Bishop April 2014

Hey guys!

I'm back from my 2nd annual Bishop trip! This time I went with my girlfriend, the illustrious Aubrey Jenkins. It was really nice to share the "climbing trip experience" with her as it was her first time climbing and camping for such an extended time. It didn't take us too long to get our cooking and cleaning systems down. At home, it generally goes that she plans meals and I assist as sous chef and dishwasher. We basically incorporated the same system at the PV Pit while staying there.

We did a lot of climbing and a lot of cribbage playing. It went that we would climb in the morning when it was still cool out and then rest in the afternoon heat at the Black Sheep playing cribbage and reading books. I picked up Vonnegut's posthumously released set of short stories "Look at the Birdie," which I found quite hilarious and a delightful read. I have loved reading satiric short stories for a long time since I picked up Roald Dahl's adult short stories "The Umbrella Man and Other Stories." I highly recommend both if you like morbid humor.

This was my 3rd and by far most successful Bishop climbing trip. I have struggled climbing big number problems in Bishop for one reason or another. Sometimes my skin is a big limiting factor, and other times it's been injury (elbow tendonitis). This was the first trip that I felt fit and relatively injury free and it felt so good!

This trip I only had a few climbs that I really wanted to and knew I could do quickly. The first being Acid Wash, which I had projected last year and did from the jug rail. I knew that I would be able to cruise it quickly and with little work this year. The second was Beefcake in the Ice Caves at the Sad Boulders. That climb I had also projected but had trouble linking the bottom and the top. It is by far my least favorite piece of rock, but it is pretty wild that it featured so much for that angle. The third was Center Direct, but I was less sure of my ability to do the one really hard move on it to the last right hand crimp. Lastly, my nemesis in Bishop, Soul Slinger.

First hard move of Soul Slinger V9.

 This climb I have tried every trip I've gone and there is one hold on it that feels utterly impossible to use. As my friend Keath told me before the trip, "you have to pretend like you're holding on to it and you'll do the move." That was basically what I ended up doing on a really windy day in the Buttermilks, as well as using slightly different foot beta (I brought my right foot up to the highest incut instead of the right hand incut).

Finally committed to the jug.

My right foot goes where my left hand is
after grabbing the terrible nothing hold straight above me.

Yay topout!

As soon as I was able to perch on that foot, and stick the next right hand pinch, I finished the climb. But I eyed down the finish bucket for what felt like almost 30 seconds before I finally committed to it. The feet I were on felt so low and the next set of feet felt too high to use, so I found myself paralyzed to commit. It was pretty wonderful to finally finish this beast which had shut me down for so long. I was feeling strong!

After the buttermilks, we went to the Happies and Sads where I had a few projects to finish up. I also knew that Aubrey would enjoy the rock climbing there as the Buttermilks can be pretty harsh for new outdoor climbers. The volcanic rock tends to yield more holds and gentler top outs than the Buttermilks, though there were a few climbs that Aubrey had to still pull committing moves on up high. I was so happy to see her succeed and push herself out of her comfort zone!

I was really close to finishing Beefcake and Acid Wash, so those were the first objectives for me. Beefcake took two sessions to put together and it was incredibly pumpy for me. The rock is solid in the ice caves, but the holds are rather unattractive in my opinion. Weird pockety holes and bumpy stone. Not nearly as clean as the holds in the Buttermilks or more exposed rock in the tablelands. Acid wash went down the first session with little fuss. It felt really good to put that climb together so easily after feeling like it was difficult last year.

With most of my old projects done, it was time to find new things. I had heard really good things about Kill on Sight and it is right around the corner from Acid Wash. I figured out the toe hook move as seen below and the undercling rather quickly, but then had a really hard time loading the undercling and releasing the toe hook. After discussing some beta with an old Swiss crusher (not Fred, but I met him in the buttermilks!) who was road tripping he helped me use the right foot to get my body higher up into the undercling. After figuring that out, I went back a day or two later and put together Standing Kill Order V11. Now I just had to figure out the sit moves and I would do my first 12!

