I've gotta admit, after six weeks of climbing without a harness, roped climbing is a lot of work. Six weeks is the longest I have gone without route climbing in my entire climbing life. After Bishop we were planning on climbing two days at The Virgin River Gorge and I was a little worried about my fitness. Climbing at The Virgin River Gorge is hard for me and my only saving grace in the past has been my endurance. With no endurance I wasn't sure how I'd fare. I'm happy to say though that I feel like the strength and power I gained bouldering has transfered to routes pretty well.

We arrived in Las Vegas really late on Sunday night, actually Monday morning. Since we had to pick Kenny up from the airport early Monday we decided to just sleep near the airport. After collecting Kenny we went for a quick breakfast at an IHOP where we briefly met up with Bill Ramsey. After that we drove out to the VRG to do some climbing. Audrey decided that six days of climbing in a row was enough and passed on climbing with Kenny and I. We hiked up and I was happy that I tied my knot correctly first try. I tried a long 5.13b to warm up, it starts up a 5.11, and didn't make it that far into the upper section before starting to get pumped and letting go. Kenny did the same route but worked it to the top, fortunately for me since there was no chalk up there and Kenny found some good beta, and chalked the holds up. For some reason I thought I should try Dude as my second route. This was the route I worked two days in early January, my last time in a harness. Amazingly I remembered the hand sequence and could make up the foot sequence well enough to get through the bottom part. All the bouldering paid immediate dividends since it was this bottom part that crushed me last month. I wasn't expecting to get through the bottom part and actually had never climbed the middle section of the climb and the transition into some upper climbing that I had done (everything criss-crosses). I probably should've fallen but I willed myself to an upper rest but I couldn't recover. My forearms felt like lead weights and no amount of stretching or shaking seemed to help. I relied on my technique to get me to the top and managed to finish it off. Next up I tried Dark Boy with Kenny's beta. It worked but I was left to onsight/flash the upper part again with blood filled forearms. Again I managed to redpoint it but that was it for me. I was spent. Kenny wasn't feeling to psyched either after waking up at 4am east coast time and flying a few hours. We called it a day after less than three hours at the cliff, after all we were planning on climbing the next day.

On Tuesday Audrey joined us but had to run back to town after leaving her jacket in the hotel so she was a little delayed getting her day started. Again Kenny and I warmed up in roughly the same fashion but this time I added a 12c onsight as my second route. I wanted to try F-Dude, a route that starts up Dude, crosses up through the crux of Dark Boy, and finishes up the hard, technical and scary Fall Of Man. After the previous day I was sore and wasn't overly optimistic about my chances. On my first attempt I managed to get through the bottom of Dude again but fell in the crux of Dark Boy. That move is hard for me and I was just too pumped an unable to recover. I tried to work the moves leading into Fall Of Man but was so tired they just felt desperate. Actually the moves into it weren't too bad but the crux moves of Fall Of Man just felt really, really hard. I lowered off exhausted. Kenny set about trying Don't Call Me Dude, his project from last time. On his first attempt he made it up through the lower crux and almost to the first rest. Not bad for a first try. His second attempt was cut short by bad conditions (a slight drop in wind or increase in temperature is really noticeable) and his third try he managed to repeat his high point from the last time. I'm sure he'll do it soon. Audrey stretched out and scared herself a little by getting off-route on a technical, classic route up there. Not sure where to go she took, figured it out and then redpointed with ease. After a long rest I tried F-Dude again. I actually felt better going through the bottom part since I knew exactly what to do now and almost felt some recovery below the crux of Dark Boy. It only took a few moves before getting tired again and pulling the crux of Dark Boy took sheer will and determination. Honestly I should've just let go. After that it was a fight for every move up Fall Of Man. I had been on the upper section once before when it was freezign cold and couldn't remember a damn thing. I had to up and down climb sections, re-onsighting it and sure I was going to fall at any moment. I felt sick in my stomach from breathing so hard and I was trying to shake out every move. I could barely pull the rope up to clip the anchors and immediately sagged back into my harness. Rope Climbing is a lot of work!

Today I'm flying up to Alaska to do some routesetting and a few clinics. Should be fun although the weather looks really, really cold...

