Franks, Two for a Dollar!

The last two weekends have produced very successful bouldering forays into the massive limestone cookie jar that is Frank Slide.  I'm finally comfortable with what I consider the three "Main Areas" of Frank Slide, namely House Area, Healing Area, and Snakebite Area.  I'm currently working on the mini-guide for House Area, so I've spent the last three trips to Frank in that area, putting up new problems and attempting to get consensus grades nailed down.  I've been climbing a lot with Kyle, which is great because he both knows the area incredibly well and is a solid climber.  Together we've managed to get the House Area pretty much wrapped up (69 problems from V0 to V11), so the new mini-guide will be done this week, I hope!

I'm already looking ahead, trying to decide what area I should attack for the next mini-guide.  Snakebite is probably the best bet, but I am also tempted to do a guide covering Zombotron / Wind Ridge / Rising Tithes Areas (the three small areas across the river), mostly because I haven't climbed there in a while and it would be great to do some exploration over there.

Saturday Number One
Kyle and I were keen to head out, but everyone else was busy elsewhere, so we went to Frank to get some stuff done in the House Area.  We had an amazing day, doing or working 20 problems, including 15 first ascents.  We started just across the road from the House Area parking lot, and did all the problems on the Sofa King Boulder including 2 FAs (Sofa King V5, Sofa Queen V3, Posturepedic V1, Pocket Face V0, LaZBoy V0), five FAs on the Curse Boulder (Private Dancer V1, Hug O War V1, Hide and Seek V2, Tipping Point V2, and the unexpectedly hard The Curse V5).  We then moved over and did two new dyno problems on a boulder close to the highway (the perfectly clean dyno Kyle's Dyno V6, and Dead or Alive V3), and then five new problems on the newly named Teen Titans Boulder (Starfire V0, Robin V1, Raven V4, Cyborg V2, and Beast Boy V2). 

Random picture from the previous weekend.  Kyle chalking up to do Rocksteady (V4).  The gang from left to right; Ryan, Beth, Kyle, Mark G., Adam, and Amanda.

After all that, we had lunch and headed over to try The Shield project in the City of Giants.  It was likely too late in the day, because we didn't make any progress at all.  Actually, I couldn't do any of the moves, leaving me feeling a little bummed.  We did walk over and try my cave project, and I unexpectedly sent it after several tries, calling it Trent's Cave (V6).  It's very steep for Frank, and follows a incut rail out a small cave.  More reminscent of Squamish than Frank!

By this time it was getting quite late, so we packed it in and headed to Tim Hortons for celebratory coffee and donuts.  A great way to end the day!

Another random photo.  Mark checking out a sandstone boulder between Lethbridge and Frank.
 

Saturday Number Two
This past Saturday, I went to Frank Slide with my family - Shelley, Aya, and Rowan!  Shelley hasn't really climbed for the past five years, so I was curious what she would think of Frank Slide.  Shelley had never been that enthused about the bouldering in Squamish.  While the forest was amazing, and  the boulders very beautiful, she had not really appreciated the "right heel hook left lockoff" style of climbing on rails and slopers. She really prefers crimpy climbing on slightly overhanging faces, which is really the Squamish anti-style.  When we arrived in Frank, we went to the House Area (which seemed most kid-friendly), and we warmed up on a few of the problems I had done last week.  Shelley did everything pretty easily, including a quick send of Tipping Point (V2).  Aya was also excited to boulder, and seemed fearless!  She soon asked for the cleaning brushes, because she has found a new problem she wanted to do. I helped her clean it, and she sent her first-ever first ascent, which she proudly called The Stripey Problem (V0).

Aya on The Stripey Problem (V0).  Working her project for the first ascent!  And no mat!?  Over those blocks!? Brave!

