Liberty Bell Beckey Route Trip Report, Washington Pass, July 4th, 2009

For the second year in a row, my fourth of July was spent miles and miles from the nearest fireworks in an alpine wonderland. This year brought my first real trip to the North Cascades for climbing. The North Cascades is an alpine playground… more peaks than you can count, beautiful and wild views, and so many traditional routes it takes a series of guidebooks to plan a weekend.

We got in late on Saturday, so spent the first afternoon trying to climb in a way-too-hot Mazama. After calling it a day, we logisticized and packed and pre-fed and pre-hydrated for a long day on Sunday at Washington Pass. I took down approach and descent information, and drew a topo of the routes we were considering, to tuck into my pocket just in case we had routefinding issues the next day.

GR and I were out with friends Tiffany and Randy. Tiffany and Randy (pictured above on the true summit of the Beckey Route) are “real” climbers… they climb mountains, not just rocks. The four of us planned to start on the Beckey Route (II, 5.6) on Liberty Bell’s Southwest Face and then had ideas for other routes we’d do if we had time. GR’s first ever copy of Climbing Magazine, back when he was an aspiring climber rather than the Gear Rescuer he is now, featured Washington Pass, and alpine routes there are one of his inspirations for becoming a climber. This weekend was our first opportunity to actually get into the area and get a taste of some of Washington’s most classic alpine climbing.

We did a semi-alpine start (alarm set for 5am) anticipating another very hot day. We made the Blue Lake trailhead with an almost empty parking lot, which was a huge surprise for a holiday weekend. We did our final packing and adjusting, and Randy (the driver) let us know where he’d put the keys. Offhand, I told my partners that just in case, I had an emergency inhaler in my pack, but we won’t need it. As we started up the approach (with roughly 1,500 feet of elevation gain over 1.5 or 2 miles) we moved quickly, with the long-legged boys in front. At just under five feet tall, Tiffany is an absolute champ, and kept up with the guys like a superstar. I fell behind a bit, and caught up with everyone at a rest above the switchbacks in the boulder-strewn, snow-covered-in-parts climbers trail, then had a compelling need to drop pack. My eyes started to well up for no reason, and I recognized the familiar physiological signs and realized… I’m about to have an asthma attack.

I haven’t had an asthma attack in years… I can’t remember having one in the 4.5 years I’ve been climbing. I have really only carried an inhaler for climbing partners — twice, I’ve had asthmatic climbing partners leave theirs behind and need one, and so have gotten in the habit of carrying one just in case.

Because I haven’t had an attack in so long, I noticed the signs too late to head it off — by the time I realized what was going on, I couldn’t breathe. I tried to stay calm, and Tiffany snapped to action to help me get my pack open and fish out the ditty bag. I shook and pumped the not-touched-in-a-year inhaler, hoping it would do the trick, and took a puff. More shaking, more pumping, and another puff. No luck… and no breathing. More shaking, more pumping, and I could smell the familiar, chemical smell of the albuterol finally coming out. I took a couple of puffs and tried a deep breath and could feel my chest loosen and the air flow. My partners, being eaten alive by mosquitoes, waited patiently and calmly as I calmed down and enjoyed a regular flow of oxygen again, asking questions about asthma, and about what they should know and do if it happens again. During our little mosquito-infested rest, Randy asked what happens if I don’t have an inhaler and I have an attack. We agreed I’d just keep my inhaler handy… (yay for pants with huge pockets) for the rest of the trip, so that we wouldn’t have to find out. After a good rest, and after I’d caught my breath, we headed on up. After awhile, GR took the rope off me, which lightened my load significantly, and we kept up, up, up the approach.

The scramble up to the notch is loose and rocky, and we had parties above us knocking loose rocks and unfortunately despite taking care we did our share of rock knocking too.

Climbers call “ROCK!!!” when they knock loose even a tiny pebble… the mountain goats aren’t as considerate, though — they “goat solo” the approach with amazing grace and speed, and tremendous unannounced rockfall. Just reaching the “notch” between Liberty Bell and Concord Tower felt like an accomplishment, even though I had to offload the rope to do it.

Here’s a happy Tiffany, just after arriving at the notch. Our time was about 10am, at that point… not too bad, given the relative drama of the approach.

There was a party of three getting ready to start up the Beckey Route in front of us, which gave us a chance to pack our daypacks, snack a bit, hydrate and get geared up for the route. GR and I’d planned to swing leads on the route and then try to get in a second peak on Concord Tower — but I was completely wiped from the approach, and GR was up for leading the whole Beckey Route, so that was what we focused on. He made great time up the first pitch and belayed me up; GR lead the second pitch up a 5.7-ish hand crack variation, and I followed, cleaned the gear low in the handcrack, then climbing a narrow chimney with as much grace as possible wearing a summit pack. Randy said that we’d missed the 5.5 chimney the main route follows, but I didn’t see any other chimneys — so who knows. Regardless, we had fun.

Here are some views from the first and second belays:

And, of GR on the third pitch of the route.

The views got better and better as we went up, and after GR lead and brought me up the third pitch, we took in the views from the false summit there at the top of the Beckey Route from a nice, comfortable shoulder where we could hang out unroped. GR’s lead was in fine style — his gear was excellently placed, and he decided not to clip any fixed pro. We had a nice long break to take in the views and snack while we waited for Randy and Tiffany.

Here’s a shot from the “false summit” at the top of the Beckey Route, looking out at another climbing party on Concord Tower, with Lexington Tower, and North and South Early Winter Spires in the background:

And, the view through the trees at the shoulder / bivy site at the top of the Beckey Route:

Here’s my new desktop background view of Blue Lake, shot by GR from a scramble up above the top of the Beckey Route:

Randy and Tiffany had a bit of drama of their own on the route, thanks to their well-stocked summit pack. They wound up having to leave the pack on the belay ledge below the chimney pitch, planning on a pack retrieval at the end of the day.

When they reached the false summit where we were waiting, they wanted to go up to the full summit. The full summit is an unroped scramble, requiring a reported “5.7 bouldering move” on a slab, unprotected, to gain a ledge from which another fifth class unprotected scramble leads to the summit slabs. Don and Randy bouldered up the slab, then belayed Tiffany and I up.

From the ledge, Randy hip-belayed Tiffany up to the summit, but without communication (wind and distance impaired it) and without my rock shoes, I felt like I’d pushed my limits enough for the day. I wasn’t worried about getting up, but I was concerned about getting down. I didn’t know the quality of Randy’s stance and we couldn’t communicate in order to establish that he was solid, and seriously — I’d already had enough adrenaline for one day. My risk tolerance overwhelmingly asserted its desire for the relative safety of the ledge to the unknowns of the summit, and I opted for safety.