Toehooks and tension

Kill on Sight is described as starting with a left heelhook in the guidebook, but my philosophy on starting rock climbs (which is already a very contrived sport, come on people) is to use the start holds given and what ever feet feel comfortable then climb through what holds are accessible to the top. I chose to start Kill on Sight with a right dropknee and used a sharp but incut crimp before going into the stand start rail. This felt natural and comfortable to climb, though I didn't believe that it bumped the grade up. If anything, I think the stand is probably an easy V11 and the sit is a hard V11. Anyway, I was psyched to do it from the natural seated starting position and felt like the whole problem climbed really well. I love toehooks!

Kill on Sight V11/12
Mega dropknee!

I wanted to get back to the Buttermilks to try Center Direct, a V10 I thought I could do on the Grandma Peabody boulder, but I also wanted to see if I could try Haroun and the Sea of Stories on the downhill side of the Fly Boy boulder. It is such a steep, tall and majestic line that you can see the holds of from the parking lot. Every time I went up to Fly Boy, I would stare at it and think that someday I could do it. I was particularly motivated to try it after watching an old video that Jimmy Webb took of Brian Voges climbing a bunch of hard lines in Bishop. He flashes Haroun in it and makes it look so beautiful. Here's a link to it on vimeo. After some tricky moves involving a heel-toe cam and a directional pinch, you get to the crux of the climb Fall Guy which is a weird to generate snatch move to a good incut. I fell here a number of times before finally sticking it. I had to generate most of the momentum with my upper body instead of legs because the feet were so high and didn't quite push in the right way. Then you hand toehook match (I love toehooks!) and do some pretty mellow moves between good incuts. As you get higher, the holds get better, though the moves are a bit bigger. All in all, it makes for quite an adventure to the top of it. There's an awesome incut flake right before you do the last few moves that you can shake out on and recompose yourself for the finish. This was by far the best and most exciting rock climb I have ever done and I was so thankful for Aubrey and our campground friends for hanging out with me while I tried it. Here are some photos Aubrey took of the climb and following this is a link to a video I made of three of the climbs from the trip, Center Direct, Kill on Sight and Haroun.

Trying to generate momentum on
the crux move.

Heal toe cammin'. Scary!

On top of the world!

 Bishop 2014

I'm back and Index River Boulders!

Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone for so long... I've returned to my natural habitat in Seattle, WA and the last several months have been relatively uneventful for me. I'm working at the Stone Gardens climbing gym in Bellevue, WA setting routes there and using my teaching degree part-time to substitute for my old colleagues at Franklin and Garfield high schools. As a result, I haven't been getting out climbing as much as I hoped for. I moved in with my girlfriend, Aubrey Jenkins and we are living in the Central District of Seattle. I got an awesome wood hangboard for Christmas from my brother who lives in London, so I've been trying to train my ass off for the prime winter temps.

Fresh grips from the U.K.

I reached some milestones this last year. Climbed my first two V11's, Ebriosity on the Five-Star Boulder and Chutzpah at the Index River Boulders. Both were really fun boulder problems, but I have to say that Chutzpah is the better line of the two.

Cold but sunny. Prime conditions at the Index River boulders.

Amidst a sea of river polished granite, the few features on Chutzpah have just enough texture to make the line go. With powerful heel-hooking and compression moves down low to a dicey finish, this problem has everything I want. If only it was a little taller :) Here are some shots of the climb taken by Aubrey.

Crux move to undercling pinch.

Tricky toe-hook.

Anyway, here's the vid, with a bonus problem in it. Enjoy! Next stop as soon as it's done seeping, Midnite!!!

Chutzpah!

Joe's Valley

Man! Two posts in a day! I'm only going to talk a little about Joe's Valley and let the movie I made and pictures do the rest.

