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!

Two Doses of Frank!

This winter's spell of relatively warm weather has continued, so the last two weekends I've made trips to Frank do do more winter bouldering.  These two days of bouldering make five days of bouldering this winter, to date. So far, so good!

Day 1.  Last weekend, Mark, Kyle and I headed to Frank although the weather forecast wasn't grand.  When we arrived, we weren't thrilled to see Frank Slide had received three or four inches of snow.  Regardless, we headed off into the City of Giants. The talus is especially coarse there, and the rough boulder-hopping was a lot more treacherous than it ordinarily would have been.  We scoped out several projects on our way through the boulderfield, and finally arrived at the Mushroom Boulder.  We wanted to try some of the harder projects there, but it was windy and cold, and we had a hard time warming up.  We tried Rythymic Gymnastics (V6), but the top was wet, so we gave up.  We decided to jump right on Dragon Fire (V10), because it had really sloping holds, and we figured we couldn't get injured on it easily.  To our surprise, working it was a good way to warm up.  We made reasonably good progress, and Kyle made good linkage very quickly.  I thought he might actually do it right then!  David came up to join us, and we stayed there for a while longer looking at projects, and trying a few problems.

Mark on the Mushroom Boulder.  Rythymic Gymnastics (V6), I'll be back for you when you're dry.

It was getting late in the day, so we headed out to try Railway, the hard (and famous) cave problem.  On the way out, Kyle showed us a handful of famous problems, including Commodore 64 (V8).  We tried Railway for awhile, and while Kyle and Mark made decent progress, I had a hard time with the opening crimps!  It is hard!

Mark on Railway (V10).  It turns out V10 is hard + steep + has small holds.  Who knew?

It turned out to be a strange day.  We never actually did any problems, although we had a great time trying some really hard things without success.

Day 2.  The next weekend, the weather forecast was a lot better (daytime highs of 6C), so Mark and I headed off to Frank again.  This time, we decided to go to the Healing Sector south of the Highway.  It was a little cold and windy (not surprisingly), and we warmed up on the Healing boulder, doing I Pissed On The Start Holds (V5) and the high V0 to the right, which we can call Easy Healing.  Then we headed over to Relentless, the classic V6.  Mark sent it in just a few tries, and I did it several tries later.  It's a great problem, lots of great compression moves and a very committing heel hook.  Mark also did Relentless Sit (V7) and Krimptonite (V8), although they did give him a few problems.  Dave and Michelle joined us, and we moved on to the next boulder over.

Mark warming up on the Healing Boulder.  High!

We added several new problems, including Sardine (V4) a fun little cave problem with an unfortunately stupidly cramped start, four really fun V0 slabs, Halfshell Slab, Gab Slab, Ribbed Pleasure, and Gold Leaf Slab, also Dave's Arete (V2ish), Dave's Arete Low (V3ish), and Mark's hard line on the boulder, The Hand Sponge (V7ish).  The name of the latter problem refers to the hard hand smearing needed on the mantle. I was very sad that Mark did a hard mantle, where I failed... Lots of new problems added to the sector, though! A great day!

Mark on a good problem with a stupid name.  It was crimpy, but I managed.

After getting back from Frank last night, it occurred to me that I have a rapidly growing list of projects at Frank.  I had better get to work to get some of these finished before my list gets of hand!  I usually give each project a 'working name', so I can call it something instead of using vaguely descriptive terms like 'that project just a couple of boulders north of the House Boulder'. A short list of the projects I'm "working on" is...

- the 'Submarine Project', a tall V5ish arete by the river
- The 'Snow Cave Project', a stiff V8ish crimpy line
- The 'Rum Runner Project', a very fun-looking V6ish compression problem
- The 'Pocket Project', a hardlooking (V10ish?) crimpy line up by the Mushroom Boulder
- The 'Mark of the Beast Project', a hard (V9ish) and high crimps-to-sloper problem
- The 'Raccoon Project', by Zombotron, might not be hard, I hope.
- The 'Flat Crimps Project', up by Mushroom boulder, maybe V5ish?
 Almost forgot one...
- The 'Sinking Ships' Project, across the river.

What's amazing about this list is that I have only seen maybe 10% of the bouldering at Frank!  In a few months this list will really grow.  Also, I have already made 12 first ascents at Frank (albeit mostly easy lines, from V0 to V6).  I was going to aim for 100 first ascents at Frank this year, but I also need to start doing some of my harder projects there as well

Anyways, LOTS to do!  It is going to be a fun spring season in Frank!

Frankly, my Dear!

