day but climbed three, it rained every day but not enough to soak the stone. The monkeys always send.

After coming home we've all been a little more inspired to hit the crags, putting laps in at Nason Ridge, the Drip Wall (no longer dripping), random projects and most surprisingly, Midnight Rock.

This incredible cliff is generally closed until August for Falcon nesting, teasing local climbers from high on the canyon side with it's soaring cracks and wild features. Unexpectedly the closure was lifted this year, hopefully the birds of prey have found another good nesting site to hatch their young.

Joel, Jens and I couldn't help being psyched on this development and despite a late start we packed up for the pitches we'd been dreaming about. Jens borrowed some big cams for the indomitable Super Crack, while I grabbed an extra rope and some brushes for an investigation of the Dagoba System.

Like many plans however, ours changed. Did I mention the late start? The fact is easily forgotten that Midnight Rock is no laughing matter. The approach sucks some life out of you, the pitches are long, physical and generally dirty, or at least neglected.

Many routes need new hardware to be safely led, the Dagoba sports some of the nastiest looking bolts I've ever seen.

We did the standard Midnight Rock circuit, hitting up the same climbs we usually do, but it was still a great day at Leavenworth's best cliff. Inspiration is high to give some love to this highly deserving crag.

Spring Training

2010-05-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

We've been busy this week, hitting the trails and starting to build some fitness for the summer season. Jens and Sol were lined up for another attempt at their "L-Town 15", a marathon suffer fest between the widely spaced gems of our area. Jens was struggling with the motivation required for this day of battle, but was sure that Sol was psyched. In classic fashion Sol was also having second thoughts but figured Jens wouldn't back down, he casually mentioned some adventure climbing instead, perhaps Bridge Creek Wall. Jens and I turned to each other and smiled, we had been shut down on the BCW the week before due to weather and wanted to get up there before the short season for this wall was over.

Sol wandering up the first pitch

Jens had climbed this massive (for the Icicle) wall once before, as well as establishing a new route on a hidden aspect near the descent, the Hidden Wall. It's always reassuring to climb with someone who's been there, but it certainly doesn't guarantee success. Our plan was to attempt the Nose route, a six pitch outing directly up the center of the picture in the new guidebook. Of course, mountainous walls are never that simple, we climbed ten pitches, some short, and weaved a serpentine path that just barely allowed us to top out.

Myself trying not to fall onto the precarious block hidden around the corner, fourth pitch

The hike, while strenuous and steep, went well. We followed a decent trail to the top of some low-lying crags and then wandered up the sandy hillside, sometimes hitting goat paths and making some attempt to establish landmarks for the descent that we knew would be in the dark. A steep mountain stream offered a chance to hydrate, this will dry up as the season advances, effectively shutting down climbing in the area. You could carry your water from the bottom, but it probably won't be enough considering the intense heat that is sure to come.

Traversing off of the pedestal, pitch five. Serious nut-tool gardening was required to utilize the crack I'm in.

Once at the base the adventure begins. One of the cool things about this obscure wall is a lack of fixed gear, we only found bail slings which are more ominous than helpful. We settled on what seemed like the easiest path that headed towards the obvious pedestal below the upper headwall. Sol weaved through the ledges and cracks and got us to the base of this feature without much difficulty. I grovelled up a grainy chimney, stopping for a quick dry-heave mid pitch, and gained the spacious ledge below said headwall. This swath of stone is impressive and has potential for some amazing climbing. Unfortunately the features are thin and widely spaced, the idea of a techno-aid route or a 'modern' free climb are pretty daunting way up on that hill. Excessive motivation would be required.

Launching onto the link-em pitch, Mt. Cashmere's massive bulk looms in the background.

After a short traversing/gardening pitch I brought the boys over to my stance and considered giving the lead to Jens. A wild chimney looked down on us, the only other option a blank looking slab to the left. I still had most of the gear and wanted a real pitch, and I got one. Two flaring cracks were separated by a single knob, Jens would later show me how to slab climb through this gap, my bouldering instincts took over and I did my first, and hopefully last, slab dyno. A few more funky moves got us to a nice ledge and what looked like the rest of the route, a splitter offwidth pitch to a roof somewhere above.