We headed up the hill to the House Boulder.  I wanted to try two problems adjacent to Salacious which appeared in the old guide; a "V5" that apparently followed a "traverse in from the left" and a "V4" that traversed in from the right.  It appears to me that these problems are either (a) based on misinformation, i.e. they were never actually problems, or (b) holds have broken, which seems unlikely after examining the rock.  In terms of recording history and writing a new guide for the area, I've made the awkward decision to supplant both of these "problems" with new lines that have well-defined starts.  I knew that one of the lines (the "V5") had actually been done via a low, well-defined sit-start.  It is unclear who did it first (perhaps Evan Erickson?), but I decided to call it Lost (as much a description as a name).  Arriving at the boulder, I padded the landing and starting working it from a incut lefthand sidepull and a small right-hand crimp at the left side of the cave (about a meter left of Salacious).  Kyle and I worked through the beta for the problem, which involved tension-dependent moves on sloping edges along the lip of the cave.  The start was hard, used a difficult high-step to push into the first hard move of the problem.  I finally did it, figuring it was V7.  The "V4" on the right didn't appear to have any start or even any interesting moves, so I abandoned it, relegating it to the dustbin of history.  Had it once been a problem?  Had holds broken?  Hopefully one day I'll find out, but until then, it won't appear in the guide.

Aya on The Stripey Problem.  Still no mat!

I convinced Shelley to try Galactic (V4), which she flashed with relative ease.  Like me, she is skeptical that it is really V4; perhaps a downgrade is necessary.  I did several of the moderate problems in the area, including the 'block' problems above House, which I dubbed Lego Blocks (V1) and MegaBlocks (V3), the latter of which is one of the worst problems I've done at Frank.  We finished off the day with a visit to the Aftermath Boulder, where Kyle and I tried the Communist project briefly.  Kyle broke off a key hold, but then discovered a slightly better slot-crimp nearby, which actually seemed to make the next move slightly easier.  I think Kyle will send it soon, and I hope that I will as well.  Aya wanted everyone to try her problem, so on the way out Kyle stopped and didThe Stripey Problem, which turns out is maybe harder for tall people...

All in all, a good day in the mountains! As always, a trip to Tim Hortons for doughnuts followed.

I'm hoping to get to Frank next weekend, and knock off at least one of my projects.  I've been a little lax lately, not really trying my hardest.  As a result, I'm getting close on some lines, but I haven't finished any of them.  Time to stop letting myself down, and get to business!  So many projects I'm trying to wrap up right now...

1) The Mark of the Beast Project. This line is amazing, with some of the best movement I've experienced at Frank.  However, while it's only V5 or so, it has a terrible landing.  A fall from the crux would be serious (you land on a large angled block), but a fall from the finishing slab (which thankfully looks easy) would probably result in a trip to the hospital. 

2) The Communist Project.  A great tall project, lots of body tension, really poor feet.  Kyle unlocked what looks to be the last hard move on the weekend, but putting it all together is going to be HARD.  I think it's likely V9 or so, and I suspect that my knees are going to hurt from all the high falls that I am going to take.

3) The Prism Project.  I feel like I'm getting close on this, one move at mid-height is giving me a hard time, and the finishing crux is going to be weird/hard.  It's not pumpy, though, so that works in my favor!  Very cool moves, maybe next weekend?

4) Salacious (V8/9). I think I'm adding this to my Project List.  I did Lost (V7) last weekend, which is basically a slightly easier / better start to Salacious.  I think with a little effort I can manage Salacious as well.

This is just the short list, though.  I've got a bunch of stuff on my 'long list', including Rising Tithes (V8), the Sinking Ships Project, the Rumrunner Project, The Shield Project (likely V11ish, too hard for me most likely!), The Submarine Project (currently underwater, most likely), plus the three projects in Trent's Cave.... Time to get busy!

Yet another random Frank photo.  Mark on Get Carter (V7).  Mark went sport climbing last weekend, instead of Frank.

Frank, Frank, and a little more Frank.

Sometimes a simple day of climbing in the Rockies turns out even better than expected.  An excellent case in point was last weekend.  The forecast predicted a day of showers, but several Lethbian climbers decided to risk it and head out to Frank Slide.  Fortunately, it was a great decision; the forecast rain never materialised, and instead we enjoyed a beautiful spring day with cool (15C) temperatures, perfect climbing weather.  Several of Lethbridge's growing bouldering community were at the Slide that day, including Mark G. and Beth, Kyle, Adam and Amanda ('Adamanda'), Mark D., Kyle, Ryan, and myself. 

Arriving at Frank, we decided to go the Ninja Turtles boulder first.  This was perfectly fine with me, as I had never been to that particular boulder.  I was keen to try as many problems in the House Area as possible, because I am starting to prepare the new mini-guide for that area and I hadn't tried most of the problems.  The front of the Ninja Turtles Boulder has several moderate slabs all named after those particular cartoon heroes (e.g. Raphael, Donatello, etc.), while the back of the boulder has two vertical problems named after the respective villians (Rocksteady (V4) and Be Bop (V3)).  I did them all pretty quickly, and everyone had a great time warming up on the boulder.