When my friends came back down, raving about the views, it was hard — of course, I’d have liked to have been up there with them — but, next time I know to at least have sticky rubber for the summit, and, have a better idea of what I’m in for to reach it. We rapped down the slab to reach the shoulder of the false summit, then packed up and headed for the rappel stations back down to the notch. We had two ropes but opted for single rope rappels, given the reputation of the route as being a rope-eater, and our raps went pretty smoothly, with one stuck rope but GR was able to clear it on rap, without further incident.

By the time we got down to the notch, it was already late in the day (approximately 6pm). Randy and Tiffany retrieved their stashed pack by re-leading the first pitch and rapping off a tree at the top, then faced a stuck rope of their own. After trying various rope-unsticking tricks, they were able to two-man the rope to unstick it, and with much effort, got their rope down.

Our hopes of a second route would have to wait for our next trip up. I knew, based on the difficulty of the scramble up, that the descent was going to be the last crux of the day, so we headed down following descent beta from a group of guides who were out for the day on Concord Tower. The recommended descent path from the notch is to hug the base of Concord Tower until you see the climber’s trail on your right. The base along Concord Tower was much better than the loose scramble up the middle of the gully, but when we went right to meet what we thought was the climber’s trail, we wound up off of the trail we’d come up on. We kept meeting, then somehow, losing, our ascent trail. Randy and Tiffany are comfortable on such loose terrain from their mountaineering experiences; GR’s a skier, so he moves easily over such loose terrain.

I, on the other hand, am not a mountain goat. Again, my less-than-suited-for-the-task shoes were a liability. I had two scary slips on the way down … Tiffany kept me company even though I was moving slowly, and both Randy and Tiffany tried to coach me on techniques for moving more safely over the terrain. Even now — in July — there are snow crossings and areas where you have to watch for postholes around boulders. While crampons and an ice axe may be overkill, I do think the next time I’ll be prepared with more suitable approach shoes and snow cups on my poles. The descent was quite stressful for me, though my climbing partners seemed to be having fun, and when we got below the loose soil and talus, and snow, and back onto nice groomed gentle switchbacks, I was one incredibly happy camper. The light got dimmer and dimmer, to nearly dark by the time we reached the car, but the end of the hike was fun and lighthearted despite the man-eating mosquitoes who seemed completely undeterred by our repellents and layers of clothing.

We reached our camp at Early Winter campground between Washington Pass and Mazama, and quickly made dinner, which we ate while nearly asleep at the picnic table. We all crashed hard that night, and slept in late the next morning. The plan was a day trip to Index for Sunday, but that will be a separate blog post.

Logistics and Postscripts
Despite only getting in one route, we definitely ticked a classic, and had an unbeatable learning experience that resulted in four safe and sound aspiring alpinists at the end of the day. Even though I have a very healthy respect for approaches and descents, I underestimated the seriousness of this one — I’ll aim to be better prepared footwear-wise, and, will scout the descent path in way more detail on my way up the approach, to try to avoid the trail-finding hassles we had on our way down. I still have a terrible habit of just following the leader on the descent, which works if we’re all equally matched in terms of hiking skill — but when I’m the weak link, I need to be able to find a weak-link way down. The climbing on the Beckey Route is fun; the approach and descent once you leave the Blue Lake trail are definitely the crux.

The routes were crowded, despite the long approaches and objective hazards associated with alpine climbing. An early start means you have more options if you move fast, and, more daylight if you move slower than expected.

Helmets are not optional. Sunscreen and sun cover is also a must; even with high SPF on, my freckles are now in full glory and my arms and face got a lot of sun.

Also, I guess for me, carrying an emergency inhaler is now also not optional — much to my surprise. I thought I’d “kicked” asthma through weight loss, improved cardiovascular fitness and conditioning; but apparently not. That was a heck of a scare, actually — it left me feeling a bit drained of energy and bold! But, now I know to be prepared, always, just in case.

Finally, if anyone has tips for mosquito repelling… please share ‘em. The spray I typically use worked for a few minutes, but then the bugs just kept biting. We had all forms of bug spray, from lemon eucalyptus to chemical, and I came home covered in mosquito bites. I’m contemplating some Ex Officio Buzz Off mosquito repellent clothing but am curious to hear tips from other climbers. I used to have success with a solid dose of garlic and B-vitamins, but didn’t take those precautions this trip!

How was your fourth? Please tell me all about it in the comments!

For more information:

• SummitPost page on The Beckey Route
• RockClimbing.com page on The Beckey Route
• Washington Pass chapter of Rock Climbing Washington, by Jeff Smoot (with a new edition available now!)
• Liberty Bell Mountain (from Climbing Washington’s Mountains by Jeff Smoot)
• Cascade Alpine Guide: Rainy Pass to Frasier River, by Fred W. Beckey
• Weekend Rock: Washington, by David Whitelaw.

The guidebooks we used for our planning are all available from Amazon.com.

Filed under: Climbing Photos, North Cascades, Trip Reports

Boulder Canyon, Outdoor Retailer & a PDX event this week!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m on the road most of last week and this week. Last week was Denver / Boulder / Colorado, and it was absolutely fantastic. I hope to do a more detailed trip report, but for now, you can enjoy a few photos by the talented Ben Fullerton of our Tweetup in Boulder Canyon. I’m incredibly grateful to all of my CO friends who turned out (and, especially, Erika and her puppycats and kittens who shared their home with me).

Today I’m off again, but more on that later.

In the meantime, if you’re going to be at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show, and we haven’t connected, please drop me a comment or an email. My schedule is pretty booked up, but I still have windows available for appointments. I’ll be covering the show here, and on my Twitter feed as media, and I’m super excited to meet even more of my outdoor biz Inernet friends in person.

Finally, this just in from Portland, OR:

If you’re in or around Portland, OR, come on out this Thursday, June 25th. Keith Daellenbach will be discussing the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee’s 12-year fight to create a public park at Portland’s premier rock climbing area, which is currently closed to access.

Learn how YOU can help save this civic treasure and create a new Clackamas County park.

See the Committee’s details here:
http://www.savemadrone.org/

Keith will do a Q&A after the formal presentation, and FREE door prizes will be raffled too. Come by the Mountain Hardwear store at 722 SW Taylor Street – the talk starts at 6 pm.

More details are here:

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Events.aspx

Get out and show your support if you’re able! Thanks, and I look forward to catching up once this jet setting month is over!