Jens scraped his way up the grainy wideness, thankful for the big gear we lugged up the hill. The next pitch was supposed to be the crux roof, supposedly followed free at 5.11 (on the first ascent?). An easier, dirtier option to the left looked appealing, an obvious, small roof was directly above and Jens bravely continued towards this feature.

A splitter hand crack (seen above) led to a marginal stance below the roof. Our poor decision to not tape our hands had Jens cringing towards the lip, a valiant attempt to climb free ended quickly so we switched into survival mode. The weather had vacillated all day but it was getting colder and the snow was approaching. A lack of protection had Jens a little freaked out but he managed to clear the roof and not fall onto the slab below. A piton or two would make this pitch much safer.

Jens under the gnar (top) and Sol getting his aid on, aka survival mode

One more easy pitch got us to the top of the wall, the snow began to fall so we didn't linger on top, we had about an hour of light to get back to our packs at the base. One rappel, some dicey slab scrambling, and a little more steep sand was required to get past the Hidden wall and into a mellow gully. Just as darkness fell we stumbled back to our stuff, very thankful to take off the climbing shoes and slip into some tennies.

Jens starting the descent

Sure enough, we descended in the dark, our landmarks totally obscured in the gloom. Somehow we made it back to the climbers trail and found a final wind that carried us back to the car. After years of looking up at the Bridge Creek Wall it was satisfying to make it to the top. Our hope was to 'free the Nose in a day', while this didn't happen we know it's possible. With our knowledge of the route and some more gear we'll be back, probably next year, for another attempt.

After a few rest days Jens and I took advantage of a brief window of good climbing conditions in the snow. We hiked up to Colchuck Lake with an open mind and ended up climbing the '71 North Face route on Dragontail. It involved a lot of snow, a smidgeon of ice and a tidbit of rock, some very high winds near the summit and about a mile of walking on the road, it's not quite open all the way to the trailhead.

Smidgeon of ice (top), tid bit of rock (bottom)

To round out the week I managed to climb one of my harder boulder problems to date, Spanman. Not a bad week...

Drew Schick on Spanman

The Life and Climbs of Charlie Barrett: Chapter 38 - Cremation of Care

2010-04-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

Two years ago Charlie Barrett came to town. Charlie likes big boulders. He also likes conspiracy theories, childish pranks and Pabst Blue Ribbon. His most impressive addition to Leavenworth bouldering during his relatively short stay is a proud direct finish to an already intimidating line, the Ruminator. This old school toprope's crux is in the first two moves, steep pulls into an easier crack top out that looms over some jumbled blocks. Charlie's line, while having a more uniform landing, tackles the boulders tallest aspect and includes some desperately long moves.

Charlie offered to try and repeat the problem, which he dubbed Cremation of Care, if I was interested in getting some photos. My only problem with the plan was my lack of film. The only roll I found in my fridge's butter drawer was a super low iso slide film, the kind that makes people look like tomatoes. I was a little dissapointed with the results but I think Charlie's effort deserves at the very least a blog post. Black and white seems a little easier on my eyes but I've looked at these so many times now it's hard to tell.

An observant reader who frequents the area might wonder how I got this view. For those who don't know, there is no conveniently adjacent rock that looks down the face. There is, however, a massive dead tree lying across the top of the boulder, you can see it behind Charlie's shoulder in the last photo. I had no plans to use this tree as natural scaffolding but my dad convinced me it was solid. My folks were visiting Leavenworth for the week and got to see Charlie send the gnar.

Seasons

2010-04-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

The Last Night in Peshastin

We thought that winter was over, that April was surely too late for low elevation snow. Seasons are supposed to change on a specific day, but the weather follows no calendar. Seeing the snow covering the ground this morning reminded me of the ice climbing season just past and inspired thoughts of frozen mountain climbing in my near future. It's hard to imagine now, we've been so focused on the boulders, trying in vain to grow enough skin to sneak up some new problems.

Jens in January

Jens in February

After the Icicle's icicles all fell down we still found some fun at the elusive elevation between spring rains and winter powder snow. Eventually this too became water and the rock started to dry.

