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#75 Re: AK Climber
October 12, 2014, 06:52:55 pm
Unfortunately that wasn't my writing.  Both my Friend David and I post to AK Climber, and that happens to be his post.  Absolutely agree with the sentiment and he does write beautifully.  I know he's working on a video to go with it, but I don't think it's quite done yet. 


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#76 A Diamond in the Rough – The SCAR
March 16, 2015, 12:01:17 am
A Diamond in the Rough – The SCAR
15 March 2015, 6:06 pm

Last Sunday, David and I had planned on heading up to Hatchers to go touring around scoping lines, and possibly doing a little bit of cleaning.  After getting hit with 12-18 inches of snow and high winds the avalanche danger in Hatcher Pass was incredibly high, plus it was overcast and cold, so instead we headed south with the idea of checking out a new boulder along the Seward Highway that David was psyched on.

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Images

We repacked our stuff including the cleaning kit, rope, and as many pads as we could fit in his truck per David’s indication that we would need them (1 KJ Highball, 1 Old school Evil Pad, 1 Large Metolius trifold, 3 regular sized, and 3 half pads). Driving south out of Anchorage the weather was clear and calm, so we both felt like we’d made the right call.

I have to admit, when David told me he had a new place to check out along the highway, I was not expecting much.  The highway doesn’t really lend itself to high quality bouldering. We parked along Windy Point (which thankfully wasn’t too windy) and hiked down to see if the tide was out enough to make it feasible.  Scrambling down the loose and chossy rock pile to get to the ocean, I was completely dumbfounded by what I saw. We descended into a slanting gash in the hill with a low angle slab on one side, and steep, overhanging walls on the other. The outermost section of the gash was formed by two overhanging faces that converge to make a beautiful, leaning arête with a tall slab topout. And there were holds: jugs, slopers, crimps, pinches, sidepulls, underclings, etc. David knows his stuff, so I should know better than to doubt him, but there’s no way I would ever have expected to find a feature like this so close to town.

David cleaning the top of the SCARDavid cleaning the top of the SCAR We were giddy with anticipation as we set to work carrying the pads, fixing the landings, and cleaning the holds. I was amazed at the quality of the rock with virtually no loose holds and very little actual cleaning needed on the lower part of the boulder.  David worked his way down on a rope scrubbing the orange lichen from the topouts and uncovering fantastic holds to finish on.

Todd approaching the topout of Wild Bore-v2Todd approaching the topout of Wild Bore-v2 We started climbing with the right most line and generally worked our way left through the problems, which looked to get progressively harder.  The first line turned out to be a nice v0-Beluga Blues, but we hadn’t cleaned the topout, so if you head out there be careful as there may be a few loose holds on the upper wall. Next up was an incredible 4-star highball v2 -Wild Bore, which starts on the v0 and follows an obvious line of jugs left to the arête and most obvious topout.

Next we tried the direct line up the right side of the arête.  There were a plethora of underclings and such to start off with, but then the holds are either in the wrong direction,or terrible to use, or both.  The solution was to power past the bad holds to the obvious incut crimp, which then links into the same topout as the v2.  David pulled out a quick second go send of Hard Bore-v5, but I really struggled with this one.  I just couldn’t seem to get the left hand to settle into the hold right.  After a dozen or so goes, I finally stuck the  hold and sent it.

We tried the left most line next which starts midway up the wall on a jug and climbs up and right to the lip to top out.  While the holds look a bit suspect, they were all solid.  David sent The SCAR-v4 first go, laughing at how good the line was while he topped out. The lip of the problem is tall and intimidating from the ground, but the holds were so good that the height was not an issue. I followed suit and was shocked again by how good the climbing was.  This was another incredible line.

David sticking the crux of Hard BoreDavid sticking the crux of Hard Bore The last line we thought was possible started just left of the arête and linked into the same topout as Wild Bore and Hard Bore. There were a good holds at the bottom followed by a blank stretch that looked like it would either be incredibly hard.  I pulled on to try the move and the first go beta worked without being terribly difficult. We pieced together the other sections and the problem that once seemed unlikely took shape. I managed to nail it second go from the start, while David also sent a few tries later.  We both were amazed, another 4 star line Hidden Octopus-v6, with fantastic movement and holds.

