America's Best 5.14

Not sure exactly why but I'm kind of obsessed with lists. Especially 'best of' type lists and, naturally, the banter surrounding the creation of said lists. What could be a better way to end the climbing day than a table slamming, opinion tossing, beer fueled discussion (read: fierce argument) about the impossibly definitive best?

During a myriad of rainy rest days in West Virginia, me and my good buddy Mike Williams got into the task of scribing our thoughts on what could be the very best 5.14s in the country. A conversation that is easily rousted by the level of quality one finds nestled in the depths of the New River Gorge. What does it take to be a true classic? Is classic merely a creation of consensus? Can time only tell? Is there a possible formula - a list of characteristics required to be deemed a classic - or is it simply a feeling that you have while climbing, something visceral but not quantifiable?

I tried to approach this dire question with logic (not usually my method of choice). Okay, so. A classic must be aesthetic, entirely natural, mentally and physically challenging, consistent, inspiring and perhaps even have an interesting history. Well, pretty much immediately I realized these were not gonna work for me. There were routes on my lifetime top ten that certainly did not satisfy every characteristic, but I couldn't bare to erase them from my list. They were just too damn meaningful or bad ass or amazing. So here's where I started wondering about what other people thought. What would happen if I asked a handful of the country's best climbers what they thought could be the most classic 5.14s in the nation? Would there be clear winners or would everyone's list be different - just as everyone's experience is unique - ??

Joey Kinder states that to him, a classic is defined by, "the style and character of the climbing and the personal connection or story that follows." He goes on to say that every route on his list represents, "lessons, challenges, enjoyment and processes that have fulfilled my life as a climber and shaped my climber's brain."

Mike Williams makes his list based on 7 distinct characteristics. A classic for him must have impeccable rock quality, be totally natural, sustained, have a beautiful or exciting position, good movement, be of a substantial height and ideally have historical significance.

Beth Rodden mentioned that, "I like a striking line, something that is inspiring, sustained and in a beautiful location. Climbing hard is like the cherry on top."

Alright let's get into the meat of this sandwich. I asked a bunch of my friends what they thought. I got the opinion of women, men, trad climbers, sport climbers, old schoolers and new schoolers. I asked first ascensionists. I asked many of the very best route climbers in the country. The only criteria was that you had to have at least tried the route, but not necessarily redpointed it.

Without further ado, here it is. According to 18 pros, these are the very best 5.14s in the country. The absolute mega classics....

Paige Claassen on 'To Bolt' 14a.

Joe Kinder exiting the crux on 'Golden' 14b

UPDATED: TWO MORE CONTRIBUTORS

1st Place
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, The Dihedrals, Smith Rock, Oregon

Remaining Top 5
Golden 14b, Welcome Springs - Cathedral, Utah
China Beach 14b, Waimea Wall, Rumney, New Hampshire
Grand Ol Opry 14b, Vestibule, Monastery, Colorado
Bleeding 14b, Wicked Crag, Mill Creek, Utah

Runner's Up / Top 10
Golden Ticket 14c/d, Chocolate Factory, Red, Kentucky
Transworld Depravity 14a, Madness Cave, Motherlode, Kentucky
Sarchasm 14a, Ship's Prow, Long's Peak, Colorado
Mango Tango 14a, Lower Meadow, New, West Virginia
Necessary Evil 14c, Blasphemy Wall, VRG, Arizona

Sonnie Trotter on 'Necessary Evil' 14c

States with some of the nation's best 5.14s, in order of volume (according to all votes):
COLORADO -- 15 
California - 8
Utah - 8
Kentucky - 6
Wyoming - 6
Arizona - 5 (VRG... )
West Virginia - 4
Oregon - 4
New Hampshire - 4
Nevada - 2
New York - 2
Idaho - 2
Vermont - 1
Washington -1

Best Rock Type for 5.14 of all votes cast:
LIMESTONE -- 21
Granite - 10
Gneiss - 7
Corbin Sandstone - 6
Volcanic - 6
Dolomite - 5
Nuttall Sandstone- 4
Conglomerate - 3
Schist - 3
Mill Creek Sandstone - 1
Fountain Sandstone - 1
Quartzite - 1

Myself on the exceptional 'Grand Ol Opry' 14b - which in my opinion, is the single best 5.14 in the country.

