 |
|
|
 ABS 12 National Championships - February 2011
Photos by Caroline Treadway - ABS 12 National Championships took place Saturday night in Boulder, Colorado, in an empty warehouse—the first year that Nationals hasn't been held in a gym. Hundreds of spectators filled the floor, strobe lights flashed on the wall, and live commentary from Jason Danforth and guest speakers was streamed online for those who couldn't be there in person. Alex Puccio dominated the women's competition, flashing two of the three finals problems. The men's race was a closer one, but Canadian Sean McColl clinched his win with a flash of Men's 3. Read more details here.  History of American Sport Climbing
Photos by Andy Mann / Words by Jonathan Siegrist - Sport climbing in America has undergone a lifetime of changes during its almost 30 years of existence. What was once considered an ethically questionable practice has not only been widely accepted, but embraced by the climbing community. Sport climbing history is not only a fascinating story—it's unique in that its landmarks remain for our current-day experience. It's invaluable to understand the roots of sport climbing history in order to fully appreciate its modern form.  American Sport Climbing - A Photo Essay
Photos by Andy Mann / Words by Jonathan Siegrist - Sport climbing in America has undergone a lifetime of changes during its almost 30 years of existence. What was once considered an ethically questionable practice has not only been widely accepted, but embraced by the climbing community. Sport climbing history is not only a fascinating story—it's unique in that its landmarks remain for our current-day experience. Historical testpieces and groundbreaking routes are accessible to anyone and can be enjoyed by every following generation. Read more here.  Triple Crown Bouldering Series 2010 - Stone Fort
Photos by Kelly Bussell - On Saturday, December 4, Triple Crown competitors gathered under a cold and gloomy sky at Urban Rocks Climbing Gym in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With a chance of rain threatening to shut down the comp, uncertainty filled the air. Climbers were herded onto buses to make their way toward Montlake Golf Course, home of Stone Fort. Scrambling to gather their crashpads, they quickly descended onto the boulderfield, trying to stay ahead of the rain. Inevitably, a light drizzle enveloped the boulders, making the simplest of topouts somewhat dicey. However, the boulders buzzed with laughter and a positive vibe, while climbers made the best of a cold, damp day, filling up impressive scorecards. Southern climbers Jimmy Webb and Kasia Pietras won the comp and the overall Triple Crown title for 2010. See more results at triplecrownbouldering.org.  Bouldering in Columbia, California
Photos by Dean Fleming - After the unearthing of a massive gold deposit in the spring of 1850, the small town of Columbia, California, became one of the largest mining camps in The Mother Lode. Today, an enormous labyrinth of narrow limestone corridors and jumbled blocks sits exposed by Columbia’s extensive hydraulic gold-mining campaign. Although the boulders and cliff-bands are endowed with harrowing landings, mossy topouts, mountain lions and poison oak, this area’s unique features have attracted climbers for nearly 40 years. Columbia is relatively unknown to the American climbing community, yet a small group of local boulderers is continuing a long-standing tradition of highball bouldering and high adventure in Columbia’s overgrown passageways. See more about bouldering in Columbia in Mileage in Climbing No. 290.  Yangshuo Climbing Festival 2010
Photos by Rocker - On October 28 through November 1, 2010, China's third annual Yangshuo Climbing Festival, sponsored by The North Face and Black Diamond, took place on Yangshuo's world-class limestone with more than 550 climbers from 17 countries in attendance. The week included clinics taught by Yuji Hirayama, Sam Elias, Emily Harrington, and Liu Yongbang, plus informative slide shows, a climbing treasure hunt, climbing videos, music, food, beer, and socializing. The twin goals of the Yangshuo Climbing Festival are to promote a sense of community among climbers throughout China in a fun, friendly, and casual atmosphere and to support the sustainable development of rock climbing in the Yangshuo area China. Visit www.ysclimbfest.com.cn for more.  Triple Crown Bouldering Series 2010: Horse Pens 40
