Last Day At The Mine

Noah Sheedy bearing down on the 'Sunshine Arete' (v0+).

Lexi Tuddenham, Noah Sheedy, Kelly Merck and I celebrated Noah's impending birthday with a fun morning of climbing at the Mine Boulders. Though rain clouds loomed in the distance, they held off long enough for us to enjoy several hours of excellent bouldering. This was my last day climbing in Telluride before I leave for Australia for five months. Hopefully my next blog post will be some pictures of bouldering in the Grampians!

Lexi Tuddenham- 'Yellow Leaves' (v1+)

Lexi likes 'Crack' (v0+).

Telluride Bouldering- The Mine Boulders

Christian Prellwitz getting high on 'Point Break' (v2).

After a long stretch of rainy weather, Lexi and I were finally able to make it out to the Mine Boulders yesterday. Here are pictures of some of the classic problems.

Lexi Tuddenham pulling through 'Gravity's Rainbow' (v2+).

Christian latching the crimp on the first move of 'Karma' (v3+).

A different view of the same move.

Snagging the slopey jug on 'Karma'.

'Every Hole's A Goal' (v2)

Spring Road Trip- Yosemite

Lexi Tuddenham doing battle with 'Alobar' (v2) at Candyland.

Lexi on 'Alobar' (v2) again.

Lexi and I spent parts of three days bouldering in Yosemite, sampling a number of different areas. Some were a bit on the mossy side and left something to be desired, but for the most part the climbing was amazing. This was the last stop on our journey. Lexi headed back to Los Angeles to visit her family and I made the long trip back home to Telluride.

It was a really fun trip and I owe a lot of that to my traveling partner, Lexi. She provided lots of entertainment throughout our travels, from kicking me in the head when I was trying to spot her, to bringing her own unique style to bowling and lugging multiple crash pads through thick trees. She also inspired me by not being afraid of problems that were a little tall for her liking, trying her hardest on everything she attempted and being game for pretty much anything. I'm sure that we will share many more trips in the future.

Christian Prellwitz contorting himself on the amazing problem 'Once Upon A Time' (v3) at Candyland.

Christian crimping down on the technical features of the 'Kor Problem' (v3) at Camp 4.

Lexi cruising through the jugs of 'The Largo Lunge' (v0-)
at Camp 4.

Spring Road Trip- Yosemite Scenery

A typical Yosemite Valley scene- Bridalveil Falls (on the right), El Capitan (on the left) and the Merced River (in the foreground).

Lexi and I spent some of our time in Yosemite hiking around and checking out the scenery. The best part about the spring in the Valley is the waterfalls. The big name ones are running full bore and there are lots of seasonal waterfalls making appearances on the granite walls.

Upper Yosemite Falls

Half Dome at sunset

Spring Road Trip- Bishop To Yosemite

Goodbye to the Buttermilks

After a wonderful two weeks in Bishop, it was time to hit the road and head to our final destination- Yosemite. We decided to spend a day checking out Giant Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and a night camping out at the beautiful San Joaquin River Gorge.

Lexi donated some skin to the Buttermilks on our last day of climbing. So much for the hand modeling career.

Giant Sequoia National Park

Christian setting up for a big dyno on the sculpted granite of the San Joaquin River Gorge. Night swimming and bouldering by headlamp made for a fun evening.

Spring Road Trip- Bishop, Pt. 3

Christian Prellwitz pulling hard on the classic 'Thunder' (v3).

On Thursday, Lexi and I headed to one of the under appreciated gems of the Bishop bouldering scene- the Druid Stones. This beautiful spot sits perched above the Owens Valley, overlooking the town of Bishop. The bouldering is excellent, offering some of the best quality rock in the Bishop vicinity. What keeps this area from exploding with popularity? A thirty to forty minute energy draining uphill slog. Though the hike was long, hot and dusty, both Lexi and I were happy that we made the trek. It was amazing having rock of this quality all to ourselves.

Christian Prellwitz getting started on 'Blood Kin' (v1) as cloud storms linger over the Sierras.

Lexi working her way up the perfect patina of 'You Can Cry If You Want To' (v1). The town of Bishop can be seen in the background.

Christian Prellwitz pulling down on the immaculate crimps of 'Kredulf' (v4).