In the land of virgins (boulders).

More climbing, more Lucky Strike, more FAs. Does it get better than October climbing season?

 Riding the seems on "Frontier Justice" a new quality v4.

 Smokestack Lightning v2

 Smokestack Lightning

 Honky Tonk Blues v5

 The Painted Pony v6

 The Painted Pony

The best score of all has been on the Wonderland boulder. (Originally we were calling it the Mad-Hatter due to the crazy disc resting on top.) This incredible  block has already yielded two classic lines, The Mad hatter stand and Through the Looking Glass, the latter maybe the best line I've ever put up.

 Starting move of "Through the Looking Glass." v6

 The Looking Glass from another angle

 Looking Glass

 Looking Glass

 Getting into the business of "The Mad Hatter stand" v6

 Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter

Here's A short video of two of these little gems.

Tomorrow is the Butte Bouldering Bash. Here's to hoping I win some swag! Hope to see y'all out climbing!

The most gangster, moderate (low-end), climbing video in the history of suburban white-boys listening to rap.

I went out to Lucky Strike today with the intention of getting a send of the Long Knife on video. Which, it turns out, was a poor idea. The other night, Kyle (my room mate) convinced me that weighted pull ups were the best way to get really strong in hurry. ...Or the best way to feel wrecked for multiple days in a row. Instead, I made a video of an easier problem I put up a week or so ago. 

P.S. This video is worth watching again just to listen to how absurd this song is.

P.P.S. I don't drink purple drink, nor think I'm a G.

Gems.

 I've developed something of a pattern with my weekends, which generally goes like this: climb, hike, climb. This weekend was no exception. After bagging West Goat on Saturday, John David and Sarah came over from Bozeman and Missoula respectively to sample the development at Lucky Strike. ...JD takes pretty pictures.

Hiking in through the aspens. 

 Sarah so close on "The Shaft of Doom." Instant, easy classic.

 JD, defining the beta.

 She's not little.

 Continuing with the classy names, Sarah cruxing on "Browneye."

 The day ended with us cleaning up a problem I've been eyeballing for some time. Sarah attempting the newly established "Pretty Shield."

Pretty Shield from another angle. This block will hold multiple quality problems.

Getting back out for some projecting with Kyle this afternoon. ...The advantage of Butte.

Lucky Strike: more development.

Technically speaking,  Lucky Strike Canyon is a few gulches over, but the Lucky Strike boulders seemed like a fitting name considering the potential quality. In fact, much of the rock is high enough grade that much of it was quarried back in the day.  I've been returning whenever possible (only 20 minutes from my house to chalking up), and Kyle and I have been steadily cleaning and adding new problems. No better way to get back into fall climbing shape, then sprinting through the woods like an idiot, gunning for new problems. 

 Sheep Eater V4+

White girl problems V3

 Navajo high-step V2

 Perhaps the best find was The Long Knife project: a long, well attached flake, which gashes its way out of a steep corridor, and finishes with a dyno to the lip.

Kyle feeling out the rail. 

The sequence:

From another angle:

 The dyno. Aka the crux. 

A closer look at the feature. 

All the moves have been sussed and stuck, now its just a matter of linking. Hopefully there will be a video soon. 

Nuevo Boulders.

 With the temps starting to cool just slightly, returning to the batholith (specifically the higher sectors) is becoming tempting once again. My roommate / Missoulian transplant Kyle has been high on motivation for a while now, and has been crushing new problems throughout the top of the pass. Yesterday, we went to go scope a potential new zone I'd eyeballed on a trail run the week previously. In truth, I was mainly thinking this area might make a good little training circuit, but the quality and features of the rock (a rare batholith combo) have me convinced it may turnout to be the closest and quickest legit area for Buttians (All 5 climbers in town).

Kyle getting a quick FA on Old Ironsides V4. Pretty neat finish on this one. 

 Getting ready to launch on an excellent seem-to-seem dyno. 

Still a project...

Send of the day was a stellar new V6 dubbed "The Great White Buffalo." Awesome and smooth rock with a  wild double thumb-catch crux. Here is the sequence:

A look at the crux from another angle.

Expect more soon.

The Orphan Girl (a Butte gem)

I found this little beauty a while back but was never sure it was worth it to establish a problem that was completely isolated from other worthy stone. After revisiting it on a hike however I decided that is what makes this problem more compelling. Steep moves, scary top out, pretty scenery, perched high above a creek. I'm convinced its one of the better problems for its grade in the batholith, especially for the Buttian side of the pass. The stone is typical of the west side, but overall very solid, and will only get better with more climbing.

Here is a little video I made. This blog is getting classier by the day. 

Little Bavaria

Sarah decided she needed a post graduation climbing trip, and really wanted to head to the desert... which was the plan until ten minutes after we'd departed. Traveling east on I-90 I discovered that summer school started 4 days earlier than I'd thought. I quick change of plans had us turning the car around and driving to Leavenworth Wa, to boulder in the Cascades.

 The climbing surpassed all my expectations, and in my experience is the best area in the northwest. Highlight of the trip was grouping up with a cool bunch of climbers from Seattle and Bellingham who brought beta and a high level of psych.
 
Myself on the last hard move of "The Undercling."

 
Bellinghamian Taylor walking a 3star V0 padless.


 
 Sarah learning the proper technique for whale-beaching.


 
Taylor on "The Rib." Maybe my favorite v4 of all time.


 
Vineet getting ready for the crux move on The Rib.


 
Same problem different angle.


 
Runner up for best v4 of all time: "The Pocket."


 
Myself getting all types of hurt and angry on "The Hole."


 
A guidebook in hand, a Schmidt in each pocket and a puppy....


 
The Icicle River ripping...  Hopefully I'll return soon.