Photos by Adam Johnson - The second leg of the Triple Crown Bouldering Series went down this weekend at Horse Pens 40 in Steele, Alabama. Competitors enjoyed a perfect autumn weekend for the eighth installment of this annual competition. With perfectly crisp temperatures, skin was sticking, chalk was flying, and the competitors were sending. Many of the proceeds from the Triple Crown events go on to benefit originations like the Carolina Climbers' Coalition (CCC) and the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition (SCC) to help fund the purchase of and secure access to new climbing areas. Jimmy Webb won the men's open division, with Angie Payne taking the women's. See full results at triplecrownbouldering.org.  The Spot Gym's Psychedelia 2010
Photos by Adam Bove - The Spot Climbing Gym in Boulder, Colorado, hosts some of the biggest indoor bouldering events in the country. The Spot Bouldering Series has a standout event that really represents the essence of Colorado competition climbing, partying, and community. Psychedelia is a black light competition like no other and the 2010 event brought in more than 1,200 people, both spectators and climbers. Gabi Masse took home gold for women's open, while Rob D'Anastasio won the men's open division. For more results, visit thespotgym.com. -sm.jpg) First Ascents in Miyar Valley, Himalayas
Photos by Camilo Lopez - In August 2010, Anna Pfaff and Camilo Lopez climbed two new routes in the Miyar Valley, Indian Himalaya. The first line was done on Peak 5,650m, now named Dome Peak after the completion of its first ascent. Camilo and Anna climbed a direct line through the center of the southeast face during a 19-hour push. They named their route the Lopez-Pfaff Direct (IV, 5.10, 800m). The second line was climbed on nearby Peak, James Point 5,200m. After nine days of wind, rain, and snow, the couple took advantage of a short break in the weather and completed the FA of the Southeast Ridge (IV, 5.10+, 600m).  Touchstone Bouldering Series 6 - Pipeworks, Sacramento
Photos by Nicholas Wilson / wilsonfotografie.com - On September 17, 2010, Sacramento Pipeworks Climbing and Fitness held its annual bouldering competition, this year the Touchstone Bouldering Series 6. The women's advanced winner was Halley Tollner, followed by Renee Ross, and the men's advanced winner was Scott Epperson, followed by Dobrisa Jurkovic. See full results here. The event was closed with a high line demonstration by Jerry Miszewski of Balance Community. -sm.jpg) 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell 2010
Photos by Lucas Marshall - On September 24-26, 240 climbers and 60 volunteers gathered to participate at the fifth annual 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell comp at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Arkansas. In this serious test of mental and physical stamina, teams of two take on the gritty sandstone of the Ozarks to climb for a continuous 24 hours. Around 12,000 routes were climbed. Alex Honnold showed up this year, climbing 130 pitches, with 5.13a being the hardest. See the full results at twofourhell.com.  2010 UBC Pro Tour Finals at The Nor’easter
Photos by Jared Alden / jaredphotography.com - On September 24 and 25, the top professional climbers from the U.S. and Canada gathered at the Nor’easter festival at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire, for the final event on the 2010 Unified Bouldering Championships Pro Tour Calendar. Daniel Woods, who won the recent UBC event at the OR Summer Market, was defeated by Ethan Pringle and Brian Kim of Northern. Alex Johnson took first over Francesca Metcalf and Angie Payne, who tied for second. Mother nature cooperated to the fullest, and the Nor’easter festival, with music, a sponsor village, and a full festival campground onsite, provided a unique venue for the first large-scale, outdoor pro climbing competition on the East Coast since the 1996 X-Games.  Triple Crown Bouldering Series 2010: Hound Ears
Photos by Matt Paden / frixtion.blogspot.com - This past Saturday kicked off the first leg of the 2010 Triple Crown Bouldering Series at the Hound Ears boulders in Boone, North Carolina. Taking place within Hound Ears Club's gated golf-resort community, the access-magicians of Triple Crown get this normally-closed area opened to climbers once a year through participation in the Triple Crown bouldering competition. Results from the Hound Ears competition can be found at the Triple Crown Bouldering Series website, triplecrownbouldering.org. Click here for a more comprehensive report.  2010 REEL ROCK Film Tour World Premiere - Boulder, Colorado
