Last climb of the year

The last day of the year was atypically sunny so myself and J-Bro headed out to the chapel boulder to get in one last climb for the year. There was a project I had tried before on this boulder that I wanted to check out again.

All I remembered from last time trying it was getting to a position where I felt like the next move would be a big dyno to a jug high up. After a few minutes figuring out the start moves and getting our fingers to adjust to the sub zero temps we found ourselves in the same spot.

The climb goes directly up through a small roof section that has a big jug above it. We were getting to two side pulls on the roof and starting at the jug above us. Eventually we got up the nerve to slap for the jug and realized the throw would not be as wild as we had anticipated.

The line goes pretty well straight up from where Jamie is sitting here.

Confidence boosted I went from the start and threw for the jug. The swing was big but luckily the hold is huge so holding it was not hard. Then there was just easier climbing to the top. Where despite being on good holds the whole way I still found myself shaking... I definitely do not have a head for soloing.

The climb was probably around V4 and I think I'll call it Happy New Year, because it's NYE and I am not feeling creative.

Jamie got on next to send but ripped chunks off three of his fingers when he threw for the jug so that ended his climbing for the day

St. John's Hardest

I idly started making a list of the 10 hardest problems around St. John's. I tried to list them not just by the grades they have been given but also how hard I personally believe them to be relative to each other. Basing this not just on how hard I find the problems myself but also on how many other people have attempted them and their levels of success.

I've also tried to list every ascent of the problems with the first ascentionist's name listed first. It's very likely I may have missed some people here or have some information wrong. Please let me know if that's the case. Also I'd be very interested to hear of any disagreement in terms of difficulty of the lines or any hard problems I may have missed.

Here is the list as I've got it so far...

1. Commitment to Quality- V9, Dave Stack (Unrepeated)

2. The Mandolin- V9, Sean McDowell (Unrepeated)

3. Born to Clear Cut- V9, Dave Stack/Sean McDowell.

4. Me Ol' Cock - V10, Thomasina Pidgeon, Dave Stack, Jamie Robbins

5. Warlord- V9, Sean McDowell, Dave Stack, Thomasina Pidgeon, Greg Foote, Jamie Robbins

6.The View- V8, Greg Foote (Unrepeated)

7. Beat it Like a Red Headed Step Child- V8, Phil Smith, Sean McDowell, Dave Stack, Andrew Osnach, ???

8. Smack- V8, Thomasina Pidgeon, Dave Stack

9.Nightmare-V8, Phil Smith, Sean Mcdowell, Neil Phillips, Dave Stack, ???

10. The Wire- V8, Dave Stack (Unrepeated)

Me Ol Cock.... V9?

As you may have noticed I listed "Me ol cock" lower than three problems graded V9. I've put quite a bit of thought into this and believe it to be accurate. Since climbing "Me ol' cock" this fall I re-climbed both "Warlord" V9, and "Born to clear cut" V9. I believe with the beta I used "Me ol Cock" lies in between these two problems in terms of difficulty, as such I am now suggesting V9 for Me ol cock. I believe with Thomo's original beta the climb more than deserved the V10 it was given. However my new beta, while still quite hard does not put it a grade above the other V9 problems around here.

Notes and Honourable Mentions:

It's important to note that I left the problem "Addiction" at the trailer boulders in Flatrock off of this list. It was climbed by visiting Tim Doyle and it would likely be listed as harder than any other problem around St. John's. However very little is known about how it was climbed and no grade was suggested. For this reason I am leaving it off the list for now.

At #6 "The View" is a problem I know very little about, Greg climbed it with Thomasina when they were both here two summers ago. On a boulder at Fort amherst that I had previously tried unsuccessfully to pull off the ground on. They established two lines from the same start "Green eggs and ham" goes left and was graded V7, and "The View" goes right and was graded V8. I have managed to find my way up the V7 version, but have not been able to figure out the right beta at all. As such I am not sure where to include the problem in the list. I believe it likely requires some very specific beta that I have not yet unlocked. So for now I have listed it as the hardest problem given V8.

"Lunar Eclipse" is another problem that may well deserve to be on this list. It was climbed by Phil Smith (anyone else??) at Freshwater Bay and given V7. I have never given the problem any serious effort but what few attempts I have made have seen very little progress.

I know there are some hard problems put up by Sean McDowel at "The chapel" boulder and in butterpot park. However I'm not sure what grades were suggested or whether they should be included in this list. Sean if you are reading, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

I was surprised when I made the list that the top 10 was all V8 and above. It shows standards have risen quite a bit from when V6's were considered the areas' test pieces. Including V7 would add at least another 9 problems!

Anyway, that's all just some pointless rambling on a rainy day, but I would be very interested in hearing what you think! Did I miss anything? Get anything wrong? Let me know in the comments. Please include your name, I allow anonymous comments to make posting easier... not so people can hide who they are.

Videos

As promised here is the video of Me Ol' Cock

On Saturday we headed out to the highway to try the problem "Warlord" on the barrens boulder.

This is a problem I had climbed before a few years ago and have not been able to repeat since. I particularly wanted to finish it after some frustrating sessions this summer.

One session I felt really close to doing it but ran out of time and had to rush to make it back to town for a wedding. My next session on it was as a tropical storm was approaching and it was too humid to even do the easier moves on it. Then the next time I walked all the way in to the barrens boulder only to realize I had left my climbing shoes at home.

So I was happy to be at the boulder, with my shoes and nice cold conditions. I managed to repeat it fairly quickly and then filmed Jamie and David Bruneau as they attempted it.

