Category: climbing

Mad Rock at Primo Wall

Being a climbing photographer is hard, but it’s even harder when you break your back. In March I received a compression fracture from a climbing fall, and for a month and half I wore a back brace. But I still continued to get out with climbers.

Mad Rock asked me to get out with two of their athletes in, Zach Lerner and Megan Mascarenas, to the Primo Wall in April. To do so I had to cross a tyrolean traverse, a means of getting across the river using ropes attached to both sides. You pull yourself onto the ropes, connect a long quickdraw that connects your harness to the ropes, and pull yourself across the river. Without a broken back it can be tiring.

We start out shooting in Nomad’s Cave. Easy enough. The cave opens up inside allowing me to position a reflector and shoot a flash into the reflector, lighting the scene. Meghan, Tiffany Hensley, and Zach work on the one of the boulder problem that exits the cave.

Then we move over to Shine, a 5.14a sport route that Zach and Meghan work on. Zach puts up a fixed line for me to jug up. Hanging from a rope, even sitting on my bosun’s chair, with my back brace is very difficult. Leaning out to get the shots really engages your core, which causes your back muscles to tighten. Unhappy broken back… A well, to get the shot, right?

But in the end, I survived. Now, well over six months after my fall I am 100%. I’m climbing full strength and rarely feel any impact from my fall, other than an increased attention to detail. 

Adidas Terrex Solo Approach Shoe

Adidas has been breaking into the outdoor adventure world with their Terrex brand, bringing on world class athletes like Jon Cardwell and Sasha DiGiulian to represent the brand. I have a pair of their
GoreTex hiking boot, which are great (and sticky). The Solo comes with the Traxion rubber, feels like a runner with a bit of a stiffer sole. You can trust Adidas to make a good, quality shoe. These are no exception. 

Wolvo with Mike O’Orourke

Last week I got out with Mike O’Rourke, a climber with Mad Rock, to Wolvo at Lincoln Lake on Mt Evans. It’s a expansive bouldering field posted around Lincoln lake that is situated below the country’s highest paved road, at over 14,000 feet. To get to the boulders you descend a very steep talus field for a few hundred feet (a blast to walk out of) to find an almost endless supply of granite. Mike quickly sends a Rebellion Sit (V10) that starts in a dark granite cave and exits with an awkward crawl between rocks. 
Trying to get to another boulder we find ourselves looking at Star of David (V12), that Mike figures out an impressive one handed dyno move to a tiny sloper crimp (jug? that hurt just pulling on by itself) and quickly makes easy work of it.  
Star of David V12

Star of David V12

Mike gets his swing on with Lincoln Lake in the background. 

Maneuvering through the boulder field 

 The rest of the group disappears into the maze of boulders and Mike leads me to Warrior Up, a short but stout V15 with tiny holds. He gives it a few goes, and says he hopes he can finish it before the snows come, probably next week. Anyway, the road to Lincoln Lake will only be open till, at the latest, Oct 6th.

Mike puts some burns on Warrior Up v15

The hike out is a calf burner, short but steep. The sun is going down, the wind is picking, and the temperature dropping as we get up to the road. The end of the season is close. 

Mt Evans with Rob D’Anastasio, Jimmy Webb, and David Graham

Colorado has been very wet this late summer, storms coming in most afternoons. It’s been good for the land, but makes climbing difficult.

Rob D asked me last Saturday if I’d like to join him up at Mt Evans for a bouldering session with some of his friends. The hike into into Area A takes about an hour and half from the parking lot at Echo Lake. We got caught in a downpour at the reservoir and sat under some trees and waited. After the rain started to pass we kept going up the path. Bouldering pads bobbed through the trees in front of us; lots of people bailing for fear of more storms. Pity, it was a beautiful day. We got to the Ladder, a V2 with an awkward start, and found Jimmy Webb and Dave Graham doing warm up laps.

The crew headed over to the Dali Boulder where several people try the Dali Sit Start, V9.

Rob D on the Dali SS

Dave, Jimmy and Rob started working on Ode to the Modern Man, a very hard V14 with powerful moves off tiny crimps. 

