a Wonder World Called Hueco

When Mike and I got to Hueco he told me he was gonna do a
double digit boulder problem every day.

-We drove into the desert with one thing on our mind 'were gonna be climbing in hueco tomorrow' blasting through the sun baked lands of Arizona and New Mexico we quickly arrived at our destination, fueled by our imaginations, I dont know how many pictures, movies, stories, legends, adrenalized our minds. The road become dirt and we pulled into the Rock Ranch, our camp for the next three weeks. Before I knew it we were warming up on the syenite porphyry, getting out first tastes. We warmed up on some not so nice classics. ok im ready lets go crush this place, where's Chablanke, where's Diaphanous Sea, where's Slash Face, where the hell is Martini. We quickly realized hueco is not the place we had quite imagined. Being forced to sit and patiently wait while your compadres huck them selves at something that is either to hard to or to easy for you. And while you wait you go over the moves in your head beating your self up for falling two days ago on the last move of your project. Lets go soon guys, you say to your self, trying to stay warm so that you can crush first go. The sun is dipping, lets move.
The first day: We had reservations for North Mountain, so north it was, We warmed up and made our way to the top of the chains, Mike and I flashed See spot run a nice crimpy tall v6 with a good landing. Just around the corner we stopped to run a few lapse on a fun v2 called nobody gets out of here alive and Ngan showed us how campusing can be so easy. Dodging a few tourists we made it the Daily Dick Dose cave, once the holds become to warm we decided we were warmed up and were ready for a challenge. We marched over to Load with power, I flashed to the two crimps got my feet up and then punted. A few minutes later more pads arrived and things got serious. I jumped on the problem for another go. crossed off the huge jug undercling to the shitty left hand crimp put my heal in and floated out to the sloper flipped the heal to a toe hook and lunged for the other nasty crimp caught it with my two middle fingers cranked it down and swung my feet over pulled down hard and SNAP, a my left hand experienced a hard jerking sensation accompanied by a muffled but distinct popping noise. I dropped down thinking did i break the hold or was that my finger, no the hold looks fine, but my finger doesn't hurt.
As you might have guessed i tore the pully on my left ring finger.
Good thing Mike sent the rig next go.
Although mike didnt do a double digit a day, he did have a really good trip!

Damn its been a long time since i updated this blog, more then a year, Well not much has changed, still at the climbing game, since I last posted I spent the winter and spring setting routes in the bay area at the wonderful planet granite. Over the summer I spent three months in africa. Filming footage and occasionally putting down the camera and pulling onto the orange sandstone my self. This fall was filled with frequent trips to yosemite and bishop caped by an amazing trip to Hueco Tanks, this was my first visit and i am very impressed. During my trip to hueco I unfortunately popped a pully in my ring finger on my left hand, this prety much killed my trip. I spent most of the time sitting around and every now and then a problem would come along that had slopers and i was able to climb. With a hurt finger i still managed to send El techo de los tres b v11, diabolique v13 full service v10 and butterpumper v12. also during this tri i bought my self a nice little HD camera and I am very excited to use it on some fine movie projects in the future. Here are some videos below.

watch video here

The scary 5.7 slab in Joshua Tree.

PULLING DOWN ON PLASTIC

  AND PUTTING IT UP

I started work five weeks ago for the Planet Granites climbing gym in the bay area. I am a setter, its tough, long hours and little time for personal climbing time. I have learned so much about how others climbing. Because I am six foot two inches, I can usually reach through. So when it comes to thinking about where feet should be plugged I have to pretend I am way shorter closer to a "normal climber". I get up between six and six-thirty am depending whether I am working in the Persidio or not. Since the San francisco Persidio gym is an hour and a half from my house. I roll out of bed making sure I don't hit the snooze button, cause its all over if I do. I turn on the stove for coffee get dressed brush my teeth, once the water boils I fill my mug and jump in the car. start up the ipod beats and head out. 

