Frank Slide's Top 50!

The last twelve months have been busy at Frank Slide!  Over 100 new problems have been opened at the area, landings have improved, and new areas have seen substantial development.  As such, it is time to update the Top 50 Problems in Frank Slide list!  This list is based on my experiences, the experiences of other 'Frank Slide locals', and the consensus ratings on Sendage.com.  I have made an effort to include problems that have had multiple ascents (to avoid the biases of individuals), and I have avoided including any problems that are absurdly tall (e.g. Jolly Green Giant (V0+)), are contrived or are eliminates, or are very hard to locate.  With over 700 problems to choose from, this list was difficult to compile, but I think the effort was worth it; all 50 problems on this list are fantastic, and well worth the effort to find and send.  I hope you enjoy the problems on this list!

If you disagree with any of the problems on this list, or want to propose a more worthwhile problem at any of the grade ranges, feel free to contact me.  If you can provide a strong enough argument for a substitution, I am willing to make the change!

Me on the fantastic Pamela Anderson (V4), one of the several new problems to make the list.

V0
The best easy problems in Frank Slide are often slabs, although two of the top five easy problems are vertical to slightly overhanging.  Railway Slab (V0) is a standout line, with a nice height and interesting features.

1. Railway Slab (House) Absolutely fun (and tall) slab with great features.
2. Crack Attack (Healing) Easy and fun arete.
3. Gold Leaf Slab (Healing) Cool slab on great rock.
4. Coalbanks Revolution (The Prow) Fun!
5. Easy Healing (Healing) Nice and high, with a slightly tricky crux.

V1
Generally speaking, Frank Slide limestone produces very technical problems.  Even the relatively easy problems are somewhat tricky, but very rewarding to climb. Enjoy!

6. Helping Hands (Karst) Techy, but amazing movement once you figure it out.
7. Scarleg (Healing) A very fun arete.
8. Cottonwood Road (Healing) Steep rails.
9. Killer Ss (Healing) A fun technical line, with a great landing.
10 High Noon (Healing) Great easy highball with amazing movement.

V2
The technically-demanding features of Frank Slide limestone really start to shine at this grade.  All five of these lines are worth tracking down!

11. Bearhug (Riverside) A great-looking compression feature, not to be underestimated!
12. Overdue (Karst) Highball on flat (but hard to read) edges.
13. Little Hulkamaniac (Hulkamaniac) Another great highball!
14. Four-Inch Pinch (House) Steep, with fun holds.
15. Monorail (Spiderweb Left) Tricky, and powerful for a slab.

V3
Getting harder!  There are many fantastic lines at this grade, you won't be disappointed with these!

16. Evil Eye (House) Techy highball arete.
17. Phantom (Hulkamaniac) Amazing movement, very cool holds, dabby landing.
18. Chicken Little Arete (Riverside) A great, technical arete.
19. Gunslinger (House) Steep crack/rail climbing on the infamous Railway Boulder. 
20. Tonic (Healing) Fun compression line in a shady forested setting.

V4
It was a bit tough reducing this category to just five problems, as there are many great problems at this grade.  It is fortunate that Frank Slide has so many moderate problems; V4 is a very accessible 'project grade' for many climbers, and a nice grade for experienced climbers to onsight!

21. Tesseract (The Farm) Great movement, and a bit unusual for Frank.  Low in the grade.
22. Shutdown (Albatross) Classic mini-cave problem, also a bit low in the grade.
23. Black Peter (The Farm) Nice height, nice moves, hard first two moves.
24. Pamela Anderson (Heart of Frank) New line, tall and crimpy, very cool.
25. Killer Bees (Healing) Fun and balancy, on great rock.

V5
Frank Slide really starts to produce some amazing problems in this part of the grade range.  V5-V7 are likely the best grades in terms of quality of movement at the Slide, and these five problems are no exception; all of these problems would be standouts at any area in Canada.  Problems that should be included on this list are the amazing slab Frankenstein (V5), the tall Snare of the Fowler (V4/5), and the lip-to-prow problem Feed the Need (V5).

26. Sunspot (House) Great compression line on good rock.
27. Wild West (House) Steep start, hard lip encounter, techy finish.
28. Aftermath (House) Great holds, nice height!
29. Flexion (City of Giants) Great start, great finish, steep angled arete.
30. Healing Arete (Healing) A classic roof, with a tricky arete finish.

V6
This grade range is fantastic at Frank Slide, so if you are looking for quality V6ish projects, you won't be disappointed.  All five of these problems are incredibly fun, and satisfying.  The steep and powerful Tomb Raider (V6) isn't on this list, or the tricky Prodigal Son (V6), but they could be!

31. The Communist (House) One of Frank Slide's best.  Maybe a bit of a sandbag at V6.
32. Submarine (Riverside) Fun arete in an amazing setting.
33. Indian Tacos (Olympus) Very technical lip problem high above the Slide.
34. Man of Science, Man of Faith (The Farm) Fun powerful line, easy for the grade.
35. Relentless (Healing) Long, powerful moves.

V7
On of the best grades to climb at Frank Slide.  There are many amazing V7s in Frank Slide to choose from (36+), especially compared to the number of harder problems (22 V8s, 10 V9s, and 11 V10s).  The very cool Breathing Underwater (V7), Evan's Seven (V7), and Paleofit (V7) all could have been included here.

36. The Evangelist (House) Very technical climbing on perfect rock.
37. Lord of the Flies (Olympus) Way (!) up the mountain, one of the highest.
38. The Blessing (Karst) Slopers on perfect rock.
39. The Ice Cave (Healing) Crimps to a tricky arete.
40. Fender (Snakebite) Cryptic! Figure it out if you can.

