Jonathan Siegrist

So much of 2012 for me was non-stop. Trip to trip - spending long days climbing, bolting, exploring, or traveling - It was amazing - it's the pace and the lifestyle that I've been dreaming of. It's also nice to relax a little from time to time, and catch up on life outside of climbing - which I've done alright with over the last month in Colorado.

COLORADO.

Visiting extended family, spending time with my parents, running, hiking, reading, watching films, relaxing. Training has been one of my top priorities too, and I feel strongly that I've made some real gains in the last month or so. Exciting for me - especially considering my goals, ambitions for the next year... always looking ahead.

Rad ©Andy Burr shot of Tommy and I climbing in Red Rocks... back to Vegas soon!

GREAT turn out at the Viva screening on the 20th.

Now my stay in Colorado is beginning to wind down. I'll be making my annual winter pilgrimage to Las Vegas here before too long, with a truck full of my life and months of sunny weather, projects and adventures to look forward to.

Before I take off I'm going to pack in as much as I can here. Many of my best friends from growing up are in town, and it's been a long time since we all were able to catch up. We'll be celebrating an incredible 2012 together, and looking forward to surly an amazing 2013 tomorrow night. I hope everyone has plans for a wild and (relatively) safe night!

Before we close down 2012, I want to take a quick moment to thank YOU. My readers, followers, friends and fans -- my support community. This has been an incredible journey for me, and I feel so fortunate, so motivated and blessed to have this opportunity before me, and I feel as though things are just beginning. It would not be possible for me without the support of my community. I've really been feeling the love recently, and I was honored to see my name included in the Golden Piton Awards for 2012! Thanks everyone. Here's to an incredible 2013!!!!!!!! see you next year ya'll!!!!!!

I wrapped things up in Boulder a few weeks back. Through December I was steady training, seeing friends and enjoying the holidays. We brought in 2013 with an awesome night, and since then the pace has been back to non-stop as usual. A couple weeks ago I packed up the truck, ate a few last home cooked meals (Thanks Mom) and said goodbye to Colorado for a while. Off to Vegas.

Heading South-West to Vegas has become an annual event for me. I totally fell in love with the place- the climbing, community, the scene- a few years back and since then every year I've planned a return. It's an incredible place to be in the Winter. Sunny days, plenty of stone, running, reliable weather and good friends. I'll always consider Colorado, furthermore Boulder, my home, but in reality I've spent more time in Las Vegas than anywhere else for the last couple years. This year is no exception.

I'll be hanging in the Vegas area through April, with a handful of close proximity trips planned, and plenty to keep my busy close by. So far I've spent my time settling into my new place (* That's right! I'm actually paying rent... I have a room to call my own!), getting out into the sun, and preparing a couple projects for more serious effort as the weather improves.

Having fun in the sun, just before the take down of a rad little bouldery rig, 'Tsunami' 13c

'SOS' 13a, Weidner Photo

The Bouldering scene at Red Rocks is really emerging as a better and better area, and it's hard to resist when it's in your backyard. The quality there continues to impress me - it's not Hueco or Bishop, but it's pretty damn worthy. Awesome problems like 'Fear of a Black Hat' V9, '600 Bucks' V9, 'Plumbers Crack Traverse' V10, 'Kraft Dinner' V8, 'Plunger' V9 and 'Beat Meat Manifesto' V9 are all in a consolidated area and totally worth doing. It's been fun to climb these and check out the brilliant 'Clockwork Orange' V12/13 and 'Burnt' V12 as well. I even added a little boulder of my own, called 'Phazed'. Always a rad fall back for me, bouldering days have been super fun.

Annie Tedesco on a super impressive 2nd try success of 'Slice N Dice' V9

Chris Weidner working out a burly V8 traverse in Red Rocks.

More recently I've also been exploring some of the nearby limestone. I made my way back to Arrow Canyon last week and have spent some time cleaning up another amazing project. Definitely VERY stoked. Looks like I'll be getting sucked in again... not a bad place to spend some time.

I've also got my eye on a handful of other close by zones-- as weather improves I'm sure that I'll be super busy. SO much to do. I love it there. I say there because right now I'm actually on a short trip to Salt Lake City for the Winter OR show. I'll be presenting 'Viva La Via' yet again tonight at Momentum Gym in Sandy, teaming up with the Access Fund and certainly having a rad night. Come down!

Dinners, chatting, laughing with rad dudes like these. Good Trade Show.

Inversion. Sucky. Limited visibility, rad air quality. Can you find Beau?

Otherwise the show went very well. Good people, good times. I can't talk enough about how proud I am to represent these companies I work with... I feel very lucky no doubt. Lastly, this morning I taped an hour long interview with Chris Kalous and the Enormocast PodCast - my episode will be a little while yet but check out other ones here -- http://enormocast.com/podcasts/ --it's really well done and Chris does a great job.

Lastly, check out this rad short video about 'The Making of Tommy Caldwell' with some killer footage of our efforts on the Dawn Wall this year, and a brief cameo by yours truly...

Making Tommy from Patagonia on Vimeo.

Life in the sun. The weather here has been nothing short of amazing - if anything, it's been surprisingly warm. Feels especially warm when I hear from friends in Salt Lake or Boulder. This is why I come here... well, this is one of the many reasons, but with weather like this, I stay pretty stoked on life.

I've been making the hike I know so well, into Arrow Canyon, again and again. This time I have a new objective, a new project. So far it's been a slow process - lots of cleaning, preparing this route for climbing, and long sessions of sussing. It's a tricky bastard, thanks for the epic belays everyone! Because of the conditions and aspect, plus various other factors, I've only been able to manage one burn, sometimes a burn.5 a day... thankfully that phase is coming to an end though, now that I've got the entire rig (to be fair, 99.9%) figured out, linkage has began. Where once there was just dust covered stone, now chalk, ticks, sequences emerge. The process of learning a new route, finding holds, tricky methods... secrets. It's my favorite thing. I feel that this will be one of my best contributions to date if I can get it done. It's got a great variety of climbing styles, holds, and difficulties on excellent rock. Stay tuned for more!

....La Lune Project...

Zeke and Gracie steadily playing / brawling

Just got off the phone with homeboy Tommy Caldwell, and he's on his way down here for some.... wait for it... sport climbing! Should be rad. Welcome to my world dude! He gave me the Yosemite tour and now I can give him the desert bolt clipping tour (read: Tommy will likely crush me) ha! Many good friends have been coming through town this month, and our house is always something of a hostel for the drifters in Vegas. Exciting times.

good people.

Many various projects, bolting missions, even a few boulder problems are on my mind, but this new rig in Arrow is priority ONE. Wish me luck and I'll keep you guys up to date!

Check out this interview that I did with my good friend and inspiring climber Heather Robinson - also keep your eyes peeled for a couple new gear reviews in the next few days.

Sometimes I feel like the day you make dramatic progress - your first one-hang, your first 'almost send', finally doing all the moves - that these days are the best. I've spoken before about the actual let down that's frequently associated with sending a long term project. Here's this route that's driving you... you think about it every day, you take care of your skin, you train, you imagine the movement. It gives your climbing purpose, and for someone like me whose life is so very saturated with climbing - it almost gives your life purpose.

I've had that experience many times before where finally completing my a project is of course exciting, but then it's shortly after followed with a sort of emptiness. That drive is suddenly gone, and I may briefly celebrate- but before long I'm almost bummed, thirsty for another challenge, and the cycle starts again. I'm not sure what to expect with this rig if I do happen to finally take it down, but I have a feeling that it'll produce a unique and lasting satisfaction. It'll be one of my best routes.

boyz in Arrow Canyon

At first I thought this new project could go quickly -- holds the whole way, none of the individual moves are particularly hard, and the angle is lower and more consistent than Le Réve, it's neighbor. As I started climbing on it and figuring out sections I gradually changed my mind about the potential difficulty. While no single moves are super hard, nothing on the route is easy. There's a few feet of fluff climbing but even the intro and exit sections are 5.13 terrain. The climbing is complicated and varied with long sections building in difficulty. It's basically on the whole way, and the main rest at 3/5 height is deceivingly poor.

