Over the last five years Lizzy and I have gone on a number of very productive trips to Indian Creek. There are still new cliffs that we have yet to visit, but we have picked off most of the low-hanging fruit. With this analogy I mean that we have gone around and done the fun [...]
Technically, it was morning but the night was still holding on. It was late October, the end of an amazing season of climbing in Yosemite. Daylight hours were precious and our head lamps illuminated the trail to Sentinel Rock. I was on this trail at this early hour three months before, almost to the day. [...]
I don’t know exactly where the road began, but I do have a memory of the Astroman topo pinned to my apartment wall in Australia. It was 2005 and I had traveled to Melbourne to become a better trad climber. Sure, I was there to study abroad, but really I wanted to dance up the [...]
The first snow has fallen and summer is officially over. The store and campground in Tuolumne closed weeks ago. The granite domes are now empty, no longer occupied by the summer flock of climbers. The Meadows are a wonderful semi-alpine escape from the heat of Yosemite Valley. High elevation grants reasonable temps from June until [...]
600 feet 19 bolts, 10 days, 6 brushes, 4 partners and 1 route later, here is the long-winded tale of my experience new routing on the Incredible Hulk. Stemming out under the small roof, I know that I haven’t done it this way before. I hesitate and wonder if I’m going to blow it. (Stop [...]
There are many routes that have a reputation. When you drive through Yosemite, the various formations call for attention. I’ve often stared at the tall dark face of the sentinel. Blank and imposing I first heard tales of a route that climbs up the bowels of this behemoth. In Camp4, one of Steve Roper’s many [...]
I slip on the ice for the third time in as many feet. I can see my breath and there is snow everywhere. The valley floor, in Yosemite, is covered in a foot of frozen water (snow). Why am I here? At the end of 2009, I left the land of eternal sunshine (San Diego) [...]
Winter here means two things: training and skiing. Storms come through and dump tons of snow in the mountains, which means a lot of granite areas are covered in snow (or snow melt), but the ski slopes are also fantastic. Skiing turns a negative (storms –> no climbing) into a positive (great skiing!). But all [...]
proj·ect n. 1. A plan or proposal; a scheme. See Synonyms at plan. 2. An undertaking requiring concerted effort. 3. An extensive task undertaken by a student or group of students to apply, illustrate, or supplement lessons. My project, of free climbing El Capitan, is one of great proportions. The sheer magnitude of the this [...]
Having a pack that fits right is a big deal, for me. When my well-loved and well-abused Black Diamond Sphynx 35 (the 2006 model) needed retirement (the bottom is reinforced by multiple layers of duct tape), I was totally psyched to try out all the women’s packs on the market. It was very disappointing to [...]
In case you’re short on time, here’s the gist of my review here: the Patagonia Women’s Rock Guide Pants are, hands down, the best climbing pants I have ever owned. Period. If you want to know why these are the best climbing pants ever, then read on. I’ve always had a hard time finding good [...]
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