FA ethics - FRFM and Sharma

Intriguing discussion about FRFM, Sharma's current project in Spain. You've probably seen it in Big UP (Progression, King Lines). Sharma's apparently close. Nalle Hukkataival, a Finnish powerhouse boulderer, apparently traveled to Spain specifically to try the project and touched off an interweb firestorm dicussion when he mentioned that he basically, "wasn't allowed to try it."

See Nalle's post here (read the comments). Sharma actually wrote a long explanation here. Finally, Nalle has also responded on Bjornpohl's site.

I enjoyed both perspectives. Personally, I think the bolter deserves some time to try for the FA, but the gray area is "within reason." How long exactly the bolter/setter/opener/cleaner is allowed to try for the FA is a good question. Shades of Girl Talk in CO with Dave Graham and of course many minor disputes at local crags. I do think Nalle has a valid point that if Sharma's asking for more time but is letting a couple buddies try it with him, how is Nalle not supposed to feel strangely excluded? Perhaps Sharma felt Nalle had a legit chance of sending it and not Andrada and Graham? Or maybe he didn't mind an old buddy snagging it, which is different from allowing another top climber to snag the glory. Sharma made good points too.

By the way, the climbing media seems to be pumping up some sort of rivalry/bad blood situation, but I don't think that's the case. Everyone chill!

Banff World Tour Film Fest

Is coming to town next week at the Science Center Omnimax! We're headed there on Wed/Thurs. Here's the preview (check out the last 20 sec if you don't have time for the whole thing - I think it's CG enhanced, or I hope it is. Unreal.). I'm pretty excited to see Honnold's solo of Half-Dome. I haven't had a chance to see it yet.


The Wednesday lineup of movies:
Wednesday, March 31 Schedule:

Deep/Shinsetsu -
Focus: Skiing
Description: Set to the music of indie-folk artist, José Gonzales, Deep/Shinsetsu captures in three minutes the essence of Japan’s bottomless powder skiing.

Finding Farley - WINNER OF GRAND PRIZE & PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS
Focus: Adventure, Canoeing, Family-friendly (note: some nudity)
Description: When filmmakers Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison, along with their two-year-old son Zev and indomitable dog Willow, set out to retrace the literary footsteps of Farley Mowat, they meant it literally. Finding Farley ended up being a 5000-kilometre trip -- trekking, sailing, portaging and paddling from the Prairies to the Maritimes. The family's arrival at their final destination (Mowat's Nova Scotian summer home) was, as Karsten says, "an affirmation of what the land and animals had already told us". "Stories aren't so much written or created as they are released, expressing what's been there all along."

First Ascent - Alone on the Wall
Focus: Climbing, Free solo climbing
Description: New from renowned climbing filmmakers, Sender Films, First Ascent: Alone on the Wall follows 24-year-old Alex Honnold as he readies himself for an unbelievable challenge: the first free-solo of the ‘Regular Northwest Face’ route (VI, 5.12a, 23 pitches) on Yosemite’s Half Dome.

Kranked – Revolve - PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD RADICAL REELS NIGHT
Focus: Mountain Biking
Description: Kranked – Revolve is a high-adrenaline mountain bike journey from the insane Megavalanche race in the French Alps to the lush coast of British Columbia, incorporating dirt jump, trail, freeride, slopestyle and downhill riding.

MedeoZ
Focus: Multi-sport, Humor, Family-friendly
Description: Filmed and edited in just five days at the 2008 Nissan Outdoor Games in Chamonix, MedeoZ is the story of a photographer’s mission to capture six mountain sports in a single shot. As the world class climber, skier, snowboarder, speed rider, paraglider, and BASE jumper race to meet one another, Guillaume Broust readies himself for the perfect moment to close the shutter.

Mont-Blanc Speed Flying
Focus: Speed riding, Family-friendly
Description: An excerpt from the sequel to the 1980s cult ski film Apocalypse Snow, Mont-Blanc Speed Flying is a breathtaking continuous shot that follows a group of six speed riders from the upper slopes of Mont Blanc down to Chamonix.

Jackson Falls - Day Trip, March 20, 2010

From Jackson Falls 3-20-10

Climbers - Craig, Calvin, Sophie, Meghan, Yoli & Christian
Weather - Cool and partly sunny

"It's the Tiger! The Tiger got me!"
"Why'd you fall? I thought you might flash it."
"Tiger Claw! My right arm was gone, the Tiger took it. I couldn't feel my hand."

--snippets of conversation after Christian came down from Detox Mtn and here's a pic of what prompted the conversation:

From Jackson Falls 3-20-10

Beautiful day of climbing. Congrats are due for Meg for flashing Cheerio Bowl, .10a at Pricker Peak. Craig got Detox Mountain, .12a second go and almost sent Cowboys and Crossdressers .12a five different times. Boy's got some endurance!

Craig and I hopped down Friday night and camped. Very enjoyable to get back outdoors. The only part marring our experience was finally getting past some stoned guy walking in the middle of the freeway by I-64 where it splits from I-55/70; he was forcing cars to go 5 mph around him.

Soph and Meg arrived early the next morning and Yoli and Christian had also arrived the night before (I missed seeing them though). We headed down to the Monument and started climbing from left to right Stubborn Swede 5.8, Unclaimed 5.9 (tricky) and finally Lothlorien .10a (very tricky but really cool). Props to Soph for getting on Lothlorien and sending it on TR. There are a couple of heady moves and she solved them all quickly. Soph on Lothlorien .10a:

From Jackson Falls 3-20-10

Afterwards, we alternated on Cheerio Bowl, classic .10a, then headed over to Detox, with Craig putting the draws on that. To the right is The Farmer, .12a and I put the draws on that. TF has a fun layback flake for about 4 bolts, then a nice rest before a crimpy and powerful crux (the way I did it). Craig honed beta and sent Detox second go, and I was able to manage an ugly send second go on TF. Later I found out that Yoli did a nice job finding new beta making it sound easier (or I think she's just a really good climber) and Christian almost flashed it - skipping the last bolt and falling at the anchors. Yoli on Unclaimed 5.9:

From Jackson Falls 3-20-10

Christian is probably twice as big as Yoli, so his whipper, which I didn't see, took him below the first bolt. Big ride!

Meg, Yoli and Soph and took turns on Detox, while Yoli also tried The Farmer. That's when Craig and I headed over to Cowboys. Meg and Soph eventually joined and worked Southern Inquisition, .10b. SI is another climb I tried 4-5 years ago with Thom and didn't send, so it was nice to get back on it at the end of the day and get to enjoy each sequence - overhang to bulge to an enjoyable slab move or three. Very nice.

It was getting late, so Yoli, Christian, Meg and Soph all headed back, while Craig and I headed over to Lovely Tower to hit my nemesis, Lovely Arete, .11a. I watched Dave (last name?), an older guy just smoke it on TR, and got some interesting beta. Beta or not, I think there's an unavoidable thuggy move in the middle. This time I took a deep breath, committed, and got the darn send. Craig worked it a couple times and we called it a day.

Here are some extra pics.

Vid - The Hobbit V5

So it's a dreary weather day. Some people have probably just finished running in the St. Patrick's Day 5 mile run downtown in St. Louis, while I just got back from Costco. :) I'd much rather be out climbing, but everything is sopping wet.

I noticed this vid a while ago - it's one of the better climbing videos I've seen of someone just trying a project over and over and going through the process of attempting to send. It's good. Check it out.

http://deadpointmag.com/videos/watch/hobbit-v5-rocktown

RETURN TO THE FALLS - SAT March 6

Climbers:
Katie, Tony, Sophie
and a little later, Christian and Yoli.

Ah yes it was a return indeed. It had been a while for all of us. For me I had not seen the Falls since I had to take a forced 5 months break from climbing last July. I believe it was the same for Tony who plunged into nursing school at the beginning of the fall with very little respite. And for Katie (we met her and her husband Scott at the gym a while ago. Great people) it was just her second time there.

The earliest we could leave town we would and indeed we were on the road a bit after 6:00 am. Perfect day, not a cloud a sky. A true celebration for our (great!) comeback!
At the Cheerio Bowl by 9:30 or so, we ignored Tony's wining (He He) that it was not sunny enough there and gave him the sharp end to put the draws on the classic 10a. Half way through, where one can take a break in the "bowl" we could hear him blow air in his frozen hands.
"Give me a minute Sof. Cannot feel my fingers"
"Oh yeah by the way I brought some hand warmers" I remembered.
And Katie gets them out my bag and proceed to put one in my chalk bag and one in hers... with Tony perched and frozen looking on.
"You guys are sweet and oh so helpful"
:)

I lead it after Tony and had to hang in the first 1/3 my hands turning into wood.
Did I see a smirk on Tony's face?

Katie decided she was not going to have any of that freezing craziness, and we moved on to the sunny side, towards Kill Bill (10a exposed slab) and a 10b we had never climbed: Southern Inquisition.
Katie decided to lead up Kill Bill and did fantastic till the 4th draw where she thought that was A LOT of scary slab exposure for a "warm-up". She had been quite impressive through that first half. She backed out deciding to return to it later.

I tried to lead up Southern Inquisition, a really fun 10b but oh so exposed, with a hang start. Powerful moves at the start on good holds lead me to a point where I felt all the outdoor exposure demons come upon me. I backed out. Tony sent it and Katie followed suit on TR. I went back to it later on to lead it again and finished it.
Yes indeed I had to get my "outdoor'head" back on.

Tony moved on to Space Cowboy, a beautiful 12a line, and worked it trying to remember a pretty subtile beta. It will go next time.
Yoli and Christian hooked up with us and Christian cleaned it on TR. Great work to both of the guys.

In the meantime Katie was exploring, climbing away all she could put her feet and hands on (Possum Grits 9+, Whee Dodgies 8, adn Katie did (ha ha) 9...)

Tony convinced me to get back on my nemesis in that area, a route which has stumped me for the past 3 years or so: Condor, an 11c which starts casually to "hit" you with a mean reachy exposed move towards the top. YUP it was not to be that day. Same story. I tried and tried. Even went back to it on TR after Tony sent it .... Nope. I got one more move, but to no avail. Katie got on it as well on TR and got spitted out in the same spot. And yes Tony did make a few noises going through that sequence. His girly voice might have come to the surface!

We finished a beautiful day with Courthouse, a great 10c where the crux is right at the end. Katie almost flashed it. She fells once a the last move. She'll crush it next time.

What a great day it was. The top of the cliffs were skirted with ice falls and long icicles were dripping all day. I had forgotten my camera, and really regretted it. The ice formations were spectacular (and the dog walk descent had turned into an ice climbing wall! FUN!).
We all felt blessed to be out there enjoying the great things Nature can offer us.

Batteries recharged!

Sof

Jackson Falls - March 7, 2010

Climbers - Yusuf, Dane, Meg, Angie & Calvin
Weather - overcast/sunny, schizophrenic but good

Update - Here are some pics.

The weather couldn't decide on overcast, sprinkles or outright sun, but the warmth more than made up for it.

In other news, a shout-out to Dane for sending Hidden Treasure, his first outdoor .12a send on a quick Friday trip to the Falls with Yusuf. Nice job!!

We warmed up at Spleef again, this time doing a few routes and catching up with some folks there from the gym as well as the Chancellors. It was a busy day at the Falls. Meg got on Master Marley, .10a, and sent it cleanly on lead. Congrats to Meg on her first clean, outdoor send, and a .10a at that!

From Jackson Falls 3-7-10

We then headed over to BattleAxe Tower and got on The Sophomore, 5.9, and met a nice couple from Urbana, IL, Kevin and his gf (didn't catch her name). They are graduating in May and are going to guide in WVA - look for them in Fayetteville.

Meanwhile, Yusuf hopped on this hard looking thing to the right of Void Warrior (.11d?), which probably goes at solid .12. It's relatively newly bolted and not in the book. The crux move involves a nice 3 finger pocket sidepull, setting your feet and launching to a right-handed pocket. I captured some pics and will post those later. From there, you definitely have some more work to do for a few more bolts. Dane also worked on it, but no sends.

From Jackson Falls 3-7-10

I put the draws up on The Reckoning, .11d, and although it felt easier than the time I tried it a couple of years ago, it still felt hard. Rumor has it that it was rated .12a until Schmick (FA) climbed it in his tennies and declared that no .12a could be .12a if he climbed it in his tennies. Bastard. :)

I wanted to rest, so we walked over to Beaver Wall, with Meg and Ang hoping to climb the 5.8 to the left of Flinging Hog and then FH, .11a. Alas, both were taken. I'd like to mention that the 5.8 was taken by a guy who cut in front of us and then said he had 3 friends waiting to climb it. This guy then waiting 25 effing minutes before his friends showed up. Ridiculous, rude and completely asinine! Meg & Ang ended up on Chimichanga, 5.8, but apparently it's not that enjoyable.

We headed back over to The Reckoning, which I sent with some effort (blowing air like a lathered horse being run to death) and offered Dane a belay. Dane asked for a little beta, then promptly flashed the route! Hiked the damn thing looking like he was strolling through the park. Congrats dude, major accomplishment! And just after climbing his first outdoor .12a too! I'm thinking Dane has lots of upwards potential. :)

Meg/Yusuf/Dane had to head out early around 2:30pm, so Ang and I walked back to the Gallery after packing up and got on Earthbound Misfits, .10a. Angie decided to put the draws up, then came down, rested a bit, and fired it next go. Nice job!! Ang displayed a strong lead head, resting above bolts, pulling the crux, and shaking out at the last bolt for several minutes trying to remember beta before successfully topping out. Very impressive.

I finished out the day climbing EM and Psychotherapy a couple times to work some pump, then we headed home. Super fun day.

Jackson Falls - Feb 28, 2010

Climbers - Yusuf, Dane, Jen and Calvin
Weather - sunny and crisp

Team Saucisson is back outside! Rumor has it that Soph, Tony and some friends made it outside on Sat, so another TR should be up soon.

Last weekend on Feb 28, Yusuf, Dane, Jen and I were out at the Falls and had a great time. We climbed at Spleef, getting on some of the 5.9's and .10a moderates there (all slab, more slab) and wandered over to Big Starr Wall. On the way, Dane and Jen climbed Greg's Chicken Shack (name?) 5.6 or 5.7 slab. Yusuf put up Mary's Cookie's, 5.11d, which is the right-most climb at Big Starr, I think. MC is a fun climb, but very cruxy. It'd shut me down a couple years ago as I tried to thug my way past the crux and fell numerous times.

This time I benefited from Yusuf's beta (the slab-master), and sent it second go. MC has a heady second clip, which requires easier moves but blowing it would most certainly result in a deck from about 25 feet. Afterwards, you negotiate a nice couple of cruxes before doing a fun, but unsteady hand-foot match at the end and standing up without touching the wall. You don't really have to do that, but you do when the last 20+ feet are wet. Afterwards, Dane worked it on TR, Yusuf climbed Galaxy 5000 .12a/b and we headed to Lovely Tower. Yusuf and I climbed Fine Nine, and Dane worked Hidden Treasure, .12a, taking some nice whippers. Awesome. I screwed up Lovely Arete (again), .11a. I swear, climbing that thing when you're tired really sucks. Yusuf says it's one of the best, if not the best .11 in the Falls, but I have to disagree. :) And we called it a lovely day after it got dark.

Vid - The Raven V12

From Vimeo, via the Narc's site:

This is a great vid, more for the climber's reaction than the actual climb, which looks like a one or two-move wonder. Priceless. You ever react like this after sending? I have. Sorta. :)

Untitled from Nicros Club-JA on Vimeo.

Bouldering Grades V15? - Updated with Vid

There's an interesting discussion on Jamie Emerson's site about the validity of the V15 grade. Or, more accurately, how are we able to figure out if a combination of two problems, say V7 into V14, actually deserves V15? Read the comments, along with interesting input from Dave Graham, who has climbed Esperanza and considers it soft V14 at best.

Here's a link to the vid on Deadpointmag.

Nice video, but the level of photography (listen for the all shutters going off in the background) seemed a bit surreal. He's just climbing a rock, right?

I think the discussion is silly. Why? Because to translate it to something I know, bouldering at a very low level, I've never heard of people breaking down a V5 or V7 into 2 distinct parts of say, V3 into V4 = V5 or maybe V6. People just state their opinion and we're left with exactly that, an opinion. I understand it's more interesting to debate ground-breaking grades, but it's all a waste of time to me. Maybe you think differently though, and I can respect that.

Yesterday was a great day out at the Falls, I'll post something soon.