It's become a battle. In part because it's hard for me, in part because I've not had a consistent partner, in part because the conditions are fickle and in part because it's thrashing my skin. Lastly, it's a battle because I really want it. I love this route, and I'm so excited about the way it's turning out. I really, really would like to finish it up - I've invested so much energy, time, money and now emotion into this thing.... Yesterday I managed a solid one hang, with a broad overlap.... it feels super close.... wish me luck for this weekend!

Can you name this wall? Doing some laps on a day off from the project..

In the meantime, check out this article I wrote in the recent DPM ---

And save some time on the evening of March 20th in you're around Vegas- I'll be doing a slide-show and video presentation to benefit the local community, Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council. Details soon...

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Had to switch things up recently because the heat was too much to deal with. I tried a couple days a while back and found myself falling off moves that were a non-issue in cooler weather. Normally I'm way too obsessed to 'take a break' but I knew deep down it was time to move on, at least momentarily.

We we were off... a big crew rallied up to the Utah Hills and we set up a full on gypsy camp with a dozen climbers and about that many dogs. It was rad to get back into the truck camping and living under the sky all day and night. I love the rhythm and simplicity of living on the road and this was a cool reminder of how much I love just straight climbing. As you can likely tell I get easily distracted here in Las Vegas - there's so much to do aside from climbing - which is rad. It's the distractions in-part that keep bringing me back, but I've about had my fill.

Wake up, breakfast, sunshine... to the crag... climbing, climbing, climbing. Back to camp... food, beers and bullshit with the crew... all over again. Surprisingly satisfying. It's a great existence, and I'm looking ahead to a handful of months on the road, doing just this.

16 creatures deep in the sprinter for the crag party

Another good thing about breaking away from project mode is that it gave me the chance to climb on some new terrain and check in with my climbing. It's easy to get lost in the same movement, the same routes and the same failure when you're project focused. I think you can actually get weaker in this mode. I ran through a handful of new to me routes which was super motivating. The cathedral is a rad cliff. The edgy 'Purple Haze' 12d, bouldery 'Infidels' 13a, super bouldery 'Runnel Vision' 13b, and varied 'Hand Party' 13d all got me stoked and an old Joey Kinder rig, 'Unforgivable' 14b/c was a good challenge over a couple days of effort. It was nice to climb something so bouldery and different than my project. This route basically broke down to getting through literally the first couple moves for me. They are superburly if you're short! The power endurance crimping section above was much easier for me, although still pretty tough on link.

dog party

The whole crew sent. Good times.

Well. Now the crew is off again, this time - to Arrow. We've got a cool weather system rolling through the area briefly and I plan to take full advantage. Hopefully taking a week and a half off of my project has not left me dusty! Wish me luck out there, this will likely be one of my last opportunities to take it down this season...

Lastly, I want to give a HUGE thanks to everyone that made it out to Blue Diamond wednesday night to check out a few slides and a showing of Viva La Vie. It was a HUGE success and it was super cool to see a big crew of Las Vegans in one place. It's a rad community but we rarely all get together. Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council did a hell of job promoting and organized, and we raised a bunch of money for the area thanks to sponsors like Maxim Ropes and Arc'Teryx along with Desert Rock Sports and many more. Thanks again everyone! Can't wait for another one. We had nearly 150 people in there!

Last week I visited a crag that I'd not been to for many years. Seven years in-fact. My earlier trip there was one of my first climbing trips, period. It was really cool to revisit, and it gave me a fresh perspective on the place.

Ibex. So rad. So remote, so unreal - the landscape, the rock, the setting. I remember it being a sweet place, but after this recent trip it's definitely galvanized a special place in my heart. Where else can you climb on killer sport or traditional routes, run up a rad multipitch, and boulder on some of the countries best problems, all in a day's work? (okay fine maybe Eldo? RMNP?) regardless, the landscape alone sets Ibex apart, and for that it's worth a visit.

AAR goes up the steep grey rock the right side of this Buttress.

Sam and the Hippo dog

some gnarly v10 pitch problem! bouldering!

Zeke is stoked

I was mostly keen to try Chris Lindner's 'All Around Routine', ever since Kemple's photo made the cover of climbing magazine, and Mike Call produced a cool short film about the ascent. First off, big props to these guys for their vision and hard work. I bolted a route while in Ibex and it's no question the hardest rock I've ever sunk metal into - which provides it's own set of difficulties.

Ethan Pringle repeated the AAR a number of years back, and claimed it as one of the best 5.14s in the nation. If that's not enough to get you stoked, then, well, you're crazy. It has been in the back of my mind for many years - waiting for the opportunity to head out there and give it a try. The route is freaking sick. Amazing holds, rad position, pumpy, bouldery, with an incredible variety of climbing, all on BULLET stone. The finishing boulder problem is the majority of the difficulty, although the climbing leading up to it is not easy, and quite airy (read: run-out, exposed {awesome}). The boulder problem involves a huge move to a hand jam, a rad compression sequence, small pockets and a balancey, pumpy finish over the lip. On my second try I climbed into the boulder problem from the ground, and on my second day I one-hung the route. There were several places in the crux that were super reachy, but thankfully I was able to find some intermediates and alternate beta. On my third day I was looking forward to success, but bad skin / taped skin screwed me, and I failed twice in the compression section - my crux for sure. Damn! I really wanted this one, and although I let my skin heal as much as possible overnight, I was not sure if I would be able to take it down without more proper rest...

The fourth morning it was warm, but the AAR never sees the sun, and the rock stays quite cool. I warmed up on the boulders and ran up the 5.10 approach pitches (AAR is a 2nd / 3rd pitch* see below for more on this). I made quick work of the intro climbing, moving through incredible sculpted holds with velcro like texture, to the not-as-rad-as-you-really-want knee bar rest below the business. I nailed the handjam, did my crazy tick-tack beta through the huge moves and found myself death gripping the final bulge (which I had stupidly only rehearsed once), thankfully pulling off the airy mantle top-out and clipping the chains. Hooray! Now, having done it, I can confidently say that it is in-fact one of the best 5.14s around, no doubt. In an effort to hopefully inspire more ascents, I added some much needed beta to mountain project - check it out if you ever plan to climb this rig. Much like Ethan's comments, I think this route is hard. I had to do some gnarly shit to get through the otherwise reachy crux moves, and for me it felt like very upper end 8c - but who knows, everyone is different. Regardless, it felt great to have success on such a rad and unique route.

Blue Flowers, super classic. v7/8

everybody bleeds

Aside from working this beast, my partner Sam and I got some other rad climbing in. I did a handful of killer sport pitches around the crag, bouldered some really cool boulders in the v6 - v11 range, bolted a cool new route and did a couple sweet multi-pitch rigs including the crag classic 'Nose Shadow' .12c III, which was super enjoyable - a must do!

It was exactly what I needed - a trip out of the heat, a new place, new psych. At this point, the heat in the Vegas area is fully settling in, and any additional attempts on my Arrow project would be futile. Unfortunately, timing did not work out for me this go 'round. By the time I had sussed the route, made links and felt confident to send, the weather was already too hot. I had one excellent go, with killer conditions that should have been success (fell off the final hard move due to stupid mistake), but in hotter temps I couldn't make it happen. I just repeatedly thrashed my skin and wore out my stoke. I will have to return for this one, which is hard, but that's life. You win some, you loose some. Especially with new routes - we never know if they are even climbable - and sometimes it takes extra long to believe. By the time I believed it was too hot for me to put it down. Damn. Until next year I suppose...

For the next little while, I've got my eyes on something else....

And I'm doing the event thing! Hope to see some of you guys at my Red Rock Rendezvous clinics this next weekend!

