Climbing Narcissist

Beowulf

Narc — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:15:12 +0000

Reading about climbing areas near and far is one of the best parts of the climbing blogosphere. Any climber with sufficient motivation can share words, pictures or video of wherever they are climbing which to me is a great thing. While I spend a lot of time posting about big number ascents, I think most of us find quality ascents just as interesting to read about.

Alex Savage recently sent me a note about a new problem completed recently at Black Mountain in California called Beowulf. While “only” V10 or V11, Beowulf climbs a proud looking line out a huge boulder that I would kill to have about 2,000 miles closer to my house. He put a video together which can be seen here.

Check out Alex’s site for a nice blog and quality media from his travels all over the country.

Contest: Win An Access Fund Holiday Pack

Narc — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:43:06 +0000

Last year I ran a contest giving away Access Fund Holiday Prize Packs, and I enjoyed it so much we’re doing it again this year.

Like last year the rules will remain simple. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post about whatever you have on your mind these days. The number of prize packs given out will be determined by the level of participation, the more people that comment the more prize packs I will give out. I’d like to aim for 1 prize pack per 50 entries, but that is subject to change. You have until Wednesday, November 18th to enter.

The prize will be the Basic Holiday Package, here is what you can win:

A 1-year Access Fund Membership to help keep your crags open
A 1-year subscription to Rock & Ice magazine (a $30 value)!
Access Fund organic cotton tee T-shirt from prAna
Omega Pacific keylock biner engraved with “Access Fund”
prAna Signature Hemp Cap to keep your noggin cool
RESTOP bag system: just because a bear goes in the woods doesn’t mean you should
Higher Ground Roasters’ Access Fund Brew
Seasonal flavored Clif Bars (think gingerbread and pumpkin spice)

This is open to U.S. and international readers alike, so spread the word. If you don’t happen to win, you are strongly encouraged to support the Access Fund, or your local access organization, on your own in any way that you are able to.

Keep in mind that all the ad revenue generated by this site goes to access causes like this. Every time you click an ad AND buy something, you are helping keep your crags open and functioning.

Change Of Plans

Narc — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:19:20 +0000

It seems like an eternity has passed, but about a month ago I set aside a long weekend for a bouldering trip to the Southeast. The trip was to be a training mission for my trip to Hueco and my mind was full of potential projects to tick off. Unfortunately things don’t always work as planned.

For starters, the weekend before the trip I injured my shoulder at the gym, something that would plague me for the next month. Then the forecast for the Southeast was terrible so we changed our destination to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. A friend on the Facebook sent along beta from the upcoming Rock Climbing Arkansas guidebook that had me very psyched to check out some of the smaller areas near the Ranch. Then of course it rained several inches the day we were supposed to leave. On to plan C: Devil’s Lake.

While I was stressing about the weather in places 12 hours away, it struck me as odd that I would risk driving 24 hours round trip just to get rained out when I could drive 4 hours round trip, climb and be home in time for dinner if I went to the Lake. I complain as much as anybody about being a long distance from great climbing, buts sometimes it’s good to step back and be appreciative for what you have close to home, even if it isn’t perfect.

I tried to show my appreciation for the Lake by sending Moj, but that didn’t work out. The day was not a total waste, however. I repeated a few problems, hung out with some friends and made the below video. It features probably my favorite problem at the Lake, Show Me The Kind (V4). The crux of the problem revolves around jamming as many of your fingers as possible behind a small left hand vertical crimp over your head (1.5 fingers for me) and making a long move to a huge, hidden jug. The video doesn’t really capture the angle or the scale of the problem. I highly recommend checking it out.

A Sneak Peak At Between The Trees

Narc — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:09:42 +0000

Keith Bradbury from UncleSomebody sent me a copy of his soon to be released movie Between The Trees the other day and asked me to give it an “honest” review. I was more than happy to do so since I was already eagerly looking froward to seeing how he told the story of Ty Landman’s impressive trip to the bouldering mecca of Fontainebleau. Unfortunately, I ran out of time in the run up to my Hueco trip, and I was only able to half watch the movie as I did 50 other things on my computer. Since I couldn’t give the movie my full attention I can’t give a full review, but I can share a few quick thoughts.

From a visual standpoint the movie looks good, but the Reel Rock Tour and movies like Progression have set the bar almost impossibly high when it comes to climbing film making. One comes to expect sweeping visuals and many different angles, but that’s not possible for every filmmaker. Overall, Bradbury does a good job considering that the “film crew” mainly consisted of himself and a lone camera.

