Epinephrine. 2,000 ft. 5.9.

5.9 trad was putting Ryan to sleep, so he inserted a dyno to spice things up.  We decided to do this route several weeks ago.  Stashed gear the day before, and did the uber early start (wake up at 2:30am).  Started the climb at 5:09am.

I think this is me before setting off on penultimate chimney pitch, which i found to be the most challenging.  My foot actually slipped while way above the last piece.  Would not have been pretty.  That was a low point of inattention.  Chimneys felt pretty safe although strenuous.  Didn't feel the need to place pro and instead relied on the one or two bolts in the middle.  Not the most manly approach, since that makes it a "sport" chimney, but burrowing back to place gear looked like a recipe for rope drag.  Surprisingly the #4 Camalot came in handy, easily placeable on practically every pitch.  Not critical or necessary.  Could have done the climb with nothing larger than #3, and single rack.  We followed the handren guide advice of single to #4 and double 1-3.

Ryan on the final chimney pitch.  The fun ended after that when we got hit with blistering sun heat on top of the Black Tower.  I guess that's the price you pay if you climb Red Rock in June.  Was nice to have Black Velvet all to ourselves though.

We topped out the climb (final "scramble") at 3:22pm. Sadly my knee acted up and I couldn't bend it by the time we reached the top and signed the register.  The 1 hour descent turned into a 4 hour slog, as I hobbled and walked backwards to avoid  bending my left knee.  We split up and I got lost, ending up on top of some white slabs.  We also ran out of water at the top, so it was getting a tad uncomfortable.  All in all, a great experience, and relatively casual climbing.  Highly recommended.

Wonderstuff 5.12d.

3 years ago, I first tried this route. Video of attempts here...

Wonderstuff finally went down last week after a concerted effort. I guess my prescience was real after all! Soft and short, but I'll take it… Send was preceded with several weeks of ARC training (endurance), less lumberjack breakfasts, a little better sleep, and the tactic of working backwards from the top of the route instead of a ground up approach (wiring the final moves and linking up). Also snacking on real food (fruits, sandwich) instead of power bars. Not sure if any of that made a difference since I skipped the final bolt on the send, thus turning it into a 3 bolt boulder problem. With the first draw stick clipped, I just realized that I only clipped two draws. I think I subconsciously turned this into a tall V6/7 boulder problem, sort of like High Plains Drifter, but with much higher percentage moves. As with most things, luck was highly involved as the conditions were perfect with the sun warming the rock so it didn't freeze my fingers, while a chilly breeze kept the crimps dry. If you can boulder v5/6 you should get on this route!

Sorry, no video or pics. I've been lazy in that department and experiencing so few successful redpoints, it hasn't been worth it. Plus sport climbing vids are sort of boring without a pro job. Heading off to Flagstaff to boulder/sport this weekend, so perhaps we may yet see some video/pics. I'm a little worried that sport climbing at red rock is poor preparation for the confusing and technical roofs of Priest Draw. Alas! it's too late to do anything training-wise.

Really Sad.

Three Sad Problems. from Hotel Sierra on Vimeo.

A short 3 min video with Strength in Numbers followed by Professional Widow v4 highball, and then Pow Pow, a guidebook v8 but consensus v7, and probably v6. Shout outs to Randy and Leslie for the camera work, spotting, encouragement, and crashpads.

I think at the 3 min mark you can see I almost slip and fall off the top of Pow Pow after sending. Seems to be a bad habit I picked up in the Gunks, where I routinely slid on pine needles and autumn leaves, falling off the top of boulder problems into talus pits filled with scree and mud.

Also, probably not audible, but on Professional Widow, my left hand started sliding off the penultimate hold; i remember hearing my fingernails scraping the volcanic ash while reaching right for the finishing jug. Randy heard it as well and got pretty worried. Fortunately the music obscures these sordid details of my shoddy rockcraft.

So Sad.

Sunset over the Sierras as we drove away from the Volcanic Tablelands.  

Rio's Crack.:  Wow that was desparate thanks to zero feet.  

Do anything you can to get to the first sinker crack for your left hand.  I used the dangerous huecos on the face as "drive-by" holds.  Won't be repeating that anytime soon.

