RMNP

Jade...

This Weekend

I must say after almost 6 straight days of being inside setting up plastic boulder problems, I am very psyched to be heading outside this weekend.  Tomorrow we're heading up to RMNP.  I don't really have any projects right now, but there are a few things that I'm psyched to mess around on.  Alex put in some good effort on Nuthin' But Sunshine a few weekends ago and managed to complete all the moves.  The season is closing in fast and it's hard to tell at this point if an ascent will be made.  Regardless, Alex is psyched to try it this weekend no matter the outcome.  As always, I'll be there with the HD.

On Saturday, Alex and I will be attending the Horsetooth Hang at the Horsetooth Reservoir outside of Fort Collins, CO.  This is a classic old area that I've never been to and I'm psyched to check it out.  Especially to try Meathook.  Maybe I'll have some luck on another Holloway problem.  Who knows?  There are a few other classics that I'm psyched on and I'll be reporting back here with a full update after the event.

Colorado Glow

Louder Than 11 presents a Colorado bouldering epic with help from Dead Point Magazine, Friksn Clothing, Project Holds, and Revolution Climbing.  Jon Glassberg and Nate Draughn are climbing in the high country when they stumble upon a mysterious meteorite crash site.  They approach the impact zone to collect the debris and discover that the alien meteorite has unique powers.  The residue on their hands glows and tracks their movements through space and time. Quickly Jon and Nate grab as much as they can and stuff it into their chalk bags and head to the boulders with the alien substance.
They decide to share the glowing chalk with friends, Carlo Traversi and Ryan Olson. The climbers then proceed to have otherworldly climbing experiences followed up with some scary consequences.  With every blessing there is a curse…

Colorado Glow features Nate Draughn on Eternia (V11), Dead Raccoon (V11) and Bierstadt (V10). Jon Glassberg on Blood Money (V12), Last Dance (V8) and Gorillas in the Mist (V10). Ryan Olson on Burnout (V12) and Carlo Traversi on Cage Free (V11), Riddles in the Park (V12) and the 3rd ascent of Ty Landman’s Top Notch (V13).
Premiering October 15th on louderthan11.com
It will melt your face off!

Coming Soon...

Along with a concise report on what the fuck I've been up to for the last two months.

Dolphin Tour 2008

In the fall of 2008, Alex and I traveled to California to climb in Yosemite and Bishop. We met up with friends Garrett Gregor and Kyle Owen on our first day in Yosemite. They were driving around in a 1988 Toyota Dolphin (peep the picture below), and offered to let us crash in it for the extent of our trip. Everything was in place for the perfect road trip, and the resulting experience proved to be one of the best of my life. Garrett recently finished off the video from the trip. Check it out.

The Dolphin from Garrett Gregor on Vimeo.

Ummm...

I will have a larger post going up soon, but this needs to be posted immediately.

Men of Route Setting 2010 (Official Teaser) from Jon Glassberg on Vimeo.

Courtesy of Jon Glassberg.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Update

A lot has happened in the last few days and I hardly know where to start. I have been obsessed with the rail project and I was finally able to succeed on it this past Sunday. Very psyched. Sunseeker 8B. Props to Nalle. It is hands down the best boulder that I have ever climbed. It starts on a perfect obvious jug and climbs 21 moves straight to the top of a large boulder along a perfect and pure line. This is the first piece of rock that I've put any sort of long term work into this year, and my success once again confirms that significant accomplishments are the product of passion and motivation. The trick is constantly finding things that you are passionate and motivated about. So what's next?

I've also been working hard trying to get the Sunseeker video produced. I spent almost 3 post-send hours reclimbing portions of the climb to get the shots that I wanted. I even managed to climb the stand start 6 times in a row, including a few tries sans spotter. Scary! Should hit the DeadPoint site very soon. Check it out and tell me what you think.

In other news, I was hired yesterday as the new Head Routesetter for the The Spot Bouldering Gym. Very excited. I will be giving up a significant portion of my fall climbing season due to this promotion which was a hard thing to give up, but it should also allow me the ability to potentially travel overseas in 2010 which I have yet to do. World Cups, Switzerland, Mallorca, Ceuse, Realization? As for the routesetting, I'm psyched to hear any feedback, good or bad. We have a great routesetting crew right now that I'm always psyched to work with and hopefully we can find ways to make The Spot even better than it already is.

I won't be climbing much over the next two weeks or so as I try to heal this pulley strain that has been plaguing me for well over a month. Then it will be back to the plastic till the tradeshow where I will be competing in the Mammut Bouldering Championships yet again. The schedule is a bit wierd this year (competition is on Monday and Tuesday), none the less I encourage anyone who can make it to come on out and enjoy the most exciting climbing competition of the year.

More Projects...