Strangely, the rock seemed to dry faster on the West (typically wet) side. With so much climbing around Leavenworth I don't make it to the Index area nearly enough. Hopefully I can continue to motivate as the year progresses, it's only an hour away.

Bouldering in Goldbar this year involves great cross-training, the road has been re-graded but is now closed to vehicles. Less 4-wheeler traffic has improved the ambiance, and a good hike is a great warm up. Carrying more than one pad is not recommended but will hopefully get me in shape for the mountains.

New boulders are still being uncovered in Leavenworth, and some of the area's hardest problems are being done. The snow is forcing us to rest and is cleaning the rock. I'm finally getting some work done, more photos are on the way.

Goldbar bouldering video

2010-03-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Goldbar Bouldering from Max Hasson on Vimeo.

Der Sportsman Topo

2010-03-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Seven years ago Metolius published their catalog with a beautiful picture of Prusik Peak on the cover. Inside there are two Ben Moon photos of Brooke Sandahl and partner climbing a route that turned out to be a new line, a direct route to the summit of this iconic granite spire. Five years later my friend and current roommate, Sol Wertkin, contacted Metolius and requested more information on the climb. Sandahl hooked him up with a detailed topo hand drawn onto a photocopy of the catalog cover. During a recent organizational binge Sol uncovered this gem and before it could be lost in the proverbial shuffle I ran it through the scanner and have now uploaded it to the web for your downloading pleasure. Enjoy.

(click on the pic to open a large, readable file)

The Enchantment Lakes - Summit 1970

2010-03-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Based out of Big Bear Lake, CA, Summit is a refreshing contrast to the modern mag with a very broad spectrum of subjects, not all strictly climbing. They also reported heavily on the Northwest, this article is particularly local, the Enchantments are about twenty minutes of driving and less than a half day hike from my door. It's interesting to note that the area was already seeing heavy use 40 years ago, a controversial permit system protects the area today while also hindering freedoms that climbers cherish. At ten bucks a night the wallet is also affected, hopefully someday we can find a solution that pleases everyone but I'm not too optimistic. Clicking on the pics should blow them up in another window big enough to read, enjoy!

Warming up the scanner

2010-03-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Last week I finally found a desk to work at and I'm already feeling more productive. Taxes are done, grants are being written and I'm even posting a blog. I guess if it was not wet outside I'd be climbing but their will be plenty of time for that tomorrow in Gold Bar.

With my scanner (thanks Dean) hooked up just to my left and a stack of antique climbing magazines to my right (thanks Jens) I thought I'd share some articles and pages from these classic periodicals. First up is an awesome cover from the only 'Off Belay' in the collection, as well as a more modern advertisement with a custom dedication from the Bulgarian Monkey. OOOOHHHH!

The Aerial Approach

2010-02-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

All photos taken from the surprisingly small helicopter seen below.

Wally, our most excellent pilot, escorted us from the quaint fishing village of Petersburg, AK directly to the Burkett Boulder Base Camp (BBBC?). After 17 amazing days spent climbing ourselves silly Wally received our indirect request for a pick up, jumped on a brief window in the weather and brought us back for a relaxing night at Chateu Klose. While airborne I made every attempt to capture the landscape and these are some of the results.

This water crossing necessitated the donning of bright orange inflatable vests.

Entering the glaciated madness, I was struck by the wild patterns in the ice.

We got an incredible view of the infamous NW Face of the Devil's Thumb, not in good shape on the day we arrived.

Our first view of the objective, Burkett Needle, on the left. Mt. Burkett towers to the right.

The day we flew out was not as clear, the clouds added quite a bit of drama to the landscape.

Cloud-lapse

2010-01-23T23:18:00.000-08:00

Icicle Canyon cloud-lapse from Max Hasson on Vimeo.

Potholes Rendezvous 2010

2010-01-20T01:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief slideshow/video meant to give you a taste of the 'Potholes' experience.

Top TR crag in WA? Look no further.

If half the rock in Eastern Washington was decent, climbers from around the world would flock to the NW in excessive numbers. Unfortunately, most of these basalt/volcanic deposits are pure choss.

Exploring random outcroppings of climbable rock scattered to our east is a winter tradition for us and after visiting the Potholes several years ago we concluded that it was probably worth a second trip. It took a while but we finally made it back to this notoriously short (diminutive, lilliputian, brief) crag to touch the stone and judge its worthiness.