Here is the video of Jamie's send:

Me ol' cock

Despite my intentions to spend the fall working on new projects, as days got shorter and school got busier I ended up just happy to get out and do as much climbing as I could in a short period of time. Which brought me to the "Marine Lab" bouldering area.

While there I inevitably ended up trying a problem Thomasina put up last year called "Me ol' cock". Named for the Newfoundland expression which means basically "my dear" and not, presumably, just to get people to talk about getting on "said problem", or describing "said problem" as hard.

At V10 "Me ol' cock" has the highest rating of any problem on the island.* I have worked on it in fits and starts before, but have never really felt like I was getting anywhere on it. Partially because the original beta involves a highstep in the splits that my tight hamstrings just would not consider. So I knew that for me success would involve finding my own way up the problem.

Then this fall I finally started to feel like it might be possible, which got me hooked. The start moves which I used to find hard but do-able started to feel easier and easier. I knew if I could find a way to do the crux sequence I could link the problem.

Working the problem with me was Jamie Robbins. We tried a variety of different beta options, giving each other boosts past the start moves as we pushed each other literally and figuratively to send the problem. One of us almost sticking a move would push the other to stick it the next try. One of us would suggest a new way of trying a move and we'd either hop on with excitement or dismiss it as ridiculous.

Eventually we figured out that a hold that was originally an undercling for the right hand could be held with the left hand. This ended up being the crucial piece of the puzzle. From a push into this position we managed to cross our right hand over and top out the problem. So at this point it became just a matter of being able to put it all together in one go, which is really just a matter of time.

With the forecast calling for rain for the foreseeable future we headed out this morning at the ungodly hour of 9:00 am to try and send the problem. After a few goes to work out the kinks we both ended up in the same boat, falling on the last and hardest move which is the right hand cross-over. We both knew we could do it and every attempt, whether spotting or climbing, I thought it might happen. In the end we ran out of time and I had to leave for class.

Once my classes was over, and it still wasn't raining, I decided to head back out for another crack at it. Jamie unfortunately had to work, but Andrew Linegar came out with me and after another try falling at the same crux move I found myself sticking it and topping out the problem. I'm sure if Jamie had been free the top outs would have been back to back.

Now the question I have not been asked but anticipate is; given that I used different beta do I think it deserves the same grade? The short answer is yes. It feels harder and took more effort and attempts than any V9 I have done.** Every move is hard on it's own and I have fallen on them all separately. Linking them is harder still. However, I do concede that my way of climbing it feels, for me at least, easier than Thomasina's. Also, I find on the send go problems often feel easy no matter how much you have worked on them. Also grading is silly and I have no idea how to do it.

The important thing is the climb is one of the most fun I have ever done. It is a very nice natural line on great rock in a beautiful and accessible setting. There is footage of the send so check back here for a video once I am less busy with school.

* To my knowledge there is one other V10 on the island "Mazer Rackam" put up by Halifax's Nick Sagar in the "Gull Pond" area by Stephenville. But dats far away and put up by a mainlander so we don't count it do we b'ys?

** The exception being "Commitment to Quality" a problem I rated V9 before I had done any established problems of that grade, which is still unrepeated and may warrant a higher grade.

Badass Arete Project

Have spent the last two sessions working on the "badass arete" project at Fort Amherst. I tried this project last year and it felt nearly impossible. After getting back on it on Sunday, and once I remembered how to do the move's up to last years high point, the problem felt much more likely.

Today's session resulted in slapping just slightly closer to an out of reach hold... but it was enough progress to give me the confidence that the line will go down.

Now it's just a matter of time.

Flatrock Topo

The Trailer Boulders

1. Nice Arete, V0 - Layback up the arete keeping your feet on the face.

2. The Bundaberg Arete, V7 - Sit start with a big low side-pull for your right hand and a thin seam for your right. Pull up onto your feet and move left hand to a crimp and right hand to a notch on the arete. Do the big crux move to the slopey side pull then top out. (FA Dave Stack, 04)

3. Un-Named, V2 - Sit start on the obvious hold, traverse using heel hooks left as far as you can then top out. Bit of a struggle to keep your butt off the ground.

4. Nosferatu, V5 - Sit start with your left hand on the arete and your right on a crimpy sidepull notch. Heel hook to get to better holds on the arete, pull up and over the bulge to top out. Has had some controversy over what is the natural line, just have fun. (FA Greg Foote 01)

5. Addiction, VH - Thought to have still been a project this steep line was climbed by Tim Doyle during a short visit. (FA Tim Doyle)

6. Nazis and Their Chickens, V3 - Sit start on the big ledge, pull up to a pinch right on the arete with your right hand and then a left hand sidepull above it, top out straight up. Alternate beta uses a small undercling instead of the pinch.

7. Pinch Problem, V2 - Sit start a little futher right on the same ledge, push out to a cool pinch with your right hand, heel hook and get a crimp on the face with your left, stand up and top out.

8. Sloper Slab, V1 - Climb the mostly blank slab to cool slopey holds higher up.

9. Un-named, V0 - Climb the slabby face using good holds and cracks.

Description: Due to their easy access and proximity to Flatrock's Main Face these boulders have probably seen more traffic than any other on the island. Whether it's your first time bouldering or you have all the problems dialled there is something for everyone here.

Directions: From St. John's head out Torbay road, just past the town of Torbay turn right onto Windgap Rd. Follow the road into the town of Flatrock, turn onto the wharf just past Wade's lane, park at the end of the wharf and walk straight up the hill, you will see the Trailer very quickly. The owners of the trailer have asked us to not cross over their land, walk past the trailer until you are at the boulder which has the unfortunate "dick munch" grafitti, turn right and walk uphill here, you should see a worn down trail PLEAE STICK TO THE TRAIL to avoid making new ones.

