BOLDERZN'WALLZ

Occupy Huse Street

2011-12-21T08:04:00.001-05:00

Wowza…and another splendid year slips by.

Here is a pic taken last year just before I managed the first ascent of The Scavenger 5.13c

Since the move from North Carolina to West Virginia the majority of my time has been spent on the bullet Nutall Sandstone of The New River Gorge. Much to my surprise I have managed a significant (in my eyes) first ascent every month this fall and never had to place a single bolt. Most of the new rigs are located at Fern Buttress – probably the NRG’s last holdout for numerous hybrid trad rigs. As my buddy Matt Wilder put it “bouldering above gear”. So to say the least, I have been busy scouring the miles and miles of cliff band trying fill in the gaps.

Jessa Goebel on the "second" ascent of Palingenisis 5.12c - for a bit of history on this route follow this link Five Ten Blog

Word got out that Jessa and I shifted scenes and had plenty of floor space, before we knew it we had a full on “Occupy Huse Street” movement taking place in our humble abode for the better part of November. No tear gas here though – this is exactly why I love being a climber, good friends and great times!!

Some of the Occupiers (back) Freddie Wilkinson, Sam Bendroth, Matt McCormick, John Averette, Matt Bristol, (middle) Janet Bergman, Jessa Goebel, Pat Goodman, Sasha DiGiulian and Tager up front.

Video of Janet Bergman climbing Discombobulated on Endless Wall.

Here is a glimpse of a few projects Matt Wilder and I have going on. Matt's rig could be the hardest all gear route in the country when finished and obviously one of the most aesthetic!

Charakusa Valley, Part III - the return home

2011-09-21T15:58:00.003-04:00

The conclusion of our 2011 climbing expedition in the Karakouram range. The team returns home...

A great big thanks goes out to The Copp/Dash Inspire Award and The Shipton/Tilman Grant for making this trip possible!! Also, Mountain Hardwear for making the best darn tents, bags and outerwear available! As well as Sterling Ropes, Metolius, Evolv, Julbo, Gopro, Petzl and LaSportiva!

Charakusa Valley, Part II - the climbing

2011-09-16T16:17:00.005-04:00

Number II in the three part video series documenting the travels and climbing adventures in the Karakorum Range of Pakistan during June and July, 2011. This is the good stuff!

Charakusa Valley, Part I

2011-09-13T19:47:00.006-04:00

This is the first of three short videos documenting my recent expedition to Pakistan. Partnered with Matt McCormick and Will Meinen, we spent six and a half weeks traveling and climbing.

Lory State Park, CO - a bouldering guide.

2011-09-05T18:40:00.007-04:00

This is a version of the Aurthur's Rock bouldering guide book I made with Ben Scott for the Northern Colorado Climbers Coalition - find them...donate...volunteer...help secure access!

Back from Pakistan!

2011-08-07T21:20:00.007-04:00

Sunrise on K6 and a few unclimbed gems...

In my Junior High school years the Hollywood film ‘K2’ was an inspiration… of sorts, and after my first viewing of the movie an image of the “savage mountain” became unmovable from my memory; a portrait burned in my mind’s eye – perhaps the beginning of subconscious planning..? The first time I saw it for real was from a distance while perched atop a spire bordering the Charakusa Glacier in Pakistan. The mighty beast was tucked away behind another giant, Broad Peak and barely visible, but none-the-less its’ presence was unmistakable! For some reason a phrase from the film rattled through my mind “I’m not leaving my best friend to die on some f**king mountain”, Taylor screams this to H as they epic away Hollywood style during the climax of the film. It seemed funny to me as Matt McCormick and I stood, barefoot in the blazing sun praying for a cloud while soaking up the success of climbing one of the Charakusa Valley’s gems – Nayser Brakk (ca 5200m); a perfect pyramid of granite, iconic, formidable and perhaps the best rock peak in the area for acclimatization. We had just arrived in the valley; I had the flu from travel, but could not stand to see another sunny day slide by without climbing! We had supplies for a month, and big objectives. Along for the ride were Will Meinen, our guide Fida Hussain and his assistant Abbass Javed.

Short video of McCormick and me climbing the British Route on Nayser Brakk (ca 5200m).

Children of Haldi.


McCormick handing out school supplies in the village of Haldi.

Before our travels began the few random folks I discussed the trip with seemed mortified at the prospect of visiting Pakistan, particularly to go rock climbing. I’ll admit a bit of trepidation, but was hardly convinced we would see, or even concerned about…well…you know…”them.. the Taliban” as a few put it. Will Meinen, being a Canadian had to drive across the CN/US boarder to meet Matt and me for our flight outa Boston. He said the customs officer at the gate was so harsh with disdain in regards to his Pakistan Visa and travel plans that it made his mother cry. What we found from the people of Pakistan was nothing but hospitality! From tourism based professionals and residents of the larger cities – such as Islamabad – to the families of farmers living in the mud huts of a village of 500, honest and welcoming.

Basecamp - K7 Pillar on left, K6 on right.

Nuff said about all that. Yes we did climb, hike and have a great adventure. No we did not walk away with the raddest alpine send of the year, but we did have some success! A few repeat summits and one new summit we dubbed Fida Brakk (ca 5350) – it seems the tradition to name the summits in honor of your local guide - a close neighbor to Fathi Brakk. Honestly we had intended on the route as another “warm-up” for the real deal across the valley. But she pretty much gave us full on battle! We thought one long 24 hr push, but spent the better part of two days up there (July 6-7) finishing up in the snow and rain – much of the terrain looked simul-climbable. What we got was mostly consistent 5.10R climbing with many pitches to 11+R and one possible 5.12- pitch (a pure beauty – splitter tips crack to funky face climbing, with great ledge fall potential)…yay! But seriously, the route looked chill from the ground; it follows a steep snow couloir to an obvious ridge line feature with a sweet spiked summit. We found no evidence of previous travelers and named our new rig The Jenga Spur, V+ 5.11+R A.0, 1050m. We had one 70 foot rappel and a tension traverse on the way up, but other than that the beast went free.

Fida Brakk (middle of three spikes on left) Fathi Brakk (just right of Fida), and Nayser Brakk (on right) - basking in full moon light.

The line of ascent on Fida Brakk (ca 5350m).

McCormick at ABC under Farol Peak. Note the pot-pan stereo.

We experienced the best weather the first few weeks, and then it was pretty much one and half to two days of sunny skies followed by a buildup and eventual dumb for three to four days. This cycle crushed our chances at the K7 Pillar, but we still had a great time and made a few new friends along the way!! A full on 3-4 part blog roll will come out in September via Mountain Hardwear, so stay tunned.


Self portrait on the drive out, shortly before they let me drive the remaining 6 hours back to Skardu.

Also, this trip would not have been possible without the support from: The Copp/Dash Inspire Award, The Shipton/Tilman Award, Mountain Hardwear, Sterling Ropes, Petzl, Metolius, Julbo, Evolv and LaSportiva!! Thanks y’all!!

Going to Pakistan!!

2011-04-30T13:19:00.000-04:00

Just the other day I got word that Matt McCormick, Will Meinen and I received two prestigious awards for our upcoming trip to the Karakorum in Pakistan - the Shipton-Tilman Grant and the Copp-Dash Inspire Award. Our objective will ultimately be a big rock route on the southwest pillar of K7 in the Charakusa Valley, but the area has a huge amount of potential for adventure, so we will likely play around on other big features as well. We are super stoked!!

The team: Matt (top), me (bottom left) and Will (bottom right).

The glory line on the southwest pillar!

A few examples of features in the Charakusa - Farhood and Fatti Bhrakk (top) and the massive formation of K7.

Upcoming media presentations!

2011-03-28T10:46:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to host a few media presentation about various climbing adventures at select

Backwoods outdoor stores in the beginning of April. If you are in the area, come and check it out! Chances are you will get psyched and hopefully leave the venue with a great raffle prize from Mountain Hardwear.

