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)

Sewemup Mesa Bouldering

Friday dawned cold and snowy, but the desert beckoned with the promise of blue skies and warmer temperatures. Lexi Tuddenham and I decided to head somewhere different than the usual Paradox Valley haunts. Instead, we sped past the turnoff for Hwy. 90 and kept going north on Hwy. 141 into the heart of the Dolores River Canyon and the sheer vertical walls of Sewemup Mesa. Numerous boulders lie scattered throughout the whole length of this canyon, but one of the best concentrations is below the Sewemup Mesa buttress, where several dozen problems can be found among the beautiful Wingate Sandstone boulders. This small gem of an area is a great place to visit for the West End climber as well as those who frequent the Unaweep Boulders. This spot is not far from Unaweep and boasts blocks that are far superior in quality.


The pictures: (above) Christian Prellwitz pulling through the juggy middle of 'Survey Marker' (v0), a spectacular highball in a perfect position. (below) 1-Christian getting high on 'Survey Marker' (v0). 2-Lexi Tuddenham finding the friction on 'Autobahn' (v0). 3-Lexi Tuddenham prepping to climb her 'Arch Nemesis' (V2-).

A Short Trip To The Gunks

Dasha and I were able to make it up to the Gunks recently for a couple days of bouldering. We forgot to grab the camera from the car on the first day so we only have a few worthwhile pictures. It was great getting to climb again with Dasha- her grace always inspires me. The weather was fantastic and the fall foliage was beautiful. Hopefully, the pictures give some sense of that.

1-Dasha Zamolodchikov eyeing her nemesis problem, the 'Dislocator Roof' (V2) at the Trapps. 2-Dasha pulling through the opening moves of 'Clune's Crank' (V1). 3-Dasha positioned well on the final two crimps of 'Clune's Crank'. All that's left is one big move to the top! 4-Christian Prellwitz on the 'Black Box Boulder Problem' (V5). Sorry for the blurry picture! Dasha was shooting in auto mode and I forgot to tell her to switch the lens from manual to auto focus. This problem is so beautiful that I thought it was worth putting a blurry picture up.

Fall Days

Fall has arrived in the San Juans. It is an ephemeral moment in the mountains. Maybe a month, maybe six weeks and then gone, lost in the chill and falling snow of winter. The aspens turn yellow, the Gambel oak burns red, and somewhere out in the forest Dakota sandstone blocks are colored white with chalk. The days are cool and crisp and the air is heavy with the promise of problems yet to be climbed, projects that will yield themselves on these low gravity days.

Some recent pics:
1-Damon Johnston flowing through the stellar moves of 'Woodsy Way' on yet another new boulder at the Tree House. 2-Damon finishing up. Just high enough to make you think. 3-Damon Johnston on an amazing project. There is a harder start that traverses into this problem on incredibly powerful moves. 4-Lexi Tuddenham crimping hard on the short, but tricky 'Scotty's Problem'.

Reel Rock Comes To Telluride

Last night, the Reel Rock Tour came to Telluride. The Sheridan Opera House was packed with people psyched on seeing the latest and greatest climbing films. The Tour did not disappoint. First, there were some great shorts- 'The Readiness Is All' was my favorite. The Big Up Dosage from Rocklands was amazing. The boulders are super aesthetic, and the climbing was inspiring. The feature film- First Ascent- was shot in beautiful HD and the landscapes were amazing. Props go to local Jim Hurst, who shot some of the best footage of the whole evening, in particular Dean Potter BASE-soloing the north face of the Eiger.

Damon and I did a little book signing before the show, and participated in the giveaway at intermission with tour organizer Peter Mortimer. We gave away some copies of our books, as well as some chalk bags and chalk buckets that Josh from Organic Climbing was nice enough to donate. Local shop Jagged Edge also gave away a number of items. Overall, it was a fun event and everyone left the theater stoked on climbing.

(below) Dasha Zamolodchikov working through the tricky opening moves of 'Frogger' on the Road Boulder at Ilium.

