4-21-14: Single Subject

Joel Ruscher on Single Subject [v9]

After a bit of a hiatus, Joel Ruscher is back in the game.  A few weekends back, Joel nabbed the first ascent of this cool squeeze arete.  As you may have gathered from the name, the climb is deceptively simple, and you feel like you could stick the pinch every go (until you don't).  

The problem is located just to the right of the Infamous Dark Crystal problem at the Ahwahnee boulders.  This time, we have video proof...

5-20-10: Cilley

Theo Merrin climbing Cilley [v10]

Here is another not-so-hidden gem, this time at the Ahwahnee Boulders. This one is on the main Ahwahnee boulder only about 10 feet from the parking lot, so don't worry about hiring Sherpas. Sit start on a obvious rail and climb through intense moves all the way through the top-out. Surmounting the lip is harder than it looks, so don't let down your guard!

Theo Merrin from Colorado climbs Cilley in this video and I was super psyched to shoot him sending all the classics on a recent trip. More to come!

-Raza

3-2-09: Montezuma's Revenge

Scott Chandler on Montezuma's Revenge [v9]

We just ran a poll to name the problem left of Montezuma's Revenge, but after a quick search I realized there is no post for Montezuma's Revenge! This problem is one of the coolest sloper problems in the valley. The lower sequence is quite intricate and not that obvious, so study the video closely!

Montezuma's is basically a low start to Rubik's Revenge [v7], and diverges left along the slopey lip. The stand up problem goes at v8 and the low start adds a grade for both problems. The low start into Rubik's has been done since Montezuma's, but was never named as far as I know.

To do the problem, start on the crimps at the top of an obvious flake (not a true sit start), climb up and right to the blocky sidepull start for Rubik's, climb up to the lip and finish left.

-Raza

2-9-09: Name this v4 (The Payback)

Andrew Descalso on the The Payback [v4]

A new president was recently inaugurated and in the spirit of democracy, I thought it would be cool to have the people vote on the name of a boulder problem. The arete to the left of Montezuma's Revenge was put up in the same time frame, but we failed to name it even though it is a worthy problem in its own right.

The other two problems on the boulder are Rubik's Revenge and Montezuma's Revenge.

Register your vote on the poll to the right. Let your voice be heard! If you think of one of your own, click 'other' and add a comment to this post. The polls will close February 23rd; don't be disenfranchised.

-Raza

Update: 3-2-09
Polls closed and 'The Payback was the winner. Below are the results.

12-17-07: Bessey

Tim Medina on Bessey [v8]

This gem was found by Mike & Ingar early this fall, right behind the warm-ups at the Ahwahnee boulders. The tiered landing appeared highly problematic at first appraisal, but after working out the moves, we discovered that all the hard climbing was at the start. Much to our relief, that fall puts you squarely onto the "safe" lower tier. The center section, with the much sketchier landing, has easier moves. The problem ends with a spicy, but not-too-hard, lip encounter.


Mike Madigan on Bessey [v8]

There is not too much beta for the bottom except - squeeze! The name of the problem should give you an idea of how much squeezing is involved since Bessey is a kind of wood-working clamp. To find it: look left and behind the Silent Spotter problem. It is also visible from the trail near the "No Fur" boulder.

-Raza

Randy Puro on Bessey, v8

6-23-07: Linear

Paul Barraza on Linear [V9?]


If bearing down on painful, razor-like crimps is your cup of tea, then don't miss Linear, the problem that climbs the left side of the big face on the aptly named Ahwahnee boulder. Located amidst the warm-up problems in the Ahwahnee area, it's a line that has often been attempted given its obvious and cool start holds. Interest wanes, however, once we're reminded once again of the grievous and nearly non-existent nature of the holds following the start. Despite this, on a warm day last March, Paul figured out a sequence that hits the left arete after some hard crimp moves. The climb finishes by following the arete and some poor right hand-holds to the highest point of the boulder. The line heading straight up the face to the highest point, remains a project. Excellent skin and strong fingers will be prerequisites for sending the straight-up version. Oh yes, and good footwork wouldn't hurt, either.

-Lyn

4-2-07: Liceberg

Lyn Verinsky on Liceberg [v7]

In the warm up area of the Ahwahnee's there are a number of fun problems. You can start on heinous slopers to start the easy dihedral that you can see to the right (that's called Iceberg). Or you can tackle the bulge which is called Liceberg (for Left Iceberg and a pun on the classic traverse in Font called l'iceberg). It's silly but fun.

