The Adopt-A-Crag went great. Folks from Go-to-Willies, Solid Rock, ACU Outdoor Club, Keep Brownwood Beautiful, and of course Rock Addiction showed up to put some work in and do some good climbing. Ben hauled off a whole truck-bed full of trash collected from the lakeside. We cleared out the trails, and then we climbed.
Unfortunately I didn't remember my camera. In fact, nobody in my car of 4 remembered a camera. So I took this photo from my good buddy Colter's Blog. Colter just went on the road trip of a life time (take a look at his blog to read all about it) and he happened to be swinging through Abilene the weekend of the clean-up. Colter is a great friend, and I miss his companionship here in Abilene. Great to see you Colter!
The clean-up was a great success. I need to give another shout-out to Ben and Mary for their tireless work out at the lake. Ya'll are my heroes. Thanks for everything you do.
Look forward to a "Part 2" posting from that weekend...a trip to Fredricksburg and some Erock bouldering. Stay tuned.
It’s almost time! It gives us a chance to do something good and an excuse to get a lot of climbing in. And as a bonus – swag – all for $0.00 dollars – what a deal!
We will start at 9:00am. Get there early to sign in and get a “got bolts t-shirt” (art is attached), climb-on pack, cliff bars & trash bags while they last.
We will pickup trash, cover graffiti, set up climbs and stop for lunch. After lunch we will throw out some swag. I think Solid Rock is going to have a drawing for some climbing swag. Then it’s ON…
If you don’t tear, break or bust something open then you weren’t climbing hard enough J.
It’s gonna be a blast!
Things to bring: Water, Lunch, Trash bags, Earth tone spray paint to cover graffiti & lots of people to help.
Bring gear & pads. We are planning on setting up about 10 climbs – come help us set up more.
Big thanks to all our sponsors!
Bad news, no camping this year and we will have to be out of the park by dark.
We hope to have a good group like always. I know we are all busy and money is tight but if we don’t support our climbing area today then it may not be here for you tomorrow.
Then where you gonna climb?
If you don’t have gear or a belayer, get to work on it.
Hey folks. Big news: Team Rock Addiction is putting together another Adopt-A-Crag at the Lake in November. the last one was a blast. We cleared brush, picked up trash, put up new climbs, introduced some new climbers, and had a good time.
You wont want to miss this clean-up.
Here's some info from Ben and Mary:
It’s time for the
Adopt-A-Crag at the Lake
Saturday–November 6th
9:00am – 6:00pm
The goal this year is early morning trash pickup and graffiti cover up. Then clean what you want to climb.
We will be roping 6 climbs that will stay roped all day. I am sure there will be more. But this year we will not be supplying any gear so if you want to climb you have to bring your own gear.
We will rope up Monfe & the Mangler. Go to Eric’s blog (www.abileneclimbers.blogspot.com) for pics and videos of the climbs & of 1st ascents from last year’s cleanup. It was a blast!
I think 17 routes got roped & there were pads everywhere.
Sign up early to make sure you get a t-shirt that fits & a little extra treat.
We are still looking for sponsors – for more info call
Haven't touched rock in 3 weeks or so. As I read on another blog, in the summer the heat is often the greatest crux facing climbers. Such has been the case here in Abilene.
But I've been consistently climbing on the wall and hitting the hangboard. I think i climbed 4 times on the wall this week, and did two hangboard workouts.
John Long, watch out...
P.S. This is a classic shot of John Long on Pinch Overhang at Horsetooth Reservoir Colorado. Pinch Overhang is a famous John Gill problem, that I hope to try one day. Anyways, this classic photo is from an article in Climbing magazine, 1978, called "Pumping Sandstone." In it, Long recounts his efforts to go send some of Gill's notorious sandstone test pieces--at a time when bouldering was really only in its infancy.
The wall is filling in with holds, and there's more to be added. Training has been steady of late, despite the heat. Having a wall in the backyard makes a huge difference in motivation.
It may be raining, but the view from my porch just got a lot better. Yes, thats a climbing wall you see there. In fact, its a fairly legendary climbing wall. My good friend Colter, was the progenitor of said wall--known as La Muralita, after a climbing gym in Uruguay he frequented during his time studying abroad. La Muralita resided in Colter's back yard for many years, until recently when he graduated and moved back to Montana.
