Heat is on

--- More work at Wolf Point. Unfortunately the summer has arrived and the remaining sending will have to wait until cooler temperatures later in the summer. Which is fine. It's nice to have laid the ground work - clean routes, beta sussed, draws hanging. There are plenty of projects to keep us stoked, we just need the highs to go back into the high 70s - or better yet high 60's - to not feel severely handicapped on these 40 meter monster rigs. We're heading back out tomorrow for one last day of effort and close it down for a couple months. It would have been awesome to get a couple more new routes opened but sometimes when you're in the zone it's a better use of your effort to keep bolting, cleaning and preparing. Last week I finally snapped and had enough rock dust in my eyes and ears and hair. I've had enough jugging and hooking and cleaning and brushing. But to show for it I've got a handful of new routes bolted and 3 killer projects waiting... should be a good late summer! 

In between I've been staying busy at the Wild Iris, and advancing my efforts on B.J.s incredible power route 'Moonshine' 14d. This is essentially the antithesis of my style - 9a difficulty and precision packed into basically 3 bolts. The whole thing is maybe 35 feet? With 2 bolts of fluff intro and a bolt of exit fluff. It's savage bouldering, pockets, power. It will be a great project for me I can tell. This is about as close to bouldering as my climbing gets so it's rad to be challenged in a different way. For me it's all about mastering the subtlety and making the movement as efficient as possible. Every go I'm getting the crux move more and more sussed but at my height and reach it's a bastard of a move. One that will be heinous to pull off after all the hard climbing below. Super motivating! 

 so hard for me!

Climbed at this rad little feature yesterday. My second day out at the Sweatlodge. I first checked out this gem back in 2001. Some really great routes here in an unlikely spot tucked away by the little Popo Agie. Yesterday I did 'White Devil' 13d and 'Ghost Dance' 13c, both powerful and rad. 

This last weekend I was off west in the comfort of Jackson, Wy. Such a dramatic change to Lander... Both certainly have their merits. Lander is quiet, it's easy to stay climbing focused, there's really one coffee spot, one breakfast spot, one dinner spot, one bar. Early bed times, long days, mellow - it's a very simple life here no doubt. Nobody gives a shit if there's a crew of deer alongside the highway. 

Jackson is tourist filled, overflowing with good food, events, people. Downright bustling for a mountain town. Dozens of T-shirt shops, big money homes. The sight of a chipmunk stops traffic for miles. Definitely a different scene. 

waking up in Jackson. 

I could go without all the tourism and thousands of Jackson Hole sweatshirts but the upside is that there's a big younger crowd, huge summer events, and tons of active, stoked people. I really enjoy Jackson, and if there was Lander quality climbing there I think I would have found a future home... But I wasn't there just for the glam, I was specifically there for the OuterLocal Summer games, which I can say is definitely one of the best events I've been to. One long day of action packed races and comps, all starting and ending at the same location. As one comp or race is ending another one is just about to begin. Great people and cool venue all in a rad town and to cap it off a huge outdoor concert to end it. I will definitely return to this event - make sure to remember it next year! 

Set some killer boulder problems with the 307 dudes for the climbing comp at the OuterLocal games. Good times for sure, despite staggering heat. Rad crew! Thanks fellas. 

We're all gearing up for the 4th of July and the upcoming Climbers Fest here in Lander... it's an exciting couple weeks. Who's gonna make it out???