Rock the Blocs 2016!

Last June, driven by curiosity about the bouldering in the Okanagan, Kyle and I travelled to The Boulderfields in the mountains above Kelowna for ten days of climbing.  We had planned our trip such that our final days in the area would coincide with the 2015 Rock the Blocs, perhaps Canada's greatest outdoor bouldering festival.  We were blown away not only by how amazing the solid gneiss blocks of the area were, but also by how much fun we had at RtB (check out my previous posts about the Boulderfields here and here). 

This June, now thoroughly convinced that The Boulderfields are one of Canada's greatest bouldering areas, I was keen to head back to the Okanagan for another week of climbing on quality gneiss.  The boulders there are big, steep, and feature amazing beautifully-textured holds.  Once again, my plan was to participate in Rock the Blocs at the end of the trip, and this year I had convinced Andy White (RtB's eternally-energetic organizer and all-round great guy) to add a Master's Category to this year's event.  Though I had been very pleased with my performance in the Men's Open category last year, I assumed that I must not be the only climber of 40+ years who couldn't quite keep up with all the lads in the Open category (it turns out that knees, fingers, and elbows don't last forever...).

Not exactly an action shot... one of the new problems I added during my trip, The Golden Rule (V4ish) starts sitting at the arete, reaches up into and traverses left through the slot, then heads up again via the positive sloper on the arete.  Always great to find new fun lines!

None of the usual suspects of the Lethbridge climbing community could be convinced to join me for a weeklong trip to Kelowna, so I packed up the van and headed west.  I generally don't like to drive (or go on trips) by myself, but I managed to survive the drive west, stopping overnight in Canmore before heading west through Golden, Revelstoke, and then down through lake country to Kelowna.  I grabbed a coffee and pastry at The Bread Company Cafe on Pandosy Street, bought some groceries, and headed up to the Boulderfields.  The rutted and worn logging road that allows climbers to reach The Boulderfields isn't a pleasure to drive, and was just as rough as I remembered.  I knew that the Frank Slide locals Stephan and Aletha were also making the trip out, and as such I wasn't surprised to find them already setting up camp at the Boulderfields when I finally eked my van down the last few meters into the parking lot.

Stephan on the soon-to-be-classic Memento (V0/1).

Knowing that I would likely be climbing alone for some of the trip, I had come armed with brushes, chalk, rope, and harness to put up some new problems. Perhaps more than most climbers, the hunt for new lines keeps me motivated, and I had my heart set on opening several new problems.  On my first morning in the area, after some work to remove some dead branches on a downed tree, I cleaned and sent a brilliant new slopers-to-arete line near the Nerf Boulder that I called The Golden Rule (V4ish).  I'm certain it will be a classic in the area, being a somewhat similar to Squamish's Easy in an Easy Chair (V4).  I then set to cleaning the TALL featured slab on the far end of the Nerf Boulder (the end opposite Terry Paholek's testpiece Nerf Roof (V12); check out video of that send here).  I had to spend a lot of time on a toprope to get it ready, but it was definitely worth it; the line that emerged was amazing; a 21 foot tall beautifully-featured slab with a few tricky moves and a lot of great holds. A moderately tricky move off the ground leads to better holds, which permit a relatively easy route up the face.  Edges on the first half of the problem lead to two positive horizontal slots and an interesting mantle. I called it Memento (V0), as I am certain that it provide a memorable experience for aspiring highball boulderers. Noting that the were interesting start holds much lower - a beautiful right-hand letterbox slot and a funky left-hand sidepull/knob - I set about to adding a low sit-start to the problem.  I had adjust my beta a bit, but I quickly sent Memento Low (V3/4) as well, a start which adds two stout moves to the line. 

During my trip to the Boulderfields, I did Memento many times.  Many times.  An amazing line, and a great way to get high off the ground!  Stephan spotting, and Sam W. spectating.  Thanks for the photos Aletha!

As I sat and ate lunch, however, I studied the arete and face to the right of Memento.  It appeared that if I started on the opening holds of Memento Low, I could take the arete with my left hand, while using a series of widely-spaced but good holds right of the arete to maintain compression. I quickly scrubbed these holds as well, and set to work deciphering the line.  It seemed apparent that the problem would reach a huge arete-jug two-thirds of the way up the boulder; from here a climber could roll over the arete to join the last moves of Memento.  Chalking up, I found that the first seven moves that led to the juggy hold demanded a fair bit of subtlety and power.  After 45 minutes of trying the line I could do all the moves, but couldn't quite link the moves from the start to the jug. Slightly disappointed but not discouraged, I packed up my gear and headed up out of the basin to find dinner.