April is upon us! Nuts how the year passes on. It was nice to have something of a routine here in Vegas for the winter, but now I'm getting eager to get back in the road and get moving. I learned a lot from my experience projecting my route, which I've been referring to as 'La Lune' project, in Arrow Canyon. But in response to some not favorable conditions and in the end a failed effort, I'm very motivated to get some things done in my last few weeks here in the Las Vegas area and really get my 2013 started. In my experience it's really important to mix up the exhaustion, mentally taxing, filthy work of bolting / projecting with some good old fashion climbing for fun every now and then. I think that it's not only good for your climbing mentally and physically, but it's just downright important to clip chains every now and then.

That's my main focus for the meantime- clipping chains. Playing on some easier terrain, getting my stoke up and looking ahead to an action packed summer. At the same time, there's a few zones that demand at least a touch of attention, and it'll be cool to mix up my schedule with a little bolting and exploration.... all the Ely hype... it may just be true after all.... we'll see... life is good.

Mirsky and I representing the double send. Well done dude!

After getting back from Ibex last week I turned right around and went into the hills - up to the Cathedral. It had been a while since I climbed in the cave there and I was stoked to check out a older rig called 'The Incredible Huck' 8c, which revolves around a pumpy intro to a couple great rests, and then a bouldery exit - long moves between pockets and mini-jugs high in the cave. Unfortunately a critical undercling pocket is still soaking, so it would have to wait. Instead I decided to link up the bottom of Huck with the impeccable finish on Golden. Joey did this connection last year, called 'Hucking for Gold' 8c. It does add a few tough moves between the routes but mainly it's a local's only link up. Regardless, it was good to revisit the crux on Golden and to get some fitness in. I put down a couple cool 13a's on the side as well, 'Free Bird' and 'Spring Loaded' both worth a run if you're out of classics. On a rushed day before heading to Vegas for the start of the Rendezvous I also managed to take down 'All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go' 13d/14a (....) which required some creative thinking for sure. It's one of the more reachy climbs I've been on, but there is a method for shorter climbers that works, adding 6 moves - it's just quite a bit harder - bouldery and actually pretty cool! I'll take 14a, sure.

So then the Red Rock Rendezvous happened. It went super well. I had stoked groups, both fired up on climbing and the weather was great - which is huge considering the last few years at this event. My sponsors La Sportiva and Metolius were both there holding it down and with all the rad food, people, clinics and whatnot, I'd say it was a huge success for everyone involved. Not to mention that my homeboy Steve French aka Dirt Monkey put down an awesome set for the Saturday night dance party. Nice work everybody! Until next year...

saw 3 baby diamondbacks!

Feel like I've been all over the place the last week or so. Back to the same crags, off to some new ones, projects, repeats.... I'm somewhat directionless because nothing is really luring me in. Which is at least partially informed by the narrowing timeline of my stay in Nevada. I've got about a week left, and in a very familiar fashion -- I'm ready to move on. The next stop, the next adventure... definitely looking ahead at this point.

Since writing last I spent a couple days climbing and hanging with my buddy Cody Roth of New Mexico. He's been keeping the scene alive down there and showing off some ridiculously cool crags! I'm stoked to check it out at some point. After the Rendezvous we got out to the VRG where I onsighted a rad little rig 'Mars' 13b and took down it's big brother 'Mars' 13 b/c first try. I chucked a lap on one of my favorite link ups on the Blasphemy too - I call it F-boy - basically you do the first 2 cruxes of 'F-Dude' 14a and finish on 'Dark Boy' 13b instead of 'Fall of Man' 13b. Locals only link up stuff here people.... ha!

Cody makes a cake. For real.

Speaking of link ups I did return to the Cathedral by popular demand... only to realize that I'm officially over it. Very sick crag, but no matter how sick an area is, sometimes you've had enough. I did 'Super Loaded' 13c, and checked out a new Perkins rig. A few things (what I've got left) remain wet there unfortunately. It's just too easy to find partners for this awesome crag!

On the new crag side of things, I made the 4 hour drive up north to Ely to examine first hand some of the hype. There really is tons of rock in the area, and I imagine that over the next decade or so people will get increasingly stoked on the zone. The Rose Cave area, including the Mondo Cave, is where I hung out. To be downright honest I was underwhelmed - but I also went there with pretty big expectations. There is some potential there, and the Mondo Cave is absolutely enormous, but for now I feel like my time and energy can be better spent elsewhere. The cave has great rock, but it also has a lot of poor rock - logistically it's a little strange. I try to remain somewhat selective with my new-routing, mostly in the sense that I want to bolt routes that I feel pretty confident will be enjoyed for years to come. I want people to repeat and enjoy my hard work, and the quality of this specific area did not wow me enough to convince that many people will be driving out here anytime soon. Regardless, it's not to say that there isn't good climbing to be had there. And I did bolt a really rad .12c ish rig there to the right of the established .12d and .12b on the sector next to the actual Rose Cave. If you ever find yourself out there definitely do it! It's radical!

SO BIG

The last couple days I checked out a project that I'd been thinking about since last year's stay in Vegas. It's at a really cool little limestone area above Red Rocks called 'The Promised Land'. The project is basically some fun 5.12 climbing to a beautiful and savage headwall for 30 feet of very bouldery, very hard climbing. Originally I got stoked because I did the majority of the moves and felt like it was possible, but after checking out the route again I'm afraid it's quite a bit harder than I first imagined - which of course is a good thing - but with the little time I have left here (and the encroaching heat), I feel it would be tough to envision finishing this rig, and equally tough to drag belayers up the 45 min slog approach day after day. Anyways, it's a brilliant project and I certainly have it on my short list for next year. I did get to flash the crag classic up there, 'Confrontation' 13b, which is worthy of the hike alone. There are a slew of other 5.13s and 5.12s that are rad too. Don't be afraid of the hike! (really not that bad)

sick

Well, that's it for now. I definitely feel like this has been a rough 2013 for me so far. Been striking out quite frequently -- be it poor conditions, lack of partners, and just falling short of my own expectations in one way or another. I'm aware that things don't always go perfectly, but this has been a longer series of disappointments than perhaps I'm used to. Maybe it's a sign that my life is typically very good, or simply that there will always be ups and downs -- short and long ones. Regardless, I feel so fortunate that I have the mobility and opportunity to just... move on. There's much adventure ahead for me and I'm really looking forward to a long summer on the road. The year is hardly over and I remain very ambitious with the 8 months remaining. Wyoming is covered in snow but it's also calling my name!

Now for the truly interesting stuff:
Viva La Vie is live - it's a shortened version - but it's still rad and it's free. See below!

Also I did an Enormocast (basically a rad podcast type series by Chris Kalous) and if you have an hour to kill and care to learn more about me, or just be entertained by Chris' humor -- check it out here.

Viva La Vie from ARC'TERYX on Vimeo.

Left Las Vegas. On to the next step. Echoing the spirit of my homeboy Joey Kinder -- I'm always on the move. Packing up, looking ahead, unpacking, moving on, hitting the road, etc. It's like the change of seasons to me now-- right when I've had about enough snow, spring seems to emerge. In this same way, typically by about the time a trip wraps up I'm ready for what's next. I think this is one of the greatest motivating factors in my climbing life. When it's time to move on, I can move on. No matter how crappy the conditions, there's always a crag that's in season, there's always something out there waiting, there's always somewhere or someway to move forward. Having the flexibility and support to move freely like this is really incredible -- and I'm thankful for it nearly everyday.

Despite my affinity for change, over the last few years I've developed a special attachment to Las Vegas. If I look back and total up my time spent there, I realize that in a sense Sin City has become my home; I've lived in Vegas substantially more than I've lived anywhere else since 2010. I've made some amazing friends, enjoyed the surplus of wintertime desert sun, climbed on and developed some stunning routes and of course, at times, immersed myself in one of the best nightlife's this planet has to offer. I peered sorrowfully into my rear view as the sight of the Stratosphere escaped my vision... It was an amazing season in Vegas -- one complete with personal growth, good climbing, great people and the seeding grounds for much ambition as I carry on with my climbing life. Onward.