V8
Getting stiffer!  All five of these lines are fantastic.  There is a great diversity of V8s in Frank Slide; these five problems include steep crimpy lines, sloping rising traverses, roof problems, and techy highballs.  Enjoy!

41. Nintendo 69 (Healing) Frankly, a sandbag at V8, but one of Frank's steepest lines.
42. The Right Right (Karst) Crisp movement on edges, a great testpiece in the Karst area.
43. King in the North (Karst) Highball!  Amazingly sculpted rock.
44. Rising Tithes (Wind War) The classic lip of the area!
45. Energitus (Healing) Great holds, resistance-oriented rising traverse.

V9 and Harder
There is a growing number of hard lines at Frank Slide, and these five problems represent some of the area's hardest and best.  All are worthy projects!

46. The Renaissance (V9, Spiderweb) A savage first move leads to a techy finish.
47. Split Left (V9, Karst) Devious climbing on small edges,
48. Railway (V10, House) Frank's original testpiece, steep climbing on edges.
49. Apollo 11 (V10, Frictionary) Jump!
50. The Shield (V10, City of Giants) Reachy and powerful!

The Slide that Keeps on Giving

On Saturday, Kyle and I headed out to the Slide, with the goal of exploring the western-most end of the area; namely, the Railway and Heart of Frank sectors.  I thought that perhaps we would have time to hit up a couple of areas, try a handful of projects.  Kyle thought otherwise, noting that the best-laid plans at Frank often go awry when the exploration bug sets in.  His words would prove prophetic.

We hiked up to the ridge above Railway, where a small collection of boulders sit atop a relatively sharp ridge of talus.  We wanted to try the problems on one boulder in particular, a nice-sized block with a long overhanging face, and good landings.  The catch?  The boulder is topped by gravel, which had made topping out on the block unpleasant.  Kyle had put some effort in years ago to clean off the topout, and I contributed another hour or so to cleaning up the mantle on the boulder.  It eventually became a lot better (though still not ideal), and so if you are in the area feel free to bring a brush (or broom) and do a little sweeping!

We spent some time cleaning up the boulder (and working on the landing a bit), then proceeded to climb all the lines on the boulder.  Coincidentally, the easiest line was on the right side of the face, and every problem that we encountered as we moved left across the face was a bit harder, with the two most difficult lines on the far left (and steepest) prow.  Approximately, the lines were V1, V1/2, V2, V3, with the final two lines in the V5(ish) range.  The final two problems - a line that climbed out a short roof to a hanging dihedral (likely calling it Eclipse) and another that compressed up a great double-arete feature - were both stellar!  It seems likely that the first line hadn't been done before, and likely that second one had (it is a very obvious line, and Kyle remembers seeing chalk on it years ago).

I am always impressed that there are still new lines to climb, even though I have climbed at the Slide for well over a hundred days since moving to Southern Alberta three years ago. Just when I start to think I've climbed and/or seen everything, I jump on a line that is new to me, and find a fantastic gem.  The V5ish compression line that we climbed is a good case in point; I've looked at the boulder before but never tried anything on it.  When I finally climbed the problem, I was surprised to find one of the best V5s in the entire area!     

Kyle on the third move of the amazing squeeze/arete problem on the ridge above the Railway Cave.  If you are an aspiring V5 or V6 climber, it is well worth the trip up to the ridge; the problem is one of Frank Slide's best at that level of difficulty!

Just as we finished all the lines, Mark D came up to the ridge to climb with us for the remainder of the day.  He warmed up on the easier lines on the face, and almost onsighted both of the V5s in an impressive effort.  We then moved on to the next cluster of boulders on the ridge, but were disappointed to find that the problems there were of low quality.

Kyle setting up for the punchy last move of the compression/arete line.  Allez!

By this time it was very late in the afternoon, and we decided to head down to the Railway Cave to try the long left-hand arete that forms the lip of the cave.  Starting on the farthest left side of the cave, we tried to climb the long and undulating arete all the way to the finishing jugs of Railway - a distance of probably 15+ feet!  After four tries, I managed to link the entire problem (getting savagely pumped each attempt), and although he put in a valiant effort over an hour or so, Mark was unable to send the problem.  Kyle almost tried the problem, but was feeling too sleepy... :)  Regardless, another brilliant, fun line (with the bonus of being nice and high) probably in the V5 or low-end V6 range.  I'm planning on calling it Hang 'Em High.  The real prize (and enduro-fest) remains, however, which is a possible linkup of Wild West (V5) into Hang 'Em High, a problem with almost 20 feet of climbing, and more than 15 moves.  Yikes! 

I have finally made a dent in my 'Summer 2015' project list, since both the compression problem and Hang 'Em High were on the list of 10 problems.  Lots of climbing left, though - time to get busy!

Until next time!

The Tesseract

Summer continues apace here in Southern Alberta.  The weather has been hot and dry (perhaps more suited for water sports), and last Sunday was no exception (though it was perhaps only 25C).  Excited to get out bouldering, I bought a coffee and drove out to Frank Slide to find some boulders to put some chalk on.

I met up with Mark D, who was staying in the Crowsnest Pass, and after some discussion we headed into the Hulkamaniac Area to find some problems to climb.  I really wanted to try Leviathan (V9), but Mark D was more interested in finding new problems, so we cleaned and put up a half-dozen problems on the vertical sides of the Leviathan Boulder, including the fun Hippopotamus (V1) and a fun V2ish (harder?) dyno called Kmart Special.