We moved on to the Aftermath Boulder, which is close by and has a great range of problems (from V0- to V6, with a couple of harder projects).  Everyone had a great session; Ryan, Mark, and Adam all came close on Aftermath (V5), Kyle repeated Vagina Dentata (V6, although he used different beta which may make the problem easier), and Beth did Four Inch Pinch (V2/3) quickly.  Mark, Kyle, and I spent some time trying to link the moves on the project just to the right of Aftermath (let's call it The Prism Project, because of the flat slopers that characterise the two cruxes of the problem), but while we made some great progress, a send still eluded us.

Adam looking stylish on the perfect edges of Aftermath (V5).

Earlier, I had spied a line up the tall face to the left of Aftermath, and although it looked difficult, I was excited to try it.  I cleaned up the face a bit, and we set to work.  A series of blocky sidepulls and underclings lead to a series of thinner, right-facing sidepulls higher on the slightly overhanging face. Everyone seeemed really psyched to try such a high-quality, hard, new line.  Kyle was able to link from the sit-start (on a large blunt sidepull) through to the flat sidpulls higher on the face reasonably quickly, and then Kyle and I traded highpoints until it became apparent that we were starting to head up into highball territory.  Since we were the only people still working the project, we decided to move on to the nearby Frictionary Boulder, another boulder I had seen from a distance but never climbed on.

Me on the Prism Project. This problem is one of those relatively rare lines where a great deal of subtlety is required on virtually every move.  Hopefully I'll actually climb it soon, it's such an amazing line...

My hands were feeling pretty sore by this time, so I initially watched as everyone else climbed some of the problems on the boulder.  Amanda sent her first V1 (congrats Amanda!), Adam did the thuggy undercling problem Underking (V5), and the fun Frictionary (V2) was sent by a handful of people.  I finally put my shoes back on to do Frictionary and Underking, as well as another new problem to the right of Underking I called Jigsaw (V3).  Unfortunately, the start is so cramped on Jigsaw that it really detracts from the line.

Kyle on the Communist Project, a brilliant new high line at the Slide.  We're not entirely sure how to finish this thing, I'm starting to think that it may actually have a couple of different finishes...

All things considered, another satisfying day in Frank.  I didn't manage to do anything particularly hard, but I did make great progress on two of the hardest problems (both projects) that I have yet tried at Frank.  Maybe next weekend I'll finally get some things sent!

Frank-amania!

This Saturday, a contingent of Lethbridge boulderers headed to Frank for a day of springtime bouldering.  After a bit of discussion, we decided to start at the Snakebite Boulder, as it hosts a wide variety of problems, from short V0s to tallish, harder problems.  I was keen to go back as there were still a few problems there I hadn't done.  We had left early, so it was still a bit cool when we arrived.  I had to climb several problems to warm up, a process that seems to take longer as I get older.

As the morning got hotter, I did the last two established problems I hadn't done on the boulder, Brett's Ugly Face (V2) and Python (V2).  Both problems were a lot of fun, with big moves to big holds.  Mike (making his first real trip to Frank) did the tricky Apple Shampoo (V4) quickly and smoothly, while Kyle repeated KBMI30 (V5) to demonstrate key beta at the crux.  No one else managed to do KBMI30, although Mike and Mark came close; navigating the high sloper crux of the problem proved difficult in the hot sun.

Me on Obi Wan Kenobi (V5/6).  Look at that crowd! From L to R: Frecka, Mark, guy I didn't know, Calvin, and me.

I had previously spied another line on the Snakebite face.  Starting on the start holds of The Good One (V0 or V1), it seemed possible to traverse right into the juggy hold in the middle of Obi Wan Kenobi, and then finish on that problem.  It took me a little while to mentally work through the moves, but when I had a good idea of what to do it only took me a handful of tries to do the problem.  An initial cross through to a good pinch led directly to a long move out to the juggy edge in the middle of the face.  I called it Ben Kenobi (since Ben is an older, wiser version of Obi Wan Kenobi) ;).  It's probably V5 or V6, a fun addition to the boulder.  Now, there are four hardish side-by-side problems on the Snakebite Boulder, from left to right they are Ben Kenobi (V5/6), Obi Wan Kenobi (V5 or 6), Apple Shampoo (V4), and KBMI30 (V5).  Kyle and Mark came close to sending it as well, but as it was getting hot we moved on, trying to find shade.

