The Kraft Experiment

It's still obscenely hot in Las Vegas, but with the boulders so close it's hard to stay away.

A basin full of hot blocs.

Lib had been out twice before with a friend to try Monkey Bar Traverse and said with the wind and the afternoon shade that it was doable. Not comfortable, but doable. And she was right.

Lib refining beta on Monkey Bar Traverse.

The chalk was hard pressed to stay on our fingertips, the wind warm and stifling, but I was surprised to discover that the problems with incut crimps and a few hours of shade (read: every problem on the monkey bar boulder) were definitely climbable.

Sandstone in August!

As the shade draped over the basin we hiked out, stopping here and there to see if anything else was possible. Big K and it's stand start might be if you are a superhero, however that face sees direct sunlight all day and the top crimps feel like they have been baked in grease.

Just up the hill, however, sits a problem called Snake Eyes V6 (referred to as Spook Eyes V5 in Seth's guidebook) which is a striking blank red face with two anomalous pockets rubbed bone white with chalk. For some reason I had never gotten around to climbing this boulder, so why not try it on a near 100 degree day?

My shoes were barely on before I heard a high pitched buzzing as Lib leaned over a rock. She jumped back, and I followed suit, as she pointed out a small rattle moving so quickly it looked still.

Shoes on, and a keen eye on the rattler, we both decided to be typical boulderers and try the problem anyway. The crux came before we even left the ground as the rattle grew steadily louder and angrier as we moved toward the start holds. Lib gave one attempt and regained her senses, while I tried a few more times before sticking the opening move and riding it to the top.

We took that as a sign and packed out, moving slower than usual and staring intently at our feet the entire way out. It wasn't until later that night I found that Tom Moulin's book had listed the problem as Snake Eyes , and the irony washed over me.

-BLOCHEAD

Working Hard While Remaining Unemployed

It's funny how that thought can rationalize itself. With thunderstorms in Flagstaff, record highs in Idyllwild, a typical August in Las Vegas, and a lull in eBay sales I have been almost exclusively training in the gym.

As a mere mortal who has run the gamut of emotions when it comes to gym climbing I find that I can get the most out of my workout with a rough outline. Previously I have just mentally prepared, however as workouts get more complex (and as an experiment in posterity) I have turned to a notebook.

Nothing pictured below is new. I have gleaned everything from stronger climbers, magazines, or others blogs that seem to know what they're talking about, and tweaked these routines to be either easier or more difficult. So as an act of paying it forward hopefully this will give someone a fresh workout to up the general psych.*

Basically a 100 V-point race against the clock with an added Tri-Set component on the back end. Would up clearing 94 points (V5 problems and up) in 60 minutes then had to resort to problems under V5 for the remaining 6 pts. Tri-Sets were done in 5:00 blocks with no rest between stations and 10 minute rest between cycles.

Breakdown of the timed 100.

Still quite sore after the rest day. Untimed V-Scale rollercoaster. Had trouble getting back to V8 on the second ramp up.

Felt pretty rested even after climbing outside the day before. Ramped up and fell off ending moves of V9 and V10, projected for an hour, ramped down (Hard), then worked out 1/3 of a Tri-Set including a campus board workout.

Maybe my brain was trying to protect me because this was actually my 3rd day on. A new workout circuiting every V4 and under in the gym. 58 total problems. V3's and under done wearing an 8lb weighted vest.

*As a side note I have been making use of the community pool and trying to swim 15-30 laps per day. I'm not sure if there is any science behind this, but the fluid resistance of the water seems to ameliorate climbing hot spots such as fingers, wrists and shoulders. Has anyone else experienced this?

Happy climbing!

-BLOCHEAD

Mt. Charleston - Season 2

I've you happened to follow any of these ramblings last year you'll remember a lot of spray about the development of a bouldering cave high up the trail. And though the cave has yet to be officially named (Man Cave, Mosiac Cave, Craig's List, and Bat Cave have all been thrown around, but nothing has stuck yet) that doesn't mean people have forgotten about it. The high elevation, thirty-five minute hike, and long horizontal roof problems make this area one of the best to gain some fitness on real rock while dodging the numbing heat of the valley.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with two good friends for a session up at the cave. The first since last September. Walking up and feeling the holds felt surreal, as I had spent a huge part of last summer projecting nearly every line alone.

Isaac managed to make short work of all the stand starts, and made huge links on the sit (V9 any way you slice it).*

*For a first-timer's impression of the Charleston Cave and more sweet photos check out Isaac's blog.

Isaac trying hard on the pocket exit.

A detail of Isaac on the pocket exit.

Isaac looking ahead to the redpoint crux of Landing Strip V9.

After trying to figure out the body position for the crux on Delirious V11 for a while I switched to trying a (seemingly new?) line with Craig that he had been piecing together which begins as for Delirious, but cuts out right into the pocket exit shown above. Craig had some fun beta that worked for me (involving heel-toe camming against my own shin) and before long I was linking through the crux, which ends in a satisfying cut-loose move.

Craig attempting the crux on Delirious for old time's sake.

Yes, that is exactly what it looks like. A heel-toe cam against my own shin.

Reeling in the wild swing.

And though our spray to send ratio was high, it was great to just laugh, talk smack, and enjoy the absurdity monkeying around in a cave for a few hours.

All photos by Liberty Herring.

-BLOCHEAD

The Summer That Finally Caught Up

We did a fairly good job eluding the summer heat up to this point. Once we arrived in Vegas, however, it all seemed to storm in at once.

Luckily, I made peace with this fact long before even putting in notice in Portland. With the exception of Mt. Charleston sport climbing and the bouldering cave that saw extensive development last season, Vegas in the summer is a time to get stronger by pulling plastic.