I wanted to try Rise of The Pheonix (V5), a very cool problem I had failed on (badly!) in the past.  It pulls out of a little roof and uses leg compression to move up an overhanging face on good incut holds.  I was happy that it only took me a few tries to wrap up.  I added another line to the left of it (starting on a low right-hand edge and an incut sloper on the lip of the boulder) that I called Ash of the Pheonix (V4), which was very fun.

New, fun, but somewhat short new Mark D arete problem in the Hullkamaniac Area.  Look at the landing that Mark filled in with rocks, then mats... (Thanks to Mark D for the photos!)

We really wanted to do something new, and it was starting to get a bit late, so I suggested that we drive over and try the 'cube' project in the Farm Sector.  It sits right above the road, and looks a lot like a huge slightly tilted cube. Even though it looks fierce, it went surprisingly quickly, and was only about V4. It is an amazing (!) problem though (I called it Tesseract), with fun arete-wrapping moves and nice holds.  One of my favorite V4s at the Slide!

The amazingly fun Tesseract (V4ish) on the east end of the Slide.  Very cool movement!

On the way home, I stopped for an hour and walked into a canyon I was always curious about; I hope it will hold ice climbs in the winter.  I did find a nicely sized waterfall, though I suspect that when it freezes it will be fairly slabby / highly featured.  Still worth checking out come winter, though!

Time to get back to projects, though!  I haven't really made any progress on my list of summer projects, and it is time to bear down and get serious! 

A photo of the very fun Pamela Anderson (V4) from last weekend!  It is interesting that three of the best V4s in the Slide were put up in the last several months; Black Peter, Tesseract, and Pamela Anderson.  Would be a fun trifecta of problems to do in a day; or maybe as part of a 'Top 10 V4s in Frank Slide in a Day' day of climbing. 

Finally, I would like to tell everyone that Awesome Adventures (in Lethbridge) is now carrying Lapis Brushes, which are pretty much the best bouldering/climbing brush you can buy.  If you need a brush, swing in and pick one up!

Until next time!

Back in the (Frank) Saddle!

I have to confess; my first week back at home after my trip to the Boulderfields wasn't pretty.  My skin was a bit thrashed, but my knees had taken a beating and were very sore for several days.  More importantly, though, I was really hungry... all the time.  I ate (a lot), and an unfortunately large proportion of what I was eating seemed to be ice cream and potato chips.  I seem to have reined in  my binge, though, and now it is time to get back to climbing and training!

Yesterday, Mark, Kyle, and I headed out to Frank Slide.  As always, choosing a sector to climb in created a bit of discussion, but I was keen to head into and climb in the Heart of Frank Sector.  Beyond a handful of sessions on and around the Mushroom Boulder, I have never climbed much in the HoF, and I felt that a little exploration was overdue.

Arriving at the Slide, we packed up and marched into the Slide.  The HoF is fairly close to the Interpretive Center, and as we walked in (and throughout the day) we could hear people (especially children) talking and laughing at the Interpretive Center.  Sound carries well down the hill from the viewing platform there, it seems.

What is better than a cool summer day and new projects?  New lines in the Heart of Frank.

We spend some time looking at new lines, then settled into the business of cleaning new problems and warming up (two activities which seem to go very well together, in my opinion).  We also wanted to try the David Hasselhof Project, a tall bulging wall above a deep cave near the Mushroom Boulder; Mark and I had spent a lot of time cleaning it last year, but had never come back to try it.  We warmed up by climbing four short slab problems (one of which seemed quite hard to me!), and then briefly worked and climbed two new arete problems on the backside of a nice block of very smooth (and very white!) 'porcelain stone'.  We don't have names for the new problems yet, but I'll post them when I have them.

Me on a new V6ish arete in the Heart of Frank.  No name yet, but a very cool line!

Kyle then came over and showed off his skill (skillz?) in an impressive flash of the harder of the two arete problems.  Sufficiently warm, we moved over to try a steep arete/prow problem I had spotted and cleaned earlier; a sit-start on an opposing sloper and edge led to a very cool sequence of slopers and pinches up a short prow.  For the first 20 minutes (or so) I was fairly perplexed by the line, but once I had figured out how to keep my feet engaged while moving my hands between the blunt holds, I managed to do it quickly.  I was curious to see  how Mark and Kyle would do on it, and wondered if they could flash it, but while they both had great first attempts on the line it took them several attempts to do it.  The problem is about V6, has great movement, and is a great addition to the HoF area.

 

Mark D. on the new V6ish sloper/arete line in the Heart of Frank.  Reminded me a lot of the first half of Wormworld Low in Squamish.

After that, we moved on to the 'David Hasselhoff' Project.  I *think* we originally started calling it that because the bulging cave is situated above a huge flat boulder which I once compared to a beach; this lead to discussions of beaches, then to Baywatch, and inevitably to David Hasselhoff.  Jokingly I started referring to the best-looking line on the face as the David Hasselhoff Project.  Although the face looks amazing at first glance, the rock quality to the left and right of the project (which has solid rock) isn't that great.  In the end, we found that the 'Project' in fact was two lines, starting on the same holds; a version that goes up and right, the other going up and left.  The left version is a bit harder, but both feature good edges up through a tall bulging wall.  Very fun!  We spent some time working on the low start to the 'Projects', but the low start will add several very hard moves to the problem, and as such will take a lot of work.

Me on the fun and edgy Hasselhoff Left problem (V4ish).  If the one line is called David Hasselhoff, shouldn't this line be called Pamela Anderson?  Regardless, a very cool line up on good edges through a bulge, like a slightly easier version of Aftermath (V5) lower in the Slide.

We did a handful of other lines on the wall as well; Mark and Kyle did a line that involves a long move to a jug at the lip, and I did a problem that started on the same holds but veered right to the end of The Hoff.  Satisfied with our work in the 'Beach Cave', we shuffled the mats to try one more project at the end of the day.  I had tried the problem - a series of angled rails that lead to an arete - last year, but was baffled by the incredibly smooth rock (!) on the problem and a very cryptic sequence.  This time, I was able to work the line with Mark and Kyle, and although we made progress, the problem didn't get sent.  In fact, I'm not even sure that we deciphered a workable sequence, although not long before we left I managed to do a couple of the moves that I had previously been unable to manage.  Maybe there is hope yet!

Kyle on the new Derksen/Marco dynamic problem at The Beach Cave Boulder; might be called Decay (V4 or 5).

By this point, our skin was getting thin, so we packed up and headed out of the Slide.  I grabbed a coffee and an ice cream at the gas station, and turned the van eastward, our backs to the setting sun.  Another satisfying day at the Slide! 

POST SCRIPT:  The drive to the Crowsnest Pass provides time for a lot of discussion of many issues, and as you might imagine, many of the topics are climbing-themed.  On the drive back, we contrasted the climbing in The Boulderfields with that of Frank Slide.  It seems to me that the climbing in the Boulderfields is incredibly fun, with lots of big holds and steep faces.  However, I admit that I am drawn to the technical and cryptic climbing of Frank Slide, and especially enjoy the challenge of deciphering the sequences needed to succeed at the Slide.  Both areas are a lot of fun, but you can certainly learn a lot about climbing at The Slide!

Until next time!

Boulderfields! (Part 2)

Saturday, the day of the 2015 Rock the Blocs, dawned warm and sunny.  The competition wasn't due to start until mid-morning, but with so much energy at the campsite/parking lot everyone was up and about early.  There was ample time to find old friends, and meet new ones.  Mark Derksen and Ryan Frecka (from Lethbridge and Edmonton, respectively) were also in for Rock the Blocs, and I was looking forward to the chance to climb with them.  Slowly, the parking lot filled up as more and more climbers arrived, and I had a chance to catch up with Andy White before the competition started.  He's done an amazing job of organizing and running RtB, and it was great to have the chance to talk to him about development in the Boulderfields, and how the RtB has evolved.

By 9:30 or so, the competitors had gathered at the trail head to register, get a scorecard, and hear Andy describe the format of the competition.  With the formalities soon out of the way, the horn blew, and all 150+ climbers streamed down the path to the basin, with seven hours to climb as many problems as they wanted.  The hardest five problems climbed by each competitor would count toward their total score for the day.  One great feature of RtB are the guides (each wearing a crisp red shirt with the word 'GUIDE' inscribed on the front); without these volunteers, finding the problems on the scorecard would be a lot more confusing, especially for the out-of-town climbers.

Andy White going over the rules for the 2015 Rock the Blocs.  A great event with great organisation; over 160 climbers participated!  



I was a bit late getting down the path, and as much as I was looking forward to climbing with the folks from Alberta, I immediately lost sight of almost everyone I knew.  Luckily, being social is part of the fun in a festival of this type, so I headed out to climb some problems and meet new people!  I ran into Ryan Frecka almost immediately, and because he was psyched to head down to a problem called Cave Dweller (V4/5), I joined him to check it out.  This was a great decision, as I followed him about for a bit, and joined the crowds on several of the problems in the Cave Dweller area.  The Cave Dweller boulders are pleasantly shaded, and host a number of fantastic lines.  I managed to flash Cave Dweller, Ribrageous (V5), and the tough Fun in Acapulco (V4).  As much fun as I was having in the area, I really wanted to check out some of the other problems deeper in the basin, and flagged down Jay for a tour of the Serenity Boulder and the classic Baby Chthulu (V7), a cool-looking line hidden far in the 'Fields.  Jay was excited to show me some of these new lines, and as there was no one at Baby Chthulu (it takes lots of pads), we wandered back to try some of the problems on the Serenity Boulder.

Evan trying Baby Chthulu (V7) prior to his send (day after the comp).  Nice work Evan!

The Serenity Boulder is a classic block of gneiss; a tall and slightly overhanging face criss-crossed with incut rails and edges, and topped with sloping ledges.  I joined the group working Heart of Darkness (V8), a fantastic line which pulls out of a cave on the left side of the face into a series of thin edges and toothy pockets.  After failing a few times on the line (though I made a valiant effort!), I set about to decipher the sequence of moves that pull through the edges to the top of the boulder.  Also working the problem was Trevor Edwards (from the Fraser Valley), who was making the incut edges look casual.  The crux of the problem is a long move between slots in the middle of the face; fortunately, I was able to use a crimpy intermediate to pull my center of gravity high before doing the crux move.  After a short time spent unlocking an efficient sequence from the crux to the top of the problem, I managed to squeak through for the send.  A fantastic five-star line!

Climbers on and around the tall (and committing) Fun in Acapulco (V4).

After sending Heart of Darkness, I took a bit of a break and watched people climbing Firefly (V5?) to the right of HoD.  Getting psyched by the great movement, I pulled on my shoes and was excited to flash it; another great line!  By now, however, I was aware that I hadn't seen any of the Alberta crew (except Ryan) for a few hours, so I headed back up the hill.  Walking up through the Dark Prince sector I managed to find an Albertan... Ryan Frecka again!  I joined him, and did Dark Prince (V5) again for my scorecard.  I definitely enjoyed it more the second time!

