Summer Lovin'

Now that summer school is over, and I am still "funemployed," I have had a lot of time to climb lately. I have recently started picking up bouldering, as I finally feel I have enough strength to enjoy working problems. After a week, I was able to finish my first V4, the Monkey Traverse in Flagstaff, and it felt pretty easy once I figured out the beta and took my time on the two no-hands rests. I spent a session on The Consideration V4, and I feel it will go during the next session. I think after that, I will start working on V5s at Three of a Kind and the Red Wall as well.

          After getting my ass kicked in Yosemite Valley, I have decided to build my traditional "pyramid" by climbing all of the sub-5.10 routes in Eldo that Levin gives 3 or 4 stars in his guidebook. After excluding the routes I had already ticked, that left about 60 routes total. The first couple sessions, my roommate Mike and I ticked off about three routes on Wind Tower a day. We were able to climb Pseudo Sidetrack with the direct finish (5.5R) and Recon 5.6 (11 pitches total linked down to 6) in just under 4 hours, car to car. Recently, I summited Shirt Tail Peak, the highest point in Eldorado, with my future roommate Nick on the route Gambit 5.8.  Though this is easy goings for now, I am a bit apprehensive about the 5.9+R/X cimbs I will have to do in the near future, like Highway of Diamonds, The Flaw, and Jack the Ripper. I plan on ticking these after feeling comfortable on the 10s in Eldo. 

          After 2 failed attempts in RMNP, my buddy Colin convinced me to go and climb the Diamond on Monday with him on Ariana 5.12a. Colin is training for his Alpine Mentorship tryouts in October and is climbing up in the park at least once a week. We woke up in the parking lot at 3:30, and after a power breakfast of Pop-Tarts and chai tea, we headed out on the 6 mile approach. We soloed up the North Chimney soon after sunup, and started on the first 11a pitch. I was originally going to lead all 3 5.9 pitches, but after I lead the 70’ 5.9 second pitch, we decided that under this time crunch, Colin would lead the rest for time’s sake. The sun was hidden behind the smoke from the fires all day, and it was definitely chillier than I had expected; it even snowed on us on the fifth and sixth pitches. As Colin started up the 4^th pitch crux, I was surprised to see just how much he was sewing it up. We did bring triples from blue Metolius to .4 Camalot, and Colin used up almost every piece. He did end up falling once and taking twice, but he seems convinced now that he knows the beta, he can send it in a good weather day (when it’s warm enough to feel your fingers). I now know that climbing at 13.5 thousand feet is a completely different story, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. We made it back to the car at about 8, for a total time of 16 hours car to car.

           Gil Weiss’ memorial was today in Boulder, and unfortunately, I could not make it. I had only briefly met and climbed with him in Devil’s Tower and Yosemite, but his zeal for climbing and life was infectious. I had always been told that if you climb long enough, a friend will be lost to the mountain sometime. I had accepted this to be true, but I had not expected this to happen to me after only 2 years of climbing. I ask those that read this to be careful and safe, and remind everyone that your actions affect more people than you know.

          This is my first blog, but you will definitely hear more from me in the near future.