Photos by Caroline Treadway - Can you believe it?! The 5th Annual REEL ROCK WORLD premiere has come and gone! Just yesterday, we were trying to figure out how we were going to pull off two shows in one night. But two shows we pulled off indeed, bringing in more than 1,700 people through the door. Hallelujah! Thanks to all the local sponsors: Vic's Table Mesa, The Spot Bouldering Gym, Boulder Rock Club, Movement Climbing and Fitness, American Alpine Club, CU Alpine Club, and the Colorado Daily. And not to mention our National Sponsors: The North Face, Windstopper, Petzl, Climbing Magazine, Urban Climber Magazine, EVOLV, Sterling Ropes, and Goal0. Be sure to check out the REEL ROCK tour schedule at reelrocktour.com.  First Ascent in Nangmah Valley, Pakistan
Photos by Leopoldo Faria - This summer, I decided to go explore the big wall climbing potential in Pakistan with three Portuguese friends, Rui Rosado, Ana Silva and Bruno Gaspar. We left for a month and half expedition, and we choose to explore the beautiful Nangmah Valley. We spotted a beautiful crack on an unclimbed wall near Amin Brakk. Climbing in high altitude (near 16,000 feet) wasn’t easy, and trying to free climb definitely wasn’t a piece of cake, either. We found many cracks filled with plants and dirt that forced us to do some cleaning sessions in order to free climb. Apart from that, we could enjoy some high-quality crack climbing, with lots of offwidths! We are glad to have climbed in Pakistan this year and really happy with the route that we have opened (Off-Dido, 5.12a, 550 meters), which is very likely the first ascent of this wall that we call Babar in honor of our cook, Altaf. Read more at www.leopoldofaria.com.  Smith Rocks! A Classic American Crag
Photos by Andy Mann / andymann.com - Back in May, I took a pilgrimage to Bend, Oregon, home to hard-as-nails, crimpy, 5.14-filled American sport climbing. Sitting amid a groovy town, winding rivers, spotted cattle, and big sky, Smith Rock State Park is home to hundreds of world-class, old-school sport routes. However, the secret to Smith Rock's real charm is not the climbing itself, but in the landscape and the people. Also visiting the area at the time were fellow Coloradans Jonathan Siegrist and Paige Claassen, who both made Smith a priority area on their spring roadtrip. I'll let the photos tell the story.  2010 Bouldering World Cup Finals, Munich
Photos by Marco Kost / mountains-and-more.de - Adam Ondra and Akiyo Noguchi won 2010's final Bouldering World Cup in Munich, giving them the gold for the World Ranking. This was Ondra's first year as a BWC winner, but Noguchi stood on top of the podium last year as well. Kilian Fischhuber, last year's BWC winner, finished fourth at the comp but came in second in rankings. Anna Stöhr, who was leading the rankings, won silver in Munich, which led to a silver in rankings as well. Chloé Graftiaux didn't finish in the comp's top six, but managed to eke out a third-place ranking. Alex Johnson, the only American to compete in all Bouldering World Cups in 2010, finished fourth overall.  Qingdao, China: A Bouldering Destination
Photos by Rocker - Qingdao is becoming one of the most popular bouldering areas of China. In the spring, climbers from around the world come to boulder here, including Chris Sharma, Davin Bagdonas, Joe Langwald... Davin Bagdonas said about Qingdao: "It was a huge relief to end up in a place that has amazing amounts of really good rock, a huge number of boulders, and a crew that only wants to climb. In all the places I've bouldered, by far the area in China around Qingdao has the most rock. Millions of boulders sit under hundreds of crags and tumble from multi-thousand-foot mountains down to a long rocky coast on the Yellow Sea." For more by Rocker, visit qdrocker.blog.sohu.com.  Bouldering in the Magical Forest of Sintra, Portugal
Photos by Ricardo Alves - Sintra, a world heritage site near Lisbon, is a well-known tourist attraction with beautiful castles, palaces, gardens and exotic forests. It’s also host to a near-thousand boulder problems spread throughout the forest, with incredible shapes and colors that vary from rough granite to featured sandstone. Climbing there is year-round, even in the middle of the summer because it gets cooler winds from the ocean, and the forest has its own fresh microclimate. On rest days, climbers can visit the nearby beaches of Guincho or Adraga, drop by the stunning Cabo da Roca coast area, or simple explore and enjoy the beauty of Sintra’s architectural and natural scapes.  24 Hours of Gunnison Glory
