Eldorado Canyon

Blanket Flower

My friend Malin and I braved the 90 degree temperatures yesterday and went bouldering in Eldorado Canyon. Though conditions were not even close to ideal, it was still an enjoyable day of climbing, and it's always fun to check out new areas. I'm excited to get on some routes here sometime in the future.

Stepping onto the glassy smear of 'Milton' (v4- felt more like v5 in direct 90 degree sunshine!)

Latching the top on 'Milton' (v4)

Mt. Evans

Bristlecone Pine Sunset

We spent yesterday exploring the alpine bouldering of Mt. Evans. The hike was quite a slog, as advertised. The climbing was amazing, also as advertised. I was feeling weak, so I didn't get on any of the higher end lines that I had my eye on. But, I did manage to climb a bunch of the classics and the stunning scenery made it all worth it. Trying to put off the long hike back to the car at the end of the day, I channeled my inner Zoolander and broke into a bit of a pose off.

Christian Prellwitz cruising the classic highball 'Timeline' (v0+).
Grabbing the jug at the top feels so good!

'Last of the Ohitians' (v1)

'The Ladder' (v2)

Ice on Summit Lake

Blue

Crashpad Magazine cover photo

If see this man, please report him to the authorities...

Showing off a range of looks...

Boulder!

Small Flowered Penstemon (i think)

As you may or may not know, I have moved to Boulder, Colorado for the summer. I decided it was time to take a break from the box canyon. I'll be working, taking two grad classes (photography and journalism), playing some hockey and training hard for climbing. I'm super psyched about the training opportunities. There are four climbing gyms in Boulder alone. I'm living in a house with two Naropa University students, meeting a lot of cool, new people and loving it all so far. Anyhow, here are some pics I've taken of the area.

Downtown Boulder at sunset

A scene from Boulder Canyon. One of the hardest boulder problems in the world- 'The Game' (V16, Daniel Woods)- climbs out the pointy prow on the right side of the photo. You can also spot some climbers using the Tyrolean traverse to cross the creek in the bottom left of the photo.

Bouldering World Cup- Vail, CO

Boulder at night

Flagstaff Mountain- Artist's Point

Telluride Bouldering Conditions Update

Noah Sheedy- 'The Grinch' (v3/4)

Just wanted to give a quick conditions update for bouldering in the Telluride area. The weather is quite nice these days, though the occasional snow shower still makes an appearance. (The accompanying photos are from the last two days.)

-Everything down valley of Society Turn is dry, including Ilium. It's getting pretty warm out in the desert, but good conditions can still be found in the evenings.
-The Eider Creek Boulders (Tree House) are dry as well.
-Bear Creek can be a little snowy and wet in spots on the approach but the blocks are dry for the most part.
-The Mine Boulders are dry for the most part as well, with snow still found at the base of some climbs. In fact, this is one of the best times to climb at the Mine because the vegetation hasn't filled back in yet, so no nettles to deal with and it's quite easy to get around and find boulders if you're unfamiliar with the area.

The friction is high and gravity's pull is low. No excuses. Get outside and start sending!

Kaylie Rozen- 'This Airplane Will Crash Tomorrow' (v0+)

Bishop- Dale's Camp

Bennett Dahl- 'Zen Flute' (v10)

Though my finger injury has temporarily put my climbing on hold, I have still been out supporting friends on their various projects. I met Bennett Dahl shortly after injuring my finger and have been lending him moral support and, as he would say, 'technique advice'. Bennett has only been climbing for a little over a year but is crushing it, having already sent a couple v10's. Yesterday, we hiked around checking out future projects, and then spent some time working 'Zen Flute', a Chris Sharma line with an outrageous finishing dyno.

Bumping to the crimp

End Of The Road

Storm clouds loom over the Prozac Nation Bluffs at the Sad Boulders.

Today was a bad day for me. Fell off the last move of my project 'Water Colors' (v7). Got rained on. And worst of all, I ruptured/tore my A2 tendon pulley on my right ring finger. Which pretty much means that my climbing trip is over. I'm going to give it a couple of days and see how it feels, but I've done this before and I know the drill. No climbing for at least two weeks, and possibly a month or more, depending on how it heals. I'm super disappointed, to say the least.

Bishop- The Sad Boulders

Jessi DeLong styling the beta-intensive problem
'The Mothership Connection' (v4).

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to meet up with some friends for a morning of bouldering at the Sads. This afforded me the opportunity to get a few pictures, which has otherwise been difficult since I've mostly been climbing alone. It was a very fun day.

Notable ascents included:
-'The Black Stuff', a v1 with a terrifying landing
-another repeat of 'Molly' (v5)
-a relatively quick send of 'French Press' (v6), an incredibly thin and technical line
-'The Mothership Connection' (v4/5), a super fun, athletic climb with some crazy beta

'The Mothership Connection' (v4)

Brandon- 'French Press' (v6)

'French Press' (v6)

Death Valley National Park

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park