More Granite

The push for new granite routes in the Lower Canyon continues at a steady rate.  My efforts have been generally concentrated on the Single Malt Wall and the nearby Riverside Wall.  I was itching to move on from the Single Malt Wall to other locales but there was one line that I had been eying during the development of nearly a dozen other routes nearby.  A steep although short fissure splitting the upper wall was an obvious line that I had rappelled over or gawked at while installing other routes.  The problem was I could never touch it because I was always swinging out away from the wall by the time I got a look at it.   I brought gear and bolts for a recon and as is usually the case, this was a future sport route, not a trad or mixed route.  This route takes off from the ledge accessed by La Phroaig .11a, Stranahans .12c, Oban .12b and Glen Morangie .10a so you have your choice of first pitches.  It lies directly above Stranahans so it received the name of Stranahans exclusive once-a-year second casking 'Snowflake'.  Short and wickedly pumpy because of its steepness this little devil checked in at a conservative .12b.  I think climbers would love this route and it would become popular if it started from the ground but as a 2nd pitch route, it probably won't get climbed very often.

A frequent climbing partner, Bryant Hall expressed an interest in bolting and I suggested we update aging hardware on a sorely neglected route at the Island as a way to instruct on the finer points of route equipping.  My good friend, the late Bobby Model, put up Wild Thing .10d in the mid 1990's.  This route has taunted climbers with the threat of a crazy swinging fall from the crux mantle for two decades now and many have walked away with bruised and banged up knees and elbows.  Often after flailing and failing repeatedly climbers will sneak to the right and climb an easier albeit looser option far from the bolt to the right.  I watched it too many times over the years and talked with Bobby before he died about the possibility of splitting this line into two different routes.  He agreed it was an issue but sadly we never got to act on the project before he left us.

The day we chose to attack this project, Bryant led the route and I watched the scenario unfold as I had seen so many times before, a swinging, spinning fall punctuated by doubt and an escape to the right for a scary adventure.  As he shakily scrambled onto the ledge and relative safety, I explained this is what we were here to fix, that and 20 year old rusted hardware.  He then continued up through grass and dirt to the larger ledge and the old chains on the back wall to fix a static line for us.  We each took a side and were able to install two sets of new chains and separate bolt lines preserving but separating the two different experiences, each now well protected with shiny new bolts.  A thorough scrubbing and a new start for each finish produced Mild Thing .9 and Wild Thing .10c, both of which get climbed and enjoyed often now.

As the section of the River Side Wall under the giant chockstone becomes more dense with routes, it will most likely garner its own name differentiating it from the routes around the corner, above the road and closer to the river.  For now its still part of the RSW and has seen the most action this year so far.  I tackled a blank section with a steep red shield at the far left side of the wall near the road to create The Dog Soldier .13a/b.  I have been staring at this piece of wall for a long time trying to decide if it had enough climbable features and wondering how to get over and down to it from above.    In the end it wasn't as bad as thought it would be save for a logistical error caused by bringing a second rope that was too short.  I managed to come up with a solution and cleaned up this wandering little beast.  After getting stymied by the crux on my first try and tugging past it on the quickdraw, I pulled off a seat of my pants ascent on my second go.

Working through the cruxy section on The Dog Soldier 5.13a/b

Winter Ramos strolled back through town and was interested in checking out the new additions to the canyon along with sending an unfinished project he bolted last year.  We teamed up for 3 days  of climbing and enjoyed a day over in Ten Sleep at the Octagon where we sampled new routes and I was able to flash my first ever .13a, Duke Roofus.  With a good day under our harnesses, we headed back to Cody to try Winters route Craggenmore at the Single Malt Wall.  He rapped in and pre hung the draws to protect a hard clip at the crux.  After a valiant fight he still didn't have a solution for the vicious sloper move, he lowered down and handed me the sharp end.  I was a bit intimidated but eager to try hard, I somehow managed to stick to the slopey rail and climb on to the chains.  Craggenmore .12c is situated above the road starting on a dangerously slanted shelf and though it is weird to get to, it is totally worth the effort.  Our 3rd day found us fighting wind at the Brown Wall where we climbed the long and brilliant Golden Gate .11a, Foxy Brown .12b, I Speak Jive .11b and The Bolus .11b.  I was eager to try the extension on the Bolus as I had tried once last year and realized I needed to scrub it more. After a spirited scrubba-dub last Fall it felt crisp and sticky today and I fired it on my first go. Lower angle but cryptic and powerful, I felt like this short section merits .13a. 

