ROCK INTIMACY

Need not to comment.....

Enjoy.

GAIA - English Grit Climbing

All hail her Majesty. It's a wet, windy day in St. Louis. Instead of going to the Holies, I've opted to stay inside. Lotta work to do, for once.

Check out this vid from UKclimbing. There's been a lot of press about Grit climbing recently, with some kids from the US doing some famous routes over the pond. I'm sure you've seen the old/new videos of Gaia - the famous Johnny Dawes E8 6c balls to the wall climb featured in one of the Dosage flicks (Lisa Rands) and most famous for the leg-breaking fall of Jean-Minh Trin-Thieu.

This is a top-down vid of George Ullrich attempting a flash. Gaia is a route I would NEVER climb, even if it were around the corner. Look at the fall this guy takes... unbelievable. My gut lurched in sympathy when the fear monkey started clutching George's back.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1542 (scroll down)

UTAH RED ROCK FOR SALE?

So it is not enough to have senator seats for sale these days, looks like the great South Western Wilderness is for sale as well (or at least part of it.)
Go to this link of the NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) for the article.

And please add your voice to stop this.

Anyone who has been to that area of the States knows how incredibly special it is.

This is a place that has inspired me along the years.  I would hate to see it invaded by oil companies.

The Holies - Dec 13, 2008

posted by Saucisson #3

climbers - Yusuf, Paul and Calvin

Ah yes, the Holy Boulders in So Ill. Much has been said about them, so I was very interested in going. Private land, a dubious writeup in Rock and Ice (or was it Climbing?) and numerous failed attempts to go had me salivating. Sort of.

It's a good thing Paul was with us, because there's no known topo of the place, and Yusuf and I would have gotten lost for sure trying to find it.

The Holies are pretty good. I didn't get to climb enough to make a solid comment about them, but what problems I did climb were great. I just didn't have enough time. We started out at the Mollusk boulder - V1 warmup. Scariest warmup of my life, but super cool problem. You negotiate a sloping rail to the left, with the topout involving a slick scoop feature.

Yusuf worked Con Artist V6-7?, which starts and continues on very, very thin seams. Someone noted that the Con Artist, when sent, was a problem you didn't really know how you sent, you just did, then probably would never be able to repeat. I can see why.

We moved on to a couple of other neat V2's up from Shadow of a Man V5 - which climbs a fun arete/face. Didn't get Shadow though. We moved around the corner (same boulder) to a thin slabby problem (name?) that climbs a faint crack going up the boulder to a small ledge before topping out. That shut us down too. Not a lot of success so far on the Shadow boulder. Continuing around the corner from there, we skipped the arete V5 climb and did Comfortably Numb V2 - razor sharp crimps to start, then easier crimps, to a bigger move to the top. Very fun, and felt a little high.

We then moved on to Jungle Book V8. I'd heard about this problem for a while - most notably from Joe Kreidel. It involves a massive swing that you have to control while sort of double-gaston-ing on an arete. It's wild, beautiful and inspiring.

Here's a video of Jason Kehl doing it - at least it might be him pre-dreads. Notice the heel/toe hook, the spread out holds and the controlled swing. Those hand holds are not very good to control a swing like that. The vid's deceiving that way. :)

Yusuf and this dude from Canada worked it for a while. It's cool watching people trying to control the swing. You have to really actively spot the climber - the first time, Yusuf startled me with how far he flew off the boulder, but I managed to guide him to a crashpad. After that, I knew what to expect.

We then moved a few boulders right and I climbed Enlightenment V5 in a few tries. Paul decided to chill at this point and call it a day. I think I could have flashed it, but I got a case of tightened sphincter topping out and bailed. Fun, but not as cool as the other problems we did. Next to it is Onyx V6, way harder. Yusuf and I worked on that but didn't send. You start on a high right foot, good hands spread apart. Back flag your left foot behind the right, bump left hand to good pinch, move right hand to semi-good crimp, then look up and extend high for a crimp. Couldn't do that extension move, although I tried it several times. Oh well.

We wrapped up with a few more attempts on Con Artist, then headed out for the day. Nice day of bouldering.

For fun, here's another one of Kehl doing God Module V11? at HP40. I've looked at this problem, but it's out of my pay grade.

Aborted Attempts

posted by #3

It's still crappy weather. Yusuf and I've tried to head out to the Holies in So Ill a few times now, but have been thwarted by cold. Instead, I've decided to post some (as I find them) nice TR's.

Here's one from rockclimbing.com - a 12 hour run of climbs in Linville, North Carolina.

Updated 12-12-08
Here's another, written by someone who seems to be an Euro, about climbing in Kalymnos, Greece.

BTW, the weather looks... possible... tomorrow. Might get to head out.