It always seems to me that rock climbing presents different rewards to different people.  For many people, it is a deeply spiritual activity; for others it represents the opportunity to challenge oneself physically, and compare their achievements to the efforts of others; to many, climbing represents adventure and excitement, tinged with danger.  These rewards are not mutually exclusive, of course.  Many climbers experience all these rewards, and more.

However, there is a limited subset of the rock-climbing population for whom climbing offers an additional reward; the chance to explore new places and terrain with the goal of finding something completely new and unclimbed.  For boulderers, this translates into something akin to a global easter egg hunt.  Maps, Google Earth, binoculars, and rumor are all employed in the search for the perfect boulder problem.

The view of the vast boulderfield of Frank Slide from high on Turtle Mountain. 

It was the hunt for new bouldering that found Kyle, Mark, and I half-way up Turtle Mountain on Saturday morning.  An adventurous hike was made much more so by the fact that we were carrying bouldering mats and that the steep limestone talus was covered by eight inches of snow.  Our goal was to look at several promising-looking boulders high on the mountain.  Passing several decent but smallish boulders, we finally arrived at our first destination, a cluster of moderately-sized boulders in the talus.  Two boulders looked especially good, one with a leaning arete and one with a long, slightly overhanging face with a great landing.  Still warm from our hike, we cleaned up the arete and threw down the pads.  For a half-hour, we worked to figure out the technical sequence necessary to climb the sloping arete. Heel hook, crimp, move the heel, bump to another edge, cross to the sloping arete, high-step; it slowly came together until we had deciphered the necessary sequence of moves. We traded high-points on the problem, until I finally sent the problem, naming it Indian Tacos (V6) after a infamously mysterious sign at the side of the highway to Frank.  Mark and Kyle sent it in the next few minutes, the perfect conclusion to our first ascent. 

Mark riding the 'Send Train', as he dials in the second ascent of Indian Tacos (V6).

The topout of the second boulder was too snow-covered to climb, so we packed up and continued up the mountain.  Another ten minutes of trudging through the snowy talus and we arrived at the highest bench in the talus.  Several big boulders (including one huge house-sized boulder) littered the bench, and we saw several excellent-looking potential problems.  It is a little dubious that any boulderers (a notoriously lazy tribe of climbers) will make the trek up the mountain to climb them, but it was still exciting to see so many virgin lines awaiting ascents.

Kyle on the third ascent of Indian Tacos.  Notice the vastly different body positions (and thus beta) adopted by the two climbers for the same move (i.e. Kyle has better skills).

Eager to do more climbing and less trekking, we started the long descent down the mountain to the van below.  We finally made it back (although not without mishap; I managed to hurt my previously-sprained ankle... again), and after a little lunch we headed over to the House Boulder area to do some climbing.  Parking the van, we ran into Justin, another cold-tolerant Lethbridge climber.  With mats to spare, we lent him a pad, then headed up to look at the House Boulder.  I was excited, never having seen any of the bouldering north of the highway.  The aptly-named House Boulder is a huge block of limestone sitting just a short distance from the highway.  It lies immediately adjacent to the Cartel Boulder, which hosts several of Frank Slide's hardest lines, including Cartel (V9), Salacious (V8), and the somewhat contrived eliminate Vlad (V10).  Mark was really keen to try Cartel, which is easily the best of the three lines.  Surprising himself, he sent it in just a handful of tries (!) in a solid effort.  I tried it a few times, but because crimpy traverses with huge dynos aren't really my thing I lost interest and went for a bit of  a walk.  I scoped some new projects in the area, including a couple that looked fantastic.  I am glad to see that there are lots of new problems yet to be done at Frank, especially many of the taller aesthetic lines.

Mark throwing a lap on Cartel (V9) for the camera.  I was jealous.

With temperatures dropping, we packed our shoes and walked back to the van.  Grabbing coffees for the drive, we turned east and headed back to Lethbridge.

I am excited by the upcoming season of bouldering in Frank.  My list of potential projects grows every time I go to the area, and now includes an amazing sloper and compression problem high on the mountain (V6-V9ish), a short compression problem (V4-V5ish) near Indian Tacos, a tall arete near the river (likely V5 or V6), and a very hard, VERY tall steep line on a huge block half-buried in the talus (V9 or V10, I think).  Time to get in shape; 'Frank Season' has almost arrived!

To Be Frank...

Being fixated on a particular goal can lead to spectacular rewards.  At other times, it merely results in wasted energy and lost opportunities.  Most often, however, it produces a mix of the two, where the benefits of singular fixation are coupled with the costs associated with attaining those goals.  A winter day of bouldering at Frank Slide perfectly illustrates this situation.