Well people, there you have it, the maybe-not-super-definitive-but-pretty-rad-anyways list of the very best 5.14s on American soil. Among the top ten voted routes there's a nice mix of old school and new school with routes as new as 2009 and of course as old as they get around here with 'To Bolt' (1986). Length was not an issue for everyone with climbs as short as 40 feet and as long as 120. Almost every rock type is represented in the top ten and basically every angle of steepness, save a horizontal roof. If you can climb up to 14b you'll find all but two of these gems accessible, but the majority (62%) of all the voted routes are only 14a.

My hypothesis was that very few people would actually end up voting for the same routes, because not only is enjoyment quite subjective but also the way that I remember routes has so much to do with my experience with them. All of the variables matter-- what was going on in my life at that time? How was the weather? Was it a struggle or did things come together for me in that moment? Well as it turns out this hypothesis was only partially correct. It seems pretty loud and clear that regardless of all the personal subjectivity some routes really do produce a better experience than others. It's cool to imagine that myself, many of the people listed here, and many more, have all had such a memorable experience on the exact same chunks of stone.

I hope at least a few of you guys enjoyed this nerdy post half as much as I liked putting it together. Thanks so much to everyone who got back to me so quickly and helped me put together this list. Below is the raw data from the 16 different climbers I asked...

Bill Ramsey 
Direct Hit 14a, Mt Charleston, Nevada
Zulu 14a, Rifle, Colorado
Badman 14a, Smith, Oregon
Transworld Depravity 14a, The Red, Kentucky (Personal FA)
Planet Earth 14a, VRG, Arizona
Hold Your Fire 14b, Potosi, Nevada
Supertweak 14b, Logan Canyon, Utah
Golden 14b, Cathedral, Utah

Joey Kinder
Flight of the Concords 14c, Huricave, Utah (Personal FA)
Tiger Blood 14b, Sunset Alley, Utah (Personal FA)
Southern Smoke 14b, Bob Marley, Kentucky (Personal FA)
Center Fold 14b, VRG, Arizona (Personal FA)
Kryptonite 14d, Fortress, Colorado
Stockboys Revenge 14b, Rifle, Colorado
China Beach 14b, Rumney, New Hampshire
Livin Astro 14c, Rumney, New Hampshire
Super Nova 14b, Rumney, New Hampshire
Golden 14b, Cathedral, Utah (Personal FA)
Waka Flocka 14b, Rifle, Colorado (Personal FA)

Ben Spannuth
Grand Ol Opry 14b, Monastery, Colorado
The Bleeding 14b, Mill Creek, Utah
Golden Ticket 14+, Red, Kentucky
Golden 14b, Cathedral, Utah
Necessary Evil 14c, VRG, Arizona
Doubloons 14b, Mt Evans, Colorado (Personal FA)
Power Bait 14a, New, West Virginia (Personal FA)

Tommy Caldwell
Magic Mushroom 14a, Yosemite, California (Personal FA)
The Nose 14, Yosemite, California
The Dihedral Wall 14a, Yosemite, California (Personal FA)
Sarcasm 14a, Ship's Prow, Colorado (Personal FA)
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon
Dunn Westby Direct 14a, Diamond, Colorado (Personal FA)

Chris Weidner
F-Dude 14a, VRG, Arizona
Zulu 14a, Rifle, Colorado
Scarface 14a, Smith Rock, Oregon
Vogue 14b, Industrial Wall, Colorado
China Doll 14a, Dream Canyon, Colorado
Golden 14b, Cathedral, Utah
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon

Peter Kamitsas 
China Beach 14b, Rumney, New Hampshire
The Hardway 14a, Marshfield, Vermont (Personal FA)
Oppositional Defiance Disorder 14a, Silver Lake, New York (Personal FA)
Highline Direct Project, Moss Cliff, New York
Transworld Depravity 14a, The Red, Kentucky
Coal Train 14a, New, West Virginia
Golden Ticket 14+, Red, Kentucky

Beth Rodden

To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon

Changing Corners 14, Yosemite, California

Sarchasm 14a, Ship's Prow, Colorado

Meltdown 14c, Yosemite, California (Personal FA)