The following morning I made the hike down into the basin, once again determined to send the arete.  I warmed up with Aletha and Stephan, feeling strong with flashes of Hit the Lights (V4) and Four Horsemen (V5).  A little nervous, I walked back over to arete, laced up my shoes, and pulled on to the starting moves of the project. I floated right past my highpoint, only to fall unexpectedly on the last hard move.  The line would not fall that easily!  I sat on my mat in the sunshine for a few minutes, then tried again, only to fall on the last hard moves of the problem. Not particularly worried, I rested few more minutes, moved my mats around, chalked up, and smoothly compressed my way up the arete, grabbing the jug.  Elated, I rolled over the arete, and kept climbing until I was standing on top of the Nerf Boulder.

The amazing compression line Bushido (V7ish).  The top photo shows the bottom of the line, while the bottom photo is of some of the key sloping 'ball' holds on the arete.  Hard to take action shots on a solo trip...

It is strange how completing a project (especially a first ascent) fills me with such a sense of happiness, success, and reward.  I'm never certain if all climbers feel the same emotions when they finally stand atop a problem they've put a lot of effort into, but I can't help but suspect that this is the case. From one point of view, it seems strange (pointless?) to drive across western Canada, then hike up into the mountains, find a big rock, spend time scrubbing off moss and lichen, then spend hours trying to climb seven hard moves.  From another point of view, though, it doesn't seem strange at all, given the enormous emotional, spiritual, (and undoubtedly chemical) rewards to be had!  As I reflected on the 'code' that drives the itinerant first ascentionist (and in part because I had cleaned and climbed the line by myself), I decided to call the problem Bushido (V7ish).

I spent the next few days climbing and hiking around the boulderfields, enjoying the quality problems to be found there.  I took a half rest day down in the city of Kelowna, swimming, visiting the fine cafes the city offers, and enjoying the art galleries and public art in the downtown area. By Friday afternoon, dozens of climbers began arriving at the Boulderfields, pitching tents, setting up portable kitchens beside their vans, and waxing poetic in conversation well-lubricated by beer and the glow of a bonfire.

The morning of Rock the Blocs 2016 dawned warm and sunny, but everyone was aware that the weather forecast called for a rainy afternoon.  To accommodate this, the organisers had made the decision to move up the start time by a few hours, to give everyone as much time as possible to climb before the rain started.

Morning of RtB 2016!  Photo courtesy of Caillum Smith, Preserved Light Photography (check out their website for more amazing photography!)

The morning of Rock the Blocs is, in many ways, as exciting as the competition itself.  It is always great to see climbers streaming in from across North America.  This year, there were strong contingents from Mexico and the USA, giving the event a great international vibe.  While RtB does attract many strong climbers seeking to test themselves against their peers, it has perhaps even greater appeal to climbers who simply want to come to the area, enjoy the fantastic lines the Boulderfields has to offer, and to have fun spending time climbing with their friends.  I was excited to see several climbers I had met previously or knew from Alberta or the west coast, including the Fraser Valley bouldering legend (and old friend) Marco Lefebvre. 

Air horn in hand, Andy White went over the rules for the event, and with a blast of the horn climbers started streaming down into the basin, scorecards in hand.  Men and women in the Open categories would count only their three hardest problems toward their scores (a 2016 rule change that would encourage the top climbers to try harder problems), while the remainder of the categories would tally their five hardest problems to come up with a score. 

The morning of RtB 2016 went beautifully.  While everyone had seen the forecast, it was difficult to believe that rain was on its way as hundreds of climbers settled down to the business of bouldering in the warm sunshine.  Marco was more keen to see the area than to win the competition, so we spent some time working projects rather than trying problems on the scorecard.  Eventually, we wandered over to the Dark Prince Boulder where I quickly repeated Dark Prince (V5), then we headed down to the Serenity Sector where we tried (and came very close to doing) a new V7 roof line called Pumping Iron.  After several attempts, we clambered over to the Serenity Boulder itself, where I managed to do Firefly (V5) in a handful of tries. Marco wanted to head up the hill to check out the amazing Driven face, so I headed over and tried Out of the Shadows (V7), again coming close but failing to finish the problem.  By this time, it was raining lightly, and I found Loic Markley (Kelowna local and RtB guide) to ask him exactly where I could find the rising traverse Blue Pill (V6), in hopes of doing one more line before the rain started in earnest. Locating the problem, I was just settling in to try it (despite the drizzle) when I heard the air horn blast - the organisers had called a finish to the event on account of the rain. 

 (top) The amazing Tie My Rope (V1) on the Dominator Boulder, and (below) the legend Marco L. and I putting some chalk on some rocks. Photos by Caillum Smith, Preserved Light Photography.