While Hueco has it's own unique desert beauty it just does not compare to being surrounded by the Eastern Sierras in the town of Bishop. Maybe it's just me but I love waking up in the morning and seeing the snow on the mountains. The fact that the bouldering in the Buttermilks is simply amazing helps as well. It's alot easier to take photos when bouldering so I've put quite a few in this post. Clicking on them starts a slideshow. Enjoy.

We left El Paso around noon last Monday and headed west for California. We drove about 10 hours and stopped in Joshua Tree National Park for the night. I had never been to Joshua Tree and was interested in seeing some of the legendary stone in the morning. We awoke pretty early and drove through the park. I had no idea where the climbing was but we drove past tons of rock formations, stopping occasionally to take photos. Our goal for the day was to make it up to Bishop and maybe get some bouldering in but I thought a little bouldering in J-Tree wouldn't be so bad either. As it turns out we didn't stop where there were any obvious boulder problems and before we knew it we were out of the park and headed towards Bishop. No big deal. We arrived in Bishop around 2:30 and headed straight for The Buttermilks. Starting up Buttermilk Rd it didn't look like there would be that much snow up there but about half a kilometer from the designated parking area we were forced to admit that the snow was too deep to drive the van through. We parked on the side of the road and hiked the remaining distance. The sun was out and it was cool but nice. The last time I was in Bishop was in 2002, and I didn't remember that much. We walked through The Buttermilks looking at boulder problems and finally decided to warm up near Ironman Traverse. We played on a few problems there, did Ironman and then I wanted to walk over and look at The Mandala, a simply amazing looking V12 that was probably above my ability but I wanted to try it. I stacked some pads and surprised myself by doing the first move after a few attempts. The second hold felt really small and I knew that would be the crux but still I was excited to be able to even hold it. I didn't try too hard this first day since the sun was going down and it was quickly getting cold. We headed into the town of Bishop, bought some groceries and made our way out to The Pit to camp for the night.

Wednesday morning was a little cloudy and windy but we did meet up with Jean-Hugues and Karine, our friends from Quebec whom we had met in Hueco. I also ran into Etienne Poirier, a friend from Calgary who was down for a little while. Since it was cooler today we decided to forego The Buttermilks and climb in The Happy Boulders. For some reason I don't like The Happies, I've only been there two days in my life and both days I've had bad experiences. Today we hiked in and almost immediately the wind kicked up and started blowing sand around. I couldn't see anything. The wind died down for a short while and we were able to warm up but then it started back up and made life pretty miserable. I'm sure it would have been much worse up at The Buttermilks but the experience tainted my attitude towards The Happies a little more. We left in a sandstorm and could barely navigate our vehicle into Bishop for dinner.

It was sunny and cool on Thursday (Valentine's Day) and the forecast called for more wind but we decided to try The Buttermilks anyway. The snow as a little lower and we were able to drive an extra couple hundred feet but still not quite up to the boulders. It was sunny while we warmed up which was nice but then quickly clouded over and with just a slight breeze it was very cold. Audrey wanted to try a problem called Bowling Pin, actually she wanted to do the low V8 start that I don't know the name of. It was in the shade and bitterly cold over there. I played on and managed to do the problem but with freezing hands and numb feet it was not a pleasant experience. Audrey was getting cold as well and while other people in the party tried the problem in between her attempts she just got more and more cold. She managed to link the upper problem and the scary topout (especially with numb feet) but wasn't psyched to try the lower part. Our group then moved over to try Soul Slinger, a classic V8/9 that I did last time I was here. I managed to repeat it second try and was still on the top of the boulder when Jean-Hugues redpointed it as well. It didn't take long to get cool in between attempts and while I still had some blood flowing I went over to try The Mandala. Again I was able to stick the first move pretty quickly but sticking it and pulling off the crux crimp are two different things. At one point my foot blew off the starting hold and I catapulted backwards, hitting my head pretty hard on the crashpad, biting my tongue and giving myself a little whiplash. No big deal, just a little blood in the mouth. Fortunately the crew from Soulslinger showed up and loaned me a few extra crash pads. With their moral support I tried a few more times and made the crux move twice. Once my feet slipped and I fell quickly but the other time I actually hit a hold up high and right but couldn't feel my hands and fell trying to adjust on it! SO CLOSE! I was really cold and called it quits, maybe next day. The whole crew then marched on down to Evilution, a boulder problem famous for the scary topout. Last time I was here I watched Jordan Wright climb the whole thing but my goal today was to just climb to the lip and drop from there. After a few attempts to remember my beta I was able to link the bottom part. The first move is the crux and a few of the others were trying it but with the sun setting and the wind picking up it became too cold really fast. We hiked out and went for a romantic Valentine's dinner of pizza, but topped off with some amazing desserts. It was supposed to drop to -10 degrees celcius overnight so I decided it was a good night to get a hotel and do some work the following day.

