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! 

exit Nevada

Vegas in the rear view. It was my sixth winter there and just like the other five it was tough to say goodbye, emotional even. Just when I think my enthusiasm for this lonely place has dissolved I dig into a new, motivating project. Several of my hardest routes have been in and around Vegas, and now that trend continues.

I learned a lot this winter. It would be a lie to say that I loved my time in Las Vegas. I struggled at times both personally and in my climbing. Sometimes the battle is swift and easy, but sometimes there's simply no way to win. Damn it. Climbing has taught me countless things about life, helped me through rough times and lifted me up when everything else seemed to crumble. Climbing has given me a space to develop my sense of self, and a backwards reminder that ups or downs, send or no send, life is good.

Trying something at your physical limit will rip your heart wide open. My victories on this one must be counted very carefully (read: they're small). I am a stubborn bastard though and once I feel I want something - be it that fickle, one star 12d that I can't seem to freaking send - or a dream route, I will keep trying until it kills me. I really look forward to my next campaign in Sin City and I've already made plans for it. There's a long route there that I'd really like to climb and a Casino or two that I'd like to get even with.





Looking ahead -> I'll be on my way to Switzerland soon. A few months living in Interlaken, exploring many crags that I've dreamt about for years. Solo mission. Zippy little german car winding through the luscious Alps. Beautiful cows. Nice people. Snowy peaks. Ive got a fat list of projects and ideas - just praying for some stable weather and to meet some good friends along the way.

@BEARCAM PHOTOS. 

a few photos...

Long days at the crag. A night or two on the town. Family, friends, dogs. Enjoy a few photos and keep your eyes open for a proper blog update here soon.

one last session.

So much garage time... well... to be fair it's been laundry room time. We moved the hang board set up to the laundry room and installed a window A/C unit that makes the 50 Sq/ft torture chamber icy like a walk in beer cooler. My room mates come in wearing sweaters to load the washer. The silly things we do, I suppose. Me, not them.

Why is this at all necessary? Summer has arrived earlier than planned in the Vegas Desert. My bouldering motivation was cut short by the unusual heat, and my attention shifted to my route climbing goals - and a few weeks of preparation. Thus, many many days of baltic laundry room sessions.

While I do love the grind of training and it is in a weird way very centering for me, I am ready to be outside everyday again, exploring new routes and climbing until I'm utterly destroyed. Beers back at the truck by headlamp, dreaming about beta, supporting friends on their mission and being out and under the vast blue desert sky. Ready for the real thing again!

And luckily for me, tomorrow is my final session. One more opportunity to bust my ass with several months of climbing ahead of me. New areas, different countries, different partners, all new ambition. I can't wait!

Wish me luck finishing out this training cycle and in the meantime enjoy a couple videos below!


I will be returning to the Arcteryx Academy this summer in Chamonix Mont Blanc and I can't wait. What a perfect setting for no doubt the highest quality mountaineering and climbing event in the world. Arcteryx events have every bit as much attention to detail and precision as you would expect from the brand. If you're around Europe this summer come and say hi!


This will be my second year as an official Epic TV athlete. It's another year of opportunity to bring in some rad new climbing footage and I'm really pleased to be involved with them again. The team for this year is massive (in talent) and quite honestly I'm not entirely sure that I belong along side these crushers but regardless I'm honored. Adam Ondra, Stefano Ghisolfi and Magnus Midtbo... Watch this rad little clip above.


Lastly a little behind the scenes action from our Nikon mission in the Verdon. Hardly shows how incredibly hard working Keith is, but you do get an idea of how he puts together all the craziness behind the lens.

bouldering part two

Bouldering... I'm trying it out again.

Last summer I took a break from routes for a solid month. It was an interesting transition and in the end I learned so much - both in my body and my mind. It was refreshing, it was something different for me and also I think it really helped improve my climbing. Now I'm about a week into another month of boulders. I'm slowly remembering all of the little tricks that I picked up last summer, and re-embracing my respect for this discipline. Bouldering is f*cking hard - by nature, which is rad, because I think it is an incredible tool to improve.






Campusing and gym excersises are effective for building power but I've never felt more snappy than I did when finished my campaign in Rocky Mountain National Park last year. I'm hoping that this little bouldering mission will leave me feeling more prepared for a few of my route climbing goals later this spring and summer. And furthermore it's always more enjoyable to be outside in the sun, with good people, climbing some beautiful blocs as opposed to being stuck in the dusty garage, training day after day (which, as you surely know, I actually love).

Last week I journeyed to the Buttermilks of California for my first visit. Certainly one of the most beautiful climbing venues in the country, I've seen images of towering granite eggs on this hillside for my entire climbing life. I walked away with a couple victories but for the most part the Buttermilks kinda crushed me. It was a great reminder. The specific kind of power and strength, resilient skin, try hard, and even simply fearlessness over pads that bouldering requires is very different than sport climbs. In the moment I suffered a little 'butt-hurted-ness' but in the end it was the perfect ass kicking that I needed. Thank you Buttermilks.