Despite the rain, everyone had an amazingly social time clustered under the tarps provided, waiting for the scorecards to be tallied.  Climbers joked and laughed, shared stories and umbrellas, and discussed what problems they had climbed and plans they were making for the summer ahead.  After a short while, Andy blew the air horn again to pull names for all the generous draw prizes provided by sponsors (including Outside All Day, Flashed, Redpoint Holds, and Friction Labs, among others), and to announce the winners of the event.  At the beginning of the day, I had bought raffle tickets to support the event, and was (very!) happy to win two sets of Redpoint Holds.  Everyone cheered as the winners were announced, with Eric Sethna (Toronto) and Alannah Yip (Vancouver) winning the Men's and Women's Open categories (go here to see all the results).  Mark Derksen (from Lethbridge, and a Frank Slide 'local') won third in Men's Open, while Staci White (defending champion and Boulderfields local) took the bronze in Women's Open. I was happy to win the Men's Masters category (!), and was glad to have had the chance to participate in such a social, fun, and well-organised event.  Huge thanks to Andy and the rest of the organisational team and guides, including Jay, Loic, Garret, Braden, and everyone else involved!

After the event, the rain continued for several hours.  The next morning I headed back into the basin, humping three mats all way down to the Serenity Sector to try some problems I wanted to try, only to find that a disappointingly large number of the holds in the area seep after a  heavy rain.  It seemed that while most of the holds were dry, many problems had one or two wet holds. I headed back to up the Surf Boulder, where I did some (thankfully dry!) moderates including the amazing arete The Chipper (V1).  I sessioned on the rails-through-a-roof classic No Guts No Glory (V7/8), but found the flexing lip hold too spooky for a solo session, especially since a fall at that point high on the problem would almost certainly result in a fairly serious injury.  By this point in the trip, my fingers were completely thrashed (I had climbed every day since I had arrived, with only a half rest-day on Friday). Knowing it would take at least a full day to recover - a day I didn't really have the luxury of spending away from home - I decided to pack it in, and begin the long drive back to Lethbridge. 

Once again, The Boulderfields (and Rock the Blocs) did not fail to produce a great climbing experience!  Not only does the area hold over 1000 problems on absolutely amazing gneiss blocks, it holds vast potential for thousands more.  Already, I can't wait to return to the Okanagan!  Maybe a fall trip is in order...?

Back in Lethbridge, the hot and dry summer weather has arrived, which means sunny days bouldering in Frank Slide!  Lots on the go in the Slide, including new projects, work on my loop trail project (trail work!), and planning for the 2016 Tour de Frank!  

Frank Slide Spring Training!

Frank Slide's (growing) reputation as a "virtually-year-round" bouldering area got a boost this year, as not only did we get out climbing to the Slide every month this winter, but also that 'spring' arrived in late February.  February, March, and April provided great climbing weather, and as a result a lot of climbing days were logged, and many projects got sent.

While I have avoided serious injury this year, I've been dealing with a few problems that have prevented me from training the way I've wanted to.  First, I tweaked my groin tendon (from open-hip heel hooks at The Karage, mostly likely), then I developed distal bicep tendonitis (during a bout of training in May, an issue which I suspect I will be plagued with for some time), and finally I've been quite lazy. ;)  Nonetheless, I've managed to have a lot of fun at the Slide this spring!  Just last Satuday I was out at the Slide, and had a blast; I did some community service by cleaning the loose rock off the classic slab Splinter (V0), and climbing some of the beautiful lines on the Aftermath Boulder with Ernie and Adam from Calgary, including the highballs Evil Eye (V3) and Ghost Horse (V4).

Though there have been a few wet spells this spring, generally the weather has been amazing.  Jonas, Kyle, and I got in a great session in the City of Giants on a warm day at the end of January, and added a handful of new lines directly below the Giant itself, including the funky Alberta Meat Market (V4, which I was very happy to flash for the FA), Deadpool (V4, with Kyle making it look easy), Charcuterie (V3), and the weird-but-fun-how-do-I-start-this-thing Old Testament (V3).  Jonas has (at last!) pushed firmly into the V4 grade with his solid send of Deadpool, a techy vertical line with sloping (!) holds.

(top) Jonas G. solving the riddle of Deadpool (V4) in the City of Giants, (bottom) Kyle on his way to sending the funky notched arete of Alberta Meat Market (V4), using beta I did not approve of...

Throughout the spring, we continued to explore new lines in the City of Giants (the area that keeps on giving!), with a handful of new first ascents including Skyward Sword (V6), Wind Waker (V4), The Poetry of Material Things (V4), Twilight (V3), and the very fun slab Ocarina (V1).  Dan Anhorn and I spent some time building a landing on the right side of the Baby Giant, which permitted the first ascent of a handful of lines, including Kiai High (V3), Kiai (V5), Chi Sao (V9), and Chi Sao Left (V10).