We realized it may be possible to link the sit start of Hidden Octopus into The SCAR and started working out the beta.  I managed to find a sequence starting off of a couple of poor crimps and moving through a few other small crimps into The SCAR, resulting in Crouching Shark-v6/7, but to me this problem is incomplete. Linking the sit start of Hidden Octopus and Crouching Shark is quite hard and while it felt close, that move eluded me.  I’d guess this last linkup will be in the v10 +/-  range.

A storm was raging to the south as we packed up and light snow drifted across the Turnagain Arm while the tide crept back in. It is incredible to think that these climbs have been here, so close to town, and we never knew. David settled on calling this crag “The SCAR” which seems to fit the feature and pays homage to the original guidebook for highway crags. There is another section of wall at the SCAR that looked pretty loose, but some heavy cleaning tools (likely a crowbar) may make it safe to climb on. This could yield another 3-5 problems of unknown quality ending up with 10-12 problems from v0 to v10 at this one crag. It makes me wonder what else we may have missed along the highway.

David hitting the lip on The SCAR-v4David hitting the lip on The SCAR-v4

Source: AK Climber


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On Rope on the Glenn Highway – The Dry Docks
1 April 2015, 5:49 am

On Sunday, Keenen, Jared and I drove north to check out a few old bolted sport climbing projects at a small area 1 mile past the Chickaloon boulders along the Glenn highway. There are currently 5 lines out there, all short, and all quite hard.  The furthest right line is a 5 bolt Paul Turecki line that goes at 5.12c.  If anyone knows the name, I’d love to know.

The next line to the left is the first project we wanted to get on.  It’s a 20ish foot route following an areteish feature with 2 bolts to a one chain anchor (if anyone would like to add a second anchor bolt, please feel free). When Dan Kryger and I bolted this back in 2002ish, we came close to doing the line, but never managed to finish it off, being thwarted by a hard finishing sequence.  At the time we thought it would be in the low 5.13 range, and basically a really big boulder problem without a manageable landing.

Keenen on Harpooned-5.13bKeenen on the first project of the day The next line to the left is a really aesthetic three bolt 20ish foot route.  This route starts out up a really tenuous layback then cuts right on better holds, but crap feet to a big powerful move to good holds and the third clip, and is topped by a henious shoulder ripping finishing crux.  If I recall correctly, way back in 2002-2003 Chris Terry and a guy named Helmut did the upper crux, but were never able to do the lower sequence.  Altogether this routes is likely in the low 5.14 or v11/12 range and a really aesthetic and powerful project for anyone up to the task.

Further left about a hundred yards and directly above the pullout is an overhanging white wall with the last two routes.  The first is a two bolt line up the belly of the white wall, dubbed the White Whale Project.  This is a short striking line which looks blank at first, but has just enough crimps to make it possible.  All of the moves on this have been done except the last, a six foot dyno to glory.  This is also likely in the 5.13+/14- or v10/11 range.

Last but not least is a thin seam in a small dihedral.  The crack takes gear, mostly 0 and 00 cams and most of the moves have been done.  Who’s gonna sack up for this thin seam?

After warming up, we got on the Arete line and started working out all of the bits of beta.  The lower section to the last move we figured out fairly quickly, but the last move continued to stump us.  Finally, I yarded up to the anchor to see what was up there and found we were going for the wrong hold.  After lowering down a bit, I was quickly able to do the last move and then it was time to start going for it.  First go I fell at the last move again, but I had touched the hold, so I knew it was there.  Keenen linked quickly to the second to last move, but was struggling to get his body in the right spot.  After a few minutes he figured out the right spot and felt solid on that move.  I tied and and managed to fire it next go, and Keenen followed shortly after for the first and second ascents of Harpooned-5.13b, or basically a long hard v8 boulder problem on a rope.

Keenen on the second to last move of Harpooned-5.13bKeenen on the second to last move of Harpooned-5.13b Next up was the line to the left.  After a little bit of cleaning, I was able to figure out an incredibly tensiony sequence through the bottom which was huge progress from many years past and relearn the middle sequence. Keenen worked the bottom, but couldn’t quite link through the tenuous moves.  The top eluded both of us.  The sequence I recall from 12-13 years ago involves an insanely powerful iron-cross into a sloper gaston.  I could stick the sloper gaston, but had no hope of moving my feet from that position to transfer onto it.  Maybe next time and definitely something to train.