Grand Ol Opry 14b, Monastery, Colorado

Mike Williams
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon
Mango Tango 14a, New, West Virginia
Coal Train 14a, New, West Virginia (Personal FA)
Galactic Emperor 14a, Tensleep, Wyoming
Trebuchet 14b, New, West Virginia (Personal FA)

Alex Honnold
Necessary Evil 14c, VRG, Arizona
Just Do It 14c, Smith Rock, Oregon
The Green Mile 14b, Jailhouse, California
The Leaning Tower Project, Yosemite, California

Ethan Pringle
All Around Routine 14b, Ibex, Utah
The Bleeding 14b, Mill Creek, Utah
Golden Ticket 14+, Red, Kentucky
China Beach 14b, Rumney, New Hampshire
Transworld Depravity 14a, The Red, Kentucky
Kryptonite 14d, Fortress, Colorado
The Iron Monkey 14b, Eldo, Colorado
Just Do It 14c, Smith Rock, Oregon
U-Haul 14a, Jailhouse, California

Sasha Digilian 

Transworld Depravity 14a, Red, Kentucky

Golden 14b, Cathedral, Utah

Still Life 14b, New, West Virginia

Atonement 14b, VRG, Arizona

Millennium 14a, Maple, Utah

Nick Duttle
Sarcasm 14a, Ship's Prow, Colorado
Grand Ol Opry 14b, Monastery, Colorado
Third Millennium 14a, Monastery, Colorado
The Bleeding 14b, Mill Creek, Utah
The Tube 14b, Red, Kentucky
Golden Ticket 14+, Red, Kentucky
Mango Tango 14a, New, West Virginia
China Beach 14b, Rumney, New Hampshire

B.J. Tilden
Golden 14b, Cathedral, Utah
Lungfish 14b, Rifle, Colorado
Orange for Anguish 14c, Baldwin Creek, Wyoming (Personal FA)
Moonshine 14d, Wild Iris, Wyoming (Personal FA)
Genetic Drifter 14c, Wild Iris, Wyoming
Kill Em All 14b, Wolf Point, Wyoming (Personal FA)

Paige Claassen
Grand Ol Opry 14b, Monastery, Colorado
The Bleeding 14b, Mill Creek, Utah
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon

Matt Wilder

Cheating Reality 14a, Devil's Thumb, Colorado (Personal FA)

China Beach 14b, Rumney, New Hampshire

The Fly 14d, Rumney, New Hampshire

The Bleeding 14b, Mill Creek, Utah

South Face of Washington Column 14a, Yosemite, California (Personal FA)

Jonathan Siegrist
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon
Grand Ol Opry 14b, Monastery, Colorado
Almighty 14b, Teton Canyon, Wyoming
Mango Tango 14a, New, West Virginia
All Around Routine 14b, Ibex, Utah
Necessary Evil 14c, VRG, Arizona
24 Karats 14c, Red, Kentucky (Personal FA)
Sarcasm 14a, Ship's Prow, Colorado
Enter the Dragon 14a, Fins, Idaho (Personal FA)
Dunn Westby Direct 14a, Diamond, Colorado

Drew Ruana 
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon
Scarface 14a, Smith, Oregon
Lost Horizons, Little Si, Washington

Jon Cardwell
Grand Ol Opry 14b, Monastery, Colorado
To Bolt or Not to Be 14a, Smith, Oregon
7pm Show 14a, Rifle, Colorado
The Present 14a, Gorilla Cliffs, Utah
24 Karats 14c, Red, Kentucky
All Around Routine 14b, Ibex, Utah
Necessary Evil 14c, VRG, Arizona

a brief escape

Climbing means so much to me. It's my world - it's my passion, it's largely who I am, it's what I do, it's what I dream of and in the last few years it's even become my career. I could write countless blog posts about why and how much I love this pursuit (and I suppose that's what jstarinorbit is all about anyways). But it's also not quite everything to me, and recently I felt like I needed a little reminder. It had been a long time since I really took a break. 

I'm so thankful that I have the resources and support to enjoy this life - even a life without climbing. So what do I do without it? I would travel. I would listen to music. And I would be around friends. Take away climbing and thankfully I still feel driven by other passions, and despite how easy it can be to forget this - there's much much more to living. Climbing just makes it all better. 