In Frictionary, we also added a handful of quality new slab lines on the Mel Gibson Boulder, including Braveheart (V2) and William Wallace (V1).  Later, in May, another fun group coalesced in the City of Giants to add more moderates to the left side of the Baby Giant, in the now-named Hobo Cave, including Hobo Safety Meat (V2/3) and The Littlest Hobo (V2/3).  We also re-discovered how rewarding and fun it is to climb with a group, when a handful of Frank Slide's regulars spent some time working through an old project of mine, finishing a new line that Mark D. named Force of Will (V5/6).

Kyle Marco successfully using the less-than-obvious and crowd-sourced beta to stylishly send Force of Will (V5/6). Mark Guckert showed us all that finger-jams may be more useful at Frank Slide than we thought...

The big story this spring, however, has been the continuing rampage of Josh Bylsma through the boulders of Frank Slide.  Not content simply repeating old testpieces, Josh has added dozens of hard new lines to the Slide this spring, including Deliverance Sit (V9), Cocoon (V8), Dark Age Low (V11), and the world-class line (and long-term project of mine) Mark of the Beast (V9).  Most impressively, Josh finally nailed down the first ascent of the power-endurance-yet-powerful project on the Mushroom Boulder which he named Quantum Leap (V12), which is (as far as I am aware) the hardest problem in the province.  Congrats to Josh!

 Mark D. trying to overcome gravity on the gold-streaked and  powerfully dynamic Apollo 11 (V10).

Josh B. packing up after an unsuccessful session on Mark of the Beast (V9).  It was just a matter of time before he sent, though!

Several of Josh's notable first ascents this spring aren't impressive due to their difficulty, but rather their height.  Though he climbed several high lines, his most notable are (after top-rope cleaning / examination / rehearsal, a wise idea due to Frank's friable rock) the delicate and ridiculously high The Hoover Effect (V1/2 X, with a crux about 20 feet of the deck), and the powerful and monstrously high Colossus (V8) on the House Boulder itself (probably almost 30 feet high, with a tricky mantle at the end...).  Needless to say, none of Josh's highballs have yet been repeated. Erp.

Mark Derksen has also been hard at work in the Slide.  In an impressive one-session effort he repeated Crowded House (V10), repeated Morgan Dunnet's Cognitive Dissonance (V10), and after a lot of work finally wrapped up Frank Slide's classic cave line Railway (V10).  Mark also got the first ascent of the thin and dynamic project to the right of Baby Jesus Dyno, a line he called Crucifix (V10).

(top) Kyle starting up Ocarina (V1), and (bottom), pulling into the crux of Wind Waker (V4) in the City of Giants.

The rest of the Frank Slide 'locals' (can I call them "The Frank Pack"?) have been very active this spring as well.  Kyle Marco (aka The Wizard of Frank, aka Red Beard, aka Obi Wan Kyle-obi (I just made that last one up)) added a brilliant new line in Frictionary, which we called Cherry Pepsi (V7, Frank's most kneebar-laden line).  Davin Simmons, a new transplant to the area, has been hard at work, repeating old lines and finding new ones that have been long-overlooked.  Stephan and Aletha have also been VERY evident at the Slide, and have steadily worked through many of Frank Slide's classic lines, including Killer Bees (V4) and Sunspot (V5).

On a final note, I would like to remind everyone that the Tour de Frank, Alberta's greatest outdoor bouldering event, is coming up in late September.  We'll post the date in a few weeks, but it should be a great event again this year, with an entirely NEW list of problems (yes, we're moving the event to a new area!).  Keep it in mind when you are planning your autumn climbing trips!

Me on the nicest highball slab in Frictionary, Tomb With A View (V0).

Las Vegas! (Part 2)

Kraft Rocks is certainly the spiritual center of the bouldering in Las Vegas, but it is far from being the only area.  Smaller areas exist in every one of the huge canyons that split the sandstone walls north of Las Vegas, and numerous blocks sprawl at the foot of every escarpment.  Oak Creek, Willow Springs, Red Spring, Pine Creek Canyon, and Juniper Canyon are just a few of the many areas to be found near Las Vegas.  After a few days of climbing at Kraft Rocks, we were keen to explore and see what some of the other areas offered.

I love the desert!  The colors, the shapes, and the plants!  Yucca and cholla cactus in the desert below Black Velvet Canyon.

The next day, we packed a handful of boulderers, shoes, mats, and several gallons of water into the van and headed up into Black Velvet Canyon.  Turning off the pavement, we slowly negotiated the horrific road that wound for several miles through the desert, inching toward the huge dark chasm of Black Velvet Canyon. As I felt the chassis of the van of the wobble and creak over rocks and gullies, I wondered about the wisdom of taking my aging van up a desert track like this one.  Nonetheless, when we finally arrived at the parking lot and started the hike up into the mountains, the reason for the trip became apparent.  While not the biggest climbing area in the region, Black Velvet Canyon is an amazing bouldering venue for two reasons; first, it is amazingly beautiful, with great views of the huge walls that loom over the desert, with mule deer wandering through the cholla and barrel cactus.  Second, the rock quality is better than most of the other areas, with streaked blocks of yellow-orange sandstone scattered along the bottom of the canyon.  The rock also tends to form long edges, crisp rails, and sloping shelves, which is a bit of change from the other areas.