Sticking the last move of the tenuous start sequence.Sticking the last move of the tenuous start sequence. We ended the day cleaning the white whale project, but didn’t have either the strength, energy, of light left to give it some effort.

All in all, a very good day out.  A new route finished, some projects re-discovered, and a good time was had by all.

Source: AK Climber


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#78 Re: AK Climber
April 01, 2015, 09:38:05 am
Rewinding a bit, that's a nice report on the SCAR, and how psyched you were for easier problems :)

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#79 Re: AK Climber
April 01, 2015, 04:55:49 pm
Thanks!  I love to climb everything, especially something I've never climbed before.  So easy problems can get me as stoked or more than hard climbs.

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#80 2015 Recap
January 27, 2016, 01:01:04 pm
2015 Recap
27 January 2016, 7:38 am

2015 was an interesting year for development in AK.  David Funatake had a full time job limiting his availability, although he still got out developing just about every week, and I ended up getting outside 1/2 as much as I have over the previous 4 years.  Ian picked up the slack considerably, as did Will Crowther and so there was still a substantial amount of development in 2015.

The season kicked off in March with David taking me out to a new (to me at least) area along the Seward highway and some revisiting of a few short roped boulder problems along the Glenn Highway.  We haven’t posted anything since then, which is a bit unfortunate as it has been a very busy year.  We have been more active on Facebook, so so anyone who’s interested you should follow us there.  I’ll try to recap and add to what has been posted there.

Byron Glacier

Due to low snowpack, Byron glacier opened early in the season.  Quite a few people got out to Byron this year, and almost all of the hard lines have been repeated now.  Frog People, Falling Up, Smaug, Shere Khan, Dark of the Moon and many others all saw repeats this year.  At this point, the only hard unrepeated line I can think of out in Byron is Chasing Bliss.

In addition to the slew of repeats, some new problems went up as well.  Due to low snowpack a few boulders melted out that hadn’t been climbable in the last few years resulting in four new problems and a few more yet to be climbed along the creek.  In addition to these, a couple of new lines were added out at the Allspark Boulders as well, most notably a fine addition by David called Secret Asian Man – v5 (SANDBAG) which is a sit start to the left of Bearclaw near the left arete.

David on Secret Asian Man-v5 Hatcher Pass – Reed Lakes In May, I headed up to Reed Lakes with an old friend to check out the talus below snowbird slab.  We found a nice new area with some potential for quite a few fantastic lines, and quite a few hard lines.  That day we climbed 2 new lines, but over the course of the summer over 20 new lines were cleaned and climbed from v0-v10, with Will Crowther putting up the new testpiece The Oral Beast-v10.  

Poetry in Motion – v8 unconfirmed

Hatcher Pass – Super Bowl In May, June and July, Ian spearheaded the development of an area just south of the Diamond South Talus nicknamed the Super Bowl.  This is an incredible new area that I am amazed we’ve been missing for all of these years.  At last count over 60 new problems have been cleaned and climbed in this area from v0-v10.  The king line of the area is a line opened by Keenen during the Hatcher Boulder Fest called Distractingly Sexy

Keenen on Distractingly Sexy-v8 Hatcher Pass – Fairangel Valley Fairangel Valley saw a variety of new exploration and development this year, as well as quite a bit of cleaning and new problems.  The Wonderland Talus saw some extensive cleaning and development by David, with an amazing looking new arete project cleaned and prepped.  A tall new wall was also cleaned and climbed resulting in 3 new highballs.

David on the FA of Christians in the Ghetto v5 In addition to the development in the Fairangel Talus, David also cleaned a few lines up in the Tunnel Vision Gulley.

David on the FA of The Motherlode v3  Other Areas I don’t know of any bouldering development up at Weiner or at any other major areas.  In April, I took a short trip to Homer with my wife and managed to knock out a few projects there in a quick session at the Anchor Point Boulder: Planet of the Apes-v9, Dark Star-v8, and Dark Matter v9/10.  

