The Dawn Wall continues to get a ton of coverage. Here is a second article by the New York Times here.
For those of you who have not yet seen ‘Valley Uprising’, featuring the history of Yosemite, it is worth a watch. The clip below features the history of the Dawn Wall push.
And for those who enjoy a laugh, Here are some memorable quotes from the mainstream media.
I am always forgetting to check for Jeremy Blumel’s online column in The Chief. Here is an excerpt followed by a link to the actual article.
‘It’s just before Christmas and the family visiting has begun, with nights spent in spare rooms as a family, bedtimes thrown right off, far too much drinking and eating to be healthy, and tempers flaring as sleep-deprived parents battle their kids and their own ma and pa for precious sleep and parenting tidbits. At the same time, however, there’s close bonding time when all the various members of the family come together and re-remember how and why they are all part of a larger family unit. While this is all going on, somewhere back in my mind – not quite at the forefront but definitely not at the back – is the planning, thinking, scheming and dreaming of the spring roadtrip.’
See full article here.
Over the past few days, there has been a lot of excitement on the Dawn Wall in Yosemite valley, CA. According to sources on the ground, Tommy Cadwell sent the ‘Loop Pitch’ last night, which is a high point for the team. Both Kevin and Tommy are going for a team ascent but I am sure they both want to complete the harder pitches on the wall. From what I can tell, Tommy has sent both pitch 15 and 16 so far and Kevin had trouble of pitch 15 because of a few skin issues. Instead of down climbing, Kevin has also decided to stick with the dyno beta for what people are calling the loop pitch! Good luck today Kevin!
The weather in the valley looks like it is going to hold for the next week with highest temperatures over the next three days.
I cannot remember a time when rock climbing news was covered by mainstream media. From the Clif Bar fiasco to the Dawn Wall. For article on the Dawn wall in the New York Times click here.
Tommy and Kevin continue to push this week. This event is getting a lot of media converage. Andrew Bisherat wrote a great article for Nat Geo here that is worth reading.
He also wrote a climbing specific update at his own blog here.
For those who have enjoyed our competition coverage, we will continue again next week for the Tour De Bloc: Elevation Place. For those competing or hoping to watch the event, information can be found here.
According to media sources, Kevin and Tommy both sent pitch 14 today which is their high point!
Local Vancouver climber Rich Wheater has been a pillar in the climbing community for as long as I can remember. Although Rich himself would argue the above statement, his photos of rock climbing in British Columbia have inspired many a climber throughout the years. Lets just say, it would be an odd sight not see Rich in a Squamish or Skaha parking lot during the climbing season (beer in hand of course!).
Over the past year, Rich has been on a mission to document the vast array of climbing on the North Shore of Vancouver. Set to be released in SPRING 2015 (according to the website at Quickdraw publications), Rich’s findings will surely shock and awe a number of people in the Vancouver climbing community. Closer to its release, Squamish Climbing Magazine hopes to catch up with Rich for an in depth look. For now, here has a sneak peak at some of the photographs Rich has taken over the past few years of the North Shore. Hopefully, these images inspire you during the next few months of monsoon before the sun comes out again.
Simon Parton and Elan Jonas Mcrae, both local BC climbers, completed The Swarm V14 in Bishop, CA a few days ago. Nice work fellas!
Simon Parton on The Swarm v14. Photo courtesy of Alannah Yip.
I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t climbing on New Years Eve Day. Most of the time, I find myself south of the border in a sunny, beautiful, outdoor climbing area. This has been true for many years except for last year. I think last year may have been the worst. Let me set the scene.
It was early morning and we had just started to warm up in the Kraft boulders (located in Red Rocks, Nevada). The day started off great: the sun was out, the warm ups were fun, and I was bouldering with two of my best friends. Looking out on the horizon and reflecting how great it felt to be in the warmth of the sun, four large vans rolled into the parking lot and about 50 young climbers rolled out. Crash pads, ipads, parents, and all. The next thing I know, there are more people than there are boulders and the scene had changed dramatically.
Peter Winter / Leavenworth WA / Grand Wall Boulders / 25 V4 Circuit / Home Campus Board
Hope BC / Jeremy Smith / Scrub your Face / Godman Creek / Ring Workouts / Wiretap