Mark, the perennially psyched Lethbian (yes, that IS what you call someone from Lethbridge, apparently) boulderer, was adamant.  "We've GOT to go up to the Ridge."  From the 6th Avenue car park at Frank Slide, the boulders of the Zombotron Area are clearly visible across the river; high above them, on an exposed ridge, is another cluster of boulders.  These boulders had seen little exploration, and Mark was certain that there were new classic problems to be found there.

We met, as usual, in the parking lot of McDonalds on Sunday morning.  Mark, Dave, and I were joined by Kyle, who is arguably the most accomplished of all Lethbian (is that REALLY the right term?) boulderers.  Kyle has been heavily involved in the development of the bouldering at Frank, and it was great to have him along for the day.  After grabbing a coffee and carefully stacking bouldering pads into the back of Mark's ancient van, we headed off to Frank.  The weather forecast was decent - a daytime high of +2C, and sunny - but the infamous wind of the Crowsnest Pass would undoubtedly determine how comfortable we would feel.

A panoramic shot of the Frank Slide from the Ridge Area by Dave.  The blue blip and the slightly smaller red blip are Mark and I about to try Wind War.

Arriving at Frank an hour and a half later, we piled out of the van and checked if the river was still frozen.  It was, and at Mark's insistence we were soon climbing up a steep scree slope to the Ridge.  Unfortunately, a half-hour of exploration revealed only a dozen decent-looking potential projects.  We also found that the Ridge is extremely exposed to the cold west winds sweeping eastward down from the Crowsnest Pass.  Still determined, we cleaned up a few projects, warmed up as best we could, and started climbing.  I had spotted a nice easy-looking arete-to-lip traverse project, and it turned out to be a gem.  I sent it in a few tries, and was quickly followed by Mark and Kyle.  In reference to the ever-present chinook wind, I called it Wind War (V2 or V3).  Since we had the mats down and were warmed up, I quickly added a direct mantle version (Wind War Direct, V2) and an easier, but incredibly fun problem that trended leftward to a fun mantle and a tall slab (Wind Chill, V1).  Mark and Kyle added another tall easy slab problem, and cleaned off a hard-looking traverse project, but by this time we were getting quite cold despite the sun.  The wind had beaten us, and we headed down the mountain.

Me, sending Wind War (V2 or V3) in the wind.  First ascent fun!

Eating lunch, we discussed our next objective.  Dave was really keen to try Albatross, a tall and delicate V4 on the Albatross Boulder that he had tried several times before.  Albatross is a really distinct problem, in that it starts on a slab, reaches through a overhanging pane of limestone, then finishes up another taller slab.  The line is about 15 feet high, which was just tall enough to make me worry about breaking my ankles on the initial slab.  Mark was keen to flash the line, and he did; his long arms making short work of the huge "albatross-span" which forms the crux of the problem.  Kyle, who had made an early repeat of the line, repeated it again, quickly and smoothly.  This left Dave and I standing on the mats, trying to keep our hands and feet warm.  I was fairly optimistic about flashing it; after all, Kyle and Mark had made it look straightforward.  I bouldered up, made the reach... and found nothing.  "Just a bit further!" I could hear.  "No, left! Higher!"  I hopped down, confused. 

Dave set to work on the problem, falling at the same cruxy reach.  "I'm curious," said Kyle, "What you're planning to do on this move, Dave."  He went on to say that he hadn't seen anyone of Dave's height (Dave is inches shorter than either Kyle or I, and a full half-foot shorter than Mark) actually do the problem.  I tried - and fell - again.  And again.  I changed my beta to trying to hold a sloper at the lip... and fell again.  I did finally manage to send the problem, pulling through the spooky last moves to the top of the boulder.  I was glad to have done it; it's a great line, albeit a reachy one.

Dave past the giant reach of Albatross (V4), on his way to sending his nemesis.  The next three moves are spooooky.

Meanwhile, Dave continued to work the problem, determined to send it that day.  Finally, by holding the sloper at the lip, and by jumping off the lower slab, he was able to send Albatross as well.  The "Send Train" had finally arrived at the station.

Mark basking in the sun.  Not spotting.  Basking.

Mark had been busy looking at the moves on Road Runner Excavation Company (V8), but was getting cold.  Trying to find a warmer place to climb, we decided to move the lee side of the boulder and try the classic problem Shutdown (V5), which follows an incut rail out a small but steep cave, and then finishes up a tall juggy slab.  Kyle and Mark had both done the problem before, and repeated it quickly.  The problem was really reminiscent of Squamish, and I was happy to flash both Shutdown and the leftward extension of Shutdown.  Still psyched by the line, I also briefly considered adding a much longer left-trending extension to the problem, but as the sun went down behind Turtle Mountain the temperatures started to drop.  We called it a day, and headed for the nearest coffee shop.