Redpath Boulder

Directions: Head straight out the path on the beamer past the trailer boulders. This boulder is a lone boulder almost hidden in some bushes before you get to the much more obvious "Two Boulders"

1. Redpath Productions V1 - Start low on the ride side, climb up and left to top out at the peak.

Two Boulders

Directions: Hard to miss. Just head straight out the path on the beamer till you come face to face with these two boulders sitting right in the centre of the beamer.

Left Boulder

1. Two Boulder's Slab, V0 - Climb up the centre of the big slab. (can be done hands free with a running start...)

2. High Steppin, V0 - Climb up the big ledges to the top

Right Boulder (aka Triangle Boulder)

1. A-Team left, V0 - Climb the left arete to the top.

2. Triangle Face, V1 - Sit start then climb straight up the face on cool holds.

3. A-Team right, V0 - Climb the right arete to the top.

Left Boulder (back)

1. Bitch Slappin', V4 -  Sit start with your left hand low on a sloper and right hand on a crimp. Do a hard slap with the left hand to a better sloper then continue up the blocky feature. Often unclimbable due to a large puddle. The big flat block to the left is considered "out".

The Crabhouse

Directions: Just past the two boulders head to the right as you walk down the beamer make your way slightly down hill and around the corner to find this tall vertical face.

1.  Bulge problem, V0 - Climb the obvious bulge feature.

2. Corner Problem, V0 - An easy climb straight up the corner.

3. Catch Me Quicker, V2 -  From standing on the large protrusion climb of a series of thin crimps to reach a large horizontal crack, then reach right to get into the name inspiring committing top out. Very fun.

4. Crabhouse Crack, V1 - Climb the obvious wide crack.

5. Meat Popsicle, V3 - Start in the vertical crack then climb up to two shallow parallel cracks to gain the top.

The Beamer

"Mordor"

Directions: Head straight down from the trailer boulders to the water and this area should be pretty easy to spot.

1. 60 Second Abs, V4 - Start way in the back of a crack and use the crack/ledge to climb out and then up the vertical crack.

2. The Wire, V8 - Start with both hands on the obvious ledge, throw up a heel then do some powerful moves to get into easier climbing in the crack above.

3. Project -   Start on an undercling with your feet on the big ledge, reach out to some small crimps. I had eyed the project for years but only this year saw that their might actually be enough holds for it to go.

4. Commitment to Quality, V10? - Start underneath the roof then use a toe cam to reach back and get up onto some crimps  then a pinch on the face, do some burly moves with a key pebble to get your feet up then top out. Still awaiting a second ascent.

5. 9 Fingers, V0 - Start under the roof then climb up and right.

Low Tide Area

Directions: A little trickier to give specific directions to. This area is very close to the water basically straight down from just before you reach the two boulders.

1. Project - Start matched on the obvious ledge/seam campus to a crimp with your left hand, drop your right hand in to make room for a hand heel match then crank up to a right hand crimp. Keep going up for what has the potential to be a frightening top out.

2. Dan's Dyno, V4 - Start on the blocky feature, reach up to a good ledge then paste your feet and fire out right to the jug then top out.

3. Calmer Seas, V3 - Start with both hands on a cool quartz hollow feature, using tricky feet and small crimps climb up the face.

Kenmore

Directions: This classic problem is further along the beamer. If you walk straight down from the two boulders then turn right when you get to the water you should find it fairly easily.

1. Making Love to a Kenmore, V4 - Sit start squeezing both sides off this unique feature. Pull your ass off the ground the slap your way up the sides until you can reach a good hold on the face then beach yourself over the top. A classic.

Marine Lab Topo

Marine Lab

1. Seahorse, V0- Climbs the face on good holds, top out straight up using a really cool pocket hold.

2. Cape Horn, V2 - Sit start on the big ledge, lay back up the arete to an easy top out.

3. Into the Deep, V4 - Start on two side pulls climb straight up through slopers and pinches to an undercling on the right side of the top block. (alternate start is on two crimps just right)

4. Nautical Disaster, V6 - Same start as #3 but cross to the really wide pinch with your right Hand and make a big move up to the left of the large block on top. (FA Dave Stack)

5. Poseidon, V6 - Sit start with left hand on a diagonal rail, pull up to a bad slopey crimp for the right, bump left hand out to a good side pull and throw for the big jug, top out straight up. (FA Sean McDowall)

6. Benguala Current, V1 - Climb the face using incut flakes and a large undercling.

7. Seal Tank V2 -Sit start on incuts on top of the bulge, pull to a good incut left hand, post up your feet to do a big reach to a good undercling then top out.

8. Me ol' Cock, V10 - Sit start on the obvious diagonal rail, climb up through a series of sidepulls and underclings to very technical and hard moves to get to the top out. (FA Thomasina Pidgeon)

9. Bali, V3 - Sit start on the large bulge, pull up to a good undercling and then do a big throw out right to a side pull above #8. Was easier before a hold broke.

11. The Plunge V0, Start on a large flat hold, pull to another good hold then reach out to the lip of the move, roll over the lip to top out.

Approach: 10-15 minute drive, under 5 minutes walk.

Description: Steep climbing on red sandstone with interesting features. Bouldering at the marine lab has something to offer for every experience level.

Directions: From St. John's head out Logy Bay road, just past the exit for the outer ring road turn right onto Marine Drive, when you come to a fork keep right to get on Marine Lab Rd. Park in the East Coast Trail Parking lot. There is a trail that leaves the parking lot heading straight for the water, follow this trail until you come to a rocky area. Keep heading down towards the water. The bouldering wall is basically facing the marine lab itself across a little inlet. It's quite steep and obvious though you have to come around a corner to get to it. For those who have not been before it should not take more than a couple minutes of exploration to find it.

