Beaver Creek

Well the outdoor bouldering season is about over. Soon the weather will start dumping mountains of snow, and all the mountain roads will be closed till spring. Up here in Cache Valley the we climbing as much as we can outside until it is absolutely too cold or too much snow to reach the boulders and cliffs. However, since the winter change hasn't hit us yet, we have been making the best of what we can. We have been establishing an area called Beaver Creek. This area is the only actual bouldering area within 100 miles. One of my friends named Trevor heard about this area from a local who was moving out of Logan and wanted to spread the word before he left. Trevor with the help of a few of his friends scoured the mountain side for three days before coming across the first boulder. Since first discovering the area we have established 35+ problems and in the short time we have been working up there this year we put 20 of those. We have only been able to make it up there on Saturday's, but we have high hopes for establishing next year.




This is one of the projects for the remainder of the season and next season. We have dubbed it the double stuff project and it follow right up the white streak and tops out at the high point. It could very possibly be one of the first double digit boulder problems in the area.




This is the other major project up at Beaver Creek! Trevor has been calling it the Prow-D Project for going on five years now. There used to be a gigantic rock stuck in the ground below the sit start of the boulder, but after a few broken car jacks, a com-a-long, and brutal man power we were able to remove it. The problem starts in the lower right of the boulder and hugs the right arete all the way to the top. It is also a possible contender for a double digit problem.

The Summer OR

Shortly after I arrived back in Utah I made the annual pilgrimage down to SLC for the Summer OR. All of the shows that I've attended since being picked up by the Climb X Team have been phenominal, but this one was by far my favorite! I got to hang out with amazing people, see new gear, and talk shop with people from all over the country. The Summer OR is way more than the biggest gathering of outdoor companies; it is a community of like minded individuals coming together to hang out and mingle for one solid week. Now, that's enough rambling and let's get to the new products! New for the 2013 line will be a few things: the X-Dream, new design of both the Technician and the Tech Lace, and crack gloves.

Summer of 2012

Well the summer has been freaking amazing! I sent my first 5.13b, established two bouldering areas, a cliff band, and made a lot of First Ascents.  Back in May I was working a route in China Cave called Bassoon.  It was one of the most satisfying moments of my climbing career; being able to say that I have climbed 8a is a stepping stone for me to build on. 

I sent on May 31; two days before I left for my Colorado summer.  I spent two months in the South Platte.  Stacey and I lived in Lake Wellington which is near Bailey, Colorado.  We worked at a place called Camp Firewalker.  I was encharge of Rock Climbing and Rappelling; we worked with High School aged teens to help them experience the outdoors.  While there I was able to establish 30 new problems/routes.  There were two bouldering area and a cliff band.  I named the first area Guano Rock and the second Land of Magical Creatures.  The hardest problem I ended  putting up was a long standing project in that my friend found and had been trying for a couple of years.  I named the problem Voldemort which ended up being V11. 

 The next problem that amazing route at Guano I named Quidditch V9.  The mantle at the end of this problem almost made my groin explode.  It is really only a one move wonder with a wicked top out! 

The next amazing route was at a different area that I established this summer.  The other area I named Land of Magical Creatures; mostly because I named every route after a magical creature from Harry Potter.  The problem that you see when you first walk up to the boulder is amazing!  It is this blunt roof arete that just begged to be climbed.

I established 20 boulder problems and 6 routes while out in Colorado.  While out there I visited a few areas around Colorado Springs: Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Garden of the Gods, and Shelf Road.  While in Shelf I got on a few routes, but it was so hot that only climbing in the morning was the way to go.  We were there for two days and didn't get into camp till late Friday.  That night we climbed a little bit, but didn't get on anything hard.  The next morning I jumped on the route Bad Brains (5.12a) to try and see if I could get the onsight and I did!  It is always gratifying when you haven't roped up on long sport routes to be able to onsight a grade that was once a challenge for you.

We also spent 4 days chasing the "cooler" weather at Red Rock Canyon Open Space.  We got on a lot of my old favorites and tried some of the classics.  My all time favorite route in RRCOS is Rethinking the Ethics it is a 5.10a slanting crack and it is absolutely amazing!