It was exactly what I had hoped for. A brilliant escape. Not the most restful vacation, but we made a list of great memories - every late night and early morning was damn well worth it.

Now I'm back in Colorado where I'll be picking up a rigorous training schedule and looking ahead to the winter climbing season. I've got bigger goals on my horizon than ever before and it's going to take some growth on my part to make them happen. A muerte!

The New

West Virginia showed me a good time. I was just about as blown away as I expected by the New. The rock there is nothing short of incredible. The people are great, the scene is fun and certainly more 'livable' than the Red in my opinion. It gets a little rough spending months in the Red in my experience but I imagine being much more content in the cozy town of Fayetteville. As with most crags out east - if only we could give them Boulder's weather - they would be some of the best areas on the planet... but the weather out there sucks. No need to sugar coat it - even locals know the truth.

That's why I wound up in Colorado a few days early... it was going to be a gamble to stay into the weekend and I risked a few more rainy, humid, warm, no climbing days. So I cashed out after a few last great days of climbing and one last great trail run through dense forests and low lying clouds. Good trip, very excited to head back. 

As soon as it really felt like Fall had arrived we got into some great climbing and a few days conditions were near perfection. I spent a number of sessions at the amazing Cirque - the crowning hard cliff at the New. 'Trebuchet' 14b was a must do, and is a really cool roof and headwall extension to it's lower half of the same name. A few powerful and creative moves through a big roof give way to some easier deadpointing and pumpy, crimpy finish. 'Freedom Tree' 13d celebrates some fun jug hauling to a thuggy dihedral finish that's very reminiscent of Rifle. This one in particular had an enormous move out of an undercling that required yoga-like spine stretching out of me for success. The boulder problem entering the dihedral was the sure crux for me, although a taller climber would disagree. A killer route. Over at Beauty, 'Ruchert Motion' is a rad overlooked 13a, and around the corner 'Coal Train' 14a is one of the best in the East. Truly immaculate stone with incut edges and mind bendingly awesome movement. Pumpy throughout with some fun crux climbing. As my trip was nearing its end Mikey suggested we take a chance in some potentially warm conditions for me to have a go at Proper Soul before a formidable storm came in. He was absolutely right. The day was not perfect but the storm that sent me westward would have shut down my attempts. I had wanted to give a good flash go at 'Proper Soul' 14a for the last few years, and after a proper spray down from Mike I gave er hell. Unintentionally smashing hordes of ladybugs and battling some pretty serious heat I nearly let it rip using some on-the-fly beta exiting the crux dihedral but managed to stay on and take it to the top. This was, in some senses, the goal of my trip - so naturally I was super stoked. I finished the day on the neighboring 'Lord Voldemort' 14a and unknowingly packed up my final day in the New. 

if you can see past the awesome Star Wars characters that Tara added to this masterpiece - you'll see me on one of the New's best routes, 'Coal Train' 

It's funny how much the conditions, your height, and your strengths really affect the way you climb at the New. In the beginning of the trip I was confused and frustrated, but as I moved through the days at the crag - finding routes that suited me better or worse, climbing in crisp 50 degree, dry, breezy awesomeness as well as muggy, drink-out-of-the-sky humid 70+ degree days - I eventually gave up on grades or difficulty associated with them. More than any crag I've ever visited, the grades are straight messed up here. Several '5.12's took me as many or more tries than '14b'. I was only somewhat kidding when I proclaimed that sending Freedom Tree 13d was the hardest I'd tried all year and there was a single, super reachy move on Coal Train 14a that keep me coming back 3 days through a variety of conditions, trying hard to finally send. Moral of the story? Toss out the idea of functioning linear grades, especially if you're under 5'6, and just climb what looks awesome - they're all good and they're pretty much all hard - even the 5.11s!!

community at work -- NRAC on the grind

A few BASE jumpers off the Bridge ...

Well, so now I'm back in Boulder hanging out with family and friends. This past Halloween weekend I easily made up for the sleepy life of Lander, Idaho and Fayetteville throughout my summer - and I'm still recovering from a collage of late nights. 

In a few days I'm heading back to Asia for the first time in several years. This time, however, no climbing shoes in my bag. Yup. Climbing is a huge part of my world, but it's not everything. This will be the first non climbing trip - and the longest stretch of rest - that I've had in 7 years! Wish me luck... 