Intro to the New River Gorge

By: Urs Moosmuller

The weekend after Governor Stables we got a group together from Earth Treks to head out to the New River Gorge in West Virginia. The drive was longer than we expected and we ended up getting lost trying to find our friends who were camped at a free camping area somewhere deep in the middle of the countryside. We gave up around 1am looking for them and found a spot to crash for the night. The next morning our friends found us and we headed to The Coliseum at Summerville Lake. Let me start by saying Summerville Lake is one of my favorite climbing areas in the country. The Coliseum is a huge tsunami style wall with powerful climbing on perfect crimps and pockets. The routes are all really unique and each pitch is varied with a wide range of moves. The crag is located right next to the river with perfect diving spots and some illegal deep water soloing. With swimming right of the base of the routes and an amphitheater of 5.13’s and 14’s, this place blew my mind! I warmed up and sent The Pod 5.13b and played around on the other 13’s and checked out the area test piece: Still Life 5.14b. Still Life is one of the hardest routes I have attempted and the crux was baffling. After a few attempts I was starting to understand how to climb through the crux, but it would take a lot of work to even come close to sending. The rest of the day was spent swimming and hanging out with a very energetic crowd of climbers of all levels. The next day we headed to Beauty Hill and hiked down to check out The Travisty 13c and some of the super classic moderate routes on the cliff line. I started on Mensa 12a and had a lot of fun with the famous New River lock offs. After a quick break I jumped on Chunky Monkey 12b and barely pulled off the onsight. Coming down I definitely thought it was more in the 12c range and one of the best routes of the grade. Next up was The Travisty. For the rest of the day I worked the moves and sequences out but in the end I just didn’t have it in me to send. The day ended and we spent the night by the river hanging out. On day three we headed over to check out The Greatest Show On Earth 5.13a. Before coming to the east coast I had seen pictures and videos of this route and I was blown away by how stunning and perfect the line was. Sitting at the base and gazing up at it in real life was sobering. It is the most stunning trad line I have seen. We weren’t planning on doing any trad climbing so we headed over to do the classic Toxic Hueco 5.11d. The route turned out to be really amazing on huge huecos and powerful moves to big holds. It was a really good warm-up and I headed over to Cock Diesel 5.13b. This route tackles a 5 ft dead horizontal roof with a super long and powerful move to the lip that was probably in the v7 range. After several attempts I was able to pull the crux but fell off right after the crux move when my foot surprisingly slipped right off. My friend Will fired it next try as the last route of the day. Our friends left after that and for the rest of the day we climbed some moderates. Day four was our last day and we decided to head back to Beauty Mountain to see if I had the energy to finish off The Travisty. After warming up, I got passed the main crux were I was falling earlier but was stopped cold at the top slab due to wet holds...I lowered off and we called it a day. The rain from the previous night had soaked most of the rock and it was hopeless to climb anymore. We packed everything up and headed back to Maryland anxious to come back. 

Governor Dodge Stables Bouldering

By: Urs Moosmuller

After a week of training in the gym, we headed out to a small bouldering area in Pennsylvania. Governor Dodge is quite the hidden little spot. Finding the area took a lot of back tracking and walking around, but after 20 minutes of searching we finally found the entrance.  The hike in is pretty cool, because there are no signs of rock anywhere and suddenly you enter this little gorge and find some pretty decent sized boulders all over the hill side. We ticked off the most obvious lines like: Bread Loaf Arete V4, Juggernaut V5, and Karmic Power V5. I got the chance to get on an unknown line that looked really cool and  it turned out to be Lock N’ Load V10. I worked it until past dark and we headed back to find a place to crash for the night. The next day we woke up and hiked back in to the first set of boulders and warmed up on some really good moderates. Clouds were starting to move in so we hiked over to Slap Me V7 and with 100 percent humidity the sloper crux seemed impossible. Fifteen minutes later a down pour hit and for a while the boulder stayed dry. We played around on it until the trees above the boulder started shedding water on us. We packed up and sprinted back to the car and made the decision to head back to Maryland. It was a short but fun trip. First time outdoor climbing in the east coast!!

The Journey Begins

By: Urs Moosmuller

I left Boulder, Colorado at 6:45 A.M and began my long two day drive to the east coast. The sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon and already it was in the 80’s. As I drove farther into the flat plains I managed one last glance at the Rocky Mountains before disappearing into the endless flat plains of eastern Colorado. The rest of Colorado went pretty quickly and I entered Kansas on an empty tank. I fueled up at the closest gas station and pulled out of the gas station ready to knock off 300 miles before stopping again. Five minutes into the drive my car starts acting weird. I look down to see my car overheating, the service engine light is on, and I was starting to loose steering. Immediately I coasted to the nearest rest stop and pulled over to see the damage. After waiting for ten minutes to let the car cool off, I popped open the hood and started looking for anything serious. My belt was completely off, but it didn’t seem to be damaged. I looked closer and found that my water pump was broken and there was nothing I could do. I called AAA and got a tow truck to take me to the nearest hotel and a mechanic. It was sunday and there were no shops open so I had to get a room at the cheapest hotel. I got a chance to check the weather forecast and realized it was going to be a hundred degrees for the next few days and without air conditioning it would be brutal. The next morning I talked to the mechanic and they didn’t have any water pumps in the town so I had to wait another day. Day two was extremely boring and I did nothing but watch T.V and hope the internet would work for more than 5 minutes. I went to bed early and the next morning my car was fixed and running like a champ. I left Goodland, Kansas and started on the extremely boring drive through the rest of Kansas. By noon it was already in the hundreds and with the added humidity it felt like I was in a constant sauna. The sweat became unbearable and I found myself pouring water over my head every hundred miles. I finally made it into the evening where it cooled off nicely and I was able to cruise late into the night. The next day I only had 600 miles to drive and I left in the morning and arrived in Rockville, Maryland around 7pm east coast time. This marks the beginning of a nine month long climbing trip that I have been planning for the past year. My friend Daniel Clarke agreed to join me on this adventure and I am now beginning the training phase with him. For one month we are training in the countries largest indoor gym. Then its off to the New River Gorge, Red River Gorge, Horse Pens 40, Hueco Tanks, Flagstaff, J-Tree, Red Rocks, Yosemite, Bishop, and Smith Rocks. We will be spending roughly a month in each area. I am super excited and cant wait to be on the road and climbing in some of the countries best climbing areas!