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Events, Good Causes

Memorial Weekend bouldering, Leavenworth, WA

The holiday weekend took me to Leavenworth, WA for a mostly-bouldering adventure. Proving, yet again, that there is PLENTY of moderate bouldering in Leavenworth, we hit up the Beach and Swiftwater areas at Tumwater Canyon, and had a kinda short session at the Fridge Boulder in Icicle Canyon, along with some good time on Classic Crack and the surrounding routes. This time around, I’ll emphasize the pictures for once!

First stop, as usual, was Leavenworth Mountain Sports (aka, Der Mountain Hausen). Randy, Bounder and Zin all needed shoes. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. Support Leavenworth Mountain Sports. Their sale racks are kick butt, their womens’ apparel selection is completely out of this world, and they’re stocked with essentials for camping and climbing. Shouts out to Kate and Cherly, who put up with our herd of boys cracking dirty jokes each morning while we picked up out last minute “must have’s.” You ladies rock, and your impeccable taste is matched only by the circumference of your biceps and your tolerance for dirty jokes.

We started out at Tumwater Canyon, the Beach Area, at Leavenworth, WA. It was here that Gear Rescuer (aka, GR) began his tear it up weekend. After sending a tougher variation of The Fin (V2) as a warm up, he made short work of a number of V3s. Here’s Jumper (V3).

And, Randy taking a turn…

And then next up was the Wonderkid (aka, Zin, or Zen, or Boo, or apparently his real name might be Mike). He’s only climbed a couple of times, and I think this was his first day in his own rock shoes. He was a TOTAL natural, and got a lot of encouragement from us old crusties to stick with it.

From there, we worked around the boulder, with a send by GR of U2, another V3; and then the guys and I worked (and some sent, but I didn’t yet) “F*ck the Crystal,” a V3 with delightful body tension and footwork required down low, to a slanting rail, with a dyno to the top. Here’s GR set up for what was ultimately a successful dyno and topout.

Day two took us to the Fridge boulder to start, in Icicle canyon. I have a V3 project on the Fridge that I still haven’t gotten — I seriously need to work my dynamic movement to someday get Cellar Door done. The guys took turns on Fridge Center (V4) and Fridge Right (V4). GR had a great flash on Fridge Center, and the boys all worked Fridge Right.

We had a pretty quiet morning, which is unusual at the Fridge, where you can always count on running into other boulderers. Sure enough, the quiet didn’t last… a bunch of folks from Portland and Eugene rolled in, as well as some friends of friends from Seattle, so after awhile it was a total scene. Every inch of ground was padded, which made for some pretty bold attempts and sends.

After awhile, though, we opted for a more quiet location, and headed for the Classic Crack area, which was busy but not swarmed. Made some new (to me) friends there, running into three of GR’s old friends. Randy finished our lead on Classic Crack and since there wasn’t a lineup behind us, we all took turns getting to know the route in detail; the most by GR who has a date with her on lead next trip. I took a number of laps, trying to get the crux worked out reliably enough that I can confidently get on, on lead. It’s the hardest “5.8″ I’ve ever climbed, but we visit it just about every time I go to Leavenworth, and I’m definitely improving my crack technique (especially for wider hands and fists) each time. I look forward to someday getting on that route on lead.

We were all pretty well thrashed, but before bed perked up enough to decide to head out to the Swiftwater area in the morning for a few more boulders before heading for home.

During a gas stop, Randy and Bounder (aka John) met Sarah and Mary, who weren’t sure if their climbing party was going to show or not. We traded introductions and beta on getting to Swiftwater just in case, and then we headed out. We got to Swiftwater and started warming up, and Mary and Sarah and their friends came out to join us. We had a nice, chill day at Swiftwater. We warmed up on the Prey / Schisthead boulder, with Prey, a fun V0 seeing a lot of traffic. Here’s me, warming up on the middle of the boulder.

With tons of spotters and a well padded floor, our attention turned to Schisthead (a V2 up the center of the boulder) and its V3 variation (starting from the left). GR sent the V3 onsight, and Randy very nearly topped out, but then his mantled heel slipped on moss and he took a big fall from the top. He was okay, minus a few fingertips, and we kept at it. I flashed the V2, which was really exciting for me.

I usually don’t get really sketched by topouts, and even highball topouts… unlike in roped climbing, where I’m a total head case, in bouldering I tend to just know what I have to do and execute. This time, I worked through the route smoothly and with confidence; I got in position for the big push to the top,

and then worked my feet up high. I pushed for the lip and couldn’t reach it; I worked my fingers and feet up delicately and reached the lip. I looked at my options for moving my feet up and didn’t like what I saw, so the thought “I have to downclimb” flashed through my head. I think my fear of heights actually kicked in to make my brain and body override the instinct to downclimb or come off, since I snapped myself out of it, matched hands on the lip to move my feet up, then carefully pulled the mantle. It was a heart pumper — definitely the highest and least secure topout I’ve pulled — but it was FUN. Shaking with adrenaline, I walked off and was pleased with finishing the problem.

Bounder worked the V3, which added a slightly technical traverse to the start. I’d like to to that link up, too, but after topping out I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that mantel again that day!

After we’d bouldered out those routes, we headed down to the Cave. There aren’t any rated problems in the book, but there are two lines out to the lip that were tons of fun. I actually did respectably on the right line — despite being super steep, it played to my footwork and body tension strengths. We worked on it for some time, then the boys’ attention switched to the line on the left. GR came close to linking it all up…

and Randy’s beta was incredibly productive. Bounder took a few turns, despite bleeding feet from breaking in new shoes…

And GR worked it until he was so tired he had no option but to take a good rest.

After that, we crossed the street with Mary and Sarah and Ian to visit Royal Flush, a stunning roof crack rated V2. With careful padding and spotting, GR and Randy worked it, with some solid attempts. I had a hard time getting off the ground — the guys were starting with jams loose enough they could move off of them to make progress on the start; I’d get in fist jams good enough to hold my body weight to get off the ground, and then I couldn’t get them loose to move on the route! It was a really inspiring line, and one I’d like to come back to, but the landing was scary even with pads and unbelievable spots. GR and Randy worked the unlikely looking Sleeve Ace (V3) which I tried a few times, but couldn’t figure out the starting footwork on. I think I was also just plain hosed. My forearms and triceps took turns burning and saying “ouch,” and my attempts on Royal Flush had about done in my hands. We were all completely exhausted, so decided to call it a day.

Yet again, it was another fantastic weekend in Leavenworth, and I made a bunch of new friends. Between my bicep tendon which I’m still rehabbing (but thankfully, am cleared to climb on) and the workout from this weekend, I’m EXHAUSTED. I’m looking forward to taking it a bit easy this week, and working endurance in the gym to balance out all the bouldering I’ve been doing lately!

How was your Memorial weekend?