The impressive (!) Driven wall, hidden in the labyrinth of the Boulderfields.

Certain that I would find Kyle, Mark, or one of the Albertans higher up in the area, I headed back to the Surf Boulder.  Instead of Albertans, I found a crew of fun climbers from Revelstoke (sorry I forget your names, folks!) working Surf Arete (V7/8) and Surf's Up (V6).  I had a great time climbing and talking with them, and managed to add both lines to my scorecard in the process.  By now my scorecard was looking pretty solid for an old guy, with V8, V8, V6, V5, V5.  Still looking for Kyle, Evan, Mark, Reg, Josh, Adam, Ernie, etc., I headed up to the F1 Boulder, one of the first blocks at the bottom of the stairs.  Finally, I found Evan (and Ryan Frecka again!), and we both did Full Chub Morning Weezer (V6) really quickly.  I managed to flash FCMW, which was a nice way to end the day!

One of the fun and friendly Revelstoke posse on Surf Arete (V8).

As the clock wound down toward the end of the competition, Kyle and a handful of Albertans finally arrived at the F1 Boulder (along with several dozen other tired climbers!).  We spent a few minutes working V-Power (V7ish), but with just a few minutes remaining I didn't manage the send before the horn blew.  A long line of sweaty boulderers headed up the steps and back to the parking lot, curious to see how they stacked up against their friends and to find out who had won.

I can't remember who won all the categories. I do remember that Miles Adamson won Open Men's (with 39 Vpoints, I think, congrats to Miles!), and the clearly-talented Staci White won Open Women's.  I finished the day with 33 Vpoints, and while I don't know exactly how I placed, I was satisfied that I had represented the Frank Slide crew with distinction.  Plus, I had an amazing time!  (I also won a locking carabiner and a belay device!  Andy (and presumably the other volunteers) did a great job lining up door prizes and raffle prizes!)

Reg highballing on the Surf Boulder.  Yet another great line with beautiful incut edges! (Note: Huge thanks to Evan for several of the photos in my posts about the Boulderfields!)

The after-party was shaping up nicely, but then thundershowers moved in and people either headed for the fire or their cars.  The Albertans were hungry, though, and without many options we piled into a couple of cars and headed into Kelowna for hamburgers at a pub.  After dinner, I felt exhausted, and was glad to head back up to the 'Fields and find my sleeping bag.

Sunday dawned warm and sunny... again!  I was keen to get back to finding new problems, and had especially set my line on a highball (!) left of Nerf Roof.  The line looked about 25 feet tall, but when I rapped off it and started scrubbing it I realized that the last three moves of the line were comprised of delicate moves on small edges - not exactly the way I want a leg-breaking highball to end!  I spent about an hour cleaning the line, but after giving it some serious consideration I decided that it was best left for another visit to the basin (one where I had more time to sit, stare, and gather my courage!).  Instead, I put a toprope on an easier but very cool line nearby; a good start on a sloping rail led to a few tricky moves though a bulge, and an easier slabby face above.  Satisfied with the quality of the line, I called it Via Rail (V2/3), a great addition to the area.  I realized I could easily add another line to the boulder; by starting on Via Rail, I could continue traversing a few moves up and left after the start of the problem, then using an amazing underclinging pocket to do a huge move to a jug the problem could trend back right a bit to finish on the same prow as Via Rail.  I put my shoes back on and did that problem as well, calling it Exhale (V3/4?).  Really a fantastic line, a great companion to the other steep problems at the Surf Roof nearby.

After doing a few more moderate problems in the area, we packed up and headed back down to the amazing Baby Chthulu.  Kyle had almost sent it during the comp, and was eager to send it.  We ended up trying the problem with a handful of great guys from The Hive in Vancouver, who all seemed very fit.  Kyle sent the line in just a few tries, and one of The Hive crew (sorry, can't remember his name!) did it in just a few tries.  I worked the problem for a looong time, but kept getting disoriented by the steepness of the roof. I didn't find any of the moves particularly hard, but simply kept losing track of where I was on the roof.  It's a cool line, but not for me I guess!

By the following day, my fingers were feeling thrashed, so Kyle and I headed into Kelowna for breakfast at IHOP with several of the Albertan climbers.  Most of the crew headed back to Alberta after breakfast, but since Kyle and I were in town for a few more days we walked around town (crazy posh!) and went swimming.  By the next morning, Kyle and I still felt a bit beat up (especially our knees; 20 years of bouldering is hard on you...), but headed back into the basin to sample more of the quality gneiss lines.  We did a few moderate problems on the F1 Boulder, but by this point in the trip, Kyle's knees were giving up.  He was content to sit and read for the rest of the day, so I decided to work on a new problem down in the basin in the Dominator Area.

Ernie on a nice arete in the Chthulu area.  Lots of untapped potential deep in the basin!

I had tried the line for about an hour earlier in the trip, and had had a lot of fun trying to decipher the movement.  The problem started on two underclings, and then had moved up a blunt (and very steep!) arete to a VERY cool ending somewhat reminiscent of the funky last moves of Wormworld Cave in Squamish.  I carried mats down the hill and set up beneath the project to figure out the moves.  A tricky toehook could be used to gain the arete, but from there the only option was (seemed to be?) to use a toehook on the blunt starting undercling to stay sufficiently tight to the roof to climb the arete.  Once matched on the lip on the arete, I could climb the final five moves to the lip of the boulder (a kneebar/scum is critical!).  Despite all my work to find the most efficient method of climbing through the roof/arete, I couldn't quite manage to send the line.  I could do the first 4 moves (to the lip of the roof), and the last 5 moves (to the lip of the boulder), but the one move in the middle (which mostly involves keeping a lot of body tension to move my feet) I could never manage to do consistently.  I was a little bummed not to send the line, but really happy to spend time working out the moves on such a cool problem.