The weather in Colorado has been quite strange recently. April snowstorms and now lots of rain and flurries in the Alpine during a normally drier/warmer time. Today it was Mt. Evans for me. Since I can't crimp, the park is out. And so I've been searching. In between 3 separate "snow storms" that left the crew burrowing under boulders, I spent quite a bit of time running around in the talus. I found this boulder without much effort:

I'm fairly sure it hasn't been climbed before, especially from the sit which could certainly be a very high quality 8B or harder. I was left trying the stand start today in my broken condition from an obvious good hold just within arms reach. The stand proved to be more than worthy as I was unable to get my ass up the thing after countless effort. One move, oddly difficult, and a bit scary. None-the-less, the climbing was phenomenal and left all of us scratching our heads as to why no one had either climbed or mentioned this boulder before. The rock is unlike most of the climbs at Mt. Evans as it features almost no crimps. Yes! And lots of cool pinches:

I ended the day with a quick send of the Hume Problem V9, which is a very nice climb at the far side of Area B that saw a nice send train today. Props to Hayden and Connor. I also had the pleasure of trying the Rail Project for the first time. We gave it a nice little session with the fading light and managed to scare the shit out of ourselves a bit. That boulder is BIG. Two more moves and I'll be ready to start giving legit efforts from the start after some heavy duty pad haulage. Psyched!

Projects...

Big Changes

My first blog post is up on Deadpointmag and I encourage everyone to check it out. It includes a write-up of the World Cup from a competitor's point of view, some photos from the event, and a nicely put together Women's Qualifier video that was filmed and edited by Garrett Gregor with some help from me. I will continue to randomly post on this blog, but the majority of my content will be posted on the Deadpoint site for hopefully a larger audience. In time I will be getting rid of climbingbum in favor of carlotraversi.com which is currently in the works. My goal is to create a site that allows people to get to know me better, communicate with me easier, and hopefully be inspired to pursue the things they are truly passionate about. This game is my life, and I'm in this game for life.

On another note, I'll be in Colorado for the summer and the fall is up in the air. Dolphin Tour 2009/2010 is looking promising, I'll keep you updated.

Videos

I'm excited to say that I've humbly entered the world of climbing video production.  Big learning process for me.  So far I have two videos up on Deadpointmag.com, one of Paul Robinson on Psychedelic down in the St. George area.  The other is Daniel Woods on two mega-classics in Red Rocks, NV.  More psyched on the Psychedelic footage.  Great problems in Red Rocks though.  Let me know what you think.

Speaking of videos, check out this piece a friend showed me today:

Nyle "Let The Beat Build" from Nyle on Vimeo.

Incredible. One shot.

It's Been A Whirlwind...

I don't quite know where to start.  A LOT has happened since my last blog.  I will start blogging more.  I swear.  I haven't been back to Kryptonite.  No time.  Very busy.  Always on my mind though.  Right now I'm sitting in a hotel room in St. George, Utah with Alex, P-Rob, and his dad Chip.  I'm treading the fine line between mental breakthrough and mental breakdown.  My body is very worn out.  I'm still pushing though.  Let me bring you up to date as fast as possible.

After Kryptonite-->Hueco Tanks for 10 days.  Very hot.  Brutally hot at times.  I fell off the last move on my flash attempt on Slashface V13.  Ironically, Dave was spotting on that attempt.  The only one who knows how it feels.  That was the last time I remember trying hard and really caring about the outcome.  Anyways, by the end of the trip I started to feel really good.  Snapped out of the 3 month plastic coma.  The rock started to bite back.  Grippin' the hands so that I had to do less grippin.  Then we left.  Back 2 Boulder.  I set the final SBS comp for the season.  Had some big guns at the show, which made it fun to set for.  Then last week we rolled on down to Vegas with DW to chill with my Dad and family and climb on some rock.  Wet Dream V12 is a phenomenal boulder problem located out in Black Velvet Canyon.  Lots of potential in the Red Rocks region.  Check it out.  Some very nice rock.  After spending a few too many days in the Urban Chaos we rolled back up to St. George to meet up with P-Rob as he attempted Psychedelic 5.14d.  I ended up belaying him on his send go where he pretty much destroyed the crux.  Then managed to almost fall a few times on the significantly easier outro with frozen hands and a slight pump.  Welcome to the route world Paul!  Not sure that he'll be in it for long.  I tried the route once.  Full extension moves, crimps, and vertical terrain are most certainly not my forte.  Maybe someday though.  Then the motivational sinkhole arrived.  Complete shutdown.  We went to Moe's Valley for 2 successive days.  Amazing rock and amazing climbs.  I was surprised that I hadn't heard about this place more.  Lots of potential on Grit-like sandstone boulders.  Alex is close on Cloverland V12, or whatever name you prefer.  I have been filming A LOT.  Two hours of quality footage off the camera so far.  Dealing with some technical difficulties with my computer though.  Hope to have them solved soon.  Then quality footage for all at DeadPointMag.  I went to the Cathedral today.  Re-psyched.  Route called Golden.  Very close already.  Then Golden Direct.  Then I'll be in shape for Kryptonite.  The ultimate goal.  Then new routes.  Wherever I find space.  Gotta leave your mark while you're in your prime.

Jon Cardwell and Wet Dream, both in their prime.

Paul and Kool-Aid, both in their prime.

Kryptonite

This past Friday I had the pleasure of viewing the world premiere of Chuck Fryberger's new film Pure.  I must say I was very impressed with the film as a whole.  Very pretty looking.  I was especially psyched to see some of my home (Sonoma County) rocks in the film looking particularly brilliant.  