I definitely still had fun... Problems like 'Checkerboard' V8 (and Checkerboard right V9), 'High Plains Drifter' V7, 'Seven Spanish Angels' V6, 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' V12, 'Saigon Direct' V9, 'Maze of Death' V12, 'Flyboy Direct' V8 and 'Hunk' V2, among others, left lasting impressions on me. It would be a lie to say that I altogether loved the climbing there, but the gems are truly one of a kind. Hopefully the season will give me another shot at Bishop before the heat settles... although with temperatures already in the low 80's in Vegas it's not looking terribly optimistic..




Back in Vegas I have been lugging pads out on the daily. 'Power Slave' V12 was a rad little snappy crimp problem with awesome rock. 'Hungry Hungry Hippos' V12 exploited a few of my weaknesses (notably compression, damn it's hard to squeeze!) but I battled my way through it, and lastly, 'Abaddon' V12 was at the very limit of my reach so I was super stoked to take home a send on this problem. There are many more boulders here that will no doubt offer up a challenge over the next few weeks. Bouldering! Power! Hooray! wish me luck....

that time of year... winter

Colorado to Las Vegas.

I trip that I've made now every winter for the last 6 years. Vegas represents so many things to me. Friends, training, new routes, long nights, ambition, sunlight, blue sky. My attitude and experience of this place has changed over the years but my enthusiasm for Vegas remains strong.

I've truly lived here more than anywhere since 2010, so in many ways it does feel like home. I have many friends here, I know my way around, I have my favorite restaurants and my favorite parks. I know the weather and the crags, I know my little spots and my favorite things to do and see. Every year as my stoke shifts, I still find things to explore and excite me here. It's a very dynamic place.











I'm really stoked to be back. Maybe this year I will learn a thing or two about the bouldering that everyone keeps talking about. Since my bouldering month back in Rocky Mountain I have been looking forward to diving in again. I think it did help improve my route climbing in Oliana which was the real goal. The side-effects include me actually enjoying bouldering though which was awesome. The conditions here are incredibly dry which can be super tough for me on slippery boulders (I have very very dry skin) but the lines are beautiful and the tough-guy-crew has been establishing hard rigs like crazy over the past few years. I'm pretty fired up to check them out. First though, there's a bouldering spot in California that I've never been too... might be time for a visit...


Tara Reynvaan photo. 

For now training is the priority but soon I'll shift to bouldering mode and I'm really looking forward to it... in the meantime, check out this video from the super talented Tara Reynvaan of my 'Power Inverter' 15a send back in December. It was super cool to work with Tara, she has been a friend for many years and her photography has always been super inspiring to me (check out her instagram page) but just recently she decided to quit her real job and go 100 for a career in film and photos. I'm really excited to see her work over the next few years and I think you will be too!... cheers everyone!

-->USA

Well damn. Another incredible trip is all but over. Some weeks in paradise. Some weeks in project mode. Some weeks wandering and some weeks in-between. All in all about 12 weeks and I learned from every one of them.

USA. Quite a difference in the pace of life here. Strange to drive a full size pickup truck on wide lane streets after squeezing a little Fiat through cobbled tight corners. Convenience is back. Shops are open. Internet works. Groceries are expensive.











Today was day one of this next training cycle. Driving towards something new for this year and ambitious to get after it. It's hard to explain the feeling I have when I return to my training notebook, when I settle into the weight room and I start to dream about a new objective. So motivating to have success behind me and be just a little more confident that I know what it takes to improve. I will try to make it all work for me once again. It feels rad to be back at it. Wish me luck!

holiday mode

It took me about, well, ten years of climbing to realize that I couldn't climb my best all the time. When I changed my attitude towards climbing and training to a periodized approach this fact became even more evident. I was a totally junkie for volume in every sense. Never rest. Climb and train until you're utterly exhausted, always. Vacation? Never.




Since I left Oliana my 'pure climbing' trip mostly desolved and I let some other important things enter my daily life. Some random climbing days in there, exploring new cities, hiking, enormous holiday meals, even a few days of snowboarding.










My girlfriend would probably disagree but I feel like I can actually take a 'vacation' now.. I think. Two years ago I went to Bali and Singapore for surfing and R & R. I did again last year. This season I'm taking a little break in the Canary Islands, which, after only 3 days is clearly a perfect choice.

Despite being brief, a little break gives me the foundation for the next cycle, and a fresh start of stoke. It's so incredibly hard to let go because climbing and improving is truly my driving passion, but for every day I let it go it becomes easier. Meanwhile my motivation for the next project builds.

This 'vacation' however, I did bring my Testarossas. There are a handful of crags on the Island here - the one we've seen was pretty damn fun actually. A new one tomorrow. Stay tuned for photos and my thoughts on this beautiful place.

In the meantime have a watch of this short film that I made with Keith Ladzinski back in November. It shows off one of my favorite crags and undeniably one of the most beautiful places in Europe... the Verdon.