Before I left Vegas I tried to pack it all in, as I usually do. Sometimes the prompt of time running out is all it takes to finally get some things done. Many of the things on my list were social, but climbing was certainly of importance too. I checked out Mt Charleston again - a super classic zone that I had spent very little time at. Usually the season is just starting up there by the time I'm leaving the area. I really like the hang up there, and it really is the Vegas area's saving grace from an otherwise horrendous summer. At over 8,000 feet, the climbing, hiking, running up at Charleston is radically cool even when the Valley below is sweltering.

Charleston is super old school and burly. I would venture to say that the grades and style here feels harder than Smith or even the VRG. Obviously it's very different but, regardless, it's not a vacation grade zone and as I remembered from last year - you've got to battle for any grade. Heading up there with this in mind I was planning to play around and climb on some 14a's or 13d's in an effort to hopefully have some last minute success before leaving town, but I couldn't keep myself from trying 'Hasta La Vista' - an old school test-piece that, despite it's fame, had still only seen a handful of ascents over the 16 years of it's existence. During the 90's this pitch, which was prepared by Tony Yaniro and freed by non other than Chris Sharma himself, was one of the hardest pitches in the country. Along with 'Necessary Evil', 'Just Do It' and 'Super Tweak' this pitch was one of the baddest at the time. It has been on the life list for some time.

Very much to my surprise, it came together really well, and by my 2nd day on the route I was giving it redpoint attempts. The route opens with some strange 5.13 climbing on (you guessed it) pockets - the same beginning as the classic and super hard 14a, 'Closing Down' - from here you do a straight rightwards traverse through awful feet and interesting movement to a few decent holds but downright horrible foot options. Apparently this is the 'rest' but I was never able to fit in here well enough to chill. I stopped briefly, chalked up and exhaled before entering the crux - a long move out of an awkward undercling to a mono stack, then a jump pounce move to another mono stack, before tossing your feet on and powering up to the first anchor - 'Hasta Manana' - which is certainly super hard 8c in and of itself. From here, with only a piss rest, you finish on the extension, culminating with a hard dynamic move off of a crimp to a flat finishing hold. I imagined falling from here repeatedly on link (as I'd heard many have) but thankfully on my fifth try I nailed the crux, and carried on to the top. This was a special send for me, both because I had been seemingly striking out over and over this year but also because this route is historically very significant and that kinda thing is really inspiring to me. I imagined a scrawny, 17 year old Sharma clipping the chains on this beast, and then 3 years later when the incredible Liv Sansoz snagged the (still) only lady ascent of Hasta - which was certainly one of the hardest female ascents ever at the time. As burlmaster Ethan Pringle suggested last year with his repeat, it's hard for me to imagine calling this rig 14b, and while it may not be the hardest 14c in my opinion, I certainly think it warrants the grade. But then again, given how incredibly hard some of the 12b's and c's are at Charleston... maybe this thing is 14a? ha!

I tried the neighboring 'Facile' 14b before taking off but didn't manage to get it done before my departure. Next year..

little stop over in Utah on the way home...

Little Wild Horse Canyon, UT --- so, so cool.

Now, for the meantime, it's all Colorado again. I love it here. I'll do some training, some bitchin runs, see all these rad people around here and then soon enough I'll be off -- onto Wyoming living for much of the summer. So many things coming up, so much to do! so damn busy! life is good.

CHECK IT! I'll be at the Idaho Mountain Festival this summer -- you can see some of the other events in my plans on my Events Page...

I've been setting routes for nearly 7 years. It's something that interested me from early on in my climbing. Something about the symphony of mechanical knowledge necessary, physical demands, creativity and logistical considerations makes it a strangely satisfying work. Over the years I've set for a plethora of comps, set for big recreational gyms, for elite climbers and just for fun. I've always felt that it made me a better climber, and helped me to envision sequences and be imaginative with my climbing.

My favorite form of setting is certainly comps. You slave for days, making the best routes you can and also (more accurately) making the routes as specific as possible to challenge the competitors and create separation in the field. There's so much mystery when the morning of the comp arrives... you've forerun everything countless times, tried to think outside the box, tweak this, tweak that... but you'll never know who exactly will show up, how they will feel and ultimately, what the outcome will be. It's always something of a nerve-racking event to watch, but also super satisfying.

Last week I set for Youth Regionals over the course of 3 long days. We built some really rad routes, and the turn out was awesome. Seth Lytton is a great friend of mine and he was the head setter for the event. He's done tons of setting for the last decade, and is super skilled at what he does. However, he's also strong well beyond his own beliefs, and I've been called a sandbagger a fair number of times as well -- I think our routes ended up perhaps a touch too hard..(?).. but there were no ties so that's what matters. It was awesome to see the Team BRC take the Regional Champion as well. This is a very burly region, and the kids fought hard to secure this huge victory. Very impressive work kiddos !!!

I am super stoked to be part of the event. Thanks for the invite to set!

Shortly after finishing up the comp I was off for Vancouver, BC to attend the Arc'Teryx Global Sales Meeting. Over a action packed and rapid two and a half days I watched presentations, hung out with the crew, explored Vancouver and peered into the numbers, into the money, into the business. Athletes rarely see this side of the operation and I think it is important. The backbone of any functioning business is the bottom line, no matter how rad the products are or how cool the vision is - businesses need money to survive - and it was eye opening to see how the sales side of things function. Hats off to the hard working Reps out there... and big thanks to Arc for bringing me out to be part of the program!

I did a couple awesome runs through downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park during my stay -- it really made me reconsider Van.. it's a pretty damn cool place. Overflowing with life.. beauty of the maritime business and harbor.. skyline in reflections on the water.. snow-capped mountains in the background.. maybe I could live here? not while I care this much about climbing though, the weather (although it was briefly acceptable) usually sucks. I'm aware.

RT Beak Peak Mission....

For a few years, running was mostly painful, but I was addicted to cardio activity after racing bikes for so long. I've grown to love trail running now. Behind climbing and music it's becoming one of my favorite things in life. My runs are usual short and brutal, but this last week I took it up a notch and developed a running goal. I've hiked Bear Peak from the convenience of my parents home many times. Mostly at a brisk pace, but also just for fun. I always thought a quick time would be fun to go after. Originally I was stoked to go for a summit time of sub 45 minutes, but after my first attempt last week went quite well, I decided to up the ante considerably. On my first attempt last week I made the summit from my parents house in about 46 minutes, and I hauled ass back-down to make a RT time of under 1:15 from my folks house which is maybe ~.6 miles from the trailhead. On this attempt I stopped on top for a few minutes to drink water and chill. I also stopped lower for a minute or so, and my pace was definitely burly but not max by any means. Whoa! maybe I could make the car-to-car happen in under an hour?

I started searching on-line and discovered that this time is kinda coveted. For a non-runner I was going to need to push pretty damn hard I thought, but it was a cool challenge and for whatever reason I was really stoked on it. I did a few runs last week, but mostly recovering and saved my legs for my next attempt. I assumed that it would take 2 or 3 more tries. Yesterday, after a solid 3 hour route climbing session in the BRC, I chilled for a few hours and convinced myself to go on a run. My plan was to pace to the Nebel Horn Ridge and see what my time was against ultrarunning bad ass Dave Mackey. I pushed at a reasonable pace to Fern Canyon and kept with the fire as the trail got steep. I told myself that if I made the ridge in under 26 minutes I must try for the summit. There I was, at the ridge around 25:30... shit. This is where the run gets heinous. Burning vertical, no respite from stairs and uphill til the summit. I pushed hard and arrived on top, touching the summit marker at around 38:20 or so. No time for water like last go, I was ripping down. I actually felt okay. As I passed 'The Mentor' 12b just off the trail, suddenly my legs were not happy. Uh oh.

