Climb at Indian Creek - Battle of the Bulge, Donnelly Canyon, and Way Rambo cliffs. Lots of falling off 5.10 routes! Getting schooled here. Highlight was "Blue Sun" (5.10-) classic hands splitter climbed onsight. Needed to borrow a few extra cams for it. I used 5 yellow and 3 blue C4s! Tried "Way Rambo" (5.12-) on top-rope, but it was too thin at the top for me.
27 - 29 March 2011
Climb around Flagstaff, at the Pit and at Jack's Canyon near Winslow. Climbed a few 5.11 routes onsight, so developing a base there it seems. Did a drilled 5.12b in a few shots at Jacks canyon - called "Honed Improvement" (ha!) - lots of routes there are chipped, even the easier ones.
30 March - 3 April 2011
Climb back at Red Rocks. Tried to get on "Epinepherine" with Mel and Emil, but the route was too busy. Tried a 5.12a sport pitch in the canyon, and it was very cool, but way harder than any other 12a I've tried here so far. Tried to get on "Epinepherine" again the next day, this time with a French-Canadian guy called Jean-Michel. Again we came up against too many parties already on the route for us to do it. Instead we went to another canyon and did "Black Orpheus". ran out of water before the top and it was very hot in the sun, so it was a hard day. We did about 6 hours of hiking all told today! Hiked down to the car in the dark.
Sent "The Trophy" 5.12b/c first shot, after a few shots last trip to Red Rocks. Cool route, with one big move that proved to be the crux.
Climbed at Alternative Crag in the Calico Basin - did a soft 5.12b second shot and flashed a 12a. Also sent a V5 traverse in quick time. A friend from Flagstaff ticked a 5.13a/b second shot - cool to see! Especially since he spent the drive back to Flagstaff suffering from food poisoning and vomiting all the way!
Turtle on the way to Alternative Crag
5 - 7 April 2011
Enchanted Tower in New Mexico. Nice drive across from Flagstaff for the long weekend. Did some easy stuff and onsight an 11d (soft). I'm beginning to think many areas here have soft routes; either that or the grade conversion I'm using is off! I'm sure when I hit the old school areas like Owens River Gorge, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree I'll get back on track with the grades. Just like Indian Creek! Did "David" - the 5.12c first half of "Goliath" (13a) second shot. Almost onsighted it! Maybe it's the style, but I found it very very soft for 26. Tried the full 13a route a few times over the weekend, and got very close (one hang), but couldn't get the redpoint. Didn't feel 28, but then again I didn't send so I can't say now can I?
The Enchanted Tower
Friday 8 April 2011
Spend day inside in Flagstaff - snowing! Cold. 12 inches of snow overnight. Snowboarding tomorrow!
Saturday 9 April 2011
Snowboarding at the Arizona Snowbowl - last weekend of the season, and luckily Flagstaff got a foot of snow last night! Conditions up on the mountain are perfect! Learned the theory on the chairlift before we got off on the "Death Ramp"!! Didn't fall somehow, so when we got the start of the cat track before the piste we stopped to tighten the bindings and prepare for the run down. I joined the "Heel-Edge Mafia" - staying facing down the slope and with the board square so I couldn't pick up too much speed, and slowly sliding down the slope. From there I learned to control the toe-side, then into the 's' technique. Lots of falls later I was at the bottom and ready to hit the chair lift for the top again! By the end of 5 runs I was exhausted and couldn't go again, so we bailed for beer and pizza. I think I got the hang of it ok, even getting up the nerve to accummulate some speed before trying to self-arrest without falling down. Almost got it! By the end I was aggressively switching from heel to toe on the gentler slopes.
Mike digging out his van
My van is back there under snow!
Upright
Still upright and loving it!
Sunday 10 April 2011
Climb at "Isolation Gorge" with Patty and Jennel. Flash a 12a and do some easier routes. Different rock here than at the Pit or Jacks. Similar in style to the quarries, kind of. Lots of incut edges though, rather than the upside-down edges I'm used to back home. A bit of a newer area, so no crowds and not that much development - certainly nothing harder than 12a.
Monday 11 April 2011
Climb at "Priest's Draw", a bouldering spot near the Pit, with Jennel, Patty and Mike. Almost sent "Anorexic" V6. Need to get back on it at some stage, because I think I can do it.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Climb at The Pit with Patty, Mike, Kym and Craig. Onsight a couple of 12a routes, as well as have 2 shots on "The Joker" 5.12c. Long route with a pumpy pre-crux, but there are no real hard moves on it. Plus there are lots of great rests along the way. Just my kind of route!
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Pilfered 6 milk crates for the van. Bought wood to make the bed, and started planning the layout. Going to have a fixed platform taking up half the space, and a removable one next to it. Milk crates underneath for support, as well as some posts.
Thursday 14 April 2011
Priest Draw with Mike. Sent "Anorexic" V6. Couldn't do MOAB (V4), although I got through the whole roof crack until the mantle crack finish. can't believe I punted off there! Cool line though. (M.O.A.B. = Mother Of All Boulderproblems)
Friday 15 April 2011
Work on the van. Cover the chipboard with canvas and glue carpet to the top side. Screw 6 posts to the bottom of one, and make 3 free-standing posts for the other side.
Saturday 16 April 2011
Sent "The Joker" 12c at The Pit in 3 shots total. Went to a guy's birthday party and met some local climbers there. Arrange to go climbing with a few of them over Easter around Flagstaff.
Sunday 17 April 2011
Jacks. Onsight a 12a, some easier stuff, and do a 12a in 5 shots at the end of the day. Tried a 12d a few times but the dyno was a bit scary. Ended up hitting the wall below pretty hard on the swing, and a couple of times I swung in head first because of the way I came off the dyno hold. Need a helmet and a dynamic belay!
Monday 18 April 2011
Work on the van - complete the bed and sort out arrangement of gear in crates. Ready for the trip to Mammoth, almost. A few fine-tuning adjustments and it should be all sweet. Make a stick-clip out of a painters pole, an alligator clamp and a couple of hose clamps. Cheaper than a squid, but not as easy to use for removing draws. Works fine though, and cost about $14 total. Squids are $30 plus the pole.
The (almost) finished product