Kyle and I sending the not-so-aptly named Shutdown (V5).

Another stellar day in the mountains!  Every time I go to Frank, I grow more convinced that Frank Slide is a worthwhile bouldering area.  The vast sprawl of talus can seem a little post-apocalyptic at times, but the setting is spectacularly beautiful, and the problems are fun, and the movment interesting.  Sometimes, being a little fixated goes a long way, especially when you're out in the mountains with a few good friends.

All photo credit goes to the incomparable Dave Cassidy, except for the pictures of Dave (climbing) and Mark (sitting), which I think I took.  Check him out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Photography-by-David-Cassidy/145063505593003

Back to Frank!

Last week, I was sitting in the bouldering gym, waiting to take a burn on the latest green-and-blue project.  With a glint in his eye, my friend Mark turned to me and said "Hey. Do you want to go to Frank this weekend?"

I had seen the weather forecast; it called for relatively warm winter conditions (a daytime high of 3C).  Mentally juggling my priorities, I paused, trying to determine how a day of mid-winter bouldering might fit into my weekend.  "Sure." I said. "I'm in."

Two days, a few phone calls, and dozen texts later, I found myself in the backseat of a car belonging to Dave, another keen Lethbridge boulderer and a talented photographer.  I had relinquished the roomier front passenger seat to Mark, who is a veritable giant at nearly six and and half feet.  I was comfortably sequestered for the hour-and-a-half drive to Frank, nestled among a stack of bouldering mats; I sipped a cup of coffee and watched the winter prairie landscape roll by.

In Alberta, "rock climbing" and "winter time" are, for the most part, mutually exclusive phrases.  Ice climbing, sure.  Skiing, certainly.  But rock climbing?  Not really; it is generally far too cold.  The lone exception to this rule is Frank Slide, which regularly experiences Chinook winds funneled through the Crowsnest Pass.  As such, Frank Slide will often be 10 or 15C warmer than other climbing areas just a few hundred kilometers north.

During the drive, we discussed whether or not the temperatures over the past week had been sufficiently cold to freeze the Oldman River.  If it was, we might be able to cross on the ice and climb on boulders on the far side of the river.  The Oldman River runs right through the heart of Frank Slide, and in summer is dangerously difficult to cross.  There are, however, several excellent problems on the far side, including Zombotron 7000 (V7) and Rising Tithes (V8). We were curious to see if winter had made these usually forbidden fruit accessible.

Arriving in Frank, we piled from the car and walked down to the river.  It was frozen... partially.  It looked thick enough to cross if we stuck mostly to the boulders protruding from the ice.  We hauled mats from the car, and proceeded to warm up on the Teardrop Boulder before attempting to cross the Oldman River.  We did the fun Bearhug (V2), The Teardrop (V3), and Teardrop Right (the problem immediately right of The Teardrop; it is a V0 in the book, but holds have clearly broken, rendering the line more like a V2).  Packing up, we headed for the river.

Me on The Teardrop (V3).  I am starting to suspect that bouldering in Frank involves precarious balancing on really tiny feet. (Photo: Dave Cassidy)

We crossed on the ice without serious mishap.  I DID almost plunge from a boulder into the icy rapids when the bouldering mat I was wearing started to slide sideways on my back, but in a few minutes we were up the slope checking out the V7 dyno Zombotron 7000.  Mark attempted to flash it, but had to settle for a third- or fourth-try ascent.  (I always imagine that dynamic moves MUST be easier for tall climbers, but I suspect that my jealously stems from my apparent inability to do dynos myself.)  Nonetheless, I was making good progress too, almost sending the crux dyno.  Dave was making good progress as well, getting closer to the lip with every attempt.  Unexpectedly, on his next try, Dave went flying from the boulder.  The starting hold of Zombotron had broken, leaving a still-decent but notably smaller edge.  Zombotron had become harder (maybe a LOT harder), and now awaits a new 'first ascent'!