Some of the new lines that I tried this summer were Solar Flare (5.10+) which is another slanting crack and unlike Rethinking the Ethics is not bolted.  It takes pretty good gear, but is also rather intense.  This summer was a the summer for firsts on the slab I sent my first sandstone slab 5.11a (The Ripple Effect), onsighted 5.12a (Up Until Sunrise), and redpointed 5.13a (Jason's Bicep).  In all it Red Rock Canyon Open Space is one of my favorite areas I have ever climbed at!

 Jason's Bicep (5.13a)

 Jason's Bicep (5.13a)

 Jason's Bicep (5.13a)

 Solar Flare (5.10+)

 Solar Flare (5.10+)

 The Ripple Effect (5.11a)

 The Ripple Effect (5.11a)

The Ripple Effect (5.11a)

Since coming back to Utah I attended the Summer OR, ran the Snake River in Wyoming, and went back to work.  In all it was one of best summers I have ever had.  There is more to come in the way of FA's and Fall climbing!

Progress on 8a

I have set a goal for 2012 that I will send my first 13b and then send multiple others.  I have picked several lines in the infamous China Cave and have been working them tirelessly over the last several weeks.  Last night I nearly achieved the dream!  I fell on the upper crux of the Bassoon, which is a direct start to the classic 12b the Oboe.  I pulled through the lower 13b crux and made it to the upper.  There was only one move that kept me from sending and it spit me off!  But the dream is close to being realized!

St. George, Red Rocks, and China Cave

Well school is almost out for the summer, I have a month left before my wife and I move to Colorado for the summer, and I can't wait!  I have a few more projects that I would like to tick before I head out, but if I don't get them they'll still be there when I get back.  As for the last few months I have been on the road a little bit.  I made little trip to City of Rocks, Red Rocks, and St. George. 

The trip to City of Rocks was a very eventful day trip.  On the way there I popped my tire and had to change it.  We decided since we were already there that we may as well climb.  We warmed up on Coffee and Cornflakes an old school 5.10a that is really fun!  After that we jumped on Private Idaho a 5.9 dihedral crack.  This was my first really "crack climb" and I can say that I throughly enjoyed it! After that it was getting pretty late, but I wanted to do one more climb.  I had picked it out the day before and I at least wanted to try it before we left.  The climb is called Euro Beast (5.12a) it climbs an easy slab to an overhanging jug section.  That is where the crux is and pulling the final bulge to the chains was a little awkward.  This was my first 12 in the city and now that I am feeling comfortable climbing there I'm going to start pushing myself there.

The following weekend we travelled down to St. George for two days and then move on to Red Rocks.  In St. George we mostly climbed at the Green Valley Gap.  The first day we were there we rolled in around 10:30 pm, set up camp and decided that we wanted to do a night climb we jumped on some random 5.8 and had a blast!  The next day we warmed up on some 8's and 9's; we then jumped on a 10d and a 11a.  After feeling ready I set my sights on the route that I wanted to get that day.  The climb is called Stick to Your Guns 5.12c.  It climbs a horizontal roof and then moves onto a short headwall.  The crux of the route is a big dead point to a three finger pocket.  I fell my first go because I missed the pocket, but next go walked right up it. 

The following day we went to Red Rocks.  I visited Tsunami Wall for the first time; it had some really fun climbs and I love the location.  While over there I jumped on Poseidon Adventure 5.12c and the crux is a committing dyno above a slab.  Needless to say I failed to stick the dyno and came flying down and spranged my ankle.  That was the end of my trip :(

A week later back in Logan I made a trip up China Cave.  The route that I had been working had no name and no one I talked to knew anything about it.  I started working it just for fun, but it quickly turned into a love obsession.  I was able to link all the moves in about 2 days of work and quickly sent once the conditions were good.  I named the route Time-Turner and figure that it goes at about 5.13a.

5 Days in the 50's!

Well the weather man says that this next week is going to be a glorious one, so I'm crossing my fingers!!!  Today me and my friend Ty got out up the canyon to look at some boulders that he has had his eye on.  The first place we went was a little cliff ban just passed Zanavoo.  We named this route Aragog due to the nature of all the holds falling off and the giant spiders web in the start hold.  

I didn't get a picture of the other boulder we went to, but it looks SICK!!!  There are two problems on it one is a huge hand crack and the other looks really hard!!!  Hopefully later this week we'll see some sends on them!!!