I kept pushing. I had no idea how demanding the downhill would be. It really took a lot out of me - and I consider myself a very fast downhill runner, but nearly 3k downhill as fast as you can is super burly. Rounding the bottom of the slab I ate SHIT! Getting pretty tired and couldn't quite pick my feet up very well... Not even a flinch... all covered in dirt.. ha!... I knew I needed to keep crushing if I wanted to make it down. With Arty blasting in my headphones I hammered to the car and stopped my watch at 58:20! I was definitely surprised to make it happen, and also pretty stoked. I think I could maybe shave a minute or 2 but anything more than that would take considerable training. Stoked! Thanks to Sportiva for the incredible Vertical K's -- they were perfect for this run, and thanks to Suunto for my new Ambit watch!

now...... Countdown til I leave for Wyoming.... STOKED STOKED STOKED!

The final frontier.... well... maybe not quite, but it sure feels like it. I've always held a special place in my heart for Wyoming, especially the Lander zone, so naturally when I heard about a mythical new crag with featured 40 meter walls, a burly approach and miles of potential, I listened.

Wolf Point. I'd heard the words here and there, but it wasn't until a beer infused conversation at the International Climbers Festival last year that I really got the low down. Anyone who knows pocket-master B.J. Tilden knows that he keeps his vibe regulated at cowboy cool for the most point. Not that he's a downer at all, but when I saw how fired up he was about Wolf Point one warm July evening at the Lander Bar, I knew that this could be a legit crag -- and immediately the gears started grinding about my return.

Then after I saw this photoBJ's review of his test-piece 'Kill em All', I was locked in. I planned to make it out to Wolf Point last fall, but I got sucked into the Fins... well... I finally made it, and I'm in it to win it.

I'll be hanging about Wyoming for the next two months. Getting my fix of the frontier, climbing on burly dolomite pockets, exploring and learning a thing or two from these modern cowboys. I love the scene here. Lander has always felt like a very authentic place, and the community out here is a crew of solid characters. No bull-shit. Just hard ass climbing and plenty more where that came from. It's refreshing.

Okay so Wolf Point... Todd Skinner and others of course checked out this crag back in the day but it was not his preferred style - and with so much more around to develop he decided to focus his efforts elsewhere. It wasn't until the mid 2000's that long time Lander local Steve Bechtel made the demanding trek to Wolf Point and sunk metal, creating the walls first 4 routes - only to be more or less forgotten for nearly 10 years. Others had checked out the crag, but with an intimidating approach and plenty of hard work cleaning and bolting, it stayed quiet at Wolf Point until last year. The crew rallied and started rapidly developing. Kyle Vassilopoulos, Tom Rangitsch, Vance White, Tilden, Bechtel and Zach Rudy really jump started the efforts and within a season the crag had plenty of metal. Now the second season is off to a killer start, with plenty of projects to be finished, new lines going in, and routes to be climbed and cleaned.

The drive in is no joke - 30 minutes on pavement from Lander, followed by 30 minutes on rough roads. The hike in is no joke - on foot you descent 1500 feet to a river crossing before ascending over 1000 feet to the cave. It's a solid 45-60 minutes of serious hiking both ways, off the top of my head I can not think of a more brutal approach for sport climbing in the country. It's mostly south facing so the sun can be brutal. The cave is seemingly a sanctuary for rattle snakes, and one unfortunate climber has already been bit this year. The walls are dirty and tall. New routes take serious cleaning and effort. It's true cowboy country out there.

Okay now, before you turn the page, here's a taste of the brighter side... The crag is immense. It's very reminiscent to the Killer Cave in Sinks Canyon, but 50% taller, 30% broader, and generally more sustained and much more difficult. It's pumpy, pocketed, and burly. On the flanks of the cave is room for literally hundreds of 30 meter routes -- mostly moderate terrain. The sun bakes the crag but late afternoons and evenings are shaded and magical. The rock is very high quality below the filth, and produces amazing movement and holds. The tallest part of the cave likely requires a 90 meter rope to lower - and it overhangs it's entire length. Every route I've climbed there has been, yes, a little dirty, but down right incredible to climb on. There will be a very high concentration of 5.13 and 5.14 pocket pulling test-pieces here. As it cleans up, I predict this could be one of the better crags for hard climbing in the West. Since I arrived last week I've climbed 'Kill em All' 14b, 'Alpha Male' 13d, 'Twice as Loud as Reason' 13a/b, 'The Beholder' 13a, 'Remus' 13b+, and 'King Thing' 14a ... all of these routes are sick, and we're adding more routes every day out.

the sector......

Bottom line is, this crag is sick and despite some clear downsides, we remain stoked. As BJ said 'I'm more motivated with each visit here'. That says something. Crags take tons of work, and this one definitely still needs work, but it's turning out to be something really special. Wolf Point baby... come get some.

At the moment I'm out in Moab, UT doing a photo shoot with the rad dudes at Smith Optics. We're having a ball playing in the sand, climbing and bronzin'... Check back for updates on the week in the desert!

My eyes crack open. Birds are chirping... the repetition of a sprinkler emerges... I can hear a powerful river meandering somewhere in the background. I sit up to discover manicured, vibrant green grass and towering cottonwoods, the sun cuts through wavering leaves and paints the landscape. Did I poach a golf course? Turns out this is, in-fact, still my truck that I'm sleeping in. It's not a country club bivy, it's the Lander City Park. Seriously this has got to be one of the nicest free bivy spots in the west. Not at all a bad place to wake up...

Last week I woke up in a much different spot. After spending a few days getting settled into the Lander scene, I busted ass south to Moab, Utah to hook up with the Smith Optics team and shoot some photos and video promoting the new ChromoPop lens. Smith is my most recent sponsor, and a brand that I've respected and supported for years - so it was really cool to meet some of the faces behind the shades (no pun intended, but sure, I'll take it). We got out climbing, running, exploring.. enjoying the incredible zone that is Moab. We spent a day and a half in Mill Creek - a truly amazing little crag that I hadn't visited for a few years. Paige Claassen is also a new Smith athlete and she was there working on 'The Bleeding' - getting agonizingly close again and again. I checked out some new-to-me routes at the Wicked Crag, flashing the awesome 'Scavenger' 12+, 'Crush the Skull' 13a and 'Jolly Roger' 13a. I pulled together an onsight of 'Mossy Direct' 13c as well as a few repeat laps on the bouldery 'Tiki Man' 13c and of course a barely accomplished repeat of 'Flaming Groovy' 12c (?) - certainly one of the hardest there. Skeptical? Try it, then we'll talk. I love this little crag. Wish there was miles of it....

Lisa Hathaway's photo of me on Mossy Direct

After polishing off 'Born to Run' on audiobook during my 8 hour return I drove straight to upper Sinks Canyon for a killer run. I'm really getting more and more stoked on this running thing. That book is motivating too! I climbed a day at the Killer Cave, revisiting a total nemesis of mine, 'Organic' 14b. This route bouted my efforts back in 2008? and then eventually injured me. It's really not that bad but I can't seem to make it happen! A powerful entrance leads to a super long, accurate dead point at the very end of my reach. I've fallen here countless times. It'll be a nice distraction when the weather allows for a Sinks session.

Speaking of Sinks, I had no idea how incredible the granite up high in the Canyon was. BJ and I took a day to try and finish off a striking arete he had checked out a few days back. Listed as the 'TS Arete Project' in the guidebook, this was the last route that Todd Skinner bolted before heading out to Yosemite Valley in the fall of 2006, shortly before his untimely demise. Todd has been an inspiration of mine for a very long time. A true pioneer during a time when climbing was emerging from the fringe and getting some of its first tastes of the mainstream. Todd traveled the globe, eager for adventure and thirsting for discovery. I've climbed Skinner routes in Wyoming, Yosemite, Hong Kong and China. He left an incredible legacy and its cool to experience even a tiny piece of his story -- BJ fired the first ascent of the 'TS Arete' and I followed right after. A stunner 5.13 arete on impeccable granite.

We decided to stick to the granite even though our mission was accomplished. I did the awesome, pumpy, 'Full Tilt' 13a and stuck the second ascent of BJ's sick technical masterpiece 'Bad Brains' 13+. We finished the day with 'Broken Heroes' 13a. A rad little tour of The Joint. Head up there soon to take advantage of the fresh chalk and brush work!

