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Base Camp Blog
Welcome to Base Camp, the blog by Climbing's editors. Inside you'll find news tidbits, personal experiences, trip reports, what's going on with the mag, and more. Photo by Andrew Burr
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 12 in 12: Don't Think, Just Do
I wish every day could be like last Friday. Having a purpose in climbing—and life, I suppose—is like living life à la Benjamin Button: You have the experiences, skill set, and muscle memory of an adult, but also the wonderful ability to see everything from a whole new perspective. I’ve been working my endurance for the past week (15 laps on mid-5.10s including easier warm-ups on Monday, a little more than an hour of treadwall on Wednesday), and Friday was supposed to be more laps on routes. 12 in 12: Quit Being a Baby
After a disappointing weekend at Shelf Road, where I flailed on an 11b/c and wheezed my way through some 10s, I decided to hit the gym hard core on Monday. OK, yeah, so I was pretty dang sick last week and am still coughing up a storm and a lung while drowning in my own mucus, but still it was frustrating. A fellow climber had to remind me quite gently, while I scowled and pouted, that, “Hey, you’ve been sick for a week and traveling the few weeks before that. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”  WI5 in Down Booties
We've seen hikers heading up Longs Peak (7.5 miles, 4,850 vertical feet, semi-technical) wearing smooth-soled, open-toed sandals. We've seen badass climbers float up 5.12 "warm-ups" at Rifle in their running shoes. But we'd never seen this before. Jovan Simic sent us photos of his friend Erik Schnack leading Carlsberg Column (WI5) in Field, British Columbia, in down booties. With no crampons. Admittedly, the climb was exceptionally fat. But still... 12 in 12: New Beginning
I'm the epitome of weekend warrior. I work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, sometimes Saturday and Sunday when my job requires it, and I climb outside on the weekends and in the gym during the week. I've never had goals in climbing. I've just done it for fun, but lately I've been finding myself a bit frustrated and unhappy with my climbing progress—or lack thereof.  Outdoor Retailer Top 10
Last week Salt Lake hosted the annual Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show, the place where manufacturers show off their hottest new gear, clothes, skis, and more. This is the gear that will be arriving on retail shelves later this year. Four Climbing and Urban Climber editors roamed the Salt Palace for three days, checking out the wares. Here, our picks for the 10 coolest new products for climbers.  Jack Roberts: A Tribute
If you don't know where to begin, an editor once told me, start with the facts. So these are the facts: Jack Roberts, 59, died in the early afternoon of Sunday, January 15, after a long fall off the Bridal Veil Falls ice climb, outside Telluride, Colorado. He was leading the second pitch, which was steeper than usual. I don't know much more about the accident, and I don't care to learn more. A great friend and climbing partner is gone. That's enough.  Off-Road Trail Proposed for Indian Creek
The BLM is considering a plan to create an OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) trail in Indian Creek, Utah, that would pass through the popular Creek Pasture campground. Here are excerpts from a note about the trail posted at the Friends of Indian Creek's Facebook page: "The BLM Office in Monticello has released an Environmental Assessment that analyzes a proposed OHV trail in the Indian Creek area. The Friends of Indian Creek generally does not like to take a stance against other user groups unless their actions will specifically impact our climbing experience. In this case we feel it will."  The Camp 4 Wine Cafe
Modesto, California, is about two and a half hours from Yosemite Valley, but it's a lot closer in spirit, thanks to a local wine bar with a surprising heritage. The Camp 4 Wine Cafe is owned by Damon Robbins, son of the Yosemite legend Royal Robbins, and it operates out of the building that housed the first outlet store of the Royal Robbins clothing company. The younger Robbins grew up in Modesto and entered the restaurant business in San Francisco after going to college in Colorado.  Banff Announces 2011 Film and Book Winners
The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival has announced its 2011 winners. The grand prize for films went to the movie Cold (preview below), which features the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II in Pakistan with Cory Richards, Simone Moro, and Denis Urubko. From Forge Motion Pictures and producter/director Anson Fogel: "For the past 26 years, 16 expeditions have tried and failed to climb one of Pakistan's 8,000-meter peaks in winter. On February 2, 2011, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards became the first."  Two Attempts on Twins Tower
To my mind, one of the coolest things that happened this year in North American alpinism was a pair of failures. The Canadian climber Jason Kruk attempted the legendary north face of Twins Tower in the Rockies twice, in the spring and the fall, getting high on the route both times. An obsession was hatched: If conditions and partners align, Kruk will be back next spring. This mile-high wall of limestone on the cold flank of North Twin, the third-highest peak in the Rockies, has only been climbed three times in 37 years, each by a different line, and each an epic.  Jorgeson Sidelined on Dawn Wall Project
Bummer! Shortly after beginning this fall's efforts on the Dawn Wall, the multi-year project of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson to create El Capitan's hardest free climb, Jorgeson badly injured his ankle and began hobbling around on crutches. Jorgeson smashed his ankle late last week during his first attempt at the huge horizontal dyno on the 15th pitch (5.14+); a visit to the doctor revealed "severe ligament damage."  Anchor Ban Proposed for Many Alaskan Crags
Attention Climbers: The May 2011 Draft Chugach State Park Draft Management Plan has recommended "permanent rock anchors" be prohibited in Chugach State Park (CSP). If the proposed ban is not stopped then all technical climbing within CSP will essentially be banned. Given the poor rock quality and lack of natural protection in Chugach rock, permanent anchors are a necessity for climbers’ safety. Likewise, permanent rappel anchors are needed on any technical mountaineering, ice, or rock route that lacks a walk off descent.  World Cup in Boulder Just Days Away
The first Lead World Cup to be held on U.S. soil in more than 20 years is almost upon us! This Saturday, 67 of climbing's best athletes from 14 countries will descend on Movement Climbing + Fitness in Boulder, Colorado, in one of the last Lead World Cups to be held in 2011. (There will be four more after this weekend, two in France, one in Slovenia, and one in Spain.) This is pretty huge news, as you've probably seen on pro blogs, Climbing's Facebook, and extensive ads by major U.S. climbing comps, USA Climbing, and the International Federation of Sport Climbing.  Gear We Like: Omega Pacific Dash Biners
I've been adding more and more micro-carabiners to my rack, mostly for racking cams and for the free biners I carry on slings... and especially when I'm doing long approaches into the mountains. And of all the micro-biners I've tried, my favorite is the Omega Pacific Dash with the new Infinity wire gate. The Dash, which was introduced in 2009 and is named after the late Micah Dash, isn't the lightest or smallest biner on the market, but I find it the easiest to handle of all the mini-biners I've tried.  '60 Minutes' to Feature Honnold
"Daredevil scales 1,600-foot rock wall without ropes." That's the headline CBS news uses to describe Alex Honnold's free solo of the Chouinard-Herbert (5.11+, 15 pitches) on the Sentinel in Yosemite. "60 Minutes" filmed the climb, which they'll be airing this Sunday, October 2, at 7 p.m. ET. Back in June, Honnold soloed CH right after soloing The Phoenix, which is the world's first recorded 5.13. |
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