As you may remember my wall was wrecked in a crazy windstrom a year ago, and since then my training has dwindled. So when Colter offered me his wall, I gladly accepted. He even threw in his holds, which has really improved the variety of training options.
Tyler and I went in together and bought some more lumber and added another plywood panel to the wall to increase the climbing surface to 12' x 8'. A few days ago we completed the work, raised the wall and started adding holds. We've also ordered a hundred more T-Nuts and plan to cover it in holds.
The wall is 45 degrees and stays fairly dry unless the rain is really coming down.
I'm pumped to have a wall back in action, and especially one that's so close to home. With school and work its often difficult to travel to climb. Hopefully this wall will help friends and me stay in shape for those trips when they do come.
Colter, while you are off backcountry ski-mountaineering, dont forget the little people who are in Texas slaving away in 100 degree heat, on a steep wall with greasy holds. Our time will come...
Well I am a married man now. Lindsey and I are settling into our new home and starting life together. I'm so lucky to marry her--and she let me hang my hangboard in the kitchen! So the training is going strong.
I just finished two good reads I thought I would share with you. The first is Climb! The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado, by Jeff Achey, Dudley Chelton and Bob Godfrey.
I picked up Climb! because I was particularly interested in the history of the few Colorado areas I have visited, but I quickly read the book cover to cover. The history behind most of Colorado's classic routes are included, and its fascinating to realize how difficult people were able to climb, even before many gear advancements. Even if you dont live in Colorado, this book will inspire you to put up routes of your own, and maybe even travel out there to try some of those classics.
My second read was Stone Crusade: A Historical Guide to Bouldering in America, by John Sherman.
This book starts with a history of bouldering, specifically focused on John Gill- the godfather of bouldering and dynamic movement. It then traces the history, personalities, and problems of different areas by region in America. Because I spend more time bouldering than anything else I really enjoyed this one, and now have a huge ticklist of problems I would like to climb someday. My one complaint is that the only area covered in Texas is Hueco Tanks. Of course that is where Sherman spent much of his time (developing the V-scale there), but I would have enjoyed reading some history of centex bouldering. Still, I'd recommend this book to any boulderers out there.
These books are particularly relevant and interesting because of their focus on rock climbing. While there is a wealth of literature on mountaineering, critical writing in the fields of trad, sport, and bouldering is lacking. As well, though both of these books are now a bit dated, the majority of the routes and problems found in them are still there for anyone to try. I know I'll be road tripping for some of them soon...well, I hope!
After climbing Mission Impossible fairly early on in my wanderings at the lake, you would have thought I'd looked at the backside of the boulder earlier. For whatever reason, it was only a little over a year ago that Ben and I cleared the brush back from its base and found 4 great climbs. Ben nabbed the first ascent on all of these lines, and we repeat them often these days.
All four lines are moderate, and the landing is great. This makes the Mission Impossible boulder one of the best for warming up and beginning climbers. Its great to start your day by circuiting through these four, and then going to the opposite side and climbing Mission Impossible. Give it a try.
1. Mission Enough (v0)- Climb the left arete.
2. Mission Possible (v0)- Climb the crack that runs parallel to the left arete, while staying off of the arete proper. Though this may seem like an eliminate, it actually climbs naturally and doesn't feel contrived.
3. Mission Direct (v0+)- A great intro to slab climbing. Head straight up the center of the face, balancing on small and devious slopers. Don't wimp out and reach for the aretes!
4. Tomcat (v0)- Climb the right arete. Like Mission Impossible, but easier.
Here's the topo for the Just Say No arete. On the face left of the arete is This is Your Brain
. 1. Just Say No (5.10)- Start low (has been climbed from a sit) and climb straight up the arete. Both right and left variations have been climbed at the top. Top rope anchors are ten feet back from the lip. Will require long runners to set up.
There was a project left on the Burlfest boulder until Scott came through a few weeks ago and took it down. So here is the updated top for the Burlfest boulder:
1. Panzyfest (v0)- Start seated on two good slopers. Move up and right using the crack, until it stops, and then reach right to a good hold marked by a small beak. Rock over.
