Fernie Boulder Bash 2016!

Like much of the rest of the world, the climbing universe is becoming increasingly interconnected by social media.  Facebook, Twitter, and email interact to ensure that climbers around the world keep in touch, sharing where they are, what routes they've climbed, and what time they can meet at the cafe on main street to hook up for a day of bouldering.

Competitions are no exception to this trend.  Information about competition schedules, who's going to attend which events, and who has space in their car for the drive are all rapidly disseminated via the world wide web.  This January, it was precisely these social media channels that brought me word of a local competition in Fernie at the College of the Rockies.  I knew the CotR had a small bouldering gym (though I had never seen it), and I was curious to check it out.  I love supporting locally-driven comps; they are invariably organised and run by people who are genuinely excited to bring an event to their community.  I have organised several similar competitions myself, and love the sense of friendly competitiveness and camaraderie at events like this.

As such, the afternoon of January 15 saw Kyle, Jonas, Jordana, and I heading west toward the continental divide despite ice fog and treacherous roads.  As we drove though the Crowsnest Pass the roads dried up and the fog lifted, and we headed down into Fernie as the sun set.

We arrived at the College of the Rockies to find a surprisingly large (and excited!) group of competitors awaiting the start of the 2016 Boulder Bash.  Once everyone had arrived, the head organizer James Boldt ran through the rules.  The format of the competition was fairly standard, with one major exception; although the bouldering gym at the CotR is a decent size, there is very little space to stand and spectate.  As such, climbers would rotate into the climbing space to try a problem, and then would head back to the holding room (which featured climbing movies, candy, and bottled water - fantastic!).

Trying to get a glimpse of the action at Boulder Bash 2016!

Who are all those bearded boulderers?  Morgan Dunnet, Trent Hoover, and Kyle Marco watching a problem go down at BB 2016.

Although this format made it difficult to warm up properly and limited how much you could watch other climbers climbing, we very much enjoyed the problems and the smooth organisation of the event.  All the organisers and setters - including James Boldt, Patty Villasenor, Brian Wong, Dana and Michelle McMahon, Tanya Foster, and Morgan Dunnet - had done a great job of providing fun problems ranging from V0 to about V8.  The wall at CotR is a nice height (15+ feet), which made for pleasantly heady problems.  Kyle and I matched each other problem-for-problem with only a few exceptions (I did one moderately difficult problem that Kyle didn't dare to try on account of a shallow pocket, and Kyle actually tried the comp's hardest problem whereas I backed away from it (it looked hard!!)).  I almost fell on a hard reach-down-and-match-on-a-sloper move on the hardest problem I sent, but pulled through to the end, buoyed up by the cheers of climbers I had only just met.

After the dust had settled and the scoresheets tallied, the climbers of Lethbridge had represented themselves very well; Kyle and I placed first and second in the Mens Experienced category (I was nominally ahead on points because of the crimpy pocket problem that Kyle hadn't dared try with an injured finger), Jonas had placed second in Men's Intermediate, and Jordana had won the Women's Beginner category. James Boldt passed out the abundant draw prizes to much laughter, and thanked all the competitors and organizers.  Fernie certainly has a fun climbing community, and it was great to have the chance to meet some of them!

Competitor pulling through the steepest part of the bouldering wall at the College of the Rockies at Boulder Bash 2016.

Although climbing comps are dedicated to friendly competition among climbing friends new and old, I would also like to complement Boulder Bash 2016 on having a great range of door prizes as well.  In fact, I won the coolest prize I've ever been awarded in 20+ years of climbing competitions - a "King of the Wall / Boulder Bash 2016" t-shirt.  So if you're ever in Frank Slide, and a guy walks by wearing a gold-and-green "King of the Wall" shirt, don't hesitate to introduce yourself and ask for a spot - I'm always glad to meet new climbers!    

Finally, I'd like to thank Michelle and Dana McMahon for all the photos!  Thanks a bunch!