An older, wiser me applying the Force on the last hard move of Ben Kenobi (V5/6).

A handful of people were keen to try the infamous Fender (V6?), so Kyle, Mark, Adam, Calvin, and I headed over to check it out. I had previously wanted to attempt to flash it, but a quick look at the holds suggested that would be a virtually impossible task.  Fender is sequential and technical, with small holds and body-position dependent movement.  Kyle and Adam made good progress, linking the beginning through to the crux dyno.  I eventually managed to link smoothly through to the dyno as well, but since I am virtually the world's worst dynoer (is that a word?), I gave up on the problem.  Mark had mashed one of his fingers moving a rock; sadly, he didn't even have a chance to attempt the problem.  Fender seems quite hard for the grade, although it did seem easier and easier as I figured out how it went.

The king of Frank himself!  Kyle on Python (V2, top) and the first crux move of Ben Kenobi (V5/6, bottom).

I did, fortunately, have something to do on the Fender boulder.  Beginning on the start holds of Fender, I cleaned up (and climbed) a new problem that trended up and right along a featured ramp, establishing Bloody Mary (V1 or 2).  It is a very funky line, technical and balancy, without being too powerful.  Kyle had also spied a new line on another boulder just a few paces away, so while they were engaged with Fender I put up another new short problem.  The Need (V1) starts sitting, compressing a distinct V-shaped feature, and climbs up and left on absolutely perfect (!) rock.  I started with a right knee-bar, hence the name (The Need = the kneed).

We had planned to leave Frank at 3:00, but after our attempts on Fender we still had 45 minutes or so before we had to go.  We decided to try Postive Water (V8), a short, hard lip traverse problem just west of the Albatross Boulder.  Although we didn't have much time on it, I managed to climb all but the last few moves.  Next time, for sure!  Adam also made great progress as well, I'm sure he'll make quick work of the problem.

Now that we're well into the spring season of Frank, it's time to get to work on some more serious projects.  I've pretty much thrown 'the pocket project' right off the project list (too hard / improbable), but I've added 'The Shield Project' (amazing, will be one of the hardest problems at The Slide) and the 'Trent's Cave Project' (looks awesome, I hope it is!) to the list.  I'd better get busy, and put some time into getting some of these things done!

Until next time!

[all photos were taken by the generous Adam Dipinto!]

Frankly, It Was Really Hot.

Sunday! Sunny! Hot! Back to Frank Slide! More bouldering with super fun people!

I staggered out of bed early Sunday morning to a warm breeze and blue skies.  Dragging my bouldering pads out to the van, I was excited by the prospect of another day in Frank, despite the early hour.  I picked up Mark, then turned west to meet Adam, Amanda, and Calvin at the west-side McDonalds.  After I grabbed a coffee and breakfast, we piled five people and six mats into the van, and headed to Frank; despite feeling a little weak at the gym this week, I hoped to have a good day in Frank (the previous trip had been a blast, and I was hoping that this trip would be a repeat).

Calvin and I had been to the Aftermath / Ghost Rider boulder the week before, but I was keen to have Adam, Amanda, and Mark try some of the new problems there.  We all did the highballish slab Charlie the Horse (V0), and Mark almost flashed Aftermath (V5, he did it second go, very solid).  I did the first ascent of two more problems on the boulder, as well; Sour Grapes (V2, essentially an extension linking the start of Four Inch Pinch into the slab problems to the right), and High Life (V2/3, the high (!) arete to the left of Ghost Rider).  There are really just three (maybe four) lines left on the boulder; a really hard sidepull-oriented problem, another highball to the right of Ghost Rider, another hard sloper project between Vagina Dentata and Aftermath.  We spent some time working on the latter problem, but although we were getting close, it was starting to get too hot to work really slopey problems.  Unfortunately, the hottest part of the day was still to come...

Mark on the project immediately right of Aftermath (V5).  Still a long way to go, grasshopper...