Conclusion? Really fun, good old casual enjoyment. Thoughtful anchor arrangements, very little (climbing-generated) impact, an obscure feel and above all, sunny. After endless weeks mired in a soupy fog it was refreshing to get some direct light.

This area is a great alternative to the played out grid bolting and greasy crack hordes of Vantage and while it fills a very narrow weather gap in my climbing season I think I'll be hitting up the Potholes again, if only to work on my tan.

Ice-capades (or Craig know best)

2009-12-26T23:06:00.001-08:00

I haven't climbed on rock for weeks, my memories of sun, sand and wine-red rocks are fading. My focus now is on a myriad of unlikely variables coming together to freeze water onto stone, moss and small shrubs. Forecasts are checked daily for any sign of a cold front, precipitation is both necessary and feared and the boots rarely have time to really dry out.

Yes, the Ice has arrived.

Why didn't I bring my rock shoes?

Thanks to Jens' limitless motivation and a few generous climbers (mostly Craig) posting their finds on the internet we've managed to swing and kick our way up several routes.

Looking up the Goatee. Jens and I failed to properly insulate our cameras, ended up with frozen batteries and therefore few pictures.

Looking down...

Pretty much all of these routes have been very moderate, our radically curved picks are over-qualified for ice that feels more like crawling than climbing. The few "hard" moves we've tackled, on the other hand, felt beyond my endurance and less than fun (ice climbing is fun, right?).

Mikey crawling up Grey Falls in a trippy ebbing fog.

In other words, I'm more than happy to crawl up "easy" ice and gain a solid foundation (It's good to be a gumby again, right?).

Mediocre ice in a spectacular setting. Warrior Wall looms above 'Consolation Falls'.

My ice tools, which seemed so futuristic and advanced when I bought them, remind me of a 2-year old computer, outdated just enough to be disappointing.

Jens on our second lap of 'Sword Gully' in as many days.

Wow, look at those fancy tools...

Can't really complain though, visions of piolets as tall as a man, hob-nailed boots and lederhosen bring my whining to a stop and force me to be thankful for what I have. I can tell though, it's just a little bit easier with those pinky rests...

Jens on Hidden Lake

Lake Wenatchee Ice. 'Timequake' and 'This too Shall Pass'?

Looks pretty mellow, right?

If it's warm enough to drink beer, it's not cold enough to climb ice.
(right?)

Red Rocks part 2

2009-11-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

Three days of late starts and disappointing amounts of daylight finally motivated me to get up early and do some real climbing. While the route we did only amounts to about 800 feet it provided a very satisfying day.

Black Velvet Canyon, BV Wall on the left

After poring over the guidebooks and rereading the Alpinist profile I knew I wanted to test my mental strength on this trip and hopefully sketch my way up a few of the classics pioneered by the so called Adventure Punks. As we all know they climbed in a style that contrasted sharply with some of the other climbers developing Red Rocks' unique sandstone walls.

The beautiful varnish of the Black Velvet Wall, Rock Warrior tackles more or less the middle of the prominent central shield

The logical first step appears to be Rock Warrior, a wandering face line with thoughtful protection and a handful of bolts. It lies on the left side of the Black Velvet Wall in the beautiful canyon of the same name.

Zach following the first pitch

Climbers on Prince of Darkness

Climbers approaching Fiddler on the Roof

As soon as we spotted the parking area we knew that the walls were probably crawling with climbers but it seemed like we had a good chance to be the only ones lined up for the Rock Warrior. The hike went smoothly, it seemed shorter than I remembered, and soon we were staring up at the wall searching for the first bolt.

Zach leading the second pitch

I was pretty sure that the only bolts I could see belonged to the neighboring route, Sandstone Samurai, an infamously runout big brother of Rock Warrior. Figuring that it would be more obvious from up close I racked up and ran up the initial easy ground. I placed a questionable blue Alien and smeared up the white slab, not entirely trustful of my feet. Still lost, a woman on Prince of Darkness took pity on me and asked if I was looking for the bolt about ten feet to my right. Yes, in fact, I was, thank you. Unfortunately those last few feet were the scariest of the route for me, laughably easy when well protected but rather unnerving twenty meters off the deck.