Following the film I was faced with the predicament of leaving that night for the Fortress or the next morning.  At one point I was considering bailing entirely.  But something was pulling me to that place beyond normal rationale.  Seems to always be the case these days.  So here's how my weekend played out.

Saturday morning, 1 am, I finally get my ass out of Boulder and on my way to the Western Slope.  I had my good friend, and photographer, Greg Mionske in tow and he claimed he was psyched as ever.  Hard to believe after it took 4 calls to wake him up for our ridiculous "alpine" departure time.  Our plan was to at least make it past Vail so we could miss all the morning ski traffic.  After a 30 minute detour through Denver due to an accident on 93 and another 3 hours of driving we arrived in the Walmart parking lot in Eagle with Dr. Dre bumping from my sub-par sound system.  That shit is pretty much the only music that can keep me awake on late-night drives.  We found a dark corner of the lot and prepared our beds.  I can just manage to sleep in my car, but Greg, at 6' 5'' brought along a tent that he pitched next to the car.  Urban camping at it's finest.

After a decent night of sleep we awoke at 9:30 am and hopped back on I-70.  Following a bit of breakfast and some more driving we found ourselves in the muddy parking lot below the cliff.  The hike definitely has a reputation and I was interested to see how I would fare after a winter of barely any physical activity outside the climbing gym.  It ended up taking us about an hour to get to the cliff.  We got a bit lost near the end and I ate shit in the talus/shale that covers the hillside below the cliff quite a few times.  However, psych was high.  The Fortress is gorgeous.  Blue and white streaked walls for days.  Intimidating to say the least.  At the cliff, we met up with some folks from Rifle, Andy and Mark, who were kind enough to show us around and tell us where to warm up.  I ended up hopping on The Daily Planet 5.13d right off the bat and dispatched it on my second burn.  Busted out the "rose" move and a mono for the send.  I've never really been forced to do any of those moves on outdoor rock.  After I belayed Greg on the 5.12 opening section of the climb, I decided to hop right on Kyptonite 5.14d.  Climbing a route such as this is on my lifetime goals list.  140 feet long, overhung, proud, with a complex and amazing crux.  Definitely something that will challenge me properly.  I went bolt to bolt through the first 40 feet of choss, and continued through the next 5.13 section dispaching most of the moves on my first attempt.  I'm thankful that I'm not any shorter because some of the lower moves would be downright impossible.  Simply amazing moves none-the-less.  After a stout left hand drive-by to a tufa pinch and a few pocket jugs I found myself at the base of the crux.  It was easy to distinguish this section because I couldn't see any holds ahead that would be good enough to clip from for as far as I could see.  But it looked perfectly my style.  Compression on slopers and pinches.  After pondering the sequence or a bit I decided to just gun for it, hoping to reach some sort of decent hold relatively quickly.  About 10 significantly difficult moves later, after skipping two draw-less bolts, I pitched off for a nice 40 foot ride.  Not really pumped, just not really sure where to go.  I did the same thing about 2-3 more times not quite able to find where the end of the crux was.  I lowered off and we hiked back down the trail, tired and hungry.  I was psyched on the route, but perturbed that I didn't take it to the top.  I would need to figure out the upper section better before proper redpoint burns could commence.

Probably can't see me.  I'm  a small red dot a bit higher than dead center.  You can see Greg belaying just above the tree in the foreground.  The route ends near the top of the frame.  I'm on one of the first moves of the crux.

Day 2.  Slept poorly in the Target parking lot in Glenwood Springs.  We must have looked like bums when we stumbled in the coffee shop nearby.  We arrived at the cliff earlier than the day before.  Nobody else in sight.  Truly in Solitude.  I warmed up on Kryptonite.  Mid-crux I was somehow able to basically dyno a draw into the bolt and clip it up so I could work out the easiest sequence.  I accomplished every move of the 15-move resistance crux with ease (thanks to the now clipped bolts) and made it to the resting jug and then through the last few bolts of 5.13 to the anchors.  I figured out that if I could get to the crux without being pumped in the slightest, I could definitely finish the route.  I lowered off and chilled for a few hours (it was quite warm mid-day).  In the late afternoon the sun tucked itself behind some clouds and it cooled down significantly.  I was ready to give it a burn.  Four bolts in and my hands were numb.  Not warmed up anymore.  I managed to climb into the crux from the bottom without being pumped, but I dry fired due to lack of feeling in the skin.  As the temps continued to get colder, I belayed Greg a few times on Phonebooth 5.13a, and then we headed back to the car.

3 realizations:

1. The route will go.

2. I should get in better shape.

3. Damn, The Fortress is amazing and I'm psyched to spend more time up there and Kryptonite is by far the BEST route climb I've ever tried regardless of grade.  Superb quality stone, amazing moves.

In regards to the pictures.  They were taken by Greg.  He set up the camera on a tripod and had it automatically take a photo every few seconds the whole time I was on the wall.  These are the low-res versions.  I've decided to blow up a high res. version and put it on my wall for motivation.  You gotta do whatever you can to make sure that you get shit done.  Word.

On Thursday this week I leave for Hueco with a motley crew to do some tanning in the Texas sun.  And this amazing event:

So get down to Hueco for some climbing in the sun!

