One Amazing Fall

This fall season might have been one of the best on record. There was a freak storm in late October, but after that it didn't rain until we got 5 inches last weekend. The highs were in the 40s and there was so much climbing going on, I really didn't get that much footage.

Enter Kyle O'Meara. A recent transplant from Washington, he had quite a fall season taking full advantage of the great weather and a his first season in a new bouldering playground. Now that he's done most of the classics, it time for him to start putting up some of his own!

Panic Room [v9] & King Air [v10]

Tom Sawyer [v10] & Pine Box [v10]

Heart of Darkness [v9], Good Vibrations [v11] & Diesel Power [v10]

The Force [v9], Wall to Wall Carpet [v9] & Bruce Lee [v8]

-Raza

Action Alert - Act today to help preserve bouldering in Yosemite

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY the National Park Service is accepting comments on the Merced River Plan (MRP). Please follow this LINK and copy and paste the text below to help preserve bouldering access in Yosemite Valley. Please post comments to this post when you have submitted your comments, so I can stop bugging you!!

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* Please cut & paste the text below in the the first field * Alter or add as you like *

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Here are my comments regarding the Issues addressed in the Merced River Plan Workbook:

- Issue 7: I prefer option C - the only two options provided in the MRP Workbook to reduce river bank impacts at the Upper and Lower Pines Campgrounds are to eliminate or relocate campsites that are near the river. I believe that before these options are considered, efforts should first be made to fence and sign the areas of the riverbank to be protected, as has been done at Devil’s Elbow, and then design river access points in resilient locations and restore riparian areas to natural conditions.

- Issue 9: I prefer option B - more primitive / rustic camping should be created.

- Issue 10: I prefer option C - replace existing bridges with foot bridges designed to enhance the free-flowing condition of the river.

- Issue 12: I prefer option B - restore visitor use opportunities at upper and lower river campgrounds.

- Issue 15: I prefer option A - the installation of a roundabout and under-crossing for pedestrians to relieve congestion.

- Issue 19: I prefer option A - develop more camping to increase capacity.

- Issue 20: I prefer option D - the installation of a pedestrian underpass to allow access to Lower Yosemite Falls. Relocating the lodge entrance or an overpass don’t seem practical and won’t work.

- Issue 22: I prefer option D - the Merced River Gorge segment west of Pohono Bridge has a number of popular climbing areas, including Cookie Cliff, the Rostrum, Reed’s Pinnacle, Elephant Rock, and many others bouldering areas. Climber parking and approach access to these areas should be retained and improved to reduce impacts. Curbing to formalize parking areas may eliminate many parking areas for smaller climbing and bouldering areas that planners might not know about.

- Issue 23: I prefer option A - develop more camping to increase capacity

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* Please cut & paste the text below in the the second field * Alter or add as you like *

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As a climber who boulders in Yosemite Valley frequently, here are some additional thoughts:

- The bouldering in Yosemite Valley is universally regarded as some of the best in world. The unique combination of rock quality, rock features, boulder sizes and quantity make the bouldering in Yosemite an Outstandingly Remarkable Value (ORV) that should be protected. Additionally, climbing has a long a significant history in Yosemite Valley.

- Bouldering requires a large amount of gear that makes using shuttle services impractical. Therefore maintaining and increasing the level of recreational parking is critical.

- The bouldering at Camp 4 is considered the birthplace of modern bouldering and has the largest quantity of all the bouldering areas in Yosemite Valley. The site of the former gas station was previously used by boulders for parking but has since been used as a staging area for the recent road improvement projects. I strongly recommend this area be reconfigured into a day use parking when the road improvements are completed.

- The recent reduction of parking in the Ahwahnee Hotel lot has adversely effected climbers as there is a large bouldering area at the base of the talus field and many climbing areas (Royal Arches, etc) are access from this point.