Flagstaff Arizona

By: Lucas Larson

 This past week I was down in the hot desert of Flagstaff, Arizona. I went down there with my friend Bobby, who lives down there and showed me around. Driving down there was not as bad as I was expecting but still, 12 hours is 12 hours. Finally making it into town, I was wanting to climb to help get rid of the lazy car ride down there. Bobby took me to the NAU campus climbing wall. The next day we headed out to PBR Roof. This was a pretty classic roof full of something I was not expecting at all. It was all roof climbing. I have hardly ever climbed on roofs, except for a little bit at Comm Row, but never really on real rock. Trying to warm up on this v5 called The Hermit. I then got on Missionary Position (v6) and Puffer Fish (v7 ( it was more like a v5)).  I then tried this v9 named Our God is Neither. It was pretty cool on these pockets and a lot of maneuvering around. I left to drop Bobby off at work and headed back out to climb with Tyler Wade. He is a local bone crusher that knows how to climb roofs fast and easily. He is good at two things, rock climbing and making milkshakes. He took me over to Bat Roof, which was this really cool v3 with really big pockets. 

Bobby Enzenberger on Missionary Position

Tyler Wade on Our God

Lucas Larson on Our God

The next day we headed out to this sport crag called The Pit. It still is limestone climbing but not a lot of roof climbing. I got on this really easy warm up and then headed over to this 13a climbing called Pulse Roof. This climb is more roof climbing but still really good. I was able to send it second go and made quick work of the crux and a scary clip and was able to gun it to the top. Thanks to Bobby, for putting up the draws, and Tyler for helping me with the beta for the crux. It was really cool and fun but the cleaning of the draws, well lets just say that I wanted to kill someone because of it.

Rest day the day after and on Saturday we headed over to Choss Roof. This roof is beautiful! Its big and steep, its everything you can ever think about when it comes to roof climbing. I got on this climb that was pretty freaking sweet. It has a big throw to this jug that just makes you feel like a bad ass when you stick it.

Choss Roof

Feeling like a bad ass

Just trying this was a lot of fun! The top half felt like I was refrigerator wrestling on a roof so it felt really hard. As the day was narrowing down I did another climb which was cool but scary due to it being kind of high off the ground. I learned a lot about climbing in Flagstaff, like don't go during rainy season. Just rains a lot, but I also learned a lot about using my feet which I hope will help me in my next climbing goal. until next time guys, keep on climbing!

Tyler Wade sticking the throw.

Ten Sleep

By: Urs Moosmuller

I headed out to Ten Sleep, Wyoming for 8 days during the fourth of July and had my strongest trip so far. The limestone is world class, the people I met there were really inspirational, and the fourth of July celebration in town was quite the experience. 

Day 1

Goldmember 5.13d

This route was one of my main goals for the trip. Last September I took a trip to Ten Sleep for the first time over the weekend with the CU alpine club. I focused all my energy on this route and fell on my second go right below the last bolt. After that go I didn’t have the energy to climb it again and I left longing to go back and finish it. This trip was my chance. We arrived at Ten Sleep after driving six hours from Boulder and immediately we hiked up to give it a go. I quickly warmed up and on my first try I rehearsed the sequence, put up the draws, and figured out clips and rest spots. My next go I went for the send but fell off the upper crux. We headed back down to set up camp and the next day we headed back up to Slavery Wall. I did a really quick warm-up and sent it second try that day. My sixth try! For the first full day of climbing I already was really psyched about the trip. 