Unfinished routes bug me, especially half finished routes or routes with no ending or poor cleaning jobs.  Right in the middle of all the new routes on the River Side Wall was a nearly 25 year old route, started but never finished, literally 4 bolts to nowhere.  A climber/river guide by the name of Marty lived in Cody in the early 90's for a summer.  He aided his way up the wall leaving bolts/hangers, machine bolts threaded into drilled holes and even a copperhead/mashie and ultimately a steel quick link bail biner. There it sat for 20+ years, I had climbed up the large coffin shaped feature to the quick link before so I knew that part worked.  I rapped in and cleaned 50 more feet above, installing chains and 6 more bolts.  I found great rock and more fun climbing, and dubbed it Marty's Coffin .11c.

Summer at the 6

I ran into two old friends in Ten Sleep the weekend before last.  BJ Tilden and Kyle Elmquist were on a quest to send some of the harder lines the canyon has to offer.  They asked me to come along with them and their friend Tom and we had a great day at the Superratic and French Cattle Ranch.  They were resting the following day so I talked them into hiking in to see a new crag I have been working on, Crag 6.  I convinced them to bring harnesses to belay me but couldn't get them to bring their shoes, it was their rest day after all and bringing a pair of shoes usually means you will climb.

I have spent two seasons putting routes in at this remote crag and like so many random crags dotting the vast Big Horn Mountains, this one is a real gem.  Needless to say I was eager to show off my find and try to send something.  There are nearly 20 routes there now and with some 10's from Charlie K, some 11s and 12s from JB to compliment the 13s I installed, we now have a crag stacked with three star climbs.  I was asked to keep this crag a secret even though I stumbled upon it first and started the process of development.  I agreed and we laid down some ground rules, 'no topos and no directions posted on the internet', though bringing friends in for a day of climbing was allowed.

Many of the routes I put up are very hard for me and I knew they would each take serious effort for me to ever be able to redpoint.  Consequently I have given several away and was psyched to see the rest sent as well.  When I finish a new route, I always climb it to see what its like and then determine if I am ready to start projecting it or move on.  Crag 6 has two premier walls, one really long with endurance related routes and a shorter wall with bouldery routes.  I chose a route on each wall to save for myself.  BJ and Kyle were very impressed with all the routes and decided to come back the following weekend.

Our crew consisted of myself, BJ, Kyle and his lady friend Julie. In addition, Casper sent along two envoys, Micah and Eric to round us out at 6.  After warming up on the incredible long 5.11s, the Casper guys set to work on Special Delivery .12c, an enduro steep arete on the far right side of the Rap Stars Wall.

Micah Rush on Special Delivery .12c

BJ onsighted and Kyle flashed the long brilliant Deez Nutz .13a for seemingly a second warmup. Then Kyle, BJ and I went to work on some of the shorter bouldery routes.  I sent Bo Cleevil .13b for the FA on my second try of the day after climbing through the hard stuff and bungling an easy move up high on first go.  BJ went right to work on the steep blunt arete and after a quick recon sent it on his second try,  he dubbed it Godfather FUZ .13c.  He then went on to flash Bo Cleevil and its sister route High Park Rodeo .13b for the FA.

Kyle Elmquist on Bo Cleevil .13b

BJ Tilden getting the FA on Godfather FUZ .13c

The second day we swapped the Casper guys for some friends from Cody, John M. and Jesse.  BJ flashed Thugagra .13b, the longest and hardest of the enduro Rap Stars routes in impressive style.  He then went on to dissect the Girl Next Door .13c for its second ascent and strung its start into Godfathers finish to create the linkup Girl FUZ .13d.  Kyle and I floundered about on High Park and Bo Cleevil and at the end of the day when we were all thrashed from a weekend of tugging on small pockets, I went to hang draws on Holla, a long pumpy .13-. This being the last unsent route and my next project, I wanted to equip it so I could try it next time I was there.