Zach following pitch three and getting psyched for the next lead

The next lead...

I finally manned up (personed up?) and clipped the shiny metal with a sigh of relief. A few techy moves got me onto the varnished face where I felt more comfortable and managed to find some decent gear. This style of Red Rocks face climbing is so unique and a real pleasure to climb, I had sampled such rock but never for so many pitches in a row.

Self portrait (duh), thanks Blake for the awesome windbreaker!

Zach following pitch 5

Zach wandered up the second pitch with confidence, slowly unraveling the sequence from piece to piece. There was a little chalk on the route (nothing compared to Prince of Darkness) which definitely helped with navigation. Many of the holds seemed impossibly fragile but the majority of those I tested were surprisingly solid. By the third pitch I started to read the rock more easily and found a smooth flow.

Zach leading the sixth and final pitch

The wind picked up and the feet started to hurt but before it got too painful we were at the last station and starting the mechanical process of rapelling. Before long we were back at the base slipping into our tennies and enjoying the sunset.

Another team on Dream of Wild Turkeys

Prince of Darkness

Our route came pretty close to the Prince of Darkness, a route of similar technical difficulty but completely different style. It looks like a lot of fun and I'd like to do it some day but I have to say that there's something much more rewarding about moving confidently far above your protection. Like I said, I'm no hardman. But it was nice, if only briefly, to feel like a warrior.

Red Rocks part 1

2009-11-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

My trip to Vegas was pretty spontaneous. In the midst of this spontaneity I completely forgot how popular Thanksgiving is for travelling rock climbers. Our first day out climbing I found a crag pretty close to the road (very close, actually) that might be a good warm up to the longer "trad" climbs I'd like to check out. Unfortunately we did not get much of an alpine start and by the time we arrived at the crags they were swamped with what Zach so affectionately refers to as "Larries."

We managed to get up a couple moderate pitches (both classic) before bailing on the busy scene. In a last ditch effort to climb something I dragged Zach up some boulder problems and then called it a night.

Day two did not see us getting up much earlier but at least we were prepared for the crowds. Or at least we thought so. After much deliberation and scoping of pullouts we settled on First Creek Canyon, specifically the Mysterious Amphitheatre. What this rad little cliff lacks in width it more than makes up for in length. While we only managed the until then average of two pitches per day they were both surprisingly long, clocking in at 170' and 180'. So basically we doubled our climbing output, not bad.

On the hike out we ran into a handful of wild burros. I knew these guys were out there but had never seen them before.

Beyond the climbing I've been enjoying my stay at Zach's humble abode, a one bedroom cottage situated on an impressive half acre somewhere in the Las Vegas sprawl. After several less than satisfying experiences camping in this area it's a relief to have an alternative. Rusty is Zach's Heeler puppy, just another friend with a dog, seems to be in the air this year. While cute, Rusty is unusually suspicious and skittish, after three days he still refuses to get near me. Hopefully with time and exposure to more people he'll lose his fear.

Taking it pretty easy today, if James shows up soon we might get some cragging in. I'm a little tired from yesterday, I guess if I was a real hardman I'd be back on the wall today. Who needs to be a hardman though, I'll settle for Rock Warrior...

Just can't stop animating...

2009-11-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm having a little too much fun. I just had to throw together a few more of these, a lot more to figure out but I'm streamlining the process at least.

Killing time at SEA-TAC, I took the train from Leavenworth this morning and managed to onsight (pretty much) public transit, via bus and the new seattle mono-rail, to the airport.

Feeling Green...

Gym courtesy of Viktor Kramer, beats by Blockhead
Edit: Beginning of vid not so pretty, probably due to excessive downsizing, sorry...

Trippy driving test, song by Express Rising

Jens/fridge video music by Deltron (It's the year 3030...)

Still Motion Experimentation

2009-11-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

Last night I started to play with "still-motion," a technique I'd been intrigued by for a while now. Photographer Andrew Kornylak has some inspiring examples at his blog, as does my old Monkey friend Renan Ozturk.