 

Stem Gym v4 and the full missing link v9

Working in the Persidio is the best, everything is new, all the holds are new, the T nuts in the wall aren't stripped, and its got good space to work with. Plus the view is amazing. While I am working I can looks out over and see Crissy field, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. The hold choices make the problems, this is one thing that I have learned since setting. I wouldn't have thought that from just climbing in the gym. But when you are choosing holds it 

becomes really clear. Setting with 90's "clumps" make no star problems. Working for the gym certainly has its perks. But getting up early every day and working all day and once your worn down from the day its time to climb and rate what you spent all day setting. Yeah its great but you kinda spend your wad by the end and have really no energy for some personal climbing. And after four days of setting your pretty ready for a break from climbing. 

But for me the psych is always up and I cant stay off the rocks long. After a restful friday of speeding through the state of california bound for some remote area with a hand full of boulders waiting, Im ready to climb for my self. But Im slightly fatigued and cant really send at my limit. Its a good thing we spent all night driving to Joshua Tree to send some old school boulders and some scary sandbagged trad routes. My good friend Nikolai and I are here to get familiar with the old school. The first thing we get on is some 5.9 we think, it turns out to be not so hard. But the next route we get on is supposed to be 5.6, my idea of what a 5.6 should feel

 like is shattered. The is thin facing climbing with big long moves between slopping holds. Im belaying Nikolai  he gets in a few pieces and including a yellow cam below this small roof which doesn't look like he wants to fall on from down here on the ground. Maybe the piece will hold, but the position and the run out makes me a little nervous. He manages to pull through the thin section and gain some huge jugs under a large roof. Over the roof is a large face covered in huge patina. After a few moves which certainly don't look like 5.6 and something more like 5.10c. Nikolai gains a small belay ledge and he brings me up. I set off on the second lead. Right off the ledge is a huge diamond shaped block with two side pull cracks kinda like climbing a fridge. The cracks are flaring and I cant get at gear in them. I feel like I am soloing with my last gear at the belay ledge Im in a mind sp

ace of don't fall no matter what. The moves are easy but its not down pulling so its a bit precarious. I make it to the summit build and anchor and bring up Nikolai. We're getting a little better at this. I think its time for some bouldering. 

We head back over to the Hidden Valley Campground to try some classic boulder problems. First on the list is Stem Gem, a ultra classic v4 stem problem. I send quickly but apparantly you're supposed to climb it facing out, I didn't just figured it was hard because we're here in Joshua tree and everything is old hard. Next I try a pretty cool v9 called 'full missing link' in this cave. It was a pretty nice 

new school problem. It just had some nastly boulders right on your back making it 

nice and scary to fall. After that it was getting late so we called it a day. So we headed to town to 

drink Margaritas and burritos.

The next day we did a few more trad climbs and some more bouldering. We went 

out to the geologic tour road area, where I climbed 'Slash face' its a really nice tall

v4, with an exciting roll over mantel way off the deck.

On the last day we got a little earlier start and went over to Echo rock. I lead this 5.7 slab

there is a picture of it over the title. The black streak up the middle of the slab is the line. the thing

felt more like 5.10, I was crimping like crazy, and there were only four bolts in the 150 feet. Man

super run out fourty feet above your last bolt high stepping and crimping on micro edges. Totally

solo head space. I dont even know what would have happen if I had fallen.

So back to the grind for another week of setting.

So last weekend I went to this amazing area in Sonora. The rock is freaking limestone and super high quality. It was super exciting to be running around seeing new boulders. Plus the place is super bizare, I guess what happen is miners flushed out all the dirt surrounding these rock features looking for gold. So the place is man exposed but not man made it it doesn't feel made made in the slightest. above is a picture of the best problem there. 

RAGING ROCK 

WESTERN STYLE

a good morning lap on high plains

Dear avid reader, hopefully you haven't given up on my blog completely, I have been in climbing mode and updating this blod wasn't the most convenient. But I'm not sorry cause I do it for me, plus that would contradict previous posts. So here is what I have been up to for the last few months. It started off in Vegas and then to Flagstaff, Arizona. After a little time spent in Flagstaff the anticipation of beautiful black and tan boulders drove me the 436 miles to Orangevile, Utah. It was super exciting to be in a world destination with dozens of classic boulder problems at your finger tips. For a month I ate the place up got to know the food ranch very well and their butter finger donut selection. Also the library for a bit of internet surfing on cold snowy days. I spent my rest days searching the hill sides for new boulder problems. In the end I did get a few FAs but its hard to get other people psyched on scrambling with crash pads up steep hills sides to new boulders, when so many of the classic existing boulder problems are within seconds from the car. This is another super attractive feature of Joe's valley. In my first few days I dispatched of Resident Evil within a few trys over two days. Then I ticked off many other amazing problems. Before long I had only the hard stuff to do. This is when the skin starts to let you know its ready for a change. so after two more weeks of projecting things here and finding FAs there, I decided that I need to head back to Sunny california. But not before I flashed the worm turns, and sent both Gurkha Knife and Dark continent, two newish problems at the 8 mile area.