It never fails to surprise me how I can sometimes perform my best at the end of several days on and this was no different.  I guess it was low expectations for that particular try, I made it through the crux down low and felt good moving through the bigger moves in the middle.  I kept finding the best jugs to rest on and as the route tipped back and the moves and holds got bigger, I just kept going.  I only became nervous about 10 feet from the anchor when I realized I might just pull it off.  I don't normally celebrate when I clip the chains but I couldn't help letting out a "HOLLA!" that echoed across the empty meadows down below.

My cohort in development of this crag JB Haab has always been diligent about enjoying a cold beer directly upon reaching the truck after a long day at the 6.  Having absorbed this lesson well, those beers felt as good going down as they did on my swollen finger tips.  

 Homeboys and girl grinning ear to ear after a great day at the 6.

I went back the following day and bolted another line and started in on a second one.

Cody Granite in the Winter?

A very warm January and February saw a flurry of activity on the granite walls of the lower canyon in Cody.  My friend Jason and I were enjoying some fine Scotch whisky one evening the first week of January and he mentioned he was going to try bolting the following day.  I chuckled at first, then immediately checked a weather app and realized mid 40s could be reasonably comfortable for bolting.  That spark set off a little over a month of Jason and I equipping 10 new routes and climbing or trying nearly all of them in unseasonably warm winter conditions.

The Single Malt Wall had a half finished route I had started last Fall, so that is where my 2015 bolting season began.  That line became Single Track, named after our fantastic spirit distilled right here in good 'ol Cody Wyoming by Dr. (and former climber) Tom Pettinger. A goofy line, in my opinion, that rambles up a vertical wall passing through a roof and finishing on a steep shield with a bouldery mantle of a top out.  I honestly wasn't that excited about the route, but everyone that has climbed it has really enjoyed it, including my wife who is a harsh critic of granite sport routes, her least favorite medium for rope climbing.

Jason Litton reaching for the 'bread loaf' coming through the roof on Single Track .10d.

Photo: Christian Baumeister

Meanwhile, Jason began bolting a meandering line just left of Pug Mahone .12a, coming through a large blocky roof and finishing up a beautiful headwall of red stone.  We stopped to look at it one day as we approached other climbs.  As we stared at it it became clear that we were looking at two different lines, he returned a few days later to split them into their respective individual lines.  The Last Pale Light in the West .12c and The Judge .13a/b? turned out to be really amazing lines.  I have yet to try either but am stoked to put some time in when the cold weather subsides.

Kevin Wilkinson grapples with The Judge .13a/b?

Seen here with a knee bar and shoulder scum, this thing looks physical!

Last Fall while warming up on LaPhroaig .11a at The Single Malt Wall, Dan Miller asked why I hadn't put a line up the blunt arete in the center of the formation. 'It looks like a killer dyno might be the final move!" he said.  I have to admit I had been wondering as well what sort of climb might materialize there.  After swinging himself over and confirming there was a decent hold to jump from, he planted the seed that would become Stranahans .12c.  Meg and I toured the Stranahans distillery in Colorado last Fall when we were in Denver to see the Black Keys in concert at the Pepsi Center.  A delicious and somewhat sweet grain distillation, I'd swear it was partially a bourbon.

Jason Litton going for it on Stranahans .12c.

Jason was keen to install a line to the right of The Art of War .12c and had mentioned it often over the past couple seasons. The rock turns bright red for a steep stretch before graying out and entering rounded runnels.  It was an obvious line and after I installed Slapping the Fridge, a .12a a little further right last Spring, I told him he had better get after it cause the clock was ticking. He took the bait and put up Phoenix .12b, a truly inspiring long line.  I wish I had a photo for that one.

Stranahans allowed me to glimpse at the features just to its right and I realized another cool line may exist there as well.  Three steep folds produced 3 individual boulder problems that seem like V1, V3 and V5 with great rests in between. A bouldery little nugget of a route The Oban .12b/c is very entertaining and now that it is cleaned and chalked well, apparently quite on-sightable.

Trying to get into position for the last bouldery section of the Oban .12b/c.

