and so it ends..

It's funny how, no matter how long you're away, like a tape-deck you simply press play and the same old home-town song starts right up again the moment you return. It's like you never left.. I mean come on, the Whole Foods renovation project even looks the EXACT same! I'll admit that something has definitely changed however, and it's making my underarms perspire at a shocking rate- it's freaking HOT. But before I warm heartily passed the 'Welcome to Colorful Colorado!' sign I did have a couple brilliant climbing days at Wyoming's (once) best kept secret- Tensleep.

Myself on 'Hellion' 13c way back in '08!! Andy Mann photo.

I say (once) cause unlike two years ago when I first visited, now you can expect to see others, and at that, you might not get a parking spot on the weekends. The place has certainly blown up, and for good reason- it's wicked. I wanted to take Paige straight to the goods, so we started at the beautiful Sector D'or et Bleu / Grasshopper wall, home to many of Tensleeps classic pocket cranking vertical 5.13s. I had managed a quick ascent of perhaps Tensleeps most coveted hard route, 'Sky Pilot' 13+, on my previous trip, but had yet to sample the other numerous routes on the wall. I began with 'Rosy Pussytoes' 13b, feeling confident from the ground, but then BOOM! immediate-gnarly-crux-bitch-slap. I needed a second try to put this bouldery thing down. Next I moved to 'Super Mama' 13a, on a striking section of bright orange limestone with a recently added direct start. I *barely* managed to onsight this thing, holy crap it's sandbag!! WHOA. Next door is one of the best on the wall- 'Blue Light Special' 13b, unfortunately that pretty blue color is the result of running water, and this route, albeit dry, was filthy. I took a burn just brushing and chalking holds, and dispatched 2nd try- sustained, brilliant crimping for days.. excellent climb. Paige onsighted a burly 12d called 'Esplanada' and I followed suit, finishing off a great day at Tensleep.

Moonlight above Tensleep Canyon

The next day we returned to check out 'Sugar Mama' 13c, a short-lived, but powerful climb to the left of 'Super Mama' that was also filthy. After cleaning it up a bit and chalking some grips, I fired it second try. We then wandered over to another wall I had briefly checked out previous- the Superratic, home to some world class limestone and some of the canyons hardest. My intention was to try one of Kevin Wilkinson's new routes next to the amazing 'Hellion' 13c, but I couldn't help myself but to drop my rope in front of the recently opened, 'He Biggum Fucked' 14a. This route is a total stunner- gorgeous. Long, thuggy movement between good pockets with poor feet characterize the climb, which ascends a golden bulge of near perfect stone. I sussed the sequential beta on my first try, and fell in the final crux on my second... feeling a bit worn down, I contemplated saving it for another day- but couldn't seem to keep my eyes off it, and went for a third burn- which thankfully resulted in success. Stoked! I loved this climb.. one of my favorites of the trip, and unfortunately it would be one of my last..

The following day we moseyed on down to Thermopolis for a dip in the hot springs and unexpectedly, a wicked hot rod show. The crowds were hilarious, we got our AMERICA on for sure. Shit, I wore my tank top and even drank a beer in the park- it was a thorough rest day. We were planning on spending a couple more days cragging, but the pockets finally caught up to me and on our next day on I felt some soreness arrive after a strenuous mono. Paige talked sense into me (once again) and convinced me to rest. In three tries she skillfully dispatched 'Hellion' 13c, and so we decided to call it good and bail- and so it ends... six and a half weeks later, we're back in the 'Rado.. after a killer road trip that took us through almost exclusively new (to us) terrain and across nearly 5,000 miles of highway. We had a BALL meeting dozens of awesome individuals, exploring the great North-West and getting some hard rock climbs done. Thanks again to everyone who helped us out, pointed us in the right direction, sprayed us down and put us up- this community kicks ass.

the daily routine back in Terrebonne..

ahhh. Smith. Awesome. Ben Moon Photo

The soreness in my hand dissolved in a day or two, and I've been climbing ever since we got back. We escaped to the cool temps of Estes Park almost immediately, where I've been spending my days high above the valley at Wizards Gate, repeating killer routes I established last year as well as adding some new ones (BOLTING! YES!). It always feels good to come home, but I'll admit I miss the road already- thankfully it won't be long until I'm off again!

Alpine sport climbing on 'Cloak & Dagger' 13c at Wizards Gate. Andy Mann Photo

Stay tuned at SPORTIVA LIVE as well for some bonus photos and stories from our recent trip.