Mark wanted to look at a cave/bulge boulder he had seen "just above the House Boulder", so we packed up and headed upslope.  The hike turned out to be longer than we thought, but when we arrived it turned out to be a good destination; not necessarily because of the boulder (which is steep with a nice looking project on it), but because it sits adjacent to a huge beach-like slab of rock which made for a brilliant lunch area.  We did a few moderate problems in the area (with Adam making the probable FA of a great-looking marble-white face), and Mark and I failed miserably on a white face/arete project with a black flame-shaped stain.

Amanda and Calvin hiding from the sun.  Strangely, they were the only two who didn't get sunburned.  Hmm...

By this time we were baking in the sun, and were beginning to look for shady boulders.  I had a few things I wanted to try on a long boulder in the Mushroom Area, so we moved the mats up to try them.  I had actually cleaned three projects there in the winter, so I knew there would be things for us to try.  Mark immediately set to work on the so-called 'pocket project', to no avail. I had hoped we could figure out a sequence that would unlock a improbable-looking four-foot gap between holds, but it didn't materialise.  In consolation I did a new problem on the blunt arete immediately to the right, which proved to be very fun.  Adam made great progress on it quickly as well, using so many foot-tricks that I decided to call it Trick Pony (V3 or V4).  There was another cleaned project to the right (which I had previously called the 'flat crimps project') which I managed to dispatch more easily than I had anticipated.  The moves were technical and hardish, but good footholds kept the difficulty down.  Adam and Mark repeated it, and I called it Sunburner (V3, maybe even V4) after the bright shade of red our faces were beginning to turn in the sun.  Calvin and Amanda made good progress on the crimps as well, but it was starting to get a little too hot for hard crimping...

Calvin nailing the first big move on Sunburner (V3ish).

Mark and I flashed the adjacent Hate (given V6, but more likely 4 or 5), and then we tried the low start to an arete to the right.  The problem started on a good jug in a little cave, then used a great heelhook to oppose a very sloping handhold to reach up to a minijug on the arete.  We both managed to do it in fairly short order; a very fun line somewhat marred by the fact that it is difficult not to dab on the boulder behind.  After some deliberation, I called it Get Carter (V7).

Mark pulling on perfect full-pad 'Frank edges', sending Hate (V4?V6?).  Get Carter (V7ish) starts in the little cave in the lower right of the photo.
Thoroughly baked in the sun, we began eagerly debating the relative merits of ice cream vs. slurpies.  Having convinced ourselves that cold treats were in order we packed up, and headed to the car.  Cold treats from the nearest convenience store made for a perfect ending to another stellar day in Frank.  It is always an honor to climb with such a fun, motivated, and hilarious group of people. Climbing is fun, but climbing with great people makes the experience just that much more rewarding.

POST SCRIPT: Kyle says the problem that we thought was Hate (V6) was actually an unnamed V4 (which makes much more sense); Hate starts on the same face, but traverses up and left to the arete.  Next time! 

Frankenstein!

I seem to be developing a bit of a habit.  A Frank habit.  Last weekend, I stuffed three mats into the van, and headed off yet again to Frank Slide.  This time, however, I would be climbing with a different crew of folks.  Kyle had headed south to Joe's Valley, and Mark had exams.  Fortunately, the pool of climbing talent in Lethbridge is a lot deeper than that, and so I picked up Justin and then headed across the river to McDonalds, where we would meet Ryan for the drive out.  They're both enormously entertaining guys, so I was fairly certain we'd have a lot of fun. 

Justin had to stop in Pincher Creek for the morning, but Ryan and I headed onto the Slide.  I convinced Ryan that we should head up to the 'Mark of the Beast' Project.  We cleaned it up a bit, and sorted out the landing, and I started working the funky moves that define this problem.  All the holds on this problem are decent, but the moves are tricky and the body positions unusual.  Unfortunately, the landing for this problem is somewhat* dangerous, and we also kept getting blasted by gale-force chinook winds howling through the Crowsnest Pass.  Nonetheless I made good progress before we packed it in and moved to a more sheltered location.

Meanwhile, Mark G. (sans Beth) and Calvin had arrived, so we set up shop at a boulder in the trees near the House Boulder.  I had walked by the boulder a few timess, and had often wondered why it didn't seem to have any established problems on it.  Part of the reason, I think, is that it had a little loose rock, and part of the reason is that it is a bit tall (likely 18 feet at the tallest side).  Luckily, we had a rope with us, and a little cleaning produced several aesthetic, fun lines.  We managed to climb 11 new problems, including four really standout lines:

- Charlie the Horse (V0), a fun and easy slab, great for those new to the Slab Arts...
- Ghost Rider (V4), a very cool highball with a mid-height crimpy crux, pioneered by Mark, Ryan, Calvin, and Justin...
- Aftermath (V5ish), an absolutely stellar highish problem on perfect full-pad edges, and
- Four-Inch Pinch (V2ish), a classic moderate cave problem, reminscent of Superfly (V4) in Squamish.

