The Notch is AMAZING!

The Shiloh's Edge crew got our first taste of Smugglers' Notch bouldering this weekend, with a trip up from Thursday night to Sunday morning. We began our climbing on Friday morning with some amazingly cool temps and incredible excitement at the boulders which where littering the notch.
As you drive up, you are literally swerving around unbelievable climbing boulders on a tiny 1.5 lane street. As you park the car, you can barely get your seatbelt off before you bolt over to the nearest incredible line that is staring you in the face. The rock quality is unbelievable, the angles superb and the climbing so varied.
JP, Izzy, Evan, Morgan and I got on tons of problems of all different grades. There are just too many to list. Evan, in typical Evan-style, got psyched on one very hard problem and spent much of his energy focusing on it. The Impossible Problem was a V7, but a critical hold broke three weeks ago, making it more like V9. Evan quickly sent that, but then set his eyes on a sit start into it. It has gone once or twice since the broken hold incident, and Evan really wanted to send it this V11/12 gem. He made some great progress, linking into the Impossible Problem, but had to throw in the towel late Saturday night as his fingers were bleeding from the sharp crimps.
Here is a video of Evan's best attempt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMz0q9Se2Ek

July closed out with a great weekend up at Rumney for some sport climbing. It had been quite a while since I tied into the sharp end, but three days of throwing myself at tough routes really recharged my affection for roped climbing.
JP, Charlie and I made the journey up to NH for the final weekend of the month. We were excited to run into Murph, Jut, Michael and Sandra up there and get some of the spray down and the psych from the Rumney experts.
The weekend didn't produce any super-hard sends, but it did get the blood flowing and both JP and I are excited to do some more sport climbing here this fall.

Last weekend, I was back to pebble wrestling. On Friday, Ben and I ran up to Snowy Mtn to polish off a few things. The Cure is a short V8 that I had tried a few times before. The topout had always stifled me but this day was quite different. After just a few attempts, both Ben and I topped it out the first time our hands hit the lip. .....Really don't know why it was so hard before.
I then worked on finishing the V7 Never Been to Hueco. Several jumps to the topout produced the same disappointing result, however, with just a slight shift in the right hand crimp, I was able to snag the jump move and topout casually.
On Saturday, JP, Tyler and I visited the Hideaway and Happy Valley in Western Mass. It was great to see these new areas and sample some of the amazingly gneiss rock. We had a ton of fun working on problems of all grades, however, nothing big went down this trip. At the end of the day we ventured over to Happy Valley and were BLOWN AWAY by the beautiful gently overhanging walls. We threw ourselves on Sleeping Giant and after numerous attempts at jumping to the slot, we were forced to trek back to the car without a send among us.
We will surely be back for this route (if nothing else). It is one of the most fun V5s in the Northeast. Beautiful and varied holds, tall and committing, with a safe landing. Can't be beat.

The EDGE update

Deposits have been sent to both the building company and Rockwerx, the climbing surface company.

Clearance has been granted to start clearing trees and preparing the site.

We are on the move!

Projects don't come together overnight though. So be patient and pray for no more glitches.

When will it open? I can't say for sure, other than 'early 2011'

Weekend update by JP

Last week, we ventured up to The Stables in Saratoga for a quick Monday evening sesh. This is a long and interesting wall along the mountain bike trails up there. It has some decent lines, but many are super crimpy (so Ben loved them) and the topouts are the hardest part.
Although it is close to home, I'm not sure if it is worth many repeat visits.

Friday was a trip up north to MacKenzie with Aaron and JP and Saturday JP and I headed south to finish up projects at PKill. JP blogged about the weekend, so I'll just let him do the rest: www.weekendbouldering.blogspot.com

Happy Fourth. Careful with your digits.

Izzy nabs a Gnarnia FFA

JP and I had the pleasure of showing a few new folks the incredible lines at Gnarnia. Evan and Izzy joined us on a hot summer Friday for a great day of sending. With the "Patio" complete and the Gnarwal as safe as can be (inherent dangers excluded), I was really excited to give it my best shot (at least from the Patio start).
We began the hot, sunny day at the Wardrobe boulder and I was able to get the first ascent of Flesh Failures (V6). Izzy gave great goes on the namesake V3 arete but wasn't able to mantle the topout. Evan ripped a hole in his tip while showing us the possible crimp-line between F.F. and Wardrobe. It will go, but may be hard (V8/9?)
We then moved up to the Gnarwal and both Evan and I topped it out from the Patio (V4/5). It is a super fun problem with a commitingly high heelhook and reach move.
After chilling in the shade of the Patio for a bit, we moved over to one more boulder where Evan got psyched on a HARD slopy arete (for a day with better temps), JP and I worked a new easier arete, which I sent first and called Chilled Soup (V5).
Izzy recorded Gnarnia's first FFA (first female ascent-yes, its a real climbing term) as she styled her way up Stuff of Dreams (V4). Her ascent was more smoothly done than ANY I have ever seen on it previously.

June has proven to be VERY WARM, but we must still climb. Evening sessions seem to be the way to role.

Find shade.

~ The Edge

New Gym Update

Yesterday there was a Town of Halfmoon Planning Board meeting and public hearing. We were approved to go ahead with construction. So...trees will begin to come down, a steel building should be erected late summer, a climbing facility installed this fall, and if all goes well...opening an unbelievable new Rockwerx gym early to mid winter.

Pray for smooth sailin'

Summer Mank is upon us

"Is that the new term?" asked a fellow climber as we handed him an excuse for falling off the wall.
The hot summer days seem to be upon us and with it brings the humidity that we call mankiness. When things just won't seem to stay dry for five minutes, even with an entire brick of chalk on both you and the intended hold...that's Mank.

This past weekend we made trips to MacKenzie on Friday and Peter's Kill on Saturday.
Ben and I had our hopes set high for MacKenzie, he with his eyes on Cartwheel and Shut Up Machine; me looking at finally polishing off Star Chores. The bluebird sky and blazing hot sun however, did not set up optimal conditions for these tough sends. We gave our best efforts, hid under boulders quite a bit and ended up only sending one new problem, a v4 that felt more like a V6 due to it's strenuous top out.

On Saturday, JP joined us for a trip to Peter's Kill and again we had our eyes on some the prize v7s of PKill. The day was cooler and overcast, but the clouds held in the humidity and it felt a bit like a rain forest under that canopy. After a quick warm up, I gave Village Idiot a few goes, but the crux move was off a slimy, wet slot and was not to be had that day. Ben gave goes on Mad Lion, figured out a great sequence, but the tiny crimp was too mank for the full send. Next on to Delicate Soul, a project of mine for several years. Today was the day for me though. First Ben got the send (after scumming all the best beta for the long lip traverse.) Then I finally rolled through all the moves in smooth style. JP also had great work for it, but ran out of gas before the send. Ben then repeated Tiger Style, a problem which continues to baffle me.

Here's to hoping for a nice cloudy summer. OR some great evening sessions