Change of Plans

After a few days at Logan Canyon early in the month I was headed to Colorado. The plan was to pack, temporarily say goodbye to Zeke dog and make a sharp turn back westward to Yosemite. Plenty of times my climbing plans have changed over the years due to weather, maybe skin or injury, lack of partners, sudden shift in psyche - but I can safely say that this was the first time that federal government indecision has effected my plans. In-fact, I think this in some ways is the first time in my life that a change in the federal government has had a direct effect on me at all.



Well regardless of the details I was antsy. My October was ticking by (with a trip to Asia coming up on November 7) and as I tirelessly checked the news it seemed like a resolution to the government shutdown wasn't at all close at hand. So, rather than waiting around I rolled with the punches and headed eastward to seize the closing window on my autumn season.

I've been wanting to visit the New River Gorge for several years but I always got sucked into the Red, and realistically, it's just so damn far away from the West. Well I finally made it, and just as I expected, I'm blown away. Naturally I'm bummed that I'll be missing the Dawn Wall push this season, but I have confidence in my friends out there and I'll be following along just like the rest of the world. Ironically I was actually in Washington DC on the very day that Yosemite reopened, I planned to stand in front of the Capital with a cardboard sign reading 'Free the Dawn Wall!' but I guess just my presence was enough.

Definitely saddened to be absent for the mission on El Cap, but it would be a lie to say that I'm not stoked to be here also - it's not that often anymore that I get to see entirely-new-to-me zones with this much quality. The NRG is truly world class.

Bullet hard textured sandstone featuring edges and ledges, slopey crimps and the occasional pocket. Beautiful streaks, striking aretes and features in a rad setting just outside of a pretty rad little town. There is an enormous list of classic routes, gear and sport, for almost everyone's ability level. Nice people, good scene. I can see why people love it here.

On my way to victory against a gaggle of gnarly spiders, mid-redpoint, up 'Ride the Lightning' 13b. Please note the Spider Wand - a tool of the trade in the New. Reynvaan photo

Bridge Day at the New. Hundreds of BASE Jumpers let it rip off the bridge while tens of thousands eat various hot dog dishes and devour funnel cake. 

The first week or so that I arrived was still every ounce of summer in my opinion although locals were diligent in telling me that, 'dude, it gets MUCH worse'. Well hats off to you people, seriously, because those were some of the worst conditions I've ever climbed in. Locals here climb at their limit in the summer months.... I am convinced that these people have some kind of genetic mutation because they are also drawn to wear puffy coats when the temperatures dip below a baltic 71ºF, meanwhile I am still bathing in my own sweat and rattling off complaints faster than my partners can even respond. 

Needless to say, I took it down a notch for my first several climbing days here. Which was something of a blessing in disguise because I got to sample some of the area classics that I may have skipped over otherwise. 'Travisty' 13b/c, the mega steep 'Apollo Reed' 13a, 'Dial 911' 13a, the world class 'Quinsasa Plus' 13a and stunning arete climb 'Satanic Verses' 13c, 'Pocket Route' 13a, the start to 'Trebuchet' 13b and the underrated 'Xanth' 13b, 'New World Order' 12a, 'Bullet the New Sky' 12b and 'Add Lib' 12d all stood out to me. But it was still muggy and hot, so I left. Visited DC, saw some rad stuff, and came back to shockingly better temps. 

Air and Space Museum. So rad.

Another kind of Astronaut -- Scott Franklin. Every ounce as American as walking on the moon.

In the new New River Gorge I was amazed at what was possible. Beloved friction had returned! I did a Mike Williams classic, 'Picket Fence' 14a/b that was amazing and checked out his also mega 'Coal Train' 14a - stoked to get back to that one. The best day yet was at the Meadow where I managed the 1988 All American Classic, 'Mango Tango' - one of the first 5.14s in the country thanks to Scott Franklin and remains one of the best. The neighboring 'Fruity Pants' 12d is without question one of the best sport routes in the nation, and 'Puppy Chow' 12c is... well... just do it.

Over the last 2 days I belayed Mikey as he continued his new routing mission at the New, with 3 new trad routes - the raddest being his new .13a R, 'Color Blind' which I did as well. A really cool vision on his part and a cool addition to the Central Endless.

