It’s raining a bit today and it’s going to be cold here for the foreseeable future (highs of 40-45). I’ve had a few more good climbing days; the best of which was a triple double-digit day on Saturday. In the morning I nearly flashed Jitterbug Perfume V10, just missing the gaston move, then sent it second try. Next we headed over to Ghost King V10 where I climbed to the last move and barely missed the jug on my flash go! I sent on my next try.
Ghost King V10
Ghost King
My high point on the flash go! Just right of the jug..
Later in the afternoon we headed back up to Trent’s Mom which is probably the hardest V10 in Joe’s. I took it to the top after I finally stuck the first move. Three very different and classic V10s that are worth checking out if you haven’t yet.
Me sending Trent's Mom V10. Photo by Axel.
Trent's Mom. Photo by Axel.
I’ll be in Joe’s for at least a few more days.
Skeleton Key V11. Photo by Axel.
Skeleton Key V11. Photo by Axel.
Poseidon V9. Photo by Axel.
Poseidon V9. Photo by Axel.
Poseidon V9. Photo by Axel.
Poseidon V9. Photo by Axel.
Poseidon V9. Photo by Axel.
I finally left Atlanta a couple weeks ago. The trip to Colorado was a long solo drive but not too bad. I found XM’s comedy channels help make the time pass a bit faster!
Thanks to Wichita for the 1st Chipotle stop of the trip!
I stayed in Colorado for a few days and got a bit of climbing in but nothing too eventful. From there I headed on to Joe’s Valley, Utah. I’ve spent a few weeks here in the past but it’s been three years since my last visit. I’ve only been here for six days but it’s been a great trip so far. Joe’s Valley is a fantastic place to roadtrip! It’s free to camp, the weather is usually great, and there are no restrictions at all. It’s a great place to roam around looking for new boulders and climb the many established classics. There seems to be an abundance of proud lines here which gives me plenty to work on!
This is my Truck House aka the Big Rig. It’s on loan from my biggest sponsor, my dad. I picked up a nice camper top for it and threw a bed in the back. It works great as a road tripping vehicle, except for the gas mileage!
My Truck House
Truck House
After 4 days of climbing I have video of the following problems: Fiery Furnace v10, Poseidon v9, Battletoads v10, Playmate of the Year v9, Trent’s Mom v10, Gentleman’s Project v11, The Wind Below v8, Skeleton Key v11, Moment of Truth v9, Bring the Heat v8, and Worst Case Scenario v9. Most of these will show up in a short I’ll post in a few weeks!
I don’t have too many photos at the moment but I’ll try to grab a few from Axel soon. I’ll be in Joe’s Valley for a few more days before moving on to Yosemite!
Katinka sending her first v8, Bring the Heatwole
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
Continue Reading…
Rami on Flagyl V10
I headed up to Boone two weeks ago to hang out at the triple crown event and enjoy some Boone bouldering. The event was great, I had fun helping out/being a judge, which is a lot less stressful than competing!
I spent last week in Boone! Check out the sports action of Portobello, The Masochist, and Flagyl!
Music:
Skrein – Reach
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 view from upper Roadside. Photo by Les
The Rocklands video is coming along well. The good news is that it’s twice as long as the swizzy video, the bad news is that it takes twice as long to edit as the swizzy video. I can’t say when it’ll be done but I can say that it contains some of the most inspiring climbing footage you will see this year.
Language:
There are four national languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian, and Rumantsch. In Ticino, the Southern-most region of Switzerland, Italian is spoken. In Italian if a C is followed by an I or an E, it is pronounced like ‘CH’. Also, E’s and I’s are pronounced different than in English. For example, Ticino is pronounced ‘Tee-chee-no’ and Cresciano is pronounced ‘Cresh-ee-a-no’. This works the other way also, if there is a CH followed by an I or an E it is pronounced like a K. For example Chironico is pronounced ‘Kee-ro-nee-co’. Brione = ‘Bree-o-nay’. Vecchio Leone = ‘Veh-kee-o lay-o-nay’. Hopefully that makes sense!
Magic Wood is in the Graubünden region of Switzerland where German is spoken. I have no clue how to speak or pronounce German, good luck!
Chironico
Money:
Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. It is also one of the few countries that haven’t switched to the Euro; they use the Swiss franc which, as of this writing, is worth $1.04. One tip for saving money is to shop at Aldi, there is one near the onramp to the autostrada on the south side of Bellinzona. For Magic Wood, there is an Aldi in Thusis; get off the autostrada at the second Thusis exit, turn left, it’ll be on your left after a km. One other tip is to stop eating meat since it’ll quadruple your meal cost. We made a lot of lentil dishes when we were in Switzerland.
Swiss francs
Aldi