There are more problems than are listed here, I will be adding them once I get more photos.

One down...

Keen to get back on the project I headed out to Flatrock after class today. After a quick warm up at the trailer boulders it was time to get down to business. I met up with Kaleb, John and Katie out there so we had tons of pads.

I'd decided to write off the going left hand first to the bottom of the crack method as it seemed to just get me stuck. So I decided to just keep trying the throw with the right hand until it works. Getting the distance is not too hard but actually getting your fingers deep enough in the hold to grab on is the tricky part.

After several attempts and one ripped flapper I eventually managed to stick the hold and keep going to the top.

The send was once again captured by my phone propped up against my shoe so here's a video...

The Wire from Dave Stack on Vimeo.

I named the problem "The Wire" partially after the shape of the crack feature... and partially because I have been watching way too much of that TV show recently.

So that's one project down... now on to the next one.

Projects, projects, projects...

As you can tell from the last couple posts I've started working on putting up a bit of an online guide for some of the bouldering around here. Sean McDowall did a limited run of a print guide a few years back, but copies have become somewhat hard to find, and there has been a lot of development since then.What goes up here will be pretty simple. Whenever I visit an area I will take a few pictures to serve as a topo. Then put up descriptions of the problems and how to get to the areas. Should be more than enough info for people to find and climb the problems I think. A list of the areas I've put up will be on the right side of the blog page.

The topo photos are coming out really small right now when I upload them. Even though I selected the largest size format. I feel like combined with the descriptions it should be good enough that you can figure the problems out but if I can figure out a way to keep the pictures bigger I will.

So that's one project I am working on, the others are far more exciting (for me at least).

I said I wanted to spend the fall trying to climb new projects and other than the line on the Kelligrew's boulder "trying" has definitely been the key word.

There are three main projects I have been working on that I am excited about. All three are hard but feel possible. It feels like any one of them could go either next session or take many more sessions to sort out. What's certain is that they will go... sooner or later.

The Dreamworld Project

The Dreamworld boulder has a huge steep face that has not had a single line put up it yet, the only problems that have been managed on the boulder go along the aretes or up another side. There are holds on the face but they tend to start really high up and be spaced far apart. Aside from the project we are working on now there are many other ha

rder lines to be done.

The line we are working now seems like the most probable line up the main face, it starts on a couple good sidepulls, goes to a right hand gaston, then has a very shoulder intensive move to try and gain a small seam with the left hand. That's the move we are working on now. There is a small pocket in the seam that has so far been just out of reach, but I think with a bit of work will be reachable. What happens after that remains to be seen.

Jamie trying to harness the gaston.

Trying to reach into the seam.

The Mandolin Boulder Project

The project on the mandolin boulder is short and simple, a couple moderate moves on sidepulls gets you up into the crux. You've got a good left hand and no feet and have to clear a large distance to reach a bad sloper. The beta we've been trying keeps switching back between a hand heel match to try to rock over and up to the sloper. Or squeezing the heel on lower on a near vertical ramp that only becomes a foothold due to opposition with the left hand. We've been slapping the top sloper with both methods but neither feels quite there yet. Maybe if the temperature drops a couple more degrees we'll be more likely to stick it.

Kaleb trying the hand-heel beta

Flatrock Project

This project at Flatrock is just to the left of commitment to quality... so it's in a location I have spent my fair share of time projecting. It's a really obvious and attractive line that I have been eyeing for years. It starts on a jug underneath a bit of a roof, then does some burly moves to come out onto the face where you try to gain access to a large crack. I managed once to reach the bottom of the crack with my left hand, but found myself in a position where I was unable to keep going. I think to finish the problem you'll have to reach the bottom of the crack with your right hand. Which is either going to bean chucking, or doing some very serious bearing down on a bad crimp. Whichever way it goes I am looking forward to finding out and have a feeling it won't take long.

Jamie coming out from under the roof.

Coming close trying to throw with the right hand.

Tyler nearly reaching with the left hand first beta.

Barrens Boulder Topo

The Barrens Boulder

1. Boreal Drifter, V2 - Sit start on the far left of the face and traverse the entire lip of the boulder to top out above # 3.

2. Unnamed, V2 - Sit start with a high right hand gaston and a left hand crimp, pull to a blocky undercling for the left hand then shoot for the top. (FA Greg Foote 01)

3. At Play in the Fields of a Warlord, V9 - Sit start on two obvious good crimps. Climb straight up the face using small spaced out crimps. Steep crimpy fun at it's best. (FA Sean McDowall-05)

4. Finger Fried, V6 - Same start as "warlord". Head right off the start for an incut right hand crimp. Sort your feet out to move your left hand to a sidepull on the arete, move right hand to a pocket, bump the left on the arete then fire for a hidden crimp on the face, big move with the left hand to a good hold then go for the top. One of the best problems in Newfoundland. A must climb. (FA Greg Foote 01)

5. Left Side Dominate, V5 - Sit start with left hand on the arete and right hand on a bad low crimp. Go for a good right hand and move your left hand along the arete to get up to better holds above. Low and a bit silly. (FA Shane Dooley 03)

6. Right Side, V0 - Sit start at the base of the arete and traverse up and left to top out. (FA Greg Foote 01)

Description: Though a bit of a trek to get to the barrens boulder has some of the best problems on the avalon in beautiful scenery. However there are not many problems in the easier range so it is not an ideal novice destination.