.
The sand dunes in Eureka Valley.

I spent another month in bishop. Over the four weeks I spent there I worked mostly on Already Forgotten in the buttermilk cave. and on my very last day in bishop I sent. Pretty exciting. I had fallen at the very end, on the top out of buttermilker. I large right foot no longer exists making this move along with others much harder. I first sent little forgotten and entertained the idea of doing the whole thing. A few days later a key knobish hold broke making the first moves of little harder, and during the next few weeks the hold broke three more time. In typical buttermilk fashion the crystals eroded away. The Holiday traffic didn't exactly help. The huge dyno at the start of the problem took me two days to stick and then I had to link it from the ground. After I was able to do this move, I knew I could do it. In the middle of the trip it snowed the most I have ever seen in bishop. With the top out covered in snow and ice it made it pretty impossible to send. I waited for two more weeks enjoying some nice christmas time to reboot from the long road trip. Fresh from the warmth of family and rest, I went back up to the milks and gave it one burn everyday dialing the moves until it felt easy. My kid brother came along and some friends from the bay, during one of our rest days we managed to make it to the Eureka sand dunes in Death Valley, We were told to bring sleds. We discovered that you can ride a sled down the massive sand dunes at break neck speeds. It was also cold enough that the shaded sides of the tunes had a thin layer of frost which made the sled ride a million times faster. Elijah (my brother) had a blast he's young enough not to be scared and he showed us all up on the slopes. It was amazing you got to try it next time you are in bishop and its only 60 miles away. Pretty easy for a rest day. On a day near the end of the trip when the milks were buzzing with holiday traffic I was searching out pads to try my proj. I ran into Sarah Orens who I had met in africa, she was with Sean Diamond, She asked me if I had pads that Sean could use to try this project in the secrets of the bee hive area. We teamed up and with our pads, I found out pretty fast that we didn't exactly have enough. The boulder is very over hanging with a very bad landing. Look for more details on Climbing.com and in a upcoming issue (owwhhh exciting). On the very last day of the trip the ice melted and I was able to send my epic project.

Me on the send of Already Forgotten

So there you have it. You are a little more up to date. Oh and i got a job as a route setter for the Planet Granites in the bay area. the plan is to save money and return to south africa.
Until my next adventure stay interested.

Vegas Again

So what are we gonna do for Halloween? How about Vegas! Wow thats a great idea. 

Friday after class Clay, Spencer (not the one from Potosi) and I made the four hour drive to Las Vegas for Halloween night. It was great just what you expect, everyone dressed up and getting wasted on the strip.  After a few hours of hiking the strip we needed some food, and since everything so uber expensive on the strip, we opted for a quieter place. Using my handy iphone I located us two diners right next to each other,  hopefully one would be suitable. We headed to Tropicana and Decatur. It turned out that the 'Block Bear' had closed 30 minutes before we got there. Should of check that. But they suggested that we go to the Orleans Casino, they have a restuarant that serves breakfast 24/7. Sounds pricey, no they have comparable prices to us. Two blocks away was a flashy Casino southern style off the strip. We headed in to be greeted by giant alligators dressed in red vests playing Jazz. After a wonderfully greasy meal we were done. We headed out to the desert to sleep. Finding a nice pull out a bit closer then my last campsite we set up a tarp but the lights didn't go out, they were still glowing from downtown like it was a full moon.

Next day we awoke to bikers unloaded there mountain bikes, I guess we picked a popular trail head. We scarfed down some eggs and coffee and headed to Red Rocks. 