Finding the problem is easy. It's just to the right of Funky Chicken in the Ahwahnee's.

-Raza

2-25-07: Ringtail

Randy Puro on Ringtail [v11]

On the same boulder, but to the left of Downpressor lies another line that for a while looked to futuristic. A series of slopey rails on a steep face lead to a blank looking top-out. The main reason Randy and I tried it was because the temps were so sick in January. Eventually an intricate sequence was teased from the boulder and before the the weather had a chance to warm up, we both sent.

And of course, we called it Ringtail because while we were working on it, a ringtail (who knew there are ringtails in the valley?) came to visit us by peeking its head through the jumble of boulders near the base.



-Raza

2-13-07: Downpressor

Tommy Caldwell on Downpressor [v10] (wtf?)

Behind the 2x4 boulder in the Ahwahnee's is a steep face with crazy slopers. A number of us have been looking at this line but it was Randy who took the initiative to clean the problem and work the moves. While most of us thought there wasn't much hope, he kept pressing on until we had a late night session in the rain where we (mostly Randy) started to unlock the puzzle. He sent on his first trip back to the problem, after most of the snow had melted away.

Downpressor tackles the right side of the boulder and starts on two flat edges below the lip. It heads up and left to a good edge and through an easy but puckery top-out. Randy swears it's only v10 but until there is a second ascent, I will remain skeptical.

-Raza

11-20-06: The Shield

Randy Puro on the FA of The Shield [v11]

A tall, intimidating but very proud boulder problem lies facing the road just up from the LeConte boulder. Randy had his eye on this potential line but nobody could make much headway - that is everyone except for Randy.

Starting at the lip on two opposing slopers, a number of physical moves gets you to the shield feature. Getting on top of the shield feature is the tricky part however because it's not quite a slab and not quite a face. Once you get your feet on top of the shield, a few thin moves lead to better holds and a tall top-out.

3-3-06: The Beak

Courtney on Downward Dog [v8]


Downward Dog [v8] (A)
Tim's Problem (B)
Lyn on Big Bird (C)

I guess it was a couple of years ago now, when Tommy Caldwell, Randy Puro and Greg Loh all fired Downward Dog in rapid fire. Randy dubbed the line Downward Dog and since I have no idea if Tommy ever named it, we just started calling it that. Campus start, matched on a pinch right at the tip of the beak and campus up and right on slopers to a fun mantle.

Tim Medina put up a problem to the right (starting on underclings and your feet on the lower rock) that ends near the top of Downward Dog. The problem is tricky with has some fun body-tension moves.

Scott Frye's dubbed the climb to the right that he was trying Big Bird. While he didn't manage to send it ever the name stuck. Randy managed to send it just a couple of weeks ago. The problem is both a little reachy and a little schrunchy; unless you're just the right height...

-Raza

11-4-05: Chimera

Chimera [v12?]

A very improbable looking roof in the Ahwahnee Boulders is what Greg Loh found and kept telling me, "It will go! It will go!" Personally I thought he was crazy. It turns out, he was right. The three hardest moves are all one after another and the last is the crux. You have to release yourself from this huge span in the roof and to do so you have to grab what can only be described as a bump. So many times I tried to release myself and just plain missed it. Then one day, something magical happened, it went from impossible to possible for just one try. As I topped it out I had to ask Frankie, who was spotting me, whether I had really done it. It felt like a dream. Hence the name.

The roof is located behind the Rubik's Revenge boulder in the Ahwahnees. From Rubik's Revenge walk left around the boulder and fairly soon you will see this unmistakable roof. Start on a big flake and head straight out the roof, at the lip finish to the right and you've just done Chimera.

chimera

Main Entry: chi·me·ra
Pronunciation: kI-'mir-&, k&-
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin chimaera, from Greek chimaira she-goat, chimera; akin to Old Norse gymbr yearling ewe, Greek cheimOn winter
1 a capitalized : a fire-breathing she-monster in Greek mythology having a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail b : an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts
2 : an illusion or fabrication of the mind; especially : an unrealizable dream chimera in my brain, troubles me in my prayer -- John Donne>

-Raza