2. Burlfest (v5?)- One of the best problems at Brownwood. Although it may look like an eliminate, it is in fact the more obvious line than the crack (Panzyfest), and follows the edge of the sloping arete. Start seated on two good slopers and move up to two bad slopers. Move into a gaston and crimp match and then throw out to a good hold on the face below the lip. Bump the left hand to the good hold marked by a beak and the right hand to the back sloping corner of the boulder. Mantle.
3. Little Annie (v4?)- Starting from a sit, find a way to establish on the arete and move into the good face hold on Burlfest, and top out Burlfest.
Well the semester is winding down, and I'm hoping to get some work done on the Lake Brownwood guidebook. Here's a topo of the Anticipation boulder. This boulder is located just right of the Mission Impossible boulder.
1. Project- This line has been climbed from a crouch, but a true sit has yet to be completed. Establish on small crimp and rubbish undercling and head left towards the sloping lip. At the lip traverse right, topping out Anticipation.
2. Anticipation (v2)- A surprisingly tricky problem. Climb the arete from the sit, staying on its left side. Tops out on the slab left of the arete. The top-out is the crux.
Since Thursday, the weather has been pretty lousy (although its been great in general recently, so I cant complain). So lately, I've been doing a lot of this...
A good shot showing the angle of wall and holds on Smooth Sailing. Both Smooth Sailing and Jack in the Box start on the flake in the right side of this picture.
Colter sending Smooth Sailing, for the third ascent. Colter's right hand is crimping on one of the most unique holds at the lake.
Scott on the first ascent of Jack in the Box:
Finally a picture that shows the angle of this wall, and gives you a hint about the terrible landing. Where i am in the picture is actually about where a fall from the dyno lands you. The two spoters (Dave, Asa) are standing on higher blocks.
Scott's right hand is on the higher of the two holds used to make the dyno. The key to sticking the dyno is keeping your right hand on that crimp to control the swing.
The Adopt-A-Crag weekend has come and gone. What a weekend it was though! Ben and Mary went out of their way to ensure that everyone had a great time. They sacrificed their time, money, and energy to make this event happen. Essentially it boils down to this: Ben and Mary are just good people.
This weekend really started coming together months ago. Ben and Mary had a vision for an event that would not only promote continued climbing access at the Lake, but also better the environment there, and introduce more people to the climbing experience at the Lake. They worked hard in the weeks leading up to the Adopt-A-Crag, gathering sponsors, cutting brush, putting together prizes for participants, finding a cook for Saturday night...the list goes on and on.
Colter and I arrived on Friday afternoon, and began to help Ben (who had been working since 7:30 am) start hauling off loads of brush. We worked for a few hours, and then bouldered for a few more. Colter was eyeing the third ascent of Burlfest, but fell off the last move three times on Friday! Worn out, we retired to Ben and Mary's house, ate pizza, and watched Dosage V.
(Colter on Burlfest on a previous trip)
On Saturday morning, more troops showed up and we continued to haul off brush and collect trash. In the end we cleared around 10 trailer loads, and 3 truck fulls of brush (all cut by Ben). On top of that, bag-fulls of trash were collected. I've never seen the lake looking so good.
After lunch we started climbing. Colter slipped off, laced up below Burlfest and crushed it! Well done Colter. I knew it was only a matter of time. By my count, this is the third ascent of the boulder.
The Chapmans then rolled in from Camp Eagle, and Scott began to systematically destroy every difficult problem and project at the lake. He nabbed the fourth ascent of Burlfest, and then FA'ed the arete on the opposite end of the boulder. Its a tough, holdless, compression arete, and now goes by Little Annie.
We then collected pads and returned to Smooth Sailing, which I had top-roped on our last trip to the Lake. We padded the landing, making it as manageable as possible...though it was still pretty lousy. I went for it and the send went smoothly. Scott followed, flashing it. Colter followed, sending it first go. I think the consensus was that the problem is awesome.
Well, while the pads were there, Scott decided to tempt the impossible (improbable)--the direct finish to Jagged Edge. A little history on the boulder: This is the most aesthetic line at the lake. Its a brilliant overhanging face, with an obvious starting jug, two medium-difficulty set-up moves, then nothing for 4-5 feet. And then a sloper. All over a terrible landing.
