Wednesday, August 26, 2009

JADE!!!!!!!!!







I am very happy!!!

Hiking in light rain up Chaos Canyon, I arrived to good conditions at the Green 45. After warming up me fingers I started trying "the" move on Jade. I ended up nailing it quickly and then went form the start. I surprised myself by hitting the move first try from the start but then fell shortly after. I had a few burns that didn't amount to much and then on my 4th burn I climbed into the stand, paused on the final side-pull and fell off. I couldn't believe it and figured I'd be done on it for the day. But then a few minutes later I was all "One more burn," I knew I had to keep trying, the conditions were too good. My 5th burn (3rd day), I climbed again into the stand (barely). This time I held the side-pull sketched my feet over and was toping out before I knew it.

What a great feeling, Jade was my main goal for moving back to Co. I have many more goals but Jade was the biggest.

I'm working on the video and will have it up in a few days.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Mike Tyson loves Cus D'mato....

I've been in Boulder for about 2 weeks now. Everything has been going quite well. Climbing in the park and setting up our lovely apartment has been nice. The other day I watched a great documentary called Tyson.
I know most people do not like Iron Mike but for me growing up in the 80's there was no other boxer like him and still probably today. The world of boxing is cut throat-ish and in Tyson The Movie, Mike's story is told directly from him. In the end you can't help feeling bad for him. He was a great fighter probably the best of my generation but his struggles with insecurity and rage got the best of him. It's a great movie to watch for people that still admire Tyson or who just want to be entertained.

So other than watching and writing movie reviews I've been climbing too, mostly in the park. There is no other place that I want to be right now (other that Europe.) I've been climbing on many different problems and after a few weeks of hiking and getting used to the rock I'm starting to feel better. Hopefully that means success is on the horizon.

Here are a few pictures that my mate Sander took the other day,

Me trying,

and Ty sending (again),

Top Notch.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

SLC->SFO->DEN...

It feels like the whole summer has passed since my last entry. I’ve spent the last 3 weeks helping my father get back on his feet after a few bumps in the road. I drove him to his house in Cali after the trade show in SLC. He was in SLC having some orthoscopic surgery. So after the Trade Show we were off. I hadn’t been climbing well so after a full 7 days off I wasn’t too concerned to climbing. I had some work lined up so I was excited to make a lil’ scratch while I was helping Dad. I knew I was going to have to get back in shape soon since I wanted to return to Colorado feeling good. Time to get back in it. I spent a few days on plastic which were very poor, I couldn’t finish V7’s in the gym. I was getting nervous. But on my third climbing day which happened to be 2nd day on. I got my friend Will, who is my main climbing connection in the bay to drive me up to Mortar Rock. The weather was crisp, and luckily for me it was going to stay like that for the next week. After warming up on the stellar eliminates at Indian Rock down the road we walked up to Mortar Rock. I had an unfinished problem from last October, Chinese Connection, V12. Its a great line with side pulls, crimps, and undercuts. The moves are great but the rock is SHARP!!! I felt the moves out again the day before and they felt desperate. Today I pulled on and just about got through the bottom crux. I knew I would finish it if I climbed into the stand start. I pulled on and just barley climbed into the stand. The stand starts with a left side pull pinch and a right hand undercling pinch. From the sit you have to drive up into the undercling pinch with low feet.


just barley still in there I made the next moves and was faced with the final hard move, a hard hand foot match off a small sharp crimp. I fell on this move for days last time around. Getting back to this point so quick after feeling horrible for days, I got a surge of energy. I took one second to gather myself and drove my foot up and nailed it. What a great feeling.


Indian and Mortar Rock are special places for me. I started bouldering here during summers spent with my Dad as a teenager. Whenever I do a new problem here I get a little sentimental. soon had the same feeling, with an ascent of Don’t Worry Be Snappy, V12. Snappy is an extremely cool problem. The meat and potatoes revolves around a difficult right hand lock off to a blind pocket crimp.





New beta has been found by pressing your palms in a roof and to shuffle yourself to the pocket crimp. It seemed weird to me and I wanted to climb it with its original sequence even if it may be harder. These problems are gems.


Another thing I did aside form climbing and hanging out with Pop’s, I read Jerry Moffatts autobiography, Revelations. Jerry has been a hero of mine since the beginning. I love british climbing culture and was excited to read his story. All I can say it that anyone that has dedicated their life to climbing like me should read this book. It is filled with exciting stories and really was a joy to read.