The Fortress Of Solitude

I am excited to say that after an intense search for an equally psyched individual (Greg Mionske) I have succeeded in planning my first "adventure" up to The Fortress of Solitude this weekend.  My main goal is Kryptonite, but I would also like to check out Flex Luthor and scope the potential for some new lines.  I cannot express how motivated I am to find and bolt new lines.  And the Fortress seems like a perfect place to start.  200+ feet of overhanging limestone.  Now I just need a drill...

Also, If anybody has any info on the place and is psyched to share, please do.  Beta on where to warm-up and any other helpful info is much appreciated.  I will be taking lots of photos and there will definitely be updates to come.     

ABS Nationals 2009

Qualifiers went better than expected for me and I'm tied for 5th Place going into finals tonight.  I felt like the problems were significantly easier this year than any other comp I've competed in, hopefully finals will step it up a notch.  If you are in Boulder right now, I urge everyone to come watch the show tonight.  Even if you can't find a ticket, find a way in!!!  It's going to be off the hook! 

The Future...Revisited

I have gotten A LOT more responses to my previous blog entry than I expected.  Mostly good responses though.  One thing that I wanted to formally revisit was Point #6.  I feel like I was a bit harsh with this point and it definitely generated a response that I wasn't too psyched on.  So i will clarify.  Climbing companies make very good products and manage to stay afloat purely because they make very good products.  With the little money that comes into the industry, this only makes sense.  Very little room for bad products.  So I feel I was wrong in this regard.  Also, I wanted to make it known that I know very little about marketing.  I hope to learn more in the future.  I do know that in a lot of ways that the a lot of the marketing currently being done by climbing companies hasn't yet lived up to its potential.  If it had we would all be doing better financially.  I know that I have a lot of ideas that I think could really work in the way of marketing climbing, but I haven't had the time recently to sit down and put them into a structured concept.  All I can say is that they would be much different than what we are seeing now.  Maybe they would work, maybe they wouldn't.  Such is the game.

I would also like to thank my current sponsors Five Ten and Verve.  They have been amazing to me and my posts are not meant to reflect badly on them in any way.  I represent them because we have similar goals and I feel that they both make excellent products.

The Future

It has been quite a while since I have updated with significant information about what's been going on in my life.  It is safe to say that I have reached some what of a turning point.  Upon returning from a successful extended U.S. roadtrip this past fall, I have been forced to start looking at things in some what of a new light.  Following a successful, yet disappointing, winter tradeshow I have managed to put together a rough list of some of my recent "realizations".

1.  I am not a professional climber.  Meaning that currently I am nowhere near being able to support myself by just rock climbing.

2.  I want to be a professional rock climber.  And with that I need to find out how to properly become one and also what kind of "pro" climber I want to be.

3.  Being a professional rock climber currently has very little to do with how hard you rock climb.

4.  In fact, most pro climbers don't climb as hard as you might think.

5.  Some of the strongest climbers in the world are complete unknowns.  No 8a, no press, no nothing.  Completely unknown.

6.  At this point in time, VERY few climbing companies have any clue what they are doing beyond making a decent product that sells enough to keep them afloat.  I believe that much of this is due to BAD marketing techniques and BLATANT misuse of key athletes on their climbing teams.  Hint to climbing companies-stop doing the marketing by yourself and hire someone that knows whats up.

7.  The growth of climbing is vital for progression.

8.  More climbers=more people buying climbing shit=climbing companies making more $$$=more climbers climbing full time=progression.

9.  Their are 3 types of professional climbers.

I. Bad Climbers-Great Representatives

II.  Great Climbers-Bad Representatives

III. Great Climbers-Great Representatives

10.  Climber I typically misrepresents their abilities, but generally makes up for it by working hard for their sponsors. 

11.  Climber II typically thinks he's just too damn good to work hard for their sponsors.  "I get money and free shit because I climb harder than you".

12.  Climber III is a rare breed these days.  Climbs hard (Not just grades, but standard setting accomplishments) and works hard.  These type of people need to be rewarded more in the industry.  Many are not.  These people also need to be better utilized by their sponsors.

13.  I aspire to be Climber III and will not settle for being either Climber I or II because these people devalue what it means to be Climber III.

14.  Hopefully, in the future, ALL sponsored climbers will fall into category III because that is the best for the future of the industry.  

15.  Climbing competitions in the US are poorly executed and poorly advertised.

16.  Climbing is a selfish pursuit.

17.  Their are ways to make it less selfish by giving back to the community.

18.  I need to find more ways to give back.

19.  Most people do nothing to give back and it only hurts progression.

20.  We need to start working together better, as members of the WORLDWIDE climbing community, to progress the sport.  This means better recongnition as a sport by the general public.  Climbing in the Olympics.  We need athletes that are recognized by the general non-climbing public.

I know that a lot of these points isolate the things that are wrong with the climbing industry and I have stated very few ways to fix the problems.  Personally, I don't know how to fix a lot of them.  Maybe some of them aren't even problems.  But hopefully by pointing some of these things out more people will start to think.  If you have anything to add to the topic please comment.  I am not professing these beliefs as absolute truth.  All I know is that things aren't great for pro climbers these days and I would like to improve that.  And maybe you just don't give a shit about any of this and so be it.  But climbing is currently my life and I will do whatever I can to improve it.