The main aspect of the movie that I missed in my multi-tasking was the overall storyline. I can’t really say that it worked or not since I missed a lot of what was being said in between problems. From what I did see, the interviews were mostly interesting and I enjoyed that fact that Landman often pointed out how it’s not always the most difficult line that is the most satisfying to send.

The one thing I can assure you of is that there are a lot of problems shown in the almost 70 minute movie. From a climbing porn standpoint alone the movie should be very intriguing to anyone that has wanted to see more of the bouldering in Font. The grades of the problems shown are almost irrelevant because Landman makes most seem effortless, but they do range from moderate up to V14.

BTT will be available soon from the UncleSomebody website as either an HD download (roughly $20 US) or a DVD (roughly $25 US including shipping). As is the norm these days, the DVD comes with extras you won’t get if you go the download route. I was only able to watch a couple of the extras so I can’t say if they justify the extra cost of buying a DVD. One of the clips I saw featured Landman talking about some of his climbing philosophies, while the other showed some additional problems. Promising, but I need to see the rest before I can decide one way or the other. My guess is that most people who buy the movie will go the download route as that is just easier.

I’ll try to provide an update when I get the chance to watch the movie again.

Between The Trees Teasers

Climbing Video: James Kassay Repeating Sleepy Rave (V15)

Narc — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:05:31 +0000

James Kassay recently did the 3rd ascent of Dai Koyamada’s Sleepy Rave (V15) in Australia’s amazing Hollow Mountain Cave. The problem is a link up (best I can tell) of the problems Sleepy Hollow (V12), Cave Man (V9) and Dead Can’t Dance (V12). For reference climbing the same line from a bit lower in the cave, starting on the V9 X-treme Cool, yields the famous problem Wheel Of Life (V16).

Below is the video of Kassay’s ascent, where you get a really good sense for the scope of the HMC and just how much climbing is involved in doing a problem like Sleepy Rave. Talk about power endurance…

It’s interesting to note that a problem like Sleepy Rave that links V12 into V9 into V12 is given V15, while a problem like Dave Graham’s The Story Of Two Worlds that links a likely V13/14 into a V14 was also given V15. It’s not an apples to apples comparison, but it’s interesting to think about.

New Daniel Woods Blogsite

Narc — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:34:51 +0000

Via B3Bouldering comes news that Daniel Woods has started a new website with a blog, pictures, video, etc. Check it out here.

Not A Bad Ticklist…For A Lifetime

Narc — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:07:41 +0000

Mrs. Narc and I spent the past 4 days enjoying an amazing Fall weekend in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. I’ve never been to the Red this late in the season and the Fall colors were simply stunning. The weather was surprisingly warm Thursday and Friday which made for pleasant conditions at the crag, even if it was a touch on the hot side.

On the climbing front, I took it easy for the most part because I’d been diligently training sitting on the couch the past 2 weeks resting my shoulder in the hopes that I would be (relatively) healthy for my trip to Hueco this week. I tried hard on a couple of routes, and the small taste of climbing at the Red again has me extremely motivated to focus on climbing at the Red much more often next year. I have an absurdly long list of abandoned projects I need to get done.

Speaking of trying hard and being motivated, Jonathan Siegrist continued his tear at the Red this weekend. While I was kayaking through an old mine on Saturday (which was awesome), Siegrist was padding his impressive ticklist at the Motherlode. Based on the parsing of his blog posts, here is Siegrist’s ticklist thus far from his sub-2 week visit to the Red:

Lucifer (5.14c, 5th try)
Southern Smoke (5.14c, 3rd try)
50 Words For Pump (5.14c, 5th try)
Thanatopsis (5.14b, 3rd try)
God’s Own Stone (5.14a, Flash)
Transworld Depravity (5.14a, Flash)
Cherry Red (5.14a, 3rd try)
Omaha Beach (5.14a, Flash)
Swingline (5.13d, 2nd try)
True Love (5.13d, 2nd try)
Ultra Perm (5.13d)
Black Gold (5.13c, Onsight)
Pushing Up Daisies (5.13c, Onsight)
The Madness (5.13c, Onsight)
Golden Boy (5.13b, Onsight)
Cut Throat (5.13b, Flash)
The Return Of Darth Maul (5.13b, Onsight)
Paradise Lost (5.13b, Onsight)
The Castle Has Fallen (5.13b, 2nd try)
Dracula (5.13b, Onsight)
BOHICA (5.13b, Onsight)
Elephant Man (5.13b, 2nd try)
Triple Sec (5.13a, Onsight)
Snooker (5.13a, Onsight)
Convicted (5.13a, 1st try)
Skin Boat (5.13a, 1st try)
The Force (5.13a, Onsight)
Prometheus Unbound (5.13a, Onsight)
Jesus Wept (5.12d, Onsight)
Peace Frog (5.12d, Onsight)
Mind Meld (5.12d, Onsight)
8 Ball (5.12d, Onsight)

