Climb For a Cause

It warms my little heart to see this happening.

According to the RockSport Facebook Group:

"Rocksport climbing gym in Queensbury, NY is holding the first Climb for a Cause on Feb 27th, 2010.

The event is for funding for Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare genetic disease. As of now, this tragic disease has NO TREATMENT, NO CURE, AND NO FUNDING. By helping us, we CAN make a difference.

For only $10 you can sign up for a session in Dr.D's office or with Shannon Assman or Corinn Crawford. All proceeds will be going to the Team Sanfilippo Syndrome Foundation. So, come try something new, have fun, while changing the life of someone for the better!


Sessions will be at these times:
12-2
2-4
4-6
6-8
8-10"

Listen guys, I know you may have other things going on, and this might not be at the top of your priorities. Hell, there may be a lot of things keeping you from doing this, but I like to think we've got a pretty good climbing community here, and as a community we need to come together and do more stuff like this.

A lot of good can come out of a lot of heart and a little money, so do your part and help out at the fundraiser.

See you when it's warmer.
-WB

Headin to Gnarnia

Mhmm. Stuff of dreams my friends.

In a sort of sneak peek at the cool boulders out Gnarny-Way, a couple people and I are heading to Gnarnia this Thursday to scope out some more lines, explore a little more, bushwhack and have a grand 'ol time in those magical woods.

So I'm extending this to you my loyal readers who rarely comment. ( unhappy face )


All those who wanna come say AYE! and we can work something out!

-WB

I want to do...

...This:

Tennessee Thong - V7, LRC

Spring at the Road

JP on Gill Pinch Roof - V4

Ah, Spring. Don't go to get your eyes checked out quite yet, you did read that right. I said Spring. Spring. Honestly I feel shocked just typing it. I mean, it is January right? Snowy, cold, frostbite and all that jazz January RIGHT? Then why is it 55 degrees outside and raining as I am writing this.

Listen. I know you're getting pissed off with all those hummers, factory farms, logging and water pollution, but come on Mother Nature! If you're going to make it warm, keep it at a nice 50-60 degrees and for god sakes quit with all the dampness. You're already famous for your... habits... here in the Northeast, I think we deserve a break. Hell, I'll ride my bike to and from school, replace all the lights in my house with candles and even turn off the water when I brush my teeth, but only if you turn off that big faucet in the sky of yours while you brush yours.

But, I digress. Back to the sick Spring day at the Gunks we had Saturday.

What started out as just Adam, Kyle, Kyle's son and I on what we hoped would be the best gunks day ever turned out to be Adam, Murph, Mira, Sarah Shaw, Some other guy, Tyler and Aaron putting way to many goes on Black Boulder. A problem I am petitioning to change its name to Time Wasting Piece of Annoying Shit that You Shouldn't Climb Regardless of What That Guy Who Came Here Once Told You - V5 (TWPOASTYSCROWTGWCHOTY for short)

Okay so that's a little bit hyperbolic of me, it was a really nice day and there was some sending and a good deal of progress. We started out the day on the classic Gill problems, all of which we hadn't been able to do. One of the problems, Gill Pinch Roof - V4 was probably my first ever project, and I hadn't been able to get back to it.

JP Swinging on Gill Pinch Roof - V4

Adam started off with an incredibly static send of the CRAZAY problem: Gill Egg - V4... BAW$E. He then dispatched The Gill Crack - V4, another micro-project of his. After numerous goes and a fair deal of frustration, I unlocked and sent Gill Pinch Roof, SO PSYCHED. Adam and the rest of the pack gave goes at Ricans and White Boys - V7, a problem that starts as Gill Pinch but continues up in a dynamic, pinchy, tall fight for the top. Murph got the repeat, but no one else could nab this prize.

Aaron on the start moves of Art of Nothing - V8

We then moved on to TWPOASTYSCROWTGWCHOTY and I gave numerous goes and entered what I am calling the "Black Boulder Death Cycle of Frustration and Death and Sadness". FIRST, I reluctantly get on the problem, promising only a few goes. Next, I get closer than ever before to sticking that STUPID SLOPER and say "Hey, I think I can do this today! OMG I CAN DO THIS LOL!" Lamb to the slaughter man, lamb to the freaking slaughter. Next, I get shut down
and go cry and hate myself for the rest of the day.

Aaron again on Art of Nothing

Fortunately, I know had the supa cool Lynn Hill Traverse - V8 to play on. The beta is sick and crazy for such a simple looking piece of stone. This problem is cool because it isn't completely about the holds or about the movement, but more about the route finding. How do I use these seemingly random holds in order. Hmm? I couldn't send, but I am intrigued.

Finally we moved down to Buddha to meet up with Kyle, then kept walking towards Adam's hope for the day: Boxcar... Spooky came SOOOOOOOO close to nabbing this fine piece of stone, but fell on the last move and couldn't get back to that position in the next few tries he gave. Such good progress though.

On our way back we found out Kyle sent Buddha! SO GOOD. Good send Kyle, dang you're getting strong. Before we left we gave a few goes at Jackson Pollock - V8, no send though.


I'll post a video of Gill Egg and some others later.


PHOTOS COURTESY OF TYLER HOGAN

Happy Spring.
-WB

Lincoln Woodz

While the snow, cold and sometimes rain ravaged the upper parts of NY, our crew got in two sick days out in the slightly south, warm and sunny Lincoln Woods.


