Spray-A-Thon and Rifle wrap

Well, Rifle was terrific.

Check your ego at the door and prepare to be humbled. That's the approach that works best. If you send - woohoo. If you fail - good training! :)

Highlights of my two week trip are as follows (I've gone with the euro grades as, after all, this is sport climbing):

Spray-A-Thon 8a+ - 5th shot (super steep with one tough crux. My first grade 30 on foreign soil.)
The Anti-Phil 8a - 4th shot (gently overhanging with brutal campus-snatching around a low roof)
The Beast 7c+ - 4th shot (slipperiest rock on the planet?)
Pump-O-Rama 7c+ - 2nd shot (just like Mt Coolum in Australia. Technical kneebars not an issue :)
Beer Run 7c+ - 3rd shot (my fave in Rifle, varied and amazing)
The Blocky Horror Show 7c - 3rd shot (stepped roofs, then hugging headwall)
Hang Em High 7b+ - onsight ("proud onsight dude!" pumped off my dial)
Pretty Hate Machine 7b+ - 2nd shot (slippery steep route)
Easy Skankin 7b - onsight (best sport 12b in USA they reckon!)

And here's some pics of me doing Spray-A-Thon on my final day. Big pressure!


Getting set up for the dyno. Off the right hand undercling, you jump for that hole. Very cool move.


Clipping in the crack section.


Double kneebars (sort-of) before the first bulge. I figured out some great beta for this bulge that even the locals now use. Energy conservation is all about using momentum!



The crux move! Might not look much, but you're reaching left hand for a hold known as the "pencil". But I reckon a pencil would be a better edge.

So thanks Rifle, you were great. I love you.

All pics © Jason Huston 2010

The Rifle Kneepad Ritual

A quick pictorial demonstration of what you have to do to climb here at Rifle.

Updated P-wall topo

Dan and Brian getting out while the getting was still good. We went to climb at the P-wall and in the morning, the clouds left and gave us a beautiful day. But by lunch time, our luck was up and it was time to get out!

Brian and I still able to see each other in the thick cloud that covered Mt Evans.

Me, just hanging around on my latest new route, A Vacation from Your Problems.

Taylor came out to check out the P-wall and liked what he climbed on. Here he is at the top of Rocky Mountain High.

The latest topo of the P-wall. There are two new climbs at the base of the wall. The new routes are both mixed with crack gear and a couple of bolts where the wall was blank. The left of the two new climbs is called Baby Steps (5.11-/pumpy) and the right line is called Tenacious P 5.12/technical). I just want to thank J-Star for coming out and rock climbing with me on the routes and for helping unlock the sequences on the two new first pitches to the wall. Now this place is starting to look and feel like a crag!

So a quick summary of the routes and their estimated grades:

Back to the Earth 5.13 c/d (mixed gear to 1 inch and bolts)

A Vacation from your problems 5.13b (all bolts)

Open Arete Project (V12/V13 bouldery 2 bolt route) (all bolts)

Hopeless AKA High Hopes Closed Project 5.14ish (all bolts)

Rocky Mountain High 5.12+/13- (mixed gear to 3 inches and bolts)

Aqualung 5.13- (mixed gear to 2 inches and bolts)

It's a Homonym 5.12b (mixed gear to 4inches and bolts)

Tenacious P 5.12c (mixed gear to .75 inches and bolts)

Baby Steps 5.11- (mixed gear to 1 inch and bolts)

Get out and have fun, I hope to see you there!

piz : )

A Vacation From Your Problems 5.13

Dan Gambino took another round of photos the other day.
They really let you see the wall and where the heck we are climbing on the P-wall.
Enjoy them and if you like contact Dan and buy one up!

http://www.dangpix.com/pwall%20traverse%202/index.html

piz : )

New Route at the P-Wall

I have not named the line yet, but it traverses on bolts from Back to the Earth out to the the finish of my mega project named Hopeless (aka High Hopes).
The wall is steep and the traverse is really pumpy. Getting to the finishing moves is a real bear that is for sure and I have taken some fun whippers at the end of the route.
It feels like its 12+ or 13- for sure and I am really excited to have this quality addition to the wall.
I am currently taking ideas for route names. Keep them appropriate please.

There are some Dan Gambino photos of Brian Young and I trying the route and some other wall photos from the P-Wall.
http://www.dangpix.com/pwall%20traverse/index.html

piz : )

Albufeira Crag

New Crag in Albufeira its not big but well worth a look.
Big thanks to Nuno for showing John and i around,
This crag gets the sun all day and is very Hot so skip it mid summer
but autumn winter and spring will be great and the sea is a stone throw
away.
The access is an easy 50mtwalk from the road and the view
from the top of the routes is amazing.The Grades start at 6a
to 8b and are not for the novice climbers,but what a place.

Bishops Castle

Just southwest of Pueblo, CO one man has built his own castle. Jane and I went there to check it out. It is 40 years work of only one man and his wish to build something for everyone to enjoy. Here I am on the rickety cat walk up to his metal globe. Jane and I are nearly 50 feet up enjoying the scenery and swaying metal structure.

Jane at the base of the giant home made castle.

Jane and I some where up high in the castle.

Some of the stained glass windows from inside. The interior was left open with big rooms and beautiful stone work. An amazing place to wander around for a little while and in a beautiful forest in the San Isabel National Forest.

The only place where you can get an entire photo of the castle. The tower on the left has to climb to about a hundred feet up. There is a catwalk around most of the castle, spiraling staircases, huge rooms and it's always a bit windy here so being up high can be a bit nervous. I was sketching as I went to the top of the tower. The wind was picking up and its just a swaying spiral staircase making you dizzy as you head out of the safety of the rock and into space. What a place!

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

piz : )