Sure enough, on Friday I spent the day split between the library and a local coffee shop. Audrey went up to The Buttermilks with Jean-Hugues and Karine. They said the weather was perfect and all came back quite tired. We finished off the day by going back to the campsite, cooking dinner and hanging out around a campfire.

On Saturday I tried to wake up early. I wanted to get up to The Buttermilks before it got too warm to try The Mandala. Unfortunately in the Californian sun it doesn't take long for the rock to warm up. By the time we had eaten breakfast and driven up to the boulders it was already hot. We warmed up but I didn't bother trying The Mandala. I figured I would wait until the sun set behind the mountains and the air cooled. I spent the day walking around, taking photos and doing some classic routes such as High Plains Drifter and Saigon. Audrey was on her fifth day in a row and warmed up on Ironman Traverse before trying Ten Pin Trial, Saigon, and trying to repeat High Plains Drifter

Just before the sun set I started warming up again and getting ready to try The Mandala. The change in temperature as soon as the sun set was amazing. While the rock was still a little warm the air cooled fast. I stretched for a bit then a group of people gathered around and pretty soon I had about 10 crash pads and 20 people watching. I honestly felt a little pressure to deliver a performance and I wasn't sure I'd be able to. I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold the crux crimp again. I felt nervous under the climb but slowly stepped up to the base of the climb, chalked about and prepared to get on. I stepped on the rock and the first few holds felt good. I moved my left hand to the undercling and shifted my left foot up. I could feel the right foot well, lowered my body and pushed for the crimp. I hit it well, not perfect but pretty good. I moved my left foot up again and quickly moved my left hand to the next crimp. I barely hit it and my foot slipped off the wall. I had to scream and fought to control my swing. Quickly I placed my right foot on the wall, grabbed a right hand intermediate and sighted the incut crimp up higher. This was the move I had fallen on previously. I concentrated on my breathing and launched for the crimp, hitting it perfectly. In unknown territory I placed my left foot on the first foothold I could see. I had to fumble a bit with my hands but fortunately the holds were pretty good. I crossed over to a sharp hold and touched an intermediate before reaching far left to a good incut hold. Again another quick match, paste the left foot and reach up to the jug at the lip of the route. I had done it! I had redpointed The Mandala! As I topped out my hands were in pain, cold from crimping so hard and I felt sore in my entire upper body. It took me a few minutes before I had feeling returned to my hands and could downclimb. Filled with excitement I wanted to try a nearby route called Pope's Prow a notoriously technical V6. With some crash pads lying around the bottom I failed miserably getting off the ground a few times and then finally made it about midway up the route. From this position it became scary and hard! My hands were sweating from the effort and adrenaline on Mandala and the rock was warm. I don't know what my feet were pasted on and I was struggling with every move. It felt way harder than The Mandala and I was happy to get it over with. This deserved Mexican food and a cold beer.

Sunday morning we said goodbye and goodluck to Jean-Hugues and Karine as they were flying to New Zealand this week and we set off for The Buttermilks. To our amazement and pleasure we ran into Marshal German from Edmonton in the parking lot. He had driven down from Edmonton and this was his first day in The Buttermilks. After warming up we gave him a bit of a tour. He did Soul Slinger second try, tried Buttermilker Traverse for a bit and then we headed down to try the classic highball Evilution. Marshal tried it for a bit and while he was resting I decided to try it again and managed to repeast it second try. Marshal then made it through the crux but fell up high and finally decided to wait for the sun to set. Before the sun set I managed to convince Audrey to try Soul Slinger so I could get some photos. She cruised up and down the first few moves looking strong but not wanting to fall. Her legs were sore from six days of bouldering and dropping off high boulder problems. As soon as the sun went down it got much cooler and Marshal tried Evilution again. This time he commited to the throw up high, stuck it and finished off the problem to the lip. To finish off the day I played on The Buttermilker with a friend from Las Vegas named Elliot and I flashed Moonraker, a fun V9 just to the right. It was a long drive that night to Las Vegas where we'll meet up with Kenny Barker tomorrow.