Exiting the cave on the 'Dominatrix' project.  Fun!

Kyle and I planned to leave the Boulderfields midmorning the next day, so when I woke up the next day I decided to head down into the basin for one more session on the project.  I strapped a stack of pads together and headed down the stairs one more time.  I warmed up on Exhale and the other problems nearby, and then marched down the hill into the Dominator Area.  I worked my project for another hour or so, but to no avail; I could never quite manage to make the critical toehook stay long enough to match the arete at the lip.  I'll be back next year... after training toehook power!   It was a great experience to work such a cool line (which I already refer to as 'Dominatrix', since it's in the Dominator Area, and requires a lot of 'tricks'...); it seems likely that it's in the V9 range, maybe a bit easier, maybe a bit harder.

The beautiful (and posh) downtown foreshore of Kelowna.  A great place to be a dirtbag climber!  Swimming and cafes!  Public art!

A little disappointed, but still quite satisfied with my attempts, I packed up the pads, marched up the hill, dismantled my tent, and headed into Kelowna for breakfast at IHOP with Kyle before beginning the long drive back to Lethbridge.

"So," you might ask, "what are your final impressions of the area?" 

First, the Boulderfields is an amazing area, especially if you like steep climbing.  I suspect that the 'Fields probably holds 3000+ potential problems, with hundreds of those lines being very steep.  It will take a lot of work to develop the 'Fields; the rock is often dirty and/or lichen covered, and landings will need to be built for many of the lines deep in the basin where the landings are blocky and uneven.  Undoubtedly, however, the basin will eventually rival Squamish as a bouldering destination.

Second, much work needs to be done to preserve the area.  The basin is a beautiful place, but many times I saw climbers milling around offtrail, trundling rocks, and mashing vegetation.  Given the dry climate, regrowth of moss, shrubs, and grass will be very slow, and thus a lot of investment in trail building is needed.  Andy, Jay, and many others have clearly put in a HUGE amount of time to developing trails, but if you go the area stay on the trails, respect the environment, and ask Andy or Jay how you can help to build the trail network there.

Third, the climbing community in the Okanagan is very welcoming!  We had a great time meeting new people, and interacting with Andy, Jay, Garrett, Grizzly Adam, and the many fun people who came out for the RtB made our trip even better.

Fourth, the quality of the problems is very high, and the holds are generally big and positive.  Most of the landings are OK, and are generally accessible with two or three mats and a competent spotter.  It can be hot in the basin, but it is always easy to find something in the shade.

So, I'll be back for next year's RtB, hopefully!  What does the rest of this summer hold for me, climbing-wise?  Lots of projects at Frank Slide, and with a little luck a trip to Lolo Pass (the granite there looks sweet!) and some deepwater soloing in Lake Koocanusa.

Until next time!

Kyle enjoying the amenities of downtown Kelowna.  A little slice of LA right here in Canada...

Boulderfields! (Part 1)

Many years ago, when I lived in Northern British Columbia, I picked up a copy of Lyle Knight's guide to the rock climbs of interior BC.  Intriguingly, one of the areas in Southern BC was named 'The Boulderfields', and the guide described the dozens of sport climbs at the area. 

"What an unfortunate name for a sport climbing area," I would think. "It's too bad that it isn't actually a bouldering area."

How things have changed in the last 20 years!

Today, the number of cleaned and climbed problems is rapidly growing, and the vast maze of gneiss blocks that is the Boulderfields is emerging as one of Canada's most important bouldering areas.  Due to the dedicated efforts of climbers such as Andy White and Jason Duris, there are over 800 problems in the Boulderfields, with potential for thousands more.  For the last two years I have heard a lot about the quality of the rock and the problems in the Boulderfields Basin, and the 2015 Rock the Blocs Festival provided the perfect excuse for me to pack up the van and head west to check it out!

The Rock the Blocs Festival is organised by Andy White, with input from several other climbers in the Kelowna area.  It is a two-day bouldering festival; the first day is dedicated to an outdoor climbing competition, and the second day to clinics.  Kyle and I organise a similar (though smaller) festival in Frank Slide (the Tour de Frank), and we were curious to see how Andy managed the RtB.

I have never felt that two days is sufficient to sample the problems at a new area, so Kyle and I planned to stay at the Boulderfields for about a week (with six days of climbing if everything worked out).  We left Lethbridge in mid-morning, armed with coffee and snacks for the long drive.  I really wanted to check out the Cathedral Ledges Boulders on the way through Yoho National Park, so we stopped briefly for a bit of a recon mission through the blocks there. 

A few of the blocks of the Cathedral Ledges Area in Yoho.  I think I should pay them a more serious visit!

Finally we arrived in Kelowna, and began the long and steep drive up a logging road to the Boulderfields.  Although the road is rough, I managed it just fine in my surprisingly trusty minivan.  After scouting about for suitable camping spots, we pitched our tents and went to sleep, psyched for the following days of climbing.

The Boulderfields basin!  Almost a square km of thousands of boulders...