Joe's Is Amazing. The rock climbing is phenomenal, the valley is gorgeous, and the Food Ranch is... the Food Ranch. So Orangeville and Castledale may not be the most amazing of climber towns (I just gushed all about how much I love Bishop), but the climbing more than makes up for it. I got a nice little spot down Right Fork right by a Porta-Potty.

Joe's Muthaf@#$in' Valley

Being near one of a few porta-potties is a blessing and a curse. It is nice in the mornings, but having random cars pull up to use it is a bit of a nuisance. I miss having access to a nice camping table at the Pit in Bishop, but I've been making do by cooking out of the trunk and using the cooler for a little table.

Tailgating solo

The first day I busted out to New Joe's climbing area and worked on Resident Evil. I had tried that climb two years ago, but had the mistiming of coming to it starving every time. I would arrive and only be able to try it a few times before breaking down and eating. This time I had a little more foresight and ate well before hopping on it. It felt really hard, but doable. I managed to climb the Stand-Up, which is a V7 or 8 that starts a few moves in and was only stuck on one move, the hard fall-in move with the left hand. I dinked around that area for a while enjoying the amazing friction of sandstone before going to get my camp set-up. Here's a few pictures from around there.

Me and my trusty steed, or something...

Black Lung (V13 F.A. Ben Moon) Resident Evil is on the Right

Praying for more friction on the start of Black Lung.

And, without further ado, here's a link to a little movie I've made of the climbs I've done in Joe's so far. I didn't get The Wind Below on video, unfortunately, but I caught my buddy Jeremy Ho climbing it. It is tall, awesome, and fucking scary.

Joe's Valley Bouldering

Refining my Bishop beta

After spending over 2 weeks in Bishop, I have learned many things about this town. I'm a huge fan of efficiency in all things. I like taking the straightest path between two points whenever I can. I try to make my movement economical when I rock climb, squeezing only as much as necessary to stay on. As a result, I'm constantly tweaking my experience in a new town.

What I have learnt thus far about Bishop I shall share with you now...

First, for camping, the place to be is the Pit if you enjoy hanging out with a lot of climbers. At $2 a night per car, it is incredibly affordable for extended dirtbaggery. If you prefer solitude or the company of a few friends at most, the place to camp is out at the Buttermilks near the boulders. The latter option is nice if you intend to spend most of your days climbing in the milks, and let's be real, that is where the best bouldering is in Bishop, by far. The former is nice if you like sport climbing up at Owens River Gorge or pulling down big huecos in the Happies and Sads and don't mind the occasional loud climber party.

Once you've gotten some good sleep, you wake up and think, "I would love a good cup of coffee right now." You drive in to town and have two choices, the Looney Bean and Black Sheep. After not so extensive testing, I have determined that Black Sheep is the better option for tasty coffee and snacks. First off, they have IPA on tap, so in the afternoon that is the go-to option. Secondly, they have some delicious breakfast burritos that go half-off in the afternoon. And then the coffee itself is just damn tasty. Good lattes with not over-steamed milk (my greatest pet peeve) and oily americanos. I bought a bag of beans from them just before leaving town, too, as my Fiore supply was running low. I went with the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and so far it has been pretty good. Also, try the Happy Bagel. It is simple and satisfying.

So you just had your breakfast burrito or bagel and morning roast and are thinking, "I need some groceries for lunch and whatnot." Where do you go? The clear choice is Manor Market over Vons, the Safeway with a different name. There are always friendly checkout folks at Manor Market and they have a fantastic beer selection. This combined with the knowledge that your money is staying in Bishop to help grow their economy makes me feel a lot better. I'm all for supporting the towns I go to that support their climbers and Bishop is a fantastic town for that. Check out the smokehouse bacon that they sell at the Market. It is delicious and locally smoked at a butchers in town.

Find me on W. Line Street on the way to the Buttermilks

Ok. Food acquired and ready to go climb some rocks! How to get to said rocks? Well, there are a few paths to take to get to the climbing. If you are going from the Pit to the Buttermilks or vice versa, screw going through town and all that hassle. Just take Ed Powers Road.

