"Smooth like Diana Ross, creamy like half and half" is how Matt Samet described the new flatirons test piece, 's00krEEm' (Pronounced: SUU-CREAM). I finally had a chance to trek up to the back side of The Slab this past week with Emily Harrington and give a go at this route everybody has been so stoked on. The traffic this thing has seen recently is a testament to both how many people climb hard in the front range and also how popular flatirons climbing could again, one day become. As far as the quality of this thing goes? Lets just say I would double hand high-five Matt Samet, Ted Lanzano and Paul Glover (first ascensionists) right now if I could. So many holds and solutions exist through the extended crux of this climb that surely any climber could find their own special little way through. I was stoked to flash this thing and excited to see both my friends Blake and Emily clip the chains during the day too. This would be a killer entry level climb for this grade. NUFF said, go do it, and when you get home and the thought of beautiful flatirons climbing in an awesome setting over Boulder is tingling in your little hearts.. go to www.flatironsclimbing.org and check out potential new routes and get involved.
And when your done doing that (read closely for additional Jedi-mind-tricks persuasion) head over to the BRC or the SPOT or go right HERE online to grab tickets to the premier of Rocky Mountain Highball. Featuring interviews with bouldering legends like John Gill, John Sherman and Pat Ament along side sports action with Lynn Hill, Tommy Caldwell, Daniel Woods, Paul Robinson, Matt Wilder, Kevin Jorgenson, Aly Dorey and even... who? oh yeah MYSELF!! This film packs serious quantity and quality- 35+ athletes on 70+ boulder problems. See you there!
Aside from all this exciting jazz, I am grindin' hard to finish up my undergrad strong at Naropa University.. Only a week and three days to go, but when it rains it pours and my liberal use of 'sick days' to go rock climbing have finally caught up with me. Thankfully I will be packing up my subaru with camp chairs and climbing ropes so soon I can taste the wyoming gas station pretzels already..