 Keeping it tight on Problem 48, the hardest problem sent in the competition.

James Boldt, the most cheerful competition organizer in the world!  Congratulations to James and all the volunteers and setters - you did a fantastic job!

2015: The Year in Review

Another year of bouldering has come and gone!  With the exception of the few times I used a rope to clean highballs, 2015 was yet another year of unroped climbing.  I started the year in less-than-ideal shape (courtesy of a semester of University teaching), managed to clean up my act by spring with a couple months of semi-regimented semi-training (which put me back in decent climbing shape that paid off with a great spring season), spent the summer climbing a lot without actually climbing anything very hard, and with the resumption of my winter teaching load, I finished the year essentially where I started; in less than ideal shape.

The vast majority of my climbing days were spent at Frank Slide in southern Alberta, an area which features an ever-increasing number of boulder problems (now 817!) in a vast expanse of limestone blocks.  Over the years, Frank Slide has grown into one of Canada's largest bouldering areas, and is certainly Canada's most expansive limestone bouldering area.  While it lacks the comfortable landings and 'scene' of other more well-established areas, it provides a wide variety of fun technical problems on interesting rock.

I turned 45 in January this year, which would seem to be a milestone (It's my Oldest! Age! Ever!), but I seem to keep plugging along.  My knees have taken a beating over the years, and it takes absolutely forever to warm up, but I'm still having a lot of fun.  In fact, I had one of my best single days of climbing ever this year, so I certainly can't complain!

Since this is a review article, it seems appropriate to hash out the year that has passed in the form of a list.  So, in no particular order, here are the TOP SEVEN happenings in Trent Hoover's Bouldering Universe in 2015!  (Why seven? Not ten?  Tradition, I suppose - it's how things roll here at the Climbing Life!)

1) Being witness to the ongoing rampage of Josh Bylsma!  In terms of resetting the benchmarks for difficulty in Alberta Bouldering, Josh has likely done more than any other single person in the last decade.  In 2015 he sent SWADF Extension (V11 FA), Derailed (V10 FA), The Renaissance (V9 FA), Morgan Dunnet's testpiece Cognitive Dissonance (V10) as well as a multitude of other hard lines that have thwarted almost all other attempts.  Josh also sent the brutally powerful Chain Gang (V11, possibly for the first ascent), a line which is a candidate for the hardest in the province.  When Josh sets his sights on something, it generally gets done; this dedication has transformed Frank Slide from a hard-ish area to one with a number of stout testpieces.  Good luck this year to Josh as he works the Baby Jesus Sit project, which, when completed, will really raise the bar yet again.

Josh B. on the gold-streaked Frank Slide testpiece The Shield (V10).

2) 54 First Ascents this year.  Every year I think the Slide is tapped out, but every year we stumble on new lines that turn out to be a lot of fun.  The Slide continued to provide me with challenges, some of which were amazing lines; problems like The Opposite of Walking (V3), Casper (V3), and Tonic (V3).  Also of importance are the many problems that had first ascents this year by the regular denizens of Frank Slide; Kyle Marco, Mark Derksen, Josh Bylsma, Morgan Dunnet, and Jonas Gagnon.  So many new lines to try in 2016!

3) The problems I almost did, but didn't go back to for one more session to finish... Two problems in particular fall into this category; Slippery Pete (V7/8 in the Heart of Frank Sector) and Telekinesis (V8 in Spiderweb).  Both of these lines are really fun, but really morpho (or so I like to tell myself!).  There's definitely a lesson to be learned here - an important lesson about perseverance and trying your hardest (and also a lesson about getting older and worrying you may never get back to working on your hard project again if you don't get back in shape!).  With a little (lot of?) luck, I'll wrap these lines up in 2016.

Me trying to come to grips with the porcelain-textured rock of Slippery Pete (V7/8).  Next year!

