Miles Traveled

Since my former life with a home and a 9 to 5 job, a lot has happened! I have traveled to a lot of places, met amazing people in each place and I climbed a LOT of boulders! Here are a few stats from the past 1.5 years of my life:

• Miles traveled: 39,500 miles. 30,400 by air and 9,100 by car. For perspective, the circumference of the earth is less than 25,000 miles!
• Continents: 3
• Countries: 6
• States: 19
• Longest flight: 8,400 miles direct from Johannesburg to Atlanta. 16 hours in the air!
• $$ spent: ~$10,000 for the six month trip to Europe and South Africa. Haven’t tallied any US travel expenses yet.
• Boulders climbed: 1,500. Total guess based on 3 days a week climbing and 7 ascents per day (not necessarily new or hard ascents). I think this is the reason I feel a lot more comfortable on rock than when I started. I’m not climbing much harder but I’m more well rounded and technically proficient than when I started the trip!
• Double digit boulders climbed: 55
• Hard boulders climbed during two-month Fontainebleau trip: 1
• Time required to send first hard boulder in Switzerland: 2 hours
• Nights spent in a hotel: 5 (family sponsored!)
• Times stuck in the snow: 2
• Nights spent in the truck: 150
• V9′s flashed: 22
• Favorite part of traveling: the unexpected connections with people that change your course and experience
• Least favorite: not having a home
• Favorite area: Rocklands, South Africa
• Most impressive thing I have done: created 10,000+ hours of entertainment through bouldering videos watched in over 90 countries
• Biggest failure: The Vice V13, Rocklands.  Hard compression was a new challenge for me!  Projected for 10 or 11 days.  Got through the cruxes on one of my last days but couldn’t pull it off!
• Time spent at McDonalds on the internet/editing video: way too much!
• Biggest mistake: renting a 35 year old beetle in South Africa!
• Places visited that I want to live: Bellinzona Switzerland, and Leavenworth Washington
• Favorite rock: South-East sandstone
• Most desperate moment: When some of my belongings ended up in my friends car when they left Rocklands to head home.  I was left with no car, no tent, no sleeping bag, and no jacket!  I was saved by the rad community of climbers living in Rocklands so it worked out fine but I felt alone for a minute there!
• Favorite boulder problem: Tie between Splash of Red V10 in Rocklands and Wet Dream V12 in Red Rocks Nevada
• Scariest send: Kill List V11, Joe’s Valley Utah.  Sent 3rd try ground up and was not expecting it!  Should have at least looked at the top on top-rope first!  My fingers were going numb and I started to have an asthma attack topping out!  ahh!
• Most epic send: Vecchio Leone V13.  Sent with a hurt back, couldn’t stand up afterwards and went to the hospital the next morning! Honorable mention goes to Green in the Face V13 which was a huge mental battle to climb it by myself.
• Girls impressed by climbing V13: 0

When I started climbing I NEVER would have imagined my climbing would have progressed the way it has and I never would have imagined climbing would take me to such amazing places and given me so many great experiences. The reason I say that is to encourage everyone that you can do it too. If you want to climb V10 or grade X, put in the time and energy and I bet you can make it happen. I think the people that progress the quickest aren’t necessarily the most talented, they are the most motivated. If you climb a lot and you try HARD every time you pull on the rock then you’re on your way to your goal, whatever that may be. I would also encourage everyone to focus on more than a number goal.  Numbers are a good indication of strength but don’t say much about technique or style which are at least as important as strength.  I’m more impressed by someone that is well rounded and can climb consistently and look good doing it than someone who can occasionally bust off a harder climb.  If you live in a place like Fontainebleau this will come easily due to the nature of the rock but if you mostly climb in the gym or in steep areas then you may have to go out of your way to get on a slab or techy climb.

The same applies for travel. Sometimes people get in the habit of dismissing a goal or dream because it seems unrealistic for them. If you want to go to Fontainebleau or South Africa, then make it happen! I’m not the most motivated person in the world, so if I can do it, so can you! Save up some money, make sacrifices if you have to.  I’ve met a LOT of climbers that don’t make much money but they will live out of their van or truck during the year just so they can take that big trip to South Africa or Europe.  Lots have been doing it year after year.  They may not be the wealthiest people you know but they love to climb and travel so that’s what they do!  Not everyone is willing to live out of their car but there is always a way to reach a goal.

