6-19-12: Wild Pack of Family Dogs

Lyn Barraza climbing Wild Pack of Family Dogs [v7]


Went climbing in Tahoe the last few weekends and checked out the Beavers for the first time. Seems like every time I go to Tahoe a new area pops up. Serious props to all the Tahoe guys who are out exploring and finding new stuff.


The Beavers has a fairly good concentration of boulders, so it is easy to spend a day there. One of the better climbs I thought was Wild Pack of Family Dogs, v7. Just wait until the shade arrives.


The first move is pretty big, if you are shorter, so it was pretty cool to see Lyn make the span. Thanks also to Evan for inspiring me to keep posting on BetaBase.


-Raza

8-4-11: Back to the Future

Tim Medina on Notta Traverse [v7]

Way back in 2005, Andres Mueller told me about a cool new boulder near the Saddle Boulder in Tahoe. He had done a cool problem called Back to the Future, v9 and said there was much more potential, hence the name: The Future Boulder. I checked it out and soon showed Scott Frye and Tim Medina, who did much of the development.

To get to the Future Boulder, drive through the tunnels as you would to get to the Saddle Boulders. After you get through the tunnels, there will be a road off to the left. Sometimes the road is blocked by boulders after a few hundred feet so you may have to park right there but you might be able to drive down to the boulder. Either way you get there, go down the road and the boulder will be on your left just before a wood bridge. The boulder is hard to see from the road, but it is there.

LEFT SIDE

1. Warm up, v0

2. Notta Warm Up, v2/3 Sit start to the warm up.

3. Notta Traverse, v7 Start at the right side of the large shelf and follow the crack system left.

4. Blast from the Past, v3 Climbs center of the face, high and committing

5. Slippery Slope, v6 The crux is getting established on the slippery slope...

6. Super Slippery Slope, v8 Start as for Back to the Future and climbing into Slippery Slope.

7. Back to the Future, v9 Start of left side of big shelf, climb up and right to a good shelf.

RIGHT SIDE

Daniel Soto eating the cookie. He was the inspiration for Marley Marathon

8. Super Crimper Roof, v? Project

9. Name Unknown, v9 Start on shelf and finish at the lip, really cool moves.

10. Direct Finish Project, v? The slab finish to #9, will be a mega classic.

11. Lucky Charms, v10 Start on #9, go right at the lip and finish on Marley Marathon.

12. Marley Marathon, v5 Start sitting on a shelf, climb up diehedral and surmount bulge.

Enjoy!

-Raza

10-10-07: Castle Dyno

Raza on a fun dyno at the Castle Boulder

I'm mainly putting this post up to try out the new video feature that is available for the blog. I don't shoot that many videos, but it will be fun to mix things up a bit.

-Raza

9-10-07: The Castle Update

The Castle Boulder posting has been expanded significantly, check it out:

http://betabase.blogspot.com/2005/02/castle-boulder.html

-Raza

05-08-07: Step-Child

Randy Puro on Step Child [v10]

Since summer is just around the corner, it's time to post about this sit-start to Gym Fag Jiggle (a truly awful name). Situated on the right side of the White Lines boulder, Step Child starts on a bad right hand crimp and a left hand sprag that's worse. Try really hard and you might be able to pull off the ground. If you are having a really good day, you might hit the "decent" edge up and left. Paul did this problem in October of '05 while he very patiently waited for me to get my butt up the problem to the left. Of course, it very well may have been done before then, so please write in if you know this problem under a different name.

-Lyn

11-22-05: Ishmael

Ishmael, v7 (A) & Fishmeal, v10 (B)

This overhanging boulder near Rainbow Road has two great problems on it. People initially tried to go straight up but a fall on the boulder at the base broke someone's leg. This project was known as the Jaw Bone and as far as I know it has never gone. Kent Schmitz figured out a way to head left (thereby avoiding the dangerous whale-like rock) and that is how Ishmael was born. Scott Frye then found a line of improbable holds heading left after the first move of Ishmael and dubbed it Fishmeal. Chris MacNamara's guide has a direct line to the end of Fishmeal and calls it Mandible, v9 although it looks rather unpleasant.