Filed under: Bouldering, Climbing Photos, Leavenworth, Trip Reports

Tieton River Climbing, May 2009

I spent last weekend thrashing myself at Tieton River climbing area, near Yakima, WA. We arrived late on Friday to find our usual abode, the Windy Point campground, closed. We made do; Don and I were in the C-RV so stealth camping isn’t usually an issue; friends Susie, Steve and Kari were in a tent and got blown around badly. Despite not much sleep, we had a cheery morning of breakfast and coffee around a Windy Point picnic table.

Saturday: Lava Point & Royal Columns
Day one’s plan was Lava Point, an area I’ve visited and had tons of fun at before. The crag was empty — I don’t believe we saw another climbing party all day.

We started out on Steal Your Face, a fun 10c on the Deadheads wall; Screaming for Rope, a 5.9 with a tricky start; B Weir of the Dead and Artificially Insteminated, SUPER fun 10a’s that might be slightly easier for us shorter / smaller fingered types; and Travalava and scoria, two 5.9s that make great warmups and are both get thumbs up. I had my eye on Saint of Circumstance, a 10c that looked like it had great moves up to two challenging roofs, but didn’t quite have another 10c lead attempt in me after having to take on Steal Your Face on lead. Don was inspired by Fit to be Tie Dyed, a 5.11a that you can toprope off the anchors of B Weir of the Dead. He absolutely styled it on lead, and I decided to finally indulge in a little “ice cream” (aka, toproping) since I’d been leading so far. The route was FUN. There’s one really big move on it that stumped me for a bit, but after trying a bunch of different approaches finally figured it out.

Here’s a view of Rimrock Lake from the base of Lava Wall:

And, Steve on lead:

We only saw a couple of ticks on Saturday, which was an unexpected treat since this is the high season for ticks up there.

From there, Colin and Susie wanted to get some time in playing with toys (aka, traditional gear) so we headed for the South Fork area in the hopes of getting up toward Astral Wall. The show stopped us about five miles below the trailhead, so that excursion will have to wait. The walls up there looked AWESOME from the road, so I can’t wait to get back when the roads are passable.

Instead, we headed to Royal Columns, which was packed with more climbers than I’ve ever seen there. There was a big herd at the Bend, as well. Susie got on lead (route unknown, see picture), and Colin and I headed for Twin Cracks, which looked like a fun 5.6 from the ground. I’m not 100% sure what the rest of our party did while Colin and I mini-epic’d on Twin Cracks (#57 in the Tieton guidebook), but Colin and I had a mini-adventure, for sure.

Colin lead, placing great gear all the way up. He reached a point where he could go straight up to the cliff top, or right, exiting out on top of a pillar (where the anchor bolts are indicated in the Guide). He scouted around and didn’t see bolts, so headed to the top of the cliff, where he also didn’t find bolts. He did a very careful downclimb to reach the decision point, again, and then went to his right to exit on top of the pillar — still, no bolts. He luckily had enough gear to build an anchor, which he did, then we tried to plan the descent sans bolts. There are bolts down and climber’s right at the anchor of Render us Weightless (#54 in the book) but Colin wasn’t crazy about that prospect, and since he was on a solid gear anchor we decided he’d bring me up, I’d clean, and we’d walk off. We heard from another party, once he was already anchored and we were trying to sort the situation out, that there was a walk off, so that sounded like the best option. As an alternative, even if we couldn’t find the walk off, our gear would be cleaned, and we could use the gear anchor to belay one of us to the rap station on #54, so going up was the best course of action.

The climbing was 5.6 MY ASS. Colin wow’d me with his lead on Classic Crack during our last trip to Leavenworth; I found that 5.8 much easier than this “5.6.” The route was uncomfortable offwidth in areas. I actually enjoy offwidth — but this was a funny offwidth. In between for feet (too big for foot jams, too small for heel toe jams) and small offwidth for arms — my forearms kept getting stuck in the crack when I tried to move up on my jams. Usually on “easier” offwidth you’ll find edges inside that you can grab onto … if they were there, I sure didn’t find ‘em. It was a thrashy, desperate jamfest for me, all the while impressed with Colin’s lead. I topped out, breathing hard, after grunting my way up. Colin’s improvised anchor was great, so we could have belayed over to the rap anchor on #54, but we agreed to try the walk off. I pulled up the rope and butterflied it to backpack it (figuring, I didn’t want to drop it, in case we had any issues with the walk off) then we headed up to the cliff top to look for a way down.

After seeing the cliff top up close and personal, I’ll reiterate…

Helmets are mandatory at Royal Columns.

I’ve seen trundled rockfall there before, but the cliff top is extremely rocky and loose in areas. We worked our way up a sandy and rocky lightly vegetated trail (on which we ran into a friendly local rattlesnake) and then cut to climber’s left before reaching the very top of the ridge to see if we could make our way. We carefully worked a sandy trail to a point where it looked like were were going to cliff out and sure enough — it cliffed out right at a site with a couple of options for rap stations. SCORE, and glad we hadn’t tossed the rope. We rapped off the anchors for #67 just as Steve reached us on his search party. The sun was setting, we were all on our way down safely, and it had been a full, great climbing day.

Sunday: Dream Wall and back to Lava Wall
After a leisurely morning, we made our way toward Dream Wall. The wall is further climber’s left of Lava Wall, but takes a slightly different approach. We hadn’t explored the area before, and wound up descending a gully to climber’s right of Tick Wall. Don trucked ahead to scout Dream Wall, and the rest of us started to notice ticks. Lots, and lots of ticks. We tucked in what we could tuck in, and picked ticks off of each other, then followed Don to Dream Wall.

The wall really is lovely despite an appearance that would suggest “loose and chossy.” I can’t vouch for the rock quality since I didn’t climb there; instead, I got out my Naturapel and got to (hopefully) tick repelling. Kari carries Jungle Juice, and while I don’t usually use DEET-containing repellents while climbing, I did put a shot of hers on each ankle, just in case. We also resorted to the old-fashioned approach of covering up… after Susie found a tick that had sunk in at her waistline, we tucked pantlegs into socks, shirts into pants, and stayed as covered up as possible. Extensive photography was not allowed because we all looked so ridiculous, though I couldn’t help but take a picture of me & Susie’s rockin fashion. I predict this will be the next big “look” on the runways of Paris, Milan and NYC:

Steve, Kari and Susie all had fun on the PG rated Pickles, a 5.8 that seems to be cleaner than at the publishing of the guidebook, since none in our party mentioned anything particularly scary. Here’s a photo of Kari on it:

Don started up a 10a (Lava Sundae, perhaps?) but a few bolts up was not feeling it; Steve started up it later to clean the draws, hit the same point, and was not feeling it either so down-lead to clean the gear. I’ll definitely go back to Dream Wall on a day when conditions are better (namely, when it’s not literally crawling with ticks)… there are a few routes there and on Tick Wall that looked fantastic, though some were wet this trip.

