merry x-mas

Happy Holidays from the snowy northeast! i have returned home for the holidays and am crashing at the family farm in upstate NY. things were busy down in the city with the holidays fast approaching but it is good to be up in the peaceful country - reading, writing, catching up with friends, going over training schedules. if all goes well there will be some good ice climbing soon!

southern utah was awesome, and from what i hear the season in hueco and bishop are well under way. lots of things to do. will be good to get down there. the weather looks great and climbers are hitting up everything! Lynn Hill is still sending super strong from what i hear - awesome!

while in the city i stopped off at MPHC and climbed with old friends - great as always. the MPHC crew are solid wonderful people and are always gracious. check in with Cliff and Marco if you get a chance. good living, great problems, perfect music. and they climb hard. great city gym. clean problems. good cave to work and get strong.







NYC is such a trip to any climber that happens into town. everything is super expensive and moving lightening fast - but there is always something to do. can know someone right off their training schedule if not careful. crazy homelands......... great dj's.

after some time up here its back out. the New Paltz crew will certainly be around the next couple of days even though we are snow snow snowed in. more snow coming from what i hear. great for ice, horrible for boulders.

happy holidays to everyone. peace, happiness, and safety this year. give where you can and when you can. the access fund and the AAI are super to support. and check out The Hunger Project if you get a chance. wonderful opportunity to help out where ever you can. wacky days now - we give what we can.

lots of love and peace. safe travels.

place to rest my head

at times the wondrous hospitality of others is all that one has to depend on. for the past week i have taken some time off the road and held up in the salt lake area. hot meals, good gym crowd, training, stoves and warm homes. the kindness of friends and strangers goes the longest of ways after a couple of months on the road. it truly means a lot.

salt lake city is still the same. the strong climbing community is forever in their own element. a wonderful bastion of strength, conditioning and constant challenge. while the city itself is going through its own economic slowdown, as the rest of the country is doing the same, the climbing community is coming together where ever they can, doing their best to support and propel the younger, current, and older generations who move through the greater salt lake valley. the vortex. something about the vortex.

it is a fun town. an outdoorsy town. "i moved here for the boulders." often i have heard that line. with the tricky LCC granite just up the block, and the quartzite in BCC, SLC is the mecca for US climbing. sport, trad, alpine, bouldering, aid, the whole deal. quite impressive. could have better.................., but its cool.

warmth, heat, space, and walls are wonderful things that are easily taken for granted. only after they are gone for an extended period of time does one truly come back to enjoy the depth and opportunity they have been afforded through the simple pleasures.

Stripping The Front

making my best to hang in the snow here in utah. staying with good friends, climbing at the local gyms, seeing old friends, planning next leg of the trip.

last night The Front stripped all its holds in prep for the cruxmas jam. before the strip the front crew was throwing down very hard - making all the right moves as always. jeff peterson was on hand to coach some of the younger climbers - those young kids are super strong! another strong showing from everyone under 5 foot 5. amazing!

soon afterwards the kids began breaking down holds, stripping walls, sawing, sanding, untapping, getting the faces clean and clear. holds being washed, crates lifted and escorted into the washroom. no joke efficiency. chris and malinda ran the show tight and kept everything moving along real smooth. in all the whole place was buzzing. everyone who showed up was super helpful. pizza at the end paid it all off.

shannon and other setters went right to work on putting the walls back together. they are real into their jobs, loving what they do, and keep a tight watch on what goes on. there is no time to spare. getting it all done. thats the name of the game. special posts and shout outs. climbing before the plastic fell. rapid firing as mike beck said. important and physical.

training. all training.

rest day today. mostly library time and chilling with friends. good times. planning the next move. getting it all in order. hope that all is well with everyone out there. there is so much to do. everyone down here is taking it easy and pushing the limits big time. people are on the edge and moving fast before the cold weather really sets in. its a solid time and the air is crisp. special.
before everyone hits the road again there is a lot of planning going on and concentration on hard problems and new development. climbing hard. that is what everyone is doing. solid respect for those who have and continue to put in the time and effort to climb hard and solid. exchanging beta, doing it right. climb hard. thats what people are doing here. thats why people have come to the valley. daryl and paul and claire, they are a new generation of climbers who are in love with climbing and are pushing the envelope hard. love of the area and people and town. thats what they are about. community and respect and accomoplishment.

while the town or orangeville has been great to all of us we continue to give back however we can. support local. be good people. love love love. work work work.