- A permitted parking system would adversely affect those who boulder because of the quantity of gear required for our recreation. There are no reasonable alternatives to transporting the gear in our cars and parking near the bouldering areas.

- The Park should ensure climbing needs are addressed in the MRP, particularly parking locations throughout the Valley and the Merced Gorge segments. Where appropriate, roadside parking should be paved to reduce impacts and moved off the shoulder to improve safety.

- More access options to lesser attractions in the Park and surrounding area rather than regulatory solutions such as day-use reservations, parking permits and closures. All reasonable day-use parking facilities should be developed or improved in the Valley, including Camp 6, Curry Village, and the wilderness parking lot.

Merced River Plan: Update

Merced River & El Cap

Climbers interested in Yosemite issues should take a look at the MRP workbook and get your comments in by DECEMBER 14th (it was recently pushed back from November 30th). The Access Fund's positions on appropriate MRP planning alternatives are as follows:

• Yosemite planners should work to reverse lodging/camping ratio (currently 60/40) to provide more camping and less emphasis on lodging (move lodging to the park boundaries). Providing more camping in the Park, and limiting lodging in the park to rustic/primitive accommodations, is consistent with the NPS's own management policies that promote visitors having a direct relationship to Park resources. Adjusting this ratio would also be more consistent with a national park instead of the luxury resort or amusement park that Yosemite often resembles.
• Park planners should include in the MRP the several "improvements" for Camp 4 that were contemplated in Lodge Redevelopment Plan (which was stalled by the MRP litigation). These improvements include showers, fencing to encourage vegetation, limited loud bus noise, foul weather cooking pavilion and communal fire, and a nearby location for Ken Yager's Yosemite climbing museum. In addition to focusing on more camping in the Park, planners should also improve the quality of the camping experience, especially at locations such as Camp 4 where climbers are forced into highly dense and low-quality campsites. Planners should recognize the historic importance of this campground and improve some of the basic amenities such as the bathrooms.
• Yosemite planners should restore as much camping as possible to sites that have already been disturbed such as the Pine and Oak lodging units and the Rivers Campground that were destroyed in the 1997 flood. These areas in particular could be engineered with the recognition that they will again be flooded. Plan maps should indicate flood plain areas where shallow flood depths and low water velocities make the development of campsites feasible. Planners should establish diversity of camping opportunities (including walk-in, walk-to, and a "drop-off" your gear but walk-in model) and not just limit opportunities to drive-in campgrounds (where RV generators, for example, impact the experience) or the ghetto at Camp 4. The Park should bring campsite numbers at least back to pre-flood totals as contemplated in Yosemite's General Management Plan (there's currently a shortfall of 300 campsites), but any new sites should be focused on placement in the East Valley so that the largely undisturbed areas west of Camp 4 don't also suffer from campfire smoke and new infrastructure.
• The Park should ensure climbing needs are addressed in the MRP, particularly parking locations throughout Valley and the Merced Gorge segment (Cookie Cliff, Arch Rock, etc.).
• Park planners should ensure that measures to restore or harden El Cap Meadow are not unsightly from above. The MRP should consider hybrid approach for boardwalk further west of typical climber use areas, and use fencing and other ways to focus people onto a few discrete paths into Meadow. The MRP should ensure that climbers can continue their traditional use of the Meadow.
• Park planners should ensure that there is adequate day use parking while pursuing a range of transit strategies to reduce auto use in the Valley.
• The Plan should include a noise control element that addresses noise sources such as idling tour buses, motorcycles, trash collection, RV generators, the Green Dragon touring flatbeds and others.

I'm still working on a "voter's guide" the the workbook. Look for that in a bit...

-Raza

Merced River Plan: NPS wants your feedback

In case you haven't heard, the National Park service has been working on the Merced River Plan for many years now. They have been sued and had to rework the plan TWICE. If they don't succeed this time it is likely that congress will get involved and legislate a plan and nobody thinks that would be a good idea.