The Homeland

America kicks ass. It's incredible how much geographic diversity this country exhibits. I've been fortunate to have traveled across oceans, too many times to count, and yet I'm still always impressed with my backyard. We've covered a lot of new ground in the last week, and the landscape, communities and stone continue to inspire.

Last week, after Paige put down 'Motley Crux' 14a, I felt a growing sense of urgency as a super hot front was moving into Spokane and we began to feel a bit antsy to carry on with our trip. After a restful day cruising Spokane and tirelessly rehearsing beta in my head, we returned to Deep Creek. It was a bit of a rainy day, but I knew it could potentially be our last 'good' day of weather for a while. 'Problem Child' (14c) was testing many of my weaknesses and with my number of attempts approaching double digits, it had already taken me more effort than any other 5.14 in well over a year. With moisture in the air, time pressure mounting and it's difficulties obvious, I was definitely nervous. It's no surprise that I had a horrible first burn (nerves KILL redpoints), and after being lowered I was not optimistic. Paige inspired by chucking a flash on the pumpy, fun, 'Masochist' 13b and pep talking me back down to reality. Next try, the Problem Child cracked and let me summit. It would be a lie to say it felt easy- it was every bit as hard as it felt days previous. I was stoked, relieved and pumped. On a high, I immediately turned my attention to the pump-fest, 'Motley Crux' 14a. I had given this route a half assed attempt a few days before, in a state of total exhaustion. Paige gave me running beta as I chugged for the anchors and managed to send. I cooled off with a repeat lap on 'Masochist', completing one of my best climbing days ever.

Problem Child. 14c

After one last mellow day in Spokane, packing up and saying goodbye to our friends and hosts Tana, Liberty and Marty we hit the road into Idaho- first stop would be the limestone ampitheathre high above the popular white water destination of Riggins. Not sure exactly what we expected, but the 'campsite' was literally a dead end shelf road- there's not even room to turn around. Thankfully we were the first and only car there. I had heard quite a few things about Riggins, primarily the rumors that it was super chipped, but that the climbing was fun. I expected a couple drilled pockets... but never have I ever seen such a display of manufactured routes- these climbs are literally 60-90% manufactured. Even the warm ups, the 5.11s, are manufactured.. You can't help but to be disgusted- however, we were there and if nothing else, it could be a learning experience. The movement, albeit obviously created by a taller person, was interesting at times, but it was hard to take your mind off the hopelessly chipped holds. I did 'Boo' 13b and fell heartbroken from clipping the chains on 'Yellow Man' 13+ when a hold broke. We were less than inspired.. so we packed up and bailed.

Paige, not SUPER psyched at Riggins

We took the long road to Sun Valley, camping off the road and enjoying some hot springs on the way. The next morning we explored the Sawtooths and hiked around beautiful Ketchum, Idaho to relax and celebrate Paige's Birthday. I had yet to see much of Idaho, but it only took a couple days to appreciate it- it's wild, big and diverse. Soon after we hooked up with our friends Beau Stuart and Steph Carter.. these guys BLEED Idaho. It's in their veins, and it was in their hearts to give us a proper tour for the next few days.

Nothin like a cool dip in the Sawtooths!

Just a little ways south of Sun Valley is a totally unique crag buried in the middle of no where. We parked the car on a random road with little sight of even hills in the vicinity. Beau tromped off through the sage, encouraging us to follow, although it appeared as though we were hiking into a featureless desert. Suddenly a hole emerges in the ground and below the surface shelves of basalt are eroded to create an incredibly steep, juggy and *sharp* climbing experience. The area is small so we sought to finish off the crag, which in the end was cut short by the pain our palms were subject to- it's sharp! We managed to flashed the fun, long pumpy 13a (name?) and sampled all the hard 12s there.

Lava Tubes. Steph Carter Photo.

That night we carried on Eastward towards a remote limestone area that Beau had been raving about for years. The Fins is a striking wall of towering limestone high above Craters of the Moon Nat. Park. The limestone here is bullet, and adorns the hilly landscape like ribbon on a christmas tree- there is TONS of stone up here. I was impressed. The larger wall at the developed area is massive, and definitely has space for some epic pitches. The angle is dead vert, but the climbing is generally difficult. I onsighted a nice 13a (name? sorry!) on the upper wall, sampled a number of the great 5.12 there and managed an onsight on a bomber 5.13 called 'Bushido' (i think...?). It was fun to spend some time with our friends and enjoy the unique solitude of this area- I'm quite inspired to return with a drill..