Aside from that stuff here's what I've been up too.  In January I competed in the SCS Nationals in SLC during the tradeshow and managed to take 1st Place!  I trained a bit for the comp, but not nearly as hard as I could have trained.  I was very suprised that I basically made it through the comp without getting pumped.  Rope climbing is beginning to look like a facet of climbing that I could get very good at, and I am excited to pursue this side of the sport for the remainder of 2009.  My personal goal is to establish myself as a solid 9a climber and then start searching out new lines.  Following ABS Nationals and a possible short trip to Hueco, I will be spending a lot of time at The Fortress of Solitude (for Kryptonite), and the Southern Utah crags.  As well as Rifle in the spring and maybe the RRG.  Petzl has been so kind to hook me up with some great gear for my endeavors and I look forward to representing them PROPERLY in the coming months.

SCS Nationals

ABS Nationals is this weekend.  I have been training boulders in the gym.  Almost feeling strong. Almost.  We'll see how it goes.  Routes to boulders.  Hard to transition.  I've been climbing with P-Rob a lot and I must say I'm extremely impressed with how hard he is climbing following his ankle break in the fall.  He is definitely one of the top contenders for the title this year.  I guess more of us need to lock ourselves in the garage with a campus "bored" for a few months.

I have been entertaining the purchase of an HD video camera for the past few weeks.  MomentumVM has been for the most part a complete let-down lately and it would be nice to see more large format, HD quality, high-production value climbing shorts on the web these days.  It looks like I might get the opportunity to try my hand at it pretty soon.

Also,  BIG props to my little brother Giovanni or "G" for his somewhat recent ascents of Haroun and the Sea of Stories V12 and the 2nd Ground-Up Ascent of Evilution V12.  The latter achievement is very inspiring considering G used to be afraid to climb a 25 foot slab on a top rope.  You can view his ascent of Haroun here.

The Shield

I just found this photo of me on The Shield V12 in Little Rock City, TN on climbing.com.  The Shield most definitely ranks in the Top 5 best boulder problems in the U.S.  Aesthetic, Unique Movement, Amazing Holds, and a great Location team up to make this a highly sought after tick.  My 1 hour shot at the send this year ended in failure, but I will return soon, hopefully.  This pic shows me on the crux move.  I chose a bit different beta than the norm that had me palming my left hand up the wall.

Sam Slivey Photo

Sorry for the lack of updates, though I haven't had much to update on.  If you happen to pick up the new issues of Deadpoint Magazine and Climbing, check out some of the photos of Alex that I had published.  It's definitely exciting to see your own photos in print.  Also, my little brother "G" topped out Evilution V12 a few days ago for the 2nd Ground-Up ascent.  Props Bro!  I have worked the last 5 or 6 days straight, sometimes until 3 in the morning, at The Spot fixing The Dojo.  Epic.  We were forced to Tap almost 4,000 or so T-Nuts.  Needless to say, I'm still recovering from a serious lack of sleep.

I should be getting outside soon, now that I am back on a normal work schedule.  This should yield some more interesting updates. 

Evilution

Just thought I'd post this photo I recently got my hands on.  It was taken from Buttermilk road and shows me topping out Evilution on the Grandpa Peabody boulder.  This particular photo seems to expose just how gigantic this particular boulder is.  Thanks a bunch to Tilly Parkins for taking and sending me the photo.

I'm the little black dot halfway up the boulder if you couldn't tell.  The crux is about a body length below me.

Off The Road...Finally!

On Oct. 30, Alex and I left boulder and we just got back home today.  We drove from CO to Texas.  Texas to Alabama.  Alabama to Texas.  Texas to Santa Rosa, CA.  Santa Rosa to Yosemite.  Yosemite to Santa Rosa.  Santa Rosa to Bishop.  Bishop to Santa Rosa.  Santa Rosa to Bishop.  Bishop to Salt Lake City.  Salt Lake to Boulder (for one night).  Boulder to Chattanooga, TN.  Chattanooga back to Boulder.  Alex is afraid of flying if anyone needs an answer to the obvious question.  She also doesn't have a driver's license which leaves 100% of the driving responsibilities up to me.  I am sick and tired of driving.

I have updated decently well over the past few weeks, but thought I would catch everyone up on the last leg of the tour.  Chattanooga for the last leg of the Triple Crown.   I only have one thing to say.  Little Rock City has the best rock and lines of any climbing area in the United States.  Hands down.  After four straight days of driving to the comp, I didn't perform nearly as well as I wanted to, but I'm inspired to return to LRC as soon as possible.  We also had the opportunity to climb in Laurel Snow outside Dayton for the two days after the comp.  Lots of potential and lots of good lines.  I walked away with ascents of Vapor Lock V11 and the 3rd ascent of Western Gold.  Western Gold is perhaps my favorite climb for the grade I've ever done.  Slopers and pinches all the way.  Props to Jimmy Webb on the 1st.  True Stunner.