Source: AK Climber


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#81 2016 Season Bouldering Re-cap
January 10, 2017, 07:00:19 am
2016 Season Bouldering Re-cap
5 January 2017, 8:38 pm

It’s the season when Alaska’s boulderers dig deep and commit to writing a few words about the past year’s bouldering achievements and resolve to do a better job of writing and documenting the new year, before we then forget to write about the coming year. The lack of posts has not been due to a lack of bouldering development. Rest assured that new boulders were found, bold ascents were made, and loads of new problems were cleaned in new and old areas. So without overcompensating with too many words, here is the 2016 bouldering re-cap.

Creekside Boulders screen-shot-2016-04-20-at-10-32-56-pmThe 2016 season began with the staggering discovery of the Creekside Boulders in the Fishhook Creek drainage. It was an unlikely location to find any boulders, much less one of the tallest, most glorious boulders in all of Hatcher Pass, and they likely would not have been found without scouring satellite images for the entire winter. After a couple of cleaning sessions, a crew was able to haul enough pads for Will Crowther to snag the First Ascent (FA) of Fright of the Bumblebee v8; at roughly 26 feet, it is the tallest problem in Hatcher Pass and  an amazing addition to the area.  Other notable problems at the Creekside Boulders include the spectacular Margin of Terror v2, Chicken Little v4, and The Dangler v3. There are 11 established problems and at least five projects left on these two boulders, they will likely all be hard or terrifying.

Will on the FA of Fright of the BumblebeeWill on the FA of Fright of the Bumblebee

screen-shot-2016-06-21-at-11-24-06-pm-copyThe Dangler v3 at the Creekside Boulders

Margin of Terror v2Margin of Terror v2  The Motherlode Boulder

Todd on the FA of MVP Gold v6MVP Gold v6 Later in the season on a rest day, Todd went for a hike with friends and family above Gold Cord Lake near the Independence Mine. It was thought that the area was devoid of good boulders, but the rumors proved to be unfounded. Several good blocks were found next to the lake, but the real gem was a 60-foot monster hiding behind the lake, at the base of the Microdot slide path. Each face revealed a multitude of tall problems with incredible features and fantastic movement. Of the 12 problems that were climbed on the boulder, we estimate that they are all four or five star quality. This list includes problems like MVP Gold v6,

The C-Section v4,

C-Section v4 What’s In a Kiss v8/9,

What’s in a Kiss v8/9  and Pistol Whipping v9.

The Todd on the FA of Pistol Whipping v9. A stellar line.

Will sticking the dyno on Pistol Whipping It is possibly the single best boulder in Hatcher Pass (if you are a seasoned boulderer), but it is necessary to gather up a lot of pads and friends before venturing up here. Two more projects remain, but they will be very hard.

Super Bowl Development

The Hatcher Pants Boulder (Luke on Soggy Bottom v2 in foreground)The Hatcher Pants Boulder (Luke on Soggy Bottom v2 in foreground) The development of the Super Bowl area by Ian and Britta continued strong into 2016. The area now boasts more than 100 problems and still holds potential for more in the coming years. It is one of the most densely developed areas in Archangel Valley, with lowballs and highballs ranging from v0 to v10. A lot of work has been done to flatten landings this past year, which allowed many of the largest and proudest features in the area to be climbed. The most notable sends include the intimidating Bermuda Triangle v7 and Gunakedit v7 on the Quacken Boulder, Destroying My Master v9 (FA Hunter) and Destroying My Apprentice v10? (FA Todd) in the Pit of Despair,

Destroying My Master v9Destroying My Master v9 and Will Crowther’s Honeymoon v6 and Doses and Mimosas v9,

Todd working the low start to the fantastic Honeymoon v6.

David attempting to piece together Doses and Mimosas v9. Super technical climbing. and Sling for the Money v8.  

Sling for the Money v8

Will eyeing the lip of Sling for the Money. Patent pending tongue-out beta.  The Sheriff Another shout out to Will Crowther for making the second ascent of The Sheriff v12 in Tunnel Vision Gully. It is one of the few +v10 test pieces in Alaska and a must do for those claiming to climb hard. As described by Will, “It stopped raining just long enough for the send.” A few days later he went back and did the intimidating, direct finish to the problem calling it the Sheriff of Rottingham v12.