Paige climbs 5.12 at the Fins. Steph Carter Photo

5.13- at the remote and beautiful Fins. Steph Carter Photo

After a killer day at the Fins, we shot our way towards Jackson, Wy, where we crashed for a night with our good buddy Katrina, and quickly packed up for a rest day driving through Yellowstone on our way to Ten Sleep. I feel slightly more American for having seen Old Faithful erupt, although the degree to which Yellowstone is overrun with tourism probably removed that sliver of freedom- it's INSANE there! Literally thousands of people stood around watching the geyser. whoa.

We've made our way to Ten Sleep, finishing off our trip right- on killer limestone deep in the wilderness of lovely Wyoming. We can see the end now- it's only a half days drive away. The thoughts of heading back are sweet and sour- Boulder is not such a bad place to call home, but the inspiration and excitement that comes with being on the road is unparalleled.. I'd say I'm officially addicted. With only a handful of days left, we're ambitious to make 'em count- stay tuned!

BIG PROPS to Steph Carter for donating some killer images. Girl has got SKILLZ!

SpoCAN!

One of the most empowering things about road tripping is the sense of freedom that's present when all you need fits snug into a vehicle and you're always aware of your options. Your home, transportation, and storage unit are all one and the same- wanna move on?.. just turn the key and bounce. After quickly coming to terms with the aptly nick-named 'Squish' (a.k.a. Squamish, B.C.) and the depressing 10-day weather forecast, Paige and I made use of our freedom and pulled the plug. When it's raining in Squamish, it's RAINING. There is no hope of blue-sky hiding around the corner. There is basically no escape from the condensing, seeping, squishy nature of the granite boulders and cliffs- when it rains, you don't climb... you youtube, or facebook, or eat, or all of the above. Having just narrowly (but then again not entirely) escaped the rain during our week stay in Seattle, we were not motivated to try and wait it out.

Uma; looking laid back in Spokane

Before we did pack up and split, however, we did get a little taste of what Squamish has to offer. I got a long awaited tour of Arcteryx Headquarters in North Van. This new, very chic building is home to the great minds behind the leading innovation and attention to detail that puts Arcteryx at the helm of the outdoor industry. The building looks as cool as the products that come out of it and the employees were welcoming and stoked. Proud to be a member of the team!

They make maps for this place?

It was only suiting for us to drive directly from the Arcteryx headquarters to the base of the Chief. This is a huge chunk of stone, rising out of lush greenery to towering heights right near the water. Below this massive cliff lay hundreds of humongous, counter top granite boulders covered in glowing moss, exhibiting soggy chalk on edges and slopers above sometimes questionable landings. The Cacodemon boulder was the focus of my attention. This huge (biggest boulder ever?) detached block is home to the incredibly proud 'Dreamcatcher' 14d, a Chris Sharma climb that I had hoped to try a bit while in Squamish. This line is diverse, beautiful, begs to be climbed and, unfortunately, was soaking. It will have to wait for another visit I guess.

Thailand? Galapagos? SQUAMISH

On the semi-dry day we did have in Squamish, Scott and Sandra took us out to the wildly popular (basically only option on rainy days) crag, the Circus Wall- which features a nice array of 12s along with a large, super steep (and super seeping) visor called the Big Show- home to Sonnie's linkup, 'Superman' 14c among other B.C. test-pieces. It was great to get out, but this partially wet cliff hardly satisfied our desire for Squamish burl. The next morning we awoke to a downpour with no signs of slowing down. After some careful deliberation and frantic facebook chatting, we decided to bail and drove straight to Spokane, Washington. As great as it was to hang out with our friends Scott and Sandra, we were tired of waiting out the rain and ready for some dry stone- time to cash in our freedom tokens and hit the road.

We rolled right into the driveway of the long-time Eastern Washington legend and developer, Marty Bland. He and his wife Tana have generously put us up and showed us the gems that lay just outside of Spokane. Marty has been the driving force for Inland North West route development for many years, and you can tell by flipping through his authored guidebook on the area. Among a number of in-town crags, Deep Creek is perhaps the most impressive. This area is incredibly unique, like nothing we'd ever climbed. The water polished, overhanging blocky basalt induces a pump that is unparalleled- not even the Red can bulge forearms like Deep Creek in a matter of 50 feet. Although some loose rock does exist, and the crags are not the prettiest, this place rivals Little Si for the North-West's highest concentration of hard routes. The climbing is fun, athletic and often burly. First day out, Marty took us to the Main Wall, where we enjoyed our first super solid day of climbing in a what seemed like a while. I dispatched a flash through blocky edges and cool steep pockets on 'Quiver' 13c, an onsight on the thuggy 'Russian Arete' 13b, and a second-go summit on reachy and bouldery 'Left Bleeding' 13a. We left hopelessly pumped and super stoked. After a day of rain (what!? are you serious? more rain!?) touring downtown Spokane, we made our way to the Pit, a separate area at Deep Creek, to sample some of the hardest routes in Washington.

