Venga

Quite the fast-foward here I know. Sometimes that's the way life is though. I left a summer living in Estes Park and drove straight to Southern Idaho. Long, cold nights. Beautiful stars. Tear inducing sunsets and many mornings with tea, alone. Good friends were also there, long sessions trying an incredible roof boulder called 'WarPath' but the stars never aligned for me on this one. Something that would unfortunately become a bit of a closing theme for 2016.



I escaped back to Colorado and began a rigorous training program. Putting all of my energy forward for an upcoming trip to Spain. A few little objectives mixed in there, some fruitful, others not. I built confidence in my training and tried to look ahead.






Well here I am, nestled into this stone-built restaurant just after 10 am. Indoors, but still I'm wearing a puffy. Two sixty-something men across from me share laughs and a glass of red wine. The bar is full of long haired story tellers, with smiles and a posture that hints to some gnarly adventure that they've enjoyed. This place that I have come to call home, Organya, is mostly known for its incredible Paragliding. Furthermore we have come to know it as the place that's always sunny. An inversion and a formidable creeping fog engulfs much of central Catalunya during the winter. It's hell. Alas, a little ways into the Pyrenees or near the sweet Mediterranean and you'll find reprieve.

I've been here for over five weeks. Friends coming and going, meeting strangers that become close in an instant. We've all made memories together exploring. Meet the vibrant, after midnight streets of Madrid or the beer bars of Barcelona. We've watched Spanish TV, unwillingly been towed to France, Partied, ate well, collectively turned a corner and said 'Wooooowwww!' too many times to count. I've made a sea of memories in the last 5+ weeks that I'll keep and cherish.




The climbing. I've never tried a route so much before in my life. When I first arrived I felt like the thought of a send was nothing more than a joke. I drew inspiration from my friends that have punished themselves on a route seemingly above their level. For months, years even - eventually meeting victory. Slowly I made progress, most days I would make the smallest, albeit tangible, progress. Just enough to keep me going. Suddenly I broke through. The links became longer and longer, I started to have confidence that I could at least get close. And last week was truly the turning point. I climbed twice to within one or two holds of the final rest - making it to this rest is a very likely send for me. Then on the next try I went from very low on the route, all the way through the finish to the anchor. For the first moment I felt confident I would send. Looking down I noticed blood on my hands. My skin had torn open in the sub zero conditions. A severe set back, I took nearly a week off - escaped to Madrid to forget about climbing and see something new.







Now I'm back. My ticket is extended, my skin is healed, but it seems my progress could be lost.

It's hard to really communicate here, but this is so much more than a route to me. For years my strength has been patience. My strength has been in the act of hanging on. Not as in hanging on to the wall but hanging on to the process. Like a raging, spinning bull there are so many moments when your body and mind tell you to let go - to end the doubt, the suffering, the ride. I'm hanging on like hell but damn it is taking everything I have. My experience on this route has been deeply emotional like nothing I've ever quite experienced. It has been months and months since I had a win. Perhaps it's because I am truly reaching my limit, if not physically, mentally. No tricks or short cuts or easy outs here... I know that if I want to send this thing I have to walk up the hill and try to the death every day. Anything more than that is unfortunately out of my control.

I really want the lesson to be that I held on through so much doubt and sacrifice to finally, finally meet success in the sweetest, most relieving way, most heart opening way. But I also know that it's just as likely that the lesson could be; sometimes you give every fucking ounce you have and it's still not enough.

Two weeks left here, I accept whatever the outcome is. Venga vichos.

Farewell Chaos

I closed out my Chaos bouldering season this past Monday with a win on one of my favorite boulders ever, 'The Shining' V13. Monday was really my last opportunity to climb the boulder because of an ultra busy week ahead. It seems that no matter what the project, what its implications, how hard or how amazing... each time I find myself tying in or chalking up, the project looming above me is the very most important thing in the world. It's captivating, it's everything. At times I'm sure that the stress is a detriment to performance and certainly looking back it always seems far less important than it was in the moment. But this kind of involvement is what I thrive on. And this feeling is driven to new heights when I feel the pressure of a closing weather window, or the end of a trip, or failing skin. I love it.