On our first trip, Kyle, Spooky and I were new to the woods and were psyched to get on them stones and see what all the hype was about. All that hype is DEFINITELY about something.

JP on Straight Again - V7

We warmed up at the Try Again boulder, first on a supa cool V2 and then on a V5 traverse. Adam sent the traverse, and Kyle got pretty dang close. After giving a few goes at Try Again - V5 and Straight Again - V7, we moved on to the next stop on our tour of the woods.


The day seemed to waste away fairly quickly, and we were losing sunlight fast, so we made our way over to what we hoped was the main attraction at the woods: The Pond Cave Boulder.

Kyle on a Lincoln Woods hyper-classic, Leap Frog - V7

Loaded with SICK lines and classic moves, the pond cave was a treat that we could only enjoy for a short time before being forced out by the fading sunlight. We did get some good burns in on The Pond Cave Traverse - V4, and more importantly Who Needs Hueco - V8, a problem we were pumped to get back to.


DAY 2

Spooky Slapping for Sick Slopers on Heart of Glass - V4

Wah-Hurd. Basically, we were lured to Lincoln once again with hopes of warm weather and fine stone in our hearts. This time, Ben and Luke tagged along for their first visit to the Woods. This time, we warmed up at the Heart boulder, and were psyched on giving goes on Heart of Glass - v4

Kyle getting SERIOUS on Heart of Glass - V4

After struggling for a while, we got some new beta from some locals and were all able to wrestle this beastly, fun problem.

Next, we once again headed for Pond Cave, to give some more goes at Who Needs Hueco with some new beta courtesy of the interwebs.


OH NO! Water was seeping out of cracks all over Who Needs Hueco! What are we to do!? Luckily for us, I happen to have a Masters in Aquatic Engineering, and with the help of my friends quickly dispatched the hydration havoc. A rag here, some chalk blocks there and a sick-ass tape job left the problem mostly dry and good to go.

AQUATIC ENGINEERING

With new beta in hand, and our water issues solved, we made quick and dramatic progress on the sick line, please note the incredible left hand feature-pinch-awesomeness in the pictures below. So. Good.

Sick right hand pinch. Luke on Who Needs Hueco - V8

After numerous goes, KYLE SENT. Well, he couldn't top out, but for a snowy wet day I give him two thumbs up on the sickness scale. Good work and proud send buddy. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE (Stop watching at 50 seconds for full effect)

As the sunlight faded, we went over to the Yosemite Boulder and put in a little work on Midnight Lichen - V8, Luke sent, sick, and the day came to a close.

Overall, I would definitely head back here sometime soon, there is a world of problems we didn't get to try, but I am so game.

-WB

NEW VIDEO :D

Ben and Friends over in ARKANSAS crushin' all dem HCR CLASSICS


Video Courtesy of Maya Alfonso on Vimeo

HCR Classics 2009 from Maya Alfonso on Vimeo.

Eh. Update

I know I know it's been a while, but I'm gonna bring a camera to Lincoln woods tomorrow so get psyched for some videos from both the woods AND Arkansas. SICK.

We hit up the woods last weekend and it was cold n' snowy, but we settled in at Pond Cave Boulder and hopped on some of the sickness there. More on that tomorrow.

Now it's back to not training and watching more lost.

Speaking of lost.


There has got to be some SICK climbing on that damn island... or islands :O
Plus the added danger of some crazy black smoke monster coming to attack you or the hostiles coming to abduct you adds to the fun! For an island with all this crazy magic fate stuff, there better be some crazy magic routes and boulders too. Idk. I'm pretty psyched on the development there. Maybe we can go in the spring? Yes?

I have decided I hate winter forever.
-WB

Cold Day in the Gunks

After a few days up North skiing, and a few weeks off the rock, I was dying to get back out. Although the weather report looked grim, with temperatures dropping as often as the snow, I texted Spook with desperate want to get out there.

We decided to get our first wintry day in the Gunks, and hit up some projects we had left on our ticks. Upon stepping out of the car, we were hit by crazy gusts of wind that cut through our layers and made us a tad uneasy about the climbing ahead. Fortunately, the wind was only in the pass and the rest of the trapps were nice and warm, baking in the midday sun.

We began at Black Boulder - V5. I had worked this problem a lot since my first outing to the Gunks and something about this strange and fun piece of rock has shut me down ever since. Today was not any different. Adam and I quickly lost our psyche and went on down the road.

Next stop: The Following - V6. Adam sent this sick problem on our last trip to the gunks and I had made some excellent progress. We came up with some creative pad placements to compensate for the lack thereof, but the sketch factor was high! I've got the bottom locked down, but the crux move to a huge textured gaston has yet to go.

Next we hit up Marrakesh Express - V6, a long standing project of Spooky's. After a couple goes he stuck the crazy ninja cross over, hiked the high foot and began the long traverse to the top. Since we hadn't brushed it off, Adam jumped off before the finish. SICK PROGRESS!!!

Finally we went to Near Trapps to work The Pearl - V8. Notorious among our crew for being soft for the grade, and four our single arete beta that is supposedly harder, the pearl had yet to go for me. I came SUPER close, but need to stick the little hop to the big, good sloper. Should clean it up next time.


ANYWAYS.


Ben is crrruussshhing sending v10's second time and flashing mad moderates over in Arkansas. Yeah that's right, Arkansas, that place in those Dosage movies with all the sickness and what not. He's coming back this week with a bunch of videos for teh blog. So get psyched people.

Yeah. Well. Bye.

-WB