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Phillip Schaal - OZ11...

2010-09-04T06:59:51Z

It's been raining here for the last three days. Kind of a bummer since I didn't go to the Gramps in fear of rain, but not so bad actually. A number of big caves offer dry rock and good weather starts tomorrow and stays until I leave.

Yesterday I met up with Dave to check out this huge cave, Sunnyside.

Sunnyside is home to 3 lines that are each quite hard. Dave and I started working on Combat wombat, V11 (the easiest.) Shoulder moves lead to a cool toe hook bump section.

Dave sent!

I was close, falling at the jug. Then figuring I'd finish it another time or later in the day. I prematurely moved on the the burly line to the right. Chris's recently opened One Of A Kind. I was figuring out the crazy moves and by the time the light was to dim to keep trying, I figured I'd give Combat Wombat a send go. No chance! I was knackered and didn't come close. In hindsight I wish I stuck to finishing one before moving onto another. Now I double the work ahead of me.

Adventures of the Climbing Kearney Kids - Bräcke Video

2010-09-04T06:12:47Z

Bräcke is just one of the many small areas located in the middle of Gothenburg. Awhile back I went there with Peter and Per-Ola and while I sent a project it was Peter scraping up Envy that made my day. There is something extremely gratifying when a problem gets sent with bleeding tips after a mini epic.

Here's a little vid from that day.

Swedish Bouldering: Bräcke from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.

The Umeå Show - Score-card..

2010-09-03T22:14:39Z

Saknad i Strid assis from The Umeå Show on Vimeo.

..ibland har man uppbackning i jakten på fame and glory.. andra gånger så är man helt ensam. Men det är klart, när nya poäng till 10-i-topp listan är enda syftet, då har jag faktiskt full förståelse.

Men, att klättra ensam är bra träning för psyket, vilket alltid är positivt.

The Cleanest Line - The Shackboy Labor Day Marg

2010-09-03T13:01:44Z

I love the characters in our world. They color things, make everything interesting, and so often dwell on the fringe. Maybe it was a compliment when my friend, The Chief, got lectured by his father: “When are you drifters gonna move out of the gray area and join the human race!”

Another such character, The Danimal – Dan Gambino, more formally – and I have a connection first forged in beer, climbing, and the Big Lebowski. And, as such, Labor Day weekend seems an appropriate time for this post, given our mutual lack of labor back in the Shack days.

We’d met at my wedding, when he crashed it. He was friends with my buddy Pete, who invited Dan, who then bivied in mine and my soon-to-be-then wife’s house and puked in one of our gift boxes – though he denies it and blames Pete, who denies and blames Dan. No wonder the marriage didn’t work.

We became Shack Brothers in 2000, when we both lived in what was once publicly decried – in front of a packed banquet at some fancy-pants climbers’ dinner – as a “foul pit of climbing ambition and dirty dishes.” Yes, the storied local guide’s shack in Estes Park. The Almighty Shack to us. PBR cans and trash littered the floor, daylight shone through the gaps in the wall, and the mice and rats so infested our humble abode that, at times, I’d hear the Danimal going ballistic, chasing them around and hurling food cans at them. Every evening, after work our fellow climbing guides came to hang, swill PBR (for the record: this was long before frat boys and hipsters glommed onto PBR as a cool slummin’ brand), and tell outrageous stories about their day.

[The Danimal in action, circa 2000. Photo: Kelly Cordes]

No running water and no central heat (we forgot to buy firewood – scarce and expensive around here, unless you buy early – and the stove was a five-star fire hazard anyway), but the price was right: $65 per month each. That equals a lot of climbing time. We used the yard as a urinal, the window as a compost pile, and lived there for a year, both of us cold and single (surprise, surprise). When we were politely asked to leave, the owners gutted and renovated it, and nobody blamed them.

I moved across town to the Chicken Coop (a bit small at 7x11 square feet, but per square inch it was a far nicer) for another three years, and Dan got married. He’s now a photographer, a stay-at-home dad to an adorable little girl, and he’s still the Danimal. Maybe just a slightly refined version.

Reminiscing about the Shack days makes me think about friends, and how bonds form. It feels connected to living passionately – whether in a shack or something nicer (like the Coop) – and to a long weekend like this, when we spend time with people we enjoy (or with the in-laws), do things we love, and – as we have since the beginning of time – enjoy tasty beverages as a celebration of all things important.

**
The Shackboy Marg

The Shackboy marg, or, this weekend, the Labor Day marg, is nothing more than my basic margarita. Nothing too fancy, nothing too nasty. Easy to make, and it’s solid.

No swill margs made with nasty sours mix and rot-gut Juarez tequila here. At the same time, I am a climber, which means I’m also cheap.