I finished The Shining in a few tries on Monday so I was left with some time to play. Nate Drolet and I wandered down to Upper for 'Eternia' V11 - an amazing, long roof problem that he was really stoked on and I had been hearing about for years. Underclings forever on this thuggy boulder, with a wild feet-first ending. Truly a memorable climb. We both sent and we took our pads down to a trailside turd of sorts, but the movement was great! 'McFly' V10 to finish the day.

On Tuesday I had an afternoon flight to visit family in Wisconsin so I had to get out early if I wanted a quick bouldering session. Erin Ayla meet me in Moraine Park and gave me a quick tour of some of the many boulders she and he boyfriend Ian Cotter-Brown have been developing over the spring and summer. There are a grip of new ones out there, and still many more to be done. 'The Last Crusade' V11 is a stunner curving rail that ends with a compression feature. An outstanding problem. Next I did 'Tainted Tick Marks' V10 or the Flood Money Direct. It doesn't look like much but it has some really cool movement and packs a punch for a relatively shorter problem. I cruised back to the car by around 10:30, packed up my life from Estes Park and took off for DIA.

So very stoked and ready for the Idaho Mountain Festival this weekend and life on the road after that!

A few goodies to keep you stoked moving through the end of the week...

I did a second interview with Neely Quinn and the Training Beta Podcast that she just released - I always love linking up with these guys and I think we covered some interesting new terrain in this conversation. Have a quick listen!



And here's a raw cut from back in Squamish of my ascent on Tom Wright's incredible 'Spirit of the West'. Enjoy!

Begging for Power

100% bouldering since I last wrote. I can't remember the last time I put on a harness but I bet it has been nearly a month at this point. The initial week after my mission on the Diamond I was nothing short of destroyed. I tried on several occasions to get out, or even to climb a little bit in the gym - and it was pathetic. I knew that I would have some work to do in order to get back into snappy, powerful, bouldering shape - but honestly even two weeks into bouldering mode I was quite frustrated to see relatively no progress.




I hiked out from Chaos many evenings with my tail between my legs, but the sun setting on the Keyboards of the Winds was always enough to cheer me up. I kept banging my head and hands against the wall and finally I broke through. 'Flood Money Sit' V10 was my re-entry to bouldering double digits - something I had not done since March (aside from cruxes on routes I suppose). 'Golden Rays of Flows' too me back into the V11 realm, and after several more days of efforts and a short round of finger training I climbed 'Irreversible' V13 - this was the first time I had climbed the grade since last summer.




'Comb my Hair like God' V11/12 was next up, but not before an agonizing session sorting out awful beta on my own and subsequently failing on the final move. My main goal for this bouldering stint, and one of my main goals for the year for that matter, was to climb 'Wheel of Chaos' V14. A brilliant roof problem way up in the top of the Canyon. I absolutely love this problem. It's 25 moves long and combines a short section of pure muscle-roof, a resistant and reachy steep crimp zone, and a technical and footwork intensive finish. The rumor is that Jimmy Webb fell on the very last move for the FA. Despite me myself feeling super solid on the finish (my kind of climbing) I took the plunge with my hand wrapped around the summit, move 25, the bitter end. Thankfully I had enough in me to try again, and finish the problem. One of my all time favorites.

The next day I climbed in Upper and cleaned up some classics. 'Skipper Left' V11 and a scary flash on 'Baby Otech' V10. The real win though, however, was back in Lower this past Wednesday. I had tried 'Gobot' maybe 3 years back for a short time. Decided I was too scared and weak, and moved on. Last year I tried Gobot briefly as well. No dice. This year I wanted it pretty badly. It's a brilliant problem, and sometimes the ones that have eluded you for some reason or another hold a special kind of allure. Shortly after my mission on the Diamond I hiked up to try Gobot three separate days. Falling on the last move, I almost became certain that this now would go on my 'never' list. I even had apprehensions about trying it this last week - despite knowing that I had improved so much since August. There's a move at the very end out left to a strange pinch that is just outside of my reach. I tried all the methods to get this hold but it was clearly not in the cards for me - 2 or 3 inches too far. Instead I was grabbing a pretty serious right hand crimp and a horrible left hand spike and making an all out pounce to the finish. I tried the finishing move on Wednesday and immediately felt like the right hand edge had doubled in size - an incredible feeling. My hand strength was back! I did the problem first try from the start. It was extremely rewarding. On paper (V11) this is nothing noteworthy but it's actually the longest I have ever worked on a boulder problem so for me it felt special.