So my vacation from rope climbing is over and my time bouldering has come to an end. I was psyched to finish it off with a redpoint of such a classic hard problem as The Mandala. I definitely feel stronger than I did a month ago and it'll be interesting to see how well the new strength, power and technique transfer over to sport climbing.

Well the decision has finally been made and we are leaving El Paso tomorrow. It has gotten quite a bit busier here and we don't have reservations. While we could get into the park late on most days it is getting warmer and Audrey really just wants to climb a lot and try to get back into shape. So we are headed to Bishop for a week or so to meet up with some friends and soak up the Californian lifestyle for a bit.

Audrey was really sick when she got back from her cousin's wedding last Sunday and slept literally all day Monday. On Tuesday we went out to the park but it was really cold and Audrey was in no shape to climb so we didn't stay long. Wednesday was much nicer. Audrey still didn't want to climb but was willing to hike out and spot me on some problems. I warmed up at the top of the chains and even saw Audrey leave the ground on a few problems with her street shoes on. After warming up we went over to Babyface and Daily Dick Dose to warm up a bit more. After that I walked over to Sarah. A problem I tried a week or so ago but tweaked my knee on and hadn't been back on it since. Fortunately it was still quite cool today and the holds felt pretty good. I tried it once without actually doing the first move (the knee tweaker) and made it up onto the slab. I then rested a bit and tried it from the ground. Fortunately I did the moves first try without weighting my knee too badly and this time didn't screw up and fall off the slab. After that I walked over to Diaphenous Sea to play on it for awhile. I had a few extra pads and really tried to do the throw but just can't quite commit to sticking the hold over the lip. I tried the knee drop method a few times and was able to stick the hold over the lip so I think that's how I'm going to proceed. I played on Diaphenous Sea for about an hour until my tips and fingers were screaming. Since I was nearby Luthor I walked over to it and played on the bottom moves. Within a few minutes I had a sequence and tried it from the start a few times. I made it onto Chablanke three times but was tired from climbing already and my skin was slipping off the holds so I gave up. That and some annoying people showed up to work Choir Boys. To finish off the day Benoit, Sasha and I went and destroyed ourselves on Loaded Direct. Even at the end of the day I was able to stick the first move, move my feet but I couldn't catch the next hold with any body tension. Maybe later...

Thursday was a rest day and again Audrey slept most of it but by Friday she was feeling much better and wanted to get up early to get cooler conditions on the mountain. Somehow though when that alarm went off at 6:30 she still didn't roll out of bed until 9. It was definitely warm by the time we got to the park and really hot after warming up and making our way up to McBain. Audrey looked strong earlier on Baby Martini and looked strong on McBain as well but was unable to link the moves today. She tried a few different sequences but ended up sticking with her old beta. Since it was hot on the south side we hiked over to Mopboys, a long 40+ move V6 boulder problem. Looking at it I thought it would be easy but it had some hard moves on it. In addition there were a few places where you had to try really hard to prevent yourself from touching the ground. Still it was pretty cool to climb for that long again. Heck, I even got pumped! I then walked down to Luthor to play on that again. It was much cooler down there and the rock actually felt good. First try I fell on the crux move of Chablanke, just didn't get the pinch right. Second try I fell just after hitting the left hold, literally came flying off of the rock and knocked my chalk bag over, sending chalk all over the place. Third try I linked through the crux of Chablanke and almost fell on the first move of Sign Of The Cross but I managed to relax a bit and finish it off. Feeling pretty good I hiked over to Diaphenous Sea and as the sun was setting I fired off a few tries. I could grab the intermediate over the lip and just tag the big hold but I couldn't latch it. I must've tagged it four or five times from the ground. Not bad for the end of the day.

