 DESERT SOLITAIRE
Five hidden gems in hyper-crowded Joshua Tree - TIRED OF ROLLING UP TO JOSHUA TREE’S MEGA-CLASSICS only to find queues five parties deep? Well, so am I — you’d think the park’s 5,000 pitches would make finding solitude simple, but the sad truth is most climbers flock to Josh’s handful of pedestrian classics with high stars and easy access. Still, with a little effort, you’ll find four- and five star pitches far from the hordes.
 NORTHWARD MIGRATION
Beat the heat in Bozeman, Montana - It‘s summer, and the sun has morphed into a Death Star. But while
most climbers hole up in air-conditioned gyms, myself and other inhabitants
of the 45th parallel revel in the 80 F temps of the Northern
Rockies, thriving in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
 Gear Loopiness
No one likes fumbling with a
guidebook (or crumpled-up
Xeroxed page) on route — still,
it’s better than straying way off
line. A handy new solution: the
GEARLOOPTOPO ($2.99 per route,
gearlooptopo.com), a collection of
laminated, 4”x6” cards detailing
nearly 150 multi-pitch classics in the
US and Canada.
 Can It
Ah, the pleasures of a cold beer after a day’s
cragging: the can soothing your throbbing
mitts, the brew slaking your thirst. . . . But a
conundrum: many fine ales come only in heavy,
shatter-prone glass bottles, less than ideal
for portage. So it was with gusto that I “tested”
the new, canned incarnation of a favorite, the
NEW BELGIUM BREWING COMPANY FAT
TIRE AMBER ALE ($15 for a 12-pack,
newbelgium.com).
 Tikka + 2 = Light!
Petzl invented the modern headlamp back in 1972 and has been upgrading
the technology since. Their newest offering, the PETZL TIKKA
PLUS 2 ($39.95, petzl.com), is a light (2.5oz), tough, and super-smart
headlamp that builds on the popular Tikka platform.
 Help Reopen Williamson Rock
Since 2004, the Angeles National Forest has banned climbing at Williamson Rock due to conflicts with critical habitat of the endangered Mountain Yellow Legged Frog. Now, after much work by the Friends of Williamson Rock and the Access Fund urging the Angeles National Forest to study alternate approach trails to Williamson, the Forest Service has issued a proposal that would reopen many of Williamson’s climbs while also protecting sensitive wildlife habitat.
 Access Fund Announces Third Round Grant Recipients for 2009
In the third round of the Climbing Preservation Grant Program for 2009, the Access Fund awarded over $11,500 to support local climbing activism and conservation of the climbing environment. Presented three times annually, the Climbing Preservation Grants program provides financial assistance for local climber activism and protection of the climbing environment in the United States.
 Tech Tip - Trad - QUICK TRANSITIONS
ONE OF ALPINISM'S BEST-KNOWN ADAGES is “Speed is safety,” useful wisdom that reminds us the less time we spend on route, the less likely we are to run into thunderstorms, get benighted, or otherwise epic. Likewise, make good time and you’ll have more of it to deal with the unexpected: a snagged rope, cryptic route, or slow party ahead.
 Tech Tip - Trad - The Lost Art of Downclimbing
By Mic Fairchild - Whether it’s backing down a runout lead, navigating a sketchy descent, or merely exercising the unlikely (I will sometimes climb up and down the same route, just for fun!), the ability to downclimb (DC) is a skill worth polishing, especially for budding trad leaders.
 Tech Tip Trad - Soft-Man Link-Up
By Kolin Powick - Half Dome and El Cap in a day . . . for mortals - In 2002, Dean Potter linked the Regular Northwest Face (VI 5.12)
on Half Dome and El Cap’s Freerider (VI 5.12d/13a), climbing 57 pitches
in sub-24 hours. In 2008, Leo Houlding and Sean Leary did the same,
team free. Both were heroic feats of master-class endurance by worldclass
climbers. Thus, according to conventional wisdom, a Half Dome/El
Cap free link-up remains beyond the means of all but the hardest
hardmen — or does it?
 Tech Tips - Trad - Stacking the deck, to avoid hitting it
When traveling to different climbing areas, I’m always surprised by people’s differing attitudes toward lead protection. Much has been written about impact force and product ratings, but what does this mean when you’re run out and strung out?
|
 |
 Upper and Lower Town Walls, Index, Washington
Photos by Ben Gilkison / www.bentroy.com - If you measure a crag’s merits by rock quality and the influential climbers who there perfected their technique, there can be no doubt Index holds a very special place in the pantheon of granite climbing areas. Index locals know the bullet-hard, fine-grained granite, the splitter cracks, and the faces pimpled with dime-sized chickenheads and edges rivaled anything those Californians have down south. On a clear day at least. Click here to read the feature article from Climbing Magazine No. 179 - INDEX CLUB - The First Rule of Index... You Don’t Talk About Index
 DWS: The Mallorca Experience
Photos by Chris Weidner - Over three weeks in September, five North Face team members (Emily Harrington, Alex Honnold, James Pearson, Matt Segal and Cedar Wright), two photographers (Tim Kemple and Patrick Bagley), and eight other climbers (Sam Elias, Emily Brazenall, Beck Kloss, Matt Bird, George Taylor, Cerian Lewis, Emma Coombes and myself) rallied to the Spanish island of Mallorca that sits just east of the mainland in the Mediterranean Sea. On any given day there were between seven and twelve of us sharing a house, partying, and trying not to fall. The 20 to 60-foot limestone sea cliffs were our boulders, and the Med was our crash pad. Every climbing day involved salty air, humid rock, spoogy shoes, and extra chalk — plus an extraordinary dose of fear. Read more at DailyCamera.com.