I have done a little bit of tradition climbing, of placed gear a few times and have seconded a few more routes, but my experience is pretty minimal. So this was a learning experience for all of us. Actually I think Clay had more experience then I do. But he doesn't ever climb and didn't feel comfortable leading. So we hiked to this beautiful slaby dome with a stunning dihedral that suns for 270 feet right up the middle. The first pitch was 5.7 with good gear placement. I felt comfortable and only had to place a few pieces. Surprisingly this pitch had a nice section of vertical rock with massive jugs. I pulled over the lip and ran it out another thirty feet to the anchors, which happen to be bolted. Spencer and Clay came up second and third. The second pitch was 5.8 with some technical face climbing followed by an amazing lie-back section which probably was the crux. Another 50 feet and I was on top looking out at the Doctor Sues landscape covered in truffula trees. Thinking that this was easy we decided that we needed a bit of a more challenging prospect for tomorrow. We looked in the guide and thought that the classic Solar Slab 5.6 9 pitches would suit or appetite. That evening as we set up camp the rain came in and wouldn't stop, the wind picked up and tossed our tarp around. AFter what felt like 15 minutes but in reality was more like two hours we decided to call it and head home. It was almost mid night and we thought that some breakfast we be just the ticket. So we headed back to the Orleans for another round of eggs and pancakes. On the way home we stopped at the Hoover dam where they are building a by-pass right over the thing. The canyon has a lord of the rings vibe, with giant flood lights illuminating the 24 hour work crews. Although we probably would have made it to the top of solar slab, it would have been a shit show, since we didn't have a very efficient system. But we are planning on returning in a few weeks to conquer something larger in the beautiful basin. 

It was a draw in the end

I have been climbing in Flagstaff for about a week. I have been working on this beautiful roof called 'Cosmic Tricycle' it goes at v10. It is very complicated and requires lots of body tension. I feel like I have a lot of crimp strength right now, and this does nothing for this climb. The holds are full hand slopers and large bad pockets. So this makes it harder for me. The first day I figured out the first few moves, which happen to be the easiest moves. Second day I was able to do all the moves with some beta from the locals. Speaking of locals, it was amazing to see Sam Davis link the entire roof into a super power endurance v13, its probably 30 feet long. It links the climb I'm working on, climbing it backwards into a v11. plus some more hard moves before you even get to 'Cosmic tricycle'. I took a rest day and went and checked out the secret Kelly's canyon, a very nice collection of grippy sand stone highballs. I spent the day watching locals shoot their guns at what the call "the Pit" (not the pit which has limestone routes). and after a restless night accompanied by a series of 'Red Box' rentals, I was more than ready to send this thing. So I waited for someone to show, so I could use there pads since the cave is quite long and is very uneven. Around two o'clock Andrew showed up with his pads and we headed to the Puzzle Box roof. After a few tries on the tricycle I wasn't feeling to hot and it didn't seem like I was going to send. Andrew gave 'pink lightening' a few tries. we were both feeling tired so he decided that his knees were hurting so he took off, taking his pads with him. I gave it another try and stuck the crux, but my foot popped. A few tries of sticking the crux, I managed to get my right foot cammed into correct spot and successfully crossed to the next slopping pocket. Now unprotected I turned my head off and executed the final moves to the lip, mantled easily. I was so psyched. So glad I didn't ass rocket into the rocks below. So with my project done I tore out of the draw returned my 'red box' movies. I love this rental system. and sped off to Prescott.

 

Getting the foot cammed just before crossing to that next pocket

Arizona

Patrick Olson on 'Count down...' 13a Mt Potosi

you can see Spencer tucked into the tufas 

taking pictures

Rocks everywhere. 

Spencer in the knee bar rest on 'Paranayama' 13c Mt potosi

I snuck out of Las Vegas a few nights ago. I prefer driving at night in hot places because my car has no air conditioning. and since arizona is ugly and hot between Flagstaff and Las Vegas, I didn't feel bad missing the scenery. I felt it was still a bit warm in Vegas. Even though we had been climbing in the shade it still felt kinda slippery. I climbed one more day at Potosi, great time. Pretty hot but Bill Ramsey blasting Paul Oakenfold in the lime stone ampitheatre made it all worth it. The beats never stopped. any time anyone one changed the music to something a little more diverse, Bill would shout down off his 5.14 something, "hey what is that some sort of ethnic music." Before long the beats were back on and Oakenfold was pumping through my head.  I sent a nice short bouldery 12d and tried a couple of 13's. One of the routs that blasts straight out the humangus roof is a riot. deep pockets, giant pinches and huge threads, make up this jungle gym of a route.