Oh, and here's a random idea for Xmas gifts: custom chalkbags - you can choose your designs and support a worthy cause (esp if you like animals). Check it out: www.emmasews.com/WPages/chalkbag.htm

HP40 - Rain Rain Rain.... and more Rain

posted by Drenched Saucisson #3

Climbers - Yusuf, Alex, Hannah, Little John, Calvin, Angie and Meghan

Rain, and more rain. It sucked.

Oh, we were so excited. Thanksgiving Dinner was great, then, with careful precision and planning, we were ready to go by 10pm. We broke the trip down (8 hrs) into 2 segments, knowing it would be foolish to drive all night. Turns out, we should have.

We drove a total of 16 hrs to climb a few warmups before getting dumped on by the mother of all storms. Ok, it wasn't that bad, but it was a steady downpour. After almost 24 hours of non-stop rain, with the forecast looking bad, we bailed on Saturday afternoon and headed home, tails between our collective legs.

Sometimes, the weather just doesn't cooperate. In case you wondered, we did check the weather before heading down, and it looked like one day of rain, with two days of climbing - we thought that was reasonable. HP40 also dries out fairly quickly (or so we thought). Anyways, better luck next time.

Jackson Falls - Nov 23, 2008 FIRE at Jackson!

posted by Saucisson #3

climbers - Calvin, Little John

First, news at the Falls: after climbing all day, we climbed the rope ladder to discover that some idiot had accidentally or deliberately started a fire. 4 acres burned, but noone was hurt and no personal property was damaged (that I know of). We had a nice ranger come up and ask us if we saw anything. We got there around 9:30, and met people around 10 - 11am who didn't say anything, so I'm guessing the fire started between 11 and 3pm, when the fire department and park service were notified.

If anyone has any information related to this, please contact the forest service.

Back to regular programming:

I've been having a hard week climbing-wise. All week, I felt heavy, as if gravity had turned up an extra notch. You know that feeling, most likely. Climbing at the gym felt... hard. Same routes, or similar routes of relatively easy grade just felt pumpy. Now, this might have something to do with all the food I've been powering down, but that's not important. :)

Saturday night, I was worried about the trip falling apart, but John got back to me at the nth hour and we made plans to head out. Yusuf has elbow trouble and sat this one out.

I had an inauspicious start: at the Gallery, my fingers froze so bad I bailed on Group Therapy .10c at the 3rd bolt. That, and I felt... pumped. I came back down, unfroze my fingers and climbed it twice as a warm up. But, whew, I thought it was a harbinger of a bad day.

Turns out, it was an ok day. I sent Lost Innocence .12c second try, which was my current mini-project. I now feel justified in wishing it was slightly longer, but whatever, it's a rad climb. Glad I stuck the move.

After that, John sent Hidden Treasure .12a, second try and I one-fell it a couple times at the crux. I think on another less 'heavy' feeling day, I would have sent, but today wasn't a good day except for Lost. Case in point: I almost biffed badly on Lovely Arete .11a (sandbag dude!) and basically climbed like a turd-stuffed overweight monkey, whimpering in fear and almost dirtying my pants. But my hands were just tired; I couldn't hold on to save my life. I'll have to climb it again some other day.

Paradoxical day - I climbed 12c, but couldn't climb 11a. Go figure. But still, a good day. :)

Jackson Falls - Nov 16, 2008

posted by Saucisson #3

Climbers - Yusuf, Joe, Calvin, Tall Tim, Carine, Josh, Richard, Eric

It's getting colder. You know that time of the year, when your buddies, who used to be psyched to climb, sorta start talking about how cold it was last time, eyeball the outdoors and mutter about frozen fingers and general discomfort.

Well, to be fair, it was pretty cold at HCR for the last trip and I distinctly remember freezing my fingers so badly at the Prophecy Wall that I climbed one .10c (Learning to Fly) and promptly decided to wait until we found a more sunlight drenched wall.

How soon one forgets. :)

Last Saturday, I called, wheedled, negotiated, promised and placated, everything short of using force to get people to climb. Yusuf was psyched to climb, bless his soul, but many others dropped out quickly. So, I was pleasantly surprised at 5:45 Sunday morning when 8 people showed up at the gym, ready to head to the Falls. And we were blessed: the climbing was good, friction was decent and the weather wasn't bad. We were prepared for way worse and found the temps very nice.

This was a good trip, notably b/c Joey Kreidel was able to come. Joe's been visiting from Tucson; he moved away about 2 years ago with his wife and kids and was up visiting his family. He's been talking alot of smack about the climbing around Tucson, enough that I'm probably going to have to check it out. It was also Carine's first time at the Falls - she's climbed twice in 2 weekends now. I'm impressed.

Okay, on to the climbing. After our usual warmup at the Gallery, where I did a fun new (for me) .10b, three climbs to the right of Earthbound Misfits, we headed over to the Beaver Wall - Josh/Joe wanted to climb some 12's there. Tall Tim and Carine climbed at Mr. Jimmy, a good 5.7 slab and also the 5.8 at Beaver. I think Carine's either fearless, or talks a good game. But she's been climbing great outdoors and has now learned to lead climb, lead belay and clean anchors, all like a champ.

Yusuf worked on Dynasty .13b, a variation that starts on Emperor of the North .13a (which he sent a couple weeks ago) and angles left after two bolts. Brad Weaver sent this open project a while ago, opening it up to the public. We spied a bail biner 5 bolts up - which Yusuf managed to put one bolt further up, but that was the end of the road. Apparently the climbing becomes rather difficult after that point. I'll just have to take his word for it.

Joey and I headed to Beaver, where Joey, as is his custom, onsighted Everybody Needs Friends .12a, then did Frizzle Fry .12b in two tries. Mother Effer. I could talk about how Joey's 6' 3" and his reach just exceeds mine, but that's irrelevant. It was cool to watch him climb those routes so well. I epic'd Frizzle many times before I got the send, which tells you about our respective talent levels.

Josh made great progress on Everybody, and I think he's down to 1 hang... which hopefully means he can send soon.

We then headed over to Lovely Arete, where people hopped on Lovely .11a, Fine Nine 5.9+ and I worked Lost Innocence .12c, my current mini-project. Big burly balls, but I one-fell the damn thing 2 times after a shaky warm-up try. It felt so good too, that last try. You start on these nice 2 finger pinches and pockets, with good feet, to the top of a slopey ledge above the first bolt. You do a shaky traverse right, with somewhat blind feet, then get a rest on some flat, but surprisingly good slopers. From here, reach above the break, make a hard but decent pinch, then work your way left to the same line as the start.

Here's the first crux: you match at a small break - good 3 finger left hold, matched with not so good 3 finger right hold, high step right, left foot on marginal hold, then bump your right hand up to a 2-3 finger half-pad sidepull crimp. If you're not precise, it's hard to hold it when your weight settles on your fingers. Then, bring your left foot level with your right foot and power to a relatively bad pinch/sloper with your left hand. Pause, and stab left-handed to a 2-finger side-pocket. It's good, and if you hit that, you're ok.

After another move, the next crux is immediate - lock off right handed to a left hand side pull pinch-sloper that is much worse than the first one I described, do some footwork, and stand up on your left hand only to a nice break at full extension.

Blah, blah, I know, too much detail. But as I am wont to do when climbing something hard (for me), I memorize the details and try to visualize. It helps me on each successive try.

I'll get it next time.

Joey had to bail early to see his family for dinner, so he didn't get to try Lost, which was too bad. I was hoping to see him crush it. Yusuf climbed Green Velvet, a .12a to the left of Lovely Arete. Looks pretty cool; I want to try it.

Chilly Ranch

Ah yes it was on the chilly side indeed.  But that did not stop the Midwestern climbing posse. No way.  Three days at the Ranch, a dozen or more of us.  What we learned:

Yes indeed it is possible to climb with frozen fingers.  Yes it does involve a lot of crying/wining/making faces....

When the sun is shining on a rock face, and the wind blows in a corridor, the smart climber goes to climb on the sunny face.  No not all of us are that smart! :)

Burke can and did use words which would not meet the approval of the Queen.  

He was also caught having a conversation (animated that is) with himself.

Calvin and Tony learned it is just not human to hold your entire body weight onto a half pad crimp and try to match on it (I could have told them that and save them the suffering he he)

.....

What we learned playing Cranium:

Tony is an artist as long as his eyes are closed.

Sophie can spell backwards (yes it is extremely useful in everyday life...)

Burke knows about planes (!!!)

Drew cannot act Gone With The Wind, but has probably telepathic powers.

Woody has a killer impersonation of Marilyn up his sleeve_or should I say his dress_ (who would have known?)

.....

The feats of the WE:

Talll Tim got his head on and sent The Controversy.  Good for you my friend.

Belinda, climbing for the first time outside, and should I mention for the second time ever... finished Green Goblin on TR.  Impressive.

Carine learned to clean, and led a bunch of routes (first time outside?)...fearless!

Woody crushed every 10 or 11 he put his hands on.

Craig was THE CRUSHER on Saturday and Sunday (11s...12).

Little John impressively worked Cradle of the Deep (13) and got to the top. Tony and Calvin did work on it as well.

These three animals sent Granny Tranny (12a) at the Prophecy (yeah yeah and they made me believe they were climbing The Prophet (14a) he he and I "went" for it_I obviously have way too high of an opinion of that bunch :)_). Nevertheless Granny Tranny has a wicked scary start which was the reason why I did not have the b... to get on it. 

Tony sent a wicked 12b Pride second go, in the frigid corridor of the Land of the Lost.

And then it was the Love Slave saga.  A roof 12a at the Forty, on which all the guys took turns... and yes even I got on it!

Drew, Craig, and Burke (after many conversations with himself) got the send!!!!

Woody was oh so close, and I was a couple of falls from  sending the pump fest.  LJohn filmed the saga from up top!

So this was the WE in short.

Here are all the photos.  Footage to come!

SAVE MUIR VALLEY!!! Red River Gorge Access

The State of Kentucky is considering massive changes to route 715 that MAY SERIOUSLY impact Muir Valley - including the potential loss of up to half of the preserve. Please read, consider and act by sending in your comments. Look for communications by local climbing orgs like Friends of Muir Valley and of course the Access Fund to coordinate efforts in the near future.

Muir Valley is an expansive climbing area of 400 acres with over 300 routes (and rising) opened, maintained and owned by Rick and Liz Weber. It is extremely popular to both beginning and advanced climbers. The main road to access Muir is KY 715, which you take from Hwy 11 (from Miguels) or from the Mountain Parkway.

To email or contact the relevant authorities (quoted from Liz Weber's post on redriverclimbing.com):

What can you do to help Muir Valley if you are interested?

At this point, the easiest and most effective action would be a brief email to David Martin, Project Manager of the Study for rerouting and improving KY HW 715. His email is Charles.Martin@ky.gov. Just something saying that you are one of a large number of people who frequently visit Muir Valley Nature Preserve, bringing tourist dollars into the area, and expressing your hope that, if a project is funded, they will avoid either Alternative E or F of the 8 options under consideration, because either of those would almost surely result in the closure of Muir Valley to the public.

He can also be contacted in writing at
David Martin, P.E.
Project Manager
KYTC Division of Planning
200 Mero Street
Mail Code W5-05-01
Frankfort KY 40622

or called at 502 564-7183.

If you write instead of email, it would probably be a good idea to also copy "Director, KYTC Division of Planning" at the mailing address.

Links:

See here for a State of Kentucky Division of Planning pdf that illustrates options A through F. Note that options E or F have devastating consequences.

See here for a good explanatory post by the Narc.

Here is a post about it from Liz Weber on www.redriverclimbing.com.

This is the general State of Kentucky Division of Planning website.

Climbers of the future

OK I have to brag... My nephew Fab. and his wife Manon have the cutest kids (3 of them)  Yohan the youngest is still very young, but his two sisters ( Candice, 6 and Lisa, 3 1/2) obviously caught the bug, the climbing bug that is.  Their parents have been dealing with "addiction" for a long time!!!  Oh yeah they live 5 minutes from Font (Fontainebleau that is...the Boulder Mecca of Europe).  So today they sent me photos from one of their latest outings in the South of France, in Provence.  I could not resist and share these with you.  Naturals, they are naturals! 

Sophie

A new day

Just a little word (which has nothing to do with climbing) to all of you out there.  As the Frenchie who was not able to vote (They won't let me!!), all I can do is thank the many of you would helped turning this historical page.  A little bit like climbing, you have to try, and sometimes believe in what seems to be impossible.

Peace.

Merci.

Jackson Falls - Halloweenie Climbing Nov 2, 2008

posted by Saucisson #3

Climbers - Josh, Catherine, Calvin








Temps were in the 70's. Almost too hot for optimal climbing conditions (whatever that means), but I thought it was perfect regardless. I was hoping Yusuf would join us, but he climbed at the Falls the day before and begged off due to bleeding fingers. Been there.

In other brief climbing news, Yusuf sent Emperor of the North .13a, a long-standing project of his and also Lost Innocence .12c, something he tried a couple of times before. He's apparently pretty close on Red Corvette .13a as well. Yusuf is climbing strong. Little Jon also got Lost Innocence second go. Little effer. That climb is hard (see below).

I've also been reading up on stupid bolting wars in the Red; make that retarded, asinine, idiotic, and incomprehensible bolting wars. See here and here if you care. Climbers bashing bolts. Unbelievable.

On a lighter note, check out this link for a hilarious rendition of Thriller at my friend Casey's work, Stampin' Up. Scroll down a little to find it.

Did I mention that it's Fall and absolutely beautiful? I love this time of the year. It's hard to believe the place is so nasty in the summer. We warmed up at the Gallery before heading over to Lovely Arete. All three of us sent Fine Nine 5.9+, a nice, juicy, slabby 5.9 that keeps your attention. Probably one of the harder 5.9's you'll ever get on, but worth every moment you spend on it. Josh and Catherine then worked on Lovely Arete .11a, a striking and fun arete with bolt placements that keep you a little fearful (there's a big boulder right behind you that makes a fall scary). Fun moves though. I tried it years ago and need to get back on it.

I was saving my attention for Lost Innocence .12c. It's a wonderful, 5 bolt, bouldery face climb, which starts on small pockets, traverses right, then traverses left, with few if any places to really rest. I think it's probably 12c because of the lack of places to recharge.

From there it heads directly up, and there are two side-pull slopers that are kinda tough, and would be almost impossible in summer temps. Fortunately, the climb was in the shade and friction was fine for me. The creativity on the climb is 5 stars for sure; I really enjoyed working out the beta. I wish it was longer, but I should really only say that after I send it. :) I one-fell it at the 'crux' on my third attempt: a mini-throw to a small, 2 pad crimper on a high, right foot, but I also just received new beta that may make it easier.

We finished up on some easy climbs, pics to come. I have some great shots of Josh climbing in a ski-mask.

Jackson Falls - Oct 26, 2008

posted by Saucisson #3.

Climbers - Sophie, Yusuf, Rob, Calvin, Angie, Little Jon, Tall Tim, Woody and Jared

A large group day. First things first, congrats to Kelly and Cam, who are now engaged. We found out the news - Cam proposed by leaving the ring at the top of Group Therapy .10c, a favorite warmup. Kelly obviously said yes. We didn't get to check out the hardware, as Kelly wisely left it somewhere safe while climbing.

Other notable news: Joey Kreidel and kids are headed to town in a couple weeks. We're excited to hear that and will hopefully be outdoors together when he gets here. There's a few other trips planned to HCR and during Thanksgiving as well.

The group being as large as it was slowed us down during the day, but everyone had a great time. After warming up, we split up along various areas - Yusuf to Emperor of the North .13a, Soph to Galaxy 500 .12a/b and the rest of us to Beaver Wall. I belayed Rob on Who Needs Friends, a favorite and user friendly .12a at Beaver.

Little Jon polished off Frizzle Fry .12b, after last trying it on a trip a couple of weeks ago. Jon is a beast. The guy doesn't climb for the last 2 weeks, then comes and sends Frizzle first try after hanging the draws. If I tried to do that, I wouldn't get very far as my climbing endurance deserts me very quickly during climbing layoffs. The kid is talented; I think he would easily be a hard .13 climber if he devoted a little time to it. But sometimes I think his talent also tones down his motivation. It may come too easily to him.

The rest of us worked on various stuff - Angie sent a 5.9 and .10b that she'd worked on previously (nice job!) and also has become a proficient cleaner. Soph made good progress on Galaxy, and I think her send isn't far off. That climb is very technical and somewhat powerful; it'll be a proud send. I tried it on TR and got beat up.

I've been working on Gobble Juice .12c, and I think I've got it within striking distance. I fell at the second crux, but a few more inches and I think it would have been plausible. We'll see.

Climb on!

And another time warp... to the summer in KY

yeah yeah a bit late. Here are the promised photos from the Red in the Summer... with Le Petit Chou you now all know ( thanks to Kimchee's a.k.a. Saucisson #3's Ode!

Red hot Picts here!

Jackson Falls - The Vortex/Time Warp Oct 21, 2008

posted by Saucisson #3

Climbers - Tony, Calvin, Yusuf and Paul

I have 2 posts to make today, so I'll keep this one short. It was a good send day, with some mini-projects going down.

First off, getting to the Promised Land. Most people who've been to this area at Jackson Falls go there for the beautiful scenery, sandbagged, but wonderful routes and the sparse crowds. What they also experience is getting lost. I swear there's a time warp, gravitational flux that deposits the unwitting climber from heading towards the PL to the easternmost side of the Falls around Cheerio Bowl.

Tony and I had deciphered the way there - marked it with subtle signs and pretty much had the approach nailed to about 30 min. This time, (stupid us) we tried to take a 30 yard short cut - that's right, we turned 30 yards earlier than normal to save a little bushwacking. F---ing vortex swallowed us whole and we finally figured out where we were 1.5 hours later.

That was the most exciting part of the day - wondering if we were going to end up in our version of the Blair Witch Project and gauging how much water would be needed.

Other than that, Tony sent Congo Spray .12a (12c?) in epic style, I finished off Remove La Ropa .12b second go and Yusuf sent his first ever 5.13a: Butcher of Baghdad, second go of the day. Nice! Paul worked on some projects at Big Starr and is making good progress.

Tony and I also worked a little on Balance of Power .12b/c (.12d?) and I made some progress, but it's a ways out of reach. Hard, but beautiful. I'm thinking Tony might be able to send in a few more tries... eh? :)

Jackson Falls - Day Trip, Oct 18, 2008

Posted by Saucisson #3

Climbers: Soph (#1), Angie, Calvin

The weather's officially AMAZING (or as some would say, A-maZING!)! It's the time of year with cool, crisp conditions that making climbing so enjoyable. Slopers that feel like greased lightning in the summer now feel like gritty sandpaper. I love it.

We hiked down to Hidden Peaks, around Cheerio Bowl and Detox Mountain. Soph got us started on a 5.9 and 5.8, which served as great warm-ups. Next to us was a nice couple (Dave and Shaun) from St. Louis who climb outdoors, but not at the gym - that's why I didn't really recognize them.

From here Soph put up Groovy Marcia 5.9, a great water dugout groove that challenges the climber to really think and climb creatively. Angie loved it and led it in style!

Afterwards, we set our sights on Lasso the Vulture .11a, a slabby, pocketed route that ends in an exciting quasi-chimney. This route and given Soph trouble on a summer trip, and I had last tried it over 3 years ago. I recall thinking the route was stinking hard for .11a and I still do. But nevermind the ratings, it's a great route. All the holds are there, you just need to decipher the sequence. I put up the draws, and Soph sent it beautifully in one go. Way to go Soph!

We then moved on to Kill Bill .10a, a nicely deceptive slab route that forces some true smearing and slab technique. I let Soph and Angie work on it; instead, I opted for Cowboys and Crossdressers .12a, short, 4-bolt route that I'd struggled on 2 years ago. It's been a while since I've been down this area. Soph and Angie came close, but Kill Bill ended up being a bit hard after the previous climbing. I managed to send Cowboys second go after working out the beta. I'm glad I did, because the first beta run made me think it wasn't going to go at all.

What a great day. :)

The Fall at the Falls

Friday and Saturday at the Falls... (Tony, Calvin and Sof)

The fiery colors of the autumn are catching every ray of sunlight.  This is my favorite time of the year.  Ochres, yellows, bright reds, and the gentle breeze which brings a shower of golden fallen leaves.  Cooler temps, one of the best crags I know, great friends, let's go climb!

After setting up camp quite swiftly, we headed for Railroad.  Hey I was given the choice by these two "gentlemen".

One of my favorite place at the Falls.  Technical climbing at its best.  Tony and Calvin ended up working on this route without a name, a 12 around the corner of Butchers of Baghdad, a really cool looking line along the right side of a striking arete, while I focused ( sorry Marion, fuckussed) my energy towards Blue Velvet, an 11C which has to be one of the most classic routes at the Falls.  I had been on it with Tony before ( he sent it second go in the heart of the humid summer) and at the time I top roped it and swore I would give it a try when the rock was drier even if it had scared the living hell out of me on TR!

Well I did and sent it 3rd go.  That felt good.  Slightly overhanging face at the beginning with a long move to a succession of beautiful pockets, to a crazy high foot/mantle off a ramp before the last draw....hooooo!

The route without a name was another check mark on the sent list for the boys.

Tony tried Barbarians at the Gate, another hard 12 which looks very thin, not to say blank above the first.  he did not unlock its mysteries that day, which meant that he went back to get his very high first draw, and did the scariest downclimb ever.  Spotting him, I think I was breathing harder than him.  He is determined never to use a bail-out binner :)

Camping that night was just perfect save for the noise of way too many "neibourghs' happy to celebrate late into the night.  For us it was a nice plate of couscous, veggies and chicken (and my home grown garlic!), a little wine and chat around the fire.  The tent stayed open all night (which earned me the visit of a couple of Daddy-Long-Legs!), the air being just too perfect.

In the morning, a little warm-up at the Gallery and we headed to Big Star Wall where I had some unfinished business with a certain 12a/b Galaxy 500.  What a difference another day makes.  Saturday was much warmer, and more humid.  The route felt different.  Yes Tony was right: every day is different when you climb. We just have to take it that way.  But THIS was frustrating.  This is what obsessing about a project can do.  I was SO looking forward to climbing this route again, and Saturday it shut me down AFTER the hardest crux! GRRRR  I'll be back.

Then it was on to the Promised Land where Calvin worked on Remove La Ropa which I believe he now has in one fall, and Tony went back to the jungle on Congo Spray (down to one fall...ohh so close.  Yes I had my frustration scream in the morning, the boys had them in the afternoon.  Achh climbing is FUN and torturous!

Enjoy the picts.

24 hours and a sketchbook

Backtracking a bit on the 24 hours of HCR.  Here are a few moments recorded with my pen and sketchbook.  Sophie

Jackson Falls - Day Trip, Oct 4, 2008

Posted by Saucisson #3.

Climbers - Soph, Angie, Calvin, Lisa, Megan, Drew, Yusuf, Hanna

It's raining today (Tuesday), so I'm in a posting mood. Plus, I need to update the blog with our latest trip over the weekend. This weekend we're headed back to the Falls, and avoiding the madness of the Rocktoberfest at the Red. I'll admit, a small part of me wants to head out and join the festivities, but I also know from experience that it's going to be a major madhouse.

On to the trip report (TR) - sorry, no pics:

Saturday, we headed out for a one day trip to the Falls - where else? The weather has really been great; we've been blessed again. We decided on a slower pace with such a large group, and moseyed down by the Gallery, the Beaver Wall, Big Starr... you know, it's occurred to me that we've been climbing around Beaver/Big Starr way too much (the Gallery doesn't count since we warm up there and it's super close to everything). Next time, we must go elsewhere.

At the Beaver Wall, I put up the draws on this weirdly featured 5.9 - it's rather new and not in the book, so I don't know the name. I'll try and take a picture of it. Oddly scooped out rock that's interesting even by Jackson Falls' standards. But very fun.

Soph worked on a .12 (name?) at Big Starr - that looks really scary (slab = scary to me) and deciphered all the moves. I think she's close to linking them all. Soph is a slab-master. Yusuf and Hanna worked on it with her and Yusuf sent it second go. Nice job dude.

I tried my luck at Dance with Destiny, an interesting looking .12b that yielded most of its secrets to me until the 4th clip. At this point, I was on a right handed crimpy side-pull, with a bulge above me to a bad slopey crimp and a vertical seam beginning at shoulder height to the right. The seam flares out a bit and is no good for finger locks and is too shallow for a handjam. The only other options were tension moves or a gaston, neither of which I could setup for.

I couldn't figure it out. Slab-technique is not my forte (pronounced fort, not for-te, apparently), and it was dirty as heck, which didn't help. I had to stick-clip my way through it and came down a little peeved. I may have to try it again. Not sure of the beta though. It's definitely not been climbed recently.

We ended the day watching some dude work on Red Corvette .13a - I tried the first few bolts for fun, and I think those were actually doable. But after that, you have a nasty dyno, which I don't think looks so doable for me. I may rope Tony into trying it sometime. We've been talking about projecting a .13a (it sounds like we've been talking about having kids, or getting a new car - but no, this is climbing and we're not partners in that sense) and this one might be the right one to try.

Well, that's it. We got some great Mexican in Mt. Vernon and headed back late at night. Fun day!

An Ode to Petit Chou (Marion, a.k.a "Little Cabbage")

Posted by Saucisson #3.

In the summer of 2008, a young, slightly crazy French girl embarked upon a journey to St. Louis. Her mission, to find Saucisson #1 (her aunt), to explore America and her denizens, have fun, climb rock and maybe... find love and enduring friendships.

Here is my ode to Little Cabbage.



Oh Chou! Petit Chou! The autumn leaves rustle in the wind. Fall is in the air. The wind, silent, then whispers. If you listen, you can hear it call... 'Mon Chou' echoes in the distance.



Oh Chou! Mon Chou! Are you a gangster? A villain? A person of interest to the feds? Your cryptic smile, stoic in nature, imprinted on the mind of St. Louis.



Oh Chou! Ah Putain! Fais Chier!! What are you looking for? Do you find what you seek? The endless steps. The impermanent beach. The surging waves upon the shore.



Oh Chou! Tu Ments! Merde!! The receding ground. The endless sky. Mr. Bungle stretches before me as I dance up Left Flank. Does your ankle remember its loveliness? Oh, the wisdom of the ancient rock.



Oh Chou! Mon Chou!! Smiles like a wisp, here now, gone then. Canvas - the eyes, the soul, the love of Soph. Where are you now? Oh Chou!

Jackson Falls - Day Trip, Oct 1, 2008

Post by Saucisson #3

Climbers - Tony, Little Jon, Yusuf, Calvin

That's right, just the boys. Beautiful temps, clear fall day and primo sending temps.

We had a great day... warmed up at the Gallery and commented on how beautiful the day was. I always love Jackson Falls in the autumn. Colors start to change and the bugs are almost non-existent. I somehow forget all the summer misery (humidity, bugs and more bugs) and think it's the best place to climb in the world.

Anyways... Tony and I got started on Russia .12a, while Yusuf and Jon worked Red Corvette .13a at the Beaver Wall. I posted about Russia earlier; it's a nice consistent climb with a hard start, a good rest, then consistent moves to the top. After I climbed to hang the draws, Tony started on the route and looked great - smoothly climbing until the very last move. Picture Tony climbing a 5.8; easy, no jerky movement, breathing comfortably. Smooth. That is, until he forgot to bring his left hand up for the final slap to a hidden pocket. Tony goes for it, misses by 1 inch, then starts a slow motion slide backward while a NOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!!! erupts from his mouth.

I laughed. Hard. I know, I'm a punk. But it was funny. hee hee.

We both sent it next go.

We met up with the boys at the Beaver Wall and Little Jon and I decided on Frizzle Fry .12b (our current nemesis) while Tony and Yusuf headed back to Battle Axe for King Snake .12d.

I shouldn't have laughed at Tony. Jon put up the draws, recalling beta. On my first try, I felt GREAT. Did each move, felt good, started to think it might go (bad idea). The last move, my hand 6 inches from the final slap, I suddenly couldn't figure out my feet and fell in the same slow motion while screaming... yes. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!1111

Butthole.

Jon and I fell at the final move a combined five times before I sent it 3rd go that day. Thank God! Jon didn't end up getting it, but promised it would go next time. I'm sure it will - he's looked so strong on it I'm surprised he hasn't sent it 5 times ago. Sorry Jon, you'll send it next time.

While we struggled, Yusuf sent King Snake second go of the day. Nice job dude! Tony worked the beta and commented that it might be a "little hard." Yikes. Bad news for me, but I'm psyched to give it a try sometime. It looks slabby, with some small pockets and hard moves in the first 2 bolts and a hard, slabby finish. I need Casey Hyer's footwork. Where are you Case?

To finish the day, we hiked over to Cro-magnon .12b - a super cool layback climb that is the first bolted route in Jackson Falls - bolted by Jeff Frizzell, a Smith Rock pioneer. The route is all tension, bad smears, lots of core and back strength required. Did I mention it's kinda scary?

Nobody sent it, but it's very interesting and I'll be back for another try soon. Yusuf tried Lost Innocence .12c (by Hidden Treasure and Lovely Arete) and it looks pretty nasty. Bad slopers all the way up - but he cleaned it for the next try on another trip.

Which is on Saturday, if I'm not mistaken... :)

Welcome to Hell.

One for the ages. Once upon a time a little Kimchee and a Super Hero (here's to you Marion!) decided to go boldly where…few had gone before. Scaling some rock down in Arkansas for 24 hours, non stop. Crazy…insane…impossible… NOOOO little Kimchee and Super Hero were in denial, it was going to be FUN, F-U-N! Team Breaking Wind Under My Sheets was going to…break wind indeed!

They left on a beautiful Friday morning, driven by sherpa Tenzing Sophie, only to arrive in the normally quiet canyon of HCR and find it under siege by a very strange breed: marathon climbers. And some of these are strange indeed: lame pants, mullets, 1970s bright color tights…a real fashion show.
Later on more came from the North. More crazy climbers, more supporters, and volunteers... Angie, Alex, Peter, Sarah, Yusuf, Hannah, Jared, Jeremiah, John, Russel, Jason, Albert, Jeremy, Keith.... and so many others.

One would think that before a 24 hours marathon of climbing, most people would call it an early night. Right. We were but the rest of the 200/300 people present did not. This was to be a party from the get-go. Great! Sleep depravation was starting now for our favorite team! Surrounded by cars coming and going, people with one to many beer trying to find their tent… The night was short lived. The sun rose on a bunch of exhausted people, us. But little kimchee and super hero were psyched. Sleeping? Oh well they would think about it later on… On Sunday would be good.

And there they went. Team Breaking winds started to tear them down. One after the other. 5.10, 5.8 warm ups and then on to a true rampage on a series of 12. These guys were on a roll.

After 7 some hours at the North Forties, it was on across the Canyon to the Roman Wall and the Far East, where Super Hero decided he wanted his spine to be tingled a bit, and it did (Spine Tingler a tough 5.12a), but as super heroes do…he held on! Kimchee cruised another 12 twice (Dirty Sanchez) and super hero followed suit.
Sherpa Sophie played with her camera and the tripod first trying to catch the ghosts of these crazy climbers with long exposures and then pointed to the sky as it was offering an extraordinary blanket of stars.
Yes the night.... it was coming and with it fatigue. By midnight Sherpa Sophie had left the team for a “nap”. See you guys in the morning. Enjoy the night. Have FUN. Right.
The camp was quieter and after making coffee for Sarah and Angie volunteering through the hard 10:00/4:00 am shift, Sherpa Sophie retired in her tent already covered with dew.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
3:45 am. A little tap on the tent. Kimchee and Super Hero are on their way to the Forties. Great see you in a few hours. Rolling over.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
6:00 am. Red light pointing on the horizon beyond the Roman wall. Sherpa Sophie wakes up. Time to go check on the boys.

Fresh! They looked (almost) fresh! Amazing! And they were still going strong. A couple more 11s...
9:45 am 40 routes each (including a dozen of 11s and 12s). CRAZY.
Sherpa Sophie was humbled and proud to have been a little part of that feat.
Next year...?
More photos here.