Words by Alec Solimeo / Photos by Jordan Wemett and Jarrett Luttrell - During Memorial Day weekend 2010, more than 70 climbers gathered at Hartman Rocks recreation area to participate in the second annual 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory, an event that helps raise money for Six Points (a local non-profit organization working with mentally/physically disabled adults), Climb Up So Kids Can Grow Up (climbupsokidscangrowup.com) and the security of climbing in the Gunnison Valley (hopefully a Non-Profit climbing users group). Competitors climbed on more than 300 routes and problems, and one climber even made it through all 24 hours. Click here to learn more about the event.  Three New Routes in Central Range of Peru
Photos by Sophie Denis and Beto Pinto - The French-Peruvian team of Sophie Denis and Beto Pinto opened three new routes in the Central Range in Peru, located in Lima’s Region, in a single push. In a week, the team climbed the north face of Suiricocha (5,495 m, nine pitches). Then they climbed the west face of Manon Dos (5,500 m, three pitche). This was a very sensitive face to climb, mainly due to the poor snow conditions with higher risks of avalanches. They finished their expedition by climbing the west face of Vicunita (5,538 m, seven pitches). The new direct lines offer mixed walls and multi-pitches technical faces.  Ama Dablam in the Khumbu Region
Photos by Philippe Gatta - This spring, Philippe Gatta and Jean-Marc Wojcik climbed Ama Dablam (22,493 feet), one of the most amazing peaks in the Khumbu region in Nepal. The two French climbers made a fast expedition – a 16-day round trip from Katmandu. They climbed the Southwest Ridge (VI 5.9 60°, 1,500 m) without Sherpa support and in rather unstable weather. On May 3rd, after 24 hours of snow fall, they took advantage of a short weather improvement to go for the summit. They decided to go straight from the camp 2 (19,685 feet), skipping the exposed camp 3. Jean-Marc decided to turn around at 6,300 meters, and Philippe continued alone. The weather deteriorated again, and Philippe reached the top in poor visibility at 3:15 p.m., making the 3rd ascent this year. Find more info about the route and photos at Philippe's website: http://www.philippegatta.fr/amadablam2.htm  Unique Boulders in Tinos, Greece
Photos by Harald Roeker / GEBRO Verlag Publishing – Located in the Cyclades archipelago lies Tinos, a Greek island inhabited by less than 9,000 people. Famous for the Church of Panagia Evangelistria, scores of windmills, and Venetian fortifications, Tinos also has incredible potential for bouldering. There are more than 500 established problems in the granite boulderfields on the island, with potential for thousands more. GEBRO Verlag (tinos.blocheart.de) provides information for anyone looking to visit. The best season for climbing is winter, but anytime from late autumn to spring provides good weather as well. The clean granite often needs no cleaning, and the boulders offer unique moves on distinctive blocs. -sm.jpg) The Surreal, Beautiful Buttermilks
Photos by Devlin Gandh - It's almost June, and that means the good temps in California are disappearing fast. Though we do have sunny weather, it isn't always the most conducive for climbing. With that in mind, it's no surprise to see a flurry of Bishop photos this time of year. This past season has been one of the most memorable in recent years, with Paul Robinson's new V16, Lucid Dreaming, second and third ascents of Ambrosia, and a surprise appearance by Chris Sharma (I'm pretty sure he warmed up doing Evilution to the lip [V10]). But the real joy of climbing in Bishop comes from the personal experience — the Buttermilks are a surreal, beautiful boulderfield. And that, with the immaculate weather, sunrises, and sunsets of the Sierra Nevada, lingers on well past the experience. -sm.jpg) Spring Break in Bishop
Photos by Alton Richardson - There is really only one thought that enters most California climbers' minds when spring break rolls around: Bishop. This last April, along with hundreds of other pad people, five climbers from the East Bay Area packed up and made the journey through the mountains to the East Side. We arrived in the Buttermilks for an extended weekend of hard crimping, committing topouts, gale force winds, and good times. Bishop has and always will be a special place for anyone who loves great rock and great landscapes. There is a lifetime of climbing possibilities to be had there, and no one person could experience everything there is to be climbed in a single lifetime. |
Get updates on your phone:
-->
-->
Copyright 2010 Skram Media LLC, All rights reserved.