Jagged Edge avoids the "nothingness" by veering right to the arete. Even on top-rope no one had ever stuck the mandatory dyno on the direct version. But for some reason, Scott thought we should boulder it. We arranged a landing pad and went for it. Sure enough, Scott sent after 5-6 tries, naming it Jack in the Box. I was getting close, but couldn't latch the sloper, even after 15-20 tries.
We moved on to other things, but Scott encouraged me to go back and give it another go. After 5 more tries, I stuck the dyno and held on for the desperate send. Jarrod happened to catch a video of the send (I think someone has video of Scott's send--send that to me so I can make a proper video please!)
Short Commentary: So I'm pretty excited in the video (as you will be able to tell). I've looked at this route every time I've been to the lake for the last 4 years. It really was the Great Undone Line at the Lake. It may not be the hardest there, but all the elements- purity, quality of moves, sketchy landing, lack of top-rope success, history- all made it an unimaginable project.
Its almost bittersweet that its been climbed. But watching Scott realize the vision for the line, and following his lead with an ascent, was a really great experience for me.
All in all, a great weekend. One that wouldn't have happened without Ben and Mary. Thanks again for your commitment to preserving the access and climbing experience at the Lake.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Day 2 and 3 of Tyler’s Balcarce, Argentina climbing trip...
On Day 2 a group of us (Colin, Tim, Mariano, Matias, and I) headed to the front section of bouldering areas on the sierra because of the previous nights rain. Our hopes were that the sun would have dried out these exposed areas by mid-afternoon. Sure enough, the areas were dry and it was climb on!
We began our warm up for the day on a really cool boulder about midway up the sierra. On it were multiple V0 and V1 problems. For all who have climbed out at Brownwood, you will notice that it looks exactly like the boulder where Mission Impossible is found, just flipped around and with numerous holds on its face. Below is a picture of Tim working the traverse along the topside of the boulder.After an hour or so there me moved up and to the left to another boulder with a few more V0 and V1 warm up problems.
To the left of this boulder we began the hard climbs of the day on a really amazing V2/V3 problem that comes out from beneath a flake into some weird body positions, crimpy holds, and a sick knee bar that lets you throw throw for a right hand jam that leads to the top out. Pictured is Tim working through the bottom section of the climb. Mariano, Tim, and I all had proud sends.
From the same sit starting position a V5 problem comes directly out from the flake to two terribly small crimpers, up to a bigger crimper, then a left toe in on the side of the flake leading to an enormous power move up to a weird finger jam with the left hand. The “enormous power move” was extremely shouldery and proved to much for me. Mariano sent the problem on his fourth try however and is pictured below making the big move to the jam that is a foot out of the picture (it was huge).
From here we moved on to a boulder with a huge face full of super sharp crimpers and juggy top outs. Mariano and myself began work on a V5 left traverse from the right side of the boulder, which tops out in the upper left section. He sent it after a few tries, while I got shut down on my third V5 of the trip. I had to skip the first move and try the V4 version. Both problems require you to use almost obsolete feet, static body positions through crimpy sections, and a good deal of trust that your toes won’t pop. Pictured is me making a big throw to a slopey edge. Again, I got shut down.
After our time here, Mariano and I worked two really dynamic V3 roof problems to finish the last hour of daylight. After a few tries on each we both sent the V3’s to round out another amazing day of climbing. Pictured is me controlling the swing of one the problems as you let the right heel come off and throw the left heel up by your left hand for the top out. Super sick.
On Day 3 Colin and I went out by ourselves in the afternoon and I worked through the V5’s again. And got shut down again. I did send the V4 variation on the face climb that I’m pictured attempting on my first go of the day. It was an awesome trip and I look forward to maybe getting back to La Barossa some day.
Hey all it’s Tyler again with a new update from South America...
As you all know, I did a post on La Barossa (a climbing area in Balcarce, Argentina) about a month ago describing an ultimately failed climbing trip. Well this past week, Colin Barnard (one of my fellow combatants from the last trip) and I swallowed our pride and headed back to Balcarce for some redemption. This time we met a group of amazing climbers and had the chance to boulder with them for a few days. Pictured below is a handful of the climbers we met on our trip.
On our first day, Gabriella (wife of the legendary Tim Bratten) picked us up from our hotel and drove us out to their house at the base of La Barossa. Here we loaded up all the gear and headed for the “Boulders de Bosque” area on the backside of the sierra. We began warming up on the front of the boulder, pictured below is Gabriella on a V2 problem. We spent an hour and a half or so climbing through multiple V0, V1, and V2 problems. There were probably 7 or 8 problems just on the front of the boulder.