A Quick Trip To Joe's Valley

It feels great to be climbing again. It's such a joy to feel rock in my hands after being unable to for two and a half months. I've been taking it slowly, climbing some of my favorite problems at Ilium and the Mine Boulders, and playing around on some of the new problems up at Eider Creek. Now that I'm closer to 100% and heading back to New York in a little under two weeks, I decided it would be fun to head somewhere other than Telluride to climb for a few days. Joe's Valley is only about four hours away and has some of the best bouldering in the country so it was a logical choice for a quick excursion. My friend Lexi Tuddenham joined me for the trip and we had a wonderful few days, enjoying very pleasant temperatures and encountering very few climbers- a rarity for Joe's Valley. Here are some pics. 1-Lexi Tuddenham pulling through the abundant jugs of 'Warm Me Up Scotty' (V1). 2-Lexi squirming her way through 'Scuzlocks' (V-funny). 3-Christian Prellwitz groping for friction on the slopey crux of 'Filla Void' (V6). 4-The sun sets on another beautiful day at Joe's Valley.

More From The Tree House

Here are a few more photos from the Tree House Boulders, courtesy of Damon Johnston.

Telluride Bouldering Revival

No, this is not the name of the headlining band at this year's Blues & Brews Festival. It's simply the best way that I can describe what's going on with Telluride bouldering right now. The quality of the boulders being uncovered in the Eider Creek area is phenomenal, and it seems like there are plenty more yet to be discovered. A large crew of climbers spent this past weekend up at the Tree House Boulders, cleaning and clearing a number of new problems. Here are some of the gems that were unearthed this weekend. 1-Jim Hurst is manly enough to wear a pink shirt. Is he manly enough to conquer 'Andy's Anal Tricks'? 2-There's no admission fee for this gun show. Scotty Michels powers through a difficult section on a still unclimbed line. 3-The Tree House looms in the background as Scotty Michels revels in the celebrity treatment on the 'Cheeseburger Arete'.

The Eider Creek Boulders

It's been a wonderful last few weeks for Telluride bouldering. First, the discovery of the South Fork Boulders and now development has begun on the Eider Creek Boulders. This new area is outstanding. Amazing problems on amazing rock. You will be hearing a whole lot more about this area over the next few weeks.

In addition to developing these two new areas, I am continuing to explore some other promising spots, namely the east end of the Telluride valley, and some locations around Ophir. The bouldering in the Telluride area is anything but tapped out.

Here's some pictures from the Tree House Boulders at Eider Creek. Damon Johnston climbing a great line on an amazing boulder.

Back At The Ilium Boulders

Dasha and I have been spending a lot of our time developing a new bouldering area just outside of Telluride, located very close to the Ilium Boulders. There are some excellent boulders there, with the rock quality being very comparable to Ilium. There will be more information on these boulders as we get further along in the development.

Yesterday, we spent a few hours at Ilium clearing some trails in the Shire and Rivendell area, as well as a trail to the Dark Side boulder. We also cleaned up 'Snake Hole', a hard V2 in the North End Boulders. This problem is short, but stout and quite fun. If you're in the area and looking for something off the beaten path, give it a go! It's located about a 100 feet left of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'.

Here are two pictures. 1-Dasha Zamolodchikov using the mono beta on 'Snake Hole' (hard V2). 2-Dasha sticking the final hard move. It's all jugs from here.

An Afternoon Bouldering At The Cove

Dasha and I got together with some friends on Sunday afternoon for an afternoon of bouldering. It was raining in Telluride, so we headed twenty minutes down valley to The Cove where we were greeted by sunshine and pleasant temps.

Here are some pics from our time there: 1-Noah Sheedy working the sit start to 'Pine Tree Right Arete' (V2). 2-Noah's friend Nikki moving through the juggy middle section of 'Pine Tree Right Arete' (V2). Heel hook, bump, match, repeat. 3-Dasha Zamolodchikov blinded by the strain of the 'Flat Top Left Arete' (V3+). 4-Noah Sheedy demonstrating his ups on the 'Flat Top Right Arete' (V2). 5-Dasha remembering to 'Choss Twice Daily' (V0+).

