May catchup post

Some more shots of the Mammoth Lakes hot springs:

 Friday 6 May 2011

Snowboard with Martin and Neva. They gave us free passes, which saves us $90 for the day.  I've only been on the mountain less than a handful of times, but I'm getting better.  It helps that both Neva and Martin are instructors!  They took me on a narrow run down the mountain which forced me to control my turns a lot more than on the wide runs I've been going down.  A steep drop to the left and a mountain on the right forced me to get good fast!  After that run I tried to concentrate on standing upright to save my back and get more control, and focus down the slope instead of looking at the end of my board.  By the last run I was tired and sore, but doing shallower turns in between the slashing sweeps that slowed my descent.

Saturday 7 May 2011

Boulder at the Sads.  I didn't take to it as well as I did to the Happys, although the rock is more like that area than the Buttermilks.

A couple of shots from the 'Iron Man Traverse' (V4) at the Buttermilks

 'Evilution' super-highball on the Grandpa Peabody boulder

Sunday 8 May 2011

Climb at Dilithium Crystal crag at the Inner Crag of Owen's River Gorge.  "Lieutenant Uhura" 5.11c o/s (very cool long pumper!), "Photon Torpedo" 5.11b o/s.  Try to onsight "Enterprise" - a very sweet little roof 5.12b - but fall off after the lip moves.  Not much time to rest before another try, as it's time to hike out and head home, so I fall off again at the same spot.  Would be great to get back down to this awesome area before we leave.

Monday 9 May 2011

Snowboard - last day!  Got confidence now to go through the trees on my way down the slope.  Only hit one!  Most of the run down the snow is banked up against the trees, so I'm able to slow down and turn sharp, unlike the main runs which are groomed to an even gradient.  Dodging obstacles adds something to the experience.  I'm sure I'd get bored running the same easier wide pistes, so to change things up there are the steeper Double Black Diamond runs or there are the trees.  I'll take the easier tree runs thanks!

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Climb at Dilithium Crystal again.  Send "Enterprise" with no trouble this time.

 Although the previously-unexplored headwall was a little spicy!

Try neighbouring 12d "Not For Sale" and get all moves no trouble first time.  Pumpy roof to a long gaston move to lip, with hard and tensiony core moves needed to get across.  Have one more shot before we have to leave, but fall off on gaston move.  Feels easy for 12d even though I couldn't send.  No time this trip to get back on it.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Drive from Mammoth Lakes to Las Vegas with Vren as a passenger.  He's a climbing guide working in Mammoth Lakes, Bishop and Las Vegas.  Camp above Las Vegas on the Blue Diamond mountain. 

Thursday 12 May 2011

Drive from Las Vegas to Kingman.  Find out that diff. has leaked all oil out.  Call AAA and get towed to repair shop.  $800 to replace rear axel assembly - housing is cracked.  Stay at Motel 6 overnight.  Hopefully this is the last big expense I have to deal with on the van, but I doubt it.  Thanks the risk with buying a 5 year old car I guess.

Friday 13 May 2011

Pick up van from garage and drive to Flagstaff.  No more problems on the way back.

Saturday 14 May 2011

Climb at the Pit.  Jumped on "No Joke" again but didn't do very well.  Considering giving up on it, as I only have a few days left in Flagstaff.

Monday 16 May 2011

Climb at the Pit.  Flash "Sister of Mercy" 5.12c (Ewbanks grade 26) - easy face to hard little roof; juggy deep undercling 2 finger pocket to a high half-pad 2 finger sharp crimp over lip, hard move to small sharp crimp, big move to small sharp crimp, match, high foot, pull up and get feet above lip, then easy to top.  Short crux that would be hard to onsight, but with pre-inspection from a neighbouring route I saw that it would be ok, so long as I moved fast.  Not sure if soft for the grade, but definitely not sustained.  "God Walks Among Us" 5.12b 2nd shot.  Awesome bouldery short route with very cool moves.  Sustained for the whole route.  This wall is all very cool.  Many short hard routes to try, and all so accessible!

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Climb at the pit.  Another 3 goes on "No Joke" 5.13a/b.  First shot was the best; linked from the ground all the way to the rest, but couldn't get through the high crux.  Was advised some better beta for that crux by a local, but I couldn't get to the rest the next 2 times.  Cleaned the route.  There are a couple other 13a's that I may have more success on that I should try before I leave.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Modify stick clip, modify Nalgene, buy foam to make bed for van.  Snowing and cold today (In late May!), so can't go outside.  Can't climb at the Pit for the next couple of days, and Monday I leave for Canada, so no time left to send "No Joke".  Felt closer last time, but I think it would still take more days than I have left to send it.

Friday 20 May 2011

Climb at the Pit.  Send "Fresh Squeezed" 5.13a 2nd shot!  Very short bouldery route (4 clips including chains) with a hard low crux and sustained boulder finish.  Tried a 12c called "Excalibur", but I'm low on power after doing the 13.  Couldn't send after 5 shots of trying.  The people I'm staying with in Flagstaff threw me a going away party, and many of the locals I've met and climbed with came to wish me well.  Great party!

Sunday 22 May 2011

Mike came home from fighting a fire in New Mexico.  Went to a new bouldering area which BK, Sweeney and Matt Hoak found and cut a track to.  Cleaned and tried a bunch of new lines.  Played Croquet with Dustin, Julie, Christine, Megan, Mike and Patty in the park.  Tomorrow looks like I'll get one more day of climbing in at the Pit with Mike and Patty, then do some shopping for the trip North.