fighting the pump at Deep Creek

I had my eye on 'Problem Child' 14c, a Johnny Goicoechea route that had seen but two repeats. It took me a couple efforts just to suss clipping beta (lots of skipping bolts, long draws, etc.) and to create a reasonable sequence through the intensely thuggish mid-section. Once my beta was figured out, I invested a few more efforts making links on this beast, with my best performance yesterday- falling from the final move of the business, and 1 hanging twice with healthy overlap. All excuses aside, this climb is hard for me- it has already taken me more effort than any 5.14 I've done in the last year or more.. hopefully resting today will provide the necessary power to tackle the Child.

Motley Crux 14a

Paige deserves top praise for her efforts over the last few days. She has been working 'Motley Crux' 14a, a decade old test-piece that shares a common ending with Problem Child. On her 8th try yesterday, she exhibited her exceptional fitness with the first female ascent of this ultra-pumpy climb. Her rapid redpoint on such unique stone was super inspirational.. excellent work Paige!

wicked Andy Mann cover shot. yeah Kehl!

Lastly- Make sure to check out the hot-off-the-press Urban Climber Photo Annual, which is featuring a rad photo essay on Flatirons Renassiance that I authored an intro and photo captions for- always stoked on this area, and proud to have the chance to write a bit about it.

Canadia Ho

It wouldn't be a complete Seattle experience without a couple days of rain and dreary weather, and in the spirit of soaking (no pun intended) up the local scene we've enjoyed almost a week of it. Something of a unique pattern for this time of year, we've felt rain drops everyday of our of visit. However, it's not to say that we didn't have a ball out here, and thankfully we made do and got some rock climbing done. Our friends and generous hosts Dylan and Jenna Johnson have been bending over backwards to help us find dry stone as well as rainy day activities- it worked! Thanks guys.

Apparently two young climber-types with neon bright colored rain parkas and approach shoes stand out like a traffic cone on the 358 bus to downtown, 'cause we seemed to catch the attention of every strange person in Seattle- and as we delightfully found out, there are quite a few! In full tourist mode over multiple days of downpours, we had a chance to check out some key features of the city like Pike's Market, China Town, the amazing Seattle Public Library, the endearingly classic Feathered Friends retail shop, the always welcoming Whole Foods (x2) and of course the unforgettable Cupcake Royal (x3). Jenna, who is the Marketing Manager of Cascade Design, also gave us a tour of the Cascade headquarters, just south of the city, where your trusty ThermaRest is carefully crafted.

Seattle Public Library

Mid-week we headed back for our second day at Little Si. I was feeling some pressure from the incoming storm system and given the previous days / nights of rain I was a bit skeptical of the conditions we could find up there. Immediately upon arrival, optimism was waning, in large part due to streams of water ripping off the cliff.. but to my surprise, it seemed that among the few routes potentially dry enough to climb were the warm up and 'Extended Evil' 5.14b. Psyched, I rehearsed the cryptic beta a few times in my head and fired for a redpoint. After managing the initial, heinous crimp crux, I found some wet resting underclings but knowing the route wasn't getting any dryer, I kept chugging. I encountered a few more slightly moist grips through the business on my way to the finishing 5.12 slab, but the real difficulty came at the final few moves, where smeary feet and damp slopers induced a healthy pump and a stressful period of resting-contemplating-chalking-resting-contemplating-cursing-etc. Finally, forearms bulging, I fired the final foot smear dynamic to the summit- tarzan scream and all. Stoked. Super Stoked.

We finished off the day with a lap on a super cool 13a called 'Californicator', that adds some interesting fresh climbing between two classic routes. We hiked out, still ever-impressed with the quality at Seattle's home crag, Little Si. The following day I caught up with some friends and got my mini-session on at the Nation's original indoor climbing center, Vertical World. Paige and I have been discussing the history of climbing quite a bit as we tour some of America's oldest crags. It's incredible how much impact indoor climbing has had on our sport and it's progression. It's nothing short of a fact that the existence of indoor climbing and climbing specific training centers in America are directly responsible for the new generation of burl- and it's not hard to grasp. Imagine how difficult it would be to train at an indoor intensity, but only outside (as the previous generation did).. gyms offer a consistent climate, a wide variety of climbing angles, an almost limitless potential for movement and hold types and a density of routes 10x that of your local crag. Gyms have made any dedicated individuals' potential to grow skyrocket- the amount of growth a climber can achieve in one year, indoors, is paramount. Regardless of the advantages of gyms, we've both agreed that it takes way more than plastic to meet your true potential.. but the gym certainly supplements the growth period. Anyways, rant aside, we were eager to get back out cragging a few times before heading north to Canada.