Why did I ever drive through town before...

This cuts out the majority of 25 mph BS that you have to deal with on the other roads. It saves about 10 minutes, no joke. If you want to climb at the Happies, tough luck. You're still gonna park where everyone does and walk up that steep-ass hill. The Sads, on the other hand, has a nice little parking lot at the very top that is relatively accessible with a car. I was nervous going over some of the jagged rocks, but haven't popped a tire, yet!

To get to the upper Sads parking, it makes the most sense via town. Take Highway 6 north to 5 Bridges Road. Turn left onto 5 Bridges and stay on it until it turns into Casa Diablo Road just after the concrete plant. Follow Casa Diablo up the hill and take the second main left (there's a little BLM signpost). You know you went the right way if there is a big sandy pit you drive through. Eventually you hit the small upper parking lot for the Sads which spits you out right at the Ice Caves and Strength in Numbers.

Upper Sads Parking (Take left at B)

So you made it to your climbing destination fully caffeinated and stocked up with groceries. You crank hard and are exhausted. Too tired to cook a nice dinner, you bounce into town to try and find some good, cheap eats. Sadly, most of the restaurants in Bishop are over-priced and not very good. You will find a few gems amongst the rough, though. The best mexican food, by far, in Bishop comes from this little taco truck next to the Paiute Palace Casino. Everything is fucking delicious and cheap there. Get a combo plate for $6 bucks with rice and beans and three tacos. Get a horchata for $1. Walk away satisfied and smiling. The family that owns it are super nice and friendly and will toss in some delicious grilled onions and jalapenos. The only downside to the taco truck is that it is open from Thursday to Sunday. The other days you will have to go to...

Make sure it's a nice day when you go to the Burger Barn

Bishop Burger Barn! This place is fantastic! We took a chance one evening on this restaurant with only outdoor seating and were more than happy. Given that all food tastes amazing after a day of hard climbing, these burgers were really tasty. They even make their own buns there! I don't think there was a single thing that was bad on that menu, so hit that place up once, twice or more when you go to Bishop!

Lastly, if you're taking a rest day and want to grab some lunch in town, go to Raymond's Deli and get the Clubber. It is a beast of a club sandwich and may be daunting to eat solo. It has pretty wacky decor inside and the people making your sandwiches yell your name out louder than an opera singer, but the sandies are terrific.

That about sums it up for new Bishop beta. Let me know if you find more awesome food or secret routes if you get out there!

Checkerboard

I just accomplished one of my projects in Bishop, the beautiful and awe-inspiring line, Checkerboard. I wrote about it a bit the last post, but I shall go into more detail here. The holds are so beautiful and though they are crimpy, they feel good on the fingers.

Both holds are small and you have to hike your right foot up in this position

The first day of trying this problem the boulder was completely in the shade, so the holds were incredibly cold. I found myself getting to the last move 3 times and each time my fingers would feel numb. Some might say I punted off the top of the problem, though I honestly didn't know what hold to grab up there. After getting some advice from another climber, Sierra fired the climb first go. She was so psyched to climb it that she did it again almost immediately after coming down. Meanwhile, I was digesting my lunch of cheese, ham, turkey and milk and feeling really heavy. I was tired from trying it a bunch the day before, each go on it drains your energy like mad as there are about 16 moves in all. However, watching her accomplish it with such ease made me want to step up and try it again.

This time, unlike the others, the holds felt just cool to the touch, not cold, and as I went through the bottom sequence my fingers hurt but weren't numb. The climb doesn't feel like it has much of a crux on it, but rather it is the accumulation of a bunch of challenging moves on very small (but incut) holds that makes it feel so hard. On the first go of the day, I found myself getting ready for the last move. This time, though, I knew exactly where I wanted to grab.