4) Windigo (V5/6), Flexion (V5), and all the 'new school' problems I got on this year.  Like other climbers, I love to pull on a line of holds that head straight up a tall proud rock face.  However, I have a particular affinity for problems that are decidedly non-linear, which require additional problem-solving skills to navigate a line that links a sequence of features that - though weaving across a face in a less-than-obvious manner - permits a successful ascent.  I got on some of these 'new school' problems this year in Frank and was excited by their quality. 'New-school' lines got sent by other climbers as well, including The Purest Line (V7) by Josh Bylsma, and Slippery Pete (V7/8) by Kyle Marco.

Kyle Marco midway through the tricky Windigo (V6), one of many new problems this year!

5) All the fantastic climbers I got to climb with in 2015!  Climbing - especially bouldering - can be a very social activity, and a day of climbing is made that much better when you are with fun people. I climb more with Kyle Marco than anyone else; despite his overly-realistic ;) approach to climbing, he is an amazing guy to climb with, whether for an hour or a week.  My thanks also go out to all the other climbers (new and old!) I climbed a lot with in 2015: Mark Derksen, Jonas Gagnon, Josh Bylsma, Morgan Dunnet, Dan Anhorn, and Mike Donnelly. The climbing world is a lot more interesting when filled with climbers like these!

6) The 2015 Tour de Frank!  The TdF was a success again this year, with about 50 people coming out to enjoy a day of bouldering at Frank Slide (despite less than ideal weather).  The event was held in the Healing / Riverside / Prow area, with the open categories won by Michelle Lee (Women's Open) and Dan Archambault / Mark Derksen (tie for Men's Open).  Everyone seemed to have a great time, and we are planning on another event in fall 2016, this time moving to another sector (likely House / Railway / Frictionary).  Read all about the 2015 TdF here!

Michelle Lee feeling stretched on the reachy Albatross (V5), a Frank Slide classic.  Michelle went on to win the Women's Open in the 2015 TdF.

7) And last, but absolutely not least, is my trip to the Boulderfields!  I've wanted to go the Boulderfields for many years, but it usually takes a lot of incentive to make me drive for longer than 4 hours. This year, Evan's bachelor party / bouldering trip was heading to the Boulderfields with a handful of climbers for a long weekend of climbing, so Kyle and I decided to extend our trip into a week of climbing on the fantastic gneiss blocks of The Boulderfields.  I am incredibly glad that I decided to head west; the BF is one of the best areas in the entire country (and certainly has the best steep bouldering in the country, hands-down!), and I had an amazing time!  Improving my experience even more was the 2015 Rock The Blocks bouldering festival that went off when we were there. This event is largely spearheaded by the energetic Andy White (one of the nicest climbers I've met in the 20+ years I've been bouldering), and involves several of Kelowna's dedicated boulderers (including Jay Duris, another linchpin of Interior BC bouldering and all-round great guy, who took the time to tour me around some of the projects deep in the heart of the Boulderfields Basin).  I climbed many amazing lines in the Boulderfields during my stay, and during the day of RtB I had one of my best days of sending ever, wrapping up a list of problems that included Surf Arete (V7), Ribrageous (V4/5, flash), Full Chub Morning Weezer (V6, flash), Firefly (V5, flash), and Heart of Darkness (V8).  During my trip I also climbed a number of FAs, including the amazing Exhale (V3) and The Bachelor (V3).  So much potential in the area, I'm excited to go back again!

(Top Photo) Hanging out at the amazing Driven Wall at the Boulderfields with Andy White and climbers from across BC at the 2015 RtB, (Bottom photo) Me out of the cave but not yet at the lip on a Boulderfields project.  Such an amazing place for steep climbing, rock with incredible features, seemingly made for climbing!

So that's it!  Here's looking forward to another year of climbing!  What will happen in The Bouldering Life Universe in 2016? I'm looking forward to at least two trips, including one to Red Rocks (in February), and one to the Boulderfields (in June, I hope).  I'd love to go to the Spiral Tunnels Boulders this year as well, and to wrap up some of my projects in The Slide (The Renaissance? Slippery Pete? Deep Six? So many projects!).