With a few climbing days left it will be interesting to see what else Siegrist is able to get done.

2 5.14c FAs by Charlotte Durif

Narc — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:08:20 +0000

In the past month, France’s Charlotte Durif has done two 5.14c FAs, The Wall at Combe La Vielle and the amazing looking roof climb Pull Over at Grotte de Galetas.

Review: Big Up Productions’ Progression DVD

Narc — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:55:50 +0000

Time after time, year after year, Big Up Productions finds a way to up the ante with each climbing movie they release. Without fail, each movie is somehow better than the previous release which is no small feat considering the popularity of each of their movies. Their latest release, Progression, continues this strong tradition.

Progression follows the same tried and true formula as other Big Up movies, namely it follows the world’s best climbers climbing on some of the most difficult routes in a handful of the world’s most beautiful crags. The camera work is top notch and Big Up utilizes several interesting methods to capture the action in a lot of cool, different ways. They also do a good job of weaving a story throughout each of the segments, something that doesn’t seem as forced as other climbing movies.

A few surprises in the movie include an engaging segment on World Cup comp climbing as well as a rare glimpse of Chris Sharma showing some of the pressure he was feeling working Jumbo Love. Slightly exasperated, Sharma lamented the stress he felt he was under to finish the line…and then he of course sends. A fitting way to end the movie.

Progression comes in two versions, an HD download ($19.95) and a DVD ($29.95). I was sent a copy of the download for this review, but I also bought a copy of the DVD. I wanted to be able to watch it on a bigger screen, but I was also interested in checking out the extras. Featured in the extras is a very long segment of Daniel Woods and Paul Robinson bouldering at Rocklands, SA (presumably from Reel Rock Tour ‘08?), Tommy Caldwell trying to free Magic Mushroom on El Cap in a day, Sharma’s Pachamamma segment, Adam Ondra tossing a wobbler after falling from the last hard move of some absurdly difficult sport route and a handful of other clips that didn’t fit with the movie. To me the Rocklands and Magic Mushroom footage alone made the DVD well worth the extra $10.

To borrow a line from Borat Paul Robinson after he sends Amandla (V14) in the Rocklands segment, Progression is a “great success”. If you are only going to buy one climbing movie this year, Progression is a pretty good choice.

In case you need more convincing, check out the trailer below or this interview I did with Josh Lowell when the film was released.

Adam Ondra’s Hardest Route Yet

Narc — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:13 +0000

A likely sign of things to come, Adam Ondra has done the FA of what he considers his hardest route yet at a crag near Sardinia, Italy. Dubbed Marina Superstar, Ondra felt the route could be as hard as 5.15a/b, but only time will tell. Read a more in depth description of the climb (with pictures) here. Excellent interview here.

A Painful Learning Curve

Narc — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:04:59 +0000

Anyone who has seen the recent edition of the Reel Rock Tour has no doubt been transfixed by images of Alex Honnold free soloing routes in Zion and Yosemite and Kevin Jorgeson highballing soloing in Bishop. While I was as impressed as the next guy, there were times during the film that watching something so dangerous made me a little uncomfortable. While I have tremendous respect for the mental control it takes to solo, it seems only a matter of time before something really bad happens while the cameras are rolling. Which brings us to an accident that took place recently in Rumney, NH.