Day 2

Hellion 5.13c

While I was spending the day on Goldmember, my friend Chris headed over to start projecting Hellion. By day two he was super close to sending and I headed over with him to the Superratic Wall. Hellion is a pretty sick line. Slightly overhung the whole way with huge pockets and big reaches. The crux is near the bottom with a precise deadpoint to a mono and then sustained climbing through two more bolts before the final jab for a two finger pocket. Chris made it look easy and sent second try of the day. My first try I went for the flash but missed a hold and fell. Second and third go I fell higher up and after an hours rest I sent.

Day 3

The Burden of Immortality 5.13a 

Aunt Gemimas Busquick Thunderdome 5.12d

EKV  5.12c

Day three was sort of a half rest day. After two days of hard climbing I didn’t expect much, but surprised myself with some good sends. We headed out to Slavery Wall to tick off the rest of the classics on the wall.  I warmed up on a nice 12a and then onsighted ABT 12d which has a technical opening slab to a really steep headwall. The headwall starts out with huge pockets and near the top you have a powerful crux right below the anchors. After that I onsighted Burden of Immortality which in my opinion is one of the best 13a’s I have been on. After Burden I took a quick rest and finished the day off by onsighting the ultra classic EKV 12c. 

Day 5

Super-Love Bliss Machine 5.12d

Sky Pilot 5.13d 

Galactic Emperor 5.14a

After our first rest day of our trip I came back feeling strong and decided to get on my main goal for the trip. After hiking for what seems like forever you finally reach the French Cattle Ranch and the Sector D’or et Bleu wall. This wall is one of the best walls I have seen and contains some of the best climbing. The wall is completely blue with bullet hard limestone. My main goal was the route Galactic Emperor 14a. Sky Pilot 13d starts in the middle of the wall and follows an orange streak through a powerful mono crux low down. Then sustained thin face climbing on shallow pockets lead to a chain draw. From here Galactic Emperor keeps going up another 30ft to the top of the wall with one final crux near the top on really small shallow pockets. After warming up on Super-Love Bliss Machine 12d over by Slavery Wall, we arrived at the Sector D’or et Bleu wall ready to give Galactic everything I had. At the wall we watched Cameron Hörst send Galactic Emperor which was very impressive considering he could barely reach the pockets and a lot of the time he was using holds that looked nonexistent in between the actual holds. I jumped on it after his send and surprised myself by onsighting the crux and making it to the third bolt before falling off of a 13b section. The second go I sent Sky Pilot 13d and fell off a few moves above the anchors. My third try I psyched myself out lower down and on my fourth try I knew I could get the whole thing. Sky Pilot went really quick and I made it to my previous high point and took advantage of the ok rests and after getting everything together I launched into the final crux. Two hard pulls on tiny micro pockets lead to a dead point to a flat rail and the end of the crux. I stuck the rail and finished the 5.11 terrain and clipped the anchors. My first 5.14a! 

Day 6 

He Biggum Fucked 5.13d

After finishing my main goals for the trip I wasn’t sure what else to do. Walking by this route I decided to give it a go. After warming up I got on it and fell on the opening boulder problem crux. Then worked out the upper moves and after a quick rest I sent second try to my amazement. After this route I eyed Fd in the A 5.14a right next to it and got on it to see what it was like. All the moves went really fast and I could definitely see myself doing it. On the second go I made it about half way and fell. My tendons were starting to feel painful and I decided to call it a day.

Day 8

The Insect 5.12d

Day 8 was our last day of climbing for the trip and I gave Fd in the A everything I had. After warming up quickly on an 11a and the insect we went straight to the base. My friend Chris got really close to sending He Biggum Fucked yesterday so we had both our projects lined up to send. Warming up was painful. My tendons were ache and I had a lot of doubts. My first two tries I ended up making it past the hardest physical move but then falling higher up on the final crux lock off. Chris gave He Biggum Fucked his last go after several tries and pulled off the send for his first 13d! I gave Fd in the A one more time but fell at the exact same spot. We called it a day and headed back to camp to stay one more night before heading back to Boulder. For me the trip was definitely eye opening, because I broke into the 5.14a grade and along with it I was pulling off 13d’s second try or within a handful of tries. I am now back in Boulder and packing up to start my nine month trip around the U.S.