I am also definitely looking forward to climbing with my family again this year; Rowan is enjoying climbing more and more each year, and it is exciting to see them experience climbing for the first time(s).

Take care!

Brief Update... on Frank Slide, of course!

Since the dust settled after the Tour de Frank, boulderers have continued to roam the Slide.  Stephan and Aletha have been getting a huge fall season in at the Slide, and the numbers of problems they have worked through is impressive.  Kyle, Mark, and Josh were out in the Heart of Frank Sector last weekend, and put up a handful of new lines, including a new V4 highball (!) by Josh (as yet unnamed).  People should be heading out to the Pass this weekend for some bouldering, so I'm sure projects will get sent!

On October 17th, the 6th Annual Butte Bouldering Bash will take place in the Batholith outside Butte, Montana.  I'm hoping to head down to the granite boulders there for a couple days of bouldering.  Hopefully the weather is good!  You can check out the details HERE.

Finally, due to the continued sendage at the Slide, the un-opened problems that were included on the original 'List of Missing Problems' continues to shrink.  Here is the original list (with the nine additional lines that expand it to 50 problems), with annotations showing the problems that have been sent.  Enjoy!

1. Rumrunner Arete (V5, FA by me, August 2015)
2. Floodwater*
3. Mark of the Beast*
4. In Karst We Trust (V2, FA by JB, which means it is likely a sandbag... )
5. The King in the North (V8, FA by JB, originally called the Wizard Prow Project)
6. Nautilus (V6), FA by Mark D.  Fun compression.
7. March of Time (V9, FA by JB, I've tried it, its brutally hard!)
8. Leviathan (V9+ish, FA by JB, originally called the Seaworld Arete Project)
9. Blessings In Disguise (V8), FA by Josh B.  Originally called the Black Slot Project.
10. Hang 'Em High (V6ish, FA by me, highball that can likely be linked into Wild West)
11. Derailed (V10, FA by JB.  Tough!)
12. Junk Arete* (not sure if this will go anymore after breakage)
13. House Super-Project* (maybe impossible)
14. Apollo 11 (V10, FA by JB, Frank's hardest dyno!)
15. Giant Left
16. Giant Right
17. Baby Giant
18. The Shield (V9+, FA by JB: July 19 2014, big moves, lots of compression)
19. Sunny Corner
20. Fully Fed (V7, FA by JB: July 20 2104, slopey extension to Feed the Need)
21. Evan's Cave
22. The Right Right (V8, FA: July 13 2014. Powerful and subtle with a solid heel hook)
23. Split Left (V9, FA: July 2013 by Morgan D. Powerful moves on edges)
24. Explosive Relaxation (V5), Sept. 2015, by Evan E. The original Split Boulder Prow is probably impossible...
25. Seventy Arete*
26. The Ice Cave (V7, FA: April 21 2014. Amazingly subtle movement on edges and pinches.)
27. Zombotron (V7, first ascent since break by JB)
28. Lupa (V5, FA by JB, but looks really morpho, and much harder for shorter people)
29. White Bulge
30. Beaver Prow
31. Dan's Project*
32. Flying Squirrel* (JB did an easier version of this line)
33. The Bolshevik (V8, FA by JB, has a handful of VERY stout moves)
34. Long Wall Center (done by Mark and Kyle, not sure of the name)
35. Long Wall Right (this was done by Mark and Kyle, I think, not sure of the name)
36. Zeus Cube Right
37. Zeus Cube Left
38. The Blessing (V7, FA: July 13 2014. Great slopers with techy footwork)
39. Sherlock (V7, FA: April 30 2014. Funky prow problem with techy movement)  
40. Graveyard Shift (V6, FA: June 15 2014. Tricky sequential moves on flat edges)
41. The Disease (V5, FA by Evan, I think)

42. The Vanishing
43. White Scar Face
44. Swan Song Project
45. Salty Wind Slab
46. No-Pocket Slab
47. PAL Project
48. Ranch Boulder Projects
49. Stampede Project
50. Trail of Broken Dreams

What Happened at the 2015 Tour de Frank!