I think my best Ramsey Quote would be "I think there is a direct quarilation between your IQ and your like for reggae."

In Arizona I went to Priest Draw for a morning. I did a few classic lines including Anorexic which is featured in josh's film 'Rampage'. I blasted down to Prescott to visit my good friend Clay Shank. College life, parties and drinking. so much fun, it gets to me a little. I gotta get back out to some rocks. Today I visited the local Groom Creek. which is an area just outside Prescott with large granite boulders. Very much like a combination between the buttermilks and yosamight. It was pretty fun, I met up with this local guy Kayle, who showed me around,  there are many new things that are not featured in the shitty Dr topo, its free but it sucks. I did a cool v8 'Piano Fingers', that involded jumping over a bulge to a knob. You had to jump out and then reach all the way to the back of the bulge to a small sharp knob. I scraped my bare chest on the bulge and have a nice bloody rash. This only made me want to send more, next go it was perfect, not too much jump but enough height that I snagged the hold easily. In the main area is a good looking problem that I had tried earlier in the day, Kayle told me that it hadn't seen an FA, within a few tries I was standing on top of the new problem 'excuses', it ended up being only like v5. From a large flake the rock kicks back to a very blank slab with almost no holds. I think its pretty height dependent, Kayle did it in the end but at 5'10 it took him much more effort. 

So with the homework on Clay needed sometime to get things done, so i jetted back up to the Draw. I worked on this problem on the 'puzzle box roof', its called 'cosmic tricycle' it goes at v10. I tried it for about an hour and with the frustration building I jumped on a line to the right called 'puffer fish' v7. I felt I needed to send something, so with all my effort I got the flash. But not with out tweaking my right knee. As you come out the roof you jam your hands into these pocket pinches and cut your feet, swing your feet out to a excellent right heel hook, from there you work the pockets a bit more and while pulling with the heel you lunge for the top. As my hand hit the lip I hear my knee go 'pop pop pop' that didn't sound good. I awoke in the night to a very stiff leg. Thinking that some movement would be good for it, I went for a little walk to see what else the Draw had to offer. It was about 20 degrees so a nice stroll in the sun was just what I needed. But man this place all looks the same. After it warmed up a little and I had warmed up a little more, I tried a hand full of problems getting shut down on all of them. I feel weak. Maybe I just need a rest day. I think it was all that sport climbing in Vegas that made me loose a little power. I hope to get some back before I head up to Joe's Valley. So after getting shut down all morning I decided to call it quits and head to the hip little town of Flagstaff.

Its amazing to be on the road, meeting all sorts of new people, getting psyched on new boulders while passing the time. 

The Fall Road trip

Spencer on 'Paranayama' 13c

Bishop from the Bristle Cone Pines

The table lands on the right and the milks in the middleish

mt. Tom is the pointy tall one in the middle

Seems like every blog I read they are always apologizing about not updating their blog. Yeah its nice to keep tabs on your heros and friends, but I really only want to hear the good stuff. so I'll try to keep this to the good stuff. 