Dylan crushing at Newhalem

Saturday we hooked up with alpine legend Steve Swenson and a few of Dylan's buddies, Patrick and James for a tour of New Halem, which we'd heard would be safe from the rain. After a grueling 2 hour drive (sorry, we're spoiled by the Front Range) we arrived at this tall, roadside, granite crag high in the North Cascades. Much of the development here has been done recently, with new additions going in frequently. It turned out to be miraculously dry and surprisingly fun. It was definitely a bit shocking to sport climb on course, blocky granite after the sheer faces of Smith and Si, but we warmed up to it quickly. We climbed quite a bit, with favorites including 'Cinnamon Groove' 12c, a cool wandering route with a ton of variety, 'Vanhalem' 13b, a stout route with a successive, razor sharp crux and a burly finish, 'The Hurt Locker' 13a, a monster 40+ meter pitch that climbs mostly through jugs but somehow induces a sizable pump and '12c for a Day' 12b that consistently crimps and edges up pretty stone. It was a good day out and we're super thankful for the tour- a worthy little crag for rainy days!

'Fifth Force' is SILLY hard

Yesterday we made a journey to one of the North-West's most coveted walls, Index. Steve, Dylan and Jenna were stoked to give us the tour of this much-hyped cliff. I had stood below the lower wall last summer on my road trip with Andy Mann, but the record-setting heat wave kept us close to the ground. Unfortunately, this visit to the crag was still not ideal- much of the wall was seeping and wet. However, we did find refuge at the Country Wall and got a couple awesome climbs done before it started raining again. Index is truly incredible- some of the best quality granite I've ever climbed in such a beautiful setting. The routes tend to be bold, engaging and sandbagged- it's not for the weak hearted. I was STOKED to do a 12b there called 'Fifth Force' - and no I did not onsight. Maybe it was the conditions, or being short, or simply that it's sick hard, but this climb felt like 5.13 to me- and hard at that!

After parting ways with our good friends in SeaTown, we hit the road North earlier this morning. Now we're in lovely Squamish, B.C. enjoying the company of buddies Scott Milton and Sandra Studer over some box wine and Chocolate Eclairs with views of towering granite in the background.. wicked.

Smith to SeaTown

We enjoyed a near perfect culmination to a wicked two weeks at Oregon's incredible Smith Rock a few days back.. and it's definitely saddening to move on. Climbing there and getting to know the community was really a memorable experience, and I'm proud to state that Smith Rock is one of my favorite crags on Earth. Despite how many stunning, classic lines are packed into this place, it's not just the climbing that stands out to me.. in large part it's the community.

In a little over two weeks we've gone from being complete strangers to feeling like family with the locals in the Bend / Terrebonne area. Never have I encountered a community so welcoming, hospitable and psyched. We ran into the same stoked individuals at the crag almost everyday, all eager to shoot the shit, share a few laughs or spray us up and down with beta.. it's been great. Hats off to you guys!!

'Dreamin' 12a Andy Mann Photo

After our good friend and photographer Andy Mann arrived last Tuesday the weather made a dramatic change, from being essentially too hot to climb, to dropping into a crazy period of unseasonable low temperatures, followed by perhaps the most dynamic weather patterns I've ever seen (literally shorts / T-shirt / SPF-50 status turns to hail, down jacket / long-johns / thermos gripping within the same hour). After some hot temps, even the erratic cold and cold/hot was a relief, although we did get rained on a number of times.

Paige climbs 'Chain Reaction' 12c. Mann Photo

The intermittent cool weather was exactly the opportunity I needed to give some more effort on 'To Bolt or Not to Be' 14a. Being something of a heinous slab fan, this stunning route has captivated me for years. It possesses all of the characteristics I look for in a climb: interesting history (first 5.14 in America), stunning aesthetics (a massive, intimidatingly blank slab of golden stone) and difficulty (featuring a never-ending crux, literally 70 feet long). To Bolt has over 80 moves on it, is barely climbable on a 70 meter rope with stretch and overhangs zero degrees. The real difficulty of this climb is in the first 10 liberally spaced bolts, where a tiny inaccuracy with footwork can send any potential suitor screaming off. To Bolt is intimidating, beautiful and legendary- simply put, it's incredible.