2011 climbing adventure presentation trailer.

Back home...for now.

2011-03-20T10:55:00.002-04:00

I have been home in Banner Elk for over a month now! Feels good to get back into a routine - a nice combo of training, climbing and flooring work; Contrary to popular belief - being on the road does NOT keep you fit! Jessa and I are buying a house in Fayetteville, WV so she recently moved up there to work and get the house stuff all sorted out. I have been bouldering mostly and working on a few route projects that I have nearby. Here are a few bouldering images and a video from my collection- some old, some new. The good bouldering season is coming to an end around here...time to get ready for the heat.

Alex Johnson on the ffa of the VORTEX V.10 @ Sassyfrass, NC.

Alex Johnson killing it on OMINOUS ROOF V.9 @ 221, NC.

Ryan Scurfield sending INSTINCT V.8 @ 221, NC (left) and Jessa Goebel on 11,11 V.7 @ Rumbling Bald, NC.

Jill Church on the ffa of PUSSY FOOT V.7 @ Lost Cove, NC (left) and Michelle Smith on the ffa of BERTHA V.9 @ Lost Cove, NC.

Kate Reese (before McGinnis) making an early ascent of the ORB V.8 @ Rock Town, GA (left) and Steve Fox working the NATURAL LINE V.10 @ Ray's Roof, NC.

Rumbling Bald, NC bouldering, with Dave Sharratt and me.

Not so fancy footwork, I hit the same spot twice!

If you like the photo below you can see more at the
NEW CRUXN BLOG web site, check it out!

Road Rules...

2011-01-27T18:32:00.007-05:00

Self portrait, Red Rocks.

While the Southeast US has been receiving record low temps and above average snowfall I have been touring around the sunny Southwest. After 3 weeks in California Jessa and I visited Red Rocks for a few days and then attended the winter Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City, UT. After that we blasted down to Indian Creek for a day, and are now chillin with the fam in New Mexico.

Sunrise parking lot shot looking into Black Velvet Canyon (left) and Jessa grabbing some warm sandstone at the Strato Castor Wall (right) in Red Rocks.

A few things I have learned from the last month and a half on the road:

- Never believe the weather forecast!

- Leave large sums of cash inaccessible while visiting Vegas Casinos!

- If you have a 5 gallon jug of water in your rig, fasten the lid correctly and keep it upright!

- Be kind to your cruise control switch!

- Make sure your spare tire has air in it!

- Just because the 5 bottles of whiskey on the table only have a little left does not mean you have to finish them off all at once.

- When on a one way street, stay to the right to allow oncoming traffic to pass.

- Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

- Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs.

- There are only two seasons on the road in the United States; road construction and winter!

- If you find something interesting on the side of the road leave it alone! It might be a trap set up by some freakishly crazy religious cult to lure in the impure and serve them to the lord for sacrifice.

Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah at sunrise.

Newspaper Rock near the splitter cracks of Indian Creek, Utah.

Lastly, a quick comparison of female to male driving tendencies.

HERS:

Pulls off at wrong exit, opens window and asks directions from a knowledgeable person.

Follows proper directions and arrives at destination in timely fashion.

HIS:

Pulls off at wrong exit absolutely positive it's the correct one.

Drives five miles into wilderness, still thinks he's right.

Drives an extra 5 miles just in case.

Finally rolls down the window just to get fresh air.

Pulls up to a convenient store, gets three hot-dogs and a six pack of beer, then asks person behind counter how to get back onto the highway.

Drives down a dirt road with no street lights insisting this is the way back because guy from store said it was.

Almost hits a deer, curses the night, curses you, curses the empty six pack and yells at you for suggesting the map again.

Admits he didn't want to go to visit your family anyway, ever since they called him a pernicious weasel.

He had to borrow girlfriends Iphone to Google the word, couldn't spell pernicious, and still has no idea what it means.

Seethes at the memory of it all and decides to sleep in the van by the side of the road.

Not the funniest bumper stickers I have seen but still good.

Parting shots:

This guy got soo close to us while we were on the wall that the windstopper I was wearing started to fail! Maybe next time buddy, buz by a bunch of pretty ladies wearing dresses on the Vegas strip;)

Anddd....Castle Valley at sunset. What you can't see is all the snow!

Chasing the rays in California.

2011-01-17T18:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

In mid December Jessa and I shoveled about a foot of snow off the Previa aka “June Bug”, loaded her up with a fat kit of desert climbing paraphernalia and drove to Joshua Tree National Park. We met up with my good friends Kurt and Elaina Smith, who through their ever so encouraging delightfulness and rock solid assurance convinced us the sun would be blazing in the southwest!

It is hard to justify leaving the desert to post videos and new blogs, plus my computer died completely so the blog content has suffered a bit - but here is a quick photo essay from the last month here in California.

Yeah right Kurt, sunny...sure... warm... sure. We rolled in just in time to see Josh get flooded. I thought it was pretty cool though to see the desert full of water!

The clouds finally parted about 3 days after we got there and then it got cold...

Full moon and a big campfire at Sheep Pass group campground.

Sun comes out and the group site Evolv reserved got full. Super great place to spend the New Year holiday.

So, one boulder problem in particular Big Bob's Big Wedge was on my hit list. I wanted to do this thing for a long time...done! And yeah, we got UNCUT video proof of it.

Yeah, sun and some warm weather got us all stoked to get out and send!

Verm sending...

Since the weather was colder than we wanted Jessa the Verm and me left and drove the 2 or so hours to check out the crack bouldering at the famous Mt Woodson and the classic granite face features of Rainbow Mountain. I was not unimpressed! Woodson has THE best crack bouldering I have ever seen, no doubt! And never before have I seen soooooooo many beautiful granite blocs, miles and miles of piles stand proud on almost every hill top.

After chillin at Verm's families avocado ranch/golf course we rambled back to Jtree to meet up with Kurt and Elaina for another week of craggin.

Umm yeah... Josh is actually not on this planet. I shot this pic at around 9:00 pm with a 60 sec exposure.

The Verm and Jessa climbing on one of the areas classic 5.10's.

One of my major goals for my first Jtree visit was to climb Equinox (12+), I sent it on my first try. This pic is of Jessa giving it a solid effort!

The 5.6 route on Joshua Tree's more popular feature called The Headstone had a solid flow of traffic on it most days and a few nights. Jessa and I managed to squeeze in an ascent of this classic a few days before we left. The photo to the right was shot at sunset from our second campsite in Ryan Campground.

   Perfect way to end a wonderful trip of climbing in southern Cali!
   Now off to Vegas and then the trade show in SLC.

Mount Hooker - Third Eye Free Var.

2010-12-08T09:35:00.001-05:00

Since my adventures in the Winds with Dave Sharratt and Taki Miyamoto this past August my traveling has been nonstop. In fact, last week I was home for two days after a Chuck Fryberger filming project at the New River Gorge stoked to be back in my own king size bed, and then the weather crapped out so I split… now I’m in Chattanooga enjoying the fruits of the area.
That said I have had some interest from other climbers regarding specifics of the free route on Mount Hooker that went up this summer. Having almost no time to edit vid or stills from this trip until the other day has left the details kinda hangin, sorry.

So here is a rough topo, some pix, and a quick video. The free route follows the Third Eye up to the big roof “the eye”, then does a funky traverse right into the dihedrals of the Boissinault/Larson, and probly checks in around V 5.12+ R…

The Free Third Eye - V 5.12+ R, Mount Hooker.

Dave Sharratt on pitch 3, 5.12b

Dave Sharratt on pitch 4 in the rain and snow, 5.12b.

Mt. Hooker, Freeing The Third Eye from david sharratt on Vimeo.

Blast from the past - Free climbing the Vampire Spire

2010-12-01T15:30:00.003-05:00

The Vampire Peaks from the seat of a DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver float plane piloted by Warren LaFauve.