 Welsh Connections - Trailer
Video by Dave Brown / Bamboo Chicken Productions - Welcome to rock climbing in Wales! A cocktail of diverse climbing; from hard trad onsights and first ascents, to intense limestone sport, slate, bouldering and deep water soloing.The new climbing film from Bamboo Chicken Productions features climbers: Pete Robins, Tim Emmett, Johnny Dawes, James McHaffie, Pete Whittaker, Nick Bullock, Chris Doyle, Chris Davies and Gav Symonds. Out on DVD - November 16th, 2009. Trailer cut by Ben Knapp.
 Sweet Highline: Tours Saint Jacques, French Alps
Video by Sébastien Montaz-Rosset / jefilm.com - The Je Ne Sais Quoi filming team presents the second video of this series on another beautiful highline in Les Bauges Mountain Ranges in the French Alps. Jelena is leading the fine art of rigging a highline and thenshe is successful in sending it — with style. Julien, as always, is pushing the limits of balance. Thanks to Raph and Guillaume for climbing and rigging. And, Seb is having fun filming and slacking as always.
 A Day in the Life of Conrad Anker
Video by Renan Ozturk courtesy of BlueWaterRopes Blogspot.com - This is a short "Day in the Life" video that follows Blue Water Athlete Conrad Anker out for his first time up The Naked Edge in Eldorado Canyon, one of the most classic multi pitch 5.11s in Colorado. Conrad has been pushing the limits of Adventure for the last 30 years and is now becoming a fervent advocate of environmental and social responsibility.
 The Old Man and the Sea - Gorge du Verdon, France
In August and September 2009, Toni Lamprecht, Uli Strunz and Benno Wagner spent several weeks in the Gorge du Verdon with the target of establishing a first ascent on one of the amazing limestone walls in the south of France. The result is Le Vieux et la Mer or The Old Man and the Sea, with 7 pitches up to 5.13b/c. German climber Toni Lamprect believes this one of the nicest and most beautifull first ascents he's made.
 Second Free Ascent of Quinto Imperio (8b, 500m), Naranjo de Bulnes, Spain
At the end of August 2009, Leopoldo "Leo" Faria and Pedro “Primo” Nogueira established the first repeat of Quinto Imperio (V 8b or 5.13d) on the West Face of Spain's most famous big wall, Naranjo de Bulnes (also known as Picu Urriellu).Quinto Império is a 500 meter long route that was opened in 1996 by the Portuguese climbers Francisco Ataide and Sergio Martins and first free climbed by the Pou brothers in June 2006.
 Whispering into a Roar
By Majka Burhardt / MajkaBurhardt.com - This is a story without a conclusion. Maybe that will change by the end. At this point, I’m not betting on it. Four weeks ago, I wrote a piece about trying to understand death in the face of more death, and in spite of life. I thought that, by writing it, I would move on from it - be released from it. But here’s the thing about writing about death: it creates conversation about death. And when you write about death and climbing, it creates a roar.
 2010 MUGS STUMP AWARD OPENS FOR APPLICATIONS OCTOBER 1, 2009
18th annual alpine climbing award opens grant cycle to small climbing teams with fast and light alpine objectives - Established in 1993 to honor the late alpinist Mugs Stump, the Mugs Stump Award annually awards grants to a select number of individuals and teams whose proposed climbs present an outstanding challenge - a first ascent, significant repeat, or first alpine-style ascent - with special emphasis placed on climbers leaving no trace of their passage.
 Sea Gypsy (II 5.9+ R) The Precipice, Acadia National Park, Maine
Diamond-hard granite with an Atlantic Ocean view - ONCE A SUMMER PLAYGROUND for the East’s wealthy elite, the rocky, verdant Mount Desert Island (MDI) comprises most of Acadia National Park, on Maine’s north coast. In 1919, what was then Lafayette National Park became the first national park east of the Mississippi, taking its current moniker 10 years later.
 Mountaineers Route (III 5.9) Elephant's Perch, Sawtooth Range, Idaho
Elephant’s Perch is the West’s hidden gem, with golden granite and airy climbs above sapphire lakes. Fred Beckey, S. Marts, and H. Schwabland put up the Perch’s first line in 1963 (the Original Beckey, then V 5.8 A2), when the approach involved eight miles of bushwhacking and 2,000 feet of gain.
|