Another year of Tour de Frank has come and gone!  While we didn't have great weather (argh!), everyone had a lot of fun, with LOTS of problems getting sent.  It was especially great to see climbers of all ages and skill levels out there, which is really what the Tour de Frank is all about!  Once more, I would like to thank all our sponsors for the event: Awesome Adventures (in Lethbridge), Friction Labs (makers of the finest climbing chalk available), Petzl, Black Diamond, and Flashed Climbing.  A huge shout out goes to Awesome Adventures, they acted as our sponsor coordinator, and did a great job.  If you are shopping for new climbing gear, swing by and talk to them!

The event went very well, and there will be an article describing the TdF appearing in Squamish Climbing Magazine (click HERE to check them out!).  For those of you who don't regularly read SCM, here's an advance version of the article.  Enjoy, and we'll see  you next year at the 2016 TdF!

I moved to Lethbridge just over three years ago.  In that time I have spent well over 100 days bouldering at the sprawl of limestone blocks that is Frank Slide.  The proximity of Lethbridge to the boulders of the Crowsnest Pass is, in fact, one of the reasons I moved to the area, and the days I have spent there have had three important effects.  First, I’m fairly certain that I now qualify as a Frank Slide “local”; in fact, none of the “locals” of the area actually live in the Crowsnest Pass.  Second, it has allowed me to appreciate the unique attributes of bouldering at The Slide, namely crisp movement across smooth and ever-so-slightly sloping edges, relentlessly technical footwork, cryptic sequences, and appreciating the severe and zen-like beauty of the endless expanse of boulders strewn across the Crowsnest Pass.  Third, given that Frank Slide is separated from Lethbridge by 85 minutes of asphalt, I have spent a lot of time piloting my trusty van across the grasslands of Southern Alberta.

Justin pulling on the devious slopers of Energitus (V8), on the Killer Boulder.

Conversations during the drive to the Slide and back are predictably lively.  “What problems should we try? Which sector should we visit?  How much time should we spend on that project from last week?”  One topic of conversation that crops up regularly is ways that we can promote the climbing at The Slide.   Out of one of these discussions was born the Tour de Frank.  Kyle Marco and I envisioned the TdF as a fun-centric bouldering event that would get people out to the Slide for a day of climbing and exploration.  2015 is the second year of the TdF, and this year the event expanded substantially with great support from a number of sponsors (including Awesome Adventures in Lethbridge, as well as Friction Labs, Petzl, Black Diamond, and Flashed Climbing), and a more experienced organisational team.

Dan Archambault from Edmonton above the crowd on Tombstone Right (V5).

The autumn is usually a beautiful time of the year to climb at the Slide, with cottonwood trees blazing yellow and predictably dry and sunny weather.  The day of the Tour de Frank would, unfortunately, be the exception that proves the rule, with intermittent showers and sunny periods throughout the day.  Fortunately, we had free coffee and pastries available for all the competitors, and by 10:45 the crowd had swelled to about 50 visitors eager to see the event start.  After a brief orientation – which included an introduction to the scoring system and handing out of free guides to the area – the horn blew at 11:00 to send everyone out into the Slide for six hours of bouldering!

Kyle delivering the gospel at the 2015 Tour De Frank.

Several climbers took advantage of Kyle’s workshop on ‘Frank Slide Bouldering for Newcomers’, while the rest of the competitors filtered out into the clusters of boulders that comprise the Healing, Riverside, Albatross, Lipsmacker, and Prow Sectors.  Climbers from Lethbridge, Fernie, Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton had made the trip down to the Slide, and it soon became apparent that even occasional showers couldn’t keep them from having a great time.  The usually rough landings of the Slide were subdued by a profusion of bouldering mats, as many of the area’s classic lines fell one by one.  Gold Leaf Slab (V0+), Chicken Little Arete (V2), Healing Arete (V5), Graveyard Shift (V6), Energitus (V8), and Nintendo 69 (V9) all saw many ascents by enthusiastic groups of boulderers.  The late arrival of Josh Bylsma to the event resulted in the first ascent of one of the open projects, the so-called ‘Powerline Project’, for the first time in the two years of the TdF.  Several young climbers from the Lethbridge Junior Climbing Team came to the event, and sent several classic lines with style and authority.

I did a little climbing; here I am reaching for the final hold on Healing Arete (V5).  Thanks Evan E. for the photos!

At 5:00, the horn blew, and climbers converged once again at the main desk to swap stories of the day and await announcements of the winners of each category.  Boxes of draw prizes from our sponsors were handed out to the climbers as the results were tallied, and many climbers were sent home with samples of Friction Labs Chalk to enjoy.  In an impressive effort, Michelle Lee of Calgary won the Women’s Open category, while Dan Archambault (of Edmonton) and Mark Derksen (of Lethbridge) tied to win the Men’s Open.  With the day winding down, Kyle and I thanked everyone for coming out, and watched as tired but satisfied climbers headed back to their cars.  We hope to see everyone back next year for the 2016 Tour de Frank, which will once again challenge climbers… but in an entirely different area of the Slide! 

RESULTS 

Youth Male (11 and under): Kolven Cook

Youth Female (11 and under): Ciara Meadows

Junior Male (12-17): Will Kwan

Junior Female (12-17): Aspen Cook, Lauren Kwan, Myla Sept (tie)

Beginner Male: Dain Galts

Beginner Female: Morgan Lupka

Intermediate Male: Dan Anhorn

Intermediate Female: n/a

Open Male: Dan Archambault, Mark Derksen (tie)

Open Female: Michelle Lee

Tour de Frank: Waiver for Junior and Youth Competitors

Hello!  The day of the TdF is coming soon!  It occurred to us today that there might be a few youth competitors who are coming to the Tour de Frank with their friends, but without their parents. 

For most competitors, you don't have to worry about registering or signing a waiver ahead of time, but if you are 18 or under, AND your parent(s) will NOT be at the TdF with you, have your parents fill out and sign the standard event waiver (click HERE for a copy of the waiver), and bring it with you.

If you are over 18, OR are under 18 and will be accompanied by a parent, you don't have to do anything in advance.  Just find us at the main table and signup before 10:45 on Saturday!

Cheers!

Tour de Frank Information Package!

We're looking forward to seeing you on the weekend!  If you are excited to make your way down to Frank Slide for the 2015 Tour de Frank, here's all the information you will need to find the area, find parking, and find us!  Things will slowly get rolling at 10:00, with orientation at 10:45, and the event starting at 11:00.  If you're a bit late, don't worry - there should be someone at (or near) the table throughout the day.

Click below for more information! 

Tour de Frank Information Package

A PDF of the information package is here...

Tour de Frank Information Package PDF

If you want a little more information about the various sectors of the Slide, or want a nice map to help you find the Healing Sector (where most of the problems in the event are located), check out the Sector map here...

Frank Slide Sector Map

See you Saturday!

2015 Tour de Frank... in two weeks!

It's that time of the year again!  In just a few weeks, the 2015 Tour de Frank will kick off for a fantastic day of bouldering, and getting out to sample the problems of Canada's Greatest Limestone Bouldering Area!  We've got a great problem list worked out for this year, and with a new lineup of sponsors we're looking forward to a great event!

The full information package will be online in a few days, so check back to read all the details about this year's Tour de Frank.  We'd like to especially thank Awesome Adventures (click here for a link to their website) for all their help with sponsors this year.  It should be a great event, so save the date, and plan on heading down to The Slide for a day of bouldering!

If  you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me via Facebook (either message me or post a question on the 2015 Tour de Frank Event Page).

Cheers!