An older picture of Will working the Sheriff v12. Sadly, Will was solo for the FA and his “footage” (cell phone in shoe, (pun intended)) did not capture the send.  (Re)development in the Diamond The Diamond area in Archangel got a lot of attention this year, partially as a challenge to Ian’s claim that the Super Bowl had a better density of problems.

dsc07136-copyReidun working on the arete of Sadistic Land Dolphins. Over 30 problems were added to the area in 2016 (in addition to +80 other new problems since the guidebook was written) and a lot of landing work has taken place, making the Diamond an easier place for new boulderers to learn to climb.

dsc07457-copyThe fuel and the tool for some late night landing work. Rocks don’t move themselves.  Most of the problems that were cleaned are in the v0-v5 range. Some of the best finds in the area include problems like the Diamond in the Muff v3,

The Diamond in the Muff, v3. Big edges in a dihedral!The Diamond in the Muff, v3. Big edges in a dihedral! Sadistic Land Dolphins v5 (pictured above), Sobriety Test v1, Swimming in the Ocean v5, and Liquid Courage v1.

David on Liquid Courage v1, a the tall slab on the Captain Jack Boulder.David on Liquid Courage v1, a the tall slab on the Captain Jack Boulder. Worth revisiting with the bouldering guidebook as starting point: keep your eyes peeled for cleaned problems that are not in the book!

Cliff Clevenger enjoying a fun v3 in the Diamond, Bearmitzvah.Cliff Clevenger enjoying a fun v3 in the Diamond, Bearmitzvah.  Other Development in Southcentral AK Aside from the most notable sends (in my opinion), many more problems were done this year that are worth acknowledging, but not worth elaborating.

  • A few boulders with flat mossy landings were re-climbed near Independence Mine on the Gold Cord Lake Trail, such as the Lynch Boulder, the Joy of Climbing Boulder, and The Troll Boulder. Very little information currently, but they are easy to find and worth exploring with one or two crash pads.


The Lynch Boulder on the approach to Gold Cord LakeThe Lynch Boulder on the approach to Gold Cord Lake
  • Early in the season, Todd visited the Land Before Todd Boulder (near the Cold Toes Boulder) and laid waste to most of the remaining projects. One or two remain, but a snow landing is necessary to send.
  • A fun, short boulder was recleaned on the approach to Indian Head Arete, which will be a perfect block for new boulderers.


A short boulder on the approach to the Indian Head arete. A perfect place for a new boulderer to start!A short boulder on the approach to the Indian Head arete. A perfect place for a new boulderer to start!
  • Scattered development occurred in the Snowbird Talus, up Reed Lakes, including the second ascent of The Oral Beast v10.
  • Some development was done at base of the Monolith. At the end of 2015 the landing beneath the 3 Star Throw was levelled, making it possible for the first ascent of the south arete, the Todd Complex v8.


Todd Complex v8. Perfect conditions and friction made the send possible.David getting a bit of a Todd Complex, v8. Perfect conditions and friction made the send possible.
  • Although Byron is pretty much tapped out, a few problems were added to the area including a two move v7 that is short and funky.


Luke working on a Byron classic, Ningenuity v5. It's not a new problem, it was just a really good day that I wanted to share!Luke working on a Byron classic, Ningenuity v5. It’s not a new problem, it was just a really good day that I wanted to share!
  • A few more blocks were climbed along the Seward Highway including some near Pivot Point.

    Ultimate Frogger v5, near Pivot PointUltimate Frogger v5, near Pivot Point
 Honorable Mention: Seward Bouldering The word on the street is that there is rock in the Seward area. I got to climb a few of the blocks this past summer and have seen pictures of the other blocks that are out there! It is a bit adventurous right now and it may take a while for the area’s lone developer to dig up everything he can, but it’s exciting that Southcentral AK may have a new bouldering area (or two) some day. No information is available at this time, but here are a few pictures to salivate over.

Sam Johnson on a yet nameless slab problem near seward.Sam Johnson on a yet nameless slab problem near seward.

Another, yet unnamed problem near Seward.Another, yet unnamed problem near Seward. Time to train hard, enjoy the snow,  and get psyched for the coming summer.  We can hardly wait. Cheers!

Kelsey finding a killer hold on a project in Hatcher!Kelsey finding a killer hold on a project in Hatcher!

Source: AK Climber


 

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