monday - back to work.

it is a full moon tonight. joes valley is super quite now. few people remain, maybe 4-5 at most after a busy thanksgiving weekend. makes for a congenial atmosphere and super peaceful to work projects and boulder with friends or by yourself. the town is settled and less climbers will be coming down.

joes valley has presented some of the best climbing i have ever come across, and some of the best people. the rock is awesome, beutiful lines, and tons of potential. everyone in the valley is super chill. varies from pros to newcomers to those who are simply passing through, coming back around, first time out, last time here. with the weather kicking in, the birds marching through, the chatter in the air, the creaky joints and the heated fires burning up the canyon, will see what winter brings.

crew are working the last of their projects. the perfect lines are supper hard! just lucky to be able to try anything and get on them. two finger pockets - ouch!

into december we go - black and tan rock - might be sport climbing season soon - right after hueco...........

though could be here forrrrrreeeeevvvvvveeeeerrrrrrr.

thanksgiving - so much food.

back to the zone diet.

packing

brief reprieve to the west coast for turkey day. though the valley was certainly busy. while many people cleared out before the holiday weekend, and temperatures at night dipped down into the single digits, many rolled in and the fires were burning bright. excitement, hunger, bright afternoon sun and full on appreciation for what the day gave us all.

in the mornings most gather at the food ranch in town to get warm, make plans, make the whole thing go smooth. upload photos, pour milk and cerial, a doughnut for breakfast, energy and fuel to brave the cold and sharp black and tan rock that awaits. its all beauty and the ranch employees have become used to the morning climbers, the morning crew, the dirtbags that take up the booths and odd seats in the back corner.

the idaho crew are always busy. they have merged with the cali crew and are sending super strong. colorado has invaded the valley full strength and they come strong as always. couples from boulder and rifle send quick and strong at area 51 and right fork. the days are short - the cold sets in quick - but the sessions are active and memorable and everyone is psyched.

"just happy to be outside rock climbing" says watson. she sums it up so very well. simple truth. could be much worse.

at the end of the day wes and caroline pack up their tents. final goodbyes as they head out to the coast. it has been a good time at camp 2 - epic. special people and strong motivated climbers who have been on the road for a little while and will certainly continue. a bit of a season in joes valley. all good. cant wait to go back!

winter coming

ITS GETTING COLD!

with the cold weather comes wonderful friction, and thinning crowds, but the nights are in the teens at most. it is quite a trip.

new problems are being put up and discovered all along the valley. development is high. a renaissance time. with the coming holidays people are scrambling to finish projects and head back home then work out their winter plans. there is family, work, school, etc. a variety. the pros continue to make it happen. team cali, team idaho, team utah - its one big family.

was up at The Masterpiece the other day with Ryan Held and company. an amazing problem in an amazing spot. a beautiful boulder. i imagine that the joes community will have that problem for generations to come. already to strong down here are flocking to it. they are STRONG!!!!!!

as far as it all goes joes valley is right on point this season - one to truly remember. all the best folks!!!!

joes

its been a busy couple of days at Joes Valley. the Asana people and Rocco have been at work. Hayden, Ryan, and Daryl have been on a sending spree, and the Organic people are pulling super strong. this is fall in the valley. bouldering is going mad.

will have pictures of some crew. it seems that everyone boulders V8 and above now. V10 even. super strong. great people who are very positive about the sport, the culture, and the surrounding environment. they are certainly keepers of a sacred trust that has been past down from other great climbers to now. whether it be professionals, athletes, dirtbags, weekend warriors, or full time on the road players, there is a full sense of passion and dedication to the sport.

much time is spent between crags, between states, between campsites and boulder fields and parking lots. colorado, utah, california, new york, its all represented and coming together here. everyone is psyched to send their projects and get strong before the cold weather really hits. get er done.

good luck to everyone. a couple more weeks.