Recently I was digging through an assortment of neglected 35mm slides (yeah, I know old timey stuff) and came across two pictures; one of me and one of my buddy, Hank Jones. We are standing on a summit in Canada‘s North West Territories during twilight. My mind was blank, I had almost no recollection of that moment, even though it was indubitably a special part of my live. “Blasphemy” I thought. I slapped myself in the face and poured my beer out as a sacrifice to the Gods, but still had no recollection regarding the date or even the name of the route we established. Quickly I rummaged through my collection of American Alpine Journals. After gathering a few more photos and remembering the details with help from the report I figured it proper to share some of those moments. The Vampire Peaks might not be the biggest, gnarliest towers in the Territory but what they lack in size and mystique they have in quality!

The Moment - a climax of contentment! Watching the sunset at around 12:30 am from the top of the Vampire Spire.

The photographs were taken during the first free and one day ascent of the Vampire Spire - 350 meters of yummy alpine granite flanking the southwest face of Mount Appler, protruding from its base like a giant fang juxtaposed with neighboring formations the Fortress and the Canine.

Looking up at the first pitch of the Coffin (above), A really nice 12b pitch low on splitter southwest face (below), and the Vampire Spire's southwest face with the Coffin being the big feature (left).

During my first visit to the Vampire Peaks we established an aid route on the Spire’s east face, during this time I immediately observed the potential for high quality free climbing! Several years later in 2004 I returned with Hank Jones for some alpine craggin on the Vamp with one big stunning and unclimbed crack feature that splits the southwest face on our menu. We dubbed this line the Coffin for its unmistakable coffin-like feature high on the route and the probability of getting wacked by the off chance of falling debris getting funneled into the giant corner system. We spent a few days climbing and cleaning mostly following splitter finger cracks and big steaming pitches. Our free climbing hopes got stopped short though by the incessant drip from a huge chunk of ice lodged deep inside the bowls of beast; the cold heart of Nosferatu.

Hank Jones chilaxin at the base of the Vamp, and yeah, that big gear was very useful!

Not satisfied about having a section of aid on our new route we turned to another option for a free route, not as glorious as our first objective, but a strong contender for a quick free ascent: having only four days before our flight out had us gnawing at our chance like a rat on a cheetos. We followed a crack and gully system that began to the left of the Coffin that eventually wandered up to some really nice crack pitches on the north face. This route went well with all the pitches going free first try, and making the summit in about 8hrs; the first free ascent and the first one day ascent of the areas namesake was in the bag, we named our route Darkside, IV 5.11.

Darkside climbs the splitter crack left of the Coffin, up into the big gully, then up the left skyline of the spire..

Low on the start to Darkside, with the hulking mass of granite called the Phoenix just out of view in the background.

The final pitch with Hank belaying on the summit of the Vamp (left), Hank leeding the crux 5.11c fist crack (right).

And umm...yeah, the bouldering is good there too!

Formed by deposition

2010-11-04T12:34:00.008-04:00

Poseidon - God of the sea!

The Grande Grotta.

“They come from drips” the Kalymnian shepherd blurted to me as he pointed skyward to the ice cycle like stalactites hanging in random order on the underside of the Grande Grotta. He cracked a wry smile revealing shinny white teeth that seemed out of place with his tattered clothes and bronzed leathery skin. The man appeared to want to talk so I sat next to him and listened as he told stories about old Kalymnian sponge divers and a bit of island history.

Kalymnos is believed to have been inhabited since the Neolithic period. The island is mostly barren and mountainous; harboring two small valleys full of citrus groves and plentiful aromatic plants, such as thyme, sage and oregano to which the excellent Kalymnos honey owes its fragrance. Scattered about the landscape are loads of ancient rock walls and the crumbling remains of castles leftover from the reign of the Cretans, Persians, Romans and the Genoese, the latter being largely responsible for the larger, more significant castles; Alexander the Great fought and won battles along the rocky shore.

Sea sponges.

In my opinion the most fascinating historical characteristic of this island and the greater Dodecanese is the sponge fishing; this area was once considered the sponge capital of the world and fishing for sponges (yes they are in fact animals not plants) began here around 700bc. The Shepard man spoke of his grandfather the sponge diver, he would plunge into the water naked and unaided, all he had with him was a net in which to collect sponges and a heavy, flat stone called a skandalopetra attached by rope to the boat above. Relying purely on a lungful of air and raw courage, he thought nothing of plunging to depths of up to 30 meters. The invention of the bronze-helmeted diving suit or skafandr in the mid-19th century enabled men to gather sponges from much greater depths – but at a terrible cost. Tragically, the dangers of surfacing too quickly were not realized until countless divers had already died or been paralyzed as a result of the bends or decompression sickness. Sponge collecting in the Dodecanese has since plummeted, partially due to the introduction of synthetic sponges but largely due to some type of blight that almost wiped out the sea sponges of the Aegean.

Do you like crowds? If not maybe skip the Kalymnos trip, this ia a typical day at Arhi.

Don't be cheap, find the good scooters and pay for the insurance!

Jessa Goebel riding the "Priapos" (7c) during her flash of probably one of the better pitches around,

while wearing the Sajama Pant and Evolv Predator G2 shoes.

Jen Larvarda aka "Red Bull" on Rendez with Platon (8b)

Glancing down from where the Shepard sat I noticed a glorious pile of used toilet paper garnishing a years worth human excrement. The Shepard must have sensed my distain because he kicked some rocks at the pile and cursed something about pulling t.p. from a goat’s mouth. It’s pretty disgusting actually, why can’t people crap at home before they go to the crag, or at the very least pack out the spent wipes? And while I’m on a rant WTF is up with the Euro belay? No it is not cool to put a jacket on while

your boyfriend is at “rest" yeah I know you have a Grigri, but rock breaks…duh. I know I’m not the only person that has noticed the rapid increase of climbing accidents – on Kalymnos alone accidents have more than doubled this year; lowering off the end of the rope, ground falls from bad belay technique and anchor failures have mostly been to blame. In fact I even had a climber arguing my sentiments for safety. Please be carful folks!

Jessa Goebel giving the super classic Amores Perros (7c+) another go.

Eddie Avallone wondering what the hell Fun De Chichunne (8a) means.

At the crux of Valley of the Dolls ext. (8a+).

Curious about the rope we used - Sterling Ion2, trust me, this is THE best rope!

Yummy, our landlords fed us well. Jessa sporting a Nitrous Jkt

The Verm sending Mort (7b).

Now about the climbing; my vision before taking this trip was to NOT get wrapped up in projects, 3 try rule. I really just wanted to get in as many pitches of good climbing as possible, or in other words, have fun! The climbing in Kalymnos is really, really good and lends itself well for onsite climbing – lots of big rests on pretty much every route. Seemed to me the longer routes that rode big stalactites out roofs were quite a bit easier than the grade would imply compared to the shorter, say under 20 meter, climbs. But whatever, definitely the best tuffa wrestling, stalactite rodeo’in I have ever done! Out of the 25 days Jessa and I spent on the island, I sampled around 100 pitches throughout the grade range of 5a-8c and visited 18 different sectors. Fellow Hardwear athlete Neil Gresham put on a fundraiser slide show, it just so happened I had a stack of Mountain Hardwear goodies to add to the raffle - the fundraiser yielded around 800 euros for the bolt fund. Did you donate to the fund while you were in Kalymnos, in fact, have you ever given time or money to any Climbers Coalition? I also managed to wreck a scooter, spent many hours swimming in the Aegean, and made many new friends; always my favorite part of the trip I take.

Flowers at the entrance to a monastery and a painting of Jesus standing over the head of John the Baptist.

Dozens of Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries pepper the landscape. The thick white and blue paint, as well as, the splendid bell towers (like the Agios Ioannis pictured above) give the island great pious charisma.

Marco giving the classic Aegialis (7c) a go.

Jessa Goebel, Orion 7c+, Kalymnos, Greece

Telendos - multi-pitch limestone in Greece

Kalymnian delivery truck...mmmm beer.