I left for my road trip on tuesday october 14th, I drove through Yosemite which had a light dusting of snow around the high mountains. very nice, taking my time I got to mammoth found a nice bivy and crawled into my wagon for the first night back on the road. Nice and cold. The next morning I got up made some Peets coffee and eggs, and headed to rock creek to meet up with Josh and Adam. I had never been to Rock Creek before, There isn't much bouldering there, but what is there is high quality. There are four boulders of good size with many hard lines. I hoped on to the only V0 to warm up but amount of energy needed to pull over the bulge was too much and I quickly jumped down. Next to the zero looked like a nice juggy v4 struggling up the thing I topped out, Later I learned it was a v6. Adam dispatched of two v10s before I even knew what was happening. I was intrigued by this bulge next to the v6 that he had made look pretty easy. I grabbed the starting holds and made a long reach over the bulge pausing on a slopper for a second and then stabbed for the small crimp, I missed it! I tried again and this time stuck the crimp. "Then you jack your left foot up by ur hand and make a lunge for a nice sharp under-cling, bump the left hand again and stand up." Adam said, yeah just like that. I fell again going for the under-cling. On my fourth try I stuck the under-cling and placed my right heal on the sloper just a few more stabs and a bit of thrutching I was standing on top of the boulder. That is the fastest V10 I have ever done. Josh who had also been trying to stick the top gave it another burn, his foot slipped off the sloper, so close. He gave it a few more tries and with the heal beta stuck the top and pulled over.  Next we ran over to 'a boy named sue' boulder, Adam wanted to try a v12 that Tony Lamiche had put up. The boulder is kinda small but nice and tall. The v12 consisted of a v8 lunge off small crimps to a good edge and then moving up and left onto very bad slopers jacking your feet up and dynoing for the top. Around the corner is an awesome v7 with very long moves, josh and I did it second try. Then we tried this v9 traverse into 'grooves arete' out of 'a boy named sue' (the v7). It starts out with long reachy moves on side pulls and a hard bump into a flat under-cling. The thing felt impossible, Adam quickly sent with some improved beta. I tried this for the rest of the day, I had done all the moves and went for a send burn, I fell at the very end on the V4 arete making a big lunge for  good edge, no no no, damn, i should of had it. I ate some peanut butter and grapes on a rap, awesome crag food by the way, thanks to Kush for the food beta. After getting some sugar in me I gave it another burn and this time sent. For the rest of the day I sat around rooting Josh on. Adam gave the V12 some more burns but didn't really make any progress. It was at the end of the day the sun had gone behind the mountain and josh was looking like he wasn't going to send. So i went for a little walk through the Talus field. On my return I heard a loud shout and Josh's head popped over the top of the boulder, Holy shit. Nice job man. Didn't think you had it in you. "yeah thats how I roll"

Next day we headed to the Buttermilks, Warmed up in 'Sheep Herder' a nice slabby v2 with awesome knobs. We then Met up with Adam and drove down to the get Carter Boulder, After getting shut down on all the small crimpy hard problems we tried this awesome new traverse into 'Ruckus' v6. It starts on the left arete and traverse right into Ruckus. doesn't make it much harder but for sure more pumpy. I sent after a few attempts, I was feeling pretty tired. It was getting cold and the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, Josh said why dont you give 'moon raker' a try. I wasn't sure I could do a v9 right now. but the conditions were amazing so I ran over and within a three or four tries was through all the hard stuff and into the giant no hands rest thread. nice another problem in the milks done. 

The Next day I shipped off to Vegas, on my way I stopped at the Bristle Cone Pines which are ontop of the white mountains to the east of Bishop. After crawling up windy and steep roads I popped out ontop with an amzing view of the sierras. I could see the sand doones of death valley and the top of Mt Whitney, Pretty cool the lowest and Highest spots in the States. 

When I got to Vegas I realized that somewhere along the way I lost my wallet, I searched my car franticly. But nope No wallet. Luckily my buddy Kush was flying in that day to climb for three days before he had to fly back to the bay area to his real job and real apartment. so Luckily he was able to lend me some money while I get my wallet back. But we had an awesome time. We headed to Mt Charleston for some nice lime stone climbing. Mt Charleston didn't really grab me at first, but the second day I got on 'straight outa compton' 12d which is a super steep supper juggy pretty short route. I should of sent second go but fell right at the end one move from the jug. I couldn't get back up there again. The next day Kush and I went to red rocks. it was third day on and neither of us were feelin very strong so we got on mostly easy stuff. I did happen to send a 12b second go, 'Geometric Progression' Nice and short bouldery route on small crimps. Through out the day I got my debit card and drivers license taken care of and its supposed to arrive in Prescott, AZ in a few days, By the way thats my next stop. 