Tequila

Hornitos reposado tequila (by Sauza) makes for a great marg. Not too expensive, not good enough for sipping, but damn good for margs. A great value, too – probably $3–5 more per liter bottle than Cuervo Gold, but exponentially better than that spring-break belly-shots junk, which isn’t even real tequila, really. I mean, OK, so to be real tequila it has to be at least half agave. Any tequila worth a damn is 100% agave. I think Cuervo Gold must be 51% agave, 49% paint thinner. Don’t be fooled. An agave plant fermenting in your clothes hamper would be better than that swill. The step-up to Hornitos is well worth it.

Side note: no matter how cheap, always get 100% agave tequila. Granted, we are in a recession, but just how much value do you place on true happiness?

Triple Sec

Not needed with higher-end tequila, but it helps smooth-out the mid-range and below stuff. I go cheap on the Triple Sec: DeKuyper, Hiram Walker, whatever. On special occasions – say, special episode of Cops on TV – I go big and use Cointreau, but it’s way pricey.

Do two parts tequila, one part triple sec. That’s half your marg.

Mix: Minute Maid Limeade mix and Water

First, a rule: Never use sours mix. It’s an abomination that can ruin an otherwise good marg. If desperate, you’re better off with some pre-bottled mix (it’s nasty by comparison, but Freshies makes half-decent mixes; or use Simply Lime juice). So, if you aren’t using fresh limes and simple syrup (see my last marg recipe), then the best mix isn’t a “marg mix” at all: it’s Minute Maid frozen concentrate Limeade mix. Don’t go generic on this one – get the Minute Maid. Go big. It’s worth the extra 50 cents. BUT – and this is key – don’t follow the on-label instructions. Here’s your correct Marg Mix Ratio (learned years ago from my friends at Ed’s Cantina, who make great margs – which is important to note, because you can’t always trust the margs at restaurants, as some use sours mix and rank swill tequila):
2 cans water : 1 can mix.

There, that’s the other half of your marg.

Marg:

Half tequila, half mix. Add a splash of OJ. Shake it all together. Salt the glass, ice, enjoy.

A couple of things to remember, for the uninitiated:
•Real men don’t drink blended margs. On the rocks, with salt.
•Shaken, not stirred.
•I know I said this last time, but it’s worth repeating, especially since we’re just getting started: no umbrella.

[Above, right - A standard evening in the Shack. Photo: Dan Gambino. Bottom - Kelly climbing in his backyard, at Lumpy Ridge, Colorado. Photo: Dan Gambino]

T H E B R Ü N O S H O W - BBB4

2010-09-03T12:43:20Z

Knappt hinner veckan ta slut innan de nästkommande redan är planerade. Vuxenpoäng?

Bloxcgänget har återigen, med ett uppehåll på en säsong, levererat ett nygammalt område med ett gäng nya problem. I samma goda anda som tidigare år så bjuder de på fest i samband med denna Boulder Bonanza.

Till dem av er inte varit med tidigare, så kan vi på redaktionen säga följande;
DYK UPP! Detta är inget man vill missa. Har du precis köpt dina nya skor och vill sätta dem på prov så är detta chansen. Padda behövs inte. Det kommer att finnas tillräckligt på plats förutsatt att alla gamla rävar ser till och dyker upp. Ni vet vilka ni är.

Till er som varit med tidigare säger vi detta;
JEANSEN PÅ ELDEN! Så fattar ni vart vi lägger ribban.

dailaojeda - Noruega...

2010-09-03T22:12:07Z

Aquí algunas fotos del viaje a Noruega..

La verdad es que el evento resulto muy diferente a lo que me esperaba.. zona de aislamiento, un juez para llevar el tema de la puntuación, vias a vista en granito y recién equipadas.. no le habían pasado ni un triste cepillo! Esto dio lugar a una competición en toda regla, no fue un verdadero encuentro de escaladores como se planteaba en un principio.. y ademas, una competición nada objetiva ya que al 70% de los escaladores se nos rompió alguna que otra presa.. y en serio, muchas ganas de repetir la vía no daban eh?

En fin, como se dice en mi tierra.. una pa saber y otra pa aprender jeje

Lo mejor sin duda de este viaje, los amigos: los vascos Ekaitz y Gorka, Mireia, la catalana de Manresa!, los andaluces Rosa, Andrea, Munilla, Carol y el showman Cristian (un puntazo) y de Madrid, Carlos ¨el hombre tranquilo¨… hacia tiempo que no me reía tanto y va en serio. Un placer hacer este viaje con todo/as ;-) gracias bichines!

Y bueno, una vez en tierra cálida a disfrutar de nuestra roca! dios que gusto de roca..jeje

Ian Parnell Photography - Day trip to Dover

2010-09-03T10:53:03Z

Second time outside in 4 months and a "day trip" (we actually drove down the night before) to Dover seemed appropriate. Joining up with Jon and Chalk newbie Alex we headed for a characterful sounding grade V called X Files.Jon can just be seen right of the top of the grass slope, heading toward the obvious hole in the cliff. (The corner on the right is Into the Groove which has unfortunately suffered rockfall and has a big barbed wire fence hanging down it)Me on pitch 2 getting pumped and cheating - clipping into my axes to place 3 warthogs on the steepest bit.Jon at the top of the steep bitJon disappearing into the cliff and a series of World war II escape runnels.

