We are pleased to announce that Stu Smith has made the first ascent of a multi-year project in the Smoke Bluffs. Eventually forgetting about the dyno and crimping his way up the face, Stu made the first ascent of ‘Every Minute (5.13d)’. According to Stu, the crux is much harder than any 5.13c he has sent in recent years and the boulder problem weighs in at v10-v11. Let the games begin!
Photo courtesy of Jordan Tieszen ©
Photo courtesy of Stu Smith ©
This past November, Adam Ondra made the first ascent of C.R.S. (9b), the hardest sport climb in France. For Adam, this route meant progression, as it was the quickest he had ever redpointed 9b. Adam says that after having dedicated countless hours training in the gym for competitions in the past couple of years, this redpoint of C.R.S. showed him that the hard work of competition-specific training translates to climbing outside as well. This video, filmed and edited by Bernardo Gimenez and narrated by Adam, provides a compelling window into Adam’s personal philosophy and mindset about climbing, training and his passion for progression.
Over the past week, there has been two ground falls in Squamish.
The first occurred last Sunday in the Smoke Bluffs. According to the Squamish Chief, the climber fell 20 meters and was then airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital where he received multiple surgeries. Very few details are known about the incident and why the fall occurred. According to a fundraising campaign (found here) the climber was Josh Pelland from Alberta and he has undergone multiple surgeries.
To donate, please visit the fundraising page here. Squamish Climbing Magazine will post more details as they become available.
The second ground fall occurred at the Top Shelf crag in Squamish just before the weekend. According to details via facebook, the climber was being lowered when the rope went through the belay device and the the climber fell to the ground. The climber broke both of his heels and fibia and was airlifted out of the area to hospital via Squamish Search and Rescue. We have good news that the climber made it to the Sikh Festival in downtown Squamish on Saturday via wheelchair and was in good spirits. With various rope sizes being used and longer routes, it is increasingly important to check rope length and tie a knot in the end of your rope.
To donate and support Squamish Search and Rescue, please visit their website.
Nice little video featuring Jimmy Webb on a few problems in South Africa including Get Railed (8b+). Even Jimmy gets the elvis legs every once in a while!
Single cam on one angle video featuring Henry Barber’s Fish Crack (5.12b) in Yosemite National Park.
Here is an update by Andy White on the festival this weekend to take place in The Boulderfields near Kelowna, BC.
The weather has put a bit of scare into us, but with the largest and strongest group of competitors we’ve ever had, we’re going to try and make Rock the Blocs happen tomorrow.
We will be running the competition tomorrow- Saturday, and will be bumping the start time to 8am with the rules meeting starting around 7:30-7:45am or so. The hope is that we can get in at least a few hours of solid climbing before the suggested rain starts. If we get in even more, we should have enough scores to be able to call winners.
If we don’t get much climbing time tomorrow, we will pause the competition and resume when it’s safe on Sunday if possible. We’ll make that call part way through the day tomorrow.
We’ll be setting up later tonight and early tomorrow, so come get in for the raffle prizes early to make sure you’ve got a shot.
Let’s hope for some extra rain-less hours tomorrow and have a blast!!!
Last weekend, Ground Up Climbing Centre played host to Big Wall Night featuring a number of talented local big wall climbers. Jeremy Blumel via The Squamish Chief writes about his experience.
On Saturday, Ground Up Climbing Centre filled to capacity for Big Wall Night.
The event was a mixture of photo and speaking presentations by climbers such as Marc-Andre LeClerc, Brett Harrington, Russ Mitrovich, Nathan Kukathas and Chris Trull and also a soft launch for Kukathas and Trull’s new custom big wall gear venture: G7. Once the two had unveiled their new company and their intention to bring a renaissance to the archaic gear used and abused in big wall climbing, the night shifted, like a RURP in a crumbling, bottoming seam, to DJ Just Sheila and bar staff slinging drinks.
Episode one of Chris Sharma and Klemen Becan working on a multi-pitch project in Mont Rebei.
Check out this nice video of Sonnie Trotter and Will Stanhope on a really cool first free ascent in Tasmania
Video featuring Alex Megos in the New River Gorge.
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