Climbing Stoke

[romeo tango]

kicked off the season with some minimal-risk bouldering at Minnihaha,
the fave urban crag in Spokane ....

I've posted pics about this time in previous years, check 'em out
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[ex-powderbroker]

a legend and the history of the first 5.13 in Canada.

pretty sure the multi pitch routes he put up on the sparsely protected poko slabs in stiff boots still cause modern climbers to retreat.

[schuss]

Great day out at Rumney, though quite packed by lunchtime when we took off. At 50% or so due to having a death cold the past week, but great to get out. Sent a pile of new moderates, but great times by all. Venus wall had a sweet waterfall going and was great for a bit as we were able to get away from the crowds.
That said, was a bit of a shitshow between totally baffling rope work (one party setup a top rope, then after working a 5.4 a few times, traversed over to setup the rope on the 5.7 next to it without pulling the gear off the first?) and people drinking at the crag (always sketchy IMO). Glad we left when we did before it became even more of a clusterfuck.

[romeo tango]

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... drinking at the crag ....

considered a grand tradition in the UK ....

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[schuss]

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considered a grand tradition in the UK ....

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If it had been a group doing a top rope party and relaxing, I'd be less judgemental, but when you're the only one slamming them back at 11 am you've got a problem.

[ex-powderbroker]

pics are working and another weekend here will be lost to rain. saying.

[climberevan]

Pine Creek and ORG have been fun lately.

[ex-powderbroker]

saw a post on marketplace offering some free climbing books. i hadn’t read Mixed Emotions so I biked over and he sent me on my way with a bunch.





opened it up and double score! he had it signed when Greg came through Montréal doing a slideshow.

I’d rather be outside but pretty cool. Are any of these others worth a glance? I need to read the Pat Ament before I’m allowed to climb in Colorado, right?

[ex-powderbroker]

northern lights, spring bumps, and 5.fun all in 24 hours. couldn’t ask for a better day so nice to be out!

[schuss]

Nice!

[romeo tango]

i'm heading to skaha and looking for some free camping ....

the interwebz mentions canyon view trail (closed?), OK Falls, Beaverdell Road
anyone have beta on these or other places not discovered by the robots?
thanks

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[ex-powderbroker]

no clue where the free camping is. I put up a tent a couple nights at the okanagan lake bc park campground. was what you would expect for a big bc campground. no complaints, the okanagan and skaha are awesome. have fun.

[fomofo]

05/24/24

Renowned rock climber Alex Honnold has smashed the speed record for solo-climbing the longest route on El Capitan, the prominent cliff in Yosemite Valley where the world’s elite big-wall climbers come to test themselves this time of year.

His chosen route, the Salathé Wall, requires an estimated 3,500 feet of climbing, mostly following systems of wide vertical cracks climbers must wedge themselves into to gain purchase on the sheer granite. It’s a Yosemite big-wall classic, put up in 1961 by valley legends Royal Robbins, Tom Frost and Chuck Pratt.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors...e-19476623.php

Try browser reader view on page load if you get paywalled

P.S. Just for the fuck of it...



He is 77, (Dave, not Alex), but then again it's not his first rodeo...

[yeahman]

FKNA. Dude is unparalleled. I doubt the general public is capable of understanding roped solo vs. free solo. Cool he didn't have a movie crew with him this time, just blew in and out of the valley like a guy with two little kids at home. What a beast.

[subtle plague]

I've been projecting my 7C FA for 5 sessions.
I Fell at the last hard move today. But I've had good progress each session. Slopey Mini edges, a bad heel and lots of tension involved. Really friction dependent...so not the best time of year.
But I skied until late April and can't Deal with the magic wood crowds right now...

