Sandstone and the Coming of Winter to the Northeast

Me sending "Gurkha" (5.12-), Reservoir Wall, Indian Creek

At the end of October Katy and I made a trip to the great red desert. We got seven climbing days in with perfect weather. The highlights were Katy's first Indian Creek leads of routes that actually have names; and, my onsights of "Anunnaki" (5.12-), Optimator Wall, "Dos Hermanos" (5.11+), Donnelly Canyon, "Tips Layback" (5.11+), Power Wall, and "Layaway Plan" (5.11+), Rambo Wall, among others. I'm finally making some gains at the Creek - this was my fifth trip to the land of the perfect splitters! Can't wait to go back!!!!

"Leave It to Jesus" (5.11d), Endless Wall, New River Gorge, WV

Just before Thanksgiving, Katy and I managed to have four days of perfect rock climbing weather down in the amazing "Creek of the East" - the New River Gorge of West Virginia. The Nutall Sandstone of the New makes the Wingate Sandstone of the Creek seem soft! It's amazing stuff - hard like granite yet the locks are soft like sandstone. I onsighted "Leave It to Jesus" which has long been a dream of mine. It is one of the finest pitches of rock climbing anywhere. What a spectacular gem it is!!!! She go! Katy red-pointed "New Yosemite" which had been a nemesis of hers, so she was psyched! The other highlights for me were "Chasin' the Wind" (5.11b) at Beauty Mtn., and "Stuck in Another Dimension" (5.11a) at the Junkyard Wall. Lovin' the NEW!

Audrey Gariepy and Mat Audibert at St. Alban, QC

Lately I have been traveling up to Quebec as often as I can to train for the comp at Ouray which is fast approaching. I was roped soloing up there one day in the rain when Audrey and Mat showed up. They were literally on their way to Canmore and stopped by for a burn before driving across the vast flat middle of the continent. Gotta love the Quebecois! Can't wait for Ouray!

Me on "Omega" (WI5+), Cannon Cliff, NH (Photo by Andy Tuthill)

Winter came with a vengeance to the Northeast at the beginning of December! Cannon and Lake Willoughby are going off! Everything's in! Jim Ewing and I climbed "Omega" and "Prozac" on Sunday the 2nd of December. On Monday, I led a drytooling clinic at the Boston Rock Gym and it snowed over a foot up north during my absence. I went back up to Cannon for more with Andy Tuthill on Tuesday the 4th of December. We climbed "Omega" again in full conditions. It was my eighth ascent of this marvelous route (it was Andy's fourth - his first and second times were in the late 70's though . . . what a stud!) It is days like these that make life so precious!

More Utah shots

Here are a few awesome shots of the price of evil taken by the legendary Heinz Zak.

Bellyful of Bad Berries

Thanks Heinz!

Here in Massachusetts, things are smaller and not quite as exciting...

Unless you try to go skiing...

This is a trip report of my fall in Yosemite and Utah. Enjoy!

Yosemite

The weather in the Valley this fall was not exactly Ideal. A couple of huge rainstorms soaked the Capitan to it's core, resulting in prolonged periods of seeping cracks and wet faces. This is what ultimately shut down our proj for the season, but we still made some great progress.
Over the past year, Brad Gobright and I have been working on a new free line on the west side of El Cap. The route will be an 8 pitch variation to the Huber's Golden Gate, leaving the Salathe 6 pitches earlier. The variation has a handful of difficult pitches that will make the route more direct and quite a bit harder than GG.
This October we went for a full redpoint attempt on the route. After 4 days on the wall, we had team freed up to the 23rd pitch; a short, steep, exposed arete that marks the final crux before joining GG. We quickly saw that it was dripping, no doubt from the torrential rain right before we got on the wall. After a day and a half of waiting and trying to dry the pitch we bailed, intending to return five days or so later when the pitch would be dry. Five days or so later brought even heavier rains, and with November near that was it for the season.

On the 12c roof pitch
Photo- Tom Evans

Brad about to lead the first 5.13 pitch

On a heady 12+ pitch

On the 5.11R/X 24th pitch
Photo- Tom Evans


Inspired by my good friend Will Stanhope who sent the day before, I managed to nab an ascent of the painfull Sasquatch (a steep finger crack put up by Dean Potter) before I left the valley.

Once in Moab, my Israeli friend Amit and I got straight to business on an old Indian Creek project of mine. It was a route I found at Reservoir Wall in 2008 with Nico Favresse. Nico left before he could do it, and I couldn't link the crimpy less-than-tips moves on lead. After 2 days of work on it this November tho, I was able to send what we called Machete 5.13.

Red Rocks

I had to go to Vegas for a week, and while out there I got an onsight of the classic Desert Gold 5.13a. Sadly though, I have no pictures!


Utah

Next up was a project that had been haunting me since I first found it a year and a half ago. Its a second pitch offwidth roof right off the road near Blue Gramma cliff. I had given this route many tries, and destroyed a few pairs of pants and shoes. I was reluctant to get back on it, knowing how hard, painfull, and un-fun the pitch was, but after three more back breaking sessions, I finally fired the FA. I called it The Price of Evil 5.13-, a name Pamela Shanti Pack came up with, as she had come close to sending the route this spring.

Photos- Brad Gobright

The last few weeks of the trip was mostly spent highlining, but I did get out to send a few other nice routes. Had a nice day out at the Crackhouse with friends and some BASE jumping hooligans, sending it from the Potter traverse start. I also got to do the first free ascent of a really nice sport route on Potash road. My friend Ryan, who was on the FA team was nice enough to let me get on it. Horizontal Mambo-5.12d climbs the start of the popular Bad Moki Roof, then traverses right out the middle of the massive roof on awesome jugs, culminating with a sandy, insecure mantle. Definitely the steepest line on Potash. In near darkness after a couple sessions, I sent wearing a headlamp with dying batteries.
The last send of the trip was Bushido-5.13, a massive underclinging arch first sent by Noah Bigwood. I headed up there with Canyon Cain, a local crusher, who by the age of thirteen has already sent 5.13 in the Creek. I gave it a solid onsight attempt falling at the final crux, 25 feet from the end. Canyons micro hands made the first half of the route a lot harder, but he made a solid effort. I returned a few days later for the redpoint, and what I think was the fourth or fifth ascent.

Bushido is the upper arch

Back in Mass now, its either Patagonia or plastic season, and I'm choosing plastic this round. Getting psyched for the spring.