I am currently looking over the pdf workbook to come up with some "talking points" that should be included to support and enhance bouldering in Yosemite Valley. Hopefully, I'll have something in a week or so. Check out the links below if you want to get started. THE DEADLINE FOR FEEDBACK IS NOVEMBER 30TH.

This is the NPS link for information:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mrp.htm

This is the link to the workbook:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/upload/Merced-Wkbk-web_interactive.pdf

Looking for other ways to help? Here is a short list:

• Look over the workbook and post suggestions of good ideas on BetaBase
• Encourage friends and family to do the same
• Spread the word on facebook / twitter / climbing blogs / etc.
• Join the Access Fund
• Donate to the Yosemite Climber's Association

-Raza

11-7-11: Post Send Depression

Paul Barraza on Post Send Depression [v7]

Here is a problem that was hidden in plain sight. Located on the B1 boulder at Sentinel just between the Jungle Book and the down climb. Perhaps the two-tiered landing was a deterrent, but with the right pad setup, it is pretty safe.

The problem climbs up a faint dihedral using an unusual assortment of holds. The only downward facing holds are at the top, and they are unnervingly slopey. (hence my fear scream at the top - doh). I'll be honest, the rock is not the best, but once this thing cleans up it could possibly be a classic? Bring a bunch of pads and decide for yourself!

-Raza

UPDATE [2023]: The holds at the top have crumbled a bit, and the problem is harder now.

11-6-11: Riverside Rock Update

Justin Alarcon on Budōkan [v9] at Riverside Rock

We checked out Riverside Rock a few weeks back and I thought an update would be appropriate. Thanks again to Ryan Alonzo for sending in the information that was used to create a previous post.

All the problems on the east face of this boulder are really fun. (We didn't try the problems on the other side) The climbing holds are bigger than average and the wall is steeper than average, making for some fun, gymnastic climbing. I would recommend stopping there on the way home some day, as it is right off the road.

For those of us who climbed there, we thought the grades were a little off, compared to the rest of the valley. Here are the grades from our limited consensus:

Karate: v8

7up: v5

Capoeria: v5

Balance of Opposites: v6

Budōkan: v9 (Justin added the sit start to Karate)

I contacted Jacob Copeland, a longtime valley developer and it turns out he climbed all the lines a few years back!! He didn't name anything and thought the names that Justin and Ryan came up with were great. He also said that he put up a sit start to 7up - though I have a hard time visualizing how the sit start would link into that problem.

-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

7-28-11: Riverside Rock

A short video by Ryan Alonzo

I got an email a while back from Ryan Alonzo with a link to the above video. This isn't a boulder that I've seen before, but it looks pretty cool. I talked to Jacob Copeland and it turns out that he had previously climbed some of the lines, so it would be interesting to hear his names / grades for the ones he did. Thank you Ryan for putting this together!!

Here is the info:

Directions: On northside drive about 1 mile west past el cap meadow there will be a paved pullout on the lefthand side of the street that is a view point for Bridalveil falls. Park at the first dirt pull out on the left past the view point. The boulder is next to the road 2 min walk west of pull out.

6-1-11: Aphrodite

Raza on Aphrodite [v5]

Here is a great line that was put up this last winter. This was the last installment from the Crumbs, the bouldering area below the Cookie Cliff. It was hard to come up with a grade, since I am not a great crack climber. I managed to wedge my fingers just long enough to send the thing!

Thanks for the vid Scott!

-Raza

4-13-11: Bipolar

Raza on the first ascent of Bipolar [v7]

Here is another climb from The Crumbs and this one is right next to (facing) First Act. The problem is fiendishly simple: dyno then mantle. But once you try it, you find out quickly that it is not so simple...

-Raza

3-8-11: First Act

Paul Barraza on the FA of First Act [v8]

Things are getting a bit stale around here, so here is some footage of a first ascent I snagged between snow storms this winter. It is in the area we have dubbed the "Crumbs" as they are the base of the Cookie Cliff. There are a few established problems in the area that are cool as well.