[romeo tango]

my first roped session this season,
training for Skaha ....
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the harder routes at Minnihaha sit idle as the high-end climbers go elsewhere:

bulgy wall topped with a Smith Rock-ish finish, .13a
reported to be the hardest lead on the crag
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this ugly offwidth splits the roof. guidebooks says 5.9, gear to 4"
I've never seen anyone try ....
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[ex-powderbroker]

i’m here for it

[yeahman]

Really saddened by the recent passing of Stewart Green. Stewart was a prolific guidebook writer and climbing historian. He was a colleague of mine and good friend. We had an author/editor relationship that spanned at least 15 books. Stewart was also a great photographer. When I was writing an article for Rock & Ice magazine about Montana rock climbing, Stewart traveled up from Colorado to climb with me and shoot photos for the article. He was a smart, kind and generous person while also being somewhat mischievous in a playful way. I'm going to miss him. This article appeared in the Colorado Springs newspaper.

https://gazette.com/news/local/stewa...5007043a5.html

In an effort to counter that sad news with some worthy stoke, Lonnie Kauk's insta is one of the best. Never captions, just climbing. (And sometimes rad Sierra snowboarding.)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Oa5...dzdWxscDFpenVy

[tellybele]

Hey Yeah, I think I remember you from the 90s MSO climbing folk? Thanks for the Lonnie link

[yeahman]

Hey Yeah, I think I remember you from the 90s MSO climbing folk? Thanks for the Lonnie link

For sure, that was my heyday, probably know each other if you were into it back then.

[ex-powderbroker]

condolences, yeahman.

i finally got out to do so cragging. since last october i haven’t been going outside or to the gym or hangboarding mostly due to this new job that takes all of my time. meanwhile, the receding amount of climbing i’ve done has made me question whether im still “a climber”.

i finally got out yesterday and had such a good time, it was easy to remember why i like the sport but at the same time it’s so much easier for me to enjoy it if i feel strong / proficient.

i went out for the afternoon to one of the more humble (routes are roughly 4-10 bolts) and close crags and it’s never felt so hard. i tried to climb this route the guy had bolted that i floated up a few years ago and couldn’t do it on tr.

it was humbling. is climbing always so hard? i need to recalibrate my expectations or go outside a lot more, maybe both.

anyway, a little trad line, a nails 10, and the view of the plain from the top. it’s humble but maybe you guys can see some of what you like in an empty wall, blue sky… and most importantly no bugs







i hope it’s not too long until i can hear the birds and play on rocks again.

[romeo tango]

most of the older climbers I know have passed their peak,
I think the younger ones will hit their peak too someday
whether due to injury, illness, responsibilities, training, time climbing etc.
to me, all that counts is that i'm climbing and having fun ....

there is the old adage:
three shots of espresso, two cigarettes and one hit of reefer
opens a 30 minute window when you can climb ANYTHING!

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[MakersTeleMark]

Really saddened by the recent passing of Stewart Green. Stewart was a prolific guidebook writer and climbing historian. He was a colleague of mine and good friend. We had an author/editor relationship that spanned at least 15 books. Stewart was also a great photographer. When I was writing an article for Rock & Ice magazine about Montana rock climbing, Stewart traveled up from Colorado to climb with me and shoot photos for the article. He was a smart, kind and generous person while also being somewhat mischievous in a playful way. I'm going to miss him. This article appeared in the Colorado Springs newspaper.

https://gazette.com/news/local/stewa...5007043a5.html

In an effort to counter that sad news with some worthy stoke, Lonnie Kauk's insta is one of the best. Never captions, just climbing. (And sometimes rad Sierra snowboarding.)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Oa5...dzdWxscDFpenVy

Bummer to hear that. He was a gem. I remember once I was doing a pretty spicy lead on Whitehorse in NH and he an his partner (wife?) were climbing a classic next to us. We chatted as much as possible. When I got down to my truck he had left his business card on my windshield with a note, "nice lead!". We used to chat a bunch on usenet back in the day too. Solid man. I'm sure I still have some of his guidebooks around.

[yeahman]

Bummer to hear that. He was a gem. I remember once I was doing a pretty spicy lead on Whitehorse in NH and he an his partner (wife?) were climbing a classic next to us. We chatted as much as possible. When I got down to my truck he had left his business card on my windshield with a note, "nice lead!". We used to chat a bunch on usenet back in the day too. Solid man. I'm sure I still have some of his guidebooks around.

I don't think Stewart's (ex) wife climbed (the woman he had his sons Ian and Brett with), so he was likely with Martha Morris, who was his significant other and climbing partner for many years.

His kid Ian was a great climber in his day. He sent every hard route we put him on in Montana, and made it look easy.

[yeahman]

Double post