Sawmill Sunday

I got to ride in Nic's new Yaris, much to the chagrin of Pi, who road in Chris Hirsch's Escort. You can fit 2 pads in a Yaris with the back seat up, and 4-5 with the back seats down. And we got 35 mpg going 75 the whole way.
On a four hour drive in tandem, things can get silly. Fruit bombing one another's cars entertained us for the last two hours of the drive and had our faces aching from laughter.
It was bright and sunny out, but the air was still cool. Conditions were perfect. Pi hadn't been up here in a while, and was unfamiliar, somehow, with the western end of the boulder field. The slab, Vag Badger & Poppy Cock, everything there was new to him. We showed him around, and ended at a previously unclimbed line on the backside of the split open Backslapper boulder. Jim Merli had suggested the line before, and the boys were intrigued enough to clean it up and give it a go.
I don't know why the name "Foreplay" had been suggested. It seemed like it was the next name in line in their back-log of potential names for new boulder problems. The immature, yet hysterical, conversation was primed and driven by the proposed name. I left a fragment of that in the video..."balls" aren't a swear word, right?
Here's my second video I've made today with iMovie...sweet...



After that we headed back to the main area, where I intended to try Sticky Icky again. But first we had to go around to the east side and check out a few other unclimbed lines...uncleaned...unattempted...makes them so much more tempting.
But I still, like always, had unfinished business on the arete of Jim's boulder. It was starting to get cool, so the guys built a little stone fire ring and started a fire with the bark from a huge fallen birch tree next to us. Birch bark is VERY flammable...as these pictures Nic took of Pi suggest...







(Images of Pi on Fire by Nic Oklobzija)

(I've finally typed Nic's screwed up last name enough to know how to spell it by heart now.)

So anyways, I gave Sticky Icky a few goes, but was unable to consistantly keep the first heel hook on a thin crimp. The last time I worked it sucessfully, (2 seasons ago?) I was wearing old Anasazi's, with the flat mounted heel, that makes for a nice little edge-grabber for heel hooking little stuff. I determined then that it was a lot easier to do it with that particularly styled heel, while I watched everyone else's heel easily slip off it. But my heel, with my Anasazi's, would stick most every time, with out too much effort.....didn't bring the Anasazi's along...damn. My foot did stick a few times well enough to stick the move before the jug, but then it slipped off. I also noticed the first right foot was spliting from the boulder. I'd better do it quick, before someone breaks it off. I won't forget my left Anasazi next time! Hopefully it will be a cool summer, and the northern boulder fields stay cool and climbable. Seeing as we didn't have a spring season at all this year, I just think that's fair.

Chris bouldering Genetic Control

So here's the video...enjoy...

Awesomely Exhausting Weekend

I was a zombie by Monday...

Our Friday night Backyard Bouldering Session started ominously with (girl) Phil arriving with the rain. Then it stopped...then it rained only in the backyard...then it stopped again. "Damn cumulobumbous!" But with a wall as tipped down as ours, it just proved to be a decent shelter, with the occasional drop finding it's way through a bolt hole into your eyeball. The bits of rain didn't last long, and with a hardwood flooring fire roaring next to us, the weather couldn't have been better.





We got a really great turn out too! Lots of first timers...






and lots of regulars....






I feel it's safe to say everyone had a lot of fun, and no one got hurt! Excellent! I feel I can say they had a good time, cuz when I went to bed at 1am, there was still a ring of people around the fire....I had to go to bed...I was going climbing tomorrow too.

These next two pictures were discovered later on my camera...I believe they arteest to be Pi...

Kris looks extra handsome blurry and slightly slanted...


I think this is Pi's lap...


Saturday morning Chris Hirsch came over to claim a pile of crash pads left in the backyard. He was going to "boulder" Genetic Control. A 30 foot wall only previously top roped. Or, as far as I know, has never been bouldered. There's speculation Mike Helke may have...but I haven't seen him around to ask.

Chris planned to top rope the line twice before trying it untied. He fluidly climbed through the moves, obviously hardwired, but climbed slowly and methodically none the less. Kris was on belay, the first time he'd been in a harness since we went to Redwing together, before we were dating, um, 2-3 years ago? He's pretty ashamed of being seen in it...









He figured out the top out and lowered back down. Feeling good about his first warm up, Chris decided to go for it on his next try. We had 9 1/2 pads covering the sharp boulders directly under the line. Kris held a pad up against the pile to help catch Chris, should he go down. I stood just behind Kris and shot a video of his ascent. Video to come...I want to add a little music to this one...

Then we headed into the B2 pit. There were several kids already in there, some local, some down from Duluth. We dropped Kris's monster pad on top of theirs, they were more than happy to have it.



I was a bit concerned that I might forget my beta for this problem. I haven't climbed on it for over two years. My beta for this problem, like most, is very different from others taller than me. So watching these guys from Duluth would only provide inspriation to climb it, not really information(beta) to climb it.

And sure shit, I forgot.

This is not my old beta.

Walked right up to the boulder and didn't know where my hands went, much less my feet. After a few frustrated attemps, I tried any way that looked good. I got to my old high point, under the finish jug, but wasn't in the right body position. The foot smears were getting really slick, and kept spitting me off.

Just to show everybody up, Kris walked right up it, statically.


I was annoyed enough by forgetting my methods that I abandoned that line for another. Right behind B2 Bomber is Crash Landing. A short series of perfect crimps over mud. This is the last part of the pit to ever dry out. After a few tries I topped it out. Which brings me to my point, numbers are stupid. B2 Bomber is rated V3, some argue 2. Chris thought Crash Landing was supposed to be a 5. If that is the case, and I struggled on a 3 and easliy did a 5 after struggling on that 3. WTF. Stupid. Don't get lost in the numbers game. It's not all that accurate or consistant.