Here are some pics:

Vapor Lock V11

Jimmy Webb on the 2nd Ascent of Stankins V11 (established by James Litz just a week prior)

Western Gold V11

Nic about to crush Vapor Lock...

Alex Puccio Climbs A Maze of Death V12

On Sunday, Dec. 30, Alex finished off her fourth V12 with an ascent of A Maze of Death.  It took her 4 days of effort and she has stated that it is most definitely her hardest boulder send to date.  I was very impressed with her ascent of this line particularly with the sequence she used.  She skipped a very key left hand by putting her foot above her head to lock-off to the sidepull and then proceeded to pull both holds to her stomach while she hand-foot matched her left hand.  Many of us tried to attempt this sequence but couldn't even start to do it.  A very impressive display of raw power that you'll have to witness when the video hits the web.

Here are some pics: 

I managed to finish off my trip with sends of The Buttermilker V12 and Haroun and the Sea of Stories V11/12.  I attempted to finish Evilution Direct V11 before Thanksgiving, but couldn't quite get myself to commit to the Dyno (for me) on the slab.  This is certainly a much scarier line to the top of the boulder than Jason's original, but the holds are MUCH better.  Until now.  When I returned to Bishop after Thanksgving I learned that a key hold above the lip had broken and there wasn't much left to grab.  I tried it a few times before we left for Boulder (ground-up of course) and can definitely say that the exit is harder but there is definitely a decent hold to grab.  It now awaits a re-first ascent.

Here's a photo of me grabbing the left hand that is now broken:

Bishop

So we bailed on Yosemite a couple of days ago in favor a finding less humid conditions in Bishop. We arrived here two days ago and have found mostly heat during the day, but phenomenal conditions when the sun goes down. This gives a small window of climbing, but allows us to rest and save skin for most the time. However when the sun goes down, it means business. Yesterday, we messed around on the Buttermilker for a bit to warm up. I got really close, but couldn't quite pull it off. As the sun went down we rounded up some pads and headed down to the Grandpa Peabody. I climbed Evilution to the lip two years ago and felt very unaccomplished just letting go of the jug at the lip. I've been trying to get back to Bishop these last few years to polish some things off and it seems as though this trip is going to be a success. After only a few goes on the full Evilution I was falling rounding the lip. After figuring out some new foot beta, I pulled onto the slab (then almost fell when my feet picked going for the jug) and diced my way to the top. I then spent 20 minutes figuring out the 50 foot slab downclimb. Scary! I was psyched to up the ante on this testpiece with the 1st(?) groundup ascent although I must say it wouldn't have been possible without a full beta rundown from friend Charlie Barrett. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the send cause everybody was spotting and it was damn near dark outside. Maybe someday...

Here's some photos of The Buttermilker:

Garrett Gregor

Today was also a great day. We woke up late and at around 1 o'clock made our way up to the Bardini Boulders to climb on A Maze of Death V12. This is an amazing boulder problem first put up Dave Graham. It climbs from a perfect jug sit start through some of the best rock in Bishop and finishes on another jug. A great LINE to say the least. I almost finished this problem a few years ago, but was thwarted by a lack of strength. Today, it went down pretty fast, but not without a fair bit of screaming. My brother Giovanni and Garrett Gregor also polished off the line shortly after. I think it's also safe to guarantee a First Female Ascent of this boulder by the end of this week.

Here are some photos:

"G"

Garrett

Alex

5 days of climbing left before we head to Tennessee. Lots of problems to climb and more updates to come.

Yosemite Day 2 and 3

Day 2 was cold, humid and quite uneventful for me. Kyle Owen managed to send 6 Degrees V10 and flash Midnight Lightning V8. Garrett Gregor also managed sends of 6 Degrees and Midnight Lightning. Proud!

Today was Day 3 and turned out quite good. We warmed up in Camp 4 after a slow morning, then waltzed on over to Thriller V10 for a session. I managed to dig deep on my third effort of the day and latch the finish jug. Unfortunately I suffered a minor battle wound in the form of a split tip. Kyle managed to send a few tries later. Thriller is most definitely SOLID for the grade in my opinion and it is a must do for anyone visiting the valley.

We rested for a bit and then headed on over to Dogwood which I hadn't tried yet. I was super psyched on this boulder after watching the footage in Dosage 5. I have also heard that it could be one of the best climbs in the valley. Dogwood consists of a few moves of amazing moderate climbing followed by a long move off a left hand sidepull to a "dog bone" that you grab with your right hand. The "dog bone" is not much of a hold, but rather a sidepull sloper with a good thumbcatch. So you grab it, then grab a sloper sidepull directly across from it, get your feet up, and dyno to a "V" slot at the lip. In 3 tries I was falling at the dyno and shortly following Kyle's send, I managed to stick the lip. And the rumors are true, Dogwood just might be the best boulder problem I've ever climbed. In comment to the grade, it felt easier for me than Thriller. However it is my style and it is definitely more committing. Kyle and I settled on 8A rather than the 8A+ grade proposed by the first few ascentionists. After some more ascents hopefully we can reach a good consensus.

Here are some photos from the last few days:

Thrilla'

Thrilla'

6 Degrees

Dogwood

Garrett crushing the Bone.

