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.

Yosemite Valley

By: Urs Moosmuller

May is one of the best months to be climbing in the valley. Temps stay below ninety degrees and the summer crowds haven't come yet. We arrived in the valley at 6am and caught the sun silhouetting the nose of el cap. Every time I drive into the valley, El Cap is always one of the most breath taking sights. We drove to camp 4 and got a site pretty quickly and headed out to do the Center Pillar of Frenzy 5.9 on Middle Cathedral. The climb went pretty quickly and the whole time Keith and I couldn't stop staring at El Cap. We reached the top rapped off and headed back to camp. It was the perfect warm up route for the valley. The next day we planned on doing some single pitch routes on the Cookie Cliff. I had my eyes on the Cookie Monster and after warming up on Outer Limits 10c, we headed to the base and started scoping the route out. My friend Colin convinced me to try and lead it on gear so I took up the challenge. Everything went smooth and before I knew it I had onsighted my hardest trad route! We came down from the Cookie and decided to check out a 10c valley offwidth called Generator Crack. This thing was hard! After several tries I managed to start comprehending the technique required to do the crack. In the end after about 20 minutes of battling and grunting I made it up 10ft before falling right out of the crack. The next day we planned on doing a longer route and picked the East Buttress of El Cap. This is the easiest and shortest free line up “el cap.” We got up early and reached the base to find only one party above us. The route was amazing. Every pitch was unique in its own way and it stayed moderate the whole way. Pitch 10 was the highlight of the route, because you traverse over a roof to find these crazy water features. Day 4 was designated a rest day and we went to New Diversions Cliff and did an 11b mixed route called Burst of Brilliance before calling it a day due to the 90 degree temps. We drove back and jumped into the Merced before heading back to camp. In camp we decided to do something quite a bit harder than East Buttress so we planned on doing Freeblast 11b/c on El Cap. The next morning we arrived at the base to find quite a big line and after waiting for an hour an a half we began up the route. I ended up onsighting every pitch except for 6 and 7. I took a fall at the crux slab section of six then aided pitch seven to make things quicker. We got to the base of The Half Dollar pitch and I started leading out expecting a fun 10b. Pulling around the corner into the chimney was one of the craziest moves and I barely pulled it off. The next pitches went really easy and before we knew it we were back at the car watching the sun set. Day 6 and 7 were spent climbing single pitch routes and we ticked off: New Wave 11d, Drive By Shooting 12a, Ninety Six Degrees in the Shade 12c, Heathenistic Pursuit 10d, and Serenity Crack 10d. The last day had arrived and after waking up a little late we decided to go for The Moratorium 11b. Colin had previously been on it and said it was very stout for the grade so we were ready for a hard valley 11b. After hiking through crazy forests and river beds we finally arrived at the base. We started up and the first two 10d pitches were some of the best dihedral cracks I have done. Clean long splitter cracks. Pitch three was the crux pitch and after climbing easy terrain you get a nice stance to gaze up at the extremely thin blank dihedral. I quickly put in a nest of pieces and began. Technical finger locks on sustained climbing for 15ft ease off to the belay ledge. I started up and pulled off the crux sequence perfectly and pulled onto the ledge and let out a cheer. We rapped off and headed back to camp. At camp it was still early in the day and I had one last goal. Midnight Lightning. The most famous boulder problem in the world and the 1970’s test piece. I previously had been on it a few days ago and made it to the lightning bolt hold but couldn't stick it. This time on my first try I matched on the lightning bolt and fell off. A few minutes later I made it to the mantle and hung out there for about a minute trying to figure it out. My third try I pulled off the mantle in surprise and fell trying to reach the last hold. I plummeted to the ground defeated. My arms hurt and my tips were done. I rested for an hour and came back to give it my for the hell of it burn. All the moves went perfectly and I pulled off the mantle with out any problems and lunged for the unknown edge. Stuck it and pulled up to see the crimp I just pulled up on was covered in pine needles. Thank god I stuck it! The trip had been a huge success and I am looking forward to going back soon. The Valley is truly one of the most spectacular places in the world. I only wish the valley floor didn't feel like a small city with all the tour guides, restaurants, hotels, and stores. 

Midnight Lightning V8

Sticking the physical crux. 

The mental crux.

My shoes before sending.

Ten Days In Rifle

By: Urs Moosmuller

In the beginning of March I headed out to Rifle, Colorado with my good friend, Daniel. We spent a total of ten days climbing with four rest days. This gave us enough time to project routes and look for routes that were inspiring to the eye. The first five days we focused on sending a lot of routes and trying as many routes as we could. This gave us time to get used to the climbing in Rifle and tick off some of the classic moderate lines. The first two days we climbed from sunrise to sunset and by day three we were exhausted. We ticked off the classic lines: Pinchfest 12b, Bolt Action 12a, Dave Bingham Route 12a, Crime and Punishment 12a, and Beer Run 13a. Came close to sending Sprayathon 13c and Daniel started piecing together Debaser 12d. We decided to take a rest day and found a steep hill to longboard near the reservoir below Rifle canyon. The last two days of the trip I decided to check out the Wicked Cave and Well Dunne Wall and found a short power endurance route called Bride of Frankenstein 13d. After four attempts I hit a high point two moves below the no hands rest, but wasn’t able to pull it together for a send. Bride is an interesting route, because it is almost completely manufactured and considered one of the softest 13d’s in the canyon. Its really steep and punches out a small cave up above the wicked cave. I originally had no intentions of trying it but after getting on it I realized its a good way to train for the harder 13d’s in the canyon. We headed back to Boulder the next day to give our bodies time to rest and catch up on life.

