Trip Report: Kelowna

This weekend Ben Harnden gave me a tour of the Kelowna climbing scene.  The plan was to check out the boulders in Cougar Canyon but because of crap weather Ben thought the boulders were most likely soaked.  In a quick change of plans, Ben and I headed to Skaha to meet up with Drew and Anna, from Victoria, and Marek, who is know living in Summerland.  For those who don't know Drew, he was once a power house in the Squamish climbing scene and is dubbed with the first ascent of Be on Four, one of the most intimidating highballs in the forest.

Anna and Drew.

After a tour of the new house and some friendly banter we headed out to Skaha.  On the way there it was pouring down rain and when we arrived at the new parking lot things were looking pretty grim.  The new parking lot, on the other hand, appears quite the hotspot for parking and now cuts the Skaha approach in half which is a huge plus.  I have always had a true love hate thing for the Skaha approach.  Damn those stairs and their fitness! 

Ben caught in a sea of cars.

Despite the weather, we ended up heading to the Great White Wall and found ourselves having a pretty good time. If you have never been to Skaha, it is more than a good time.  The routes here are jammed packed with good holds and always seem to get you feet thinking.  If I had the chance, I would stay here for a whole season and climb everything.  Marek and I had not been sport climbing in years, so we were sticking to the short routes and still getting pumped like crazy.  We ended up climbing most of the afternoon until Marek went down after a rogue boulder busted up his leg.  After climbing, we all headed back to Marek's to have some sweet sweet moose stew that was brewing at home thanks to Clara.  All and all a great day!

Anna climbing on the edge of the Great White Wall.

This morning I woke up early and called Ben because I wanted to see what the bouldering scene was like around Kelowna.  Ben brought us to a place called Pebble Beach that was host to a handful of good problems situated right next to Okanagan Lake.  The place doesn't have much but some of the problems were really great.  I stuck to most of the easy stuff while Ben bounced around climbing all over.  Here are a few pictures of Ben crushing and the local art scene.  

Putting the crotch of these pants to good work on The Savage.

For those who can't see this says "BALZ". Nice!

Benny getting hippy on Skull Duggery.

That pretty much sums up the weekend.  Looks like the weather might cooperate with us for some bouldering after work on wednesday. Any takers?

Trip Report: Fountainebleau Part Two

Week two in Font started off with sunny weather and a well needed rest day.  Brent and Tim came down with the cold that Marek had the week before and everyone's skin was thinning because of all the wet weather and the sandpaper slopers.  Despite all the dirty looks from Gord, I put myself in quarantine from the rest of the group. This proved difficult while sharing a van with five guys but it had to be done.  I couldn't risk getting a cold on my vacation. However, I think Gord was secretly still licking my cutlery and spitting in my water.

Would you want this guy licking your cutlery?

After growing new skin, I thought it necessary to make another trip back to the Franchards.  TD wanted to have a couple goes on Karma and I wanted to try my luck on El Poussay and a few of the sweet problems in the back of Isatis including L'Aroche Coeur and El Poussif.   I ended up going back to Isatis two more times because of all the rad problems (and because it rained on me the first time).  I think Isatis is one of my favorite areas in Font.  It's got a great red circuit and the holds on the boulders are different than other areas.  To end our time here, we went to check out the Rainbow Rocket dyno.  This thing is huge.  No one made the catch this time around but both Peter and Neil came close.

Neil making knee bars look easy on L'Aroche Coeur

In Font, its all paparazzi and big crowds when your climbing the big stuff. Neil getting celebrity on L'Aroche Coeur

Peter standing in front of Rainbow Rocket.

Peter going cross over crazy on Rainbow Rocket.

Neil on a full stretch coming just short of the lip

TD fighting sickness to wrestle with Karma

A trip to Font would not be complete without going into Paris at least one time.  I ended up heading to Paris on a rest day with Peter and his girlfriend Veronica.  We ended up trying to get in the Louve but a lot of it was closed because of the strike so we hit up some classic tourists spots like Notre Dame and Le Sacre Coeur.  walking around the streets of Paris is pretty rad because of all the crazy styles and the cool buildings.  Parisians are pretty crazy with their styles and they certainly put North Americans to shame.  I think the trick is in a good pair of shoes and big collar jackets.  

Clean guy in the city.