The problem starts sitting on a good sidepull feature and finishes on a good rail about 12' up. It is called First Act because the 30 foot second act is yet to be done. (Kevin Jorgeson, are you reading this?) The finish would be tall and committing with a thin technical section right after the big rail, that would be maybe v4x on its own right.

-Raza

10-22-10: Four from the Valley

Short video by Scott Chandler from his recent trip to the valley

Here is a list of the problems in the video:

Hammerhead, v5 @ Camp 4: committing top with a bad landing, bring pads and spotters (and a good head).

A Walk in the Park, v2 @ Cathedral: Another highball with a committing topout!

Quasimodo, v7 @ Cathedral: A new line that Scott just put up on the rim trail just west of the Cathedral boulder turn off. A tad reachy, but definitely an instant classic.

Unnamed, v9? @ Cathedral: An unnamed line with the same start as ladder detail, but head out right and then back left at the lip. Never heard a name or a grade, but it is probably about v9ish. Anyone know the name, or have any ideas for a good name??

Thanks for the video Scott!

-Raza

10-8-10: Mirror Lake

Colton working a short-lived project (Sweat Lodge)

Last June, valley local Colton Lindeman was nice enough to tour Scott Chandler and myself around some boulders he had been developing. The Mirror Lake boulders are a new area with plenty of potential. Here are some pics from our tour:

The warm up boulder

Colton on a cool arete Hobbit [v3]

Colton on the highball arete Dead or Alive [v8]

Scott on the FA of a new line (Sweat Lodge)

Colton on a short and steep v6, one of the few problems that was established before his development.

Colton trying a project close to Mirror Lake.

To get to the Mirror Lake Boulders, park at the stables and hike out the paved road. Turn left at the fork in the road and turn right after 100 feet or so. That will take you to the warm up boulder. The rest of the boulders are all behind that, but because everything is so jumbled, it is impossible to give precise directions. Just go and have have fun exploring!

-Raza

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

4-28-10: Seams So

Theo Merrin climbing Seams So [v8] at the Sentinel Boulders

As important as the Merced River Plan is, it is time for a new post. Some of you might be be wondering about the lack of updates recently. I dropped my camera off at a repair shop in October, and the owner skipped town/fell off the face of the earth shortly thereafter. After 6 months of trying to get my camera back, Lyn was nice enough to get me a new one for my birthday. Thanks Lyn!!

Seams So is an obscure problem on the B1 Boulder in the Sentinel Boulders. I hadn't given it much though until recently because I initially thought it finished straight up the scary slab. It turns out that it traverses to the right arete, a much saner option. So if you have already done No Holds Bard and Slapshot, give this one a try.

-Raza

01-29-10: Merced River Plan

Have you or your friends ever enjoyed a good day of climbing in Yosemite? If you ever have, I strongly encourage you to take action. See below:


We need your help to influence the latest Merced River Plan, which could restrict climbing access and camping in Yosemite Valley, depending on how the Park prepares its new revised user capacity program. At issue is access to iconic climbs including those found on The Rostrum, Cookie Cliff, and Middle Cathedral Rock (everything ¼ mile on either side of the river). This plan will also affect all travel through the management area to locations just outside the river corridor, which brings into play all climbing in Yosemite Valley including El Capitan and even Half Dome. Another consequence of this litigation is the increased likelihood that camping will become even more scarce while the number of lodging units remains largely unchanged.

Please write Yosemite National Park by February 4 and support the preservation of climbing access in the Valley! With our easy-to-use letter writing tool, it only takes two minutes to make your voice heard.