After our time at the front we moved around to the backside of the boulder to try our skills on some harder stuff. I began work on a V4 traverse that starts low and works up into the roof, topping out as you come out from crimps on the roof to a sloper, a jug, and high step mantle. On my third try I got the ascent and was super pumped about it. Pictured below are action shots of me moving through the traverse and up into the roof.
Abut this time a group of 6 more climbers showed up, all from the Balcarce and Mar de Plata region. One of them, Mariano Maceri, was an especially strong climber who I developed a good friendship with by the end of our trip. He and the others began warming up while I began to study the moves of the V5 traverse that comes from the opposite direction and works up into the roof. After warming up, Mariano came over and coached me through the moves. He sent the problem on his second go and after 5 attempts I got fully shut down, just didn't have anything left in the tank. Mariano also sent a really technical V6 after 3 attempts, pictured below is him working through the crux.
Overall, the climbing and community was awesome. I’ll have another post for day 2 and 3 soon...
A motley crew of road and trail weary friends found out first hand the climbing potential in the Guadalupe Mountains the first weekend of March. Although we only got to climb for about an hour or so, we found a number of good lines on what I'm calling the Dragon Boulder: Stage Left (FA Colter Lane), Exit Cactus Left (FA Alex Wann), and La Buena Vista (FA Wann), all probably around V0 (although I really have no concept of the "V" rating system). Then we found and sent another problem Martyr's Ladder (FA Lane) on the same boulder, which might go as a V1 or V2.
I've perused the internet quite a bit for any mention of rock climbing in the Guadalupe area and nothing has revealed itself. Some sources (namely the NPS) cite the poor quality of the rock dissuading people from establishing much of a climbing destination. Looking at the cliffs around, I don't know if I entirely believe that, but it would be beyond my ability to tackle some of the huge walls found on the side of Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan. From what I've seen though it has a lot of potential for being a good bouldering alternative to the more crowded and more regulated Hueco Tanks, especially if you were willing to hike into the Devil's Hall area. There is just something about being in a wilderness setting away from a load of people, climbing without pressure, not trying to prove yourself, just scaling the rock because you feel compelled to reach the top by the most difficult means your body can handle.
I would stress Leave No Trace Principles for anyone else trying to establish new climbing routes. The land is a National Park and the desert environment is reasonably fragile. Be smart, use your head, think of the people who will tread the land after you, and leave the beauty of the wilderness intact. Scrub your tick marks, don't stash your pads...you know the drill.
Me standing next to Martyr's Ladder, which moves from the nasty bush bottom center through the darker water mark and tops out in the "book" between chossy bulges.
Nathan looking strong as Baret looks on with awe.
Me climbing Exit Cactus Left, Nathan with the spot.
This weekend is the Lake Brownwood Adopt-A-Crag. Things will get rolling at 8am on Friday, and continue till Saturday evening. Free camping on the bluffs is provided by the fine folks at Kirkland Docks.
Bring work clothes, and gloves. If you have a trailer, or truck, bring that as well. Hopefully we will get the work knocked out quickly, and get on with the climbing.
There will be prizes and other awesome stuff/people there. There will also be loads of top-ropes, and gear for beginners provided.
This is going to be greatness. I will be there. You should be too.
Check out this picture of Colter's nasty toes...right above his new route All Knuckles and Elbows. Click on the image to enlarge, and you'll get a sense of how small those holds are, and how gross Colter's toes are.
In all seriousness, take a look at Colter's new blog: www.mmm-lanec.blogspot.com for his commentary on Saturday's climbing, and coverage of his many outdoor pursuits.
Here's some photos from Saturday on Colter's camera.
Colter on All Knuckes and Elbows.
Jarrod trying Smooth Sailing.
Me on Smooth Sailing.
Remember the Access Fund Adopt-A-Crag at the Lake is coming up soon. Its going to be a blast. Check out the original post: http://abileneclimbers.blogspot.com/2010/01/march-adopt-cragits-gonna-be-huge.html
I like to climb. I go to school, and do some other stuff, but I like to climb. Hopefully this blog will connect others like me in the flat expanses of west Texas