We then moved on to the House Boulder area, where we did Galactic (V4) (I flashed it easily, which was nice), and some more highballs, including one on the House Boulder itself (it has likely been done before, but I decided that it needed a name, so I called it The Second Story (V0)).

Feeling a bit fried, we moved to the far side of the Slide to try the slab testpiece Frankenstein (V5).  I don't have any slab shoes at the moment, and I quickly gave up trying to climb Frankenstein.  Mark was making great progress, and came to within a few moves of sending!  Calvin was making decent progress as well, but Frankenstein is hard.  I mean HARD.  Very tall, very sustained, and features very small crimps, dimples, and sidepulls. It's similar to Black Slabbath (V7ish) in Squamish, I think, but a little shorter (only a little!) and a bit easier.  Still, a very formidable slab!

All in all, a great day of sending!  I think the next Mini-Guide that we will release will be for the House Boulder Area, so keep tuned for that.  The Healing Area Mini-Guide is online at Sendage.com, so you can find it there.

Sorry for the lack of photos!  Next time, for sure!

*Note: Even by my standards, this problem has a sketchy landing.  A fall at the wrong time, or in the slightly wrong direction would either have you slam into a fridge-sized block, or pitch 30 feet down a steep talus slope... Still, it is too amazing not to be climbed!

Spring?

In southern Alberta, winter has slowly evolved into spring. The hills have changed from gold to pale green, the summer birds have returned, and temperatures slowly approach ideal conditions for climbing.  Shelley encountered a study last week that said that extremities (i.e. fingers) lose dexterity below 12C.  Given that temperatures above 20C are less than ideal (too warm) for hard climbing, it seems that the prime bouldering season has arrived at last.  I’m not sure if I have prepared adequately, but I am excited nonetheless for a spring and summer of bouldering at Frank Slide.  I’ve identified enough projects to keep me busy, and I add more every time I go to Frank.  Lots has happened in the last month, climbing-wise.  Most of it has been bouldering inside, of course, but I have managed to get out to Frank twice.  Read on...

Episode 1)  On March 23, the 10^th Annual Boulderfest bouldering competition was held at the Ascent Climbing Center at the University of Lethbridge.  I had briefly wrestled with the decision of whether to climb or to set in the competition, but since I’m still getting in shape after a long injury-related layoff and I love the creative elements of setting boulder problems, I decided to set.  Kyle Marco and I spent two nights before the comp setting problems, and a several other people came in to set the day before the comp as well.  In the end, there were 61 problems set for the comp, and (if I recall correctly) I set 18 of those.  I was happy with my efforts, and several of my problems proved to be very popular.  Logan also set several problems, and Logan, Kyle, and I spent much of the evening before the comp fore-running the problems. Fore-running is a lot of work, but it’s hugely fun and really improves the quality of the problems in a competition.

  

The competition went off very smoothly for the most part, with no big problems or unexpected glitches.  Mark Derksen and Beth Millions won the Advanced Men’s and Advanced Women’s categories, respectively.  Congrats to both of you!  The comp was well-supported by a number of sponsors, and I was especially impressed by the support provided by AwesomeAdventures and Novo Watches; if you have an opportunity check them out!  Let them know you appreciate their effor

Unfortunately, the weather since Boulderfest has been really hit-or-miss.  March and April can, apparently, be quite snowy in southern Alberta, in contrast the relatively dry winter months.  Wet weather, visits by relatives, and a prolonged head cold conspired to temporarily reduce my outdoor climbing.  I did make it out to Frank twice in the month since Boulderfest, and both trips were really productive and a lot of fun. 