Lastly, I just posted a new Gear Review on the ripper MSR Reactor Stove and there's a really cool new Five Questions with my buddy Steve Bechtel. Enjoy!

Hopefully much more rad stuff to come in my remaining 2 weeks here! For now, it's rainy and crappy again.

Super Tweak

I've never thrived from the pressure scenario one is likely to find in a comp setting, but sometimes a little environmental or circumstantial pressure has helped me put down projects. There are so many variables in climbing outdoors that it sometimes amazes me that they do occasionally line up. Especially when you're traveling alone, and decisions are made on the fly. Uncertainly is definitely incredible, thrilling and in a big way I search for it - but it can also make for some unanticipated stress.

upper logan canyon colors... 

Last week when I decided to quickly swing through Logan I felt the pressure. I had my beta for Super Tweak mostly honed in, but I was looking ahead at the weather and it was clear that Thursday was the beginning to a pretty substantial storm. Last Monday night inner dialogue - 'should I go 5th day on tomorrow after the Idaho Mountain Fest and two sessions on Super Tweak? or should I rest and then give it a hail mary burn on Wednesday before the storm hits?' Secondly, I had a for sure partner for Tuesday but Wednesday Pawel had to bail by 3 at the very latest - giving me 2? hours of shade? I chose to rest, and thankfully I felt recovered and ready to send on Wednesday morning. Okay. It was overcast too so I got lucky with early shade. The finishing crux of Super Tweak was giving me some trouble. I had climbed up to the last big move on Monday from the ground, but warming up on Wednesday I couldn't even seem to stick the upper crux in isolation. Shit. 

I threw myself at the upper section, trying out various methods. 'Who's bleeding anyways?' - 'oh, I am'. I ripped a sizable flapper messing with sharp holds trying to find a way. In the background the storm was brewing. I didn't have a few more days to waste - I needed to leave today - send or no send. So here I was bleeding, not confident in my beta with only a few hours before I needed to hit the road. When would I ever be back in Logan for good temps? Damnit. Pressure. But somehow it worked out. I tried hard, blood oozing through my tape, feet cutting as I pulled off the make-shift beta for the upper crux. 

Pretty stoked after sending - nearly 20 years after the FA... 

The man, Chris Sharma getting stoked just before his 1996 repeat of Boone Speed's 'Super Tweak' 2 years after the first ascent.

It's not as though Super Tweak is the hardest, or the raddest, or the most beautiful (okay, I'll stop here) route I've ever done, but it has significant historical meaning, and really it was the process - the stress - the desire - that made it so relieving to send. I was very, very stoked. Thanks for an incredible addition Boone! and thanks for the awesome Logan tour Pawel.. 

I finished the day with a flash of SlugFest .13d and another random .13a link up that I've forgotten the name of. That night I made it to Colorado and began planning for the next trip... 

Wyo -> IMF -> Utah

Sitting here at the Ibis Cafe in Logan, Utah. Yesterday morning I felt semi-lost, kinda confused, but mostly I felt a pretty incredible sense of freedom. The Idaho Mountain Fest had just wrapped up (I'll get to more of that soon), the weather was beginning to turn again and with a few nice sends in the bag at the City and Castles, I looked onward. Idling outside of Rock City for a while... Back to Lander? Back to Colorado? Maybe Rifle, or maybe Maple? My Weather App was getting quite the work out. I could kinda go anywhere. I had everything I needed right there in the truck, and for the first time in a long while I had no certain, immediate plans. It was a cool feeling, one that I'm fortunate to experience often. 

Ian Cavanaugh photo of myself on the first repeat of his route 'Straight Out of the Ghetto' .12+ R at the City. 

It goes without saying but I chose to link up with my good buddy Pawel in Logan. I drove through Logan Canyon on my way down from Wyoming and I was shocked by how incredible the fall colors were. Super Tweak is a roped bouldering test-piece originally established by the powerful Boone Speed in 1994; it was America's first 8c by an American. Being something of a history buff, and having done 'Scarface', 'Necessary Evil' and 'Kryptonite' - I knew I needed to check this thing out and hopefully fill in the gap. I'll be hanging here for a few days to hopefully take the beast down. 

