Ah School vacation week

 

Today is the last day of winter break, so we got one more day of climbing outdoors. It was a send-fest at the Near Trapps today as JP sent his first V6 (Out of the Ashes), and Ben and I both sent 2 V6s (Ashes, Cream Cheese) and a V8 (The Pearl).
The weather was chilly but not terrible. Really couldn't ask for a more successful day.

Outdoors in CO

 

After our weekend of indoor comps was over, we made the most of our time in such a beautiful climbing state, by heading outdoors.
First we hit up the Satellite Boulders in the Flatirons. After completing the maze of trails to find the boulders, Ben worked the V9 Turning Point. JP and I sent a V4 and worked a few V6s. It was chilly and a bit snowy (nothing like NY) but we got a good session in.

Monday was a beautiful day and we headed up to the Millennium Boulder outside of Morrison. We got the recommendation from the fellas at the Satellites and scoped it out online that night. What we found was an unbelievable glacial erratic just sitting out in a field. This boulder had one and two finger pockets dotted here and there. There were sharp crimps, textured slopers, great top outs and very hard problems. The weather was perfect, the hike in wasn't too bad (about 20-25 minutes of relatively flat terrain) and the others climbing there were enjoyable company.

After such a great day, we all left really amped for spring to arrive in NY sometime soon.

Results from Nationals

 

We had an incredible time out in Colorado this weekend. It was nice to fly out on Wednesday night and have Thurs and Fri to acclimatize before climbing hard.
On Saturday morning at The Spot, Luke completed his qualifying round strong enough to secure a place in finals.
From there we ran over to The Boulder Rock Club for the Citizen's Comp. JP climbed strong and finished 4th in Intermediate, as probably the youngest in his category. I finished 9th in Advanced, which I was happy with as well.
As soon as the Citizen's Comp ended, we ran Ben back to the Spot for his qualifying round. Ben was the very last competitor of the day to go, so he was left with the greasiest holds. He did his best against very strong competition, but missed the cut for finals.
On Sunday morning, Luke competed in finals, finishing the first problem and making good progress on the second. He finished 8th overall, which is a great showing.
It was an incredible experience to be a part of. A real wake up call to how much stronger we can really be if we put our minds to it.

Nationals here we come

Today we'll be heading out to the indoor bouldering National Championships in (fittingly) Boulder, Colorado. Luke was invited to compete in the Youth B division (13-14) and Ben in the Junior division (17-18). There will be qualifiers on Saturday and Finals on Sunday.

JP and I have entered the Citizen's Competition which will also be on Saturday. We'll do a little bit of running around so that we can watch everyone and compete in the same day (two different gyms a few blocks apart).

Following the competition we'll have a day to do some outdoor climbing before we fly back on Tuesday morning.

The trip should be relaxing for the first few days while we get acclimated to the higher elevation, but then pick up in a whirlwind of activity.

We'll post the results as soon as we receive them.

Wish us luck.

A few 'great??' days out

The team has gotten out to Great Barrington and the Gunks the lat two weekends.

We went to GB not knowing what we would find for conditions. What we found wasn't great. All of our intended routes had ice on many of the holds. We were able to do some eliuminates, but no one topped anything out all day. Ben worked a V9 called Filter. I worked a few V7s (Green Goddess and one on the Filter wall). JP, Kyle and Luke worked a few things as well, but like I said, no one could claim a 'send' that day.

This past weekend was another story. JP started the 'send train' by dispensing with his first outdoor V4 - The Andrew Boulder Problem. Congrats JP. Ben kept the train rolling by completing a V6 - The Following - second try. Then Michael polished off a V8 - The Art of Nothing and a V6 - Merrakesh Express. I had a few repeat sends and made good progress on the V6s, but no new sends.

Wish the picture was bigger for you.

So conflicted about the sun

We had a beautiful day of bouldering at the Gunks last Saturday. Everywhere else was cold and windy, but we were sheltered and got tons of sun all day. The sun is both good and bad for winter bouldering. It is nice, because you don't freeze your butt off, but it also melts the snow and sends water running down your favorite project.
One of my goals for the day was to send Black Boulder a V5 project of mine. In the morning we cleaned it off, but that sent water running all over the slopy holds. We decided to clean it totally and come back to it at the end of the day to see if the sun and breeze had dried it.
Next we went to The Bhudda, a V7 which Luke and Ben and I worked along with four other guys. Ben sent it (a repeat for him) and then water started running over a critical hold, so we had to move on.
Next we went to The Following and The Meaning of Life (V6 and V5 respectively). We spent a bunch of time trying to dry up The Following, but to no avail. Then we worked The Meaning for a while until we decided it would have to wait for another day (one when we could actually top out).
We tried Boxcar, which was wet on the critical holds. And then we went back to Black Boulder. It was dry, as we had hoped and both Luke and I sent it in just a few tries.

Enjoyable day. Even with the wetness. Can't wait til Spring.

Heading to Nationals

Luke and Ben have accepted invitations to compete in the ABS Nationals on Feb. 14-15. Luke in the Youth B age group (13-14), Ben in the Juniors (17-18). Our team will be flying out to Denver, CO for the long weekend. JP and I may compete in the Citizens' Comp as well.
We are very excited for this incredible opportunity and for a cool weekend together. Please remember to send cheers our way on Saturday the 14th.