A cooler day approached and I couldn't take my mind off this climb. After warming up I went up the climb again to rehearse my beta and try to just remember the dozens of moves and numerous cruxes. Feeling prepared to redpoint, Andy Mann ascended a static line and got in position to shoot some photos. At one of the lower crux sections, I rushed a sequence and barn doored off- tearing open another one of my tips in the process. Frustrated, I linked the section again, ticked a few more feet and wrapped my tip with tape. Back on Earth, I contemplated the poor condition of my skin, the mindf*ck that this incredible route induced and the fast approaching end to my time in Smith. I couldn't imagine myself leaving Smith without finishing this line, but I knew it would not be a give away.. recklessly inspired, I tied in and chugged for the anchors. Andy fired away as I passed through crux after crux with 3 taped tips and eyes red with determination. I really wanted this climb and thankfully I succeeded.. cause my skin could not have handled another burn. It goes without saying, but this send is no-doubt one of my favorites and most cherished, ever.

the legendary 'To Bolt'. Mann Photo

In the following days we changed our pace considerably. Paige and I were both feeling beat-up and Andy was ambitious to shoot lots of photos. Super content with my two weeks at Smith, I decided to take it easy and get some work done. I did dispatch the hardest 5.12c on the planet 'Da Kine Corner' (Brooke Sandahl is a sandbagger!!) and 'Time's Up' 13a/b both onsight while Andy fired photos. Paige hammered out an inspirational flash of 'Kings of Rap' 12d as well. The next day at Smith would be our last, and I knew I needed to climb some classics I had yet to try before our departure. Top of the list was 'Dreamin' 12a, a recognizable line of chalk up the right side of the Christian Brothers that ascends a nearly perfect slab after a powerful pocketed start-it's top quality. Next I moved onto 'Vision' 12b, a choice, thuggish arete nearby. I also did 'Latest Rage' 12b, a killer sharp arete that features one of Smith's boldest run-outs and is worthy of all praise. I finished off the day with laps on 'Vomit Launch' 11b and 'Churning Sky' 13a.

'stop pulling on my leg Paige!!'

After one last evening bullshitting with Steve and Jeanne at the ranch, we found ourselves headed North towards Seattle. I'm super pleased with my experience at Smith as it was nothing short of radical.. and while I did manage to summit a healthy number of awesome, difficult routes, I will surely find myself back there soon.. in-fact I miss it already. Smith reminded me of the true value of community and the world of climbing. No matter where we go, if there's rock, there are likely individuals that share our passion and more often than not they're kick ass people too.

-write your own caption contest-

On that very same note, I'm now sheltered from the Seattle rain thanks to the generosity of our new friends Dylan and Jenna Johnson. We arrived here yesterday after a day of driving and an afternoon exploring Portland (totally underrated city IMO). Today we awoke psyched and made our way to one of my favorite bite sized crags, Little Si, despite a grim forecast. The day turned out to be alright though, and local crag-master Bret Johnston joined us in the mist for a solid Si session. Paige impressed as usual with a 2nd go send of the classic testpiece, 'Chronic' 13b on her first day at the Si. I took a crack at a killer extension to 'Dr. Evil' 14a, called 'Extended Evil' 14b that takes a long, pumpy journey through crimps and edges- I had a pretty decent second try on it before the humidity set in proper and shut me down.. I'm STOKED on this route however and hopefully the heinous forecast will allow an alright sending day soon.

if you're gonna smile, make it a GOOD ONE

Little Si!!

Depending on weather, we'll be hanging in Seattle for a little while, soaking up the big city after a couple weeks out in the country. Enjoy some Andy Mann shots from last week in the meantime and keep your fingers crossed for some dryness!!

Life on the Ranch

The saga continues at Smith Rocks.. Everyday as we cross back over the Crooked River and grunt our way out towards the car, we can't help but reflect on how special this place is. Between the quantity and quality of climbs here, the scenery and the extremely well maintained condition of the Park, there's little to complain about. Crashing at Steve House and Jeanne Young's place has been a serious lifestyle upgrade as well, with views of Smith Rocks off the back porch, indispensable wifi and a soft bed to rest in (thanks a TON Steve and Jeanne!). Now, with the recent addition of our good friend and photog superstar Andy Mann, we're stoked to make the last couple days at Smith count..

Sun rising on the Smith Rock Group.