Mark crushing Zombotron 7000 (V7), shortly before it was literally crushed by Dave.  (Photo: Dave Cassidy)



Looking for the next problem-of-the-day, we explored the adjacent boulders.  We quickly did Cyril Sneer (V0 or V1), and I started cleaning a new line on the opposite side of the boulder.  Dave and Mark headed off to look at the next boulder over.  They soon came back with grins on their faces; they had found what looked like a fun new problem.  Dragging the mats over, we queued up to try their new line, a great-looking compression problem up a blunt arete.  Unusually for the Frank, the rock was light grey and incredibly compact, and the problem featured beautifully rounded slopers and sidepulls.  It took a little time for us to unlock the sequence, but soon Mark had sent the line, naming it Squeeze Theorem (V5).  I quickly sent it too, and agreed that it is a great addition to the area, a quality line!

I quickly added a new problem to the left, a very fun line on crisp edges and sidepulls, calling it Friction Factor (V2).  However, the wind was picking up and the temperatures were dropping, so we headed over to try the testpiece of the area, Rising Tithes (V8).  Rising Tithes is a stellar line, a right-to-left rising lip traverse.  While it is very similar to the famous Squamish problem ATD (V7 or V8), Rising Tithes is about twice as long, and the crux is at the end.  Mark made a valiant onsight attempt, flashing to the last three moves, while I slowly worked my way further and further along the arete with each attempt.  Heel-hook trickery is vital to success on this problem, and although we were making good progress deciphering the necessary movement, the temperatures continued to drop, and we had to pack it in.  We'll be back, though!  It's a stellar line, likely one of the best at Frank Slide, and certainly worth the effort it takes to cross the river.

Me on Rising Tithes (V8).  This is an amazing line, really a classic problem.  Note the size difference between spotter and climber. (photo: Dave Cassidy)

We packed the mats back in the car, but instead of heading back to Lethbridge, I convinced Dave and Mark to drive west a few more minutes to check out the wall at Emerald Lake.  The wall at Emerald Lake is about 4 pitches high, and represents some of the most accessible compact limestone in the Crowsnest Pass.  Braving the howling winter wind of the Pass, we spend a half-hour looking at potential routes.  While it is not as steep as I would like, it still looks like a worthy summertime adventure!

Calling it a day, we headed to Subway.  Fast food makes a surprisingly good way to end a day of wintertime bouldering.  Until next time... cheers! 

Frank!

The forecast weather for last weekend was perfect bouldering weather; 18C and sunny.  Keen to do some exploration, Shelley and I gathered up Aya and Rowan (who were both keen to get out to the mountains) and went for a drive on Sunday to Frank Slide and the Crowsnest Pass.  I wasn't planning on doing too much bouldering because my ankle had been really inflamed and painful (again!) on Saturday, but I brought some bouldering pads and shoes so we could spend some time on the boulders.

I am really keen to find new problems at Frank.  When I first moved here I was worried that all the hard and classic lines were already done, but after a couple of quick hikes around the boulders I am convinced that there are MANY lines yet to be done. 

When we arrived at the Frank boulders, I went for a short walk and found what looked like a more-or-less virgin boulder in a nice (for Frank) setting, with some trees and near the river.  With a bit of moss on the holds, and a loose hold,  I was (am) fairly certain there were new problems to be done.  A bit of a brushing (what a welcome change from Squamish!) and I was ready to start working my new project.  Three reasonably hard moves on positive edges lead to a tall arete; falling from the end of the problem would be pretty dire, except for the fact that an agile climber can jump onto the next boulder if they fall.  The arete project is probably V4 or V5, and a lot of fun!  There are three more potential problems on the boulder (all a bit easier), and two short hard problems (both likely harder than V5) on the adjoining boulder.  All in all, a nice little area, and a nice reward for a few minutes of exploration!  I fell awkwardly and hurt my foot a bit when a foothold exploded off at mid-height, but I'll be back so I can send it, hopefully this fall.

Frank desperately needs a proper guidebook, however.  The Frank section of the "Bouldering in the Canadian Rockies" Guide is poor, and finding the problems listed in the guide is difficult (and sometimes impossible) due to the overly brief descriptions and crude drawings.  Furthermore, there are many new problems that are not included in the guide, which further reduces the value of the existing guide.  It would be nice if a guide also included a listing of the local restaurants and coffee shops, although that represents my personal bias... :)  Since I was reasonably happy how my Bear Mountain bouldering guide came out, I am tempted to turn my guidebook writing attentions to Frank, next. 

At any rate, I had a fun (albeit brief) outing at Frank.  Here are a few photos of the day.  Enjoy!

 A view of the boulders from my car, looking towards the river.  The Teardrop Boulder is just out of the picture (I think), and some big boulders are visible across the river. 

Project arete!  It's probably 15 feet high, with a lot of fun climbing.  The biggest chalked hold is about 6 feet off the ground.

Take care!