Crag Clean-Up Brownwood

This saturday, the ACU outdoor club, along with the Rock Addiction folks are going to host a crag clean-up at Brownwood. Should be going all day. I'm really excited--there is a lot of work, that once done, will open up new problems.

Also, check out this cool picture Bryan took of a night session at the wall.

Texas Block

Nick and I spent half a day at Brownwood today. The weather was great, 65 and no wind. We warmed up on Mission Impossible, and then made our way to the Texas Block. Nick is pictured above on Texas Toast. He fell off the last move, just missing the second ascent. He did send Slap That quickly though.

In response to Bryan's chastising that I never climb the same problem twice, I repeated Texas Torture today. Its really good. Come climb it.

The Texas Block:
Named for a feature on the south end of the boulder shaped like the great state, the Texas Block houses several quality problems, but was overlooked during our first years at climbing at Brownwood. "Slap That" is located on a small boulder next to the Texas Block.

1. "Texas Toothpick" v2 - This climb was named after the delectable appetizer from Destiny Grill on the way back to Abilene. Sit Start. Move up through gaston and crimps to jug rail. The top out requires a big throw to a flake. Mantle.

2. "Texas Toast" v3 - Start right from a crouch on a side pull and gaston. Move up and left using a good right hand crimp. Finish "Texas Toothpick."

3. Project- Start "Texas Torture," and finish through a series of shallow pocket with a big throw for the lip.

4. "Texas Torture" v7?- The best line on the boulder. Start from a sit on a bad right hand crimp and left on the crimp marked by orange rock. Gain a heel, match on orange crimp and move left into bad gaston rail and pocket. Continue moving left into "Texas Toast." Could also possibly be started with the left hand on a lower undercling.

5. Project- Direct line from orange crimp of "Texas Torture."

6. "Razor Ramone" v2- Climb up into a sharp (sketchy) flake.

7. "Texas Arete" v4- Start on the Right side of the arete, and move up using sidepulls, and small crimps on left side. Great line.

Saturday at Brownwood and Guide

Joel, Bryan, Tyler and I all went out to Brownwood for a few hours on Saturday. I spent more time taking pictures for the guide than of the climbing, but we had a great time climbing some older stuff, and establishing a new long traverse on the overhang wall at the end of the maze.

Here's the Burlfest boulder, along with route descriptions. These will all be included in the guide. Thoughts on what could be improved?

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. Project- 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.

Reworking the Guidebook images

I received an anonymous (dad) tip that you can make some easy jpeg images on Powerpoint, and below are a couple of my new attempts at getting the guidebook going.





I have several more that I'm working on, and hope to make a trip out this weekend to take some more photos and climb.

Coming home...

Lindsey and I rolled into Abilene on Wednesday night, coming back early to take the GRE test on thursday and go to Brownwood on Friday. We had a great day at Brownwood, warming up on some moderates and then working projects.

Lindsey decided to spend some time working on Scott's Problem, which is one of the best at brownwood. On my last trip to Brownwood with Bryan, I started to work a project left of Scott's Problem with a dynamic stab into a vertical pocket and pretty big dyno. Lindsey spotted me and recorded some footage on the project which i'll try to edit and get on here. She also linked through the first moves of Scott's Problem falling off one of the slopers over the lip on her best go.

The pocket of doom.

Although i didn't send friday, I finally determined a sequence that may get me over the slopey lip encounter, and so I convinced Bryan to head out with me on Saturday. In true best friend style, Bryan worked Scott's Problem so that I could try my project.

At first the moves the top out still felt impossible, but after a slight foot adjustment i was able to rock over and scramble up the steep slab. We're calling it Stab Wound. I'm not sure how hard it is, i hope it sees some more traffic.

Towards the end of the day, we walked back to the entrance and did a cool dyno problem that Scott C. opened up about a year ago. (Pictured at the top). I also did a slightly different variation to the left.

Well, I've been thinking about putting together a pdf guidebook for Brownwood, so here's my first attempt below. I used Paint, which was terrible. Anybody know of any good programs to use? free programs?

Weather and Injury

For the last week the weather has been great in Dallas, but I've been stuck inside nursing an injured wrist. Of course, as my wrist starts to feel better, the weather turns.

I head back to Abilene this week, and then...Brownwood.