Thanks for your support,

Your Friends at the Access Fund

www.accessfund.org/action

1-16-10: Kumba

Scott Chandler climbing Kumba, v9/10 @ Camp 4

For all you slab lovers, this post is for you. Word on the street is that Dean Potter originally climbed Kumba and called it v8. After many years, a few other climbers repeated it, and in the process the climb was upgraded to v11. Recently, Randy, Paul, and I managed to make it to the top of this gem and while I am skeptical of the v11 grade, it is truly hard in that it requires the utmost in technique, balance, and 100% trust in your feet.

This amazing slab faces up-valley on the energy boulder in camp 4 and can be found by walking up the falls trail; go slightly past "king cobra" then head left. Bring your best shoes and a few pads because the last move is a committing dyno. Enjoy! -Scott

12-14-09: Teenage Mutant Ninja Gerbils

Just up the hill from the big boulder at the Woodyard lays another big boulder. In addition to 'Chicken Nugget,' this boulder offers something most of the others at the Woodyard don't...warmups! Once warmed up one should try the new addition, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Gerbils' [v8?]. Unfortunately the video was started a little too late to catch the first move. Its not very difficult so don't worry about it too much, but for clarity's sake, one begins crossed with a left hand on a good edge and a right hand on a smaller triangular shaped edge. Here's Raza making the first ascent courtesy of the very generous Rebecca Trafecanty.

Oh yeah, please ignore the guy stuffing his face while pretending to spot.

-Justin

10-29-09: 601

Paul Barraza on the FA of 601 [v8]

The El Cap Boulder is a solitary boulder found near the parking at the "Devil's Elbow" along Northside Drive. The established problems on this boulder are tall, crimpy, and of very high quality. This past weekend a new problem, which had somehow lain dormant all this time, was added to the boulder. Paul and I cleaned the obvious arete to the left of Zodiac [v10] thinking a compression problem would be a nice contrast to all of the crimping on the boulder. It turns out 601 is more of a complimentary piece than a contrast.

As usual these days, Paul was the first to make his way to the top with Scott and myself close on his heels. Thanks to Scott for providing the video. In regard to the grade, [v8] seems to be fair, though it may feel a touch easier or harder depending on your height (typical).

-Justin

10-17-09: Do-bop

Hey everyone! Do-bop is a great problem (one of the more interesting for the grade in the valley) located directly below Lower Cathedral Rock. This area doesn't get a lot of traffic but is easily accessible and has some very interesting rock. Check out pg. 38 of the Yosemite Bouldering guidebook for approach and problem description. There are several other lines in the immediate zone, the highlight of which is a hard to describe slopey lip traverse/ arete/ overhang called Squirrel [v6] that Jacob Copeland cleaned and climbed a couple years back. Stellar moves with amazing rock! Without further ado, here is a video of Natasha climbing Do-bop. Enjoy!
-scott

9-29-09 Nat's Traverse

Before the start of the fall season in Yosemite begins in earnest, I'd like to share a video I shot earlier today of Rebekah Taggart climbing Nat's Traverse at Mortar Rock in the Berkeley hills. Nat's is one of the most coveted problems at Mortar, requiring power, excellent technique and, what is often in short supply among boulderers, endurance. Many climbers work this problem for months just to fall demoralizingly close to the end (again and again). It was inspiring to see Rebekah send this impressive testpiece and witness her amazing positive attitude and perseverance.



- Lyn

8-2-09: Leo the Lion

Randy Puro on the first ascent of Leo the Lion [v9]

Here is another cool line on the Orion Boulder. This is just on the left side of that same face. This post will be brief because I am in South Africa right now - enjoy the video!

-Raza

7-5-09: One Inch Punch

Randy Puro on the first ascent of One Inch Punch [v9]

Here is another cool problem near Orion on the Horse Trail. It is called One Inch Punch because the crux is a move where your hand only has to move a few inches! It is still the crux though.