Kyle sticking the dyno on Dogwood

And... the Project...

Yosemite Day 1

Alex and I arrived in Yosemite today for an extended stay. We arrived a bit later than anticipated, but I still managed to finish off an ultra-classic V9 called Heart Of Darkness. We also met up with good friends Garrett Gregor and Kyle Owen. They both dispatched as well.

Here are some pics:

It's About Time For A Road Trip...

I've basically spent the last 5 or 6 days setting boulder problems at The Spot. Psychedelia was off the hook and now we're focused on getting up as many boulder problems as possible to keep the members psyched. Needless to say, LOTS of setting. So, I've been climbing very little and have fallen into a bit of a slump. I figured some outdoor time was needed so we headed up to Boulder Canyon today to get on Hard Boiled V11. It's kind of a pissed off little boulder problem consisting of a small roof and a slightly technical slab. I've tried it a few times over the last few years to no avail (possibly due to lack of motivation) and I was happy to finish it off quickly today.

On Thursday, Alex and I will leave Boulder and we won't be returning until December. We will also be taking along my little brother Giovanni for the ride. First up on our list of areas is Horse Pens 40 for the second leg of the Triple Crown. I'm extremely excited to visit this amazing area again. Unfortunately we will only be able to climb there on the day of the comp as we will be heading to YOSEMITE for the rest of November.

I grew up in Northern California and have made many trips to Yosemite both before I was a climber and after. Due to my High School schedule I was only really able to make it to the Valley during the summer and this severely limited the difficulty of the problems I was able to accomplish. Last summer I showed up in the Valley to scope out all of the new hard classics and was turned away by 105 degree heat and an army of mosquitos. I've been meaning to climb in this amazing area during the winter for quite some time now, and this November is our big chance to lay seige. I have a very large list of problems that I want to do and I have a good-sized list of extremely inspiring projects that I have my eye on.

More updates and some photos to come.

Alex Climbs Trice V12

Alex seems to be on a bit of a mission these days. We went up to Flagstaff tonight and she dispensed with Trice V12 in the dark. Conditions were certainly not optimal as I couldn't even manage a repeat. Very impressive to watch. She absolutely walked the thing. She is very psyched and is now putting together a list of hard Front Range boulders that she wants to take down. I have complete confidence in her ability to send anything she puts her mind too.

As for me, I made considerable progress on Midnight Express V14 in Boulder Canyon yesterday and once my arm heals from that heinous undercling I'll be ready to take it down. More updates and hopefully some media to come.

Alex Puccio Climbs Clear Blue Skies V12

A couple of days ago we returned to Boulder after a 12-day trip out east to Boone, NC and the Red River Gorge. I should have a posting up about our trip soon, but in the meantime here is another little bit of news.

Yesterday, we made a trip out to Mt. Evans so Alex could finish up one of her projects. The parking lot was basically covered in snow, but we decided to trudge in anyways to check on the status of the Dali wall. The hike ended up being not so bad. The snow was well packed and despite some small patches of mud it was quite uneventful. Everything at Area A was dry. Some of the topouts had snow on them. Silverback and All Dogs Go To Evans are most definitely OUT THE GAME. The Dali wall was very dry. Topouts as well. The temps were unbelievably good. Extremely dry and pretty damn cold. Clear Blue Skies took Alex about 4 tries to complete and she absolutely hiked it. One of those sends where every move is executed perfectly. She definitely took it down in style. I will say that this is definitely not the hardest she can climb at this point, and I look forward to watching her progress on the real rocks in Horse Pens 40, Yosemite, Bishop, Little Rock City, and Horseshoe Canyon Ranch.

I'll post some pics of the day, but first here is a little something from Alex in regards to the send:

"The day started off with Carlo saying " we can turn back and go to Clear Creek and I won't be mad" as we started hiking in. It was very cold and windy, and as most of you know I am from Texas, where we Texans like it to be about 80 degrees when we are climbing. =)

But despite the REALLY cold, windy weather, I decided I wanted to go finish Clear Blue Skies. Since I hiked in with the given conditions I made sure I was going to do the problem. So we warmed up on the Ladder a few times and then decided to head right to the Dali boulder and just get it over with so we could leave sooner. As we walked to the Dali I noticed that most of the boulders were iced and snowed over on the tops, I started to get nervous that the Dali boulder was going to be the same. But as we approuched it I was so releaved to see that it was clear!! So we got right on it, and my first two tries I dry fired of the second hold, I got nervous for a minute that it might not go. I went to a rock and sat for a few minutes calmed myself down. Then a huge gust of wind came and I decided to get back on it and just climb the damb thing, and two goes later it just flowed.... I was DONE!!!

The boulder problem took me two days of work. The first day I worked it for about thirty min. and I felt like it was for sure going to go down, but what I thought was my send go I tore my whole pad off of my index finger.

Over all I thought it was soft, and can't believe it used to be v13. And all I have to compair the grade too is the Marble Sit and I definitely thought that Clear Blue Skies was eaiser for me. Which I thought was weird cause I don't ever really climb on crimpy problems, I have never been that great on crimps, but I guess things can change. But I really enjoyed the short victory of Clear Blue Skies......great fun!!! =)

Mt. Evans

I camped out at Mt. Evans this weekend and had the opportunity to climb some new things and explore a LOT. Yesterday I climbed this problem Peasants Into Leaders V7/8 that I've had my eye on for a while. Committing and fun, and not nearly as scary as it looks. I also finished Silverback Stand V8 in a few goes and I'm psyched to try the Sit.