Rumney is well-known for it’s hard sport climbs, many of which are not terribly tall. With this in mind, Max Zolotukhin set out to attempt a free solo of the 30 ft. tall Supernova (5.14b). The cameras were rolling, but unfortunately things didn’t go as planned:

During my previous highballing exploits I have never thought about the fall; every time I was so zeroed in on what I was doing and so confidant in my abilities that I knew with absolute certainty that I was getting to the top safely. The difference this time was not obvious to me until it was too late. As I pulled on for the second time, my mind seemed to be elsewhere. Instead of having that singular focus that I’m so familiar with, I felt disconnected from my body. By virtue of my past experiences I just assumed that I was going to be fine. As I got to the crux shoulder move again, I set feet, hesitated for a split second, and went for it. I hit the pocket accurately but for reasons unknown, my body sagged out and I helicoptered off. Without the ability to control my fall as I did the first time, I came down several feet to the right, grazed the edge of the pads, and landed with all my weight on my left ankle on a small jagged boulder 5 feet below the slab. The second I hit I knew things had gone wrong. My foot was facing due west instead of straight ahead like a normal foot should. Strangely, there was a pronounced lack of pain and merely an extreme discomfort in my left ankle. As my friends carried me down steep hillside to meet the ambulance I was completely lucid. I did not feel like I was in shock; I did not feel like I had sustained an extremely traumatic injury (which the doctor later convinced had certainly occured). All I could do was rack my brain to find the reasons I had fallen.

After racking his brain in the days following the injury, Max wrote a very interesting post about the whole incident that I highly recommend reading. While the story doesn’t necessarily make him look that good, I think it’s an insightful read.

To give you a better frame of reference, here is some video of Dave Wetmore trying Supernova, a route he recently redpointed:

*Image used for this post is not an actual picture of Max’s ankle

Update: Here is the video of what happened:

Update #2: Here is some video of Dave sending:

Fred Nicole Repeats Bishop Testpiece

Narc — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:21 +0000

According to the Bishop Bouldering Blog, the nearly 40 year old Swiss bouldering legend Fred Nicole has climbed The Swarm (V14) in Bishop, CA, adding his name to the long list of people who have climbed the problem.

2nd Mescalito Update From Kevin Jorgeson

Narc — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:41:12 +0000

Back from a week off in New York, Kevin Jorgeson provides another update for the Black Diamond Journal about his and Tommy Caldwell’s efforts on El Cap. El Cap report pictures of them climbing are here and here.

Adam Taylor Punches Golden Ticket At The Red

Narc — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:45:10 +0000

Somewhat below the radar at the time I posted about Jonathan Siegrist’s recent exploits at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky was the recent success of Adam Taylor. Taylor, a somewhat controversial figure at the Red last year, completed the so-called Golden Ticket project (bolted by Kenny Barker and attempted by the likes of Chris Sharma in The Players) at the Red’s Chocolate Factory crag to create what is likely the hardest route at the Red.

Taylor is apparently not big on the whole online climbing thing, but he joined the forums at RedRiverClimbing.com long enough to share his thoughts on the route:

As for the route itself… it starts out nice and slow with maybe a 12c to the 4th bolt, wherein lies a massive jug slot, just enough to get one warmed up. The eight move sequence leading to the next bolt consists of thin moves and ends with a long desperate stab to a two finger pocket (the most frustrating move of the route). As a boulder problem it may be around V9. Three long moves will get you to the next bolt where you can obtain your final real rest in a 1 pad left hand slot and 1.5 pad right hand slot. Moving right leads to a long lunge to a perfect sloping hole which you match and make an even longer lunge/dyno to another 1.5 pad slot. The route to this move would probably be around 14a, but instead of clipping some anchors you abruptly and ruthlessly trend left into a 9 move V10ish boulder problem. With a hand foot match, precise finger placement, a heel hook, and a desperate stab you will end up on two small crimps where you can get a few shakes so long as your forearms aren’t pumped more than a tank full of gas. From here you still have 8 or 9 more hard moves before you can grasp the finishing jug, with the final move being the hardest (I found this out by falling past the last bolt six time last spring). The options for the last move are to full out dyno or use a bad sloping crimp to awkwardly cross.

As for the grade, I do not know… It is definitely a step up from both versions of 50, smoke, and lucifer, but not enough to make the next grade at the red in my opinion. I expect to see some quick ascents in the near future, maybe by those who will be more enlightened than I about its rating.

Check out Climbing.com for a few pictures and a video of Taylor working the route.

Photo Friday

Narc — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:38:36 +0000

A few photo links to inspire your weekend: bouldering at Castle Rock, ID, sport climbing in Kalymnos, Greece and any post from the El Cap Report.

