Here…

The Feats of Strength bouldering comp, at the Cliffs at Valhalla in New York, is Saturday, the 25^th! We’re psyched to watch hundreds of competitors throw down on over 150 boulder problems. Prizes include $1,500 in cash for the winner as well as $5,000 worth of gear and other goodies. Even though the $35 dollar registration date has passed, have no fear; you can register for just five dollars more on the day of the event. Registration starts at 12pm and the climbing begins at 1pm. So whether you want to compete or just get psyched and watch, the Cliffs at Valhalla is the place to be.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

For those stoked on the history of climbing and wondering “who was that genius who first started wearing spandex?” you should check out Ed Webster’s slideshow at IME in North Conway this Saturday at 7pm. Titled “Evolution of the American climber, from suits and ties to Lycra, 1910-2010,” Webster uses archival photographs to illustrate the development of climbing from Underhill and Wiessner in the early days up on through the present, looking at the evolution of clothing, footwear, pro, rope techniques and ethics.

Webster was born in Lexington, MA and taught himself to climb on rock around Boston. He established over 100 FAs in the Northeast and out West, and went on three Everest expeditions from 1985-1988. On his final trip to Everest, Webster and his team attempted the east face, becoming one of only three teams to ever do so. They had to turn back 300 feet from the summit and Webster lost the tips of eight of his fingers and three of his toes to frostbite while descending in a terrible storm. For all his troubles, he did make it into Trivial Pursuit, so next time you get the question “how many fingertips did Ed Webster lose on his 1988 Everest climb?” you’ll know the answer!

What: Ed Webster slideshow
Where: International Mountain Equipment, 2733 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH
When: Saturday, February 25th 7:00pm
Info: American Alpine Club Northeast Chapter

The use of foul language, trying real hard and faces like this can be expected in the latest update from Bass for Your Face. But for real folks, don’t take it too seriously because it doesn’t usually happen like this…

Screen Shot of Your Face

Ines Papert reports on one of her most impressive ascents to date near Wolkenstein, Italy. On January 27, 2012, she became the first woman to climb Illuminati, an impressive M11 + w16+ graded route that is regarded as Europe’s most stout, multi-pitch mixed climbs.

“At times you really need to know how to wait for just the right moment,” she says in The Black Diamond Journal after her long, six-year wait that resulted in a repeat of Illuminati.

Papert knows Illuminati well. Her first interaction with this “gigantic roof with demanding, runout, final pitches” was back in 2006 with her partner Albert Leichtfried. “Already, I was keen on a repetition, but the ice on the upper part of the wall made itself rare,” she explained. The second attempt occurred three years later with climbing partner Astner but ended in similar dilemma.  Another try in 2010 with partner Angelika Reiner ended unsuccessfully again because temperatures were too low. “Climbing M11 + with thin gloves was simply out of the question,” she stated.

Finally on Janaury 27, 2012, her dream came true. A quick call to her friend Hubert Moroder confirmed that climbing conditions were sufficient enough for an ascent. Papert and new climbing partner, Lisi Steurer, were excited.

“Tension grew” explained Papert “and I couldn’t wait to see the route. Finally we stood at its base, it was like a dream. Glazing blue ice, the sun shone over the mountain tops, the temperature was a bit too warm for this time of year. I felt like I could do it today.”

The route begins with a 30 meter M11 which leads to the roof that has a crux pitch leading up to the ice. “And I got over the roof, at the first attempt this time,” Papert says. She and her climbing partner, Lisi Steurer, waited until the sun had gone behind the mountain. “We did not want to expose ourselves, because icicles kept falling off,” she explains.

Even though Ines Papert is an experienced climber, she did have some reservations about the climb. “When I reached the ice column, my stomach clenched for a second.” Papert had no  ice screws, and still had 20 vertical meters to climb. She remembers asking herself if her nerves would hold.

But the answer came quickly. “I listened to my inner feeling and had good sensations. I did a bit of introspection, but it felt good inside. I climbed higher, above the tension crack and could finally set the first reasonable screw. The other pitches followed and we reached the top. We were jubilant and shouted for joy.”