After recovering in Boulder we drove back out to Rifle to meet up with Lucas Larson who is one of my best friends from Reno. We climbed together for a few hrs in Ruckman and the next day Luke left to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The trip started out with failure. My progression on Bride of Frankenstein plummeted and after three attempts each try ended lower and lower until I fell on the second move. In that moment I decided to forget about Bride. Looking over to the right side of the cave I saw a cool looking route called Charleston Choss 13b. I sent it third try and after lowering off I felt a little better. We headed over to the Meat Wall where Daniel was working one of the hardest 12b’s in the canyon. Through out the whole trip he had started out falling every three bolts and quickly made huge improvements until he nearly sent. Falling off the last hold at the end of the trip was heartbreaking. But after a solid hours rest he got back on it and sent. One of the most amazing sends I have seen. The last five feet of this route is a really technical set of moves right after a hard clip. He gave it everything and achieved his goal. For me the last few days were focused on getting mileage on 12d’s and 13a’s in the canyon. I climbed four more days straight and dispatched Dirty Johnson 12d 35m, Expresso 12d, Blocky Horror Picture Show 13a, and The Perfect Gun 13a, all within 3 tries. The trip ended and for both of us it was one of our strongest trips so far. We headed back to Boulder and from there Daniel left for Maryland. We will be meeting up again in Maryland on July 15th to start a 9 month climbing trip around the U.S starting in the New River Gorge and ending in Squamish.

The Eighth Day 

Sprayathon 

Right Side of The Arsenal

Bride of Frankenstein 

Bride of Frankenstein

Charleston Choss

The Wicked Cave

Carnage 5.13d - Second Ascent

By: Urs Moosmuller

I started working Carnage back in November. The route was one of the few lines that caught my attention and the only route that I have spent more than 10 tries on. I remember starting the project and feeling the excitement of figuring out the moves and starting a long term project for the first time. The first weekend I started piecing sections together and started dialing moves down. I broke it down in to three sections: 5.11+ to a big flake on the arete, an 11 move v10 on micro crimps that all seemed to face the wrong way, and a 12+ bulge to the top. Both the first and third sections went really quickly, but the middle section was still a puzzle. The second weekend on it I started to hit a wall. All the moves had gone free except for one move where my left foot kept popping off over and over again when ever I weighted the hold. It seemed like the move was impossible. The next few weekends were spent trying the moves over and over again. Each time finding some little detail that got me closer to sending. Beta was reassessed and by weekend six it seemed like I was so close to sending. Though I kept falling off. Everything had to be perfect. The crux holds on this route are so tiny that the only reason you can hang on is, because the sharp texture of the holds creates just enough friction to hold on. This created a whole new problem. Each weekend I could only put in three tries before my tips would start cutting open and bleed. The seventh weekend came and I started to doubt if Carnage would ever go. I had been falling off the same move for so many weekends now that I needed to take a break from Shelf and focus on other routes. I started on a new project in Clear Creek Canyon and left for my Red Rocks trip. This trip gave me a month break from the redundant falling on Carnage and I came back with a new perspective. I came back to Shelf Road this last weekend set on sending. I knew it was all mental now and I just needed to push through the pain and succeed. The first attempt of the weekend I fell again on the same move. Frustrated, I pulled up and did the move statically with no problem. I quickly lowered off and went for it again and for some reason couldn’t do it again. Hanging there I realized setting up into the move was the reason why I kept missing the hold. I quickly memorized the best way to transition into the crux holds and lowered off. At the base, I realized that 5 of my finger tips were shredded pink with white blistered parts starting to form. The next hour was focused on resting and deciding whether I should get on some other routes or wait until the next day when my tips would be some what better. In the end I decided to wait until the next day. 

The next morning things looked grim. My whole body was soar and my tips were extremely painful. Hiking in I decided to warm-up and see if I was able to climb at all. Both warm-ups went ok and lowering off it looked as If I would waste my time trying Carnage again. After an hour of hanging out at the base I decided to give it another go. I had convinced myself that I had spent way to much time on this route and I needed to send it now. I started the climb grimacing at every hold until I reached the base of the crux sequence. I shook out and went for it. The first five moves where extremely painful, but by the time I reached the crux my adrenaline had kicked in and my tips were numb. I set up perfectly and stuck the crux. When I reached the horizontal right before the 12+ section I was relieved it finally had gone! I focused on the last hard bulge and found myself clipping the chains finally. My first long term project has been completed and the second ascent of one of Shelf Road’s hardest routes.