Finally a new post!

Friday 22 April 2011

Climb at the Pit with Lori, a five foot Flagstaff local who boulders V10 (!).  Easy warmups plus do 'Purple Shark' (5.12a) again, then try the 'Joker' (5.12c) into 'Total Recall' (5.13c).  Doing this linkup ('No Joke' I think its called?) makes for a very cool 5.13a/b.  Did all the moves, but some were very hard to do off the rope, so on link I think they will be beyond me right now.  Still, a good one to train on.

Went out to Priest Draw bouldering area at night, to a camping spot nearby, and attended a going away party of some friends of BK and Lori.  Some guys decided that, see as I am a foreigner and not accustomed to the traditions of this country, I should do my first keg stand.  Needless to say, my performance was sub-par compared to the Australian stereotype!  7 seconds is apparently equal to that of a pre-teen girl, or so I was told.  They even pumped slower for me!  For me drinking comes way down the list in priorities, well after climbing, so I eased off the booze and retired to the van ready for a day of bouldering tomorrow.

Saturday 23 April 2011

Climb at Priest Draw after a very long breakfast with BK and Lori.  Tried a very cool problem called 'Wife Beater' apparently V8.  I hopped off the ground (instead of doing it static to start) and topped out, so I didn't really climb it properly, but I could do the start move fine so I'm sure I could send it.  Hard to believe it's V8 if I can do it in an hour.  Apparently the original beta is much harder than the way I was shown, so I guess that's why the grade feels off.


Dinner at Beaver Street Brewery with some bouldering friends.  I was refused bar service because I could not produce a US driver's licence or a passport!  They wouldn't accept my Australian driver's licence, and when I questioned why they couldn't just use common sense and see I was over 21 they fed me some bullshit about liquor licencing laws and so on.  Ridiculous!

Sunday 24 April 2011

Easter BBQ with some friends.  Fantastic food, great company!  Overindulged of course, but I think I can work it off at the Pit tomorrow.

Monday 25 April 2011

Climb at the Pit.  Try "No Joke" 5.13a again and refine beta a little, but still feel miles away from sending.  Left draws hanging, so will have to get back on it before we leave for Bishop later this week.  I don't have any pics of me trying it, so here's a stock photo!

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Buy snowboard.  Yay!  Also helmet, goggles, boots and bindings.  All set to rip it up!

Thursday 28 April 2011

Take draws off "No Joke" 5.13a - couldn't get through the first part of the crux on redpoint.  Will have to wait until I get back from Bishop.  Hopefully I can get stronger there and send it when I get back.

Friday 29 April 2011

Climb at the Upper Owen's River Gorge with Patty and some of her local friends. The style of climbing there is similar in some ways to the quarry climbing back home, and the grades are a lot stiffer than Red Rocks and Flagstaff.  Onsighted an 11d but didn't try anything harder.  Did an awesome 10c with a cool roof move, and fell off an 11a (!) First 11 I've fallen off of in long time!  Misread the crux sequence and couldn't make it go any other way than the obvious sequence that I only saw sitting on the rope.

Saturday 30 April 2011

Climb at a very small crag near Mammoth with Patty and her local friend Jen.  Some granite routes up to 11a.

Sunday 1 May 2011

Snowboard on Mammoth Mountain. New board is great!  Change stance from 15 degree duckfoot to a little over 0 degree duckfoot; seems to have made a little difference.  Getting S turns better on gentle slopes, but still not confident on steeper stuff.  Looking forward to doing some riding with some of Patty's instructor friends so they can give me some tips.

Monday 2 May 2011

Boulder at the Happys down at Bishop.  Do a couple of V3 problems quickly, plus a few other warmups.  A V4 called "Big Chicken", a V6 called "Incredible Hulk", and a V5 called "Serengetti".  Fantastic bouldering!  Here is a sequence of shots from Hulk:

 The crux move; toe hook in pocket and throw back over head to "The Boss"

And a few shots of Serengetti:

 Left foot heel hook above the head is very important!

 Bad left hand hold, and ordinary right hand sloper

The throw to the jug; feet cut off.  Very satisfying!

Camp out at "Wild Willies" hot spring, with pizza and wine.  The spring is a magical place to sit and soak, and relax after a hard day's climbing.  A shame so many other people feel the same way!  At least there were no nudies there!

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Wake up and have coffee and fruit with a view of the Eastern Sierras, a lake and the hot spring.  Beautiful warm morning!

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Boulder at the Buttermilks.  Onsight an unknown V3 and flash a V4 called "Iron Man Traverse".  Tried some other problems including a cool V5 "Go Granny Go" on the Grandma Peabody boulder, but didn't send anything else cool.  Checked out some of the hard classics "Mandala", "Evilution", "The Buttermilker".  Hard to see how anyone could get up these problems.  The holds are so small!






Thursday 5 may 2011

Climb at Upper Owen's River Gorge with Patty, Martin and Neva again.  Onsight an awesome 5.11b with a cool roof, and try a tricky 12c arete but couldn't do all moves, let alone send it.  Tomorrow snowboarding again!  I think we'll stay for another week, then head back to Flagstaff.  I'll stay there for a week, then I'd better start the journey up to Canada so I can fly across to France for the bro's wedding.  Should be an awesome drive, albeit a long one, but I'm giving myself almost 2 weeks to do it in case I have car trouble.