Snatching the ear on the last hard move

Holding onto this little hold with the left hand is one of the coolest feelings. It is exactly the hold you want in exactly the right place. There is something mystical about how these holds all happen to be right where they are on this boulder to create such an amazing line and movement. In all, I am grateful that this line managed to exist in the first place, and that it was established by strong climbers before me. I am grateful for my friends to support me trying it and helping me to get psyched when I'm feeling heavy and tired. And lastly, I'm grateful to have climbed such an amazing boulder problem in a beautiful setting.

I can only describe the climb so much with words. Here are some moving pictures :)

Checkerboard (V8)

Bonus!

Here's video of me climbing Go Granny Ho, a fun little V7 on the Grandma Peabody boulder including an attempt.

Go Granny Ho (V7)

Rest day, shmest day

So it's been several days since my last post and it's not because of a lack of eventful happenings. Mainly, I write these on rest days, but I've been really psyched to climb everyday this last week. My muscles ache in the mornings (especially my elbows) but after morning PT and a bunch of pushups my body starts to feel better. Even after climbing the last 4 or so days straight, I'm still psyched to go back and work hard. I suppose having some projects that I feel really close on helps. The aforementioned projects are:

Checkerboard
Beefcake
Soul Slinger

I tried Checkerboard for the first time today and it is an absolutely beautiful climb. The photo below is of my friend, Sierra trying it. She got really close to finishing it many times today, all the way to the last hard move. It turns out that I had met Sierra years ago up in Squamish. I remember her trying and eventually succeeding to climb Sesame Street, a really challenging V9. Anyway, after getting the beta on Checkerboard down, myself, I got up to where she was getting 3 times and fell each time. Each time I was up that high, I wanted to make the last move a lock off, but I finally realized that I had to pop to reach that next hold. It is a heady last move and you're tired from a series of difficult crimp moves with high feet. It will go this trip. I believe it.

Crimpin' ain't easy. Checkerboard (V8)

Beefcake is a silly climb in a cave. I have no photos of it because it is totally dark back there. It feels like a very trollish climb, but the movement is quite beautiful. There is one point on it where I'm heel hooking with my right foot and toe hooking really hard with my left. Using both of these to keep compression I can release one of my hands to a good hold. It feels incredibly hard, especially this one drop down move off of shitty feet, but with good conditions and after a rest day, it might go down.

Lastly, Soul Slinger has always felt impossibly hard to me. I did battle with that climb 3 years ago and made little progress on it. I finally had a breakthrough a couple days ago when I moved off of the bad peanut pinch to a small dish above. I had never connected with that hold before and it felt really amazing, although that hold is utter crap. You have to then crimp really hard and slowly raise your right foot up and cross to a decent pinch before jumping to the hero bucket.

Some guy on the peanut pinch and slopey dish.

The game plan for the rest of the trip is to do these climbs. Of the three, I am most psyched on Checkerboard, though Soul Slinger is amazing as well. Beefcake is technically the hardest of the three at V10, but the least aesthetic.

Other momentous moments have been climbing and repeating Pow Pow. Flashing Rio's Crack, a stunning V6 in the Sads. Climbing Go Granny Go and Go Granny Ho, two fun climbs on the Grandma Peabody boulder. Trying and getting close on the Iron Fly Dyno. Going to the hot springs near Mammoth late at night with a nice couple from Denver. Turns out the guy, Greg Miller, was a former setter at Stone Gardens way back in the day. We reminisced about Seattle and Stoney G's together. Talking about all the good food and beer up there made me miss it all the more.

It's only been a week and a half, but it seems like ages. I've been meeting new, cool people all the time, though, and getting to hang out and just climb every day is a real treat. Maybe one of these days, I'll actually rest and then dispatch these projects. Until then, just gotta keep crankin'!

videos

For your viewing pleasure, at your leisure...

Pow Pow Sessions (V8)

Seven Spanish Angels (V6)

Fly Boy Sit (V8)

Enjoy!