updates and requests

It's been a couple of crazy weeks with the Mammut bouldering Comp and Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City. Set up and take down for both events adds many days to the actual events for me. I don't mind so much, but it does get crazy from time to time, leaving me numb and spaced out for a few days after the event. All went well though. The comp was a lot of fun, and O.R. was pretty much the same but i had a lot more to do for some reason. I'm glad it's over and look forward to the whole thing again next year.

Heather went to Boise for a school conference this week and I connected with Heather H. for a trip to the City of Rocks. We had hopes of being gone for the week, but i had some end of the month work obligations that required immediate attention. I'll get things done today and hope to get back out for the rest of the week. Sorry to Heather for the false start at what would have been a fun week of climbing.

We did get some climbing in though. On our way down we stopped at Massacre Rocks and resurrected some old boulder problems east of the interstate i played around on in the early 90's. They were a lot of fun and even more enjoyable with a crash pad! Didn't have those in the early 90's! At the City we made it a point to climb routes that we have not done. Usually this is my goal anyway, but always seem to end up taking friends up the "classics" at some point in the trip. The weather was pleasant for the middle of summer and we ticked off more routes in my guide book. I can't believe i hadn't climbed Fred Rassumsen on the Upper Breadloaf before. That route might be my favorite 5.8 splitter at the City now. Also of note - i totally botched the lower section of Stan's Roof and fell off before getting to the good crack climbing! Don't tunnel vision in the corner, use the outside edge to your right!

ELI WATKINS PLEASE CALL ME AGAIN. Your message was broken up and i do not have your phone number.

Last but not least - thanks for the many kind emails about Alpinist Issue 27. It was a great experience and very humbling to have them approach me for an article. Truly an experience i will cherish all of my life. Thanks Katie Ives and Michael Kennedy for your intrigue in Idaho's mixed alpine cragging.

more Weeping Cave action

A large crew of us headed out to the Weeping Cave yesterday afternoon. Large for us would be seven close friends! At times it was pretty funny with three climbers fighting for space at one time on the wall! It was like a scene from that old TV show American Gladiator!

Everyone enjoyed the routes. Matt pushed his one hang status on Quart of Blood Technique higher up the route. Tom worked on his impossible looking (to me anyway, but the power of youth is stronger than i am) route Uber Unagi, and I worked out some sequences on Matt's open project, The Basilisk. Heather and Nat M. started to work on Qt. late in the evening, both topping out on the route with a lot of hard work to get there. Rick and Scott burned up the moderates before time constraints sent them back to Idaho Falls. All in all, a very inspiring day of rock climbing and projecting.

The Basilisk is hard - as in we need Mike McClure and his crimp strength on overhanging bulges without feet to come over and check this thing out. It may be our area's first attainable .13+/.14-. Now that is just a suggestion and said in complete reservation in tossing arbitrary numbers out on the internet. Regardless, the Basilisk, like Qt. of Blood Technique is very inspiring and i look forward to getting bouted on it for many months to come!

I leave in a few days for the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City and the Mammut Bouldering Championships. I look forward to seeing a lot of you guys there and can't wait to get caught up on things happenig in your lives.

and the winner is...

Quart of Blood Technique.

Last year i scoped out a few sectors of limestone in Palisades Creek and came back with some worthwhile findings. I wanted to start establishing routes this spring but the opportunity for a trip to Croatia and the super poor spring-time weather kept me from doing so. I passed on some photos and locations to Matt TeNgiao to check out. He too was excited about the potential. Knowing i was going to be gone most of the spring and being the gentleman he is, Matt asked if i had any reservations about him starting the equipping process. (one of the many great things about most of our local climbers... they have a lot of respect for each other and the hard work that goes into sifting through miles and miles of choss to keep the local scene going! I love where i live and the people i get to climb with.)

In my absence Matt has equipped a handful of quality routes for all abilities, including a few projects to work on. Typically i equip routes out of the need for new terrain to climb or the inspiration of a particular feature or peak. But with the hard work Matt put in the last few months, i have some new routes to work on and no real need to equip new routes other than one or two inspiring features at the new Palisades Creek wall called the Weeping Cave. And maybe a really cool looking sector near the Weeping Cave. And this one area in the Lemhi Range. And maybe, well, you get the point!

Matt took Heather and I out to the Weeping Cave yesterday to show us his work. I had a blast and so did Heather. We climbed some really fun .10's and .11's on featured but technical and challenging limestone. One of Matt projects he has dubbed "The Quart of Blood Technique" is AMAZING! I do not hesitate to say it is by far the best new route of the year and may easily become my favorite route in Eastern Idaho. An impossible looking line with hidden holds that are really good. The line is sustained, powerful, and pumpy as hell. Lots of knee drops, lock-off's, and techy feet. CLASSIC in every way. Nice work TeNgiao!

I am excited to go back and redpoint the route after Matt get's the first ascent; which won't be long as he had it down to one hang on his last attempt of the day yesterday. At any rate, here are a few photos that Matt took of Heather and I along with a couple of images i took of Matt with his camera.

For more info on the Weeping Cave, check out http://www.seiclimbing.com/

that's me on Sasquatch 5.10d

Heather getting techy on the deceptive 9 Cow Wife 5.11b

Matt getting ready to gaston on the Quart of Blood Technique

Another shot of Matt

I love Idaho

I love Idaho. I love America. I love the piece and quiet of country living. Cool air at night. Breeze blowing through the trees... I could go on and on.

We are home and happy to be here.

The above vid is sooo perfect! Thanks for sending the link to me Steve! It it a perfect display of humor in every aspect. I laughed and laughed. Heather and I must have watched this 10 times in a row!

My brain is a bit fried for any worthwhile blog content. Hopefully i'll be recovered in a day or two...