New Telluride Bouldering- The South Fork Boulders

Damon, Daiva and I spent yesterday afternoon at the South Fork Boulders cleaning and climbing new problems. This is just one of several new bouldering areas currently being developed in the Telluride area. Damon nabbed some first ascents but was stymied on this short, but powerful sit start on a large boulder that Daiva has nicknamed 'The Whale'.

The South Fork Boulders

The South Fork Boulders are Telluride's newest bouldering area. I discovered these boulders about three weeks ago on an exploratory hike in the Ilium Valley. Since then, Dasha and I have been developing them- clearing and marking trails, scrubbing lichen, and cleaning loose rock. The new area is shaping up nicely.

This spot isn't going to supplant Ilium or the Mine Boulders as the bouldering area of choice for most locals. But hopefully, once it is fully developed, it will provide an alternative to those areas for people looking for something new. I am putting together a topo for the area that I will post for free at some point in the coming weeks. Here's what I can tell you now.

This area is located very close to Ilium. There is convenient parking and easy approaches for all of the boulders. There are three distinct clusters of boulders. The first area- the Eight Week Boulders- has about two dozen problems, mostly in the V0-V3 range, but there will be some harder problems as well. The second area- the Strawberry Patch- contains about a dozen problems in the V0-V2 range. The third area- the Golden Boulders- is the largest, containing about three dozen problems. The rock quality is similar to Ilium. The boulders are generally not as tall as Ilium, but the best ones are in the same range of height. There are going to be some outstanding problems at this new area, particularly at the third set of boulders. I will post more pictures as I get them. Here are a few photos of one of the boulders in the Golden Boulders area. Dasha likes to call this boulder the Fish Boulder.

So Long For Now

Dasha left today to head back to New Jersey where she'll have a couple of weeks to take care of things before she begins her PhD program at Rockefeller University. I'll be staying here in Telluride until mid September to do some distribution and promotional work with the guidebook.

It was sad seeing Dasha leave. She has been a wonderful and amazing part of my life for the last two years. I know that we will continue to be a large part of each other's life for a long time, but it's always sad when time moves faster than perhaps you're prepared for it to.

I'm looking forward to Fall climbing in the Gunks, watching Dasha move beautifully over quartz conglomerate. Until then, here are some pictures of her finally climbing one of her longest standing projects- the 'Flat Top Left Arete' V3+, The Cove.

Another Day At The Mine Boulders

We finally had a nice day on Wednesday (well, at least until it started pouring at around 5pm) and Dasha and I took advantage of it by heading to the Mine Boulders so that she could try to dispatch some lingering projects before she leaves for New York on Saturday. For those of you who don't know, Dasha will be starting a PhD program in Microbiology at the prestigious Rockefeller University in New York City in September. So, she's been on a mission to climb a lot of her favorite problems as well as a few longstanding projects (for her).

While at the Mine Boulders, we ran into a group of guys from Wisconsin who were enjoying the climbing with the help of my guidebook. Dasha and I had them join in with us and we gave them a tour of some of the best problems. Here's two of the guys on one of the Mine Boulders' best problems- 'Gravity's Rainbow' V2+. Intricate beta and powerful bear hugging make this classic a full body workout. (Note to the Wisconsin crew: get in touch with me and I'll send you the rest of the pics!)

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+).

Independence Pass, CO

Dasha and I made a trip to the Aspen area with my parents to see some parts of Colorado away from Telluride. While we were there, we were fortunate enough to climb for a few hours one of the afternoons. Obviously, I still can't climb due to my injury. But, I'm approaching the three week mark and my thumb is healing well. Only five more weeks to go!

Here are some pictures of Dasha on a few Independence Pass boulders. I wasn't overwhelmed by the bouldering. There is a lot of rock. Most of it is very featured. Maybe too featured. We didn't have a guidebook or much of a clue as to where we were going so we just hit up the most obvious spots. I'm sure there are plenty of goods hidden in the trees. I hope to make it back there some day, armed with a little bit more knowledge about the area.

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.

Dreams Of Long Island Bouldering

Eight weeks. That's how long it will be until I climb again.

For those of you who don't know, I severely fractured my thumb while ski racing up on Mt. Hood. I will be having surgery on Friday to re-attach a large piece of bone to the rest of my thumb. I will be in a harder cast for two weeks, and then it will be a softer splint and physical therapy for six weeks.

Until then I can only dream of the places I'll visit, the problems I'll climb, and the way cold granite feels in my hand. Here's one of my dreams. A beautiful highball problem, located in Southold, Long Island.

It won't be super hard, the features are all there. It's just a super clean and aesthetic line. (The line climbs the left center of the overhanging side facing the beach.) Getting off will probably involve either a sketchy downclimb and jump, or a butt slide/jump into the shallow water off the backside. Either way, the problem can only be climbed within half an hour of maximum low tide. That is the only time the base of the problem is dry.

There are many other boulders with great problems in the area. But, this is the one I dream about as I count down the days until I will be able to climb again.