Back to Wolf Point over the last 2 days... bolting. Cleaning. Fighting off rattlers. Stoked.

This is Lander at its best. Warm days, cool nights, stunningly beautiful flowers, green earth and blue sky. A hint of snow still caps the Wind Rivers. Enormous hillsides are smothered in brilliant yellow, as purple and reds emerge. While the temperatures dip up and down nearly every crag is in season and the crowds are still quite mellow. Life is great, and there's a lot to be excited about.

I've been switching my time between Wild Iris and Wolf Point - my two main objectives - as the temps move up and down. My Dad made the quick drive up from Boulder to spend a few days at the Point - we've been climbing partners for years but it had been a while since we got outside together so it was really nice to share a few belays with him and show off the new cliff. I finished an amazing new 5.13 at Wolf Point --- 30 meters, technical, powerful and varied. I'm calling it 'Snake Shot' and I'm super proud of how it turned out. I've got a couple other ones in the process. One is a huge pitch - nearing the 40 meter mark, that climbs a sustained and amazing section of solid 14a before a good rest and a really unique and bouldery finish around 100 feet up, on pockets and mega thin edges. I made some promising links yesterday!

Actually a shot from last year. After my clinic with the ICF, I jumped on the Drifter once to check it out...

Over at the Iris I had been trying a mega rig that links the entire Rodeo Wave wall. Usually I'm not much for link-ups, but this is the line. It's one of my favorite routes in recent memory and a savage one as well. I'd wanted to try 'Genetic Drifter' .14c for many years, since I first did 'Rodeo Free Europe' (the beginning to Genetic) back in 2009, belayed by my Dad, it was one of my earlier 5.14s. Well unfortunately my Dad was not here to belay me this time, but I did take down the Drifter this last Wednesday! Such a killer route....

always windy...

Thursday it was time to take my draws back to the Erratic and have a look at BJ Tilden's masterpiece - Moonshine 14d. Packing 9a into only 30 feet of climbing is not exactly my style, but it's a spectacular line and I figured it would be good for me to work on a weakness (this is essentially bouldering). I hung my draws on the route, and with BJ's guidance I sampled the movement - a lot of hard climbing condensed into a few bolts. I got away having done all the moves and linking some up, which was my primary objective. I'm super stoked to get back to it, but for now I've got projects out at Wolf Point crowning my priority list. Thankfully I've got until August out here!

Speaking of which.... get STOKED for the International Climbers Festival, here in Lander, just a month away! I'll be there, teaching a clinic and hanging around with the LaSportiva crew. Get your tickets, make your plans, this event is rad!

Lastly, looks like I'll be checking out the OuterLocal Games in Jackson, Wy too.... see you there!

--- More work at Wolf Point. Unfortunately the summer has arrived and the remaining sending will have to wait until cooler temperatures later in the summer. Which is fine. It's nice to have laid the ground work - clean routes, beta sussed, draws hanging. There are plenty of projects to keep us stoked, we just need the highs to go back into the high 70s - or better yet high 60's - to not feel severely handicapped on these 40 meter monster rigs. We're heading back out tomorrow for one last day of effort and close it down for a couple months. It would have been awesome to get a couple more new routes opened but sometimes when you're in the zone it's a better use of your effort to keep bolting, cleaning and preparing. Last week I finally snapped and had enough rock dust in my eyes and ears and hair. I've had enough jugging and hooking and cleaning and brushing. But to show for it I've got a handful of new routes bolted and 3 killer projects waiting... should be a good late summer!

In between I've been staying busy at the Wild Iris, and advancing my efforts on B.J.s incredible power route 'Moonshine' 14d. This is essentially the antithesis of my style - 9a difficulty and precision packed into basically 3 bolts. The whole thing is maybe 35 feet? With 2 bolts of fluff intro and a bolt of exit fluff. It's savage bouldering, pockets, power. It will be a great project for me I can tell. This is about as close to bouldering as my climbing gets so it's rad to be challenged in a different way. For me it's all about mastering the subtlety and making the movement as efficient as possible. Every go I'm getting the crux move more and more sussed but at my height and reach it's a bastard of a move. One that will be heinous to pull off after all the hard climbing below. Super motivating!

so hard for me!

Climbed at this rad little feature yesterday. My second day out at the Sweatlodge. I first checked out this gem back in 2001. Some really great routes here in an unlikely spot tucked away by the little Popo Agie. Yesterday I did 'White Devil' 13d and 'Ghost Dance' 13c, both powerful and rad.

This last weekend I was off west in the comfort of Jackson, Wy. Such a dramatic change to Lander... Both certainly have their merits. Lander is quiet, it's easy to stay climbing focused, there's really one coffee spot, one breakfast spot, one dinner spot, one bar. Early bed times, long days, mellow - it's a very simple life here no doubt. Nobody gives a shit if there's a crew of deer alongside the highway.

Jackson is tourist filled, overflowing with good food, events, people. Downright bustling for a mountain town. Dozens of T-shirt shops, big money homes. The sight of a chipmunk stops traffic for miles. Definitely a different scene.

waking up in Jackson.

I could go without all the tourism and thousands of Jackson Hole sweatshirts but the upside is that there's a big younger crowd, huge summer events, and tons of active, stoked people. I really enjoy Jackson, and if there was Lander quality climbing there I think I would have found a future home... But I wasn't there just for the glam, I was specifically there for the OuterLocal Summer games, which I can say is definitely one of the best events I've been to. One long day of action packed races and comps, all starting and ending at the same location. As one comp or race is ending another one is just about to begin. Great people and cool venue all in a rad town and to cap it off a huge outdoor concert to end it. I will definitely return to this event - make sure to remember it next year!

Set some killer boulder problems with the 307 dudes for the climbing comp at the OuterLocal games. Good times for sure, despite staggering heat. Rad crew! Thanks fellas.

We're all gearing up for the 4th of July and the upcoming Climbers Fest here in Lander... it's an exciting couple weeks. Who's gonna make it out???

Here's a quick photo dump (not mine) to give you guys a feel for the recent OuterLocal Summer Games in Jackson, Wyoming. As I mentioned in my last update, it's a killer event and one not to miss if you're around the area next year. Thanks again to La Sportiva, 307 Bouldering and OuterLocal for bringing me out!

I've spent quite a bit of time in Lander, Wyoming over the years. During college I did frequent weekend trips from Boulder for a good pump in the Killer Cave and I've found myself enjoying the burly, bouldery style at the Wild Iris for many-a-July's. 'Rodeo Free Europe' and 'Busload of Faith' were two of my earliest 5.14s. Always celebrating at the Lander Bar, I remember eying the posters of Skinner and admiring the evidence of a long standing climbing community in this sleepy town.

MOOSE!

In 2011 I presented as the keynote speaker for the Lander International Climbers Fest, and this year was my 4th straight year attending this incredible event. Every big climbing event has it's own flavor, but over the years I've especially enjoyed the ICF. The national (and international) climbing community converges on Lander for a long weekend. For a few days, climbing sticker clad Subaru's and Toyota's nearly rival the numbers of full sized trucks and dually's. The City Park is crankin', Wild Iris Mountain Sports is overflowing with eager climbers and the Lander Bar is packed.

Ethan Pringle on the first try take down of 'Young Girl' ...

It's especially cool to see the town transform, now knowing what the scene is typically like here. It's quite a change from the pace of Lander on a random weekend in May for instance.... for about 72 hours the climbing portion of this little Wyoming town is bustling... it's pretty rad.

I taught a clinic on Friday, which turned out really well - with a good group of stoked individuals and very skilled climbers. We shared a few good laughs and hopefully they learned a few things! Thursday night was the opening party - hosted by LaSportiva and the Lander Bar, which is always a rad hang out. A slew of good people, contests, give aways and beer. Earlier in the night was the film fest, featuring Kyle Duba's awesome story telling in Wind & Rattlesnakes, about the history of climbing in Lander and the key characters involved. Friday was a day long trade fair, 307 Bouldering Dyno Comp and live music to end the night. Lastly, Saturday included the Wild Iris race, more clinics and the evening was the keynote speakers and afterparty at the LB. Needless to say, we all stayed very busy.