Due to some hotter weather, we've had to be selective with our route choices and employ some alpine start techniques to stay cool. Waking up as early as 4am was not even enough to get a good effort on the mega-classic technical masterpiece, 'To Bolt or Not to Be' 14a.. this thing heats up instantly, catching the sun the moment it rises- it's actually quite amazing how quickly this vertical sidewalk becomes unclimbable. However, despite To Bolt being temporarily out, we've been staying busy on the front side early in the morning, long before the bustling crowds pour in. I checked out an alternative finish to the super-arete climb 'Slit Your Wrist' 13b, called 'Mr. Yuck' 14a. This route climbs through the crux of Slit Your Wrist and then breaks right, up an impressive wave wall, through holds few and far between with waning feet. For me this route came down to a series of moves that require precision footwork and trustfully applying pressure to tiny feet, just far enough away that pushing into them is tricky. I found this climb very fickle-subtlety was everything. After attempting Mr. Yuck in some ridiculous heat, I decided to return early the next morningand in better temps I finished the rig. Later that day I also dispatched a cool Aggro Gully route onsight called 'Disposable Heros' 5.13c (wicked soft..), that climbs a series of lay-backs and long moves through somewhat crumbly, albeit decent, rock. Paige skillfully took down the classic, 'Churning in the Wake' 13a, also... killer day.

home on the ranch...

Amongst our classic burl-fest sport climbing tour of Smith, we'd been eying an awesome multi-pitch route that hangs high above the Morning Glory wall.. 'Zebra/Zion' 10a, was on our list, a perfect option for a scorching day. We began with an 11d corner called 'Zebra Seam' that got our blood flowing proper before a couple long, brilliant pitches above, culminating with perhaps the best 5.9 pitch I've ever touched, a juggy arching flake WAY off the deck to the summit. Other than some hair raising lightning (literally hair raising, it was intense) and a lost #7 Metolius cam... (calling all dirtbags- potential booty on the third pitch!!) we had a ball.

Paige follows a pitch, high on 'Zebra/Zion'

Speaking of Metolius cams.. we had a chance to tour the factory, right here in Bend on our last rest day. Metolius and Smith Rock go together like spaghetti and meatballs- in many ways they evolved together. I've been a Metolius ambassador for almost two years now, and seeing the headquarters for the first time reflected the company exactly as I expected it would- classic, friendly, with attention to safety and a very homegrown atmosphere. Brooke Sandahl, an old-school Smith Rock honemaster and long time Metolius team member gave us the thorough tour- taking us through the entire birthing process of Metolius cams. It was shocking to see the amount of work and inspection that goes into a single cam. Rest assured loyal Metolius users, your safe lobbing on these puppies!

Brooke displaying the goods..

'I'd take a whipper on this thing!'

Yesterday we got back to the crag early and I got after a vicious route I'd randomly tried once or twice over the trip (in the sun, like an idiot!). Now, the awesome aretes on 'Vicious Fish' 13d, were finally in the shade and I gave it some proper effort. This incredible route is no doubt one of my favorites at Smith. Movement and holds vary from pockets, to pebbles, to compression, to technical, airy arete climbing. It's brilliant, runout and hard! I was stoked to send. I also dispatched a flash on a cool, overlooked 13a/b route called 'Oxygen', just around the corner from Vicious Fish.

Andy Mann photo of myself on 'Darkness at Noon'

Sportiva Miura is CHOICE for Smith

After picking up Andy Mann from the nearby Redmond airport, we went back to the crag for an evening session. I hung a line and chucked a repeat on the amazing 'Darkness at Noon' 13a for some photos before turning my attention to one of the last standing routes on my must-do list at Smith. 'To Bolt or Not to Be', America's first 5.14, was finally in the shade and our buddy IanYurden was ready for a solid effort. After his killer burn, and unfortunately super heinous upside-down fall, I was (...scared?) ready to give it a try. Simply put, this climb is insane- brilliantly technical and like nothing I've ever experienced. It could be one of the better, more interesting and uniquely difficult climbs I've ever been on. I'm stoked on my initial effort and can't wait to try it again... now the weather just has to cooperate!

'To Bolt or Not to Be'. Andy Mann Photo

Bakin' n Snakin'

Smith Rock continues to impress and inspire us. The landscape is phenomenal, the climbing is fantastic and the locals are simply rad. At Smith Rock the local community is tight- everyone seems to know everyone, and you'll generally find the same smiling faces at the crag throughout the week. We've gotten to know many of them (definitely thanks to the Spring Thing crag clean up event last weekend) and Paige and I agree they are some of the most hospitable locals we've run into.