Episode 2)  On April 6, the weather forecast was good enough to warrant a trip out to Frank.  Mark G. and Beth (one of the most thoroughly entertaining climbing couples I’ve ever met) were planning on heading out, and I was excited by the prospect of climbing with them.  Kyle was heading out as well (of course), so I grabbed my mats, packed a lunch, and met Kyle at McDonalds for the trip out.  Meeting Mark and Beth at the Slide, we decided to head to the Snakebite Boulder.  This was perfectly fine with me, as I had never climbed any of the problems on the boulder.  We warmed up on Snakebite (V1), then worked our way across the classics on the boulder.  I had hoped to flash some of the harder problems, but the problems were tricky and I was slow to warm up... I was actually pretty happy just to finish Apple Shampoo (V4) and KBMI30 (V5).  Everyone was climbing really well, especially Kyle who casually lapped out KBMI30 so I could see how the crux moves went.  We added three new easy short problems on the far left side of the boulder, including the fun Markleberry Fin (V0). 

Beth looking strong on Apple Shampoo (V4).  Little known fact: Beth bears a striking resemblance to the Italian actress Violante Placido. But she climbs way harder. 

While we were moving the mats around, I noticed several cool-looking holds just to the left of Apple Shampoo, and wondered if they could be linked.  As it turned out, they could, and I sent the first ascent of Obi Wan Kenobi (V5 or V6) a short while later.  It’s a really great line, actually, with funky moves linking a series of interesting crimps and edges up a slightly overhanging wall.  It’s a great addition to the boulder, and creates a side-by-side triptych of moderately hard problems; Obi Wan Kenobi (V5/6), Apple Shampoo (V4), and KBMI30 (V5).  All three problems have hard last moves, and sending them back-to-back-to-back would be a fun objective for any visiting boulderer.  We moved on to the easy slab problems on the Cassandra’s Slab Boulder, but then the rains came and our day was over.

Me on  KBMI30 (V5).  Little known fact: Beth is an excellent spotter.  Look at those thumbs!  Folded in!  Textbook-perfect!

Episode 3)  This past Saturday, Kyle and I headed back to Frank Slide again, despite a less-than-ideal forecast (cool with a strong possibility of rain and/or snow flurries).  When we arrived at Frank, the weather was unexpectedly perfect; sunny with only a light breeze.  I have always wanted to visit the City of Giants, which is a collection of very large boulders a few hundred meters east of the House Boulder.  The City of Giants hasn’t seen a lot of development, partially because some of the boulders are too tall to safely boulder on, and partially because getting to the City requires ten minutes of boulder-hopping.  I was keen to check out the area for potential projects, and Kyle was content to humor me, so off we marched into the talus to hunt for the future of Frank bouldering.

Kyle showed me around the area for a half-hour or so, and it became apparent that there is another reason why there are only a limited number of established problems in the City; many of the boulders are unusually blank.  There are exceptions, fortunately.  The largest boulder in the area, despite the fact that it is sport-route height, actually looks like it might have several fun hard problems on its shorter faces.  Kyle and I cleaned up a easy (but really tall) problem nearby to warm up, but just as we started working it, it started raining, so we packed up and headed over to a potential project that Kyle had spied on an earlier trip.  Arriving at the project, we tossed our mats down, and spend the next ten minutes looking at holds, wondering if it would go, and speculating how hard it might be.  We booted and chalked up, and started working the problem.  Starting on perfect opposing sidepulls, the problem launches up a steep face; first pulling to a blunt pinch, then climbing up a gold-streaked shield on smooth and sloping sidepulls.  Dubbing it the ‘Shield Project’, we had to work hard to make progress on the technical and powerful sequence.  After a couple of hours we had both managed to do the first move (once, with a lot of effort!), and touched the second hold without sticking it.  It doesn’t sound like much, but I was really psyched to link even those many moves!  The third move we couldn’t try, but we did manage to do the fourth move by stepping off a boulder.  The fifth move to the lip looked big and balancy, but hopefully not too brutally hard.  Above the lip there are two more short moves up a short hanging slab to get to the top of the boulder.  I hope these final moves are not too desperate, because the problem is fairly tall (15 feet?) and a fall from the top (onto a fridge-sized bock below) would be grim.  When the forecast rains finally arrived, we left the area still excited by the prospect of having found such an excellent and hard project.  It seems like it might be low in the double-digits to me (maybe V10? V9?), but we’ll have to see.  On the way back to the truck we stopped to look at another great-looking prospective project, a long and steep (!) crimpy rail coming out of a cave on the backside of a huge block of limestone. Maybe the City of Giants is the future of Frank Bouldering, after all!