It was cool to see a number of good friends come up for the weekend. Tommy and his lovely wife Becca (and baby boy Fitz) were here, homeboy Ethan Pringle made it out, Audrey Sniezek, Nick Duttle, Emily Harrington, Cedar Wright and Nelissa, Jen Flemming and Nick, Asa, Kevin and Alli... the list goes on... it was a great crew.

Amongst the madness some climbing took place. My good friend Leif Gasch heroically took down Todd Skinner's incredible 'Strawberry Roan' 13d for it's long awaited first ascent on Saturday. We greeted him with cheers and beers at the Coalter Loft upon his arrival. This was a legendary route and a rad hail marry effort by Leif at the end of his trip. Stay tuned for some footage of his FA. Also the Horst Family made it, and both of the boys crushed as usual.

Aside from a few rad days at random crags like the Sweatlodge, North Country (don't miss 'One Eyed Fiona' 13b and if you're into roof climbs, 'The Last Frontiero' and 'Nothing but Sky' 13a are both worth doing) and even one last day at Wolf Point (BJ added an incredible 13c, 'Gangbusters' that is one of my favorites on the wall!), I've been steadily hiking around the backside of the Iris to the Erratic.

It's been something of a long process for me on BJ Tilden's testpiece, 'Moonshine' 14d. Over the course of 4 days (or 5?) I struggled to find the proper beta for my strengths and height. Although I could stick the crux throw a number of different ways, nothing was proving any level of consistency. It seems I was just barely too short (or too weak) to make anything really work. After doing a long, strenuous and consistent intro, this crux left hand move needs to feel very solid to even imagine success. Last week, on a mission with BJ, in perfect (miraculous) temps, I still couldn't find my method. I was definitely considering defeat. I had already spent a heartbreaking month+ failing this spring in Vegas and with such sketchy beta I could easily envision repeated falls without a send on this thing. Thankfully, with BJ's encouragement I left my draws up and tried again. A tiny foot emerged, and with a good body position I could seemingly stick the move. Then, in the next few days I started handily doing the move from the hang and one hanging the route on every burn. I knew it was just a matter of time, but I've learned over the years to never count your eggs before they hatch. I've been within inches of sending, and then gone home empty handed enough times now to know this. I figured I'd just keep trying until it happened.

photos courtesy Mike Anderson

In the end it was this rad community that got me through it. My homie Colby came through with the necessary moonshine, replenishing the resident jar that lives beneath the route, BJ was there to bless me with his belay, and a crowd of good friends - old and new - were at the crag to cheer me on. I'm glad that this tiny little sport route toyed with my emotions a little - I got a condensed version of what BJ experienced over the years - and it made topping out the Erratic that much sweeter. Thanks guys, yesterday was a kick ass day.

After wrapping up Moonshine, I was pretty stoked to move on -- with our work at Wolf Point pretty well sewn up, the temperatures on the rise, and my primary Iris goals finished. I absolutely loved my 7 weeks in Lander, but a few other things in Wyoming were calling my name. Getting to the know that place and spending time with some incredible characters was the highlight of my year thus far. I went back to the Iris for one more day-- I wanted to put in an effort on Moonshine's neighbor, 'Ghost Moon' 13d and also grab some quick b-roll footage for a short piece Mikey Williams is putting together for Deadpoint Mag.

wolf point..... until the fall my friend...

Next stop was Jackson, Wyoming. A stark contrast to Lander as I spoke about in a previous post - it feels like quite the metropolis... My primary mission for revisiting Jackson was to check out this semi-legendary route in Teton Canyon that remained a burly open project for years until Driggs local and master bread maker Ty Mack finally put it to rest in mid October of 2011. Teton Canyon is essentially Ty's backyard - with the closest gym at an hour drive away, he frequently jets out from work and chucks mini trax laps on the stunning granite. Super humble Ty remains very much under the radar, but his ascent of 'The Almighty' deserves serious praise. On a short list of traditional routes this hard in the country, this is unquestionably one of the best quality.

fresh food from the garden... cool evenings... great people... loving life in Jackson

Back in early June, my buddy and bad ass all arounder, Brendon O'Neil provoked me to consider this route tucked away in Teton Canyon when Lander got too hot. It stayed on my radar, but another good friend, Colby Frontiero (who'd put in effort on the route) warned me that Ty's beta would never work for me (Ty stands well above 6 foot). Regardless, I was intrigued and stoked to see if I couldn't find a way up it. Once I finally saw the route in person, I knew I needed to climb it. It's nothing short of stunning... I spent 3 days working out the route, rehearsing gear placements and wrapping my mind around how to redpoint this beast. Ty established the route with pre-placed gear through the bottom half and then finished on a logical and awesome, hard, bolted 13a called 'Super G' to the top. I was really ambitious to place all of my gear on lead, and thankfully my beta just barely allowed for safe(ish) placement on the go.

sussing gear at the bottom of the crux - my rack for the route ended up as follows:: orange Metolius TCU, grey (00) Metolius Mastercam, blue Metolius Mastercam, small DMM(?) offset nut, Metolius #3 astronut, fixed nut, bolts...

There are 2 main pieces that protect the longboulder problem on The Almighty -- the first one is a sinker offset nut, that requires perfect placement- which is a little tricky because it's completely blind. This nut literally keeps you off the deck if you fall from the middle of the crux, and although it is bomber, I rehearsed this placement tirelessly because you never actually see on the go if you've nailed the placement or not - it's all by feel. The climbing up to here is probably 11+ or so, but it quickly gains difficulty. A strange boulder problem and rock over move bring you to a stance above that nut. Above here it turns up even more. The crux for me is shoulder intensive and punchy with horrible feet. The next, extremely crucial piece is very stressful and hard to place. I hang off a 3 finger sloper in the crack and I used a tiny #3 Metolius Astronut which was absolutely perfect. Body tension and high feet bring you above this placement and to a fixed nut just before you join 'Super G' and start clipping bolts.

on TR

Yesterday I successfully top roped the route, faux-placing gear on the way. This was hugely inspiring for me, but I knew that on the sharp end it would be an entirely different animal.

Ty was keen to come out to the crag today, and it was awesome to have him there on the belay. I stacked a couple crash pads at the base, in the spirit of safety... When sport climbing I have essentially no fear - partly because of my experience but also because I feel that there's very little rational reasoning for being afraid. However, on hard trad leads, I, like most everyone, definitely fight with anxiety, fear and always try to remember to ask myself - is it worth it? Because here, to me, there is inherent danger that is unique to hard headpoints.... so the rationality part of it goes out the window. You're afraid because you actually are in danger. Skillfully limiting that danger is the best we can do I guess.

I warmed up with a lap on Super G, brushed the holds and reviewed my gear placements again quick as I lowered down the Almighty. I started off feeling strong, climbing well, nailing the first placement and firing into the mid-crux. When I stuck the hold for placing the #3 I felt pretty strong but for some reason I was slipping. With feet well above my last nut, and adrenaline racing I pealed off. Zooming to within a body length of the crash pads, I instantly celebrated the offset for keeping me on the rope and off the ground. Whoa. Okay so the good news was I can blow it from way up there and not die, the bad news was that now I had a kinda severe adrenaline hangover. I took my time cooling off as Emily and Ty lightened the mode with jokes and playful chatter.

My second go I started off well and found myself entering the mid-crux again, this time with fire in my eyes. I nailed the tenuous #3 placement and carried on towards the fixed wire. I let out a scream as I threw into the final finger lock, soon thereafter finding a nice rest and clipping a bolt. It was a relieving moment, but I knew I needed to keep it together. The boulder problem just below the chains was a formidable one. Here, Ty, does one go-go-gadget long arm crux move, where I do 9 moves to reach the same hold - smearing my feet and rocking over right and back left. It's a fun sequence but certainly was stressful on the go. I lurched for the last rail and clipped the anchor, elated.