Paige LOVES snakes

Amid heinous tales of mid-May snow storms and sub-freezing weather back in Boulder, things have been unfortunately heating up here a bit. However, we did manage to get out and have some success since our last rainy rest day. On Tuesday, we sampled a few classic sunny warmups including a mega 2 pitch (single rope length) route called 'Magic Light' 12b- jugs for days followed by some technical crack/face climbing that's sure to warm even the toughest of hardfolk up. After Paige cranked an awesome one-hang effort on 'White Wedding' 13d, we quickly retreated to shade at a crag we had yet to visit, the Christian Brothers-home to the turbo-classic test-piece, 'Scarface' 14a. Our buddy Darren had been working this killer looking line for a few days, and when we arrived he was just tying in. I watched closely as he made a heartbreaking attempt, falling at the end of the business.

'Scarface' 14a takes the left edge of this beautiful wall

With him and local hardman Ian Caldwell both spraying me down, I jumped on this killer route and sussed out the huge lock-offs between pockets and cryptic body position necessities of the first 5.14 established by an American- way back in '87. I barely lowered off this monster pitch with a 70m rope, and couldn't wait to take another crack at it.. I took a quick rest, reviewed my beta and eagerly jumped back on. This route is 50 feet of burl- big moves between pretty good pockets, followed by a tricky exiting move involving a strange hip scum and then a huge finishing tech-slab that seems to never end. The finishing slab may only be 5.11, but until then there are no rests (at least that I could figure out). With beta fresh in my mind and my stoke level high, I managed to finish off Scarface on my 2nd attempt.

Shortly after, Darren jumped on and road the send train.. meanwhile I cranked an onsight of the neighboring classic, 'Rude Boys' 13b/c, a thuggish route with thin pockets, rose moves and dynamics- again finishing with a tech-slab. Awesome.

'Aggro Monkey' 13b

'Bad Man'

The next day we headed straight for the Aggro Gully to catch the best temps for Paige. With no hesitation, she warmed up and took down 'White Wedding'- showcasing her wicked finger strength and fitness. It was super inspiring to watch. We hung around in the heat for a bit before some locals recommended that I check out a bouldery route way up the gully called 'Burl Master' 13c. This shorter grunt fest features big, dynamic movement in and out of good and bad holds, which are unfortunately disappearing rapidly due to breakage. Despite it's down right poor rock quality, this route offers a much different style than most at Smith. I was stoked to succeed at an onsight of this thing- partially because a second effort might have fewer holds!

Paige Crushes. Nuff Said

Next we headed back to the Christian Brothers to check out a recommended Scott Milton (yeah boy!) route, 'Chemical Ali' 14a. This climb ascends a very different rock type than what we were used to at Smith.. few pockets, poor, undefined edges and big features. The climbing would have been unique at any crag, but was especially so at Smith. My first burn proved to be a bit ambitious given the rock still held heat from the early sun, but I was able to figure out beta and get a feel for it. We hung out for a while, looking over the park as the sun fell closer to the horizon (this place kicks ass). After the route had a chance to cool off a little, I fired to the chains! Stoked. Back to the campsite for some box wine, burritos and well deserved sleep.

Ben Moon special edition funny whipper shots!

Yesterday we hauled big packs around to the back side of Smith in anticipation for a warm day. We'd been told that the backside was the place to be in the heat. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not checking the aspect of the face I was stoked on, and we found it baking in the sun when we arrived early in the morning. Dang. None-the-less, the Monkey Face is seriously impressive- a really special feature. Seeing 'Just Do It' 14b/c for the first time is something of a dream- this mythical route has no doubt fascinated the likes of many for nearly 20 years.. and remains a test-piece to this day. Too stoked to just sit around, I tied in and took to the brutally hot climb with quickdraws in hand, sans warm up (mistake #1 and #2). It was HOT and the bottom is legit (read: difficult). So I made my way up, thrashing my skin but remaining stoked.. until I got too hot and desperately fled back to earth and into shade. After an hour or so the climb finally peeled into the shade and I gave another effort, finding the route considerably nicer, although still quite warm. I did get to the chains and was able to do all the moves. However, I will admit that while it may have been the hot conditions, this route felt super super hard. A lateral span move towards the top is at the limit of my reach and the long lock-offs before and after it require me to use poor foot options. Regardless, I'm stoked, my draws are hanging and I'm adamant to give it some serious effort.. as soon as the temps cool off.

Looking onto the Three Sisters from the summit

Thankfully we've got plenty of time and our new friends Jeanne Young and Steve House have generously offered up their nearby place for us to crash- definitely an upgrade! With some cooler temps in our near future and a plethora of remaining psych, we're both ambitious to get some stuff done in our last week at Smith!

Bring props to BEN MOON for hooking up some sweet photos.