9-10-06: Crystals, in Yosemite?

Matt Keebler on an unknown problem [v5?] in The Crystals

In Camp 4, if you hike past battle of the bulge you will eventually venture over to 'The Crystals'. Even though it was in the guidebook since I bought the damn thing, I never checked it out until Junior & Matt Keebler took me over there. There are a number of fun problems over there (see the earlier post about Team Effort) and this one is a fun, although it is unnamed according to the guidebook.

8-23-06: Sonic Wave

Lyn Verinsky on Sonic Wave [v8]

Up the hill from and a to the left of Bruce Lee lies a couple of boulders. The right boulder has about four lines pioneered by Scott Frye and Jeff Webb on a trip to the valley a couple of years ago. The left boulder, has a cool power problem called Sonic Wave.

Sonic Wave starts with a left hand "sloper edge" and a right hand undercling. Fight to get your feet on and punch to the good sloping edge. Don't give up the ship yet, though. The top-out, while easier than the bottom, is very spicy. The landing is a jumble of boulders and falling off is not an option. On one of my early attempts at the top-out, I got my hands crossed up and did this crazy jump to an adjacent boulder. I would not recommend this. Try the top-out first, bring some trusty spotters, and bring your guns.

-Raza

8-11-05: Prototype arete

Prototype Arete [v7]

I have to give Scott Frye credit for sniffing out this line. I looked at it for a minute but it was his stubborn optimism that kept him searching for holds. Eventually, he sucked me into looking for holds and amazingly enough... we found a climb. It's called the prototype arete because it was the first time Scott got to use his prototype - a can of compressed air (think computer duster) attached to a pole with a string hanging down to control the air. A true Frye invention.

This boulder is just below the newly discovered LeConte cave and starts on a good right facing sidepull. Pull up and navigate through some slopers and edges up to the top. The moves are dependent on your body being in just the right position - if you're body is off just a little bit, the moves feel impossible. If you in the right position, it feels easy!

-Raza

8-5-06: Lifeline

Tim Medina on Lifeline [v7]

Another boulder, near the LeConte Memorial, is tall and gigantic. Heading straight up the middle would be death-defying. Luckily, the is a line on the left side with a lower top out. There is a large rock in the landing area, but it actually makes it easier to spot the top out. The slope of the rock actually makes the pads into something like a slide.

Tim got the first ascent with an amazing night ascent. While most of us were thinking about steak and salad, Tim strapped on the headlamp and climbed the damn thing.

The line has cool steep climbing with interesting moves. You're not pulling straight down hardly at all. Start in the "cave" with hands at head height and climb up an slightly right. Finish in the "V" notch rocking up and left and avoiding the adjacent boulder to your left. A thrilling finish to a fun problem. There is also a lower start called "Lifeline Low" strangely enough that starts on a flat bar and climbs up into Lifeline. That starts goes at v10.

-Raza

7-22-06: Narcissus

Randy Puro on the first ascent of Narcissus [v11?]

The last snow storm of the very wet spring season fell on April 17th. The Yosemite bouldering crew was beginning to look like caged rats on a sinking ship. From the end of April to the beginning of June, our short season exploded at a frantic pace. It started with problems like Pin Ball Wizard, which was brushed while it was still raining.

One of the best finds of the season was a cool cave behind and just a little to the right of the LeConte Memorial. The LeConte Cave has four main lines, two of which can be done from a low start deep in the cave that Randy pioneered. A third could be done from the low start, but it would be damn hard (v13/14?).

Narcissus starts low and links into Rabbit Habit, the crux of which is a 5 foot dyno. On May 13th, Randy got the first acent. It not only looks good, it's a great problem too!

-Raza

6-3-06: Team Effort

Matt Keebler on Team Effort [v5?]
photos: Lyn Verinsky

In an area just west of Camp 4 called the Crystals (see the Yosemite Bouldering guide), lies a large boulder that is surrounded by a large moat. This spring, the moat was enormous. Scott Chanlder and Matt Keebler showed Lyn and me this cool problem that they had cleaned, which was probably the only climbable line due to the size of the moat.

As luck would have it, all of us sent it that day, hence the name. A fun and technical slab.

-Raza

5-14-06: Pinball Wizard

Courtney Hemphill on Pin Ball Wizard [v7]

Pin Ball Wizard lies in a corridor on the opposite side of the trail from the Dominator. You can crawl through a cave to get there or walk around. It's been getting hot recently and this is one of the cooler (temperature wise) problems in Camp 4, probably a great place to store turnips if you had to. The holds peter out at about mid-height, but a since that section is just off-vertical, a technical slab sequence was discovered. Falling is really scary becuase of the proximity of the boulder behind but no one has come close to hitting it. Falling at the top of the slab is not an option. (It's time to get your game-face on and block out failure)

The moves on this problem are varied, interesting and just plain fun. An instant Classic?

-Raza

Scott Frye added: Why the question mark? That this is ultra-classic! And it seems that you could fall anywhere on it.

5-12-06: Six Degrees

Randy on Six Degrees [v10?]
photo: Courtney Hemphill

A stone's throw from Cocaine Corner in Camp 4, lies an overhanging face. I've looked at it for years but the holds in the middle blank out half way up. Then a couple of weeks ago, looking at things with "modern eyes", Randy and some visiting Norwegians had the vision to see the aretes and see the line in the middle as a diagonal line that meets up with the left arete. (Duh!) It's amazing how one's own preconceptions will prevent one from seeing something right in front of one's eyes.

What we originally thought would be a moderate line turned out to be quite difficult. A bunch of us worked the moves and while most of us complained of the heat, Randy dug deep and sent the thing. I guess it wasn't too hot!

We started with left hand on a big self on the arete and a right hand on a crimp in the face. A great, great problem.

-Raza

4-21-06: All Hands on Deck

Tim Medina trying All Hands on Deck [v8]
photo: Lyn Verinsky

There is a cool looking boulder to the right of the Bear Hug problem that would be one of the best boulders in the valley if it had more holds. On the left side of this boulder is an obvious edge that would be cool to use if you could ever get to it. I've looked at that edge countless times, as I'm sure many other people have, and bemoaned the lack of starting holds. However, we recently figured out that you might be able to jump to that obvious edge and top out.

That possibility became a reality when Tim jumped up (with both hands) and stuck the edge. But that's just the beginning. After a stiff move to a good flake, a rounded top out awaits over a landing that is all too far away. (Your left foot is about 10-12 feet above a not-so-flat landing.) That's why it is important to have All Hands on Deck, to help spot.

-Raza

4-18-06: Tenterhooks

Daniel Soto trying the moves on Tenterhooks [v8]

On a trip to Bishop near the end of December, Daniel discovered a possible problem to the right of America's Fit Homeless. It didn't seem likely but with some brain-storming we figured out some beta:

Start matched on side-pull crimps and move up to a bad sloper (pictured) move your feet up a bit and huck to another bad sloper. More sloper madness awaits on the top out. You never feel very solid which is where the name tenterhooks came from. (It's like being on tenterhooks)

-Raza