Chris had ambition to climb the sit start to Mike's Left, and Kris had an ambition to be lazy and stay on the Minnesota side. We worked Lloyd's Sit start, but there was a wet foot. And with out Chris, we kinda lost our motivation. We walked down to the edge of the river, where the paddle boats dock, and yelled across the river to say goodbye. He called back over that his feet weren't sticking, probably wasn't going to go. We waved goodbye, I'd see him again tomorrow. We hadn't even pulled out of our parking spot when I got a text, "Sent sit start to Mike's Left." Nice...Chris Hirsch is on some kinda climbing dream streak.

Sunday at Sawmill to come....

Nic sends The Sporting Life

Not that I was there and saw it, but I'm trusting that it happened...We were actually out climbing on our wall when I got the text from him..."Did sit start to Left of Lloyds" -V12, first one of that grade!





These are pics from a previous post, but it is Nic trying the sit start...it starts much lower than the first picture indicates.

Some of you already know Nic is leaving Minnesota, like so many strong climbers before him. He's heading out to Cali to be a five.ten rep. Lucky bastard will be living in Redlands, right within 3-4 hours from J Tree, Bishop, Tramway, Yosemite...if I keep going I'll just piss myself off. Anyways, if there was anything left here for Nic to do, (climbing-wise) I'd say he just wrapped it up. We're all going to miss him, his anticts, his unkempt hair, his "Best problem in Minnesota" line, and the enless beta trapped in his hyper-spastic mind. Oh well, that just means I'll have a new beta-boy for Bishop...not all bad. Make a point of saying goodbye to him. We'll be sure to have a party in the backyard to send him off.



If Nic has any of your personal possesions, get 'em back now or kiss it good bye!



Brian Camp, kissing Nic good-bye.

AT LAST!! A nice weekend of sun!

Everyone in the midwest is very aware of our terrible weekend rain pattern. I think it's been at least 5-6 weekends, including Fridays, that have been completely rained or snowed out. Then, just one rained-out weekend away from killing myself, the sun showed up! My vitamin D level must have tripled over the last 2 days....



Saturday we stripped the boulder wall....a task made much easier with our new cordless impact wrench! Doesn't Kris look happy?



Didn't take long for all those holds to easily over fill our wheelbarrow...not a bad thing...



Neil stopped by to help us set.



The wrench did prove to be a bit powerful, and we all cross-threaded a few bolts in the proccess, but at least the back of the wall is completely accessible.



We eventually figured out to start threading them the old fashioned way by hand first...then torqued to our hearts desire with the little demon of a wrench. No more spinning holds now-for sure!



Yeah, that was posed...but I still like it.



So we've got 4 problems set, blue being a very nice jug warm up, Red is Kris' problem, Neil set green & I set orange w/ the brown variation. We did find that after setting the jug haul, we were pretty much out of jugs, and we have more than enough crimps...good thing we're enrolled in the So Ill sick-hold-of-the-month club...should be getting some more any day now.

After setting we went to see Ironman...great flick...funny, and well worth it. Robert Downy Jr is great!

Sunday, with beautiful weather, we finally got to climb outside again! We (Kris, Neil, Eric & I) showed up at Taylors and ran into Corey &
Phil(lippa) in the parking lot. They were just about to head over to WI, so we took them to the Cave boulder, which is a little hard to find on your own if you don't know where to look. We all thought it would be Neil's and Eric's day to send the cave traverse, but not yet. Eric did send Midget Sit Start though, very nice 7! The cave traverse, however, is so funny how after the hard part of the problem comes the mental crux, finishing it. It seems that with the last half of the problem being a jug haul it wouldn't be a place to drop off. But I think once you've worked through the first half, you're so physically as well as mentally exhausted that it's just that easy to drop off going to the jugs. I don't know yet, I still haven't linked the lower move, swinging my feet under the bulge to drop my right hand down to the sloping crimp. Don't feel bad about it though, Neil popped off a bunch of times, right after the hard part, and walked away with out the slightest bit of frustration. "Oh well, that wasn't it..." I've never seen someone so seemingly unshaken by repeated falls on something that is well within his reach. I'd love that lack of frustration!

Then we hiked just a bit down the road to Big Boy. I think I had looked at this once before, but never tried it. Holy shit! What a mental trip! This is probably the most truely natural line at Taylors, either side. It's a 15ft tall double sided arete, really just a tall squareish monolith. It's all smearing, toe & heel hooking, but it's texture is fantastic; the most gritty rock I've felt in the whole park! My first try I got up a ways, not far past half way, felt really tripped out and jumped off. My next try I got up high right away, and began feeling shakey as I entered the untouched parts of the problem. For a moment I was able to quiet my shaking and calm myself into what felt like a little cocoon of conciousness. I just told myself, "Do it like you were on the ground". My shaking stopped and I easily popped my hand up. I was one move from the top, just had to move my feet and reach for the top, but I lost my focus and started to feel the adrenaline rushing through my blood. I yelled out, "Nope!" and dropped off. It does have a nice landing though... Oh well, I'll crush it my first go next time...that's how I like to do things...It's funny, it's only a V3, but MAN what a head trip! Great line! Great moves, great texture! Best problem in Minnesota! -Nic

Then we headed down to Mike's boulder to finish out our day. The river was so high we had to hike around to get to the boulder! It's kinda weird to think we had walked across the river here just 2 months ago, and now it's a violent torrent of brown, brassy water. I got to the same spot on Mike's Right, trying to grab the higher pinch with my left hand...no new progress. Kris, Neil & Eric worked the Left. No sends, but what a beautiful day! Nothing very exciting happened, but it didn't need to, it was nice out! Something I was being to wonder would never happen again. Did we really, finally break out of winter?....In Minnesota, it remains to be seen...