Feeling the strength and snap come back is super motivating, and although I planned to transition back into routes right about now, I am going to ride this high for (what I hope) will be a couple more nice sends before I pick up the harness again.

Rocky Mountains

Since I returned from Switzerland life has been amazing. Switzerland almost felt like something of a 'reset' button for me. Amongst the rain and the hustle it was oddly centering. Coming to the US last month felt very refreshing--  surrounded with old friends, familiar zones, clear goals, family, Zeke. I'm always quickly reminded of how wonderful Colorado is, and how amazing the summers can be here. Up next was a quick trip to Squamish for the amazing Climbing Academy there, a quick trip to Salt Lake City for the Summer OR show, and a change in gears. I spent the next few weeks hiking and climbing and preparing for a route I've been dreaming of for years, the Direct Dunn Westbay on the Diamond. In an emotional fight to the death with the strong support of my Dad, Bob Siegrist, we completed the route last weekend. I wrote about this experience on the Arcteryx Bird Blog -- go and check it out!

Cam Dog photo from the crux 80m pitch on the Direct Dunn Westbay. 

Squamish, climbing the incredible 'Spirit of the West' 14a

Now I will try to switch gears again. Alpine climbing is so demanding and tiring to the whole body. The kind of exhaustion I felt the days after my ascent on the Diamond are very distinct - and debilitating. I have a few more traditional routes on my radar but I really feel I need to play catch up and prepare for my fall of sport climbing at this point. Back into performance climbing mode... not an easy task. I will use outdoor bouldering to try and jump start the process. Things feel hard, my body is no doubt still recovering, even almost a week later. But if I want to carry on with my goals I need to think differently again. Intensity over volume. Power over stamina. It's incredible how the body can adapt if you give it the right stimulus. Wish me luck!

A little taste from Swiss!!

A Swiss Goodbye

Trips always produce more than I expect. More emotion, more rad new people, more unique experience and sometimes even more sending. Here I am on the flight back to the US. I imagine what it would be like to sit next to myself -- on that departing flight to Europe back on May 6. I wouldn't want to give away all the details but I would certainly offer up a little advice. "Prepare for some rain" perhaps. Or, "This is the best grocery store in Interlaken" ... "Trummelbach falls is worth every damn penny" ... "Go hard when the crag is dry" or "Save a whole day for the Truck and Country festival"... But all in all there is little I could really tell myself back then that could have improved the trip. That's a good feeling.


Daniel Hulliger photo of 'El Molinero' 

Despite some low moments this was an awesome visit. The weather was some of the worst - most recorded rain for over 100 years, but I still climbed and did some sending and I'm really proud of that. I definitely feel like I was hustling and working overtime to keep my hunger for rock satiated. Thankfully with all the micro climates around the Swiss Alps it was possible to move around as the weather was shifting and as one zone got soaked, another seemed to be drying out. 

Switzerland is staggeringly beautiful - like a dream. The Alps are incomparable to any mountains I've seen in the world aside from the Andes and Himalaya. They are massive and right there in-your-face and so beautiful it's almost nauseating. Rock climbing and, furthermore, living in this setting is so motivating. Near the solstice we had light until essentially 10pm, and the climbing days were long. The sun sets very slowly. Evenings were breathtaking.

running from the rain


Engelberg... photo from Mathias Trottman 

In the last six days of my trip I moved out of my radical little home in Bonigen, and met with some good friends in Engelberg, partied in lively Zurich and explored the warm streets of Milan. It was a welcome change and really helped to cap the trip. It really ignited me to plan both an Alpine mission to Switzerland and also a climbing trip to Italy (maybe not in the summer..).

All that being said I'm looking forward to being back in the States. My plans are more wide open than they have been years. I'm still unsure exactly what I'll be doing this fall, which is strange considering that I usually have a year planned out. It feels nice. Leaning towards a road trip, some bolting maybe. Maybe a few projects in mind. Any ideas? 