Approach: 25 minutes Drive, 20 minute walk

Directions: Again this is a tricky boulder to give directions for. Head west along the TCH from St. John's. About 5 minutes past the entrance to Butter pot park there is a new blue sign that says "Witless Bay sea Bird Ecological reserve 20 km on route 13" Park just past this sign right in front of a small wooden sign that says "provincial park no cutting no hunting". Cross the ditch where it is worn down and you should be right on a trail you will follow most of the way to the boulder. After a short while (2-3 minutes) you should walk past a low boulder surrounded by Juniper trees. This is the Prostitute boulder it has the V2 Roxanne and a couple other problems on it. Keep going along the trail until you have to cross a marshy section (water proof boots recommended) Just after crossing the marshy section head left off the trail to cross the stream where it is smallest. Head straight across the stream and up the hill behind it, you will be facing a pond, the barrens boulder is on the far side of the bond. Go left and follow the edge of the pond until you come to a steep hill, head up the hill and follow along its plateau until you can see the boulder and then head down.

Mandolin Boulder Topo

Mandolin Boulder Topo

1. INXS, V4 - Sit start with right hand in a small low sidepull and left hand on a large sidepull, climb through some pinches and up the arete. (FA Sean Mcdowall-03)

2. Rock, Chalk and Two Smoking Holds, V4- Start low on two awkward notches, go up and right to a flake then over to a big jug, dyno straight up from the jug to a flat sloper. Very fun. (FA Dan Fost 04)

3. The Mandolin, V9? (unrepeated) - Same start as #2 but from the jug continue right to a large flat hold, then do a big move to a small left hand crimp and top out on bad slopers to the right. (FA Sean McDowall)

4. PROJECT - Sit start on two side pulls then climb straight up to the top out of # 3.

5. Finger Pickin' V5 - Sit start with a good left side pull and right hand on the arete, bump right hand to the good hold on the arete then reach up left to a one finger/thumb pinch from here hop out left to a jug and top out. Or skip the "finger pickin" hold and just dyno to the jug if you have enough hops. (FA Shane Dooley 03)

6. Banjo Chase Music, V1 - Sit start just around the corner from #5 make your way up a series of good holds for a very fun warm up. (FA Sean McDowall 03)

7. Banjo Remix, V0 - Sit start and make your way up the diagonal crack for a considerably less fun warm up. (FA Shane Dooley 03)

Description: A classic example of Newfoundland highway bouldering. The mandolin boulder has some of the best moderate problems around. The high quality V1 and burly test pieces mean there is something for everyone.

Directions: Directions are a bit tricky for this boulder but I will try my best to make it clear. From St. John's head out the TCH west and turn around at the Holyrood access road. Come back east until you come to a large green highway sign for "EXIT 37, Witless bay line, bay bulls, trepassey" There is also a new blue sign next to it. There is a guard rail next to these signs. Park at the end of the guard rail at the base of a small hill.

Walk to the top of the hill crossing over thick bushes and a rocky area. There is a faint moose trail that leads down the far side of the hill, this trail will lead most of the way to the boulder but is very easy to lose even after you find it. Try to follow the trail across a small valley until you go up another incline with some small boulders continue through some small trees keeping some small ponds on your left, once you come to a highpoint you should be able to see the Mandolin Boulder in the distance. The entire walk to the boulder takes about 10-15 minutes. The boulder should be visible in well under 10 minutes.

If you have any questions or if any information provided appears to be incorrect feel free to let me know.

Beach Bouldering, Kelligrews

So with sending new projects as the goal for september, I went to the Beach Boulder in Kelligrews yesterday with Jamie and DAVID BRUNEAU! (Caps lock = excitement)
There is a project on this boulder that I had done all the moves on previously but never linked the whole problem so I was stoked to get back on it.

We did a quick warm up and then got on the highball I did a couple years ago, which I think I called "The Party Bus" at the time because we had a going away/ birthday party for Liam on the party bus the day we climbed it.

The moves are not really hard on this problem at all... but it is really quite high and the top-out is the hardest par by far. Jamie showed no fear whatsoever as he got to the top out on his first go then dropped off... while me and Bruneau were dropping off without even getting up to the top out...

Then on just his second attempt on the problem Jamie sent the whole thing, with far fewer pads than when the problem was first climbed.

Here's a video of Jamie's Send.

Kelligrews High-Balling from Dave Stack on Vimeo.

Once Jamie sent me and Bruneau decided we would rather work on the new project... which definitely had nothing to do with being scared of the highball..... cough...

So we got to work on the project. It took me a little while to remember the moves, and they felt just as hard as they had last time, but I was confident the problem would go quickly, if not in that day then in just a couple sessions.

Bruneau developed his own tall person beta involving a big reach off a hard lock off, while me and Jamie tried to heel hook and squeeze our way up.

The individual moves all went with both versions of the sequence and soon we were all stoked we could send it and were competing for the first ascent.

A couple of split tips took Jamie out of the game early and it was down to me and Bruneau. Bruneau had stuck his big reach move from a stand start but was having trouble sticking it after doing the first moves. But he was getting closer every attempt.

After going back and forth coming close Jamie said he had to leave in order to make it back to work, so we had one more go each. Bruneau came agonizingly close to sticking his crux move but didnt quite make it. Then I managed to pull through and stick my version of the crux move... and after a slight dilemma where I could not find a hold to help with the easy top out moves I eventually managed to make it to the top for the first ascent.

We named the problem "It's always sunny in CBS" because as we were driving out of St. John's in pouring rain we kept saying "sure it's rainging here but it's always sunny in CBS." Half joking and half hoping that if we said it enough it would be true... and sure enough when we got out there the rock was dry and the sun even managed to part the clouds a few times.

