Team Flashed Vs. Show of Hands Video

Here is a video of myself and fellow Flashed athlete Dave Heerema prevailing over gale force winds and sending the Moe's Valley classic Show of Hands V11. Make sure to watch the entire video!

More videos of new Red Rock sit starts coming soon!

-BLOCHEAD

Dead Rabbit Video

I've been shooting a lot of weddings downtown lately, but before I head back off to the land of drive thru ceremonies and green card weddings I was able to finish up this little video Lib shot during our day trip to Moe's Valley a couple days ago. Dead Rabbit is an awesome sustained crimp line on rock reminiscent of Joe's Valley. Toward the end of the day I decided on a whim to attempt this problem after some encouragement form fellow Flashed athlete Dave Hereema. I have to give Dave a big shout out for providing excellent beta that worked perfectly. Dead Rabbit is by far my hardest flash to date. It was even more satisfying because the style is one that I don't consider my strong suit. I guess all those crimpy Monkey Bar eliminates are paying off.

Stay tuned for videos of Show of Hands and a new FA in Willow Springs coming soon!

-BLOCHEAD

Just Training - A Monkey Bar Eliminate Video

This isn't breaking news, but it's getting warm here in Vegas. I know that a gym membership is inevitable and when the time comes I'll be motivated to train indoors, but for now I've been reluctant to throw in the towel on Red Rocks. It's especially tough to hit the gym when I live less than 5 miles from the Kraft parking lot. That said I've been climbing a lot of eliminates and link ups on the Monkey Bar boulder for fitness and training. It's such a perfect boulder and I spend a lot of time warming up there for Gateway Canyon projects so I thought it would be nice to always look for something new and keep it interesting. Yeah, I know what you're thinking and I agree, eliminates and link ups are just barely better than plastic, but I have to work with what's available.

Since this site is all but officially a video blog I thought I would include an eliminate I was able to do yesterday in case anyone else out there is also shying away from plastic and is looking for something else to try on the Monkey Bar Boulder. I must have tried the big move 15 times before finally reeling in the crazy helicopter swing!

-BLOCHEAD

Cryophobia Video

Despite the near 90 degree high yesterday I decided check out the Maranatha boulder in Ice Box Canyon a few hours before dark. This boulder is host to multiple hard problems, unfortunately nearly all of them are friction dependent. Luckily I was able to complete the second ascent of Paul Nadler's Cryophobia, a crimpy line on the backside of the boulder.

Unsure of where this line was supposed to begin, I started with a small right hand lip crimp and a left in the undercling. Paul started with his left hand on the lip and a right hand on the undercling edge. Small difference, but I thought I would be clear and respectful to the first ascentionist. I can really only guess on the grade, but it's safe to say that both establishing on the boulder and sticking the first edge are really hard moves. Hope you enjoy the video and the boulder. It's a great addition to the area.

-BLOCHEAD

The Dirty Rail Video

Keeping with the video theme here is another one I just finished this morning of Lib's battle and and send of a less traveled classic in Calico Basin. The Dirty Rail is featured on Pg. 271-273 of Tom Moulin's Southern Nevada Bouldering guide and is definitely worth the hike.

Read more about Lib's mental and physical efforts on the problem here. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy the video!



-BLOCHEAD

Seek and Destroy Video

Hey everyone out there on the interweb! I know it's been a little while since I've updated, but I've been trying to include a video with every post lately and I just finished editing another one this morning.



This Gateway Canyon classic can't be found in Tom's guidebook, however on his website he describes the problem as:

Seek and Destroy V11**
FA Pete Lowe December 2010

A wild line with radical features and great movement reminiscent of something from Hueco. The biggest detractor being the tight nature of the exit moves, where avoiding the rock behind becomes an issue. Start with a right hand jug around the lip and a left hand sloper-edge, climb the roof with sloping hueco features to a jug-hueco, exit through the orifice up and left.

The sequence I use in the video is in the style of the first ascent. Shortly after Pete completed this project a "new" hold was found down and to the left of the holds that make up the roof crux. This four finger full pad jug allows a significantly easier alternative method (V9), though the origins of this hold are suspect. Whether via aggressive cleaning, breakage, or otherwise, this hold has been reported as not existing when the line was a project.

Given this information and the fact that I'm a stubborn boulderer I chose avoid this hold for the send. It's a shame that the original sequence now an eliminate, but it is amazing that such a line exists in Vegas. It gives me hope and motivation to keep an eye out.

Enjoy the video and see you out there!

-BLOCHEAD