Now to backtrack... Pretty incredible times finishing up at Wolf Point last week. After finishing off my new route 'Stalk and Ambush' .14+, I moved on to a massive route that (coupled with heinous heat) thwarted my efforts back in July. It's called 'Spitting Venom' and it's over 40meters of climbing with very little fluff. The crux is super high on the route, after 90 feet of solid .14- resistant intro, you hit a reachy and powerful crux pulling onto near vertical terrain. From here it's an airy and engagingly run-out section to the very tip top of the cave. I really wanted to finish off what I started this summer and leave Wolf Point with a few more, new, proud routes done.

After a day rehearsing the movement and getting back into the mental game on this rig I was ready for redpoint burns. The first few tries ended predictably - on a huge, accurate right hand move late in the crux - where I had been falling in July. Last light in the day I ripped up the intro, eager to get another good go on the route before the sky totally blackened. BJ was on the belay and my good friend and photographer Caroline Treadway was there cheering me on. I stuck the move, and with a good amount of effort I made it through the finishing, ultra thin boulder problem to clip the chains in twilight. A huge sense of relief and stoke. 'Spitting Venom' .14c was born and my 2013 mission at Wolf Point was complete. 

The next day we shot guns and shot some photos at the Cave with Caroline as BJ took down 'Reemed Out' 13+ and I cleaned some of my draws. The following morning I was off to the Idaho Mountain Fest at Castle Rocks.... 

A new route I did - bolted a few years back by Mike Spaulding and mostly forgotten. He called it 'Chumming' and I'll give it .13a. A killer route on the Sharks Fin. 

The event was awesome. Well organized, a great venue, a great group of people and not to mention some kick ass climbing right behind us. My clinic and slide-show both went well and I was really stoked all around on meeting new climbers, sharing stories and enjoying some kick ass pitches at the City of Rocks and Castle Rocks. I was mostly keen to try a controversial and historically intriguing route called 'Red Rum' .13+ on the comp wall. This was the Men's final route, created (literally) for an outdoor competition in the late 80's. It was a topic of much conversation and criticism over the years, but remains one of the areas hardest routes and as far as I can tell is seldom climbed. Well, it's true-- the route is heavily manufactured, down to the perfectly 'placed' feet. Regardless, the movement is actually exceptional, and the position is radical and thrilling. For an almost entirely created route, I really enjoyed climbing it. 

The opening 5.12 slab on RedRum

And that pretty much leads me back to the beginning of the post.... happy Monday everyone!

Stalk and Ambush

Suddenly... it's cooler. The sun is lower in the sky, nights are longer and the breeze chills your skin as it brushes past you. Maybe autumn is soon, or here... or perhaps it's finally just not hot. It's pretty damn nice for rock climbing though, and I'm stoked to be where I am. Back in Lander.

The first week I returned to Wyoming, climbing was mostly shut down because of severe storms. Meanwhile Boulder and much of the Front Range in Colorado was under water, and I selfishly complained about missing climbing days... Several friends and family have suffered extreme damage to their homes and communities. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you all. It was clear from mid week that the area was getting an intense storm, but no one could have predicted the degree of tragedy. Glad to hear that people are lending a hand and also drying out. Best wishes to everyone recovering from the floods.

As things dried out here we hit the crag. Wolf Point. We busted ass and laid a lot of ground work in the early summer there and now the temps and psych are all lining up. I've been out at the crag 6 of the last 7 days. A touch more cleaning, rehearsing and even some welcome sending. First objective was a forgotten Steve Bechtel project that I revitalized back in June. I moved several bolts, extended it and thoroughly cleaned this impressive route. It begins with a savage 4 bolt boulder problem through tough pocket pulling, monos and deadpoints - a solid V12 boulder problem itself. From here, without rest, 9 more bolts of resistant ~.14a on two and three finger pockets takes you to an exciting finish at over 100 ft. The bottom was so difficult that I worked the route in sections - aware that if I made it through the opening boulder problems that I would want a good shot at the send. So I wired the upper section, and then tried the bottom until I made it through, and thankfully nailed the ending. I'm calling the route 'Stalk and Ambush' after a number of run-ins with Mountain Lions on the hike... and as for the grade it's been a topic of much consideration. If there was one more hard move on the route I would not hesitate to call it .14d, but somehow .14c also seems too shy of an estimate. I've got no 8a scorecard to report to, so I'm not afraid of vague grading. I'll suggest 5.14c/d and we'll see what its repeaters have to say. BJ, you're up next dude...

so much hard climbing here.... 