This is one of my favorite ascents to date - I feel that it is my hardest trad lead and it was a really cool process to get there. Ty suggested .14a for The Almighty and I think personally I would suggest .14b for the short person method through the lower and upper cruxes. Because of size we really did climb the route entirely different. Ty's effort here is really sick, and I want to make a point to congratulate him again for his efforts opening The Almighty -- there really is nothing else like it!

Just to make sure this wall got maximum action, I did the awesome crimp route 'Freerider' 13a and Ty finished the day with a headpoint lead of 'Off With Your Hands' 13a. Wicked day in Teton Canyon!

Jackson --> Ten Sleep ... On the way we did a long day through Yellowstone, one of the world's most amazing, unique and bizarre places. Hope you enjoy a little photo dump from the day...

The primary goal for revisiting the Big Horns was to check out some areas above Ten Sleep-- Crazy Women, TWC and the Borderlands. With shockingly cool temps, staggering potential and a handful of rad crags and routes already established, I have a really good feeling about this zone. I might not have the time to invest up there this year, but I'll definitely be back.

I've gotten to climb on a handful of new and new-to-me routes out here which has been super fun. Day 1 we only had time for the canyon, but we joined some good friends at the Superratic, a classic Wyoming cliff with amazing routes. 'The Incredible Horse Cock' 13d and 'The Canadian Horse Cock' 13b were both good challenges. The Incredible is all about a hard, short boulder problem right near the bottom through poor holds and long moves. The Canadian is a wicked thin, edgy boulder problem to a shared finish. Not sure how I over looked these killer routes in the past. Day 2 we checked out the TWC wall and Borderlands - about 25 miles past the Mondo parking, and a super worthy zone on it's own, in an exceptional setting. I did Milky Williams cool, long and techy .13+ on the TWC called 'Mixed Message' and around the corner at the Borderlands I was keen to try 'Berserker' 14a, a Wilkinson route that Mikey opened last year. After checking out the neighboring 5.11 crack (12a?) I rapped down, hanging the draws on Berserker. Fighting a solid pump, I made it to the top first try. I'd love to claim a flash, but it's definitely murky waters - I saw the route up close, touched a few holds on my way down.. so whatever.. I did it first try and it was a good challenge. I finished the day on a nice, hard 13b to the right, 'Bone Shredder'. Day 3 we were at the amazing Slavery Wall back in the canyon. I had been kind of saving 'Gold Member' 13d for a first try attempt over the years, and although I was on my third day on, I knew this might be my only day at this wall for another year... so I went for it.. and it turned out well. I nailed the onsight on this truly incredible route - one of my favorites in Ten Sleep no doubt. I finished the day with the adjacent, and almost as cool 'Burden of Immortality' 13a. Good climbing all around.

We've got a couple more days here until we're off for Salt Lake City and the trade show. As always, I'm stoked to link up with good friends and connect with new people, not to mention be in a proper city again after 2 months in the wild! If you're at the show on Friday the 1st, swing by the Maxim Ropes booth around 2-3pm for a poster signing! or just to hang out...

Everywhere I turn, everyone I chat with, I see and hear opportunity for climbing. Repeats, new routes, alpine, sport climbing... hell, even bouldering! It's times like these that I really try and squeeze the most out of my motivation. Climbing, planning, getting after it. It can definitely crush me - like today - but regardless, sometimes I manage to get by with a handful of routes in the bag and motivation to spare. I generally stay pretty damn stoked (maybe not quite Joey stoked), but when your motivation and your climbing seem to be lining up, I feel like it's important to make the most of it.

We had been poking around in the Crazy Woman zone - about 20 miles above the Mondo parking for Ten Sleep. This amazing area is host to a handful of crags, all situated in a downright amazing landscape, at elevations high enough that nights require puffy jackets and climbing in pants is not only entirely possible, but favorable. I was mostly keen to check out Mike Williams, 'Gold Digger' 14a on the Crazy Woman crag, one of many routes he bolted and established last summer. This route turned out to be super rad. Mike is a purist, and much like his other FA's this one was pretty raw - very little cleaning, maybe a few crumbly feet, very little filing if any, a bit dirty in spots perhaps... but it gives you the impression that you're maybe doing an FA yourself. Kinda sticks with the wild west / middle of nowhere theme - I dig it, thanks for your hard work man! To the right of Gold Digger is a really cool, mysterious 13+ called 'Crazy Woman Left', that was a super difficult onsight for me... wicked thin edges, essentially no chalk, and some engaging run outs... it was also thundering nearby and beginning to rain, just to top things off. I finished the day with 'Crazy Woman Right', a supposed 13a from 1988 that has serious ground fall potential, and two super hard cruxes - each likely hard 13a on their own. It's hard! Such a cool zone though, I will certainly be back.

On the way out of Wyoming we had one more day at one of my favorites, the Wild Iris. I did a really cool boulder problem route called 'National Finals Rodeo' .13+, with a few hard pocket moves and a crux shoulder move, and after doing B.J.s new Rodeo Wave link up, 'Atomic Logic' 13d, the highlight of the day no doubt was a new route on the Erratic that I threw some bolts in and climbed. It's called 'County Ten Gunslinger' and it's not to be missed!

Then... to Salt Lake. Summer Outdoor Retailer for a quick whirlwind stop over. So many good people, old friends, new friends. The scene is mega. At times hard to handle. Recently I've felt like the show is largely me or others having to prematurely interrupt conversations because you're late for this or need to go here, etc. I seriously left the show feeling like I had not been a good enough friend to all of these rad people I sincerely wanted to catch up with. So, if I had to cut you off or breeze by you I'm really sorry! You rock and I love my friends and this community and everyone out there so much. It's hard to pack all your meetings and friends into just a few hours. I'll make it up to you people!

not sure what's cooler. the stash or the Sportiva logo beer...

friends in SLC ...

The good news is that all of my brands have sick new products on the way out. The highlights are certainly Metolius' new TRIPLE ZERO TCU!!! YES. That is correct... a wicked tiny tcu that's still 5Kn. So stoked. Sportiva has too many rad things on the way, including a full line of sick casual wear, new running shoes and a proven, popular steep climbing shoe in a women's model (hint: it's the ____ to your problems). Arc'Teryx has got a line of Down that I've been playing with, that is exceptionally cool. Well, actually it's super warm, and ridiculously packable, and rad.

The other thing that happened at OR was the Psicobloc comp, which, if you've so much as smelled the internet recently then I'm sure you're over saturated with it's praise, photos and blah blah. But, seriously people, it was amazing, and as much as I don't care for comps, I will definitely try and do this one if it's going on next year.

me taking a photo of TC taking a photo of me. early morning on Longs

Now I'm back in colorful Colorado. Feels great to be back, enjoying the family and loving the cool nights in the mountains. Tommy and I linked up and checked out an incredible project on the Diamond yesterday... we're pretty damn motivated... I'll never get tired of the Colorado alpine.

Here are a couple videos released recently to keep you stoked through the work week. Hope everyone's Monday is going well. Enjoy!

A little Athlete Profile from my sponsor La Sportiva, put together by my good friends at 3 Strings Productions...

And here's a quick hit video with some shots of me climbing on Moonshine and Ghost Moon, at the Wild Iris in Wyoming from my friends at Deadpoint Mag.
Jonathan Siegrist Climbs Wyoming's Hardest: Moonshine (5.14d) from DPM CLIMBING on Vimeo.

later '12!!

Into Vegas, Out to OR

Project Mode

The Route

In the Hills

Ibex.

Rendezvous and Whatnot

All Around

Leaving Las Vegas

Setting, Meetings, Running

The Point...

Touch on Utah

Early Summer

Heat is on

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the 'Shine

the almighty

YLWSTN, TNSLP

OR to the Alpine

a couple clips for your entertainment