The Cliffs at Valhalla in New York is hosting Feats of Strength, their 7th annual “Mega Comp Throw-Down” this Saturday, February 25th. Tunes will be provided by Mon Voyage Neon and hundreds of climbers will compete on over 150 boulder problems for top honors. With $5,000 in prizes and give-aways and a $1,500 cash purse for the open division, you’ll be happy whether you’re there sending or on the sidelines nursing your flappers and tendonitis.

Gym comps are famous for pretty gnarly posters, and Feats of Strength may take the prize this year. Dan Yagmin designed this beauty, using “a combination of three traditional watercolor paintings composited within Adobe Photoshop. This is a technique I have been playing around with recently, and it allows for a lot of flexibility when producing the final image.”

Brooklyn Outfitters is hosting registration for the comp on their site here. If you sign up before the 23rd you’ll pay $35. Prizes include:

*Crash pads from Organic & Black Diamond
*Shoes from Scarpa, FiveTen, La Sportiva, Evolv
*Clothing from Verve, PrAna, Granit, Rock and Snow
*Swag from Revolution, The DRCC, Element Climbing, Climbing Magazine, Rock and Ice, Rock and Snow, Black Diamond, BigUp Productions, Petzl, ProBar, EMS and more…

For more information, go to www.thecliffsclimbing.com.
For more artwork from Dan Yagmin, go to www.danielyagminjr.blogspot.com.

Looks like Daila Ojeda is going to have to share the spotlight. Just two days after Spanish climber Ojeda accomplished climbing Mind Control in Oliana, Spain, Nina Caprez does the same. She is now the second female to repeat Chris Sharma’s Mind Control, a rigorous, 40 meter, 5.14/8c+ course.

When asked about the course, Caprez stated “It’s a crazy line, a great journey.”  She also says excitedly “Six small trials, folded quickly, as I like!”

Caprez  tried to climb Mind Control last year and failed but succesfully climbed Fish Eye an 8c in the same area. Fortunately, failing to tick off Mind Control did not deter a motivated Caprez. After four attempts this week, Caprez explains that on her first serious try she redpointed.

It all started with a 7c. Nina explains vividly:

“A long wall in a part very technical and good cruxs at the end where you really have to be assertive spend. For me, the hardest part was to manage the vertical part, fifteen delicate movements lockups necessitating very accurate.”

The second problem she experienced related to the length of the course. She states that “management track is very long and if it not known to relax and keep calm, slide and fall.”

She also says she that “being calm and super psyched” were major factors in her success. “You just have to have a good mental and do not let go,” she sates.

 Sources: UKclimbing.com, Kairn.com

Hugh Herr’s life is one that could only happen in the Northeast. Born in Pennsylvania, he took to climbing at an early age, ascending Alberta’s Mount Temple (11,600 ft) at age eight. In 1982 when Herr was seventeen, he and partner Jeff Batzer were ice climbing in Huntington Ravine when a brutal blizzard with 100+ mph winds and wind chills reaching the negative triple digits overtook them. 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Washington, they became disoriented and descended into the Great Gulf. Herr fell into the frozen Peabody River, and things only got worse. They ultimately spent four days in freezing January temperatures before a rescue party reached them (one volunteer, Albert Dow, was killed in an avalanche during the rescue).

Arriving at the hospital with frostbite and gangrene, Herr ended up having both his legs amputated. His doctors told him that he’d not be able to climb again, but his love for rock and ice persevered. He created prosthetic limbs with feet stiff enough to edge on the tiniest flakes and spikes that allowed him to continue to climb ice. In the early 80′s Hugh Herr was one of the top climbers in the Northeast, despite only being able to crawl without his prosthetic legs. His notable FAs include Vandals (5.13) at the Gunks with Lynn Hill and Russ Clune and Stage Fright (5.12c X) at Cathedral Ledge. He even toyed with his height by making his legs longer, at one point “growing” to eight feet tall!

Herr doesn’t climb as much anymore because he’s a professor at MIT and world leader in the field of prosthetics. I recently came across this TED presentation from 2010 and was super inspired by him. Check it out.

Recently, Outdoor Research produced a series of videos, The Classics, documenting some of North America’s most iconic outdoor activities. The series features some really epic excursions, including climbing at Red Rocks in Nevada and alpine climbing at the Bugaboos, in British Columbia. However, we’re most psyched to see the Northeast being represented with a segment devoted to ice climbing in North Conway, New Hampshire.

