Brazilian Attack

I got to climb at Erratica again this weekend. Some friends from Bishop and the Bay Area came up to do some sending. Fernando sent Welcome to the Future v12 for the third ascent. He also did a bunch of v9s including Brushstroke Progression and Mistaken Identity. Eduardo sent the middle start to Party Animal, and he was very close on the sit start. Induo also got some when he made quick work of the short power problem Master Blaster. It was fun climbing with these guys. They were strong and very motivated.
I haven't sent anything too hard in quite a while. I've been trying this really cool hard project on the Painter Boulder. I've fallen from the lip a few times in the link. The lower moves are very low percentage. All the compression bouldering must have caught up to me because my bicep got pretty tweaked this weekend. I decided that I may take a week or two off to let my body regroup. In the meantime, I'll be working and getting extra psyched to make a come back. Hopefully, that will happen before it starts dumping snow on the sierra's.

Fernando does a lap on Brushstroke Progression v9

Eduardo working the opening moves of Party Animal v13

Tahoe Sugar

Nate on Stimson Manuver

Nate on the classic Squeeze Between the Trees v3

David Outcalt sending Krull v9

Dave Hatchet sending Tower of Power v6

A lot of new developments are going on in Tahoe. The west shore location is producing many choice lines. Dave Hatchet and Noah Kaufman continue to pick plumbs throughout this huge zone. So many FA's are going down that there are just too many to report. The Bishop crew paid another visit to Erratica and The Freaks. We had a fun weekend camping and bouldering on all the classics. I put up a new link up at the Basement. I climbed Mistaken Identity v9 into David's extention of Subterranean v8. I called this new link up Burning Down The House v10. This line is very good work out. It has 17 horizontal moves. Other than that I've been doing the same as everyone else, hiding from the rain. Hopefully there will be a windy day after the rain so that the rock can dry out.

Another set of impressive sessions went down this weekend as usual. I got to show a couple of friends from the Bay Area around Erratica. Ben Snead did some awesome sends of some of Erratica's most scary highballs. Ben sent Meyer's Pride 5.8, Jackie's Sister v3, Adrenaline Hoedown v3, and did the long awaited 2nd ascent of Five Dollar Happy Ending v3. Ben also did the first flash ascent of Global Warming v9, and made quick work of Master Blaster v8/9. Josh Newman had some great sends as well. He made the 2nd ascent of the stand start to Balls of Steel v9/10. We all got in on some FA action as well at the Decoy Boulder near Krull. This boulder that has been walked by 100's of times finally saw a little bit of love. David Outcalt made the possible first ascent of the obvious arete and named it Quack Quack v3/4 and then Ben added 3 more highball slab lines that were just to the side. Duck Blind , The Dabbler, and Surf Scoater all turned out to be killer slabbin. We were all unsure if these lines had been done before but they were dirty and did not look very traveled. It was another fun and productive weekend in Kirkwood. For me, I just deepend the epic I am having with Hyperian, Scott Chandlers v11. This thing is so reachy but I have no doubt that I will send it soon. It will be a personal breakthrough for me in regards to just how far a little person can stretch. I can't wait. But, with the bad weather starting to loom over Tahoe, only time will tell just how much longer we can have our fun here before it's time to break out the snowboards. When that day comes it's time to start going to Bishop.
Ben big ballin' on Five Dollar Happy Ending v3

David O on The Yeti v9

Feats of Strength

Yesterday I went out to watch Fernando and Brian Hedrick at the Barb-Wire Area. It was rad to see Brian flash Future Present v11 and then do Welcome to the Future v12 a short time later. It is really cool for me to watch other strong climbers enjoy this perfect line the same way that I did. Very impressive send by Brian. Fernando was once again really close to the 12 but he will have to come back another day.
Earlier in the week I got to see Sugar Pine Point bouldering. I was in awe at the amount of good rock and all the work the north shore crew put into this place. The approach is a bit involved. I messed up and took a bmx bike out there and ended up whinning the whole time. But once I got there it was well worth it. Next time I'll be taking a mountain bike. The climbing was really good there. Lots of good granite with plenty of features. I managed to put up a new line called Skull Fucker v9. Very good sustained crimping problem up a somewhat tall face. Though, not nearly as tall as would have been if not for some tricky landing work. Thanks Dave. Noah Kaufman also put up a awesome new highball v5 that he named Bmx in my honor. Really bad ass tall face with gripping moves between crimps. This place was awesome, and I look forward to going there again before the snow starts falling. This weekend the crew and I are going to start the session at Erratica and then just go with the flow. I just know that some cool stuff will be going down.

Cold Weather

Tahoe climbing conditions were excellent this weekend. The cold weather came in and we took advantage by doing or trying a lot of friction dependent lines. The first stop was the Barb-Wire Area where we did some of Jay Sell's classics Peinese v3 and Wild Rose Arete v4/5. Everyone was impressed with the quality of these climbs. Fernando and Ian were on a mission to get the second ascent of Welcome To The Future v12. Both climbers put up a good fight and got really close once again. But, in the end this ballbuster just didn't give it up. Fernando and Ian each fell at the last hard move in the link. They are going to send next day on it for sure.




Fernando about to grind up some bunnies. Bunny Grinder v10

Next the party moved over to Erratica where some business had to be taken care of. Zack West came down from the eastside to take down some old projects. Zack sent Master Blaster v9(v8?) and The Pervert v8. Fernando was back for vengeance as well. He sent Global Warming v9 and Bunny Grinder v9/10. Ian Cotter Brown also managed to pull off the third ascent of Noah Kaufman's problem The Vicious Poodle v10. I mostly lolly gagged around. I did send Global Warming which is surprising because of how reachy the crux move is. Fernando had some good beta for the move and the conditions were perfect. Other than that I ended up getting shut down as usual on some of my megamegas. The Balls of Steele project and Hyperian v11 are at the top of my list right now. Both are pretty much at my limit. I can't wait to send.

Fernando finding key beta on Global Warming v9

At the Bear Valley Boulder Bash this year, the conditions were finally good. Noah Kaufman took first place in the difficulty comp when he quickly repeated his own problem Gladiator v10. Siemay Kaufman also won first prize in the women's category. The Dynamic Duo have struck again. David Outcalt also had a great run when he tied for first in the moderate category. Good Job you guys . way to Represent!

Cory Cotter Brown on Adrenaline Hoedown v3 (scary)

The weekend abruptly ended when the group and I woke up Sunday to about 7 inches of snow and near white out conditions. With everything went we decided to go home and get some rest for the next big session. The weather is getting colder and the psyche is getting stronger.

We heard that Caples was good again so Ian and I went to check it out. Turns out most of the good stuff that was on the beach was still underwater. The problems close to the shore were primed though. We climbed the Pearl v6 and then ended up finding new granite boulders in the trees behind Excalibur. Ian and I put up three new problems . Everyday Something v9 follows a super cool and pure slopey lip traverse. The holds are cool and skin friendly. It is pumpy. Maybe 15 moves. Right around the cornor we found another overhang with neat sloping features and a knee bar for the sit start moves. It starts matched in a sloping undercling and goes out a tricky sloper finish. That problem is called Practical Demonkeeping v9. Really good line. Next to it was a short wall with a v5 we put up called DavesMom. Big moves with a hard sit start.
In a day at Erratica Ian Cotter Brown did the first flash of Master Blaster v9 and then ended the day by sending Krull v9 rather quickly. The temps are good and this weekend is going to be another smasher. The movie is tomorrow. I'm psyched to see the new footage from this year.


Ian checking out beta on Practical Demonkeeping v9

Ian on Everyday Something v9