-Raza

6-4-09: Orion

Cole Zuelke climbing Orion [v8]

Back in the beginning of the spring season when the snows were starting to melt - Scott Chandler took me out to a cool new boulder that he found right off of the Horse Trail to Mirror Lake. Although Scott got the first ascent by himself and only one pad, I would suggest bringing a few pads and a few friends. The top isn't hard, but you are pretty high up by then.

-Raza

P.S. My original video of Scott Chandler was so terrible, I had to change it out.  I hope Cole doesn't mind!!

5-23-09: Kudra

Lyn Verinsky on Kudra [v6]

It is Memorial Day weekend and the hordes have invaded Yosemite Valley. No, not just the hordes of tourists, but the hordes of mosquitoes as well! It is time to catch up on some posts from the spring valley season - so stay tuned!

Kudra is a cool arete up in Candyland that Matt Wilder put up a few years back. It has a scary tiered landing, but that is more of a mental crux than anything else since I have never seen anyone land on the upper tier of the landing. The climb culminates with a commiting move to a good jug a few feet below the lip.

-Raza

5-16-09: Orange Face- Revisited

Randy Puro nabs the second ascent of the Orange Face [v10] at the Bridalveil boulders. Nice job Randy! See a previous post on Orange Face.

-Scott

5-6-09: Fluffy White Clouds

Justin Alarcon on the FA of Fluffy White Clouds, v6

Not a highball? Some Yosemite regulars would call this blasphemy. Others point to such fine problems as 'Tap Dance' [v10], 'Chocolate Bunny' [v6], and the 'Bear-Hug Mantel' [v4] as examples of how pleasant a little lowball action can be. To this end, I submit 'Fluffy White Clouds' [v5-7] for the community's approval. While it may not be as classic as the previously mentioned lines, it should be a nice addition to the Yosemite lowball circuit.

This problem is located on the small boulder adjacent to the 'Panic Room'[v9] boulder.

-Justin

4-15-09: Supervillain

Last fall I cleaned a project on the same big boulder that hosts 'Diesel Power' [v10] in the Crystals area. I was able to manage a high start off of the adjacent boulder, which became 'Villain' [v4], but the full line remained a project. Yesterday, amidst some random April snow flurries, Randy established the full line in a last-go-of-the-day effort. Serious kudos!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional film maker and I didn't behave like one while recording the ascent, so please forgive the language, unnecessary commentary, and shaky footage.

In case you can't tell from the video, the landing on this problem leaves much to be desired. The most difficult part can be made reasonably safe with several pads but a fall from the upper section would result in hitting the granite slab and then tumbling into the log filled moat below.

-Justin

4-9-09: Skelton Problem

Randy wondering, "what are we doing?"

Kind of a misnomer really, it should be 'Skelton Solo'. This problem was rediscovered, so to speak, on a pleasant morning last fall.

While a group of us were descending from soloing the classic 'Oak Tree Flake' [5.6] I mentioned to the group that there was a problem nearby listed in the old Don Reid guidebook as a [v8 X]. I was curious about the problem but I couldn't remember much of the details. I mistakenly thought it was called the 'Skeleton Problem' or 'Skull Problem,' but I new it was on the western end of the Swan Slabs. Unfortunately, the Swan Slabs area was omitted from the newest bouldering guide to Yosemite. Fortunately, there are a lot of fun warm-ups and technical faces to play on there so its worth a visit.



When the group returned to the base Tim and Randy returned to a tall slab that they'd been eyeing prior to my arrival. When I saw it I was certain that it was the enigmatic problem we'd discussed only minutes before. Clearly this wasn't a problem that saw regular traffic, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it hadn't had a second ascent. Moss and lichen had grown over many of the holds (and non-holds) but there was clearly a line to be climbed.

The 'Skelton Problem' is basically three boulder problems in one. The first obstacle to overcome is establishing on the climb. The first "hold" is approximately 9 feet up the slab and once reached must be mantled without the assistance of any other holds. This is solved with a run-up-the-wall and jump method followed by a bit of grunting. The second mini-problem is a difficult slab section to another knob, this is probably the crux. The final bit isn't as difficult, but it is quite insecure and one finds their self quite height at this point, this is the mental crux.