From there, Steve, Don and Susie crossed the talus to get back to Lava Wall proper; Kari and I decided to head up and over on the trails at the cliff tops since that was a known quantity and we didn’t want to risk bushwhacking through tick infested foliage. The report from the adventurers was that the low route wasn’t bad.

Back at Lava Wall, we were a bit bummed to find the place covered in ticks. In addition to crawling around down low, they seemed to be falling from the cliff tops, and inevitably in the bushes that our ropes were drawn to. Eeew. Despite the bugs, Don officially stepped into Ropegun Mode and put a rope up on Saint of Circumstance, the 10c I had my eye on the day before. The route is awesome. I should have just gotten on it on lead, but didn’t want to try a 10c lead for my warmup, so toproped it. The roofs at the top are hard, and it took me awhile to figure out a sequence for them, but the climbing down low is balancey, delicate, technical, body tension fun. I am finding 10c to be My Grade outside for projects, and am amassing quite a list of 10c projects. This one was no exception, and I look forward to getting back to it to work it on lead. I’m not sure what Kari and Susie got on, but we took turns on the 10c, and Steve started Muted Reality, a bold 11a with a seriously strenuous, difficult section from the third through fifth bolts. Don finished the lead, and Steve and I toproped it. This one is, I think, a bit more challenging for us shorter people — the crux section for me required really awkward footwork and an impossible two finger gaston with my right hand if I was going to do it statically, which I was just too tired to do. Instead, I shifted gears and went for the dyno approach, which I stuck after a few tries.

We were all starting to feel our fatigue, so after cleaning the routes we called it a day. Susie, Steve and Kari turned back toward Bellingham, and Don and I headed for White Pass to home. We took the cutoff on Highway 7 on the way home which was lovely… off the beaten path, and it spit us out southwest of Mt. Rainier for Buffalo burgers at the Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining Co. We wound our way northward and when we suddenly went from middle-of-nowhere to Spanaway, we both would have traded the bustle and lights and noise of Spanaway for the most tick-infested crag on the face of the planet. Going back on the grid, even after a quick weekend trip, just keeps getting harder and harder.

The Tieton River area is an absolute treasure, and it’s quickly overshadowing other Washington areas to become my favorite, partly because of the climbing, and partly because of the beauty and peace of the Tieton river area itself. Enjoy!

Things to know…

• Area Overview: Courtesy of Washington Climbers Coalition, with current information about closures (none in 2009, but raptor closures happen here) and efforts by The Nature Conservancy to acquire property in the canyon.
• Guidebook: Tieton River Rocks, by Marlene Ford & Jim Yoder
• Objective hazards: Despite the ticks, ticks and more ticks we saw this weekend, I’ve seen as many (or more) on Outer Space at Leavenworth, so don’t let them stop you. I have it on good authority (thanks, Andy) that Lava Point and the Cave are the worst for ticks, and their season is March to May. According to Andy, “13 Ticks” got its name when my buddy Matt Perkins took a nap in the grass waiting for Andy to bolt the route. The snakes are no worse (or, even less) than Leavenworth. Use your best judgment, be prepared, and take precautions. Rockfall is a hazard in some areas more than others, so why not just wear your helmet. This weekend, I wore mine while belaying, leading, and toproping. No kidding.
• New routes: New route development continues around the area. I haven’t found updates to Marlene & Jim’s book online yet, but if I do I’ll update. From a climber who loves this area to Andy Fitz and the other first ascentionists who continue to spend their free time scrubbing and cleaning routes (not to mention, their own funds on bolts and anchors), THANK YOU.
• A few more logistics: If you come in via White Pass, you’re out of cell range from pretty much I-5 until you get back to I-5. The peace and quiet is a welcome change from other areas where you routinely hear ringing cell phones at the crags! Plan a communication method with the rest of your party that doesn’t rely on cell phones. Camping is abundant, though before Memorial Day many of the developed campgrounds are closed. Also, watch carefully for deer and elk when on the roads. They are EVERYWHERE, and are unpredictable.

And, a final note on de-tickification, since this is news to some outdoorsy types… I take de-tickifying post trip seriously. Here’s my approach, please share yours in the comments!

1. Before I set foot in my house, I strip into a plastic bag. I go straight to the bath for a good long soak, and then the clothes I was wearing (as well as any other washable goods) go straight into the washing machine.
2. Check yourself, especially unmentionable areas, armpits, waistline, and hairline / scalp carefully for ticks. If you don’t have a buddy to help, use a mirror and be thorough!
3. Empty your gear onto a white sheet one or two pieces at a time. Sort and inspect for ticks and kill any you find. I leave my gear out, on the sheet, for a day or so in case I miss any crawlies … they’re easy to spot moving at their creepy pace on the white sheet. Here’s my gear post-inspection:

   

   Places I tend to find them most often in this inspection are sleeping bags, tents, rope bags and ropes. Eew.

4. Detickify the car. Once all the gear is out, inspect and vacuum thoroughly!

Even with all this, I sometimes find one or two in the car a couple days later. Just be alert, take care, and if you do have the unfortunate experience of a too-close experience with one that digs in, here’s advice from the CDC generally, and on removal here.

Regarding repellents… We all got crawled on, repellents or not. Given the number of ticks we saw (and the number that crawled on) and the relatively few that actually bit in, I’ll be carrying repellent as a regular part of my crag kit from here on out. We even applied some of my non-DEET Naturapel (thanks again, Frank and Kelly at Adventure Medical Kits) during our gear sort just in case, to feet, ankles and arms.

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Tieton, Trip Reports

Photos that make my eyes water: Red Rock, March 2009

I guess this is an unexpected trip report Part Two (click here for Part One with more details), thanks to KT (aka, K-dizzle) who just posted her pictures from the trip on Facebook. She shot some of them, Shawn shot others… so sorry I can’t provide detailed photo credits. But, I think once you start scrolling down, you won’t care about photo credits since your eyes will be watering over just how beautiful this place is. Mine are, and, over how lucky I am to get to spend some time there once in awhile…

Sigh.

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Red Rocks

Red Rock trip report March 2009, part one

Wow.