David Graham trying hard on Ode to the Modern Man V14

It’s a big move to a tiny crimper

Rob working on the top of Ode

 It was getting late, but instead of going back we head further into the valley toward Area B. Everyone was Psyched to get on Chris Schulte’s problem, 1%ER. The talus field is full of huge boulders you have to scramble over to get to the climbs, and there are some beautiful problems in Area B. Everywhere you look there is potential.  1%ER is further southwest down the valley than I’ve been before, and the boulders just keep going.

Area B’s talus field

Rob D trying 1%ER

 1%ER is on a short boulder, maybe 10ft tall, and starts out with a super hard compression move at full wingspan. Your left hand slaps up terrible slopers while you utilize heal and toe hooks. The problem culminates with a dyno to a good-ish jug that sends your feet flying out, making you almost horizontal.

All three try the moves, but Jimmy gets the pieces of the puzzle figured out.
Jimmy Webb practicing the final move on 1%ER

Jimmy Webb sticking the super hard first sequence on 1%ER

Dave Graham giving it a go 
Jimmy Webb swings wildly on his send and the 2nd ascent of  Chris Schulte’s 1%ER

Just after Jimmy gets the 2nd ascent of the V13 the skies open up and we run for cover in one of the nearby “caves”. We start the hike out when the rain slows, but it’s a long hike out in the rain and in the dark. We are thoroughly soaked and ready for a great burger.  Nonetheless, a great day at Mount Evans.

Waiting out the rain

Gear Reviews: Adidas Terrex Fast R Mid GTX & Swift Solo

I’ve been wearing the Adidas Terrex Fast R GTX‘s for most of my adventuring lately and I love them. They’re light weight but stable, have incredible traction, and edge decently well for a non-approach shoe. I feel much more stable on steep terrain than in my old Keens. They use the Continental Tire Rubber which feels very stable in most conditions.

Low Key product photo of Adidas Terrex Swift Solo shoe. 

Also the Adidas Terrex Swift Solo approach shoe has been a nice addition. I’ve worn them while climbing 5.10’s and they’re comfortable around town. A bit lighter than the Scarpa’s and quite a bit more attractive, I think. I grab them for many different occasions.

Ice in Officer’s Gulch

Admittedly I was not great about adding posts from this past winter. I’m still trying to catch up, and there’s a lot to catch up on. 

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Matt Lloyd swinging into Three Tiers at Officer’s Gulch 
Matt Lloyd calls me quite often at 6:30 in the morning with a ludicrous amount of energy and enthusiasm. “Let’s go climbing today!” Sometimes it’s Eldorado Canyon, sometimes it’s Clear Creek or Table Mountain. Wherever it is it doesn’t matter, it’s just good to get out and climb. And honestly, I’m incredibly thankful that he does call me, even though I do value my sleep and I’m usually less than enthused when I answer the phone. I’ve gotten to explore so much of Colorado in the last fifteen months because of those 6:30am calls. 
Late last November the moral in the snow sports community was low. We’d gotten some good early snows but then remained dry for most of November and December. But this meant that many of the ice climbing areas that normally have a very high avalanche danger were clear for climbing. 
Matt calls and says we’re going to do our first bit of ice this year at Officer’s Gulch with our friend Colin. “Awesome, I’m in. But I don’t have my ice tools yet.” Matt tells me, “It’s fine, I’ll pick you up a pair.” 
I call him on my way to the carpool lot, “Matt, in my excitement to leave I forgot my helmet.” This is not unusual. I’m pretty good at forgetting important items. “Well, the good news is,” Matt tells me, “I have an extra helmet. The bad news is I forgot to grab you tools. We’ll figure it out. We’ll make it work.” 
Officer’s Gulch, otherwise called Tenmile Canyon, has some great ice climbing that is reasonably accessible, but most of the winter it can be dangerous to climb because of the avalanche danger. Some of the classics, however, are The Shroud (WI 3-4) and Round the Corner (WI 4-5). But we wanted to get a warm up for the season on Three Tiers, 500 vertical feet of WI 2-3 and low angle ice walking up – you might have guessed already – tiers of good climbing. Good thing we chose this, having 2 sets of tools for three people is precarious. 
The first pitch is the crux of it. Easily solo-able but without tools for everyone, thankfully, we rope up. It’s good to be swinging into ice again. I started last season at the Ouray Ice Fest and kind of fell in love. I’ve been rock climbing most of my life, but there’s something about ice that’s addicting in a different way. 
After the first pitch I get left with a trailing rope and and no tools. For the low angle ice it’s not a problem, but when I reach the vertical sections I start employing my rock climbing skills. I crimp on ice scars from my friends’ tools and pull on columns to get myself up. It’s a great exercise in footwork. Thankfully, and maybe surprisingly, I didn’t fall. 
We bushwhack and scramble to descend most of the way down the mountain, setting up a rope and rappelling the last fifty meters or so. 
I’m excited for the rest of the season, but it will make a big difference with my own set of tools. 
Colin descending the route