Quicktime (the "pro" version) offers a very simple method of producing these "animations" (lots of parenthesis in this post) through an extrapolation of their slideshow producer. Instead of viewing the slideshow at 3 seconds a "frame" it can be shown at 3 (or 6,10, etc.) frames per second, effectively making a motion picture.

These two shorts are my first experiments so don't expect perfection, the processing is all over the place (experiment...) and the focus is a bit erratic, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised. The audio on the first one is not what I was looking for but see if you can name the source. The second video is bumping a loop troop instrumental, I was too lazy to fade it out so yeah, you'll see.

Smudge is our neighbour's cat and Honcho is Drew's pooch, thanks to my friends for acting silly while I held down the shutter right in their face.

I'm headed to Red Rocks tomorrow morning, I can't wait for sunny sandstone days (and maybe a J-Tree daytrip).

Las Problemas de la Hacienda

2009-11-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

Last year John Stordahl dragged me across the river. And I don’t mean he had to convince me, I was already interested in the boulders across from the ‘Sleeping Lady’. I mean that I came pretty close to falling into the frigid waters of the Icicle and big Johnny grabbed my wrist, saving my day if not my life.

He had his eyes set on a line facing upriver that started in a nest of logs deposited during high water. After quite a bit of manual labor we were able to try the moves, only to find that they are ridiculously hard. Not impossible though, Johnny Goicochea recently put this project to rest, along with a host of other lines on this giant boulder.

Cole Allen slaps to the crimp on 'Wild Fire'

Interest in this bloc ebbs and flows along with the river. The season started early this year, however, when Joel Campbell brought along a sturdy ladder and turned the approach into something straight out of the Khumbu Icefall.

While everyone else threw themselves at Stordahl’s project Joel tossed a rope down the immense, downriver-facing slab and commenced scrubbing. A tenuous series of crimps revealed ‘La Hacienda’, the boulder’s namesake problem, a shallow-water solo with a commiting step across to gain the first holds.

The Monkeys relax by the river while Joel gets the slab ready for action

Johnny commits to the probable first ropeless ascent of 'La Hacienda Slab'

Joel high-steps to the top

A month later Johnny G. returned to the project and unlocked the sequence with a previously ignored micro-crimp. ‘Wild Fire’ is this boulders hardest and arguably most beautiful line, unfortunately, chances are pretty good that the future will deposit more driftwood into the start.

Adam takes a lap up 'The Sleeping Lady', one of my all-time favorites

On the backside, beyond ‘La Hacienda’, Stordahl and I had scoped another possible line that would somehow climb into and out of a juggy undercling crack. It looked improbable to start and frightening to finish. After some patient scrubbing Johnny and the boys established ‘Raised Wicked’.

Kyle O. adding a move to 'Raised Wicked'

Kyle on the heady topout

Like many “new” boulders in Leavenworth, there is little doubt that this massive and obvious chunk of stone has been explored in the past. However, I’d be surprised if yesterday’s hardmen, mostly interested in the boulders as a form of practice for their greater goals, managed (or even desired) to drag their way up many of the hardest problems being “put up” today.

Drew Schick going for the Hacienda challenge

Domestic Bliss

2009-10-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

Just another day of bouldering down the Icicle...

Drew Schick sussing a jump start at the Domestic Boulders

Carlin making the big reach on 'Bootin' Dookie'

Crossing into the mantel sequence...

and getting it done.

Drew trying to stay tight on 'Gino Papacino'

While Honcho spots, Drew executes the signature cross on 'Domestic Violence'

Night and Day at Mountain Home

2009-10-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Fall is bringing some precipitation so we've been hitting up boulders and cliffs that are quick to dry. Mt. Home is a pretty solar spot and affords an amazing view into the Icicle Canyon. I headed up in the evening for some fire, food and drunken fun. Before I got too rummy I tried to get some night-time photography practice.

After some much needed rest we made our way down the hill and wrestled some pebbles. I managed to remember how to do 'Tall People Suck', we struggled to unlock 'Punk Ass Kid' and I tried to visualize the anti-gravity movement of 'The Ground Below'. No luck there, but I did snap a few pics of Adam going for a repeat.