The infamous Black Velvet Canyon.  Beware the road that guards the canyon, though!

We warmed up at the Twin Towers boulders, which host a large handful of pleasantly high problems that feature nicely incut flakes.  After cruising several easy lines, I was pleasantly surprised to flash Freedom Fighter (V5/6), a bulging line with long moves and high feet. Mark D. quickly climbed several of the lines as well, and was keen to move on to his project for the day, the uber-classic compression problem The Fountainhead (V9).  Kyle had injured his knee a bit, but soon enough we found The Fountainhead and Mark set to work.  The Fountainhead is an amazing-looking line which follows a series of slopers and rails up to a committing 'full-value' (read: high and tricky) mantle. Though it took him several tries to find a sequence that worked well, in less than an hour Mark had pressed out the mantle and was standing on top the boulder.    

Mark D working out the bugs of the classic The Fountainhead (V9).

We packed up, and headed further up-canyon to see what other blocks the area offered.  I really wanted to try In Our Time (V8), but it seemed too far away given the amount of daylight we had left, so we stopped and looked at the world-class cave problem Wet Dream (V12), an Ethan Pringle problem from 2004.  Ernie and I jumped on Red Dragon (V7), a short brick-red arete line nearby, but with daylight fading, we ran out of time and motivation to send the problem.  Hoisting our pads, we walked through a huge herd of deer on the way out, a magical scene in the orange glow of sunset with the far-off lights of Las Vegas twinkling in the distance.

I love this photo.  Mark D wandering through the evening light on the walk out from Black Velvet Canyon, with Vegas in the distance.

Packing mats back into the van, we bombed back into the city to grab something to eat and head to the airport to pick up Morgan D. at the airport.  Morgan, one of the few Frank Slide 'locals', was flying down to join us for the remainder of the trip.  We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and proceeded to wait... and wait... and wait.  The digital Arrivals screen initially said that his flight would arrive on time, but then his flight disappeared from the screen altogether.  No one at the airport could give us any more information, so we kept waiting... and waiting. The Las Vegas airport is a surprisingly boring and lonely place to wait, with no lounges, coffee shops, or restaurants, just a long empty corridor.  Hours later, Morgan finally arrived in Vegas (his flight had been extensively delayed; we never did find out why no one at the airport seemed to realize it), and we found our way back to the van and careened off down the freeway.

The next day dawned not with the usual brilliant sunshine and heat, but with dark skies and intermittent rain - the first bad weather of the trip.  Ordinarily, we wouldn't have minded since we were due for a rest day, but with Morgan on board we were hoping to be able to get out to do some bouldering.  Finally, the rain stopped, and though it was still felt cold out we decided to head to Kraft Rocks to see if we could find some dry rock.  We wandered around for a bit, then decided to warm up on Jones'n (V4), which proved to be a brutal and painful warmup (because my hands were sore and I needed a rest day, not because the problem is bad; it's actually a great techy line).  I hiked around Kraft Rocks with Morgan, Kyle, and Ernie; I tried a few things, but mostly I was trying not to climb too much in a sadly belated effort to have a 'rest day'.  Eventually we ended up at the Monkey Bars Boulder, where we watched Morgan dispatch Monkey Bars Direct (V8) in a very solid 20-minute effort.  Ernie really wanted to try the classic Red Rocks traverse problem The Alexisizer (V7), so we wandered back over to cluster of boulders where the problem was found.  I did reasonably well on my first few tries, but couldn't unlock the last few moves.  Ernie did well on it, getting closer and closer with each attempt, but couldn't quite finish the line.  Morgan came similarly close to doing the nearby steep arete of Timmy's Problem (V9), but had to walk away with the NTO (*no top out).

(top) Morgan and Ernie 'spotting' an American climber on Alexisizer (V7), and (bottom) Morgan warming up on Poker Chips (V1), Kraft Rocks.

