Feburary and March Climbing Events

-- February and March (ongoing) -- Various Locations -- North Face Movie Premier

-- February 6 -- Bellingham, WA -- Western Washington University: Veni. Vidi. Ascendi.


-- February 9 -- Bellingham, WA -- REI Ski Wild

-- February 12 -- Cody WY -- Wyoming Waterfall Ice Fest

-- February 19 -- Rancho Cordova CA -- Granite Arch Climbing Friday Flash Fest

-- February 20 -- Eugene OR -- University of Oregon Vertical Circus Climbing Competition

-- February 22 -- Evansville IN -- Vertical eXcape Climbing Center "Boulder Bash"

-- February 27 -- Seattle WA -- Stone Gardens Sport Climbing Series Comp

-- March 5 -- Dayton OH -- Wright University Adventure Summit

-- March 6 -- Warrenville IL -- Vertical Endeavors No Hold Barred

-- March 13 -- Fairfax, VA -- HERA Foundation Climb4Life

-- March 18 – Las Vegas, NV -- Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

-- March 19-21 -- Red Rocks NV -- Red Rock Rendezvous

Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you stoked

So lately in the office I've heard mention of aid climbing, or aiding past pitches on long routes. It has me somewhat interested in the techniques and systems involved in such endeavors. When I get interested in stuff, I generally turn to youtube to watch some videos of the activity in action. I was lead to this compilation video, which begins with an aid climber moving up a wall, and then unexpectedly coming right back down. I would've titled this post as "Videos to freak you out," but this guy seems absolutely stoked to take a fall. I can only hope to have this attitude about falling.



While I wrap my head around "enjoying" a fall, there are people out there actually ice climbing! Unlike the majority of the pacific northwest, there appears to be ice forming in the world, and people are climbing it. I'm willing to travel far for ice, but Italy seems a little far right now. Regardless, check out this video of some guys "warming up" on a WI5.

Dry tooling and Ice climbing in Gressoney, Aosta valley, Italy from sébastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Offwidths Series, Part One

OFFWIDTH PART 1.

Offwidth bouldering. “Why would you want to do that?” Dyan asked me. “Well, its fun. Kind of…” I answered, but inside I knew that answer was far from sufficient. Many rock climbers loathe offwidths, the dreaded spectrum of crack climbing too wide for fist jamming, but too small to get in and chimney. They can be painful, tedious, and quite frustrating, especially to a generation of climbers bred on face climbing and splitter cracks.

For me, this recent fascination with the wide has come from a goal of being a well-rounded climber. My first encounter with hard offwidths came in 2004, where a co-worker on an Outward Bound rock course in Vedauwoo, WY offered to belay me an a 5.11a. Since I was climbing 12a sport routes and 11 cracks in Indian Creek, I thought I had a chance. I was wrong. After aiding the 30 feet to get to the anchor and set up a toprope, several of us worked on the crack for an hour or so, much to the amusement of our students. It was an experience in pain and frustration, of not even remotely knowing how to climb it. Needlesss to say, offwidths got put on the back burner.

As Shunryu Suzuki writes in his book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s, there are few.” Fast-forward to September 2008, Vedauwoo. I was ready to begin the learning process. After seeing several articles and lots of pictures of climbers like Bob Scarpelli, Pamela Pack, and Justin Edl offwidth bouldering in the ‘Voo, a friend and I decided to head there and try our hand at the “Dark Arts”, as he called it. We thought learning techniques a few feet off the ground would be safer, lacking the time and commitment of being on a rope. Two weeks, several rolls of tape, and one pair of Carhartts later, we felt like we had opened a whole new door of knowledge. We were rank beginners, despite our collective 25 years of climbing experience, and that may have been one of the most powerful experiences of my climbing career. Frustrating? Absolutely - but incredibly rewarding. It was just the beginning.

Winter 2009, Red Rock Canyon. I’m far from Vedauwoo, in the face-climbing mecca of Red Rock, but the desire to learn is still there. While there are a handful of offwidth routes here, it is still difficult to find partners for them, so I’ve back looking at the boulders. Between the excessively chalked-up, over-hyped crimp ladders, I’m seeing lines. Some new, some old. Maybe Joe Herbst, 70’s Red Rock pioneer and offwidth Jedi Master, played on them at some time. Maybe not. Most are new-school offwidths, overhanging cracks and roof cracks, that use Leavittation, (a hand-stacking/leg-locking technique developed by CA climbers Randy Leavitt and Tony Yaniro) to ascend them. In any case, they provide more great learning opportunities – a place to be a beginner once again.

The following pictures are from the problem Born to Bleed (5.10+ V2), Red Rock Canyon. FA – Scott Massey, 12/09. In the Vedauwoo tradition, crack boulder problems are given a YDS grade and a V-grade, so I decided to stick with that. The name is a reference to a song I was listening to at the time I was working it, as well as the result of two days of trying this roof crack without tape gloves. The rock is somewhat abrasive (90 grit or so…), and hanging off hand-fist stacks will test anyone’s pain tolerance. I finally unlocked the crux sequence on my sixth day of working it. The movement is actually quite fun, and very cerebral. All photos by AAI guide Viren Perumal. I hope you enjoy them!