In the meantime I'm right back on a plane this week to Canada for the Squamish Climbing Academy! I am really looking forward to this event and stoked to see the Arc team once again. Holler if you'll be in the area!

I don't usually do this kind of thing but enough people have asked so here it is -- my routes from the Swiss trip, 5.13 and up. Cheers everyone. 

Missing Link 14c/d 

Appel au Sodom 14b

Femme Rouge 13b 

Bett des Fakirs 13c 

Torero 13b 

Jungfrau Marathon 14d 

Zenit 14a 

Goldfinger 14b 

Termilater 14a 

Schwarzes Glas 14a 

Diesseits Von Jenseits 13a os 

Weisse Arena 13a os 

Gravitationalist 13a os 

Okoschwein 13a os 

Cabane au Canada 14d 

Paradis Natural 14b flash 

Deprime Sous le Soleil 13d 

Le Voile de Maya 14b/c 

Stop Sika 14b 

Degout et des Couleurs 13c flash 

Ultime Opera 13a os 

L'espace Bleu 13d 

Gaucho 13d 

Hyper Finale 14d fa 

Bulletin de Sante 14a flash 

Tornado Power 14b 

Brot fur Bruder 13c 

Gimmel Express 14c 

Ewigi Liebi 13d 

Bit Man 13b flash 

Ganja 13d 

Marc 14a 

Philou 14a 

Vapeur de Tacos 13b flash 

Molinero 14c 

Hau den Lukas 13d 

Lethargie 14a 

Zollo del Lachel 13a os 

No Time for Wanking 13b os 

Lasertusse 13b flash

Fred Moix photo of the night sky above the Bernese Oberland

last week...

Suddenly looking ahead to my final week in Switzerland. Since I last checked in the weather has continued to give and take but overall improve. Thus allowing for some sends and some new terrain and yet still some sorrow-filled hours of anxiously reading weather forecasts. It's been utterly frustrating at times but good company and this beautiful country have kept me surprisingly sane. I feel I made the best of this horrible weather season overall and for that I'm very proud!

Vikki Weldon came through for a week to enjoy the Swiss stoke. We climbing around several crags in a variety of weather scenarios but this day was pretty damn prime. Gastlosen. Photo by Hugo Vincent. 

'Philou' 14a at Gastlosen. Hugo Vincent. 

Vikki getting all fired up on the Gimmelwald lovin'. 'Torero' 13b.

In one moment I'm sitting near the Lake Thun, enjoying some wine and the delights of overwhelming sunshine. Enough sun to fully warrant a dip in the chilling glacial waters and a second glass of rose. Reflecting on a couple of incredible climbing days in the stunning Swiss Alps and in moments like this I could snap my fingers and move to the Bernese Oberland. Only a day later the heavy rain settles in. Shoes are soaked, humidity is maximum. Climbing is impossible and being outside is downright heinous. The short term forecast reflects oncoming rains that would be equivalent to a year's worth of Colorado thundershowers. In this moment I wish I could snap my fingers and book a plane ticket to Las Vegas. 

I wrapped up this open project from Bertrand Martenet at the amazing sector Rawyl, near Sion, Swiss. A gnarly crimp boulder problem at the fifth bolt to some ridiculously thin climbing (pictured) and a few jumps above. 14d. Fred Moix photo. 

Good company makes a huge difference. Rain or Shine. We had a rad crew packed into the little house. Everyone stoked on their own routes and areas, but we still managed to crank some 80's movies together at night to boost moral. 

Even the locals are quick to admit that this year is particularly horrible. Regardless, I've been climbing. As many days as possible. I've done the majority of what I hoped to on this trip and certainly more. Bad weather pushed me to explore some areas I would have missed otherwise. It also made me appreciate how stable and clear the Western US is. But damn... when it's nice here it is epically nice. And those are the days I will no doubt remember the most. 

For the final week here I've got a clear forecast and still ambitions for sending. We'll see how things turn out. In the meantime enjoy the sun where ever you are and in the event that it's raining and horrendous, I feel your pain. 