We started the next day with an argument.  Mark D. really wanted to go to Willow Springs, but I had my sights set on Oak Creek Canyon.  I eventually won (perhaps because I was driving), and we headed back up the Red Rock Parkway.  We found the parking lot easily enough, and marched uphill toward the mouth of the canyon in the growing heat of the morning.  After meandering through the scrub, we headed up onto the shoulder of the canyon toward the American Dream boulder.  Though some of the problems seemed a bit high to warm up on, I nonetheless had a great time stretching my joints on some high moderate lines, including West Face (a quite tall V1) and Backside Slab Left (V1/2, which was the best slab I was to climb all trip).  Kyle, Morgan, and Mark eventually headed downslope to look for some shorter problems, but I kept climbing, keen to try some of the harder lines on the boulder.  Though not in the guidebook, I added a long arete-wrapping traverse from the start of American Warm-up into West Face (probably V4), and then started trying the tall leaning arete just left of American Warmup. As I worked out the moves, I was surprised that it wasn't featured in the guidebook; a sit-start on a huge jug led to thoughtful, balancey moves on sculpted holds. Soon enough I had discovered a great sequence up the arete, and I mustered the cajones to follow the arete to the top of the boulder.  It was a great problem, probably V5 or V6, one of the nicest lines I would climb during my trip.

Lizards! Red rocks! Cacti! Huzzah!

Down the hill, Kyle, Morgan, and Mark had been productive.  They had all sent Get Burnt (V7/8), and Mark had also added Nut Dragger (V9) to his tick list.  They were ready to move on, and we moved across the hillside a few hundred meters to try the bizarre Carapace (V7).  It was far to hot for serious attempts on this notoriously slopey problem, but Morgan and then Mark eventually squeaked out ascents of the line. I wanted to spend some time climbing with some good friends who I had met (and climbed with) years ago in northern Alberta, the perpetually-enthusiastic Renee and Steven Little (thanks for bringing my 'extra' mat down!), and the quasi-legendary (or even legendary!) Michelle and Andrew Neis.  They had traveled to Red Rocks primarily (I suspect) to climb multipitch gear routes, but I had convinced them to boulder for a day in Oak Creek.  We finally found them at the deceptively hard Blood Trails (V5, but seemed way harder than that in the heat!). It was great to see them again, as I hadn't had much opportunity to hang out with them since I had moved away from northern Alberta.

Though it was getting dark, we hiked up a little wash to try All Nightmare Long (V6). After one attempt, I decided my throbbing fingers wanted to rest more than I wanted to send, so I watched while Mark D worked and sent the line.  I did get excited enough to flash Pop Goes My Heart (V4), which felt easy for me as it is bears a strong resemblance to many Squamish problems.  In the dying light, we packed up the mats, headed back to the van, and drove down into Las Vegas.

The Cube, one of the first boulders you encounter at Kraft Rocks, and home to several notorious hard highballs...

We had originally wanted to leave mid-day Saturday to begin the long drive back to Canada, but decided to cram in as much climbing as we could manage on our last day.  We headed back to Kraft Rocks, determined to explore more problems before we headed back.  I climbed a stack of classic moderates in the area, including Poker Chips (V1) and Potato Chips (V2).  I hoped to get back on (and finish) The Alexisizer (V7, Ernie was coming close!), but after sliding off the end of the problem a few times I lost heart, and meandered over to the Monkey Bars boulder to enjoy the internationally social scene there. Since there were many mats arrayed beneath the boulder, I decided to try Monkey Bar Traverse (V7ish) with Morgan and Kyle.  To my surprise, we all did it in quick succession (*a point of clarification; I was surprised to do it my first try, but was not surprised that Morgan and Kyle did it quickly). All week I had also been keen to try the highball Hyperglide (V4/5), and since there were plenty of mats about I decided to jump on it - and was glad I did!  Though it took me a few tries, I eventually pulled through the high-step-and-REACH move, and climbed through the jugs all the way to the (high!) peak of the boulder. Another fantastic line!

One of the most social boulders in the United States, the Monkey Bars Boulder at Kraft Rocks. Hyperglide (V4/5) is the line of VERY chalked holds above the man in the blue shirt.

Kyle, Ernie and I were curious to find the Outback Boulder before we left Red Rocks, knowing that it was supposed to hold several high-quality lines.  Tucked away in a little valley in the far corner of Kraft Rocks, it is hard to locate - but is worth the extra effort.  It is home to two of the most ridiculously fun highballs in the area; Didgeridoo and Outback Right (both V1).  Kyle and I both had a blast climbing them, and managed to both flash the steep and featured Dead Heart (V4) without too much problem.  By now our skin was getting thin, and we packed up to start the walk back to the van.

Kyle on his way to getting really high on Outback Right (V1).

On the way out, we stopped to take a look at the classic jump-and-crimp line Vino Rojo (V6).  There was a handful of young Californians working it, and they invited us to jump on the line with them.  Kyle had tried it years ago, but I had not, so we set to work.  I could do the first half of the problem, but didn't have the gas left to reach the cruxy mantle. Nonetheless, Kyle, Morgan, and I had fun trying the distinctly dynamic movement the problem demanded.  As we packed up for the last time, one of the young women asked if we wanted her to take a Polaroid photo portrait of us; she explained that she always took her Polaroid camera with her when climbing to take photos of the climbers.  Grinning, I replied that we would love a photo, and so Morgan, Kyle, and I lined up, arms crossed in the classic Stonemasters pose, and had our portrait taken against the darkening skyline of Kraft Mountain.