I’ve been back from Red Rock, NV for days, and this is my first chance to sit down and start typing… I’m going to do the trip report in pieces so that it doesn’t turn into a novel (who am I kidding, they’re always novels). Some of the days merit posts of their very own, so this will serve as an appetizer, so to speak, and then you can stay tuned for the next course to come next week. More photos are also to come… the ones here are from my point and shoot; Shawn shot some film, so if we’re lucky he got a few good ones that I’ll add when he gets them to me. I also just got links to KT’s point-and-shoot shots by her and Shawn, and they are INCREDIBLE so I’ll add them in a separate post in a few minutes, for 100% eye candy.

The herd
The crew for this trip was me, Chris “Smitty” Smith, Shawn, Katie “KT,” or “K-dizzle” Trembly, and late arrivers Don and Colin. Only, Don and Colin missed their flight, and had logistical issues rescheduling, so they never made it. Also on the ground in Vegas were a ton of friends… Jenn and Jeremy Fields, John Wilder (aka VegasTradGuy at rockclimbing.com), Laurelfan and her crew, my readheads Kari and Kellie, and (whew, this is a long list to type!) my buddy Jonah and his large herd of climbers. Pretty much, it sounded like most of the Washington climbing community was there, since we also heard tell of herds from Stone Gardens and met folks from Spokane.

Logistics
We flew, this time… we opted to check our gear and carry on as little as possible. Southwest was pretty much a breeze, and the trip down went smoothly. We got to Las Vegas late at night, and on our way through the rental car pavilion noticed the place was practically empty, until we got to Hertz, where we had a reservation. The line was enormous (and very crabby looking). Smitty and I stood (or, rather, I sat on the floor while Smitty stood) in line, while KT and Shawn sat with the bags. The line went surprisingly fast, and then just as I’d hoped, by the time our number was called they were out of compact cars (what we’d reserved) so they upgraded us to a sweet Ford Escape. Totally awesome.

We headed on (taking a rather scenic route) to our reserved condo. We’d planned to camp, originally, but when the herd grew to the size it did, we figured a condo might be economical and a bit more comfortable, though Shawn was skeptical about our ability to get out of comfy beds in the morning as opposed to bivy sacks. Ultimately, Smitty and I won and we booked a 1 bedroom condo at the Cliffs at Peace Canyon through Expedia.com for a whopping $55 a night. I am now, officially, spoiled on climbing trip logistics. The Cliffs condo was BEAUTIFUL, clean, and well-equipped (great kitchen, laundry, bathroom, fold out sofas in the living room, comfy bed in the bedroom, and a perfect-for-me-sized walk-in closet where I set up “camp” with three sofa cushions and my sleeping bag. I haven’t slept that well in years… it was like living in an isolation chamber or something. The pool and spa were clean and nice, there were BBQ grills out back that we didn’t get a chance to use, and the staff were super friendly and nice. The Cliffs will be my home away from home in Vegas, especially if they keep up the incredible room rates.

The climbing
Originally, Shawn and I had planned objectives just for us… when other folks bought their tickets, we tried to adjust and be flexible with our plans while still getting done what we’d bought our own tickets to do. My primary objective was to lead, ground-up, Johnny Vegas and Solar Slab in Oak Creek Canyon; his objectives were Eagle Dance in Oak Creek Canyon and Epinephrine in Black Velvet Canyon. All are super classic long traditional routes. We also planned a day or two of cragging, for a nice full trip. Vegas John had labeled our ticklist “ambitious.”

I’ll do detailed day-reports for Solar Slab and Eagle Dance next week, but here’s the short version…

Friday
Friday, after about three hours of sleep, the alarm clock went off for our departure to Oak Creek Canyon. I lead Smitty up Johnny Vegas and Solar Slab (and it was AWESOME, breathtaking, and felt like an enormous achievement… plus, Smitty is one of the best climbing partners ever, so it was fun and positive from the ground up). Eleven or twelve pitches of 5.6/7 with a 5.9 variation thrown in for variety, with bolted anchors for all but a couple of belays… the climbing was mostly easy, but the pro proved challenging in places, and parts of the routes were “Welcome to Runout Rocks.” Shawn and KT beat us to the top by a long shot (KT leading her first gear pitch, complete with about one piece of pro), but were kind enough to wait and coach me up the finish. Smitty was an absolute champ. The whole way up, this was the look on his face:

and I could literally feel him cheering me on, through the rope.

While the climbing’s easy, the hike in and out isn’t — we topped out and did the Eagle Dance / Black Orpheus descent so that we could drop gear for Eagle Dance on Saturday… then got down to the base of the death slabs right before dark for a headlamp hike out.

During the hike out, Shawn and I briefly discussed maybe taking a Saturday rest day and then doing Eagle Dance on Sunday instead. My crummy knees nodded “yes!” to that plan with every step… we devoured something for dinner (can’t recall what) then crashed hard to get some good sleep.

Saturday
I was startled awake at about 4:45am on Saturday morning by Shawn knocking on the isolation chamber door with an, “Are you in?” I felt the stabby pain in my knees, and recalled that epic approach, descent and headlamp hike out, and growled an animal sound of unpleasantness and pain before saying, “I’m up, I’m up, I’m in” and getting out of bed.

Contacts in, quick cup of coffee consumed, two aleve popped, and we were off. Again, Saturday merits its own blog post, so the details will come next week. The short version… we left the car about 5:30am, and Smitty picked us up at 10:00pm. The day was a mini epic. The hike in went fast without packs; the scramble up to the start was smooth and fun. We had beautiful weather and were in good spirits despite aches and pains. The climbing on the lower pitches was absolutely stunning, beautiful, fun. The upper pitches were, as I’d read and been told, serious and much harder than the lower cruxes (and I don’t think that was all due to exhaustion). We finished the last pitch a bit ahead of schedule so stopped for a bite and some water and to stretch out our feet, then prepped our first two-rope rap and headed down.

That’s where the epic started.

The whole story will follow… but let’s just say… our last two raps were by headlamp, with the descent of the death slabs by headlamp and moon light. Eagle Dance was the most serious climbing day I’ve ever had. We were, at all times, safe — but were it not for Shawn’s experience, knowledge, and ability to pull strength out of nowhere when we were both totally exhausted with the sun dropping, we might have had a sub-30-degree night out on a hanging belay on Eagle Wall.

By the time we reached the base of the route, we were happy to be down. By the time we reached the bottom of the death slabs, we were actually excited about the “easy by comparison” two and a half hours of boulder hopping ahead of us on the way out. When we got word to KT and Smitty via txt from the base of the death slabs that we were down and ready for a pickup in a few hours, we felt even better. When we hit the car at 10pm, we were too tired to even be giddy about the day.

It was an incredible, amazing, fantastic day. I’m incredibly thankful to Shawn for getting us both up that route and down safely. And while I look forward to traditional multipitch adventures to come, I think I’ll take a few baby steps before I get back on anything that serious again.