After a long weekend in sweaty Atlanta for my cousin's wedding (Congrats Shannon!) a hard gym session was exactly what I needed. Lib and I bought a month and got to work. The month should take us well into Black Mountain season, where we plan to do our next round of shooting. In the mean time hopefully we can up our power endurance, sell a few things on eBay to make the dream last a bit longer, and get nice and psyched for the cooler months to come.

In other news I'm happy to announce that I've joined the team of talented athletes at Flashed! If you haven't already check them out!

-BLOCHEAD

5,000 Miles - Part 2: California Summer

We made it to Vegas and got to work editing. A few hours later and I'm happy to present Part 2!



Here is a list of problems in order of apperance:


Tahoe Area:
Donner Summit Arete V1
Rainbow Face V6
Sugarcube V4
Roadside Arete V8?
Snowshed Arete V3
Black Wall V2
Nazgul V10
Soul Train V10
Midnight Train V7

Tuolumne Meadows:
Flakes V1
Golden Rastafarian V6
Kauk Problem V5


Music:
The Nashville Teens - Tobacco Road
J Dilla - Let's Take it Back (Instrumental)
Dan the Automator & DJ Shadow - Ganges A Go-Go
Take - Dream Suite (feat Dutch Massive)
Hudson Mohawke - Overnight

And in case you missed the first part of our extended road trip here is Part 1:

Three Days in Tuolumne

I'm posting from a strange cafe in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Dirty, smelly, and tucked into a corner using every outlet within 10 feet. Lib and I just spent the past three days getting humbled by boulders in Tuolumne Meadows, and we're suffering through a bit of civilization before heading off to Rock Creek.

Day 1:

After resolving a few car issues we made it to the Meadows only to find that the campsite we were banking on was full. Through some kind words and a little luck, however we were able to camp in a semi-legal spot for a night before snagging an opening in the morning. The first night bouldering we found out what Tuolumne bouldering was all about. In a word: HARD. We got thrown form nearly everything we tried. Humbled, we packed up our egos and called it a day.

Day 2:

An all day bouldering marathon. Beginning with a short session at the Olmstead boulders I managed to wrestle my way up a V4 roof. It may have been the hardest V4 I've ever had the pleasure (read: granite burn all over my chest from whaling out the finish) of sending.

After a long lazy lunch in the shade we gathered what motivation we had left and made for The Knobs, an area known for its strange Diorite Knobs and classic Kauk problems.

A typical face in The Knobs.

Lib and I were surprised to find the climbing both unique and thoroughly enjoyable. After warming up we both tried Kauk's namesake problem, a slightly overhanging crimp face with a crucial heel hook that must have been futuristic back when it was first ascended.

Lib made quick work of the stand start, winding up on top on her first try and ticking off her first V5 flash! (No photo, but look for the flash footage in our Part 2 video!) I also managed to flash the boulder from a full value sit start at V6. With the psych setting in from flashing a piece of bouldering history we hiked around the post card surroundings and checked out a few more areas, though deciding to end the day on a high note.

Day 3:

After a long lunch waiting for the camera battery to charge (Thanks Wilderness Permit Rangers) we started a slow day at the Puppy Boulders. There is something so nice and relaxing about climbing in an area next to a river.

Taking a break next to the Tuolumne River.

When the sun fell and the shadows grew a little longer we rolled up our pants and crossed the Tuolumne River to the Kitty Dome Boulders in search of a tall, clean arete named Golden Rastafarian. Hiking four pads, a tripod, a few liters of water, and a camera up and over the dome left us winded, but once I saw the line edged in afternoon sun I couldn't put my shoes on fast enough.

The motivation must have been enough because I surprised myself with a flash of the V6(+++) sit start.

High off the deck on Golden Rastafarian SDS V6.

With the flash footage and a few close-ups in the can we hiked out, ate a huge dinner, and promptly fell asleep.

Day 4 (Today!): An early start left us packed up and ready to go well before the sun had reached the base of the trees. We debated whether or not to climb a tall V1 we had been driving by, and opted to take the detour. Flakes V1 turned out not only to be worth it, but quickly earned a high ranking in the best V1's I have ever done. If you're in the Meadows and you have a crash pad do yourself a favor and climb this problem. It was so fun I had to climb it twice, and would have continued if we weren't on our way out.

Finishing up the mega classic Flakes, V1

It looks like this strange cafe is about to close, so on that note off to Rock Creek!

-BLOCHEAD

Tuolumne Bound

Last night was our final session at The Saddle boulders. After spending the past two days preparing and packing our lives down small enough to fit in the Subaru it felt nice returning to the intimate setting, climbing on familiar warm-ups, and preparing for one last effort on Wick's Problem.

The first couple burns felt decent, however the sloping left hand edge still felt a little slimy in the late summer humidity. Trying from one move in yielded more success, however with every try the sloping edge seemed to become less positive and drift even further away.

It's easy to speculate about cooler temperatures or trying just a little harder, but even though I came short of sending (After 5 days I never even stuck the first move!) I left The Saddles with complete satisfaction.

One of the highlights was field testing Lib's new 7D! We are beyond psyched to shoot the rest of our 5,000 Miles project with this new body, but in the mean time here are a few stills:

Setting up for the big move.

Holding the tension for less than a second...

Once the foot pops, it's over.

The final swing before some welcome jugs, from one move into the problem.

Tomorrow we're headed to Tuolumne Meadows. Though the guidebook is only 72 pages, it looks like there is a wealth of quality lines in a beautiful and historic setting. Repeating a few problems put up by the old masters is definitely a high priority.

John Bachar on his classic Mean Green V8.

We'll have more photos to come soon, and hopefully a finished part two by the end of the month!

-BLOCHEAD