un poco bouldering

Just two more weeks to prepare. Also two more weeks to enjoy the US, see friends, family. Two weeks to wander the isles at Whole Foods and 'sample' bulk items. Two weeks to stick to the program and stay motivated to improve. Two weeks until I fly to Catalunya for 3 months.

Most of my time has been indoors, which usually in mid October would be driving me mad, but the cooler temperatures have just recently started to emerge. Thankfully I did take advantage, at least a little. I am so grateful for my experiences bouldering earlier this year - not only did it help me improve as a climber but my motivation for bouldering has opened a whole new world of areas and challenges. There is a lot of good bouldering out there!

'The Heist' V12 is a brilliant line found by Andy Mann and opened by Kevin Jorgeson way back in 09. More like a route, the thing is nearly 25 continuous moves with building difficulty near the finish. I can't believe how relatively unknown this awesome boulder is. On my first try from the start I chickened out over the abyss - it's actually quite scary! Here is some less than perfect Go-Pro footy of the problem.

Later that day I did a cool crimper test-piece on the Gill Boulder called '606' V10. It was a little warm for this sharp boulder but I was so stoked to be outside for one of the first times in a month that I didnt much care. 

A few days back I got another day out. With a great crew we checked out Guanella Pass for the first time. Temps were nearly perfect, overcast, breezy... fall weather. It was super motivating. I climbed 'Mind Matters' V11/12,  'Crimping Matters' V9/10,  'Earth Matters' V10, 'Love Mattress' V12,  'Dark Horse' V10 and 'High Horse Sit' V9. Everything was worth while but for me, Love Mattress was the coolest, most involved problem that I saw on our tour -- nice work Will! One of the best things about this area in my mind is the range of bouldering grades and accessibility for V1 to V12 climbers. There is a rad problem at almost every grade, in a small area. I met many motivated and super cool climbers out there as well. 

Aspen Arete V3

Mind Matters,  Ari Prat Barnadas photo

Love Mattress,  Ari Prat Barnadas photo

Love Mattress,  Ari Prat Barnadas photo

ROCK Project

Last weekend I had the pleasure of checking out my first Access Fund ROCK Project event. The aim of this event is a little different that the average climbing festival. The hope is to help educate the community about stewardship and sustainable practices at the crag, all interwoven into skills clinics and of course, beer drinking.

Travis Herbert is the man. Access Fund Education Director. Michael Allen Photo. 

Much like the topic would suggest, this was a much more demanding event - for all parties involved - than most. But I feel the results were worth it. Personally I took quite a bit away from the event - perhaps too much to write here, or more accurately too boring to write here. What I feel was most important though is this: 

The conversation about where climbing is going, how we are impacting our public places, and what we can do to make a positive change ... this conversation is happening. Not in someone's basement after several beers too many, waxing nostalgic and making slurred proclamations... it's happening between powerful companies, strong non profits and influencers. This is a meaningful conversation and course of action and I think people should know, so that they can join in. The reality is that climbing is changing, the landscape in which we climb is changing, and we need to change with it. 

Graffiti removal at Morrison Boulders with a huge group of people who care. Michael Allen Photo

The second 'most important' lesson for me from the weekend was in regards to mentorship - or perhaps the modern lack thereof. This type of relationship shaped my understanding of how to interact with wilderness and how to conduct yourself in the 'wild'. We have all made mistakes, no doubt, and hopefully learned from them. The benefit of having respectful mentorship is that those role models can help us learn from their mistakes. I've had - and still have - many mentors. Perhaps I'm impressionable but I really value this kind of relationship. My hope is that I can make a positive impression on a few people along the road - and when I make mistakes I can feel brave enough to share them.

Learn more about the Rock Project here. 

Tommy sneaks in a hug with bro Dan Mirsky . Michael Allen Photo

Speaking of inspirational people... I did an interview with Fort Collins local Ben Scott that I just published on my Five Questions page. This is one of my favorite interviews I've done - perhaps because it hits on many of the points I have made above but also because Ben is a powerhouse first ascentionist with a fiery passion - nothing is more motivating than that. Have a read.

end of the road (for now)

Here I am, SouthBound on I-25 with Denver on the horizon. Solid five weeks on the road wrapped. I love this life. Always in transition, always something to look forward to, always a new zone, new friends and new climbing just around the bend. Every morning I wake up and feel grateful, motivated, stoked. The last several weeks have been especially exciting, as we trucked across the Pacific North West and back down to Idaho and Wyoming. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Smith Rocks. I made it up this incredible arete in some horrendous heat. Loved every terrifying moment of it.. 'Spank the Monkey' 13d R. So damn good.

Homeboy Boone Speed gave us an incredible Portland tour, drinking and food but also the local crags. 'FreakShow' 14a was definitely worth the visit. 

City of Rocks, Idaho. So amazing. Ari on 'Fido' 11c. 

We trad climbed, sport climbed and bouldered every day in the City. Not many places in the world that you can do that and stay on top quality climbing. Here I'm pictured doing 'Tres Huecos' V12.

Idaho Mountain Fest. One of the best events in the country without a doubt... 

Beau Stuart climbs 'Demon Daze' V10, a stunner. 

Yellowstone. Almost too much beauty to absorb in just a long day. I had already been twice but I was still left completely speechless. 

That's a wrap on an amazing road trip with this girl...  

Now, it's time to shift gears and prepare for the fall and winter. Six weeks of training. Starting tomorrow... stoked. Ready for the pain. 

In the meantime, I've got tons of events on the Horizon ---> 

Arcteryx is opening a Brand Store this weekend in Denver. This is going to be awesome. 

I will be doing a live interview / Q and A  -- something a little different for me -- with my friends over at Neptune Mountaineering on October 1 at 8pm. Stoked. 