Scott Massey
AAI Lead Guide, Red Rock Program

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 1/28/10

Northwest:

The SPOT Locator Device is a common Personal Locator Beacon

--The move by Washington's legislature to require all backcountry users above a certain altitude to wear Personal Locator Beacons is being met with resistance. To read why the Search and Rescue community opposes this, click here. To see and sign a petition against such a rule, click here.

--Canada's Whistler Blackcomb resort, site of several alpine-ski events during next month's Winter Olympics, will be on the auction block during the Games. Lenders plan to auction their stake in British Columbia-based resort company Intrawest, Whistler Blackcomb's owner, during the Vancouver Games. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--A backcountry skier has gone missing in the Eastern Sierra near Slide Mountain. Little is currently known about the search effort. To read more, click here.

--Eight feet of new snow at Mammoth Mountain is a boon to skiers, but despite the heavy snowfall, the snowpack at Mammoth Pass remains below normal for this time of year. According to the latest numbers from the LADWP, as of Friday the snowpack at Mammoth Pass was listed at 19.3” of water. This is 80% of normal to date for Mammoth. To read more, click here.

--Supertopo.com has a very interesting round-up of all the rockfall incidents in Yosemite this year. Major incidents took place throughout the year. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--A small plane crashed into a remote part of the Joshua Tree National Park while on its way to Palm Springs Airport on Monday, January 18, 2010. The Cessna 172 aircraft took off around 7:30 a.m., and crashed about 10 miles northeast of Palm Springs. Both of the men on board survived the accident. To read more, click here.

--Late in 2008, Tim DeChristopher made false bids for 14 parcels near Arches and Canyonlands national parks as an act of civil disobedience aimed at fighting global warming and preserving some of the most scenic land in the country. He is currently on trial for two felonies and syas that the prosecution has been "discriminatory" when it chose to charge him even though many others have placed oil and gas lease bids and failed to pay without facing prosecution. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

The Vinson Massif
Photo by Guy Cotter

--A 17-year-old boy from Utah has reportedly become the youngest person to climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, after reaching the peak of Antarctica's Mount Vinson last week. Johnny Collinson began his quest on Jan. 19, 2009, on the summit of Argentina's Aconcagua, completing the feat on the same day just one year later. To read more, click here.

--A good rock can be hard to find these days. That is, a rock with great grooves and cracks, open to the public and good for climbing. But the Carolina Climbers Coalition, a volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural areas and access to climbing areas in North and South Carolina, recently purchased a pretty good chunk.Anthony Love, president of the CCC and a geologist at Appalachian State University in Boone, said the group has just purchased the West Side Boulders at Rumbling Bald, a 6.1-acre parcel containing a jumble of boulders, from 5-40 feet high, in Hickory Nut Gorge immediately north of Lake Lure. To read more, click here.

--Four Japanese climbers made the first ascent of the west face of Nemjung (23,425') in October. It appears that this significant ascent was only the second ascent on the mountain. To read more, click here.

--An Arkansas rock climber recently made the news in an unflattering way. Apparently the climber broke his ankle after suffering a fall on private property where no climbing is permitted. To read more, click here.

--An ice climber in Colorado was injured when he fell off of The Shroud at Officer's Gulch this week. The extent of the injuries are not currently known. To read more, click here.

Conditions Report - Janurary 27, 2010

RED ROCK CANYON:

Last Thursday and Friday conditions of Mt Wilson. Photo credit Scott Massey.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

--There are plans to change the fee structure for camping and climbing in Red Rock Canyon. To learn more about the proposed changes and to find out how you can help keep the fees as they currently are, please click here.

JOSHUA TREE:

-- An informative report for Joshua Tree's South Astro Dome and surrounding area can be found here.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

NORTHWEST:

AAI intern, Andrew Yasso, headed east to Vantage (Frenchman's Coulee) this past weekend.

The West. Beautiful sunsets after beautiful days, (with beautiful wind turbines way in the background). Andrew Yasso.

My sleeping pad and I =). Andrew Yasso.

It was kind of a gorgeous day for winter...Andrew Yasso.

-- Ice climbers need some beta on an unknown route at Alpental, near the SE lower section of Chair Peak right on the other side of Source Lake.

-- A great link for SQUAMISH weather can be found here.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Sno-Park permits are available for purchase in Washington State. To purchase a permit and/or read more about them click here.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth, and Highway 2.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

SIERRA:

-- Recent Yosemite road closure information is due to snow and ice. Article can be found here.

--For an update on road conditions in the Eastern Sierra region. Follow this link to read more.

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.

ALPS:

-- Recent Chamonix trip report for Supercouloir on the Tacul and other climbs (and some great photography) can be found here.