SLC

back in salt lake city for a day. grabbing some supplies and saying hello to friends. its snowing up here in utah now as winter begins to move in. its almost november and everyone is quite psyched about getting the ski season going. it means indoor climbing for a lot of folks in the community. they are training and getting their psych on. thats the way it goes around here.

great climbers are all over salt lake city. young and spirited and motivated. training 2-3 days a week with little cottonwood right up the block. they are all about spending time in the canyons and getting back to nature and time on real rock once spring rolls around again. winter is training for some.

rockreation has a solid climbing crew who really hold it down. there are great problems and a classy bunch of members who are super dedicated. check out the facilities if you are ever in town.

will post some pics from the joes valley trip. great climbers all decend upon utah for the rocktober. some climbing then its off again - follow the seasons. my good friend max is kind enough to lend me his couch for a night. warm food and a shower. wash some clothes - hot food, re-up everything. good people. look him up if ever in utah - park city to be specific. good drinking guy.

its back down south to drop off apples to the Asana climbing team. finish up some boulder problems - kill by numbers and wills of fire, then out west again. should do pretty well. take care and wish the best.

joes valley 2

rest day. running errands. taking care of what needs to be done before the weekend fully comes and smacks down the camp. no doubt the weekend will be busy. send us your love and support.

camp 2. thats what it is. camp 2. solid climbing team. holding it down at camp 2. for the immediate future. reading, hiking, cleaning, organizing, keeping it mellow and love.

go with love - simple and clean. not a clue but getting it done in the sun. all the love.

will see what kind of shenanigans this weekend brings. certainly missing on the slc and nyc crew. shout outs to them all. sure they are pulling hard where ever they are.

d

joes valley 1

JOES VALLEY!

been down at joes valley for the past couple of days. climbing with the great steven jeffries and an amazing crew of climbers from California and the crew from Asana. they are inspiring as always. in my opinion they are super strong and know joes valley like no one else. they are able to realize beautiful lines and pull super strong on crimps, slopers, and all sorts of roofs. the full tour of joes valley was in effect.

the Asana team are good people. support them if you get the chance! good company with quality gear. they will be traveling around in a red van and hitting up all the climbing spots. in joes for the next month - stop down and say whats up if you get the chance. well worth the stop over.

lots of new problems being put up in joes at the moment. Rocco is on a roll. the area is fresh and will certainly be the next Hueco Tanks - without the drama and the fees. keep it on the low, the locals are super kind, and everyone is chill. sunshine in rocktober. skills are out.

pics to follow.

lol.

LCC

temperatures are still great in Utah. still moving through LCC problems. still slashing through the granite V4's. still trying to make it happen. its a wicked wind out there. the canyon is a glow with fresh rock and lines. it is all plentiful. send my love to the east and the west. have not seen anyone on copperhead yet. surely there is time to make that happen. it is all moving in that direction.

the tour of LCC

hi - great day out in LCC with steven jeffery's and company. some of the strongest climbers you can possibly imagine. they are tough and strong and blasting away projects in the little cotton wood canyon. among some of the strongest climbers out there. they have incredible ability and the most amazing game. from copperhead to twisted to to bully - nothing is beyond them.

the crew was in full swing. everyone is on the loose this october. putting it all together. lots of project in little for the crew to put together. endless. everyone is getting down. figuring it out out. solid granite. good temps. sending sessions are on. amazing to see them work. the climbing passion is strong and endless.s

farewell Cali

almost time to say goodbye to california for a little bit. the climbing and the people have been wonderful. everyone is super friendly and the weather has been perfect. the rock has been wonderful and really great to work. hard slopers! an incredible amount of problems in the area. the bay area is endless!

lots of people pass through, lots of very strong locals, lots of wineries and good places to eat. the ocean is close and the traffic moves. the climbers are friendly and the rock is varied. keep with it. big up to all the bay area climbers who make it happen every day!

thank you California. Thank you Castle. hope to see you again soon!

more Castle

again castle rock on the big shut down. new problems every day. gritty sandstone. slopers galor. college kids and varied adults. enough problems to last a life time. the bay area is definitely varied and busy with boulders and climbers. i recommend castle rock big time. enough to make any climber both challenged and aligned.

check out the swin and the spoon. easy to moderate and tons of fun. have a great time. watch for the ghost of Yabo

San Francisco has quite the climbing scene. having been here for the past 5 days i have been fortuante enough to check out local crag at Castle Rock and some classic downtown probems at Indian Rock in Berkely. both areas are radically different. the wonderful sandstone at Castle Rock is magical when the temperatures are right and everything is perfect. good crew of solid climbers down there who are right on with what they know and what they spray. the legends are in the air down there. Yabo, Sharma, the Font hangover - its all there. there is something incredibly special and blessed about the chance to pull on that rock for a little while. nothing else quite compares so far. still open projects. will let you all know what comes next.

waiting for Sharma to come walking by again.