Just another evening on the porch.

At the bus stop before departure, this was the toughest part of the whole trip!

Want the best luggage? Try the Hardwear Juggernaut or the Expedition-Duffel.

Speed records, Knob Creek and Greek salads.

2010-10-09T08:55:00.001-04:00

Here is a quick little update from the past month.

Ship Rock in New Mexico

I managed to take about 50 minutes from the solo speed record on Ship Rock, a record I set about 7 years ago. For those who know nothing about Ship Rock I will give a brief synopsis.

Ship Rock, (Tsa-Beh-Tai, meaning The Winged Rock in Navajo), is a unique giant basaltic collapsed volcanic neck rising 2,000' out of the desert in NW New Mexico’s Navajo Indian Reservation. Perhaps this is the largest such formation in the world? The multiple summits and fins might resemble the sails of a large ship sailing the desert when viewed from the north. But to the Navajo it has a much greater meaning. To be brief, Tsa-Beh-Tai apparently brought the Navajo ancestors to this land in the form of a large bird, landed, then turned to stone. Also, Cliff Monster, a man eating dragon, is said to have once resided in the large bowl below the summit until a Navajo warrior slay the mighty beast tossing its body parts out into the desert forming the other prominent volcanic features near Ship Rock.

Reaching the summit of Ship Rock was the last great problem of North American mountaineering during the late 1930s and apparently this was the scene of the first ever expansion bolt placed for the use of climbing. Rock climbing on the Navajo Indian reservation is forbidden by the Navajo government; though it is possible for climbers with special interests to gain blessings from one of the families living in the shadow of Ship Rock and not get charged for trespassing. But, even if you get permission from a permit holder, technically you are still going against the grain of the Navajo Government and could possibly get punished!

A few different rock types are found on Ship Rock, including volcanic breccia, basalt, and xenoliths (chunks of limestone and gneiss brought up during eruption). Rock quality varies from surprisingly moderately hard to loose and crumbly.

Ship Rock, New Mexico - solo speed ascent Pat Goodman
Gopro vid from my ascent of Ship Rock.

The drive from Farmington, NM to Charlotte, NC took me around 26hrs. I picked my girlfriend Jessa Goebel up near the airport, grabbed a quick shower at the climbing gym and quickly boarded a plane to Manchester, NH. Once there we meet a handful of other Mountain Hardwear athletes and representatives - Chris Strasser, Jesse Malman, Kevin Mahoney, Dawn Glanc and Ethan Pringle. Up next was the EMS Nor’easter festival; live music, bouldering comps, cross-bike racing, schmoozing, climbing clinics at Rumney and lots of drinking filled the 3 day event roster.

Welcome to Farmington, New Mexico!

Very fun time indeed! More-or-less a big blur of activity and I’m glad I managed to get out early one morning with Kevin and Matt McCormick for a quick group solo sesh at Canon. We barely made it, the night before a big group of us drank beer, scotch and wayyy to much Knob Creek, I remember rolling down the big grassy hill in front of the music stage, waking at 4:30am, puking, passing out again and then Kevin hurrying me out the condo door around 6:00am for our Cannon mission with the taste of Bourbon and vomit still unsullied on my palate. The event was well planned and I loved the setup at Loon Mountain Resort! My good freind Alex Johnson and Ethan Pringle won the UBC bouldering comp and the rain held off...can't wait until next year.

Ummm...ouch!

Whitney-Gilman, Cannon Cliff, NH Pat Goodman
Gopro vid from the solo sesh.

Jessa and I missed one of our return flights and managed a 19 hour travel day back to our home in Banner Elk, NC. I got to spend about 32 hours there then drove back to Charlotte to catch a plane to Athens, Greece - eventually ending up on the paradise isle of Kalymnos, where I sit now. I will outline more specifics in a later post, but I will say this place is EXCELLENT! Great climbing on dreamy limestone tuffas is the norm. Also, I will add, the clear blue waters of the Aegen Sea are supremely majestic! And….. Jessa and I got a special treat when we discovered my good buddy John “Verm” Sherman is also spending the month of Roctober here in Kalymnos as well.

Yeah, home for the next month!

Time well spent and more Moderate Madness!

2010-09-20T11:33:00.001-04:00

All I can say is that the climbing in Tuolumne and the High Sierra is STELLAR! It is embarrassing for me to admit never having climbed there before last week. That said, I decided to take advantage of an opportunity that allowed me three and a half days in the area and I thought the adventure would be heightened by climbing solo.

My focus was to just have fun and get some mileage in on some of the classic must-do moderates. To not bore anyone with a list lets just say my time was well spent! All in all I probly got in around 50 guidebook pitches, 25 miles on foot and met some really good folks.

Something I have noticed in the past while travelling with a partner or group of associates is one tends to create a bubble and miss out on special opportunities to meet strangers. For me the lasting memories of those strangers turned friends will outweigh those memories of scaling pitches. A special thanks to Zach for the inspiration,

Chad

, Clay and all the other members of the SCMA for letting me poach a parking spot at your campsite!

Gopro footage of the link-up day.

All went as planned; I sent some great routes, made new friends, talked product with the Hardwear crew and caught a cold…er, well that kinda sucked. I missed out on climbing Whitney and bouldering at Way Lake. But I got to relax and recoup at Noah and Siemey’s house near Tahoe…thanks a ton!

Ummm, the trees in NV grow really awful tasting fruit!

With the clock ticking (I gotta be in Charlotte, NC by Sept. 23^rd to catch a plane to the Nor’easter!) I blasted off from Nevada on the 16^th, after spending a liitle over twelve wonderful days in Cali. Next on the list was to visit my sister and her family in Montrose, CO, climb in the Black Canyon, ramble to Farmpit in NM visit, Mom, Grandma and Dad andddd crush my old summit speed record on Ship Rock via the Standard Route (IV 5.9+ A.0). Time to beat; 1hr 55min!

So, I got to visit with my sis, niece, nephew, uncles, aunts, cousin, dad, mom, grandma and managed to on-sight solo the Scenic Cruise (IV 5.10+) in the Black Canyon, again an area I have managed to not climb in before. Also dropped my new Gopro cam, f#*king hell, so no footage, but I do still have my other HD model. Bummer though, I was really looking forward to the wide angle lens on my new one, if anybody feels it necessary to reequip me that would be great!

My rack for the Scenic Cruise, pretty hefty ehh.

At the rim of the Black Canyon after the send, RIP Gopro.

Now I am off to the next stage; Ship Rock and then drive 1,900 miles to Charlotte in time to catch my flight to NH. Wew, gotta luv it!!

Moderate Madness

2010-09-03T13:21:00.002-04:00

So, I don’t have much time but I thought it proper for a little update!

The Winds were great. They certainly lived up to the reputation, big and windy. We spent about 17 days in the wilderness and climbed a bunch. I got a tad bit excited about the boulders and thrashed my shoulder bad enough that I had abandon my free climbing plans on Hooker. But I did get to do some awesome climbing on it and ended up getting a good bit of video and still images of Dave and Taki sending the FFA of The 3rd Eye! I also managed to survive an on-sight free-solo ascent of the West Butt (IV 5.9/5.10) on Musembeah Peak, a 12,593’ monster across the valley from Hooker.

Solo on Musembeah Peak from Pat Goodman on Vimeo.

Short Gopro vid.

In Utah, I got a few days in at Little Cottonwood Canyon with TC. But the real treat was a lucky coincidence of a good buddy from NC, Mike Stam, being in SLC at the same time! I also squeezed in an on-sight solo ascent of the Lowe Rt (II 5.8) at Lone Peak Cirque. Video soon…

Lone Peak Cirque

I got in a few days at Smith Rocks with my good buddy Stephen Meinhold - those of you who know Stephen; yes, it was very entertaining to watch him. Smith is no joke! The 13a's at the RRG are WAY easier than the 12a's at Smith, btw!