Unlike most other climbing areas in North America, the Boulderfields are neither a talus slope nor eroded batholith.  From what I gather, the Boulderfields basin is essentially a huge collapsed basin resulting from subterranean erosion.  As such, it looks like a huge (about 700 x 700 m) shallow sinkhole.  Because the blocks didn't tumble, they neither broke up nor settled; the boulders are uniformly large-ish (perfect for climbing on) and often overhanging (also perfect for climbing).  I don't think I've been to area with so much steep climbing (much of it undeveloped).  In our first day of climbing, Kyle and I sampled many of the area's classic lines, such as The Chipper (V1), Ladybug Strikes Back (V2), and Surf's Up (V6).  Eventually we ended up at the Dark Prince Boulder, where I was happy to flash Dark Prince (V5), and eventually (with a lot of effort!) climb Dark Prince Ultra Right (V7).  A great first day!

Kyle on one of the four problems on the Ladybug boulder.  Big juggy slopers = fun!

Sloping holds are relatively rare at the Boulderfields, with most problems featuring a combination of incut edges and pinches.  The technically-demanding problems of Frank Slide really prepared me well for the problems of Kelowna; the movement is somewhat similar at the two areas, but the smoother holds of Frank demand better lower-body movement and body tension.  There are a lot of very sculpted holds at the 'Fields, and many problems feature funky pockets, rounded blobs, and incut flakes in addition to edges and pinches.  Steep faces + cool holds + great movement = amazing climbing!

Kyle and I were soon joined by several other climbers from Alberta.  Kyle's good friend Evan was combining his bachelor party with a climbing trip, and was accompanied by several of his climbing friends from Calgary and Edmonton, including Josh, Reg, Adam, and Ernie (all very fun guys!).  They rolled into the parking lot of the 'Fields in the late evening, and after getting Josh's jeep stuck (then trying to get it unstuck, then ultimately giving up), they unpacked their tents and went to sleep.

The following morning (Thursday) we headed down into the Fields.  With so much untouched rock, I was keen to scrub some new lines during my stay.  While the Alberta crew warmed up, I checked out the potential.  Very close to the Surf Boulder I had spied an untouched boulder right beside the trail, which formed a bit of an alcove where it lay against other blocks.  Checking it out, I found that the backside of the boulder had a great-looking arete; a start on a sloping rail led to a big jug notched right into the arete, a then a big pull to the lip wrapped up with a fun mantle.  Breaking out the brushes, I scrubbed the line nicely, and sent it quickly, calling it The Bachelor.  Initially I thought it was V1ish, but when Kyle and Evan repeated it they felt like V2 was more appropriate. I also quickly scrubbed a fun mantle problem to the right, calling it Exit the Pool (V1).

Me, Evan, and Kyle on the crux of Surf Arete (V8ish).  Kyle and Evan opted for the 'lockoff to a crimp' beta, I managed to use the arete itself, luckily...

By the time I had sent Exit the Pool, Evan and Kyle were trying Surf Arete (V8).  I had tried it briefly the previous day, without any luck.  The typical beta for the line involved long pulls on good holds through a roof, then a cruxy long reach to an edge.  However, I was curious if I could instead employ a balancy arete move to climb through the crux.  After playing with the moves a bit, I decided that the arete beta would work, and I sent the problem in a few more tries.

The most prominent feature of the 'Fields is the Nerf Roof Boulder.  It sits right above the main trail that descends into the basin, and features a HUGE nicely featured roof that has never been climbed.  Below the roof, however, are a number of fantastic holds that are rarely, if ever, used.  It seemed like a shame to me, so I scrubbed (with a LOT of effort!) and climbed a line that started directly below the roof, but traversed up and right to escape through the right edge of the roof.  It is a funky line with a cool cross-off-a-handjam crux, and since it is the smaller, less committing version of the king line on the roof I named it Nerfling (V3ish).

Many of the large boulders are marked with signs at the Boulderfields.  Without them, it would be easy to get lost!

After two days of climbing, our fingers (and knees!) were feeling a little thrashed, and since we wanted to be rested for Rock the Blocs, we decided to take a rest day on Friday.  We headed down to Kelowna (down the logging road!), and spent the day browsing in shops, slacklining in the park, and swimming in the lake.  It certainly felt great to wash off two days of sweat, dust, and boulder-cleaning-debris!  Suitably refreshed, we headed back to the Boulderfields.  For the first three nights of our trip, we essentially had the 'Fields parking lot (and camping) to ourselves.  Now, however, the parking lot (and all the available camping spots) was filling up.  The 2015 Rock the Blocs was going to be fun!

Me on the classic Tie My Rope (V1).  High, steep, and juggy!

Next Post: The 2015 RtB, and how I both succeeded and failed on my trip!

Spring? Summer? Frank!

The season is starting to heat up here on the east slope of the Rockies!  The days are getting longer and warmer, and we are well into the beautiful climbing weather of early summer.  Some days it is a bit too warm for climbing hard problems at midday, but the mornings and evenings are fantastic.  Early summer is one of my favorite seasons at Frank Slide, and this year has been no exception.  I've been able to get out to the Slide nearly every weekend, and while I haven't climbed anything particularly hard, the season is shaping up nicely.

I've been plagued with injuries this spring, however.  A few weeks ago, I hurt my wrist moving boulders in my garden (Shelley and I are re-building our back yard; it is going to look fantastic, I hope), and climbing on the wrist is somewhat painful unless I am very careful to keep it in a neutral position.  I also have a slightly tweaked ankle; I sprained it setting for Boulderfest in the early spring, and this past weekend I fell and landed a little weirdly, and hurt it again.  I don't think the injuries will slow me down too much, but I'm being careful.