Ok that’s enough advice for one blog post!  Go climb!  Go travel!

On the Road

I left Hueco last Wednesday, stopped in Albuquerque to visit an old friend, then headed on towards Park City Utah. On the way I realized I was passing Arches National Park but it was already dark so I decided to sleep there and check it out in the morning. I woke up at sunrise, hiked out to delicate arch and still had time to drive to Park City to ski with my Dad and Brother.

Delicate Arch at sunrise

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

After Arches I made the four hour drive up to Park City to ski for the weekend. I used to ski a lot as a kid but I haven’t been in seven years so it was awesome to get back out on the snow!

My Dad tearing it up

I drove from Park City to Joe’s Valley Sunday night and I’ll be here for a couple weeks shooting some video.

What Motivates You?

How do you choose what you climb and what gets you so psyched that you spend days trying to summit a piece of rock?

When I started climbing I didn’t have an answer to that question. I was pretty happy to climb on anything and everything! However, as I’ve spent more time on rock I’ve become increasingly picky on which climbs motivate me. The most important motivator for me now is the line of a boulder problem. I would rather climb a tall pure line that might not be at my personal limit than spend days projecting a roof on the smallest holds possible.

THAT is inspiring!! The ~25 foot Splash of Red 7C+ in Rocklands

As an example, I’m in Hueco right now and I haven’t been too keen on projecting anything super hard but I have had a blast getting on more moderate tall lines and trying to flash as many as I can. Problems like Safety Man, Dark Silhouette, Tall Cool Red One, etc. There are heaps of highballs in hueco to choose from. I’m by no means a fearless climber so it’s a good challenge for me to push through mental barriers on a tall or scary climb. Even if I crank off something at my limit on this trip, my proudest send will probably be flashing Safety Man V9 for it’s second or third ascent. It climbs up a giant 35+ foot boulder with a weird landing that sort of comes up with you.

Safety Man V9. Starts low on the left and trends right to a crux over another boulder that you might bounce down!

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with pushing your limits on a lowball but I do think it’s important to stop and think about what gets you psyched from time to time. Climbing is a personal pursuit so if you’re stoked to crank as hard as possible on anything and everything, then great. If you can’t motivate yourself to climb a dabby or chossy piece of rock, then don’t, move on to the next climb. If you enjoy cleaning rock and figuring out moves on your own, go do some exploring and find some new boulders! You may realize that you want to pursue something different in climbing than what you’ve been doing lately.

If you climb for long enough you’ll get to the point where you’ve forgotten about some of your ascents but others you can remember vividly. It might be worth stopping to ask yourself if the energy, time, and skin you’re about to donate to a climb is worth it.

2011

2011 is looking to be another great year filled with even more climbing, traveling, and filming. I don’t know if I can pull off another international trip this year but if I can, New Zealand is at the top of the list!

I started off the year with the sale of my first film, Orange Crush. It is shorter than a typical climbing film but also much more affordable and only available for download. I don’t think this format has been used much in the industry up to now and so far the reception has been amazing. I will be expanding on this format this year with a film from Hueco Tanks. I’m planning for that to be closer to 45 minutes and also available only as a download. If time allows I’ll also make a film in Joe’s Valley but my schedule is filled with filming for my first full-length DVD. The DVD will feature lesser known (but stellar) bouldering areas in the US. I’m very excited about that project and I know you will be too once you see the finished product. You can expect the quality to take a dramatic step forward from my previous work since I’ve picked up a whole new arsenal of video gear.

Every year I return home to the South for the holidays to see my family and to enjoy some of the best rock in the world. The sandstone here is unreal, I would choose it over Font any day since it has more texture and more friction. If you haven’t climbed on proper sandstone before, you need to plan a trip! The South is as good as any area in the country with the only downside being a high probability of rain.

Rescue 911, Rocktown

I’ve been trying to have a proper session on The Shield at LRC for the past three years. The first year I was only home for a few days and the one day I got out there it was 30 degrees, windy, and snowing. Last year I tweaked my finger at LRC on King James. This year I tweaked a different finger on my last day in Red Rocks. Thus I haven’t been doing a lot of climbing and have been sticking to moderates, of which there are many classics to choose from.