Now I'm blasting off from Portland in search of some solitude in the Sierra's.

So the theme as of now is Moderate Madness – I have already done two big boys, lets see how many more classic, multi-pitch moderates I can rack up. Next on the list; Cathedral Peak, Matthes Crest, Tenaya Peak, Mt. Conness, Mt. Whitney.

Cathedral Peak

Mt. Whitney - East Face

Going to visit the Hooker.

2010-08-01T08:10:00.002-04:00

In a few days I will be traveling to the Wind River Range in Wyoming with Dave Sharratt. Our intention is to climb the massive, 1,800' North face of Mount Hooker, hopefully free. The Winds are remote to put it simply and are highest range in the Wyoming-Idaho-Montana group. It also contains the largest system of glaciers in the American portion of the Rockies. The 63 glaciers are only surpassed in the contiguous by the Cascades in Washington. This mountain range is the southernmost Continental Divide range of the Central Rockies and from the southern end of the Divide to the north end of the range at Union Pass, no road crosses or even penetrates the crest; it is entirely wilderness (both management-designated and defacto). The range is bound by high desert on both the west (Green River Basin) and the east (Wind River Basin).

Aerial photo of the Wind River Range from the north. The large lake in the foreground is Middle Fork Lake. The massive wall in the center of the photo is Mt Hooker. Sept 26, 2006.

According to what I have read from past accounts, this wall on Hooker is large, remote and cold. Several characteristics about it stand out to me as being significant; Firstly, I don’t have to get on a plane and fly overseas, but still get to revel in the greatness of long, wild alpine routes – this one is the biggest wilderness wall in the lower 48, with a success rate of around 60%. Secondly, all the established routes, the few that exist, are hard…real hard, established by some of Americas best climbers. The possibility for new hard free climbs seems to be screaming at us!

The last couple of years I have been going on big trips in Asia to climb, this will be a real treat doing an expedition in the States. It’s pretty much the same routine: Gather a bunch of good backcountry recipes, count out the calories, stock-up, pack-up the kit, get horse dude, walk for a few days and then climb a big, cold alpine route…perfect! Hard to believe I have not been there yet.

The North Face as viewed from the east at Baptiste Lake. It was first climbed in 1964 at VI 5.10 A4 by Royal Robbins and co.

Todd Skinner climbing Jaded Lady, during the walls first free ascent in 1990.

http://www.toddskinner.com/expeditions/Wyoming/

The first time I paid much attention to Hooker was in 1998; I was in Lander, WY at a coffee shop and happened upon a fresh copy of Big Walls by Paul Piana. This book contains the first person accounts of what Paul calls “Breakthroughs on the free-climbing frontier.” A unique view on the first free ascents of what Skinner and Piana consider the four premier rock faces of North America: El Cap’s Salathe Wall, Half Dome’s Southwest Face, Wyoming’s Mount Hooker and Mount Proboscis’s East Face in the Northwest Territories of Canada. I would add there are a few more proud walls here, but those four could very well be the proudest.

Mt. Hooker is the premier big wall monolith in the Wind River range, with a 1800 foot just off vertical North Face.

Why have I never climbed here before? Well, the last time I tried in 1999, after spending a few days at the trailhead hunkered down in my truck, waiting for the rain to stop. We (Brad Jackson, Tate Reece, Jim O’Connor and I) decided it would be best to wait at the Bar, where we promptly proceeded to get in a fight, the resulting damage to Jackson’s hand was a deal breaker. More than 10 years have lapsed since then and I am looking forward to another grand adventure in Wyoming – hopefully this time we get to at least hike in…

Steve Quinlan during the first ascent of Third Eye 5.10, A4 in 1993.

http://www.bigwalls.net/climb/Hooker.html

The spectacular and wild country surrounding Baptiste Lake. The 1800 foot high north face of Mount Hooker is on the left and Musembeah Peak is on the right.

In the distance are the Twin Lions, Mount Lander, the Saber Tooth, Cusp Peak and other summits of the remote Wind River Indian Reservation area. Baptiste Lake is just past the snowfield-dotted moraine.

A: Red Light District (IV 5.12-, Toula-Lleuben, 1992).

B: Brain Larceny (V 5.12R, Donahue-Harvey 1994).

C: Northern Light ( VI 5.12 A.3, Wadman-Maus-Dunkak, 1998).

D: Third Eye (VI 5.10 A.4, Quinlan-Middendorf, 1993).

E: Boissonneault-Larson (VI 5.10+ A.4, 1997).

F: Sendero Luminoso (VI 5.10 A.4, Quinlan, 1980).

G: Shady Lady (VI 5.11 A.4, Dockery-Bradshaw, 1978)

H: Original Route ( VI 5.9 A.4, Robbins-McCracken-Raymond, 1964).

I: Northwest Passage (VI 5.9 A.3, Hokanson-Spangler, 1998).

J: Free Var aka Jaded Lady (V 5.12, Whitehouse-Richey-Rolofson-Toula-Skinner-Piana-Rowell, 1990).

Useful links for more info.

Here is a link to the follow up report and topo of our new rt....

http://www.jimdockery.com/climbaround/N.America/ShadyLady/ShadyLady.Hooker.html

http://www.americanalpineclub.org/documents/pdf/aaj/1999/215_lower48_aaj1999.pdf#search="mount hooker 1999"

http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/153515/mount-hooker.html

Crumbling - first ascents of teetering dirt piles in northern New Mexico.

2010-07-18T10:09:00.001-04:00

OK, I will admit that from the typical climbers standpoint growing up in northern New Mexico would be considered a curse. I mean, Rifle is 8 hours of driving away, the Red River Gorge is about 25 and...no climbing gyms! But what the area does have is lots of untouched sandstone, similar in consistency to that of coagulated sugar. Miles of canyons exist, most of them desolate if not for the hundreds of gas pumps and oil well-sites that pepper the vast desert landscape; "Warning - if siren sounds find higher ground and use gas mask" reads a sign pointing out the potential hazard for H2S Gas poisoning. Yep, home sweet home!
My father and uncle own several acres of farmland situated near Bloomfield. My grandparents purchased this land when I was a teenager and conveniently for me it's within walking distance from Blanco Canyon - this particular area hosts dozens of 50'-200' free standing sandstone towers. Though much of the rock is of such poor quality that most would argue its relevance as a true rock climbing objective - hence, the term "Crumbling"!
It has been a great place to go aid-soloing for me and I must admit I love having the place to myself! Honestly could be one of favorite spots to go bag desert first ascents, tower after tower...

View from the summit of Clyde Tower. The green fields in the background are the farmlands my family owns and operates.

Clyde Tower - named in honor of my Grandfather, Clyde Goodman. This is a very formidable dirt spike overlooking every move the farmers below make. I made the first ascent of this the day we put my Grandad to rest.

The Desert Rose - smells like dirt! This went all free at 5.10.

Eagle Rock aka White Owl - This feature almost sits on my fathers property. I made the first ascent with my father and uncle watching. Little did they know my solo climbing system was sub-standard that day and the rock was some of the worst I have EVER climbed on! I took a hatchet up with me and "enhanced" a few cam placements. It was super cool having them around that day. My uncle gave me my first big stash of climbing gear when I started climbing 20 years ago; a rack that he had used before I was born.

Dude this thing was bomber! Do not forget to bring a hatchet!

My father Joe on the right and my uncle Ron on the left. If you have a problem with how I turned out as a person, take it up with these two! Though, I will add a word of caution from my fathers mouth " I have been shot at and hit. No need to be scared in a gun fit, you won't feel the one that gets you anyways." My father was accidentally shot point-blank in the head with a 9mm in Vietnam, he was pretty much dead right then and there. Not sure you can say he was lucky but, he happened to be sitting on a hospital bed when he took the bullet, from his own gun held by a fellow soldier. Why do they call it friendly fire anyways?

The Grimm Reaper - Probably one of the better climbs in the area and the hardest I have done at 5.7r/x A.3.