It's Always Sunny in CBS from Dave Stack on Vimeo.

So two days into September that's one project down, hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

End of August

Monday was forecast to be the last dry day of august before we got the tail end of hurricane irene, so it was now or never to ticking problems of the summer sendage list.

I started the day by heading out to try and finish off Warlord, which I had felt super close on last session before I had to go to the wedding.

Unfortunately the tropical winds blowing up from the hurricane meant it was one of the most humid days I've ever seen in Newfoundland.

Already sweating from the walk in I tried to do a little warm up and found myself struggling on the warm up problems.... which was not a good sign.

When it came time to actually try the problem... I couldn't even stick the first move... which normally I never fall on...

I tried it for a solid hour, but the best I could do was trying my absolute hardest and still only getting a couple moves into the problem and not even reaching the crux.

So I had to pack it in, but before leaving the highway I made a quick run in to the Mandolin Boulder and ran up "Banjo Chase Music" V1 for a quick tick off the send list... I also eyed a potential new line I have not tried before and there is another project on the boulder so I am stoked go head back there soon.

In the afternoon I was joined by Jamie and Giz and we went down to Freshwater bay because there are 4 problems on the tick list down there.

We got down in the woods and got on "Treacherous Snake Woman" which at V5 is the easiest problem on the list from Freshwater Bay. Unfortunately as humid as it was out on the highway it felt even worse sheltered in the woods. The problem relies on using some really friction dependant slopers and in the humidity they felt like they were seeping grease.

"Treacherous Snake Woman" V5

So after an extended falling session on that we decided there was not much point in trying to climb in the woods... so we skipped the other two problems there and did the walk down to "the wooly wolf" which is out in the open down by the water so we were hoping to get a bit of a breeze.

I was also stoked to get on it because it is one of only two problems on the list I had not sent previously.

Conditions down by the water felt a lot better and after sorting out the beta the problem went fairly quickly. I was really impressed by the problem; the moves are super fun and it's a really nice line. It felt pretty low end for v6 but it is fairly height dependant.

Jamie sent shortly after me and after an otherwise frustrating day of climbing we hiked out as it got dark satisfied to have sent an excellent problem which really saved the day.

A video of the sends.

The Wooly Wolf from Dave Stack on Vimeo.

So with august done the tick list is over, I ended with 17 out of 25 problems done in a month. The goal I set for myself was 20/25 so I was a bit short of that, but happy it was still good enough to win me some shoes.

Now that the list is done its time to start focussing on sending new projects instead of just repeating problems. I'm looking forward to a good fall of bouldering.

August pt 3

The next problem on the tick list was "Poverty Line" a tall V6 at the talc mine boulders in manuels. I went out with Jamie hoping to lap the problem quickly and then start working on a v8 I have not sent in the same area.

We warmed up and then started working the problem. It is quite tall with the crux moves coming high off the deck so it took us a little while to get our heads around committing to the moves. After a few goes I slapped for what I thought was the hold on the crux move but hit blank rock instead.

Thinking I had remembered the beta wrong we started trying other options and spent a long session trying to find a way up the problem. After falling for quite a while and trying to figure out what we were missing I tried slapping for the same hold I had earlier, this time I found the crimp I had missed earlier and stuck the hold. I came off that go but we both sent the problem shortly after we figured out the original beta had been the right sequence after all.

After a long session on small crimpers we were not feeling in the mood to try any other hard problems so we packed it in and called it a day, happy to have another problem ticked off the list... even if it took longer than it should have.

August pt 2

The next day out was with Giz to Flatrock. Giz is just trying to get back into bouldering after a forced hiatus, so Flatrock was a good are for having lots of easy problems.

We warmed up in the sun at The Crab House and the Two Boulders, doing laps on easy problems I have done countless times but still enjoy.

Then we headed down to see if "Making Love to a Kenmore" V4 was dry. Kenmore is a really cool problem, one of my favourites at flatrock; you squeeze your way up an over hanging fridge shaped feature. The sides are completely blank and almost textureless so you really have to squeeze to keep yourself on. Near the top there is one hold on the face that lets you get to the top-out. Unfortunately seepage from the grass above the problem tends to run directly down over this one hold. So it is rare to find it dry enough to use.

As expected this was the case, but we decided to get on it anyway, Giz worked on the squeezy moves while I managed to complete the problem by chucking for the top past the wet hold.

A few days later we came back so Jamie could do the problem and found the hold surprisingly dry... oh well.

"Making love to a kenmore" V4

After sending Kenmore we went to the trailer boulders, Giz worked on "Nazi's and their chickens" V3 until his skin hurt to much to keep going, then I got on "the Bundaberg Arete", a crimpy balancy v7 that feels really hard every time I try it. After a bit of work I was relieved to get the send as my fingers were starting to protest about the amount of crimping they were doing.

A video of "Rading Gorbachov's wine Cellar", "Finger Fried" and "The Bundaberg Arete"

Bouldering Newfoundland, August 2011 from Dave Stack on Vimeo.

August pt 1

After that first sunny day climbing it proceeded to rain for nearly two straight weeks. Apparently that was par for the course for the summer...but I was not used to it and started to get a bit frustrated with the lack of climbing and always biking to work in what felt like a hurricane.I managed to get out to blackhead with Kaleb one grey afternoon that was a bit dry despite some light drizzle. Otherwise I was stuck with gym climbing as my only option for a while.

Eventually the weather finally shifted and I was able to get out again. After being shut down by "Beat it like a red headed step child" again last time I was keen to finish it off.