On Saturday we planned to go up to Carlsbad Cavern's, a national park about 2.5 hours away. There was a hole crew of us going; Benoit and Claudia, Sasha and Margaret, Ghislain and Nadia with their son Louis-Felix and then Alex, Sid and Louis along with Audrey and I. The drive there was pretty awesome. At one point you rise up out of the desert near Guadalupe Mountain National Park. From there you can see out across the desert to the south. When we arrived at Carlsbad Cavern's we bought our tickets and walked over to the entrance looking for a "Big hole in the ground" as one of the rangers put it. Boy they weren't kidding. I've been to quite a few national parks and I have to say that this was one of the most impressive. The entrance to the cave is not that big but once inside it took us a few hours to explore it. There are lights and a walkway everywhere which diminishes the 'natural' feeling but I think they've done a pretty good job of highlighting the amazing features within the cave. I couldn't take enough photos and the lighting made the ones I did take hard to capture many of the best features. I alternated between using my flash and taking long exposures with a tri-pod. I've only put a few of the photos here but will try to create a dedicated page for them.

After leaving the cavern we raced down to the desert below Guadalupe Mountains National Park for a photo shoot. Benoit saw some white sand as we drove in and wanted to get some photos down there as the sun was setting. We arrived literally seconds late as the sun was just leaving the white sand. I was still impressed with the lighting though and think some of the photos turned out really well. I'm sure Benoit's photos are much better and I hope to see them published someday.

We tried to climb today but without reservations the park was full. It was also really warm and while we were waiting Audrey put forth the idea of getting out of Hueco and heading for Bishop. At least there we won't have to deal with the reservation limitations.

So we are on our way out. We've been here five weeks in total, longer than I would've expected and I have to say I've had a great time. I've been able to work quite a bit, boulder three or four days per week and I feel like I've gotten a bit stronger. Prior to this trip I had done one V11 in my life and on this trip I have done two V12s and four V11s, I figure at least one of those has to be solid for the grade. I feel bad for Audrey. In December she was climbing really well. She took a bit of a break over new years and then got really sick when we first got here. After getting over that she was just getting back into shape when this second round of sickness hit her. I'm hoping she feels better in Bishop.

Woohoo! I'm psyched! Last week I managed to tick off Right Martini, a problem I have worked almost every day since we got here this year. Apparently my new aerodynamic haircut paid off. I'm just glad I didn't fall past the crux throw, there's still another 10-12 move V7 after it. While it was definitely hard for me I don't really think it deserves V12, but it falls into my +/-3 three system I use for boulder grades. As long as the grade of a route is within 3 Vgrades of how it feels I don't argue too much. I've been on tons of V3s that feel like V6, V10s that feel like V7, etc... and personally I think Right Martini is somewhere in the V10/V11 range so within 3 Vgrades of V12. In an effort to try and catch JJ Mah in the bouldering standings I'll take V12 :)

It was pretty windy and cold last Monday so we didn't climb, just another boring day spent working in El Paso. On Tuesday we headed out to the park and it was Audrey's last day before she had to fly to Indiana for a wedding. Her goal was McBain and after warming up we headed up there. She looks so strong on that problem it's unbelievable but her foot keeps coming off right after a long move and she can't control the swing. Once she actually hit the long move, kept the feet on but as she went to adjust her feet they popped and she hung on for about 10 seconds trying to get them back on. Unfortunately she didn't redpoint McBain this day but she did make progress and she looks strong on it. After McBain we played around in the Martini Roof area before walking over to Free Willy where I finally did the first move and the top dyno. It took me 3 times after doing the first move to link the whole problem and I barely stuck the jump at the top but fortunately didn't fall. Free Willy is a hard problem for me and a little sharp but is definitely a nice line.