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

--The American Alpine Institute is now accepting applications for the 2010 climbing season. Please call our office at 360-671-1505 for more information.

--Forecast for Denali.

The Alaska Range from the Air - Black and White Photos of Alaska's Biggest Mountain Range

Since 1999 I have been to the Alaska Range five times. Over those five trips I have taken numerous photo flights over the range. I am currently putting together a slide show with my photos from Alaska trips, this group of photos will be my next art show. This group of photos show the Alaska Range from the air and some of the planes that I have now spent quite a bit of time photographing from. None of these photos would have been possible without K2 Aviation so if you are looking to do a flight to the Alaska Range give them a call.

The Aircraft...
A Beaver sits on the tarmac in Talkeetna in the rain. No flights on this day.


An Otter on the Kahiltna Glacier.

A Otter makes a late flight into Kahiltna base camp

A Beaver Engine
Not all of the flying in the Alaska goes as planned.
The Alaska Range...


The Glaciers...

The glaciers really make some of the best subjects when flying in the Alaska Range. Even when the clouds are hiding the peaks there are always interesting glacier patterns to photograph.









The Climbers...

One thing that always adds interest to the glaciers are the added patterns of human presence. From the huge runway in the snow next to the busy camp of the Kahiltna Base, to a solitary track weaving through crevasses, these added patterns make some of my favorite photos.





The Mountains...

The mountains of the range make up some of the steepest, largest and most beautiful mountains in the world.

Mount Hunters north face

The Moose's ToothMount Foraker

Mt. Foraker as the early morning moisture dissipates.
Mount Hunter.

A ridge somewhere between the Kahiltna and Ruth Glaciers.
An unknown peak somewhere in the range.
Denali from the south.

Gold Creek drainage.
Small peaks at the base of the range.
Peaks in the lower Ruth Gorge
The summit of Mt. Hunter pokes through the clouds.
The Cassin Ridge on Denali

Mount Hunter's summit


--Alasdair Turner, AAI Instructor and Guide

Urban Dictionary Definition - MountainSexual

Yep, the urban dictionary has defined us...

MountainSexual

Similar to metrosexual, but one who lives in the mountains or otherwise pursues the outdoors adventure lifestyle. Kind of a cleaned-up granola, a woodsy GQ kinda' guy with a splash of bohemian. Knows that he doesn't have to look or smell like a dirtbag to enjoy climbing, hiking, cycling, skiing, (all forms), snowshoeing, etc. Progably reads Men's Journal, Outside, and Alpinist. Brands: Patagonia, Keen, Kuhl, The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Mountain Khakis. Stong environmental ethic. Drives a well-maintained truck, performance SUV, or cross-over when absolutely necessary but walks or rides a bicycle whenever possible. Works out at the gym, but primarily to be in shape for outdoor pursuits. Shuns chain stores and shops.

"For such an outdoorsy guy, that dude sure has great style."

"Yeah, he's a veritable MountainSexual!"

It's funny because it's true...

--Jason D. Martin

January and February Climbing Events

--January 23 -- San Luis Obispo, CA -- Bishop Peak Adopt-a-Crag

--January 23 -- Superior, WI -- Rock On

--January 26 -- Walla Walla, WA -- Banff Film Festival

--January 29 -- Jeffersonville, VT -- Smuggs Ice Bash

--January 30 -- Boston, MA -- Heart of Steel Bouldering Comp

-- Feburary 5 -- Marquette MI -- Michigan Ice Festival

-- February 5 -- Canmore AB, Canada -- Glitter Girls on Ice

-- February 6 -- Mechanicsburg PA -- Climbnasium's "Frost Bite" Competition

-- February 7 -- Akron OH --University of Akron Bouldering Competition

-- February 12 -- Cody WY --Wyoming Waterfall Ice Fest

-- February 19 -- Rancho Cordova CA -- Granite Arch Climbing Center "Friday Flash Fest #3"

-- February 20 -- Eugene OR -- University of Oregon Vertical Circus Climbing Competition

-- February 22 -- Evansville IN -- Vertical eXcape Climbing Center "Boulder Bash"

Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you stoked

Here at the institute, we are all about reaching personal goals, whatever that may be. For some that may mean sending their latest project, for others it may be putting up a first ascent in the Himalayas. Personally, I'm just happy if I can get out and touch some rock every day. That's why I found this video inspiring, as it is of a guy who's happy to be "living the dream," and filming it quite artistically.

My Day "Living the Dream" from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

There are some people out there though, that see working a project as "cheating techniques." To these individuals, living them dream means living for the onsight. There is a thrill that is undeniable about getting on a route you've never been on before and shooting for the clean send. These guys are really pushing themselves to the point of falling.

Cascades Sunset

These images of sunset on the Cascades tonight are from AAI friend and great photographer Keith Gunnar.  These are taken from Keith's home on Whidbey Island, just a little south of Bellingham and Mt. Erie.

DG