The video features Emilie Dirnkwater, Sarah Garlick and Bayard Russell as they tackle some of North Conway’s most legendary routes. It is great to hear Emilie talking about the “fable” of Dracula and then watch her send it. For many in the Northeast, these climbs are quite familiar, so to see some very well respected climbers being highlighted, evokes some serious hometown pride. Those who climb in the Northeast know how beautiful and challenging the terrain can be, so it is somewhat of an honor to see our home turf represented as one of North America’s classics.

The jury for the Piolets d’Or has come to their decision, and announced the six routes in contention for the prestigious award. The jury deliberated, and chose these six routes in respect to their level of exploratory alpinism, high level of technical difficulty, as well as the environmental consideration taken by the teams.

We’re very stoked to learn that Freddie Wilkinson, Mark Richey and Steve Swenson have been nominated for their ascent of Saser Kangri II in the Indian Karakoram (check out the teaser for their video The Old Breed). At 7581 meters, Saser Kangri II was the world’s second highest unclimbed peak before Freddie, Mark, and Steve were able to reach the summit last August. We couldn’t be more pumped to have the guys nominated for such a prestigious award.

Another route that has been nominated is Bjørn-Eivind Årtun and Ole Lied’s 2850-meter climb of Torre Egger, Argentina. The duo climbed the south face of Torre Egger in December as the entire face was blanketed with ice. The nomination follows the tragic news of Årtun’s, as well climbing partner Stein-Ivar Gravdal’s passing earlier this week. Årtun and Gravdal were climbing the notoriously steep side of Kjerag east of Stavanger in Norway. Their loss comes as a great shock to the climbing community, and it is tragic that Årtun will not bear witness to his nomination. We offer our condolences to the family and friends of both Årtun and Gravdal.

Along with Saser Kangri II and Torre Egger, four other climbs have been nominated. Kazakhs Gennadiy Durov and Denis Urubko added a new route to Pik Pobeda (7439m) in Kyrgyzstan. Pik Pobeda is the northern most 7000-meter peak in the world, and Durov and Urubko developed “Dollar Rod” a very technical route undertaken in alpine style. Two young Slovenians, Nejc Marcic and Luka Strazar, have been nominated for their ascent of K7 West in Pakistan. In their first Himalayan expedition, the two reached the west summit of the previously unclimbed northwest face, through a 1,600m sustained mixed route. American Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and, Renan Ozturk are nominated for their ascent of the east pillar of Meru Central (6,310m), India. Many groups have made expeditions to the area, however the American team is the first to climb the route, The Shark’s Fin, in its entirety. Last but certainly not least, is the ascent of Xuelian North-East (6,249m), China by Slovenians Ales Holc, Peter Juvan, and Igor Kremser. Xuelian North-East was the last remaining unclimbed 6,000-meter peak in the Xuelian Feng, in Chinese Tien Shan.  The trio climbed the very technical route in a minimalist style.

Each one of these climbs is amazing in its own respect, and it is bound to be a difficult choice for the judges to pick one route as the winner. Each climber deserves credit for their amazing effort, and we wish them all the best of luck.

Sources: www.alpinist.com and www.pioletsdor.com

Photo Keith Ladzinski

An excited Daila Ojeda has finally sent her project entitled  Mind Control, 5.14c/8c+ in Oliana, Spain. Ojeda is the only female to climb this difficult course, pushing the standards for women climbers worldwide. She recounts her experience with a sense of “deja vu” stating on her blog  “It was really nice to clip the chains and remember what it’s like to redpoint. It’s so good!”

She also congratulates her friend, Joe Kinder, who did the climb the same day. “It was a good day for the Era Vella Team!” Ojeda emphasizes.

Mind Control is a rigorous route 40 meters long and, as of March 2011, only six people had conquered it.  Among those six is climber Adam Ondra. Mind Control isn’t only what he’s known for either. Ondra has onsited at least seven 5.14c’s. Mind Control was only one of them. Impressive to say the least.

Although Ojeda is an experienced climber and has done some 8cs before, she did have some jitters. She states that it was “a really frantic moment” but thanks her fellow climbers and friends for their support and continued motivation.