Rainbow - Day 2

Went back to Rainbow to check a few more lines out and do some exploring. It looks like there is still some potential in this area, but in the meantime I managed to repeat a couple worthwhile lines including a highball V6 with a jump start to a slopey jug, and a great V7 that actually had a name! It's called Sweet N Low, and if you are in the area it is a must do. Starts with steep moves to good holds, then lips over using an arete for the right hand and a bit of trickery with the left. Finished off a late day with crimpy, vertical V4 on the backside of the boulder.

Hopefully heading back Wednesday to get some video of Sweet N Low and Ground Beef. In the mean time here are a couple photos from yesterday:
Sweet N Low, V7
Photo: Liberty Herring
An unnamed/ungraded (~V5) slope/crimp adventure.

-BLOCHEAD

Rainbow

The Rainbow area is located just west of the Donner areas and is listed in the Northern California Bouldering guidebook. If you have a chance make sure to visit this place. The guidebook does not do this zone justice.

I was skeptical of the quality not only because the problems are all unnamed, but because most are ungraded as well. To my surprise the granite climbed extremely well consisting of independent lines, varying movement, and interesting holds. Not only do these problems deserve both numbers and names, but stars as well.

Rainbow is the only place I have wanted to return since I have been exploring Northern California. If you are climbing during the summer make sure to wait until the late afternoon, as the boulders get a lot of sun.

I managed to climb what was listed in the guidebook as a "huge dyno, V?" however after discovering two key crimps I found a fluid static sequence to a thuggish top out that shredded my stomach. This problem felt roughly V8, and is too good to remain nameless so I dubbed it Ground Beef, V8.

Here are a few photos of the climb along with a video of a very fun, crimpy V4 (also nameless) that has been dubbed "Muffin Stuffer."

Recovering from the end battle.
Photos by Liberty Herring

Rainbow, Donner Summit, CA from BLOCHEAD on Vimeo.

-BLOCHEAD

Castle Rock

Slopers and heat never mix. This past trip was no exception. Castle Rock is a beautiful area with very interesting boulders reminiscent of Horse Pens 40, but like HP40 slopers, proper temps are key. Unfortunately this made the climbing hard to deal with. I found myself thinking time and again that I could send if it were just ten degrees cooler. As it was I was not able to finish anything harder than V6. Overwhelmed by heat, bugs, and a sheer lack of motivation, we left a day early.

Despite the experience I am hesitant to beat on the area. There are a number of classics that in the right temperature would climb wonderfully, just not at the end of June.

Here are a few pictures:
Photo: Liberty Herring

Photo: Liberty Herring

-BLOCHEAD

Split Rock

Back to the Donner Summit area. We will be back at least one more time to check out the Saddle Boulders, but while the snow slowly melts we decided to check out a pair of enormous boulders near Donner Lake.

Split Rock is aptly named, featuring a giant boulder that cracked and split down the middle leaving two 20+ foot halves. The granite is sharp and the movement committing. I managed to send a couple area classics and moderate highballs. It has been since Hueco that I have highballed, and I found that I had missed the focus, the confidence that tall boulder problems demand.

Here are a couple photos and a video of the area:
Photo: Liberty Herring

Split Rock Highball, Donner Lake, CA from BLOCHEAD on Vimeo.

-BLOCHEAD

The Bar

Located near Auburn, this area features one boulder worth checking out, seated right on the bank of the Middle Fork of the American River. Difficulty ranges from V0-V8ish. One problem felt V9, but that was probably due to the humidity, making the starting hands and feet ultra greasy. Here is a video featuring a fun V4.

Note: Make sure to pay the $10 entrance fee or else you'll be hit with a steep fine. Also watch out for rattlesnakes over the summer.

Handlebar Boulder, Auburn, CA from BLOCHEAD on Vimeo.

-BLOCHEAD

Rocklin Quarry: A White Trash Bouldering Adventure

From the Northern California Bouldering guidebook:

"...Sports about 50 fun and challenging vertical to slightly overhanging problems...has been enjoyed since the late 1970s."

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeking out these fun and challenging problems, which after following a poorly described map, and looking to Rocklin's Finest for directions, I found nestled behind a Goodyear tire and service station. After finding problems surrounded by broken glass, garbage, and even high balls with a sewage/concrete landing I think the author made a typo. There are maybe 5 fun and challenging problems, and that is being generous.

That said I actually had a good time toward the end of the day. There are so many of these very small, very local areas, and I feel like I learn something with each new location.