Gold Member 5.13d

Spearfish Canyon

By: Urs Moosmuller

Spearfish Canyon is a pretty well known limestone climbing area with a high concentration of 5.12’s on beautiful blue limestone. The locals have put in a ton of effort and money into bolting, cleaning, and building trails for the numerous walls that litter both sides of the canyon. Even today new walls are being discovered and there is a ton of first ascent potential. The first day we met up with one of the main developers and he took us to a new cliff line that was in the middle of development. We warmed up on a 12b and he started showing us the established lines. The next route we got on was a 13a called General Custered. I came really close to onsighting, but fell at the end of the crux and sent it second try. Afterward I found out it was the second ascent! My friend Chris got the third ascent. We walked along the cliff and found several other people working lines and having a good time. We reached the other side of the cliff and I flashed a 13a, but forgot what the name was. With the hardest established routes on the cliff done, Lee let us on one of his red tag projects and I quickly worked out all the moves and called it a 12d/13a. He was psyched for the new beta and the low grade. After that we said goodbye to everyone and headed out to a popular wall called Thunderhead. This crag is quite something. A huge horizontal roof guards the beautiful slightly overhanging pocket climbing above. We jumped on Gale Force 13a and after pulling through the opening crux I fell deadpointing to the wrong pocket. I sent second go. The crux on this route has one of the coolest moves I've done. Your left hand is on a jug three finger pocket and you reach out the roof to a mono with the back of your finger facing you. You suck in, get your feet up and rose cross to a two finger pocket. Then suck into the wall and deadpoint out to a crimp at the lip. Then pull over the lip and enjoy the perfect pockets to the anchors. The first day was over and we headed back to the house. The next day we headed over to The Court House Wall and was stunned by how solid and beautiful the wall was. We warmed up on one of my favorite routes called Juvenile 12a. Then attempted spearfish’s hardest established route Faith 13d. I made it to the crux which was a drilled two finger pocket and a 6ft deadpoint to a jug. I came within inches of reaching the pocket, but in the end I just couldn’t reach it. I lowered off and eyed Witness Protection 13c. After several attempts I kept falling off the same move. A hard low percentage deadpoint off two tiny crimps to a three finger crimp inside a pocket. Finally I stuck it on my eighth try and carried it to the top. Already the trip had been extremely successful and day three was a rest day. During the rest day we decided to drive out to Victoria Canyon just south of Rapid City. After we arrived the rain started and we spent a cold night in the meadow above the trailhead. The next morning was humid and cloudy. Hiking in we had a lot of doubts about the weather. We arrived in the canyon to find high quality steep routes with excellent pocket pulling. We warmed up on Mongo Chaji 12a and then headed down to the Victor Charlie wall and onsighted Steep and Cheap 12d. Right after lunch we left and headed back to Spearfish for the remainder of the trip. The next day we headed over to Blue Skies and warmed up on a notoriously hard 12a called Iron Horse and a 13a called Big Train. The next goal on our list was a route called The Sting 13c. The Sting was at one time the hardest route in Spearfish and a classic test piece. My first try was focused on figuring out the moves and my second go I psyched myself out mid crux and fell. Third go I fell at the crux and finally on my fourth go I fought my way through the vicious v9 undercling crux and carried it to the top. My second 13c in a day! The next day was a designated rest day and we tried to kill time by reading and hanging out. During the evening we witnessed a spectacular lightning storm that lit up the sky constantly for 3 hours. The final day of our trip had come and I got on the classic test piece In on the Killtaker 13b. This route punches out three roofs on good but well spaced holds. The first roof contains the main crux and an exciting swing out to catch a jug. The second roof contains a shallow mono that you have to lock off and reach out the roof for a four finger crimp. The final roof has a precise throw to a bomber three finger pocket. I sent it third try and we headed over to The Encore 13a. With beta from Chris I went for a flash and fell at the last crux reach missing the tiny pocket by centimeters. I sent next go and lowered off. We spent one last night in Spearfish and headed out the next day for Boulder.

Starting the crux sequence.