Today I woke up early and rolled on up to Area C, an area that I've been meaning to check out for quite some time now. All I can say is...Lots of Projects. There is a scary highball that looks unclimbed that follows a 20 foot right-facing mini-dihedral to a spectacular dyno to a jug. Amazing.

UPDATE: Apparently this crimp line I climbed today was put up by Harry Robertson a few years ago and called Broken Wing at the grade of V11/12. So I guess I have the second ascent? Nevertheless, It is a very cool line that should be climbed more often.

Here are the pics (Photos Courtesy of Connor Griffith):

Rifle

Alex, G, and I spent the last few days in Rifle Mountain Park climbing sport routes. It was the first time I've seriously attempted climbing on a rope in about 3 years. None the less, I had a amazing time and got seriously re-psyched on routes. It was also a great time climbing with Daniel Woods, Dave Graham, Joe Kinder, Emily Harrington, and Colette McInerney. Awesome crew to be climbing with, psych level to the max. Alex ended up climbing her first 12d, in two tries. Super proud. G got really close on a few 13's, and finished off 5 times as many spliffs as the whole crew combined. I fell off the last move of Simply Read 5.13d (hard as all hell 13d), which is probably the coolest thing I tried on the trip. Bummed I got so close and fell, but amped that I've actually got some endurance now. Anyways, I'm psyched to return in the next few weeks to finish off some things as the temps get better. Very psyched on Dave's new climb Girl Talk 5.14c at the Bauhaus. I got the opportunity to try it a bit when it was still a project and it holds some amazing climbing. I also suprised myself by linking the whole bottom half on my second attempt. Someone mentioned that this half could be a 5.14- route on its own. Psyched!

So here's some not-so-quality images from the trip:

Dave taking down The Gayness 5.13d

Daniel in the A.M.

G on the P.M. Wakeup Schedule

And without a days rest, Alex and I headed to Mt. Evans today for some Alpine Bouldering. Alex had her eyes on a few problems and as the day progressed she narrowed her sights on Clear Blue Skies V12. A couple goes in the heat were not looking good, then the cool breeze came by for a visit. In short order, she was falling off the last move from the start on every go until she ripped a nice flapper in her finger. We'll probably end up returning this weekend so she can finish her second V12. Updates will be coming along more regularly.

Peace.

Oh, and stop by The Spot this Friday for the Grand Opening of the New Wall built by Vertical Solutions. We will be setting all this week, so come by and climb on some fresh problems on a fresh new piece of terrain.

Alex Puccio and The Last Month

Today, Alex Puccio finished off the First Female Ascent of The Marble Sit V12 in RMNP. It was her third day climbing on the problem and she most definitely hiked it. Instead of me rambling on about the send, I'll let her describe the day in her own words:

" I worked on the marble for 2 days, the first days I got it in 2 parts and the second day I fell off matching the lip 5 times in a row...... so frustrating! And then finally on the third day, today, I sent the Marble Sit. Soooooo EXCITED!!! The day I sent the Marble Sit it was about 75 degrees out, and I climbed the day before in the gym so I didn't think it was going to go. After giving it a warm up burn I tried it once more and it felt greasy, I actually just popped off the wall from my hands greasing a few times, but then all the sudden a cool breeze came through and it cooled down for a few minutes. I put on my shoes, chalked my hands and sent the problem!

This is by far the hardest boulder problem I have done yet, and I hope that girls pushing the standards in climbing will motivate and show other girls that it can be done! We are creeping up on the boys and V13 isn't far out of sight!!! =)"

So there you have it. Now we have another girl to add to the Women of V12 club. Not entirely sure how many girls are on the list, but I'm assuming it's under 10. Hopefully we'll see Angie on the list soon with another FFA in the park.

On a side note, I've kinda been taking it easy recently trying to find new psych and a new direction. This time has allowed me to realize the rapid progression in climbing recently. Now we have two V12's by girls completed in the same week, in the same state. We also have V13's being sent weekly by multiple people. I can't even keep up with the number of retardly strong climbers I meet out here in Colorado on a daily basis. I see the bar slowly rising and the only way not to fall off, is to hold on a bit harder.

That being said, the new wall being built at The Spot is absolutely AMAZING. Quite possibly the most well built, well designed cave in the country. I look forward to setting and training on it starting next week.

Also, Alex and I will be heading to Rifle tomorrow to climb some routes with DW and DG through the weekend. I have never climbed a 5.14 and I'd be psyched to add one to my tick list. I know Alex feels the same way. More updates to come...

Now here's some photos from the last month:

Alex Puccio

Alex Eyeing the Holds

Alex and The Marble Sit

Alex sending Public Execution V10 at Mt. Evans

Psyched On The Send

Andre climbing Freaks Of The Industry V13

Umm...

Mayhem at the Centaur Boulder

G with Straight Hair...HAHAHA!!!