Professional Widow, sort of a highball.

It's tall, but never got too scary because the holds and moves are relatively positive up high.  You do have to commit to a two-finger pocket lock off to a one pad crimp, but conditions favored my easily frozen hands because although the rock was cold, the sun shined bright.  Also helped that this rarely climbed boulder was not polished by a horde of greasy-pawed climbers.  It's also a very photogenic problem for the Sads, as it offers open air instead of the standard scree or boulders right behind you.  Not as scary as Jedi Mind Tricks or White Rastafarian.

Pow Pow: Wolverine guide says v8, but v7 if you're honest.  So in a rare moment of honesty, I'll have to agree.  If Midnight Lightning is v8, then this is definitely easier.  In fact, it's easier than Lawnmower Man which is rated v7.  So maybe it's a 6/7?  Maybe I just did it wrong.

Hot Pants: Why did I waste time and skin on this pebble?  A key hold is polished to a shine, and I had to employ a flesh molding ring lock on the starting horizontal crack.  Painful, slippery, and short.  Like a line of coke, I guess you do it just because it's there.  That's what people tell me, at least.

Randy on Strength in Numbers v5.  His left hand is on the crux hold.  

Strength in Numbers: Best problem in the mid-grades at the Sads imho.  If you're there, you must climb it.  It's like the Hulk at the Happies.  Just like the Hulk there's always a "psyched" crew with humongous mattress-like crash pads protecting the climb, so even though the guide gives it a heart with wings, it's quite safe.

- Rio's Crack v6
- Pop a Wheelie v4
- Professional Widow v4
- Pow Pow v7
- Strength in Numbers v5
x Lawnmower Man v7
x Hot Pants v5

Ju at Ibex.

"Ju" V6/7 at Ibex from Hoary Marmot on Vimeo.

This was a sweet problem in Ibex, Utah.  It's rated v6/7.  Definitely one of the more beautiful places to boulder.  Plus you're guaranteed to be alone, which is nice if that's what you're into.  Thanks to Ranimal and J for the hd camera work.  This boulder is ideal because you can pull a car right up to it, making the approach all of 2 feet.

Atari et al.

Bishop Bouldering X-mas 2010 from Hoary Marmot on Vimeo.

Back to Bishop.

Nothing ground breaking occurred besides some surprisingly good sushi at Yamatani.  But all my dabbling in sport climbing has increased my stamina so i can do more boulder problems in a day.  Definitely peaked on Day 2 and shouldn't have climbed Day 3.  Skin is now gone.  Best send of this trip was probably Atari v6.  It's a little bit of a headjob because it looks like you'll go careening off the cliff if you blow the crux.  In fact, it looks to be relatively safe because all three of us that tried it tended to fall straight down to the pads.  I also really liked Rene v5.  It was tall and I did it without spotters because I was alone on Day 1.  But relatively safe with a nice flat landing.

Day 2.  Randy on The Clapper v6.  Nice line with interesting movement.  Guidebook says v6, rockclimbing dot com description says v4+.  My grasp on bouldering grades is now utterly muddled.  I propose a 2 dimensional model: on the x axis is a scale from Fun to Not Fun.  And the y axis is a scale from Easy to Hard.  This allows for four quadrants.  I would always try to climb Fun and Easy or Fun and Hard.

Ryan checking out the one move wonder that is Will's Arete v5.  But what a move!

Randy and Leslie at the Sads.  I am so mad at myself for never having visited before.  I found the problems to be more inspiring than the Happies.  Next time, just going to the Sads.

Tighter is righter, right?

Why no Buttermilks?  Well I tried on Day 1, but almost got my 4runner stuck in 2 feet of snow about a quarter mile from the Peabodys.  

Day 1 - Happies
- Dirty Hooker v1
- Sidepull Problem v5
- Crack Problem v3
- Pinch Problem v4
- Rene v5
- Mr. Happy v5

Day 2 - Happies
- Atari v6
- The Clapper v6
- The Hulk v6
- Will's Arete v5
- Mr. Witty v6
x Every Color you Are v6

Day 3 - Sads
- Molly Dyno v?  v4?
x  Molly v5
x  Strength in Numbers v5
x  Lawnmower Man v7

x = no send

Resolution Arete. 5.11+ A1.