The not-so-original Stonemasters!

Spent, we trudged out to the parking lot, said goodbye to friends old and new, and turned the van north to find some coffee and start the 18 hour drive back to Lethbridge.

Next Time: Back to Frank Slide!

Las Vegas! (Part 1)

I have lived (and climbed) in Lethbridge for more than three years now.  During that time, my climbing has mostly been dedicated to bouldering at the Ascent Climbing Center (less now than I used to), the Karage (almost exclusively these days, in Lethbridge), and at Frank Slide (certainly Alberta's biggest - and best - bouldering area).  Regardless of where you climb in Lethbridge, however, you will eventually hear stories about the annual Climbing Club Reading Week Trip.

Every spring, the University of Lethbridge Climbing Club goes on a trip south during Reading Week. In mid-February, dozens of Lethbian climbers pile into vehicles and being the long pilgrimage south to a locale that features both climbing and sunshine; usually Bishop, Joshua Tree, or Red Rocks. This year, the club was planning on going to Las Vegas to climb at Red Rocks, and Kyle and I decided to head down as well.  Years ago, Kyle had been the driving force behind these trips, and he was keen to experience the desert springtime weather and sandstone of Vegas once again.  I'd never been to Red Rocks, and had always wanted to go; it didn't take much convincing to get me on board for a trip south.

Pictographs and cacti!  Nothing says 'desert climbing' like rock art and spiny vegetation! I love climbing in the desert; the heat, the scenery, the patina...

We'd planned to head down on Friday evening and drive through the night to Moe's Valley in southern Utah.  We'd climb there for a day, then finish the drive into Vegas in the following evening. Ernie (from Calgary) and Jonas (from Lethbridge) were in for the trip as well, but a few hours before we left Jonas was forced off the trip (his passport was out of date), so it was just the three of us (Kyle, Ernie, and I) for the long drive south.

There is something deeply exciting about packing a van full of climbing gear, coffee, and snacks and turning south (or west, or north).  A sense of uncertainty and anticipation, tempered by the dread of a long night-time drive, combine to produce a sense of impending adventure.  

The drive down was long, and tiring, but largely uneventful; a brief stop at the border, gasoline in Helena, late-night burritos in Butte, two hours of driving through the fog near Salt Lake City, sunrise while driving through the high desert of central Utah, the inexplicably unperturbed road-side rabbits in southern Utah, coffee in a sleepy Cedar City, and finally breakfast at a Jack In The Box in St. George. Though tired, the breakfast (somewhat) infused us with energy, and after grabbing lunch and a lot of water, we headed up into the sandstone canyons of Moe's Valley, just outside of St. George.

Though I found the rock a bit sandy, the climbing at Moe's Valley was fantastic. In the 23 or so years I've been bouldering, I've only climbed on sandstone a handful of times, and each time I find it rewarding.  The texture of the rock, the erosionally sculpted holds, and the beautiful desert landscape all combined to create a fantastic day of climbing.  We wandered through the canyons without a guidebook, chatting with other climbers, and found stacks of quality lines.  Huge huecos, crisp edges, laser-cut aretes, and flat sandy landings were to be found around every corner.  As is the case in many sandstone areas, I felt the moderate lines were better than the hard problems, but we wrapped up our day trying a fun V9 compression arete; Kyle came unbelievably close to sending after only a dozen tries (Ernie and I... did not).  We had an amazing time working the problem with two fun young climbers from Salt Lake City, but as the shadows started to grow long, we packed up our mats and headed back to the van.

People from all over North America (and the world) converge on one boulder; the fabulous Monkey Bars Boulder.  (top photo) Kyle (green shirt) contemplates Monkey Bar Traverse (V7; yes, he did send it without much problem.  (lower photo) A climber from Santa Cruz cruises the steep Monkey Bars Direct (V8) (pun intended).

Traditionally, the climbers on the spring Climbing Club trip have (apparently) camped en masse in the Red Rock Campground just north of Las Vegas and just south of the climbing areas.  Once, I would be been excited about camping in the desert, but age (and a steady job) have taken their toll. After an admittedly short discussion, Kyle and I decided that we would rather sleep in real beds.  After several false starts in the weeks preceding the trip, we finally managed to rent a condo in Vegas (from a French race-car driver... who doesn't live in Vegas?).  When we finally arrived in Vegas we were relieved to find that the place we had rented for the week was decent and clean (though the unit itself was oddly designed, with one HUGE bedroom, no living room, and a closet easily big enough to function as a bedroom (which it did when Morgan arrived later in the week)).  Beat after 18 hours of driving and a day of climbing, we divvied up the beds and crashed.