Sunday
Sunday was mostly a rest day for me… I had four split tips and was pretty sore and tired from the first two days, so I was happy to just have some time in the beautiful weather and on belay. We headed out to Calico Basin, for KT and Shawn to play on Caustic, and, to meet up with Kari and Kellie and their crew for a visit. That night, we met up with Jenn and Jeremy and John for dinner at BJ’s on Charleston, JUST missing Jonah and his crew who’d headed on to the airport. BJ’s is very climber-friendly, had great beer and an incredible post-climb menu, and will be a frequent dinner stop for me when I’m in Vegas.

Monday
We got a bit of extra sleep, then woke up to windy and sunny conditions. Shawn and I had originally planned Epinephrine for Monday, but I think we both needed a break from long multipitch after Eagle Dance, and, we had to be able to get Smitty and KT to the airport that night so needed a more predictable schedule. Plus, conditions weren’t perfect for Epi. We figured we’d head for the loop road, since KT hadn’t yet gotten to see it, and try to find something sunny and warm and relatively sheltered.

What would a trip to Red Rock be without a visit to the scenic, beautiful, fun, photogenic Panty Wall?

Here’s the view from the ledge:

From the first pullout parking area it looked a bit crowded but not too bad, and we headed up. Sure enough, it started out windy, cold, and crowded… but as the day went on, parties cleared out and conditions improved for an absolutely fantastic day.

We started on Panty Prow, for Smitty’s first lead in some time (he ROCKED it), and then I shoe-d up for my turn. When I put on my left climbing shoe, all sorts of horrible, naughty words came out of my mouth — my big toe was Not Happy. I climbed the route, cursing like a sailor every few steps, then asked for a fast lower so I could get out of my climbing shoes as fast as possible.

Over to the left of us, a Salt Lake City party was working the hard slabby routes… Lisa, from SLC was on while I was climbing the prow, and let’s just say her language was equally, um, not ladylike. We dubbed it Potty Mouthed Girls day at Panty Wall, and just kept climbing. I did a lot of belay duty, and it was super fun.

The guys cruised a bunch of the moderate bolted routes on the front side of the wall, including some more great leads by Smitty. KT and I had a date with Totally Clips, a route I’d tried the first time I came to Red Rock.

That’s Shawn on lead. Shawn put up the toprope, and I can’t remember if KT toproped it once or just pulled the rope and got on, on lead. KT worked it on lead, sending on her second lead attempt; I fell on my first toprope attempt, then after a rest got back on and the minute I touched rock felt like that wasn’t going to be the go — after a snack, a drink, and a pee break I got back on and *had* to send since Shawn (for the first time ever) picked up his camera and started shooting even though I was on toprope (he shoots film, so reserves his film for lead climbing). It felt AWESOME to cruise up that route, at a grade that I always thought would be entirely out of my reach. It wasn’t easy — the crux is just a few moves, but they take hang-on — but it felt strong, solid, and now I’m super excited to go back and get on it on lead next time I get a Panty Wall day. Here’s one of my all-time-favorite shots, snapped by Smitty while I was belaying KT on her first lead attempt:

Nicely done, Smitty (and, KT).

Shawn wrapped it up with a few more climbs at the end of the day, so now I think he may have climbed everything on Panty Wall (?). The hike out was lovely, the light quality so good I managed some decent shots even with my little point and shoot, like this one looking back up at Panty Wall from the trail:

We headed out, back to BJ’s for another great meal, and then Shawn and I dropped KT and Smitty reluctantly at the airport before getting back to the condo ourselves and crashing so hard and so fast we hadn’t planned our next day beyond maybe cragging out at Black Velvet.

Tuesday
We got a little extra sleep, then woke up to a stunning, beautiful, sunny, wind-free day in Vegas. It would have been a perfect day for a nice, long objective, but since we had to catch a flight that night, we had to keep it closer to the ground. We turned the rental rig toward Black Velvet Canyon, sights set on Arrow Place, a three pitch route on Burlap Buttress. This was my first trip out to Black Velvet Canyon, and it was breathtakingly beautiful. Here’s a view of Black Velvet wall to the left, and Burlap Buttress to the right.

The hike in was one of the prettiest I’ve done, and the climb itself was fantastic. I have a hard time on the last day of trips… my head isn’t in a great place for climbing. I’ve developed a pattern I need to break, where I pick an objective, do the approach, look up at the climb, and completely chicken out and call it a “scouting day” instead of climbing. A similar thing happened this time… we planned for Shawn to lead the first (crux) pitch then for me to lead the second… but when it came time to take the sharp end I couldn’t pull myself together to do it, so Shawn stayed in the lead. The route was surprisingly fun and high quality… lots of stemming, great holds, and a section on the second pitch of just stellar, red camalot sized hand crack that you wished went on forever. We climbed efficiently and made great time, then had uneventful raps down to the base and yet another beautiful walk out, stopping to take lots of pictures. Here’s one from one of the belay ledges on the route.

We headed for the airport, planning a teriyaki stop on the way, but had no luck finding a teriyaki joint (note to self, ask Vegas locals where to get teriyaki before I come back down)… so wound up with IHOP instead. The flights home were relatively peaceful and we both napped quite a bit, then made it home to Kitsap after a little airport pickup hiccup a few hours before we each had to be at work in the morning.

Reflections
As usual, I had a blast. The trip was great, the climbing ranged from just-plain-fun to serious and eye-opening. I enjoy traditional multipitch climbing because I do my best thinking when I’m high up, on a route, looking down on tree tops and birds flying beneath me. And, this trip was no exception. I had a few multipitch epiphanies that I’m still processing — stay tuned for more on that. The re-entry hasn’t been smooth — coming back to work is always just so strange, and this week was especially busy. My finger splitters are healing nicely, and I’d hoped for an eastern Washington trip this weekend, but the weather looks like it has other plans in mind.

I’m excited to get back out to Black Velvet Canyon; it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, and the rock and routes looked awesome. I’m also excited to get back on bolts — after all of the runout gear climbing I did this trip, nicely bolted sport routes sound like a ton of fun. I also hope to keep up my weighted pack training, since I got in shape FAST on these approaches (I do believe my legs are an inch bigger around than when I left) so I hope to hold on to that conditioning, too.

Finally, after Johnny Vegas and Solar Slab, I think I’m ready for leading up Outer Space at Leavenworth, a route I seconded (and lead one pitch on) last year. I’m super excited about getting out there, and, doing more single pitch gear climbing at Leavenworth and Squamish, to continue to build my gear skills. I finally feel pretty solid on my gear placements, and I’m getting more efficient and having a lot of fun gear climbing.