Randy was the first to stick the jump and commit to the territory above. I think he chalked and re-chalked for a good five minutes contemplating the final slab while Tim frantically cleaned holds from above with a long bubba brush. Tim, Kevin, and I followed suit each managing to scare ourselves a bit despite the security of Randy's coattails.

Yours truly, preparing for the mental crux.

Randy executing, Tim cleaning.

The problem is named after a long time local climber by the name of Ron Skelton, 67. Ron and his wife Liz operate the Blue Butterfly Inn in El Portal, just outside the park. He was recently featured in Climbing Magazine No. 272 for being a cancer survivor with aspirations to climb 'Astroman' on the Rostrum this spring or summer. I recently asked Ron about the history of this climb and here's what he had to say:

"...a number of people had worked on that problem before I tried it, Dale Bard, Ron Kauk, and several others come to mind. No one was willing to go for it! They would do the mantle and look at the face and jump off. I had to clean it as I climbed, also I remember several loose edges that broke off as well. The hardest part for me was the mantle as I am 6'4" the face was in the 5.11 range I thought, but I don't know what others might think. I don't know much about the new rating system for bouldering."

His height would explain how he managed to reach the start of this problem with just a cheater stone. Of course Ron's height wouldn't have helped him much in the event of a fall from the top. I wouldn't want to take that fall with a stack of bouldering pads, he didn't have a single one!

As to the grade of this one...its a little irrelevant if you ask me. Its not [v8]. I think a Yosemite grade of [5.11 R/X] is probably more appropriate, but I wouldn't try this if you can't do 'Blue Sued Shoes' [v5]. The bottom line is; if you are looking for something a little more obscure and a lot spicy, check this one out. Just don't blame Betabase if you hurt yourself.

Photos courtesy of John Vallejo

-Justin

3-23-09: Raising Arizona

Lyn Verinsky on Raising Arizona [v8]

A couple of weekends ago we had really good temps in the valley. The snow had mostly melted out, but it hadn't gotten hot yet either.

I climbed at the Arizona Avenue boulder in Camp 4 for the first time and put up a sit start to Spanish Flies,v3. It starts squeezing a slopey arete and transitions into the spicy top out of Spanish Flies. Scott Chandler and Lyn Verinsky got quick ascents right afterward, check out the video of Lyn's send above.

-Raza

3-16-09: Two Bolts or Not to Be

Randy Puro on Two Bolts or Not to Be [v10]

There are a few lines in the valley that we have found that would be under the "maybe someday" category. A line that you think about, but seems too out of reach to actually drag a crew down to try. Two Sundays agoand two years after first cleaning and scoping the line, we headed down to attempt to boulder a short Ron Kauk route down by the highway 140 entrance. I believe he did the first ascent in the mid-nineties, long before the era of big pads, but exact details are unclear.

The first part of the climb is a very technical arete which leads into a steep roof, the crux being sticking a dyno to a sloper and crossing to a good pinch. The last move wouldn't be very hard if the move was a few feet off the ground, but becomes very committing when when you have to heel hook at hand height (making you totally horizontal). At that point your back is about 18 feet above the pads.

The climb was still a little wet from the melting snow, but Randy stuck with it and by the end of the day it had pretty much dried out. More impressive, his heel flew out at the crux and he took a screamer of a fall, but he kept trying, culminating with the send captured above.

-Raza

3-9-09: Secrets of the Beehive

Lyn Verinsky on Secrets of the Beehive [v6]

During the rain & snow of winter we make the trek out to Bishop to get our bouldering fix. In January we headed out the Secrets of the Beehive area to try the classic of the area: Secrets of the Beehive. A flake has broken off in the middle of the climb, raising the grade a notch, but the mental crux is still at the top!

-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.