Colin racking for the climb

Matilda Soderlünd Bouldering

A few months ago I got a call from Tiffany Hensley asking if I wanted to get out and shoot with Swedish climber Matilda Soderlünd. Who am I to say no to an invitation like that. We tried to go to Guanella Pass but we got rained out. On the way home we decided to stop in Clear Creek Canyon to at least get some climbing in.

Matilda is not as much of a boulderer as she is a sport climber, but she definitely can hold her own.

We found this friendly guy blocking our path out, but he allowed us to pass eventually.

I invited Matilda to come back to Clear Creek later and show me her sport climbing skills. And she is impressive.

The Grim Reaper 5.13rx Trad in Eldorado Canyon

Happy new year! I have a really great feeling about 2013! Enjoy a post I should have posted a LONG time ago. And congratulations to my friend Matt Lloyd who just got accepted to the Evolv National Climbing Team!

Back in October, Matt Lloyd told me about a project in Eldorado Canyon that he wanted to work on. “It’s short, hard, and dangerous” he said. “The only other guy to do it took a pretty bad ground fall while working on it. It’s 5.13RX trad…” For some reason he likes climbs that have the potential of a bad ground fall.

It was cold. And a hell of a hike to get to the top of Redgarden wall. We warm up on a “Eldo” stout 5.11 crack. 
Matt works through the crux and after a couple of attempts, goes for the send. 5.13 is hard. 5.13 rx Trad is harder. and Eldo 5.13 rx Trad is even harder.  

Matt trying hard.

The route is short, and it’s over quickly. Once over the ledge, it’s a jug haul to the top.

The end of the year was crazy and I’ve had a lot of awesome adventures. A lot more are to come for 2013! 

Patagonia Men’s Advocate Lace Plaid Shoe Review

I love this shoe. And that’s saying a lot; I have a lot of shoes. 
Patagonia Men’s Advocate Lace Plaid Shoe
Photo from Patagonia’s website

I have many shoes for many different purposes, but when I need to grab just one for most things this is it. The Patagonia Men’s Advocate Lace Plaid Shoe is meant to be a an aprés climb (or pretty much an aprés anything) shoe. It’s super super lightweight, foldable, packable and very surprisingly durable.

I’ve worn the hell out of this shoes since January, and I love it. I use it for everything from my everyday around the town shoe and some light running. But as an approach shoe is where this shoe excels. The sole is incredibly thin and I even took out the minimal footbed, so my foot is protected just by the flexible rubber sole. In the trend of minimalist shoes, this is about as minimal as you can get without going barefoot. I love how my feet feels the trail, and the rubber sole grips to rock impressively well. And being so light weight and flexible you can easily clip the shoe to your harness for multipitch climbs or stuff them in your pack and never notice they are there.

I’ve bouldered V4 in them, and in them I’ve dragged myself through waist deep snow at the top of Redgarden Wall in Eldorado Canyon in February (Not the best idea). I have been incredibly impressed by their durability: when I first bought them I didn’t know how well it would hold up, but after 8 months of extremely heavy use they are still kicking it strong. The Patagonia Men’s Advocate Lace Plaid Shoe gets a strong recommendation.