The Mine Boulders

We finally received a clear and sunny late afternoon/early evening yesterday. Dasha, Noah and I took advantage of it by heading to the Mine Boulders. We haven't spent much time there this summer, choosing to go to the Ilium Boulders or The Cove instead, but this place really is incredible. Tucked high into a steep mountain valley, surrounded by waterfalls, are some of the best boulders in the Telluride area. This is the place to go for steep Telluride bouldering. Only one wall is crazy overhung- the nearly horizontal east face of the Gym Boulder- but almost every boulder has at least one gently overhanging side. The Mine Boulders are deceptively pumpy. Before you know it your forearms are burning, and your last bit of strength is gone.

The conditions yesterday were spectacular. We met a number of nice people who were enjoying the guidebook and the sunny weather. Dasha and Noah climbed a bunch of problems. Here are a few of them: 1-Dasha pulling through the hard starting moves of 'Broken Ankle' V1+. The crux comes early, the anxiety comes later. 2-Noah Sheedy spotting Dasha on the incredibly pumpy 'Jug Traverse' V0+ (sandbagged).

The Riverview Boulders

We've been getting a lot of afternoon rainstorms lately. This has forced Dasha and I to head a little further west to find dry boulders. Yesterday, Ilium and the Cove were both wet, so we kept driving all the way to the Riverview Boulders. This small, but quality area is located along Sanborn Park Road, a few tenths of a mile before the parking for the Clay Creek climbing area. A little further up the road are the Sanborn Park Boulders, another outstanding little spot.

These two areas are excellent for Norwood locals, or Telluride boulderers looking for a change of pace. They are dry most of the winter, and they are often dry and tolerable (as far as temperatures) during our typically stormy summer afternoons and evenings. If you're sick of the same old Telluride bouldering, this could be the ticket for you. Check out all the beta in the new guidebook- 'A Guide To Bouldering In The Telluride And West End Areas' by Christian Prellwitz. Here's a few pics of Dasha climbing a fun problem at the Granary section of the Riverview Boulders.

One More From The Cove

Christian Prellwitz silhouetted against the sky on the awesome 'Pine Tree Left Arete' (V2+).

Back From Mt. Hood

I'm back in Telluride- a month early. I severely fractured my thumb running GS and will most likely need to have surgery on it. As I wait to see how long I'll be out of commission, I thought I'd share some more photos of bouldering in the Telluride area. Some of these were featured in my book A Guide To Bouldering In The Telluride & West End Areas. This spring I wrote mainly about the new development going on at Ilium, but there are new problems going up at other areas as well. The Cove, located in San Miguel Canyon, has seen several new problems put up on high quality blocks in the past year. The east end of the Telluride valley, home to the Mine Boulders, is littered with dozens more beautiful boulders and will be the focal point of Telluride bouldering development in the coming years.

1-Scotty cruising up 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' (V7), one of the benchmark Telluride boulder problems. 2-Leah Boelman on 'Karma' (V3+) at the Mine Boulders.
3-Catherine Gilb looking smooth on 'Sometimes I Still Feel The Bruise' (V0).

Hidden Gems

Went to Ilium again today. Seems to be an ongoing theme. It's not that I'm avoiding the Mine Boulders or other areas, I just have been having a fun time cleaning and climbing new problems at Ilium and spending time in some of the more obscure areas. Today, Dasha and I climbed all of the problems at Rivendell and some problems in the North End. Here are the photos.

(above) Me on the sit start to 'Bilbo Baggins', a hard V3.
(below) Dasha midway through the sit start to 'Shadowfax' (V1+).
(bottom photo) Here is me again, this time on 'Heroine' (V2+). The left hand edge of the sit start has broken, so this now starts standing, as shown. Right hand on original low pinch, left on bad pocket, finish straight up. The grade is pretty much the same.