Happy, relieved and covered in a fine layer of chalk.

All in all an interesting day out and good to get the mind and body kick started a little.

Andy Mann Photography - Sawtooths

2010-09-02T23:24:21Z

I'm leaving first thing in the morning with a motivated crew of Boulder climbers and headed up North into the Sawtooth Mountain Range of Idaho. The plan is meet up with the local Idaho crew first thing in the morning, sail across Redfish Lake, establish camp, and spend the next 6 days hiking into the wilderness, searching out, and developing BIG granite boulders. "Valley of the Giants" it is called. We will see. Since I probably won't see you out there, talk soon. - Andy

The Cleanest Line - Backcountry Film Festival - Call for Submissions

2010-09-02T22:49:40Z

Time to dust off those great video clips you shot last ski season and polish up your best footage, because the Winter Wildlands Alliance is gearing up for their annual Backcountry Film Festival and they're seeking your submissions by September 15th. Now in its sixth year, the Festival continues its focus on grassroots filmmakers who tell compelling and entertaining stories of backcountry, nonmotorized recreation and environmental preservation.

When they say "grassroots," they mean it. From the Festival website: "You don't need a degree from a film school. You don't need footage shot while dangling precariously, camera in hand, from an ice wall in the Rockies. All you need is a compelling story, some quality footage and a keen eye for a fun, educational or juicy topic."

This year's categories are: Best Short Short (under 5 minutes), Best Environmental Message and Best of Festival.

Films entered into the festival should be short - no longer than 30 minutes. In keeping with the Winter Wildlands ethos, these films should share a thought-provoking, interesting story of backcountry, nonmotorized recreation. A strong focus on environmental themes is at the heart of the Festival and the Wildlands mission, so stories focusing on conservation, preservation and stewardship are encouraged. The sponsoring organization being the Winter Wildlands Alliance, aspiring entrants should heed their direction to only enter films that take place during winter, or have a very clear relation to winter. Regarding formats, the Festival warmly welcomes whatever your creativity can conjure - documentaries, fiction, experimental, you name it.

The Film Festival gets noisy in Boise starting November 4 before taking to the road and hitting over 30 locations throughout the nation.

Submissions must be in DVD format, received in Winter Wildlands Alliance's Boise office by September 15, 2010 and include three copies and a $20 submission fee. See festival rules for more information and address to which you may mail your submissions. You may also contact Shelley Pursell at spursell@winterwildlands.org or 208-343-1630 for further details.

[Photo courtesy Winter Wildlands Alliance/Backcountry Film Festival. Skier, Sam Pope - KGB Productions. Photographer, Tuck Fauntleroy.]

The Cleanest Line - Backcountry Film Festival - Call for Submissions

2010-09-02T22:49:40Z

Time to dust off those great video clips you shot last ski season and polish up your best footage, because the Winter Wildlands Alliance is gearing up for their annual Backcountry Film Festival and they're seeking your submissions by September 15th . Now in its sixth year, the Festival continues its focus on grassroots filmmakers who tell compelling and entertaining stories of backcountry, nonmotorized recreation and environmental preservation.

When they say "grassroots," they mean it. From the Festival website: "You don't need a degree from a film school. You don't need footage shot while dangling precariously, camera in hand, from an ice wall in the Rockies. All you need is a compelling story, some quality footage and a keen eye for a fun, educational or juicy topic."

This year's categories are: Best Short Short (under 5 minutes), Best Environmental Message and Best of Festival.

Films entered into the festival should be short - no longer than 30 minutes. In keeping with the Winter Wildlands ethos, these films should share a thought-provoking, interesting story of backcountry, nonmotorized recreation. A strong focus on environmental themes is at the heart of the Festival and the Wildlands mission, so stories focusing on conservation, preservation and stewardship are encouraged. The sponsoring organization being the Winter Wildlands Alliance, aspiring entrants should heed their direction to only enter films that take place during winter, or have a very clear relation to winter. Regarding formats, the Festival warmly welcomes whatever your creativity can conjure - documentaries, fiction, experimental, you name it.

The Film Festival gets noisy in Boise starting November 4 before taking to the road and hitting over 30 locations throughout the nation.

Submissions must be in DVD format, received in Winter Wildlands Alliance's Boise office by September 15, 2010 and include three copies and a $20 submission fee. See festival rules for more information and address to which you may mail your submissions. You may also contact Shelley Pursell at spursell@winterwildlands.org or 208-343-1630 for further details.

[Photo courtesy Winter Wildlands Alliance/Backcountry Film Festival. Skier, Sam Pope - KGB Productions. Photographer, Tuck Fauntleroy.]

climbingpics - Okänd slabb, Sivik

2010-09-02T22:01:01Z

Fredrik toppar, med skräck, ut slabben utan namn. Peter spottar på håll.