So that it is for week two.  A bunch of climbing in the main areas with great temps and the sun shining down on the forest canopy.  At the end of week one I thought to myself 'Font is a little hard!" and at the end of week two I thought 'Do I even know how to climb anymore?'.  Font was handing my ass to me over and over again and despite the constant ego beatings I was loving every minute of the climbing.  This is a place where it feels absolutely wrong to have a rest day. Stay tuned for week three!

One Tree Missing?

While climbing in the forest this weekend I went up to the Thighmaster area and found that the tree separating Mosquito Incubator and the slab to its left had been pulled out by its roots and thrown about 3-4 meters away from the boulder. After surveying the damage, I stood over the tree for about ten minutes and thought to myself 'this tree was not in the way of the climb and it is not endangering the safety of other so why would someone go out of their way to pull it out of the ground?  

Now I am not delusional about the state of the tree in question. The tree itself was dead and had surely been though a lot. However, its roots remained planted in the ground and it was still standing freely in the air like many of the other trees that nobody notices in the forest. The situation itself, although not catastrophic, begs the question of this: What is our responsibility, as climbers, to leave the least amount of impact in the forest as we can? and where do we draw the line on our own actions that make an impact on the natural state of the forest that are simply not necessary?  

As a climber who regularly climbs in the forest, I am no doubt a hypocrite on this issue. I have cleaned the moss off boulders. I have trampled through the forest on unmarked trails. I have even thrown my pad down on small vegetation.  However, after putting this issue to thought, I have become much more aware of the impact the last couple of years has had on the forest. The trails are looking worn, root systems that were once buried under dirt are now exposed, and the forest generally looks like it has been through a lot.  So where does it stop?

I am of the opinion that, as climbers, we should minimize our impact as best we can while continuing to climb in the forest.  This means sticking to the main trails, stepping on rock over the roots of trees, and leaving the forest to progress as naturally as possible.  I believe that if a tree interferes with a specific line, then the line should be kept closed until that tree is no longer standing.  If a tree dies, but continues to stand, then it should be left to fall naturally unless it is endangering the safety of the trails.  

Bottom line is that the forest is a public space.  The decisions that we make in the forest affect others and if a decision is to be made to change the natural state of the forest, at the very least it is important to know what others think. So what is the public opinion out there?  What is the general consensus on making an impact on the forest?  Is it okay to knock down free standing trees that are dead or dying? Should boulders be kept closed because of pre-existing trees? What about the removal of rocks from specific lines? What about built up landings?  All of these issues have come about at one time or another so here it is.  Where do you stand?  

Ben and The New Silent Menace

Yesterday I was fooling around on the internet and I came across this photo of Ben Harnden climbing The Silent Menace, a route in the Grand Wall Boulders first bolted by Jim Sanford and then first climbed, I think, by either Sonnie Trotter or Jordan Wright. The line starts by the climber jumping a gap to a huge jug that hangs midway on a blank face to start the climb. Two summers this hold was mysteriously found at the bottom of the climb with no explanation of who pulled it off or how it came down. A few weeks passed and Matt Lucas found a video of someone climbing this line on the internet. I have posted this video so you can check it out. You got to imagine that a number of people have started this climb without clipping the first bolt on the wall before jumping!

Anyways...to make a long story short, Ben Harnden was really close to climbing The Silent Menace when the hold was ripped off. Ben had found a way to traverse in from the left instead of jumping the huge gap and when finding out that the hold was gone he was pretty bummed that he would finish his project that summer. Now for those of you who know Ben, he is made of steal. No one can stop this guy and especially not a big hold ripping off the wall! With a whole lot of determination, Ben started back on his project the next summer to find a sequence on very small crimps that now were in place of the huge jug. Two summers later, Ben got the first ascent of The New Silent Menace (This is actually not the new name of the climb but I think Ben gave it a super weird name that I think everyone has forgottten). Nice one Ben!

Trip Report: Fountainebleau Part One

Got back from Font a couple days ago. In a word, the trip was awesome. Last night I made Matt sit through all 581 photos and I am going to try and post the best photos here for people to see. If you have never been to Font, without a doubt you should make it you next destination for climbing. It is a place of epic proportions and could take a lifetime to explore. Anyways...here is the spray down.
WEEK ONE

Arriving at the Fontainbleau-Avon train station, I was greeted by a downpour of rain and four guys crammed into a small van that smelt like french cheese and peanuts. I had been traveling for for almost 14 hours and was feeling pretty tired but couldn't shake that 'first day of the trip' anxiousness to get on the rock. I piled my stuff into the van with TD, Brent, and Dan (from New Brunswick) to go to visit Merrick who had rented a hotel room. I guess he had been hit with the flu and everyone thought it a good idea to hang out with him in a windowless room and all drink from the same cup and share spoons together. Man down! And more to come!