SO that bring us to yesterday, Headed to Mt Potosi another steep Lime stone cave, with many amazing drilled routes out on of the steepest caves I have ever seen. Horizontal for 45 feet maybe more. I was feeling tired since it was my fourth day on so I tried this short bouldery 12d which secnd go I fell from the anchors going for the jug you clip from, same thing happen third go. The rest if the day I wathed Spencer try this 13c that went straight out the roof. Its amazing huge jugs knee bars for what seems like forever. I'm headed back up there tomorrow hopefully I'll send the 12d first try and be able to get on this 13a that is parallel to the 13c. 

so Until next time thats all folks, 

The down Time

Making money changes the game, I would love to be traveling and climbing everyday, but I have to afford myself. So the name of the game is landscaping. For a few weeks four or five times a year, I get my hands dirty working here in da bay, ripping peoples front yards out and putting in new fancy aesthetic designed landscapes. I guess they could be gardens, But I don't want to imply anything like a veggie garden or garden beds, We strictly put in an aesthetic variety of plants, dirt, rock paths and walls. The bay is a great place to do this. There are many rich people constantly wanting to upgrade there status. And since there isn't much climbing here in the bay the rich have built something like 7 rock climbing gyms, of these gyms the newest is the best, it sits on the edge of crissy field San Francisco, from the plastic you can gaze out of ceiling high window to the grassy fields and beyond the grass, the misty fog blankets the golden gate bridge and Alcatraz island.

DOn't be fooled by the appearance of this cliff

it doesn't look steep until you get under it
and look out at all the suspended draws

I have been climbing in the gym a lot, I bought a month pass so I feel like I should take advantage. But yesterday I went to Donner summit at lake tahoe. For those who haven't been there its a beautiful granite paradise with large domes hosting classic trad lines and technical sport routes. Although there is one wall that is different, sporting a handfull of 12's and 13's including the infamous 'steep climb named desire 14a' Star wall is tall and very overhanging for granite, with many positive holds. I tried this climb 'Taste the Pain' 13c, I had got on it two weeks ago on a trip up here with my buddy Nikolai. I had been climbing all day and was tired when I got on it, so it was nice to try it fresh. So I warmed up at Snow Shed wall, did two arete climbs, both techy but very fun. Then we went up to Star wall. I got on this climb 'Bronco' 12d. It starts out climbing this dihedral, then the dihedral hits a small roof and you have to pull over it and throw in your knee bar rest. my foot slipped trying to pull the roof. Damnit I might have been able to flash it. but maybe not it was still pretty hard. So after getting very warmed up I belayed my friend Kush on 'Warp Factor' 13a. In my opinion this climb is a pile. But for some reason people are always getting on it. It climbs a crimp ladder of incut small grips this is actualy good but the holds stop and you then hit a horizontal crack and you traverse right for about 20 feet to another vertical section that goes at 14a.

This is a picture of Ethan Pringle tasting victory,
flashing 'Taste the Pain'
I stole it from his blog, hope you don't mind Ethan!
His left hand is in the heinous finger lock.
the line of draws inbetween him and the crack to the right is warp factor

On the other hand taste the pain is an amazing climb with a full value rock climbing. You start out on some really juggy holds. Make a couple of tension moves on big jugs and side pulls, you then pull into a right hand pinky jam and make a clip, high step your left foot and lay back the crack reaching high to a good edge, you then swap your feet and get another good edge out right, set up your feet and throw for this 45 degree slot that slightly bottle necks, you catch it in a hand jam. Its bomber once you get it, but getting your hand to make a fist and stick into the slopey slot all in one motion. This move is not supper difficult just low percentage, I need to work on it more. I did stick it after many attempts. Throw a heel hook above your hand jam and swing up to a horrible flaring crack that you get bad finger lock in step your feet threw and toss out to the right for another side pull. Its just as bad but now you can squeeze the holds together. From these two bad side pulls you make a huge dyno to a good jug. This part I did first try. Except for the damn first finger lock I thought the crux wasn't so bad. AFter this you make one more streinous move from the jug to an undercling. with some yelling a managed to pull threw this section first try. So after this attempt I rested it up and tried getting the hand jam throw more solid. It didn't feel more solid. Kush tried warp factor again, and mike finished off the night with a head lamp burn, he had been skipping the clip before the crux and this time he took a huge fall cool to watch the light fall through the air.