Sometimes it sucks out and you still climb because you're overstoker and you only have a week left! One hung this beast in some humidity yesterday. Fingers crossed for the clear weather! Daniel Hulliger photo. 

I did a three part series of informational type videos with Epic TV on a rainy day here in Switzerland a few weeks back. Each one includes a nice little 'task' they spontaneously asked me to preform, mostly with the intensions of embarrassing me - which obviously resulted in some humor. Hope you Enjoy!

Swiss Update

My list of must-do routes is growing every day. Each new climber I meet and share a belay with has a new burning recommendation for me. Projects, forgotten zones, popular cliffs, hidden gems. I knew that Switzerland had an underrated sport climbing scene but I'm downright baffled by how much stone there is packed into this tiny country.

.... Zurich.... Lauderbrunnen. photos from Colette. 

Unfortunately the weather has been nothing short of horrible as of late. For the most part the last two weeks was too wet, although visiting climber and videographer Colette McInerney and I made the very best of it, damn it. It gave us a chance to see some of the lesser known spots and also to spend hours studying weather forecasts. Regardless we had a great time together doing a video piece for EpicTV and touring around the Alps a bit. 

Since I left Voralp about three and a half weeks ago I've been climbing on every sunny day - which were depressingly few. I did get some routes finished though, some of my favorites actually. After a visit to a ultra powerful, slippery, radical 8c rig called 'Appel au Sodom' I was in better condition for my first big mission. It was an unrepeated power-endurance test piece at a stunning crag, Gimmelwald. 'Jungfrau Marathon' 9a, is a battle route. Twenty meters longs, only one poor rest, punching from the start to finish. I got lucky on this one and pulled off a send only a day before it dumped snow and drenched the cliff. Keep eyes peeled for a video on this brilliant route!

Gimmel Express... is very wet... but I still try. Over-stoker? Colette photo. 

Daniel Hulliger photo of Goldfinger.

'Goldfinger' 8c is one of the few routes at Gimmel that remains dry even in the worst of conditions. A savage, lurpy boulder problem sandwiched between grade 7 climbing, this is not my favorite route but dry rock is dry rock! As the clouds descended on the mountain we changed locations. An hour long drive through pure moisture and dense clouds left me less than hopeful we would find anything worth our time. Pleasantly surprised we arrived in Engelberg at a dry and beautiful green-side (on a golf course) cliff named Shlanggen. Colette could sense my boy-like excitement erupting from a seemingly assured defeat, and, in complete over-stoker fashion I tried to warm up with an 8b+ onsight which was less than ideal. I took it down a notch, but I did do 'Termilater' 8b+ and the bouldery, hard, 'Schwarzes Glas' 8b+ by the end of the day. My stoke was well renewed. 

Colette McInerney photo of 'Termilater' 

Colette McInerney climbs on the powerful 'Femme Rouge' at Gimmelwald in less than ideal conditions

Unfortunately from here on the weather continued to shit on us. Stubborn and perhaps too optimistic I forced Colette to continue making the muddy slog up to Gimmelwald, only to find that nothing had dried. And then again... and then again. Finally I got the memo and after several days of rest I changed my aim to Valais, a valley south of Interlaken and a place rumored to always have sun. The two and a half hour drive to Rawyl was like a slow climb out of a steamy bathhouse and onto a sunny beach. I found rock just dry enough to climb and my skin was once again met with the golden warmth of the sun! 'Cabane au Canada' 9a is a route that I've wanted to try for years. Pictures showed this perfect banded limestone, overhanging and featured. This time, despite my complete mind boggling over-stokedness, I warmed up properly and then jumped on the rig. Tension climbing on amazing sculpted crimps, long poppy movements, rests throughout, with a heart breaker crux at the very very top. Borderline perfect route. Pumpy. Awesome. I did the route yesterday but only after waiting out some pretty damn warm temperatures. Funny how quickly the tables can turn. 

Rest day in the sun here in Interlaken! Wishing I had shorts on. The Swiss way: if it's nice out you go outside, period. Definitely helping me appreciate clear skies. Cheers everyone. 

Swiss

Switzerland. I was here two years ago. I slept in a barn, I partied in Zurich, I climbed some great routes. It definitely left an impression on me. The people I met in Switzerland took such incredible care of me. Showing me crags, letting a complete stranger (me) crash on their couch and offering belays and beta to no end. After all my name is very swiss... maybe that's why I feel so at home here.

