Thursday, April 14, 2011

Video by Jason Hogan

My friend Jason Hogan posted this rad video of me climbing in Tahoe. The footage is from last winter and has some problems from Erratica and Pie Shop Area. It is a really great edit with good problems. Enjoy.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Bishop: Great Times

Bishop!!!! Despite the fact that the conditions here are all over the board, I've been extremely focused on having a blast. This trip the partying seems to be just as enjoyable as the climbing. I've been going to a lot of different areas. Zack and I even went alpine style on the hottest day. We climbed and shoveled out the Hartley Springs area. I was really impressed with the climbing here. It was fully quality over quantity. The problems were really fun and not very sharp. I'm looking forward to going here a few more times. I am really excited to try Charlie Barrett's line called The End of the Road. This climb is exactly the perfect problems I look for. I have yet to try it but it has already sucked me in. I can't wait. Other than that, I've been doing lots of moderates and trying lots of things that don't fit me very well. I did do a cool 2nd ascent of another brilliant Matt Arnold problem in the Tablelands. A hard roof called Glass Slipper v10. I had to fight for this one. My beta is kind of wacked because of my lack of reach but it was fun anyways. Great rock and steep. Other than climbing, I've been really excited about filming and taking pictures. I got footage of Thomasina Pidgeon doing the FFA of Beautiful Gecko v12 which was awesome to witness. When I return to the civilized world I'll probably do an edit of this. One interesting rest day, we awoke to find that it was cold, raining hard, and very windy. We were hudled under a small overhang trying to stay warm and dry. Then Matt found this crazy cave above our site that had a dwelling like set up for a fire. We then turned misery into bliss. The cave was a warm, dry sanctuary on one of the worst days for camping I've seen. We spent seven hours warm, listening to music, and getting completely blitzed. It was perhaps the coolest rest day I've ever had in Bishop. The experience of being out here and constantly hanging out with cool people is unforgettable. I'm really going to enjoy these last two weeks here on the road. Then I'll return home for some work. It will be nice to spend a full season in Tahoe once again. The rock climbing never stops there. And, I'm sure this year will be no different. Thomasina on Beautiful Gecko v12
Shadow on the FA of THX 1138 v7
Nick and Matt staying warm in our "dwelling"