Golden Throttle, Rocktown

I was scheduled to fly back to Vegas yesterday but the snow in Atlanta has caused a two-day delay in my departure.

Snowpocalypse 2011

I’m flying back to Vegas tomorrow for a couple more weeks of filming before I head down to Hueco.

Red Rocks, Nevada

North Carolina Photos

From Boone I drove over to Waynesville to hang out with my mom for a few days. She loves to hike so on Monday we went on an epic hike to Shining Rock. It was about ten miles total. It was beautiful and lucky for you I took photos so you can enjoy the scenery without walking 10 miles!

Morning fog at the cabin

A Note about Strong Tot Les

Les sending Fake Pamplemousse 8a

Before we embarked on our 6+ month bouldering adventure, Leslie was climbing solid V9 and maybe a few V10s (although he denied that he had climbed V10 before). After the trip Leslie is now climbing solid V11 (at least on the international scale, I don’t know about southern 11s!). He sent a slew of V11s in one or two sessions in Switzerland and South Africa. It was pretty inspring to see the progression happen so fast. He is a very talented individual and also happens to be the most psyched person I’ve ever climbed with. It was good to have the optimist onboard to combat my pessimism throughout the trip!

If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau, maybe it’s time for an extended trip someplace new to get the motivation up and inspire yourself to try harder!

Les sending Rasta Roof 8a

The US Tour and a Feature Film

As you may know, I am currently gearing up for a bouldering roadtrip in the good ol’ USA. I’ve climbed all over the states but never spent more than two weeks on the road here; needless to say, I’m excited! I have a very vague plan so far so if you have any destination suggestions, let me know!! My rough schedule for 2010 is to depart in the beginning of October, check out colorado for a week or two then head to Joes Valley for the rest of October before hitting Yosemite for the month of November. Then I’ll finish off the year in Hueco. In the spring/summer I want to check out the northwest including Squamish, Levenworth, and Goldbar. That’s the rough list so far, I’m sure I’ll make a lot of unplanned stops along the way which is the best part of traveling, the unexpected interactions with cool people and cool places.

The other big news is that I will be making a feature length climbing film during my travels in the US. I wish I could have made a DVD during my trip to Europe and South Africa but I didn’t feel like I was quite ready for the challenge. Now that I’ve spent more time filming & editing, I’m ready for the adventure. My latest release, Swanky Swizzy, has been met with rave reviews which gives me confidence that the community will enjoy watching my next creation.

My goal for the film is to capture climber’s emotions and to feature talented and inspiring individuals whom you may have never heard of, as well as world class climbing areas that fly under the radar such as Boone, Black Mountain, Tramway, Levenworth, Way Lake, etc.

One last thing, I’m excited to say that I am now sponsored by Evolv! I’ve used their shoes in the past with great success and I’m psyched to be wearing them again!

Me on Beyond Life in Joe's Valley circa 2007

Hello Savage Nation

Since the Les Warnock posse may be quite diminutive compared to that of Mr. Savage, let me introduce myself:

That’s me.   Les Warnock.  You’ll be reading much more from me (not to mention scoping my glorious bod), and hopefully seeing some pretty cool videos from Alex and I over the next  6 months.

A little about me:

I’m from the dirty south. This is how I do:

I know you probably already know, but let me recap our plans for the next 212 days.  We’ll be flying into the city of love next week (Tuesday to be exact), and driving straight to the magical land of slopey sandstone… Fontainebleau. We will then proceed to slap, crimp, grope,  and slope our way to the top of many boulder routes (or problems for you common folk).  Then, when we are good and ready, we will leave and go to areas such as: Ticino , Brione, Mallorca, Rodellar, Ceuse, and maybe even find our way onto some grit in the land of bad teeth.

So stay tuned, because if you’ve ever climbed with Alex you already know he dispatches pretty much everything he gets his hands on during weekend trips alone.

I’m going to sign out now; the sweat from my hands might just destroy my keyboard if I type any longer.

Oh yeah, and nice to meet you.