Here are some photos:


Photo: Liberty Herring
Photo: Liberty Herring

-BLOCHEAD

The Pie Shop

The Pie Shop is located just south of Lake Tahoe off Highway 50. The rock climbs (and tears up the skin) a lot like Joshua Tree. The crystals are very large and a lot of the top outs are friction oriented like Horse Pens. I was excited to get on the supposed classic line Pimp Juice*, but after wandering around in the sun we decided it wasn't worth it. Luckily we found some problems worth doing at the end of the day and I managed to send a very tough, seemingly sandbagged V7 just before heading back. Here are some photos:

*If you know the specific location of this problem please get ahold of me.

Photo: Liberty Herring
Photo: Liberty Herring

Photo: Liberty Herring

-BLOCHEAD

Donner Pass

The adventure begins. Donner Pass has a few problems on solid granite in one of the most aesthetic settings I have bouldered in to date. Unfortunately there are not a lot of classic lines, and the ones that have been done are not only unnamed, but the grades seem to be all over the place. Here is a video of our favorite line in the area: a V1 arete with great movement in a postcard setting.

Donner Pass, California from BLOCHEAD on Vimeo.

-BLOCHEAD

Labels

I recently labeled every post with a video for easy access. They can be found under the "Labels" section in the right column. Hope this helps.

-BLOCHEAD

North

For the past week I have done nothing but train at the local gym. After an extended road trip I cringed at the thought of returning to plastic, but these few days of regimented training have reminded me what I like about gym climbing, and what I aim to receive from it. I have been bouldering almost entirely alone for the last few months, and while my gym sessions have still been mostly solo, I find comfort in occasionally working problems with others. I had forgotten that climbing could be social. Forgotten how someone just standing there can make a send. Perfect landing zones don't hurt either.

In two days I leave for northern California. I am not sure what to expect. I have never been climbing in that area, do not have a guide book, and only through vimeo and youtube research have I found some classics to get excited about. This uncertainty is a good thing though, and I am embracing it. Normally I buy the guidebook, read everything written on the area, and come up with a massive ticklist (astronomically ambitious). This is a routine spawned from taking too many solo climbing trips. Luckily I will not be alone this summer and that will make all the difference. I have never sent anything harder than V8 alone.

I feel ready for anything, and after this week of training I feel that I have broken through a long plateau. At least mentally. With that said, here are a few videos worth watching of the Tahoe bouldering scene.

Tahoe Mofo from Walker Emerson on Vimeo.

Winter Visitors from Jesse Bonin on Vimeo.

-BLOCHEAD

Mapping the Miles

I was trying to calculate the amount of miles I've driven in the past six months starting with a trip I took just after finishing undergraduate school, leaving from Chicago, IL. Here are the numbers:


View Larger Map

Route: Chicago, IL > Grass Valley, CA > Bishop, CA > Las Vegas, NV > Joshua Tree, CA > Hueco Tanks, TX and finally back to Las Vegas, NV.

Total Miles: 4,216 not including the nearly 800 accumulated while living in Hueco for two months. A safer estimation including all the driving to and from crags would be ~5,000 miles.

Here is a map of the most recent trip to Hueco for guide training:


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Las Vegas > Flagstaff, AZ > Hueco Tanks, TX > Las Vegas, NV

Total Miles: 1,516 just figuring the driving distance.

That's roughly 6,500 miles driven in the past six months. 2,250 I drove alone.

I wish that was it, but with two more scheduled drives ahead of me (1,400 miles combined) I can project a total of nearly 8,000 miles logged by the end of the summer.

Just for fun here is a visual representation of my travels from 12/2009 projected through 8/2010:


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That's over 125 hours of straight driving.

-BLOCHEAD

From a Desert to a Desert Through a Desert.

Left Hueco this morning after a night of board games and barely cold beer. Twelve hours later I'm in another desert 750 miles away. Guide training went well. It was nice to get some face time with the rangers and permanent residents of the Rock Ranch. It made for a good environment to ask questions and iron out some things I was unsure of going into this past weekend. I have a great feeling about this season.

In the mean time it's too hot to climb in Vegas. Gym season has officially begun. I'll be climbing here for a few days and then making one last solo drive to northern California for the summer. I'm very excited for one main reason, but other than that it will be fun to explore that area. Granite and development are two areas where I lack experience so it will be good motivation leading up to this season in Hueco.
Class of Memorial Day weekend.
Before it went on the fridge.