Day 0.  An exploratory day  to stash gear at the base of the climb.  Ben scopes out Mt. Wilson from the Oak Creek pullout.  The route we're eyeing is Resolution Arete on the left side.  It's 20 pitches long and 2,500 ft. tall.  Maybe the longest route at Red Rock.  No fixed anchors.  Sort of committing, especially if you are not familiar with descent options (like Inti Watana to the right or Sherwood Forest to the left.)  We were not familiar with either, so we were committed.  We spent Saturday scoping out the approach and stashing gear/water for Sunday.  So glad we did because there's a very long, thorny, and steep scramble to the base of the first pitch.

Day 1 (first day of climbing).  Despite finding the approach trail with cairns, we still got lost the next day.  Showed up at 3am for the 2 hour uphill slog.  At sunrise we arrive at our stashed gear from the day before.

Above, sunrise on first pitch of Resolution.

Ben scopes out his next lead.

We are forced to bivy above Sherwood forest after 10 pitches, including the crux 5.11+ pitch.  Neither of us could free it.  Plus I got stuck trying to clean it because of rope shenanigans, wasting at least 45 minutes hanging under the roof.  

A $250 patagonia down sweater.  It helped out a bunch as wind and rain fell upon us periodically throughout the night.  The accursed scrub oak and its roots shot holes into my bivy bag so I got pretty wet.  Suffice to say, I think I slept for about 10 minutes that night.  Discovered that Ben talks in his sleep. 

Day 2. (Second day on the wall)... Sunrise from our bivy notch.  It was beautiful despite ominous clouds and moisture.  Later it would briefly snow and hail on us.  

8 hours later, we can de-rope for the summit scramble, described as "5.2, with some 5.8".  Hm.

Just 400 ft to the top!

2:20pm, we summit.  Ben on the tippy-top.  Highest point in Red Rock.  

The summit register is protected by rocks.

Very windy up there.  We chose the heinous 3 hour boulder-hopping descent down First Creek Canyon.

Saturday Night Live.

John Sherman's Stone Crusade book lists this problem in Joshua Tree National Monument (it's not just a park, but a monument!) as "the most kinesthetically pleasing route in the Monument, maybe the country." I might agree.

Ryan on the send:

RD sends SNL. from Hotel Sierra on Vimeo.

Me peeling off:

Saturday Night Live attempt. from Hotel Sierra on Vimeo.

Me sending:

Toadstool.

I tried this problem at Kraft on and off for about 3 seasons, and could never decipher the darn thing. Spent 2 seasons trying to lock off an intermediate sloper. I'll blame that harebrained beta on Shawn. When all else fails, dyno. This season, started jumping. Suddenly an easy v4 dyno materialized. Easier than Saturday Night Live at Jtree for sure. I actually hate the ubiquity of "for sure", but it seems to roll off the tongue when spraying about bouldering. Fo sho.

Toadstool. from Hotel Sierra on Vimeo.

Kolob.

Our intreprid guide Randy asks his smartphone device the question on the mind of all sentient beings: "What should I do next?"  We are at DeDe's in Cedar City (voted 3rd best restaurant in Utah!)  fueling up with some blueberry pancakes.  We're on our way to Kolob Canyon in Zion National Park to try a very long sport route called Namaste 5.12a...

A view of the canyon at the beginning of the hike.  The morning sunbeams were beautiful and auspicious.  We aimed for the very back of the canyon.  It took about 45 min to an hour of hiking.

John ascended first... we had an 80M rope, but I think 70 would have sufficed.

Randy getting lowered.  You can see the extent of the overhang at the start of the route.

Some shots of me on my flash attempt.  It's a long route.

 All in all, a magical day.  We had the canyon to ourselves the entire time.  I would highly recommend a visit if you are passing through because it's so accessible.

.

Burn food then climb.

 Not too happy with my hamburger.  Just tossed the whole shebang into the campfire.  I obtained my calories from beer instead.

A v3ish thing at Rock Creek.  It's granite with knobs protruding.  Very high quality.  There is a creek there that requires crossing.  It was a little tricky with two dogs.  Ice cold water was experienced.