Jimmy Webb In The Zone In Arkansas

Narc — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:28 +0000

Any time Chris Sharma comes through an area and leaves behind a wake of difficult looking ungraded boulder problems it’s always interesting to see what subsequent repeaters think about the problems. Take his well publicized trips to Arkansas for example. Most of the problems featured in Dosage 3 have been repeated at this point with Witness The Fitness (V15? , repeated by Fred Nicole and now broken) and King Lion (V12, repeated by Dave Graham, Ethan Pringle and others) being among the more notable. However, one of the cooler looking lines that had yet to be repeated as far as anyone can tell was a problem called The Zone. Unrepeated until this past weekend at least.

Swinging through Arkansas for a long weekend of bouldering Jimmy Webb made fast work of The Zone for its FKSA (First Known Second Ascent) and suggested a grade of V12 for the line. Here is video of the repeat with a few other lines also thrown in:

Webb also repeated One Inch Pinch (V12) and Daniel Woods’ Fred’s Cave link-up PCP, suggesting it might be closer to V12 than V13.

Brion Voges was also along for the trip where he repeated Dave Graham’s Chunk Up The Deuce (V12) which is included in the below video:

Jonathan Siegrist Is Motivated, Sends Lucifer (5.14c) With Quickness

Narc — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:40:42 +0000

Often times when one makes a long drive for a climbing trip the excitement that builds is never met by a commensurate level of success upon reaching the crag. Inevitably the project you were psyched about is harder than you hoped, you’re tired from the drive or some other excuse is holding you back. Not so for Boulder, CO’s Jonathan Siegrist.

Fresh off a near 19 hour drive, Siegrist rolled in to Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and promptly dispatched with one of the Red’s hardest routes, Lucifer (5.14c), in a mere 5 tries over 2 days. This was Lucifer’s 2nd ascent in the past week after Brad Weaver also sent this Purgatory testpiece late last week. If you are so inclined you can see footage of Chris Sharma sending the route here.

Apparently still not all that tired*, Siegrist also flashed God’s Own Stone (”soft” 5.14a) and onsighted Golden Boy (5.13b) and Black Gold (5.13c) with a 2nd try send of Dave Hume’s True Love (5.13d) thrown in for good measure. All within a few days of his arrival. Solid work!

Check out Siegrist’s blog for more words and some nice pictures of his efforts.

In related news, Magnus Midtbø onsighted Omaha Beach (5.14a) according to his website.

In semi-related news, I will be down in the Red for a long weekend beginning next Thursday prepping for my trip to Hueco getting pumped senseless on 5.10 jug hauls that lack any discernible crux.

*must be the twice yearly training Siegrist does at Adventure Rock

Issue 2 Of Squamish Climbing Magazine Now Available

Narc — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:59:34 +0000

The 2nd issue of Squamish Climbing Magazine is now available for free consumption at this link. Focused almost exclusively on the climbing scene around Squamish, BC, SCM is well worth the read.

Climbing Video: Dan Beall Ground Up On Bishop Highball Luminance

Narc — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:05:01 +0000

Getting a jump on the winter bouldering season in Bishop, CA, Dan Beall has done the 3rd ascent, and perhaps more notably the first ground up ascent, of the highball Luminance (V11ish) at the Secrets of the Beehive Area.

First climbed late last year by Shawn Diamond after toprope inspection, Luminance climbs “an exceptionally beautiful wall above a heinous landing”. You may remember seeing this problem in the Reel Rock Tour’s presentation of Progression where Kevin Jorgeson does the 2nd ascent with spotter Tim Kemple anchored to the rock in order to aid him in spotting Jorgeson safely.

Intrigued after watching a friend feel out the opening moves on the line, Beall stepped up and gave the problem a shot:

After several forays across the scary lower moves, he soon found himself looking at the meat of the climb–a huge pull from one good edge to another with the terrifying drop zone into a ravine enough to make him second guess the outcome. However, after sitting down for a while, “until I stopped shaking,” he says, Dan pulled on once more and this time committed to the throw.

“Even though you feel like you’re going to die, I think that the climb is actually fairly safe with just a few pads because of how positive the holds are and how relatively controlled the falls should be. The only place where you could get really hurt I think is the move to the lip, but if you can get there, you really shouldn’t fall, it’s probably the easiest move on the climb.”

Read the rest of the story at the Bishop Bouldering Blog and then check out the video of the send:

First Mescalito Update From Kevin Jorgeson

Narc — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:15 +0000

Kevin Jorgeson provides an update for the Black Diamond Journal on the first week of his and Tommy Caldwell’s efforts to free a new line up El Capitan.