-Raza

10-9-05: The Real Deal (aka The Frustration)

The Real Deal (aka The Frustration) [v10]

Dustin Sabo climbed this line near the end of 2003. There seems to be somewhat of a debate, however, about who climbed if first. I don't have any good info either way, so I'll put both sides.

Greg Loh named this boulder problem The Frustration because he was frustrated with people naming boulder problems before doing them, but of course this doesn't seem like the case. Might it also be because there are some really low percentage moves at the lip?

The problem is COOL. Try to make it down there on a cloudy day because it sits directly in the sun for most of the day. This problem is hidden just down the hill a little bit from White Lines.

******UPDATE******
Dustin Sabo posted this comment on 10-9-06: WOW IT'S "THE REAL DEAL" NOT THE FRUSTRATION. HOW DARE YOU GREG!! NEVER NAME SOMEONE'S BOULDER PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF YOUR GOING TO POST THIS ON THE INTERNET TRY GETTING YOUR FACTS STRAIT. ASK GREG IF WHEN HE FIRST WALKED UP TO IT IF IT ALREADY HAD CHALK ON IT. I KNOW IT DID I PUT IT THERE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, STOP WITH THIS BULL.

DUSTIN

Sorry Dustin, but I didn't have any contact information for you to verify or double check anything. Unfortunately, it's going to be hard to prove it either way, unless someone has some 'evidence'.

-Raza 11-10-06

10-1-05: The Ashtray

The Ashtray [v12]
photos: Lyn Verinsky

The Ashtray is a fun problem with great moves. There's only one problem, the rock is kind of "prickly". If the rock was a little more friendly I think this problem would be on the short list for most classic boulder problem in California. The problem is still great even with the sharpness of the rock.

I was getting baffled with the crux sequence until Randy came up with some great beta: basically get super scrunchy on this tiny foot and rock over. Mad props to Randy.

Want to try it yourself but having a hard time finding it? Just about everybody I know has gotten lost at least once trying to find it. The most basic directions: hike out to Big Chief and bear left after the big mud pit. The GPS coordinates are:

[N 39º14.596 W 120º11.775]

Now you don't have any excuse for not checking it out! If you have Google Earth, click HERE.

9-11-05: Big Monster

Big Monster [v11?]
photos: Lyn Verinsky / Raza

The Big Monster: the big, monstrous project at the recently discovered Firestone Boulders. This amazing line has it all: slopers (at the start), crimps (after the slopers), a dyno (right in the middle), a heel hook (to gain the top slopers), and a crazy body position slopey nothingness top-out. While doing the three parts individually is quite doable, linking them all together makes it a monster.

Our first day to Tahoe this season was windy and cold. We were all wearing our down jackets. I think that was the first time that I ever wore a down jacket in Tahoe in September. I managed to send it on the first day of the season (but many days before previous years), I guess the training is working.

When you are done reading this, you must grab your crashpad and check out the problem. There are plenty of other boulder problems on the two boulders of the Firestones to keep boulders of all levels occupied. Take the Emigrant Gap exit, turn right for a smidge and then left and keep heading straight onto a dirt road. You'll see the boulders after a while. Have fun!

2-16-05: Where are these?

Courtney found some videos of some cool looking problems in Tahoe at norope.com. She was asking me if I knew what they were but I had no idea. Give them a look see and try and figure it out.

powerbroker.mov

somewhere.mov

There are a ton of videos on this site if you want to browse around:

www.norope.com/video.htm

2-15-05: Castle Boulder

<<UPDATE: 9-10-07>>

Here is a more detailed description of the problems at The Castle:


1. Downclimb, v2
2. Crispy Chicken, v3
3. What's in Store?, v4
4. The Crack, v1
5. Slappy McSlaperson, v5 (aka Ghetto Booty)


5. Slappy McSlaperson, v5 (aka Ghetto Booty)
6. Unknown name, v2
7. Thief in the Night, v7
8. Unknown name, v5


9. Bunny Funeral, v8
10. Defenestration, v9
11. Come on Tex, v5


12. project, v 'damn hard'
13. Pit & the Pendulum, v8
14. project, v 'silly hard'


15. Medina Mantel, v3
16. Trojan Horse, v5
17. Squirrel Run, v9
18. Trojan Horse Direct, v6
19. Air Trojan, v8
20. Flying Squirrel (project), v10?
21. Spicy Chicken, v6r
22. Spicy, v4

Again, you can check it out on Google Earth by clicking HERE.