So, all in all, it was another absolute blessing of a climbing trip, with good friends, good partners, great routes, new friends, good food, a comfy place to stay, and really lovely weather. KT, Smitty and Shawn are awesome climbing partners… our trip was drama free and fun, and we were all pretty blissed out most of the time.

A girl just can’t complain about living a life this happy.

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Red Rocks, Trip Reports

Freshly home from Red Rock, NV

The view from Panty Wall, sans landmark tree.
Originally uploaded by theclimbergirl

The trip report will have to wait, since I have a ton of work stuff to catch up on first, but I thought I’d at least post the same picture I take every time I go to Red Rock for your viewing pleasure. This time it’s a little different, since the landmark tree at Panty Wall has blown or fallen down. The short version, the trip was wonderful, the climbing was serious and fantastic, and the time with friends (old and new) was a blessing. As usual, I had multipitch climbing epiphanies that I’m looking forward to exploring more, and also as usual, the re-entry is painful. I’ll post more as soon as I can, and thanks for all the well-wishes during my trip!

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Red Rocks

Freshly home from Red Rock, NV

The view from Panty Wall, sans landmark tree.
Originally uploaded by theclimbergirl

The trip report will have to wait, since I have a ton of work stuff to catch up on first, but I thought I’d at least post the same picture I take every time I go to Red Rock for your viewing pleasure. This time it’s a little different, since the landmark tree at Panty Wall has blown or fallen down. The short version, the trip was wonderful, the climbing was serious and fantastic, and the time with friends (old and new) was a blessing. As usual, I had multipitch climbing epiphanies that I’m looking forward to exploring more, and also as usual, the re-entry is painful. I’ll post more as soon as I can, and thanks for all the well-wishes during my trip!

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Red Rocks

Peninsula Pulldown at Vertical World Kitsap

First off, since I haven’t done an update on the issue in some time…

The Vertical World location in Kitsap is OPEN.

The gym is still on the market, but the owners have kept the gym open instead of closing their doors (which was the talked-about plan last year). The local community is growing, and with some staff changes the gym has become more like the place we all knew and loved when I first started climbing. The sense of community is back, we’ve got tons of new climbers just getting started, and the place has been hopping a lot of the time.

So – if you haven’t been in because you thought it closed, come visit! We’re open, and would love to have you.

Right now is a great time to come for a visit, Seattle-area climbers. Yesterday was our Peninsula Pulldown — a non-ABS, local comp. The gym crew worked their butts off, so the entire bouldering area is new, high quality routes. Alex, Tyler and Kelly even put up some new features on the vertical bouldering walls — a HUGE improvement, that we’re all super excited about. The routesetters did a truly amazing job this time around, putting up challenging, fun and inspiring problems at all levels.

When we have comps here in town, I sometimes climb, sometimes work. I climb in comps because…

well… it’s just so much fun. I’m not a very accomplished boulderer — I took a bad fall from the top of the bouldering wall maybe two years ago, and wound up with bone bruises in my ankle. That was a reality check for me about the importance of remaining injury-free, if I wanted to climb the way I want to climb. I took a long break from bouldering, and especially in the last year have gotten into much better shape. Now, I boulder a few times a month, but am still pretty chicken about dropping off, because I’m afraid to hurt myself.

Comps are gloves off, though. There’s just something about the vibe… about being surrounded by other amped climbers, with a panoply of freshly taped and bolted problems all spread out before me… I take risks, and commit, and try, harder than any other time. I even took drops from the last hold or 2nd to last hold on some problems, because I was so dialed in it was worth trying, even if it meant big falls. The sign of a really good bouldering problem is when *I’m* willing to fall off it, it’s that good!

I’m not competitive… I just get a chance to dial in my internal motivation, and have fun. I also tend to meet great folks at comps — In “normal” life, I climb with partners with a broad range of skills, but very few who climb right at my level. Most climb harder than I do. Comps are a fun way to meet other climbers who are working problems right at my grade, and yesterday was the jackpot for that.

Anyway – I’d strongly encourage you to turn out for the next Kitsap comp… the guys are talking about doing one this summer. And, in the meantime, come pay us a visit while the holds are all shiny and new. You won’t be disappointed.

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Comps, In the gym, VWSale

Peninsula Pulldown at Vertical World Kitsap

First off, since I haven’t done an update on the issue in some time…

The Vertical World location in Kitsap is OPEN.

The gym is still on the market, but the owners have kept the gym open instead of closing their doors (which was the talked-about plan last year). The local community is growing, and with some staff changes the gym has become more like the place we all knew and loved when I first started climbing. The sense of community is back, we’ve got tons of new climbers just getting started, and the place has been hopping a lot of the time.

So – if you haven’t been in because you thought it closed, come visit! We’re open, and would love to have you.

Right now is a great time to come for a visit, Seattle-area climbers. Yesterday was our Peninsula Pulldown — a non-ABS, local comp. The gym crew worked their butts off, so the entire bouldering area is new, high quality routes. Alex, Tyler and Kelly even put up some new features on the vertical bouldering walls — a HUGE improvement, that we’re all super excited about. The routesetters did a truly amazing job this time around, putting up challenging, fun and inspiring problems at all levels.

When we have comps here in town, I sometimes climb, sometimes work. I climb in comps because…

well… it’s just so much fun. I’m not a very accomplished boulderer — I took a bad fall from the top of the bouldering wall maybe two years ago, and wound up with bone bruises in my ankle. That was a reality check for me about the importance of remaining injury-free, if I wanted to climb the way I want to climb. I took a long break from bouldering, and especially in the last year have gotten into much better shape. Now, I boulder a few times a month, but am still pretty chicken about dropping off, because I’m afraid to hurt myself.

Comps are gloves off, though. There’s just something about the vibe… about being surrounded by other amped climbers, with a panoply of freshly taped and bolted problems all spread out before me… I take risks, and commit, and try, harder than any other time. I even took drops from the last hold or 2nd to last hold on some problems, because I was so dialed in it was worth trying, even if it meant big falls. The sign of a really good bouldering problem is when *I’m* willing to fall off it, it’s that good!

I’m not competitive… I just get a chance to dial in my internal motivation, and have fun. I also tend to meet great folks at comps — In “normal” life, I climb with partners with a broad range of skills, but very few who climb right at my level. Most climb harder than I do. Comps are a fun way to meet other climbers who are working problems right at my grade, and yesterday was the jackpot for that.

Anyway – I’d strongly encourage you to turn out for the next Kitsap comp… the guys are talking about doing one this summer. And, in the meantime, come pay us a visit while the holds are all shiny and new. You won’t be disappointed.

Filed under: Climbing Photos, Comps, In the gym, VWSale