The Toaster Crumbs - This rig is almost 200 feet tall and with every breath of wind gets skinnier.

Angel Peak - As viewed from the north on the summit of Clyde. This peak is a landmark feature in San Juan County and has seen several ascents, one of the only formations around I did not get the first ascent of.

Self portrait on the summit of Eagle. I put in 3 bolts on the summit for the rap, all of witch I could remove with my fingers. Using bolts is something I try very hard to avoid!

Tower of Power - could you take an hour? Don't be fooled, this thing is a pile!

The White Owl fleeing from its roost on Eagle Rock. The ground at the base is littered with the bones of rodents. My dad loves it, less ground hogs he has to remove.

I called this the Candle Stick. One of the more teetering dirt sticks out there. I free climbed it up to the last 10 feet with marginal gear. Then used a big hook to lasso a horn on the summit and pulled myself up - probably should have fallen and broken my back that day...stupid obsession.

A short write up detailing Zoo View 5.7+ at Moore's Wall in NC. Featured in Climbing Magazine.

2010-06-14T23:15:00.004-04:00

Adventures in the North West Territories of Canada.

2010-06-13T15:36:00.005-04:00

The following is a story I wrote about a fun adventure in Canada for a Backcountry.com catalog a few seasons ago. This trip was inspired by a group of Germans that paddled into the Vampire Peaks and the Cirque of the Unclimbables in 2004. I plan on going back soon, maybe the summer of 2011. Trips like this will be my focus in upcoming years. Now more than ever I believe it is very important to use as much "man power" as possible when we venture out into the wild to have fun. Plus, when you raft into a place that has more rain then not, you still get a good time when the weather shuts down the climbing!

http://www.backcountry.com/

Moon Rocks

2010-05-31T19:47:00.011-04:00

Flanking Grandfather Mountains’ southeast side is one of North Carolina’s little treasures, Moon Rocks. Not a tall cliff, most routes only cover about 50', but in that short distance your sure to fight a fierce battle of balance, power and compression. A few older Doug Reed and co. routes existed when my good buddy Cogie Reed first walked me the minute and a half it takes to approach the wall from the parking lot, now the crag has around 35 quality routes. If you climb around Boone and like trying hard gear routes check this place out!
I just wanted to share a few pics and a video http://www.deadpointmag.com/videos/watch/dpm-project-series-pat-goodman from the small crag I spend a huge amount of time at.

Cogie Reed on Selene 5.13b

Luna 5.13a R

Corridor Project 5.14a ?

Jade Rabbit 5.13+ R

New Routes at The NEW!

2010-05-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

http://blog.mountainhardwear.com/2010/05/new_river_gorge_climbing.html
Had a blast at the New River Rendezvous! Got 2nd in the Trad http://newriverrendezvous.com/compresults.html comp and scored the FA of Acharya (one who teaches by conduct) the same day Mr. Williams http://www.mikesironcladbeta.blogspot.com/ nabbed the FA of Trebuchet. Two of the areas hardest and best trad and sport routes, sent on arguably the last crisp day for a while! Not to mention I spent some quality time with old friends and had a blast with many new friends.

China's Seerdengpu - and mhw cribz

2010-03-18T09:36:00.011-04:00

"During the month of October 2009, Pat Goodman and I traveled to China's Sichuan Province to attempt the unclimbed Seerdengpu. West of Mt. Siguniang, Seerdengpu is a sulking behemoth of a mountain. We approached through the Shuangqiao Valley, via a tour bus, which drives tourists and photographers directly beneath the west face.

Our first glimpse of Seerdengpu, gained as we stepped off the bus directly beneath the peak at about 4,000m altitude, was impressive and intimidating. A sign with a yak skull lashed to its top pointed to Seerdengpu and read Savage Peak. "Next stop, Torture Tower," I thought.

As we ferried our duffel bags to camp, I was struck by the novelty of the experience -- never had I been dropped off by public transport at the foot of an alpine objective. It was weirdly exciting. A typical approach by foot lends time to peer around corners and eye lines of weaknesses. Our approach was abrupt, and the spatial grandeur of the landscape was staggering. Our intended route was plastered with verglas and looked mean. Despite two years of studying photos of this peak and imagining our potential climb I felt suddenly unprepared and a good bit scared.

Another first was arriving at a climbing area only to be told by government officials that I needed a permit I did not have, that I would be unable to acquire a permit, and realize that to climb here meant taking a big legal risk.

As we hiked our climbing kit up to high camp below the northwest buttress, we ran into a team of three Swiss climbers who had the same trouble with permits. Back in Rilong, we'd been stopped at the entrance to the Shuangqiao Valley and told that we needed a special permit for climbing. In order to acquire a permit we would have to travel to Beijing and wait approximately two weeks. Our time would not allow for that. We were forced to sign and thumbprint a multi-page document stating that we would not mountaineer, ice climb or rock climb in the valley. The penalty was said to be confiscation of equipment and a $9,000 USD fine. This was the first season that permits have been required or enforced in the Mt. Siguninang Park, and the document we signed was dated June 30, 2009. It appears that this document was drafted in the wake of a couple tragic and high profile accidents in western China. The Swiss had also not found any information about permit requirements during their preparation. Independently, both teams had come to the same conclusion: we couldn't stomach traveling this far and turning home without an attempt at Seerdengpu.
We laid low in camp and watched our route on the northwest buttress. From a previous attempt the buttress was reported to be featureless and polished. The line was not obvious, but after days of spying it from different angles at different times of day we had pieced together a nebulous line of discontinuous crack systems. Though a few long sections looked blank our initial shock and apprehension were fading and the route-in our imaginations-was coming alive. The Swiss, initially considering an attempt on Seerdengpu turned their attention to a steep attractive wall behind Seerdengpu.

Rain fell, as did snow; the valley would fill with mist, and then clear. The weather was never violent; we heard only the occasional rumble of distant thunder. The rock would dry for an evening only to be covered in rime ice the next morning, then melt and stay soaking wet. After watching this cycle repeat itself a few times we became impatient, pulled high camp, and turned our attention to the southwest face in favor of sun and fast-drying rock.

We had ideas of potential lines, but nothing looked obvious. While hiking up the 1,000m scree approach I noticed a clean-looking crack system. We switched gears, jumped on it and found clean, solid granite and splitter crack systems, mostly hand-size and occasionally widening enough to jam a knee-mostly 5.8 and 5.9. The most difficult pitch of the climb, dubbed the "E5 Pitch", was a poorly-protected friction face (5.11?). We climbed within about 350 vertical meters of the summit to the "eyebrow"-the base of the first major ledge which holds snow. Here the angle eases off to the summit but the route finding did not look easy. We had boots, tools and crampons, ready to switch gears from rock climbing to alpine. However, an injury forced retreat-a descent that proved long and soggy.

Back on the valley floor a black Audi with tinted windows rolled up to Pat. The window slid down and a government official looked sternly at Pat, pointed at Seerdengpu and said: "No permit, no climb. No permit, no climb!"

We packed up to leave the following day. After 15 days of living in these mysterious and mist-shrouded mountains I found it physically difficult to leave. I was under their spell. This climb had been purely cerebral in the two years of planning and imagining. As we lived beneath and studied Seerdengpu the climb took on a ghostlike form. Then, what had been only a ghost, through 15 pitches, became a reality. This part-dream, part-reality climb was still alive and hungry in my mind. I could only stand to leave it behind after anesthetizing myself with the better part of a bottle of astringent rice liquor. I sped out the Shuangqiao Valley packed amongst clean tourists, my eyes glued to the road ahead."

—David Sharratt

Alpine style version of the MTV Cribs. "How do climbers keep from going insane while waiting for the weather to stabilize in the mountains?", you might ask yourself. Well here is one example - make a cheesy video!

Nice, short bouldering video.