Also well worth noting is a brilliant Tom Rangitsch rig that I had the pleasure of opening yesterday. It extends his killer 13b, 'Remus', to the very top of the cave. Barely climbable with an 80meter rope, this .13c is officially the first route to the top and the longest sport pitch in Wyoming. Come and get it...

On to the next project... another towering .14+ that ends beyond the 40m mark. Ultra resistant, run-out and huge, It's called 'Spitting Venom' and I'm giving it everything I've got. I'm in much need of a rest today but we're heading back out tomorrow and wednesday before another storm hits, and then I'm off to Idaho for the Mountain Fest! 

A throw-back ANDY MANN photo of me climbing 'The Heretic' at City of Rocks, circa 2009. A great trip we did together. Can't wait to revisit this amazing place. 

Off from the Fins

My trip back to the Fins is all but wrapped up. As expected, Idaho, and it's lovely inhabitants showed me an incredible time. I was really not sure exactly what I would find on this return trip to the area. I had spied a handful of potential new lines on my previous trip, but I hadn't rapped anything - and knowing this zone - blank areas of featureless stone are commonplace. Excitingly, the last 2 weeks were super fruitful. I tried my best to be productive and stay on task, to either climb or bolt something almost everyday I was out there.

Hard work paid off, but also *I got lucky* and moreover, this is just such an exceptional crag that it's hard to go wrong. Basically, as long as you do a decent job cleaning you're bound to end up with a worth while route. Last night as I packed up camp and descended the steep road out, I felt sadness leaving another rad session at this crag, but I was stoked with what all had come together... 

Lindsay Gasch taking down Son of Discovery

good friends.

One way or another I got 7 new routes in at the Fins this year. Marc Hanselman opened up his incredible Bushido extension to me, the 'Bare Knuckle Boxer' which turned out really cool. Pumpy, excellent pocket pulling to finish either Bushido or Mothership. Tom Smart bolted a really kick ass yellow streak that I had spied last year  - he freed the first half at 13a calling it 'Hapacholo' and I finished the job taking it to the top with 'La Cabanita Especial' 13c. I bolted an ultra thin extension to 'Skeletor' 12+ that remains undone and open. I also bolted and finished the incredible 'Vesper' 14a and its equally kick ass neighbor, 'The Manhattan Project' 14a - a journey through dynamic movement, pocket pulling and unique grips. Up the hill I finished a barely there edging and thin face climbing test-piece that I bolted last week. Complicated movement, extremely difficult footwork and creative thinking is what it takes to get through 'Better Living Through Chemistry' ... a one of a kind route that, I'm not gonna lie, is kinda hateful - but also strangely enjoyable and definitely bad ass. My gut reaction was 14c for this rig, but I can imagine the crux being slightly easier for a tall climber. Hopefully someone out there is as sick (read: messed up, not 'cool') as I am and stoked to repeat this gnarly route someday! My last day was yesterday and I impulsively bolted and cleaned another route that I had peered at. It wound up being pretty sick climbing and, as always, much harder than I thought. 'Yellow Brick Road' 13d was born and my trip was over.

Leif Gasch taking dumps on Son of Discovery - one of the best 5.13s at the crag.

Turns out Seth Lytton can climb the vertical. Bare Knuckle Boxer 5.13

Better Living Through Chemistry

Better Living... see Deadpointmag.com for a bunch more photos. 

Much like my trip there last year, I had such a warm reception from the Idaho community - it was really cool to see how supportive everyone is and how much excitement there is over the Fins. It's not the biggest, or most extensive crag in the country but if face climbing is your stoke then honestly this area can not be missed. The discovery wall alone hosts nearly a dozen 5.13s and 5 5.14s, with a slew of 12's to fill in the gaps. I doubt that it will ever develop into a uber popular crag - it's in the middle of nowhere, it's generally hard, the road to the camping is super burly and the hard routes are quite sporting. But for those of us that love this place - here's to another rad season and hopefully I'll see you out there again!

for those interested. I recently added an updated topo for the Discovery Wall to Mountain Project...