This blog’s not quite dead yet. As usual, I spent the summer climbing on ropes rather than over crash pads. I’d like to say that’s why I don’t post, but the posts don’t seem too much more frequent during bouldering season. Well, it may just be a quarterly blog. Deal with it. All 7 of you. Here’s some photos from the last 4 months or so:
EC – Happy Colored Marbles V2, FA – Boulder River Boulders, Mile 18
4th of July celebrations at Chestnut
Ho – Overhangatang V5 – Hyalite Canyon
EC – Overhangatang V5 – Hyalite Canyon (photo by Ho)
EC – the Gravy Train 5.12b/c – Ten Sleep Canyon (photo by Ho)
SHo – Soft in the Middle 5.11c – Gallatin Canyon
Leslie – the Solace of Bolted Faces 5.12a – Wild Iris
Chris – the Devil Wears Spurs 5.10d – Wild Iris
Leslie – Limestone Cowboy 5.12a – Wild Iris
Wild Iris
EC – Don’t Bring Your Guns to Town 5.12c – Wild Iris (photo by Chris Ennis)
Chris – High Plains Drifter 5.10c – Wild Iris
Jess – the Terrible V7 – Leavenworth
EC – Cattleguard Arete V8 – Leavenworth
EC – Andy’s Arete V5 – Leavenworth
Peder – Crimpsqueek V7 – Leavenworth
Jess – Footless Traverse V5 – Leavenworth
EC – WAS V8 – Leavenworth (photo by Jess Groseth)
Peder – Premium Coffee V7 – Leavenworth
Peder – Premium Coffee V7 – Leavenworth
EC – the Beach Arete V2 – Leavenworth (photo by Jess Groseth)
As I mentioned before, I take a lot of video while I’m out bouldering alone. For one reason or another the majority of the footage doesn’t end up on youtube. Here’s some screenshots from my video footage from the last year:
Ring of Fire Right V2, FA - Whiskey Gulch, MT (Seq-knar spotting)
Peder's Demise V1 - Whiskey Gulch, MT
Better Eat Your Corndogs V6 - Lost Horse Canyon, MT
Inertia V6 - Whiskey Gulch, MT
the Kind V5 - RMNP, CO
Unnamed V6 - RMNP, CO
Aces High V4, FA - Cascade Creek, MT
Magnum V6 - Cascade Creek, MT
Breakdown V4, FA - Beartooths, MT
Project - Hollowtop Valley (Tobacco Roots), MT
Henry to EC - "WTF?"
Sunny Slab V0, FA - Beartooths, MT
A River Runs Through It V3, FA - Upper Mason Lake (Tobacco Roots), MT
the Topus V5 - Ibex, UT
Squeeze Problem V6 - the Poudre, CO (Full Disclosure - I didn't send...)
And last, but not least… my next post will be from here:
Headed back to East Rosebud on Sunday with Ho, Henry and Jarred and gave ’em a tour of what I’ve seen/climbed over the last couple weeks. Good times were had by all. We started off the day beneath Double Book Dome, a relatively popular roped crag. We pretty much spent the first couple hours complaining about how hot it was and lounging in the shade:
the Warm-Up Boulder
I dropped my flip-flop down an 8 foot deep talus pit. Luckily Henry was there to fish it out.
Luckily clouds started to roll in and stayed there the rest of the day making the conditions manageable. Next up we went 20 feet farther up the talus and checked out the 45 degree wall I’d scoped out last time. Perfect line of holds up a steep wall with a nice top-out. The stand start went quick with Henry snagging the FA, but the sit start wouldn’t submit.
Henry on the FA of "Splode" V4
Henry checking out the sit start, "Super-Splode." Undone and hard.
After everyone Splode’d we packed up and moved on to another boulder field farther up the road. I’ve been calling this area the Streaked Slab Boulders because there’s a gorgeous streaked slab just above the talus that home to at least a couple bolted routes. If anyone knows the real name of this crag let me know. After giving a quick tour of the dozens of boulders we headed over to a tall face that came to be known as “In It To Win It.” In typical fashion, Ho lurked around and let Henry figure out the beta for the start then jumped on and easily flashed it for the FA. I don’t think Ho has fallen off a problem in a few years… I was too much of a wimp to even boot up, so I just took photos:
Henry sending "In It To Win It" V5
Henry
Jarred
Jarred catching air
Jarred
Jarred sending
Henry on the eliminate "F*$% It and Huck It"
On the way up to the next new one, I talked everyone into trying a problem I put up last Wednesday called “Made in the Shade.” It doesn’t look like much but it’s got some pretty cool movement with a mean top-out crux. I’m quite proud to say that Ho did not flash it! Everyone sent it easily after I showed them the sneaky beta.
From there we went up and Henry did the FA of a problem I cleaned calling it “Wasp Womb.” Really fun movement, but there lot’s of dab potential in the first half. I got close, but I started on it a little too late and didn’t want to hang around any longer cause there wasn’t much light left. Something to come back for!
Henry on the dabby start of "Wasp Womb"
Henry on the FA of "Wasp Womb" V5
Ho flashing the 2nd ascent
Lastly, just before it got dark we stopped at a beautiful black boulder in the middle of the dense trees below the talus. This was the last of the top three lines that I had spotted in the two areas. “The Black Arete” ended up being the unanimous favorite. It starts with a great jump to a sloper then another dynamic move to a good pinch and ends with a few more sloper moves and a great top out mantel at a perfect height. It was too dark for photos or video, but here’s a photo from when I first spotted it:
The Black Arete V4
Henry also did the FA of a cool looking slab just right of the arete to finish out the day. Here’s a few more random photos.
Cleanin'
Here’s a short vid of 3 of the new problems – Made in the Shade V4, In It to Win It V5 and Splode V4:
Bouldering Montana 