Despite the lack of warm up problems on the boulder I went straight there with Erica on the first sunny day we'd had in ages. After a few attempts to get the fingers warmed up I was finally able to get through the whole problem. Feeling solid the whole way was a huge relief after flailing on my last 3 visits.

Here's a video from the first time I sent the problem... over 3 years ago...

Which shows that my self made video techniques have not changed much over the years...

After sending that we made the trek out to the Red Army Boulder to get on "Raiding Gorbachov's Wine Cellar" a fun V6 that was also on the Sendage list. After a few tries to pull past the start move crux I was able to send that problem quickly as well and was starting to feel like getting through this list wouldn't be too tough after all.

We headed back to town for a lunch/ supper at Sun Sushi where we met up with Jamie and Claire, then myself and Jamie headed out to Fort Amherst to try and tick two V7's off the list.

Jamie warming up at Fort Amherst with the battery in the backround.

After warming up we went to was "Green Eggs and Ham" a V7 Thomasina and Greg put up... last summer? or was it the summer before... keeping track of time is hard....

Anyway the problem is basically just a heinously hard start move on terrible crimps and then it's over. Working it last year I managed to find some way to haul my butt off the ground to do the moves... but when we got there this day neither of us could figure out how to pull the first move...

So we gave up on that one and moved on to "Ketamine", a tall technical climb with powerful and interesting moves, which i feel is the gem of the area... and not just because I did the FA.

Jamie showed me some new beta he figured out which avoids relying on a really tenuous heel hook. At first I thought his new beta was going to make the problem easier... but after sessioning the problem for about an hour neither of us had sent.

Jamie sighed "I guess it's just not going to go today" Right before he pulled on for a final attempt and sent the problem. Inspired by Jamie's send I got back on and... fell past the crux move. After waiting a bit to recover I got on again, this time getting past the crux and up into a good crack near the top of the climb... when my feet cut and all my weight fell onto what was basically an accidental hand jam... which surprisingly held and I was able to regroup and send the Climb.

My next day out was with Jamie and Giz. We headed out to the Barrens boulder, which has a bit of an epic hike in, but also has two of the best problems on the send list. Finger Fried V6 and At Play in the Fields of a Warlord V9. Both are very crimpy climbs up slightly overhanging granite. Skipping a warm up Jamie sent Finger Fried after a few tries for his send of the problem and I repeated it for the list afterwards. Then we moved on to Warlord... which at first felt impossibly hard but after a bit of work trying to remember the moves and body positions I started to trust the painful crimpers a bit more and nearly sent. However we were severely limited for time because I had a wedding to go to that afternoon. So after a few more attempts we had to pack it in and head back.

I was getting picked up for the wedding at 2:30, so we left the boulder at 1:00 to do the 20 minute hike out, then a 20 minute drive back would leave me plenty of time to shave, shower and change for the wedding.

When we made it out to the car Jamie put his hands on his head with a look of disbelief... he had left his keys behind at the boulder. Without saying much else he dropped his pad and sprinted back off into the marsh.

With a 40 minute round trip ahead of him I started to worry for my chances of making the wedding... However Jamie ran like a Champ and made it in and out in just 20 minutes and I still made it home with plenty of time to get prepped for the wedding.

Ok... not going to get caught up in one post apparently... more next time along with that video I promised...

Back Home

So I have been back home for about 3 weeks now but have been too busy to update the blog.

At the beginning of the summer Kaleb posted a tick list of 25 boulder problems on Sendage. With the idea that whoever climbed the most of the boulder problems from the list before september 1st would win a free pair of shoes from Evolv. Most of the problems were climbs I had done before, but in order for them to count for the list I would have to repeat them this summer. I thought being away for 3 months would give me a fun handicap and I would have to catch up by sending as many as I could in just the month of august.

However it seemed like while I was away everyone else lost interest in bouldering... choosing instead to spend what few dry climbing days were available this summer hanging around on ropes down at flatrock.

So I found when I got back I was not as far behind on the list as I had anticipated. Still the list includes many of the hardest boulder problems I have ever done around here (and a few that I have not been able to do yet) So I decided I would spend august trying to tick as many of them as I could.

The very first day I arrived back in St. John's was a clear sunny day so a very jet lagged version of myself went out with Jamie Robbins to try to start ticking problems.

We went to the Vacation Boulders, a cluster of three short boulders on the highway barrens. They've never been my favourite spot to boulder but they had a few of the easier problems from the tick list so we decided to head there first and get them out of the way as a warm up and then head to hard stuff.

We made short work of both

"Monkey Trainer" V3

and "Hula Girl" V4.

Both low to the ground traverses on grainy slopers.... which reminded me why I was not so keen on the Vacation Boulders....

So then we headed on to try "Beat it like a red headed stepchild" a V8 that I had only climbed once before. I had already spent two sessions in the spring before going away trying to repeat it but despite doing the problem in two sections on both occasions was unable to link the whole thing. I was hoping a summer of regular bouldering on steep terrain would let me finish it off quickly. But after a prolonged session I had to give up once my fingers hurt to much to grab a painful jaw-like hold any more and leave without finishing the problem.

Ok, out of blogging time for today, so this is to be continued, next post should be soon and include a video of some of the problems climbed from the list so far.

L'Enflure*

*(too much detail on climbing one problem.)

After a weekend off to recover and let my skin heal I went back today with high hopes that I could put away one of my projects quickly.

After warming up I felt fresh and confident. I hopped on "L'enflure" and felt good through the openings moves only to come off at the same crux move I had already fallen on countless times on the previous two sessions.

