It was clear that the forested areas at the bottom of the basin held far more potential than what could initially be seen on Google Earth.  Consumed with work over the past two weeks, I couldn’t find time to venture out to Wild Basin again until yesterday.  In the meantime, Dave Graham, Chad Greedy, Cameron Maier, Daniel Woods, Ryan Silven and a number of others have established a many high quality problems in the basin, and many more are on the way.  Yesterday I ventured out with the crew and got to check out most of the new development and also make the 2nd Ascent of Sparkle Motion 8A, which had seen a first ascent by Dave only moments prior.  It’s certainly one of the better 8A’s I’ve ever climbed:

You can look forward to seeing both ascents of this boulder and a number of Dave Graham first ascents in Wild Basin; as well as all the recent activity along Bear Lake Road in the upcoming On The Circuit.  Keep an eye out!

Hanging out on the Wall Of The 90′s

Bad holds on the upper crux…

Here are some screenshots:

Road construction doesn’t phase us.

Bear Toss V13

Achromatic V13

Mirror Reality V14

I’ve been shooting a TON of video and I can’t wait to share it in FULL LENGTH MOVIE form.  In the meantime, here are some video screenshots from the last 2 days:

In regards to the really hard climbs.  I’ve tried them.  They are hard.  I’ve gotten close.  2 weeks left.  Time to execute.

Here are some photos from the first few days:

Apart from the climbing, we are here to shoot a film.  After taking some time to sit back and observe the outpour of climbing media in the last year, I realize first how far we have come in our ability to document our sport in a visual sense, and second how much further we have to go.  I can honestly say that in the last few years I have failed to produce any media that in the long run fulfills any of the creative expectations I have set for myself.  I also feel like 99% of climbing media in the world today is failing as well.  The truth is, WE CAN DO BETTER!  I have a vision for the future of our media, and I can assure you that it’s very different.  In Fontainebleau this month, I’m going to do my best to execute this vision.  Time will tell whether this pursuit reaches it’s potential.  I can only guarantee that I won’t be releasing the now standard mediocre product.  We have enough of that.

More to come from the magical forest.  Thank you for the support.  Much love.

On New Years Eve, Dave battled with some heinous conditions and made the first ascent of the Nicky’s Project, naming it Memory Is Parallax and giving it the grade of V14.  I know Dave had put a ton of time and energy into the problem and I was happy to hear that he had finished the problem off.  It was a very impressive effort.  I do admit that I had a brief moment of sadness when I realized that I would no longer be able to complete it first, but quickly reminded myself that my vision for the future of bouldering requires the abandonment of the policy of opportunism that those at the upper echelon tend to inherit.   We all take our knocks at the door of progression and development, and regardless of who eventually breaks through and continues to break through, it was the collective energies of everyone that generates success.  It’s also important to realize that non-destructive competition amongst your peers ensures the highest level of performance, but not at the hands of greed.  In the end, every project is everyone’s project whether they are the first to climb it or the last.  I prefer to continue my life with this belief and that everyone is giving all they can give, trying their best, and consistently trying to improve the lives of the people around them.  Also, not enough credit is being given to the climbing community as an audience.  The admirers of our craft transform the visionaries from being a bunch of weirdos wandering around in the woods touching rocks into inspirational stories and reputable professionals.  Maybe it’s time to re-assess who really leads the way…

Following this realization, I regained my psych to return to Memory Is Parallax.  It was still a project for me and that’s all that really matters.  After checking out the video of Daniel Woods crushing the problem, unknowingly utilizing the beta that I had originally tried, I returned with a new found perspective.  With the addition of some great motivation from Paul Robinson, who was passing through town, I managed to squeak out a SEND:

After the send it was back to plastic until two days ago.  It was too late in the day to drive far, so I decided to head out to Clear Creek Canyon and visit an old friend named Echale V14.  I’ve spent a number of days over the last few years on this particular boulder, and have consistently been very, very close to sending.  I can do all the moves quite easily, but I always seem to let the bloc get the best of me in the end.  At times I wonder why I keep returning.  Echale, though it climbs fairly well, is a pretty bad boulder problem.  It was dug out of a hillside, chipped, and glued.  It’s not pretty.  But it’s close to home, has a very short approach, and is rarely covered in snow.  However two days ago, happened to be one of those rare days.  All the holds except for the juggy topout  were dry, so I spent a solid hour cleaning the top off.  I cleaned it just enough for a quick, but dicey warm-up on the final moves and proceeded to start trying from the bottom.  A few attempts later and this happened:

At this point all I can do is laugh.  That’s what you get for trying to top out on snow and ice…

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to travel to Boston, MA and compete in the 2012 Dark Horse Championships at Metro Rock.  Prior to my departure for Boston, the week had been a bit hectic.  And the “joys” of traveling were about to make things a bit worse.  The same day of the Dark Horse Championships was also the final competition of the Spot Bouldering Series for which it is my responsibility to manage the setting of all the competition problems.  I spent Wednesday, Thursday,  and Friday stripping and setting The Spot for it’s comp and at the end of the day Friday hopped on a plane to Boston for the Dark Horse competition.  Not much rest for me, but hey, sometimes you have to make things work.  I barely got to my gate on time at DIA on Friday (after a stressful drive in a blizzard to get there), but started to relax soon after finding my seat on the plane.  I popped my headphones on and closed my eyes for what seemed like a fairly long amount of time.  Upon opening them, I realized we were still parked at the gate.  Sure enough, the pilot announced something about mechanical issues, a 1.5 hour delay, and a mandatory evacuation of the plane.  1.5 hours in the terminal followed by another 1.5 hours on the runway (de-icing) and we were finally off.  Luckily for me, I arrived in Boston at 1 am which meant I had missed the last subway train at 12:30am.  Next best option:  $50 taxi ride to go 10 miles to the hotel.  In comparison, the subway ride is $2.  Sweet!  At least the epic travel adventure day ended nicely; Metro Rock was kind enough to book hotel rooms for all the athletes traveling from out of town.  Thanks Metro Rock!  Having a nice place to crash before a competition is KEY!

All Photos Courtesy of Pat Bagley

The morning arrived quickly and soon enough I was pulling on my shoes for the qualification round.  After a brutally quick warm-up, I was on the attack.  In a little over an hour I managed to complete the top 5 hardest problems in the red point round and land myself in a three way tie for first with Daniel Woods and Alex Johnson.  I was definitely feeling strong, yet understandably, a bit tired.  None the less, I was very excited for finals.  After a disappointing finish in last year’s comp, I was determined to make my way onto the podium.

…And determination goes a long way.  After a solid finals round, I ended up with a 3rd Place finish.  Psyched!  I made a few mistakes and definitely didn’t climb perfectly, but that’s just how it goes.  Daniel Woods flashed everything to solidify his 1st Place finish, and Rob D’Anastasio brought the power to land himself in 2nd.  Nice work guys!

Overall, the 2012 Dark Horse Championships was by far one of the best comps I’ve ever attended.  The hospitality provided to the athletes was second to none.  This has been an area of weakness in all climbing competitions of the past, and I look forward to future competition organizers taking Metro Rock’s lead on this one.  A free place to stay, travel help, food, a place to relax at the comp, and a personal thanks for attending from the gym ownership goes A LONG WAY with ensuring that top athletes will continue to provide a show for the Boston community for years to come.  Last, but not least, the route setting.  Wow!  Dave Wetmore, Josh Larson, and everyone else who helped set:  BIG PROPS!  Despite being a bit reachy (a token comment from me), the finals problems were some of the best I’ve climbed on in a long time.  Creative, difficult, aesthetic, and showy.  And the girls problems looked just as good.  The setting crew for ABS Nationals next weekend have their work cut out for them…

My good friends Paul Robinson and Daniel Woods continue to live the envious lifestyle of constant travel to inspiring climbing destinations. They also happen to climb and establish some of the hardest boulder problems in the world. Paul, in particular, has truly upped his game in a creative sense with his new production from PRAK Media, Welcome To The Hood. The film follows Paul, Daniel, and new European talents Guntram Joerg and Anthony Gullsten on a tour of some of the most difficult and prestigious blocs in Switzerland, Austria, and France. All the while capturing the essence of life as a professional climber.

Last week, I had the opportunity to preview a few sections of the film, and I can honestly say that the footage of Daniel flashing Entlinge (8B+/8C) is some of the single most impressive, inspiring, raw, and unreal clips of climbing video ever captured. Prepare to be awed: