Thunder Bay. The Mini Trophy wall. Mt. McRay

The Mini Trophy Wall. Thunder Bay.

Chuckie's Revenge. WI6 M7ish.

The Mini Trophy Wall. Thunder Bay.

Nanibijou.  WI6X.  Two Full Pitches.  I did NOT lead!

A good deal

I was at Woodman's the other day and got a huge deal.  I bought 50 Powerade Zero's for 24 bucks.  I mix in Recoverite from Hammer for a post workout recovery drink....HEAVEN!  I am actually addicted to the mix, of 3/4 bottle of Powerade and three scoops of the powder.  The stuff really works, try it if you haven't before.

JON WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!

http://www.chesslerbooks.com/item/7504-guidebook-to-the-practice-climbing-areas-of-the-chicago-mountaineering-club-preliminary-edition-of-the-devils-lake-section-primak-1965-1st-edition.asp


So cool!  I love guidebooks and I collect them.  I especially love guidebook to my local craigs and to where I climb regularly.  The Lake is where I learned to climb 10 years ago, and call it home to this day.  I miss it when I am away for too long, and always love coming home from a climbing trip and spend my first day back on the smooth Quartzite after climbing elsewhere.

My last one...

Every time I go to Canada I get something I can't find here in the good old US of A...Cream Soda Crush. Thats Right, Cream Soda CRUSH!! They are a ton of flavors available to our Northers neighbors, but not to us. SO, this is my last can and I enjoyed it! Now, just to get back to Canada sometime soon I hope! Nipigon is calling!  UM, A TASTY BEVERAGE!

New project-Fruit boots

I went to the East Side Shoe Repair for a little help with my new project. I am having them cut the soles off an older pair of Scarpa Freney's and putting on rock shoe rubber in its place. So far so good. The one boot with the sole pulled is SUPER light and i am excited to see the next step. I am going to get a pair of Bolt on Crampons from BD for the pons. I should get the boots back in a week or so and then all I need to do is finish the job and go climbing. I will post again with how they turn out.

New Softshell for next fall

Polartec, LLC introduced Polartec NeoShell, its first waterproof/breathable fabric. NeoShell will appear in Fall 2011 collections from some of the leading outdoor apparel brands, including 66 North, Eider, Mammut, Marmot, Montura, Rab, The North Face, Vaude and Westcomb.

Polartec NeoShell is completely waterproof (10,000mm) but unlike most hardshells on the market today with zero airflow, NeoShell allows actual air permeability (0.5 CFM or 2 l/m2/sec), Polartec said. While traditional shell fabrics require heat and pressure to build inside the garment before the membrane begins to work, Polartec NeoShell breathes actively thanks to an exclusive sub-micron fiber membrane with unprecedented air permeability.

That is a small thread from SportsOneSource on the new fabric. Marmot is coming out with a shell next fall called the Zion for both Men and Women. It looks good and I can wait to actually use it on a wet Ice climb!

Hammer Time

Ah, my girlfriends Favorite Holiday, Halloween. This year I was a large Hammer. The pic above is my climbing a route @ Boulders for their annual comp/party.

Drytool comp

The Midwest's 2nd Annual
Saturday October 23rd
8:00pm
Boulders Climbing Gym
Madison, WI
$12 entry fee
Proceeds given to the
new sandstone ice park

sponsors;
BLACK DIAMOND, MARMOT, OSPREY, SOLE

Projects??? WTF, I am not a sport climber!

I don't think I want any more projects any time soon. My first "project" ever, but what might not be my last didn't end as planned. I had visions of sending, climbing strong through the crux, getting good gear and sitting on the top looking out over the valley below and down at my goal, to have climbed Thoroughfare clean to the top.

This past Sunday was my third attempt at the climb in two weeks, as I really wanted it to fall before my birthday....which is today. So, Sunday was my last chance and my internal pressure was on to send. I wanted it, wanted it bad, but didn't finish what I started a few weeks ago. Well, really, I have wanted to lead this route for a few years and I TR'd the shit out of it last year, but didn't have the head space to do it then.

So, it's the fall and it was time to finally get this over with. Needless to say, FAILURE. I got to the crux, couldn't hold on and wiped. My high cam pulled, a red C3, which then I fell on to a sideways placed small wire, which also blew and then on to an old pin. The pin HELD!!! Yay! So happy for that one, as I was about a foot of the ground when I stopped. So, only minor injuries occurred and I walked away from about a 20 footer. It was a fast ride!

Lesson learned??? Well, the last time gear pulled on me I decked and fractured my L4 and didn't climb for months, and it was ICE SEASON! So, next spring the same old goal I will have, to lead Thoroughfare clean!

The Black Hills

Earlier in the week, Kendra and I climbed in the needles in South Dakota. Very awesome place if you have never been!

We wanted to climb some old Conn routes. One of the routes that we choose to do was this; http://mountainproject.com/v/south_dakota/custer_state_park/outlets/105714734
The Conn Diagonal. If you know anything about Trad routes put up in the 50's, 5.7 can be scary, and NOT 5.7. Well, needless to say, we didn't do the whole route....when we thought we did. We did a bit of a variation of the route.

We started in the chimney to the far left of the face and traversed the whole ledge! We didn't have a guidebook with us as we were out for an adventure. So, that traverse is scary, exposed and super fun all at the same time. It is 1/2 way between climbing, crawling, sliding, and holding on for dear life. I lead the whole route and it was quite a ride. You should ask Kendra sometime for her thoughts on the route....and she was only following.

I will post some pics soon

CLIMB UP

Be there! or go and do something else, but don't just sit on your ass!

Really Really ridiculously good looking

A week ago Karen, Greg, Kendra and I climbed Grey Waves;
http://mountainproject.com/v/international/north_america/canada/105933053
Fun line, will do it again anytime!





Kendra leading the first pitch of a 5 pitch route. It was all bolted and with fun roof moves to climb on two of the pitches, it made for a nice evening after work. The haze in the background is the smoke pouring over the range form the fires in BC. There was smoke all the way into Calgary last week, I am happy it is gone now!

I can see your Tetons from here

A few weeks ago I spent a just over a week in the Tetons. This photo is of Polly, from SLC climbing the 4th pitch of the Lower Exum. A group of 5 of us attempted the complete Exum ridge car to car. We got shut down by wet rock and ice on the route. The night before it snowed about 2-4cm on the mountain and made the ledges icy and the faces wet. We bailed off climbers left to on a ledge system that takes you to the start of Wall street.

Check out some of Matt's photo's here;
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff76/LawnmowerBeer/I%20can%20see%20your%20Tetons%20from%20here/?start=all
Earlier in the week a group of 5 of us, Three "Cheesedicks" and 2 "FIBs" made the top of the Grand via the Direct Petzodlt ridge. The route was super fun with the cruxes no harder than 8. I led the first three pitches, Adam from Chitown lead the rest of the ridge, then we unroped to the top via the upper Exum.

happy to be on the top and done with the last belay...

Kendra and I one top of her first Mountain.

It was cold.

N. Face of Athabasca

The other day Kendra and I climbed a classic North Face route in the Canadian Rockies, one of my most favorite mountain ranges. This was my "4th" attempt at this peak, weather shut use down twice and another party of 4 the on the first attempt.

Kendra and I climbed a variation of the classic route. We took the obvious line in the center of the picture. The original line was the snow covered rock ramp to the right. I think it went at WI 4- M4, My first ice lead of the new season! AWESOME

Old pic from the Tetons-Aug 2009

Open book, a fantastic route on Disappointment peak. A must do if you want to do some craging in the range. It goes at 6 or 7 pitches, with the crux @ a solid 8.

DL, before the rain

Was a good day today climbing on the west bluff in new places that I havent climbed before. We went to the the west end and Hollywood & Vines area. I tyred to lead a nice but short 10a. Couldn't figure out the last move on lead, but managed to fire it on the next try on TR. Burt finished the lead to put up the rope. If I ever go back, I will have to resend it on the sharp end.

Scarpa shoe Demo

Scarpa and 5.10 shoe demo this friday @ Boulders climbing gym. 5pm till close.

Check it out, Nic will be there, and that will be worth the drive!

Marmot S'11 sneek peak

Something that I saw a month ago, a new sleeping bag collection coming from Marmot. A 15 and 30 deg 900 fill sleeping bags. The 15 deg is under 2 pounds with a full side zip, very cool! I want one NOW!!!

We also have some new very light weigh H20 Proof jkts and pants, some cool new tents(and colors!?!) and some new SS jtks to round out a great Spring Line.

RMNP May 2010

One of the Routes that Bryan and i climbed was Central Gully on Powel Peak. It goes at III AI3 M4. It was about that, with very short cruxes and steep snow. Fun climb!

BIRKIE!!!

Wll, I took an hour off of last years Time!!! Very happy with the results, 5 hours and 8 minutes. Looks like a new goal for next year, sub 5 hours...4:30 or 4:45 would be nice. It was a "fun" 54 Kms in what I felt at times, a slow track where the sun was baking it.

Mr. Single Push!

My first movie!

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6064571

my first movie