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....