The next day we drove north out of the city and walked into the Kraft Rocks and Gateway Canyon. We wanted to meet up with the Club climbers (aka 'The Club Kids'), and correctly guessed they would be at the Monkey Bars Boulder, one of the most popular boulders in Red Rocks.  The Monkey Bars Boulders features a number of amazing problems, from the area testpiece Monkeybars Direct (V8), to Monkeybar Right (V6), Monkeybars (an incredible V2), and an additional host of fun vertical problems on perfect desert patina edges (from V0 to V4).  Several of the Club climbers had already adopted projects, and so I put on my shoes and climbed a handful of the great moderates around the boulder, mingling with climbers from around the continent.  Mark Derksen had warmed up and was trying Monkeybars Direct (V8), which he managed to wrap up in only a half-hour or so, a great way to start his trip.  

After we warmed up at the Monkeybars Boulder, we headed into Gateway Canyon.  We tried a handful of fun lines, ranging from the very easy (Ernie and I climbed a very easy but very cool line of huecos through a bulge), to the very cool but not so hard (The Pork Chop V3). to the moderately hard (Mr. Moran V7). I was focused on simply enjoying the desert experience; the shapes of the holds, and climbing somewhere new with good friends.  I also had a great time climbing with Chris and Romney and their son Lev.  Chris and Romney had once lived in Lethbridge but had since moved to California.  I had heard a lot about them over the years, so it was nice to finally meet them.  We worked on a hardish slab problem far up Gateway Canyon (with Kyle, Chris, and Justin sending).  Right before we walked out of the Canyon I walked a bit further up to take a look at the infamous Meadowlark Lemon (V14).  Definitely a great-looking line on a beautiful block of striped sandstone right in the bottom of the canyon.

Climbing new problems with new friends!  Lev in the Dr. Suess landscape of Gateway Canyon (top photo), and Chris (lower photo) trying to figure out how to move upwards... (yes, he did it eventually!  I did not...).  Chris, Romney, and Lev were a ton of fun to climb with!

It was also great fun to climb with the students from the Club.  I spent some time hanging out with them at The Pork Chop, as a group of them tried the line.  Despite the fact that they only had one mat (I loaned them one of my mine for a few days after that), they were definitely psyched to work out the the meaty movement of The Pork Chop.  While several of the club kids seemed more into sport climbing than bouldering, many of them were definitely there to sample the world-class sandstone bouldering of Red Rocks. [Full Disclosure: I'm not sure why anyone goes to Red Rocks and goes sport climbing; it must be fun. But there are so many boulders to climb first...]  

After two days of pulling on sandstone, it was time for a day off!  And since we were in Las Vegas, it seemed prudent to spend the day on the Strip.  We started at the MGM Grand, and headed north along strip, strolling through casinos whose names are embedded in the American subconscious; The Cosmopolitan, Harrah's, Caesar's Palace.  The reality of the Strip was less exciting than the legends, however, seeming much like an endless shopping mall comprised of vast smoky vaults filled with midwesterners staring grimly at slot machines.  Much of what I experienced was interesting, nonetheless, the sheer opulence of Caesar's Palace or the bizarre maze-like quality of the MGM Grand, but after a day on the Strip we were pretty much finished.  [Full Disclosure: I did spend three dollars on slot machines, but only won 18 cents.]

Kyle and I wanted to climb with the Club Kids for a bit, so the next morning we decided to head to Red Springs for a half-day, then over to Kraft Rocks for the remainder of the day.  One great thing about bouldering in Red Rocks is that each of the different areas (Kraft Rocks, Red Springs, Oak Creek, etc.) have a distinctly different feel.  The rock is a different color, the holds are bit different, the landscape itself varies.  Some of the areas are in canyons, some at the base of bluffs.  Some of the areas have thorny shrubs and barrel cacti, some have impressive stands of cholla cactus.  Regardless of which area you climb at, all have impressive scenery.  Being the closest to housing developments, Kraft and Red Springs are arguably the least impressive in terms of scenery, but the climbing at Red Springs was fun, with bright red and orange rock, and funky hueco, slot, and pocket features.  At Red Springs, we climbed a fun circuit of a handful of fun moderates, including Cherry Garcia (V3) and a very fun V2 line with huecos on the same boulder.  

'Club Kid' boulderer Hannah crushing another project, The Wave (V3) at Kraft Rocks.

After lunch, we moved over to Kraft Rocks.  We didn't get on anything too hard, though we did do The Wave (V3) with a handful of the Club climbers.  The Wave is a fun rising traverse covered with very cool knobs and pinches, definitely a problem to do when in the area.  Having thoroughly enjoyed another day of sandstone climbing (and having gotten my first sunburn of the trip), we headed back to the condo, discussing where we would eat.  

Next Post: More Areas! More Bouldering! More Cacti!

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!