Waking up the second day, I was psyched to get on the rock but it had been raining all night and I was starting to worry that we would never get to climb. Gord joined us after hanging out in Paris for a couple days and we were off to Cul de Chien , a small but quick drying area in the Trois Pignons. When we got there, the sun had already come out and everything was drying quickly. Cul de Chien is basically a huge sandbox in the middle of the forest with a couple of stand out problems that beg to be climbed. Needless to say I was relieved to finally feel some of that Font sloper magic.

Dan giving it a college try on Le Toit de Cul de Chien.

Your man trying to figure out the toe hooks on Eclipse.

Gord in the ejector seat on Le Toit de Cul de Chien.

Third day the rain began pouring down in my tent early in the morning. Everyone piled into the van around 1030 am to go and hang out at the Carrefour. For those of you have never experienced the 'Carrefour magic', it is basically the french answer to Walmart except that it is bigger and has all the french food one could handle. The boys had discovered Streetfighter 5 the previous day and had organized an all day tournement to keep us busy while it poured outside. Picture 7 grown men wearing dirty clothes buying nothing while huddled around a demo machine playing video games while the staff watch from a distance for any unussual behaviour.

Brent playing the parking lot blues at the Carrefour.

At this point in the week, I was worried that I would never see dry rock again and had vowed that every day the sun returned I would be climbing. At this point in the trip, we were joined by Neil (from Whales) and his band of friends along with Peter Michaux from Victoria. We spent the next two days visiting two classic areas: Bas Cuvier and Roche aux Sabots. Bas Cuvier is the birthplace of bouldering and is probably twice the size of the grand wall boulders in Squamish. It is home to a condensed area of classic problems and the options feel endless. It is also home to some of the most polished footholds in Font. To top it off, if you stay past dark you better keep your wits about you because it is the the biggest 'gay man' meeting place on the A6 highway to Paris. A little piece of advice, be careful when walking around the parking lot or you might step on the unthinkable.

Dan losing some serious skin on Areodynamique.

TD trying to find balance on an unknown arete problem next to Duroxamanie.

Niel putting the power on Big Boss.

Roche aux Sabot is another area in the Trois Pignon and is home to what I would describe as the best blue and red circuit in Font. All of the problems are super fun and you can fit in 30 to 40 problems in one day with each problem feeling better than the next. To top it off, this area is filled with a few highballs and a dyno in the middle that looks very promising. This is one area that you don't want to miss if you ever find yourself in Font. It is also a good day 2 area because of all the top quality easy to mid range problems.

Gord getting Jersey on Smash.

I finished off the last day of the week with a trip to the Franchard Isatis area. This is one of my favorite areas in Font because it is set in a beautiful forest with little sand and is home to a number of three star problems. The photos here come from a rest day I took when other people were climbing. This is a rad problem in the back of Isatis called El Poussay. So much for perfect friction. Out of all the talented individuals who were trying it here, I think only Peter came away with a send. These slopers are slopey!

Merrick fighting back for friction.

Someone has got a bad case of sloper heaven on El Poussay.

Peter putting that sunshine to good work on El Poussay.

Well that is it for part one. Stay tuned for part two. More photos to come!!!

Happy Birthday Matt!!

Yesterday marked the 32nd birthday of our dear friend and squamish legend Matt Lucas. Festivities began with the drinking of beer followed by the eating of a mountain cake, ending quickly with the young cries of a baby. Happy Birthday big guy! Welcome to growing up!

On a quick side note, this will be my last posting before I leave for Fontainebleau, France to meet up with TD, Brent, Gord, and Peter. I will try to keep up my posts while I am there if those damn q keyboards don't piss me off. Until next time...

Does this guy look happy or what? Mountain Cake anyone?

Matt Lucas...a magnet for asian babies.

Introducing legend in the making Cameron Chung.

The Battle of the Berrics Final

For those of you who have been following the Battle of the Berrics, the final matches have been or will soon be posted on the berrics website. This is a must see!! Some of the tricks in these final matches are absolutely sick!