My brother, Matt, was in town last week for what has become his monthly visit to Boulder. I always love it when he makes the trip from Chicago, because he is a guaranteed and trustworthy climbing/skiing partner who "has the stoke." Whenever he is in town we really get after it. In fact, most of my wild and crazy adventures have involved him.
Climbing outside this time of year around Boulder is very weather dependent, but we got 2 great days of climbing in which were definite highlights of his visit. Our first day of climbing was in Lower Dream Canyon which is a spectacular side canyon off of Boulder Canyon. We did 2 routes on the Wall of Winter Warmth, aptly named for it's southern exposure and one of the tallest features in Boulder Canyon. Our friend, Laura, from CO Springs joined us to make a party of 3. The first route was "Left Side" (5.10a). It was a good 4 pitch route, although the climbing was a bit strange and surprisingly run-out in areas. The next route was "Right Side." It was supposedly 5.10a as well, but turned out to be one of the worst sandbags I've encountered. The crux was great climbing but it was very airy, exposed, and hard. It climbed out a stunning roof with a tips, undercling crack. Matt made impressive work of the crux pitch on lead. I thought it felt like 5.11a minimum while following it. The rest of the climb was pretty terrible. It was either dirty, chossy, or covered in poop, but the exciting crux and setting made it worthwhile.
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| Fierce Stoke headed into the crux of "Right Side" (5.10a haha) |
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| Pulling the Crux |
The next day Matt and I set our sights on the Naked Edge (5.11b). It is one of the most famous climbs in Colorado and is a test-piece to this day. For years Matt and I have looked at this obvious and stunning line, wondering if we would ever be good enough to climb it. With another day of pleasant December weather, we hopped on it, swinging leads. The climbing was phenomenal and we cruised it for the mort part which felt really good. The highlight pitches were the lower 5.11 dihedral and the wild 5.11 bombay chimney.
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| Bombay chimney crux on the Naked Edge (5.11b) |
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| Upper pitches of the N.E. |
After our climbing adventures, we headed up to Vail to take advantage of the snow that has finally started to show up! We caught a great day on Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed the surprisingly good early-season conditions. I'm excited for the backcountry season this year! Hopefully we get tons of snow and a stable snowpack!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Off to Patagonia tomorrow with Matt Combs and Andrew Wein. Valle Cochamo and Torres del Paine