 Kyle on the Shield Project, which involves powerful moves to sidepulls, and REALLY bad feet.  It's really hard.  Kyle thinks it's not really that hard.  We did spend an awful lot of time to do one move, though... just one move.  Little known fact: Kyle looks like Obi Wan Kenobi.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to head out to Frank regularly this spring.  The weather forecast for the next two weeks looks fantastic, and my fingers are crossed! 

The Frank Winter Continues!

Every week, I watch the weather forecast like a hawk.  I have the websites of two different weather services bookmarked on my computer.  Over the course of the week, I slowly watch the future change as the forecast for the upcoming weekend shifts; first the weekend looks warm, then a few hours later the future has become a little colder.  Nice and dry, then suddenly the future is snowy.  By Friday, though, I have essentially decided if my weekend will involve a drive to Frank Slide, or if it will consist of a visit to a coffee shop and cleaning my house.

This weekend, the forecast called for warm (12C) and windy weather on Saturday, so I packed my bags for Frank Slide.  Mark, Kyle, and I wedged seven mats into Mark's van early in the morning, grabbed a coffee from McDonalds, and headed west into the wind.  En route to Frank we decided to head to the Tidal Volume sector, partially because Mark wanted to try Bride of Frankenstein (V7), a tricky dynamic problem.  We hauled the mats to the Tidal Volume boulder, and jumped on several of the classic lines.  We did Killer Ss (V1), and then Kyle watched Mark and I fail on Tidal Volume (V4) before smoothly demonstrating the sequence he used (I NEVER would have used a underclinging crimp that small if he hadn't shown it could be used profitably).  After we finished on that line, we did Killer Bees (V4), a very fun line on slopers and pinches.  It really suited me, so I was happy to flash it fairly easily.  Warmed up, we worked on Al Bundy, which is a newish V6 problem that starts on Killer Bees and heads left into the last moves of Serial Killer.  It took a little work to get the sequence dialled in, but once I had I did it fairly quickly.  Every problem that I tried on the boulder was fun; it is a really classic boulder.

Me wrapping up Killer Bees (V4).  Fun problem, fun boulder!

I saw a couple of other new potential lines on the boulder and the block immediately adjacent to it.  Kyle and I added Bay of Fundy (V1, SD) to the right of Tidal Volume, and then we added Killing Time (V1) and another problem (V1) to the left of that on the boulder that lies against the Serial Killer boulder (really, it's the other broken half of the boulder).  I started working on another short hard project to the right of Killing Time, but Kyle and Mark started mocking me for my project-hunting predilections, so we ate lunch, packed up, and headed to the Spiderweb Sector.

Hiking up into the Spiderweb area we stopped for a bit and looked at a couple of old, VERY hard projects.  Kyle and Evan had worked one of the lines years ago, but after a hold had broken they had abandoned the problem.  We continued up into the boulderfield to try Baby Jesus Dyno (V7++), a potentially unrepeated dyno that Evan had put up years ago.  When we arrived, I took one look at it and shook my head; huge dynos with really marginal footholds aren't my thing.  At all.  AT ALL.  Mark and Kyle, both excited by the prospect of giant throws, set to work.  Kyle was making good progress (reaching to within a couple of inches of the lip), while Mark seemed to be having a hard time with the really bad footholds.  I climbed a few easy slabs, but then became interested in a potential line immediately to the left of BJD.  It looked as though I could start matched on the good left foothold of BJD, then reach left to the arete and climb up.  It seemed improbable, until I worked out a tricky heel-toe cam in a slot on the arete, and then sent the problem easily enough.  Another fun problem for the sector, Baby Zombie (V4).

We briefly worked another dyno project to the right of BJD, but it proved too hard for an end-of-the-day project, so we started packing up to head back to the van.  We finished up the day with a look-and-see mission to look at Nintendo 69 (V9), which I was VERY impressed with!  I wish I had found it first!  A really steep compression problem, with great-looking movement and holds.  It looks as though there is a much harder right exit to Nintendo 69 that would produce a new, much harder problem as well.  So much potential at Frank!  The spring and summer should be exciting!  It's been great climbing with Kyle and Mark, they're a really dedicated pair of boulderers who are always keen to head out and try hard. 

It started to rain, so we left the boulders and headed to Tim Horton's for cookies and coffees.  A satisfying end to another productive day in Frank!