Lastly (at least for the next few weeks) I am doing the ROCK Project event with the Access Fund in Denver the weekend of the 3rd. This is a super cool project and an event that I'm very excited to be a part of.

Catch me at one of these awesome event! 

Fins -> Smith

Every year for the last four years, around this time in the late summer, I've gathered my various things and bounced my way down the horrible access road to the Fins. As the towering bone-white ribbons of limestone escape my rear-view mirror, I imagine to myself, 'I wonder when I'll be back to this place?' On more than a couple occasions I've admitted defeat in the search for new routes at this cliff (for a limited time only). And now, four years later, I've returned and once again been blown away by what I find. I've struck out a few times now, no doubt. Bolting an impossible face - finding out the hard way. Overall, however, there's always been something. And furthermore, something pretty damn amazing.

This year I struck out, twice. I also struck gold, twice. A crack that I had spied on the Yellowcake Wall last season when bolting my 40m route 'Antidote' 13d, panned out to be absolutely incredible. I envisioned the line together with my good buddy Ian Cavanaugh. It begins with a 6 bolt 5.10 and then fires up to the very top of the wall via a short bolted boulder problem and then a long, intimidating and immaculate crack system - on traditional gear. I climbed this stunner route a little over a week ago, in the company of many good friends, on a splitter day in Eastern Idaho. This 13d or potentially 14a rig is the third of it's kind at the Fins - along with my routes 'Enter the Dragon' 14a R and 'Year of the Ox' 13d R - all with a few bolts but primarily gear, on amazing limestone, and they are all over 35 meters long -- all three await a repeat.

©Ian Cavanaugh

The other main objective for me there was to check out a potential extension to my 2013 route 'Better Living Through Chemisty' 14b/c, which unfortunately did not pan out. Too blank, just a little too reachy, a little too heinous. But the bolts are there! and it's fully open, as is the extension to my 2012 route 'Catalyst' 14b. Two mega projects.. waiting for someone strong and tall..

After striking out on the 'Better Living' extension I was repeating some classics to cheer myself up. I lowered from 'Son of Discovery' 13a and spotted a faint line of grips to the right. The next day I bolted the short line, sussing some beta but it still seemed impossible. On another day I found an alternative sequence and moved a couple bolts to the left. On the next day I did the moves. Each move in the crux sequence felt so hard - linking them would be at my limit for bouldering. Beta refinement, healthy encouragement from friends and a strong evening breeze made some links possible, and then by the following day I had linked the entire boulder problem. After two days rest I came back and did the route. Short and very savage, this route is so similar in style to Dave Graham's 'Psychedelic' 14d in Utah or BJ Tilden's 'Moonshine' 14d in Wyoming. Before this summer of bouldering I highly doubt it would be possible for me. A punchy 13b leads to a clip but no rest, directly into what I felt was a solid 4-move V13, and then directly into a strange and nerve-racking 5.13 exit. 'Mala Leche' is the name. It's a new style of route for me, and a unique way to climb on a rope. Five bolts... V-hard. I was relieved, and exhausted after sending.

So the next day we climbed a few quick pitches, enjoyed a road-side hot springs and journeyed towards another perfectly vertical American destination.. Smith Rock.

This is one of my favorite crags in the world, manicured trails, composting toilets, jaw dropping sunsets, bold run-outs and fully engaging rock climbing. I was drawn back here to teach a clinic at this last weekend's American Alpine Club Craggin Classic, but the superb climbing and some tolerable weather has kept me stoked.

Even just revisiting the classics like 'Magic Light' and 'Fully Heinous' has been super fun but I also wanted to explore some new (er) terrain too. I spent a day and a half getting pretty kicked around in the Aggro Gully but I did manage to get away with a send / repeat on 'White Wedding' 14a? a route that has changed form over its many years but even got a little harder since I first did it in 2010. Around the corner I ventured over to Picnic Lunch Wall a few days ago. With the heat settling back in I was less than optimistic but I tied in at the base of Scott Milton's 'Big R' 14a and with some great beta from my good friend Greg Kerzhner I made my way to the top and clipped anchors. As much as I would love to claim a flash I did try part of this route once back in 2010. It's a great pitch. Technical and long, with pretty honest cruxes. The neighboring route is called 'Starvation Fruit' 14b and I'd always heard that it was pretty serious. In many ways it's not that serious in-fact. Much easier cruxes than most of the Aggro Gully but just a never-ending pump - I guess a little different style for Smith. I really liked it actually... like a well set gym route (it kind of is..). Now we have just today and tomorrow left before we take off again and venture towards Wyoming via Portland. There's one more pitch I would really like to tackle before we leave but I'm not sure that it is quite prime with 90 degree temps predicted... I'll pray for a breeze!

I did a review recently on a product that I'm super stoked on, especially looking ahead to 6 weeks of training for the fall. Powerfingers have been keeping my fingers healthy and I wrote a little bit about it in my review page. Have a look! 

Thirty

On the road. Truck life.... and it's as good as I remembered. So much time outside. Sleeping like a champ. Camp fires, bolting routes, climbing until the sun sets.

Last week I turned 30 years old, in the company of good friends, in one of my favorite places. I'll let the photos do the talking, but let it be said that my life is so good and I'm thankful every single day. To everyone out there that texted, called, wrote and said to me happy birthday wishes thank you thank you thank you. My community is my family and I have a big one, an awesome one. 

Cheers everyone!

As for the climbing... I tried to hone my trad game a little in Indy Pass, and then tested it last night on a new 40 meter 13d / 14a gear line in the Fins. More info to come soon, but it's a stunner. Now there's a short little bouldery thing that is next on my list. Will need to draw from all of my experience this summer to pull it off. Wish me luck...