2010-02-25T15:29:00.002-05:00

Dalton Hilfinger used my new jib to capture this footage. I did Matt's prow 4 times that day without one fall:)

Climb Fit Training

2010-02-19T08:28:00.002-05:00

I get a lot of folks asking me about training. How, when, why... I will go into more depth about what I do and why at some point soon. But for now just have a quick look into the world of Climb Fit training.

Solo climbing at the New River Gorge, WV.

2010-02-19T08:20:00.004-05:00

The day after Christmas 2009, I went out and soloed half a dozen classic climbs on the bullet hard sandstone of the New River Gorge, nothing hard just good fun. I thought it would be cool to get some video, but to keep it a true solo mission I set up all the shots with a tripod and some rigging ropes, climbing most of the routes 3 or 4 times. Nobody else was around, totally perfect day!!

2010-01-30T09:21:00.000-05:00

http://www.climbing.com/photo-video/av/vortex_v10_sassafras_knob_north_carolina/

Spitzer Expedition To China Frustrated By Permit Problems

2010-01-30T09:13:00.001-05:00

Trip Date: October 2009Where: China » Siguniang National Park
Pat Goodman, winner of a 2009 Lyman Spitzer Cutting-Edge Award, reports below on his trip to China with Dave Sharratt and the frustrating permit situation that developed:

The five Chinese men and women stood confident, and in an odd way I felt some condescension from them. Four of the five were dressed similarly: red Ozark Gore-Tex jackets and black rain pants. The oldest man of the group had on a white, button-down shirt, black tie, black sports coat, and nice black slacks—he looked bothered.
David Sharratt and I were standing at the lavish entrance station to the Shuangqiaogou, in Siguniangshan National Park, Sichuan Province, China—the Chinese alpine equivalent to Yosemite Valley. We had left the U.S. on September 25 with the intention of establishing a new route on unclimbed Peak 5592, aka Seerdengpu, the Barbarian, or a host of other disconcerting names. The Chinese man in the black sports coat had told our taxi driver to take us back to Rilong (about 35 minutes) and get the proper paperwork from the Sichuan Mountaineering Association (SMA). A bit confused, Dave and I reluctantly got back in the van.
In Rilong, at the office of the SMA, things got even more confusing. Neither Dave nor I speak Mandarin well, and the officials did not speak English very well. After about two hours, Dave and I had signed and thumb-printed a tree’s worth of documents, not to mention coughing up a butt load of cash, but we still did not have the proper “permit” to go climbing—we only had permission for camping and trekking. The documents we signed specifically stated we would not rock climb, ice climb, mountaineer, or otherwise summit anything. Latter we learned any such offense would likely land us a $9,000 fine, confiscated equipment, and a possible stint in jail. The SMA officials told us that to obtain a climbing permit we needed to apply in person at the SMA office in Beijing, wait two weeks for it to get approved, and come back. If we wanted to do a first ascent, the process would take longer and cost more. Even though every SMA representative was friendly, I was still very upset.
I had climbed in the Bi Peng Gou in 2005, also within the boundaries of Siguniangshan National Park, and I’d studied countless trip reports and talked to several American and Chinese climbers that had frequented the valley. Not once did anybody mention traveling to Beijing to get a climbing permit. Our understanding was that permits, if necessary, could be obtained either at the park entrance or from an SMA official on location. However, as of June 30, 2009, that process had apparently changed. We got back into the van and sped toward unforeseen circumstances in our otherwise well-planned adventure.
Back at the park entrance, we were once again met by the sentries. After we showed them our papers, they let us through the gate, charged us more money, and gazed on in bewilderment as we loaded 25 days of supplies onto the empty tour bus. As the bus wound though brilliant alpine terrain along the 35-kilometer paved roadway, I held back my trepidation and doubts. After about 25 minutes, we saw Seerdengpu in all its glory. I yelled at the bus driver to stop, then Dave and I tossed out our luggage, walked about 15 minutes from the road, and set up base camp—a first for us both considering the scale of this alpine objective.
The following is an excerpt from Dave’s account of the following days:
“We laid low in camp and watched our route on the northwest buttress. From a previous attempt, the buttress was reported to be featureless and polished. The line was not obvious, but after days of spying it from different angles at different times of day we had pieced together a nebulous line of discontinuous crack systems. Though a few long sections looked blank, our initial shock and apprehension were fading and the route—in our imaginations—was coming alive.
"Rain fell, as did snow; the valley would fill with mist and then clear. The weather was never violent; we heard only the occasional rumble of distant thunder. The rock would dry for an evening only to be covered in rime ice the next morning, then melt and stay soaking wet. After watching this cycle repeat itself a few times we became impatient, pulled high camp, and turned our attention to the southwest face in favor of sun and fast-drying rock.
"We had ideas of potential lines, but nothing looked obvious. While hiking up the 1,000-meter scree approach I noticed a clean-looking crack system. We switched gears, jumped on it, and found clean, solid granite and splitter crack systems, mostly hand-size and occasionally widening enough to jam a knee—mostly 5.8 and 5.9. The most difficult pitch of the climb, dubbed the E5 Pitch, was a poorly protected friction face (5.11?). We climbed within about 350 vertical meters of the summit—to the "eyebrow," the base of the first major ledge that holds snow. Here the angle eases off to the summit, but the route finding did not look easy. We had boots, tools, and crampons, ready to switch gears from rock climbing to alpine. However, an injury forced retreat—a descent that proved long and soggy.”
I must admit that during our attempt on Seerdengpu my mind was not at ease. Visions of enraged Chinese police ravaging our camp and taking us hostage, my furious family forced to come to my aid, paying the bounty for my freedom—a situation completely driven by my selfishness and pride. For the first time in my alpine climbing career I was hesitating, scared to continue upward, not because of difficult climbing conditions, but because of circumstances forced upon us by the tangled web of Chinese diplomacy. We were out of bounds, up against the power of paperwork in a foreign land, ignoring the promises we had made for nothing more than the fleeting moment of tranquility on an untrodden summit. My composure faltered, and I used the searing pain in my wrist (caused by a fall on the approach) as justification for retreat.
Perhaps our concern was impractical—the odds of being discovered by the proper authorities seemed low. After all, did they really travel the valley floor scouring the walls for trespassers? Apparently they did. Several days after our attempt, I was confronted by park officials driving a black Audi. As the rear door opened, I saw a stern face, followed by the sound of broken English: “No permit no climb,” the man said as he pointed to the west face of Seerdengpu. Our one and only warning. Party’s over, I thought. The next day, Dave and I dumped our cache of food on the Tibetan family that occupied the nearby home site and we left the valley, sullen and dismayed.
In the months since our trip, I have gathered a mix of information from other climbers that battled similar hurdles last year. (All the web sites I found are in Chinese and are hardly of any use.) Here is what I know as of January 2010:
Climbing permits for the Sichuan Province of China can either be obtained from the SMA office in Chengdu (tel. Liufeng 13808185968) or Beijing. Climbers do not need to be present, but the documents need to be requested and paid for by somebody representing your group in person. The permit will most likely be issued the same day, although I have been told you do not really get the permit, just a receipt for the permit. The requirement for permits has been in place since the mid-’90s but has not been strongly enforced until 2009.
In addition, a liaison officer is now required for all non-Chinese expeditions. His cost is around $100 per day. As for the actual cost of the permit, I am uncertain. I recently spoke with people that secured the proper documents for a climb in 2009 and spent $3,000 for 10 days of climbing. The cost is more for attempting first ascents. Siguniangshan National Park charges a daily revegetation fee (around 20 RMB per person), entrance fee (50 to 80 RMB), and bus fee (70 RMB per person) for the Shuangqiaogou.
Although the trip was frustrating, we are nonetheless very grateful for the opportunity to have attempted this peak. This trip would not have been possible without the support of the American Alpine Club Lyman Spitzer Award, the W.L. Gore Shipton/Tilman Award, as well as Mountain Hardwear, Evolv Sports, Sterling Ropes, and Black Diamond.