Audrey flew out Wednesday morning after her physical therapy and I headed back out to the park. I met up with some friends (John, Lindsay, Mike, Colin) who are living in El Paso for the winters and checked out Theater Of The Absurd. I had been on the problem once last year when it was snowing and cold but oculdn't remember anything about it. I definitely did not remember that pulling the lip was hard, really hard for me. You get a good toehook down low but holding it and then releasing it after a few hand moves feels ridiculous. Maybe next time. After Theater I walked over to Diaphenous Sea, a problem that is arguably one of the best looking boulder problems in Hueco, in my opinion. It starts up a series of small crimps on a steep face and is capped by a throw/dyno over the lip to a funky topout. I've watched people on it but have never tried it myself but felt like abusing my fingers today. I could barely hold body weight on the holds when I first got there but after a few tries, and trying harder, I was able to link through to the throw. I never actually stuck (nor really attempted) the throw but I was happy to be able to do the first moves. A super good problem that is on the list for sure. After that I walked over to Martini Roof to play on Right Martini again. For some reason I decided to try some different foot beta through the crux, foot beta that would eliminate two foot moves but would leave me really extended after the throw. The new beta worked in that I could do the move but I wasn't sure it would be easier. I just tried it a few times before walking up to Loaded Direct to work that problem while there were people there. Once that session was over a few people headed over to Dirty Martini On The Rocks, a silly one move wonder/dyno V10 that I had looked at but never really tried. At the end of the day I didn't have much to lose by trying it so I put my boots on and decided to see if I could stick the first move. My first try I was a little low, second try I touched the lip and on my third try I stuch the jug, didn't swing too much, and managed to top it out. Honestly it's probably only V8/9. It's not often I'll stick a 'dyno' V10... ever.

I rested Thursday after two days of bouldering but headed out again Friday morning. It was pretty chilly out with the sun masked by some thin clouds and it took a long time to warm up. I headed out to Theater with John but neither of us was very psyched and I just couldn't get the toehook to work for me. After playing around for a bit I headed over to Right Martini just to see how it felt. Once again I tried my new foot beta and it felt pretty good. On my first try from the bottom my lower hand slipped while doing the throw so I rested a bit and tried again. This time a foot slipped while moving through the roof and I decided to rest for a bit. There were quite a few people there working pretty much every problem in the cave and it was pretty noisy but I was just hanging out. It was funny though, each attempt on Right Martini people would quiet down, the silence almost unnerving. On my next try I felt good going through the roof, moved my feet well and set up for the throw. Concentrating on the left hand and right foot I launched for the hueco and stuck it! It was the first time I had held that hueco from the beginning. I quickly moved my feet up and noticed a change in my mindset. It wasn't a conscious change, it was more of an instinctual change that I was aware of. One moment I wasn't fully committed to success or failure of the problem, had I fallen I would have just rested a little and tried again, then all of a sudden I was in "Don't Fall Mode", a mental state I get into in competitions or after pulling the crux of a hard route. In "Don't Fall Mode" everything slows down; breathing is rhythmic, foot placements are precise and calculated, each grain of a handhold is felt and my field of vision narrows. I don't really know how to explain it, or how to always recapture it but I was aware of the change. In fact I think many of the worlds top climbers can get into this 'mode' from the ground, something I'm not very good at. It's difficult to always "Try Hard", especially when on vacation. Fortunately I didn't fall on the upper section and felt really good through the upper V7.

Feeling pretty good I hiked over and played on Diaphenous Sea for a little while. Mostly alternating between trying the throw and linking the bottom moves. It was hard to do the throw since it was late afternoon and the sun was blinding me. After my fingers were sore I hiked up to The New Meadow to play on Schwerer Gustov, a short little V11 that wasn't too skin intensive. I found some good beta but in the waning daylight I couldn't rest long enough between burns to send it. I left feeling tired which is always a bonus.

Saturday was a rest day and on Sunday I headed out to the park for a short while before the Super Bowl. I didn't warm up very well but managed to send Shwarer Gustov, although I felt sore afterwards. I watched the Super Bowl and was amazed by the Giants defense. I have no vested interest in either team but I would like to have seen history happen and see the Patriots win. Oh Well. Audrey flew in really late on a delayed flight and we're resting today.

So now I'm not sure how much longer we'll be here. Audrey's back but not feeling well and I really hope she can tick off some of her projects in the next week. I'm sure I'll play on Diaphenous Sea a bit but I'm not super hopeful of a redpoint. We'll see.