One of the reasons I am trying to avoid injury is my upcoming trip to the Boulderfields at the end of June.  The climbing community of Kelowna hosts a bouldering festival / competition every year (Rock the Blocs; check out Andy White's blog with all the info HERE), and this year I've decided to make the trek west to check it out.  Should be a lot of fun; the climbers of Kelowna (especially Andy White) have put a lot of work into Rock the Blocs, and I'm excited to climb at the Boulderfields for the first time!

The toothy frowning start hold of Flexion (V5).  A jug lies hidden inside...

Over the last two weekends at The Slide I've managed to do many fun lines; several new problems, and several old problems that were new to me.  The weekend before last Kyle and I spent much of the day in the west end of the City of Giants, trying some fun new lines with Josh Bylsma.  By the time Kyle and I arrived at the Slide, Josh had already put in a solid session on some hard new lines, and he waited patiently while Kyle and I warmed up on some easy lines near El Sendero Tortuoso (V6 or so, Josh did it while he was waiting for us to warm up).  We then turned our attention to a long, angled, overhanging arete.  Starting on a huge hold hidden inside a crack, the line battled up through a long reach to a gaston, then followed a series of good edges to a fun mantle onto a huge scooped ledge.  After several attempts, Kyle and I managed to put it together; it is likely an old Evan Erickson / Kyle Marco problem, but it needed a name so I dubbed it Flexion (V5+).  Josh added a line that added several moves onto both the start AND the end, and called it Extension Extension (V6).

Past the crux of Flexion (V5ish).  Note the heavily taped right wrist...

We then moved uphill a bit to try a new arete that I had spied a few weeks ago, and Mark D. had flattened the landing for.  Unusual for Frank in that it starts on a good jug, the arete would prove to be a lot harder than it looked.  Josh fired it off in just a few tries, but Kyle and I couldn't quite manage the first two powerful moves.  I insisted that Josh call it Welcome to Turpinchistan (it DOES have a pinch in it!), a name I thought was quite funny.  It is tricky and hard, somewhere in the V6+ range.  I added a much easier crimpy line that headed up and right from the start, calling it Crimpistan (V3ish).  

One of the strange, puckered, apple-sized pockets of Monorail Slab.

This past weekend, Kyle, Mark G, Mark D, and I headed back to Frank Slide, with the intent of heading into the Spiderweb Sector.  Spiderweb isn't a fantastic area, but it does have some really classic lines.  Mark D wanted to try an old slab line called Monorail, so we packed up and marched deep into the west end of the Spiderweb.

Mark sticking the lip on Flying Circus. It's an interesting problem; I managed to do it statically when I was able to use a small foothold on the slab.  If you can't make that foothold stick, though, you are committed to either the dyno or a very hard crimp-to-finger-jam sequence...  After many tries, Mark D managed the dyno way, and Mark G managed the finger-jam beta.  Both look hard.

The area proved to be a lot fun.  We started by doing a handful of fun moderate problems (V2-V3ish) on a boulder right beside the Monorail Slab.  Warmed up, we then moved on to climb essentially all of the lines on the Monorail Boulder.  We all managed to do the unusual but very fun Flying Circus (V4ish to V6ish, depending on whether you climb the slab statically or dynamically), and the very cool slab/edge problem Monorail (V2ish), a tallish slab that follows a small incut rail and - you guessed it - a mono.  We did another line between the two, Pucker (V2ish), that features a very cool puckered pocket and a big move to the lip.  To the far right side we did a very fun but somewhat contrived slab that uses two pockets to move upward, and Mark G tried a steep and blank-looking slab, managing to make the impossible-looking line somewhat plausible.

Mark G on his new *hard* slab project...

Packing up, we hiked over to the other side of Spiderweb, where Kyle and I wanted to try the Telekinesis project, a hardish line on edges near The Wind and the Wizard (V5ish).  After my failure a few weeks ago, I wanted to try TWatW again to see if it felt easier, but all I managed to do was almost send the problem... again.  Mark G and Mark D both tried TWatW, with Mark G sending it after only a handful of tries.  Kyle and I managed to make some progress on Telekinesis; Kyle deciphered the first cruxy dyno, and also unlocked the tricky match move in the middle of the line (he's now done all the moves!), and I finally figured out how to do the second crux jump, and also found a smoother way to do the tiny hand-shuffle crux in the middle of the problem.  Its strange how even after two decades of bouldering, I am still finding new ways to become more efficient at aspects of the movement of climbing.  Now that Kyle and I have figured out all the moves for the project, it's just a matter of linking them together... I hope.

Kyle nearing the end of the Telekinesis project.  Fun!

Kyle and the Marks headed back to Lethbridge, and I spent some time with Josh B. trying a hard (!) new problem left of the Telekinesis project.  After he, too, left the Slide I headed over for an end-of-the-day session on The Renaissance (V9ish).  I had made some progress on my last session on it, but couldn't figure out the first move.  This time I focused entirely on the first move, and made absolutely zero (!) progress.  I still have never managed to do the opening lunge, but I recognize that The Renaissance is my anti-style (namely, very small slippery feet, at least for the first move), so it is going to be a battle for me.

After a long day of climbing, I packed up my mats, shoes, and chalk, and headed back to the van.  Stopping first for a muffin and coffee, I turned my back to the setting sun and headed east to Lethbridge.  I'm looking forward to a great summer of bouldering in the Pass and beyond!

Until next time!