Joey T. slabbing it up the Cattleguard

'Foster'

Adam H. on 'Tall People Suck'

Cole 'the Hoss' Allen focused into 'Punk Ass Kid'

Adam H. painfully close on 'The Ground Below'

Joey T.

Keri C.

Adam H.

Raymond 'Cole' Allen

Ground up on Gulliver's Travels

2009-10-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Midnight Rock from Noontime (Jens Holsten photo)

Jens and I made a rare visit to Noontime Rock last week, our first visit to Midnight Rock's somewhat less illustrious neighbor. We had our sights on the formation's only bottom to top free route, Gulliver's Travels. Almost 50 years ago the incredibly prolific Mr. Beckey nailed his way up this interesting series of disconnected features. Some 25 years ago a young Peter Croft cranked his way past Beckey's pins for a free ascent. If it wasn't for a shiny bolt at the first belay I would've guessed that we were the 3rd party to visit this stretch of stone. Whoever the mystery bolter was they neglected to do much cleaning.

Jens following the first "pitch", dirty but engaging 5.2

After I got our rope and bags up to the first station Jens racked up and headed towards the first crack transfer, getting some high gear before unlocking the first tricky traverse of the pitch. The crack that he gained was choked with moss but revealed itself to be relatively moderate and accepted some good protection. Jens tired of the moss-dust and lichen shower so he lowered down and handed me the rack.

Jens, round 1

After gaining Jens' highpoint I managed to pull my way up to the second traverse which ended up being the free-climbing crux. Beckey's pins still sat deep in the thin flake and held long enough to get some gear into the next crack. A short and steep finger splitter gave way to a thin hands to hands crack where I gladly stopped aid climbing and enjoyed some easy jamming.

Max, round 2

I took a brief look at the crux moves on may down and wished Jens luck on the toprope reconaissance. It didn't look easy but there's always a way. Jens didn't have much luck but he did manage to pop one of the ancient pins out with the weird toprope pull. A new relic for the mantle and also a marginal but usable new hand hold. After a lap up the hand crack Jens came down and I gave it a shot. Despite the new hold I was unable to unlock the sequence, quickly defending my weak fingers with the classic Leavenworth excuse:

"Dude, a hold probably broke on this thing, there's no way this is .12a!"

Jens wasn't willing to give up so easily. Unfortunately for my ego he got back up there and figured it out in a few tries.

Jens, round 3 (looking cleaner)

There wasn't enough time in the day (or energy) to try the lead and though it was looking a lot cleaner than before it could still use some wind and rain, not to mention traffic, to get it back into shape. Hopefully we can get back up there this year and try to finish it off, the third pitch looks pretty fun.

This was an interesting outing in that we decided to just head up and clean on lead. Coming in from the top probably would have been more efficient and less time-consuming but the ground up style made for a little more adventure and something a little more akin to a first ascent experience (yeah yeah, except for the bolt and two pins).

Another view of Midnight, try to spot the immaculate splitter of Super Crack.
Major props to Jesse Huey on a ressurection and redpoint of this super classic.

A Day of Ash and Snow

2009-10-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Winter made an early appearance this week, light snow mingling with ash from a local fire. The temps were almost too good so the visiting hardmen hit up some of the harder lines in the Icicle.

Oregon Adam on Thunderdome (middle start, one of three legitimate starts, don't you love bouldering?)

Jeff squeezing blood from the rock on Mad Max, Thunderdome's more moderate neighbor.

A rare photo of myself, looking composed (not mad at all) on Mad Max. Photo by Johnny G

Johnny looking for answers on the Twister Project, Carnival Boulders.

Johnny setting up for the finger-wrenching dyno of the Cotton Pony (another 3 start problem).

Walkin' the Stone

2009-10-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Ryan's 5-month old Akita "puppy" for a walk in the orchards and had him pose down for me a little. I know there's a lot of money in pet glamour shots so I might as well practice on Stone.

Starting over...

2009-10-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm really gonna do it this time! Seriously, like, I'll keep updating this blog and it'll be sick, you'll see...

I'll start it off with some photos from the highly acclaimed Equinox wall, which I visited recently with Kyle O and Stordahl. Too bad I was profoundly hungover, I managed to toprope an easy pitch and get some pics from the observation deck.