Several attempts later I was still no closer. The crux move that has been shutting me down involves taking an awkward, crimpy, sidepull, high stepping with the left foot, and then bumping the right foot high enough with a drop knee to allow the right hand to make a big move to the finish. I've already seen two people do this move with ease but whenever I got up there I felt like I could barely hold the sidepull well enough to move my feet, let alone do a long reach to the finish.

So today, after several attempts I was starting to get discouraged when I was again surprised by another climber showing up at the crag. After he warmed up while watching me fall repeatedly at the same move he commented that I was "presque la", I told him I had been "almost there" at the same move more times than I could count.

The new climber then asked me if i was using my thumb on the sidepull. I said that I was because there was a small divot I was putting my thumb in which seemed quite obvious to me. After falling off several more attempts I asked him where exactly he meant to use the thumb. Despite my french, which is seriously lacking when it comes to climbing jargon, I eventually understood that there was another thumb catch on the sidepull above the one I was using which he admitted was quite hard to get set up on, but would make the hold feel better.

Trying it this new way I finally felt like I could move off the sidepull and managed to slap towards the hold, I was a long way from sticking it but I finally felt like it was possible.

A few attempts later, I was not so sure. I felt better on the sidepull sure, but I still felt like I was slapping wildly for the finish and would need a lot more control to finish it.

With 10 minutes left before I had to leave to catch my bus I came off an attempt with both my skin and my tendons hurting, I decided I was done and started to pack up. I looked at my watch while packing my bag and decided I could still give one more attempt and make my bus. I put some tape on the worst of my fingers and got on for one last try. When I got on the sidepull I put my thumb up and felt my ring and pinky finger latch on better than they had before. I let myself think it might just be possible before stabbing for the finish hold. To my surprised I reached it and held it.

It was so surprising it was actually anti-climactic. I had already decided I was not going to get it today and was giving one more attempt just to get the moves even more wired. But once again it's shown me that I seem to climb my best when I climb without expectations.

What I need to learn is how to get so I can always climb with this mindset.

Once again a very poorly quality video...

L'enflure from Dave Stack on Vimeo.

Motivation

Bouldering in Newfoundland has gotten me used to bouldering alone. I'd say it's likely that I've had more days bouldering alone in my life than I have had with other people.

I'm told that in the evenings the St. George bouldering area can get pretty busy. I've never seen it. Because I climb in the day while everyone else is at work I am usually alone. Once or twice some else has arrived as I am getting ready to leave and one day there were people there doing routes when I got there. Mostly though it's been more climbing alone.

That's why I was surprised yesterday when after I'd been there maybe an hour or so a man and woman who looked to be in their 40's arrived with a 14

year old boy and two small girls. They had ropes and a crashpad and starting scouting out the routes they had wanted to climb. Remarking with dismay that most of them were wet and they were going to have to boulder instead.

(the bouldering area stays dry even in a downpour because the overhanging park of the cliff extends quite a ways out from the base of the wall)

They put their crashpad down for the little girls to traverse over and started looking at the boulder problems, the boy got on a two move V10 and nearly flashed it, then started asking the man he'd come with what it was. I had my topo handy (and had previously tried the problem and knew very well how hard it was) so I told him it was V10 from the stand start and v11/12 from the sit. I brought my pad over so he wouldn't have to take the pad from the girls and watched in awe as he climbed the problem from the sit with ease in just a handful of tries.

The woman tried it as well and was doing well but had trouble with a long move and the man came over and did the v10 version first try and remarked on how there were different holds ticked than he used to use.

Clearly these were all pretty serious climbers and he seemed to know the area pretty well, so I asked him if he could give me some beta on a problem I'd been working for a while now. It's called "L'Enflure"a tall v8 that I have been getting pretty high on but just couldn't figure out how to get to the top. When I brought him over to it he said "Ah yes, L'enflure, I put that up. After which the boy addressed him as Francois and I realized that it was Francois Nicole. (Brother of Fred and climbing beast in his own right)

He then cruised the problem to show me the beta, and I was a little dismayed to see that the section I couldn't figure out required taking a sidepull I had written off as un-hold able and then high-stepping and pulling through to the top jug. Young guns then came over and flashed the problem as well.

I wish I could say that taking inspiration from the first ascentionist I managed to fight through and finish the problem. Sadly despite repeated efforts this is not the case. Returning today yielded similar results. However I am starting to feel closer. I also hopped on the v10 while the kid was working the harder version and managed to stick the first move, which previously had made me feel like my shoulder was going to explode, I slapped for the next hold and feel like with work I might be able to stick it.

So with about a week left of my time here in Geneva I am left with two motivating projects. Which wouldn't have happened if I had only been climbing alone.

27

Went out to St. George today for a birthday boulder session. After finishing my last project I needed something new to work on, so today I decided to try a 7a+ that I had not gotten on yet.

It's called "Cet a-plat de Merde" which very roughly translates to "A plate of shit" or something like that. It's an appropriate name, which is why I had not bothered to try it before.

It's one of the lowest finishing problems in the area, which in itself is pretty uninspiring and the climb itself does little to make up for that.You start on two sidepulls, pull up to a decent sloper, then do a couple of moves on weird crimps that ripped me a couple new flappers then try to reach out left for a sloper that leads to the finish jug.

I'm running out of fingers that are not missing chunks.

Despite the low quality of the problem, climbing it was actually a pretty enjoyable experience but only because I had to figure out the sequence. If I'd been given the beta beforehand the climb would have been as crappy as it's name. I went through a couple different sequence variations before I found one that worked, which is part of what makes bouldering fun to begin with.

It was nice to get a send on my birthday as well, and now to celebrate we are going out for korean bbq!

Here's a video of the send, along with a really fun V5.

St. George Bouldering from Dave Stack on Vimeo.