Sailing to the Bahamas.

2009-08-11T15:21:00.002-04:00

When my good buddy Ryan Franks asked me to join him on a sailing venture to the Bahamas I was initially hard pressed to accept. First off, I had not even been back from India long enough to unpack my bags. Secondly, I’m the kind of person that has to plug their nose to jump into the water.

However, after being persuaded by a few beers and the prospect of travel through the fabled Bermuda Triangle (I’m a sucker for adventure!) I found myself at the bookstore looking for a book on sailing – after all, I had never even been on a sailboat before.

Ryan’s plan sounded simple; shove off from Charleston, SC and sail down to the Bahamas, some 500 nautical miles away. He suggested it should take 4-6 days. Given my 2 ½ week time crunch, that would allot us roughly 1 ½ weeks to frolic in tropical paradise before my flight back to NC.

While making last minute preparations in Charleston a few of the local hardened sailors got wind of my inadequacies as an able seaman. The visuals they quickly managed to implant in my mind were a far cry from the relaxing tropical vacation I had envisioned – vomit spewing from my mouth and nose as a result from the certain sea-sickness I would have to endure, capsized boats followed by weeks in a 4x4 life raft and my most dreaded fear ever; failure.

Eight hrs after our departure the seas began to intensify. The idea when we left was to hug the coastline eventually moving into the Intracoastal Waterway in Georgia to avoid the impending chaos of a storm brewing to our south. But naturally we decided to head further out to sea, thinking if we made good time we could possibly make it to Jacksonville, FL before the storm hit us. There I was at 2:30am clutching the helm of Ryan’s 29 foot S.2, curled up in my sleeping bag wondering if we made the right call. I knew very little about boat stability and even less about the angle of vanishing stability (the degree a boat can heel and still right itself), but did know sinusoidal waves were way safer than breaking waves. “No worries bro, in the off chance we capsize she’ll flip right back over” Ryan stated, causing me to tighten the leash on my harness. So happens we were in luck, the smooth swells were about 10’-12’ (using a capsize formula I speculate she’d stay upright in breaking 20’ seas) and the wind was only gusting to around 10-15 knots from behind, hardly calm, but great fun! The best part at this point was the “bucket”; no lavatory on this rig, splash a bit of water in the red 3gallon turd catcher and hold on to something – remarkably we had no spills.

20 hrs after leaving FL we were dab smack in the middle of the Gulf Stream trying to figure out how to real in a fish that was probably longer than our boat was wide. After a 30-40 minute struggle we finally managed to rip the hook free: I’m still not sure what we would’ve done had we got that thing on the boat. The coastline was nothing but a fading memory while Ryan and I watched a school of dolphins swim next to the bow darting in and out of the turquoise blue water, I couldn’t help but gasp in awe at the sheer power and beauty these creatures exuded – their freedom appeared unparalleled!
“Fifteen men on a dead man's chest

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike
The bosun brained with a marlinspike
And cookey's throat was marked belike
It had been gripped by fingers ten;
And there they lay, all good dead me
Like break o'day in a boozing ken.
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”

This seafaring song was tormenting my mind. When I was just a kid I read Stevenson’s classic – Treasure Island. Now sitting on the bow I looked into the 3000’ deep blue ocean water contemplating that adventure, hoping any would-be pirates would only scoff at our tiny vessel: I couldn’t shake the thought of the burly seamen forcing me off the plank, laughing as I held my nose and paddled around like a dog in the deep blue.

Checking in with the Bahamian customs was simple enough, waking up to 2 feet of rising water in the cabin the following day was not. Apparently the bilge pump suffered a sort of malady from the turbulent waters; the resulting back pressure sucked water into the boat, with the ferocity of a starving sewer rat devouring a Chetto. Had we been at sea and not at the dock in Treasure Cay, we could possibly have gone down in the history books as yet another unfortunate vessel to disappear in the Bermuda Triangle! Most everything got wet, the list of sea soaked electronics and spoiled food was long – Ryan running around in his skivvies and the Expedition duffle floating in the cabin with its contents free of salty moisture added the only amusing twist to the affair.

The following days were crowded with snorkeling, fishing, trespassing on some private beaches and a few really exciting mast beam rides. Before I new it I was on the tiny dingy at 6:30am destined for the airport in Marsh Harbor. As the tiny Cessna 402c bounced through the air I wondered where my next adventure would take me,absentmindedly listening as the pilot attempted to comfort a passengers concern regarding the missing and obviously stressed bolts holding the engine housing to the wing.

Namaste and the Kullu Dussehra

2009-08-11T14:46:00.021-04:00

Downtown Manali.

Police at the 2008 Kullu Dussehra.

The many barricades and the seemingly inauspicious presence of armed police was apparently necessary to help maintain a controlled and tranquil scene at the 2008 Kullu Dussehra Celebrations, Ben Ditto and I had the honor of attending.

The recent bomb blasts in New Delhi and the enduring conflict between India and Pakistan have justly caused law enforcement officials to tighten security twofold. Since July 2008 Troops from both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir have routinely been violating the cease-fire, I must admit to my minor apprehensiveness, our attendance here was possibly the most dangerous thus far in our Indian adventures.

The chariot of Lord Raghunath being pulled by thousands of devotees.

The seven-day Kullu Valley Dussehra in India’s Himachel Pradesh is unique and one of the biggest traditional, religious and cultural festivals of the country. It begins when Dussehra celebrations end in other parts of the country and unlike the rest, no effigy of Ravana and his brother and son are burnt, although, the festival does end with an animal sacrifice. Traditionally, over two hundred deities converge on Kullu to destroy "the evil empire". They pay homage to Lord Raghunathji while music and color fill the valley. This celebration commenced on the tenth day of the rising moon - the Vijay Dashmi.

When the chariot of Lord Raghunath, the chief deity, accompanied by palanquins of other deities reached the historic Dhalpur Maidan the surreal sounds of beating drums and the playing of shehnais (Indian Clarinet) made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, every person in attendance was in a state of complete awe.

The Thonkru produces a very unique sound.

The birth of the Kullu Dussehra lay in royal fads and it nourished on religious, social and economic factors and ultimately came to be well established, because of the inborn love of the hill-men for fun and frolic, displayed in community singing and dancing. Numerous stalls offer a verity of local wares Kullu and Kinnauri shawls, handicrafts, carpets and dry fruits are a major attraction for the customers. Overall a very amazing cultural experience!

Piles of yummy food for thousands of people.

Our last few days in Manali were spent gathering some unique gifts and bouldering. We had been trying one particular problem that was conveniently located a few minutes walk from our hotel. One fairly big boulder - one fairly hard problem. We never sent it though it’s "the one that got away".

The one that got away...

Morning smog in New Delhi, India.

Our bus ride to Delhi was no biggie, 15 hrs or so and the plane ride was mostly chill aside from some wicked turbulence that lasted for several minutes while we were flying over Russia. I got back to North Carolina just as the Fall colors were at their peak.

How much stuff does it take to play in the mountains??

I need to extend a sincere acknowledgment of gratitude to the following -Mountain Hardwear, Sterling, Evolv, Backcountry.com and BlackdiamondWithout the support of these companies I would be living a far less exciting existence! These companies pour tons of energy, support and product back into the community, I strongly encourage everybody to support them!

Backcountry Blog: Backcountry Adventure from Backcountry.com customers, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Industry scuttlebutt for Backcountry addicts

2009-08-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

Backcountry Blog: Backcountry Adventure from Backcountry.com customers, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Industry scuttlebutt for Backcountry addicts

2009-08-11T14:43:00.000-04:00

Backcountry Blog: Backcountry Adventure from Backcountry.com customers, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Industry scuttlebutt for Backcountry addicts

2009-08-11T14:42:00.000-04:00

Backcountry Blog: Backcountry Adventure from Backcountry.com customers, Gear Reviews and Outdoor Industry scuttlebutt for Backcountry addicts