It's not so much on the map for sport climbing. You've likely heard of Ticino and you've heard of Magicwood. Maybe you've heard of the Ratikon. You've definitely heard of the Matterhorn and the Eiger. But have you heard of Gimmelwald? or Voralp? or Basler Jura? Probably not. The sport climbing here is good. Actually it's really good. 

Little crags spread across the country. A country that you can literally cross in 4 hours. I've been wanting to give myself a good chunk of time to experience these little gem zones since I first tasted the scene here. And now after a whirlwind week landing in the Alps I've settled into my new home in Interlaken - actually a sleepy neighboring town called Bönigen - I can sit down and share a little.

MelloBlocco. I have always heard about this event. I'd heard it was massive and the parties were great and Italians are crazy. All are true. The largest climbing event in the US is likely the Red Rock Rendezvous in Las Vegas, which I did just 6 weeks ago. Mello is easily two times as big. People and cars and crash pads are everywhere. It's an infectious energy. It's fun to be around. The parties and the social aspect of the event are cleary as important as the climbing. Many people take the climbing and competition seriously 97% are there to enjoy the mountains and share some delicious Italian wine with friends. Italians are great. Energetic, warm, spontaneous.... it's a great vibe. Thank you MelloBlocco! I really hope to return.

Afterwards I drove directly to Voralp with an annoying mix of hangover and jet lag. There I met a buddy Logan and we took every advantage of the rare dry and sunny weather. It was perfect. Crashing on my good friend Toby's couch, we spent the days exploring a mythical route from Beat Kammerlander called 'Missing Link'. I fell so much in love with the climbing style at Voralp on my last visit that despite finishing off the main cliff I was hungry to check out this 'other' route. Beat did the route in 1997, giving it the grade of 11 - at the time this was on a short list of routes graded this way. 'Action Direct' and 'Hubble' on that list. Since then it had remained mostly obscure and unrepeated. This alluring history only fueled my desire to check it out. 

As you could imagine I found the route filthy... (only after some terrifying 5th class grass and loose rock traversing). I blew through an entire brush slowly making my way up the route, unlocking some sequences, chalking holds and brushing dirt and worms (yes actual worms) out of the pockets. The crux was clearly a very thin section at 3/4 height. A difficult should move to a tiny right hand edge, followed by a tenuous move to a sloping left hand pocket. From here you grab an imaginary right hand crimp / dimple / pinch thing and then rocket up to a series of poor crimps before a long rock-over / lock off to a side pull. There are hard moves before and after this crux but this is what I'm guessing was the 'missing link' section of the route. Thankfully although the handholds barely exist I did find many foot options. The following day I returned and continued cleaning and even had a nice try falling up just below the crux. 

Perhaps it was the impeding storm, or the looming threat that this route was in fact off limits (?), or maybe it was that my training had worked and this route fit my style and stoke perfectly but on the next day I climbed it. With every move I surprised myself again and again. Ending at the anchor in disbelief.

A few things about this route... It might be off limits. I was unable to get a clear answer on this. I was never convinced enough to stop trying, in-fact most climbers told me to not worry at all. In the end it seems it was fine, but if you plan to check it out be VERY careful on the approach. There are some fixed lines to help your journey but the ground is steep and loose and the consequence is huge (death) if you take the slide. During a rain the top of the route will likely be wet and furthermore the approach will be downright impossible / suicide. The crag is beautiful and the route is phenomenal. It's around 35 meters long and aside from the first couple bolts it is hard the whole way. Slightly overhanging but very different rock than the other Voralp routes. As for the nebulous 11 grade... It's a technical, vertical masterpiece. A route that suits my style perfectly. I'm not convinced that this route could be 9a but perhaps 8c+ is better? Or maybe I got very lucky and things clicked for me faster than predicted? I doubt the route is as hard as Hubble or Action Direct however, despite the fact I've never tried those classics. Who knows? Maybe it suits this obscure beauty to remain ungraded anyways... 

Okay... more projects await. Now I just need the rain to stop... cheers everyone!