Take Cabin Creek Rd. (off of 89) toward the dump. Take the first obvious dirt road on the left. Head right and go about a mile to another obvious left. Go straight for 3 miles until you see the Castle Boulder on the left. It will be soon after a big water bar in the road.

-Raza

********************************************************************
Original Post:

Raza on what was to become "Defenestration" [v9]
photo: Lyn Verinsky

Tim found the Castle Boulder and he and Scott cleaned and did all the hard work. I managed to snake in right at the end and nab the FA of "Defenestration", but only after whimpering and falling off the stand-up version many times. After Tim cruised the stand-up (Bunny Funeral), he inspired me to go for it. It ended up not being too bad. Thanks Tim.

Finding the Castle Boulder is not that easy. If you drive by the dump off of highway 89, that will get you started and to be honest I'm not exactly sure of the L/R directions. The GPS coordinates are:

[N 39º 17.266 W 120º 15.654]

You can check it out on Google Earth by clicking HERE.

-Raza

2-14-05: Two Boulders in Tahoe

There are two problems on this face.


Lyn on her problem.

These boulders are right off of old US 40.

2-12-05: Evil Arete

Lyn on the "Evil Arete" [v6]

This classic is actually right next to the Ishmael Boulder. I looked at it a bunch of times but the only part visible from Ishmael is pretty pathetic looking. Finally, I wandered down to check it out and with a bit of imagination discovered the "Evil Arete." The name derives from the fact that the problem is damn tricky and can drive you to fits. Probably about V5, but you won't agree until you send it. Great slopers and horrible feet. Yum!

2-11-05: Wooden Cobra Boulder

The Wooden Cobra Boulder (& Fuji)

Raza on the FA of "Bomb Threat" [v9]
photo: Lyn Verinsky

Daniel on "Sneaky Fox Cobra" [v7]

When Lyn and I found the Wooden Cobra Boulder, we knew immediately that we had a gem. But you never know how good the problems will be. After cleaning the boulder and doing some of the easier lines, we went to Squamish for two weeks. I must admit that I was eager to get back to the Wooden Cobra boulder. We actually left Squamish early because it was raining so much and we spent a couple of days at the Wooden Cobra boulder. That's when did some more lines, including "Tin Can Alley", a cool problem probably about V7/8. I'm more than happy to show anyone this boulder when the snows recede.


Lyn on The Groovenator [v4]

6-5-07 UPDATE:

The GPS coordinates are N 39º 17.042' W 120º 17.679'. The boulder in SW of Coldstream Canyon and you would need a high clearance vehicle. There is an obvious big pull out to park at that used to be a logging staging area. If you have google earth, you can check it out by clicking HERE.

-Raza

2-10-05: Death March Boulders

Ingar on the "Death March" project

Up past the Wooden Cobra boulder lies a high alpine cliff band that actually has some sport and trad climbs on it. More important for me is that that the base has some good size boulders. The hike though, is a good half hour past the Wooden Cobra boulder, hence the name "Death March Boulders." This steep face is a real gem the neither Ingar or I could do. Thin crimps on a deceptively overhanging face. Anyone up for a hike?

2-9-05: Railroad Boulder

Railroad Boulder

This is a cool boulder that Lyn and I found this last summer. It's got two stellar lines on the over-hanging face. Both probably V5 or V6. It might be hard to tell but the boulder is pretty tall. The top lip is probably about 18 feet up. Trains come by once and a while and all the engineers seemed pretty friendly; waiving and saying "hello"