Jason made his way up the canyon a bit and tackled the back side of a steep red fin with bullet looking stone.  This was another line he had been dreaming about for a couple seasons but had failed in trying to scramble up the slabby choss pile on the front side to establish an anchor.  He decided to put his Rope Access skills to work and teach himself to aid climb, bolting as he went up.  He borrowed my brand new Climb Tech RB and though he was successful in his task, manage to mangle the RB in the process.  Oh well, all in the name of progress, he got two new routes out of that endeavor. The Red Baron .10+/.11- and The Red Right Hand .12a are supposedly of high quality though I haven't been able to try them yet.

There is a wall directly across the river from Single Malt Wall that has been calling out to me for years now.  I knew people had been over there to climb the path of least resistance cracks as evidenced by a blue sling on the lower plug of rock.  I also knew that Nick G. and his brother had climbed and summited the much taller upper section of the formation via a wide crack/chimney system. I was interested in the plumb line up the steeper left face starting right off the river rocks.  What I didn't know was how to get to the base of this wall as it appeared to be rim-rocked.  Last Fall on my birthday, I was in the area trying to send a new route and wandered toward the cliff while resting between burns on the project. I found a passable ledge system and with a few 5th class scrambling moves I was deposited at the base of the wall where I gazed up at this gorgeous possible line.

Straight up the center of this face to finish by climbing the rounded seam in the little white streak.

Oh my!

The rappel in from the top of the cliff was way longer than I anticipated.  My 75 meter static line got me to where I needed to be with 4 feet of rope left. This line has all the colors Cody granite offers, black, brown, pink, white, all the shades of grey and a full spectrum of licheny greens. Now it is bolted and cleaned, I even hiked the gas powered back pack blower over there to blow the dust and dirt off the larger ledges.  This is going to be a super route!

Unfortunately winter has returned, temporarily.  Can't wait to try it out!

Summer in Tensleep and other Wyoming Happenings

Yada yada Tensleep this...  Yada yada Tensleep that.
Bolted some new stuff.  Helped open another new Crag.  Climbed a bunch of amazing routes.
I've got zero pics or footage.

Here's something different.  Some folks over in Western Wyoming are working on a new multipitch line on overhanging limestone.  While the line doesn't look to be done yet, they have leaked out some footage of their project.  Check it out:


Pilgrimage to the Sun - 5.11+ from ClimbingWyoming.com on Vimeo.

Some Local Flavor

Western Gold was released yesterday and based on reviews that are trickling in it sounds like Alex Savage has done it again. Myself and several other Cody residents were psyched he chose to spend some time here last Fall to check Cody bouldering out, as he turned out to be a really nice guy.  It wasn't initially in his plan to visit Cody but a changes in plans and an open schedule found him touring around some of our favorite spots. Marc spent the most time hosting Alex and now finds himself in the video and representing on the front cover. Nice Work! Can't wait to see the video. You can order it as an HD download to watch immediately or buy a DVD Copy. Im waiting for a real Copy to show up at my doorstep.

Some Sending

I finally sent something new! McClelland Strong is the first route I bolted on the Single Malt Wall. In fact I started bolting other routes just to have some warm ups for this beast. This climb is demanding from the moment you step off the ground and doesnt let up till your clipping the anchor. It has very atypical moves on pinches, slopers and underclings with some optional knee bars. Initially, this climb felt like it would be impossible to sew together and the pump was throttling me under the roof. Once I had my sequences figured out though I was able to climb smoother and more efficiently allowing me to get to the lip fresher. Last season I made it out the roof but blew it higher up near the anchor. Today I just went for it and it felt great. This may be the hardest route in Cody now at 5.13b. Real cutting edge.... Yes, we are still in the stone age in terms of grades in Cody

The weather has been perfect for the new granite routes down by the river, with multiple days in the 50's and 60's. Last weekend, I finished bolting the arete at the right side of the Dragons Den. This was one of two I started last fall, I put three days in and was close to finishing but the winter weather shut me down. A long and winding route, this one starts right of Labor of Hate on the steepness and goes up and right to the arete finishing up the vert wall to the top of the cliff. I am syked to begin working on it, the initial boulder problem looks desperate. The route is long and though the rest will be cool, the crux will surely be the start.

More routes planned for the Lower Granite and the Island.

Getting out and on a rope. Finally!

After several months of flux, winter blahs, job changes, etc., a real climbing day materialized. I rallied the troops for a blast over to Tensleep for a wintery visit to the Octagon.

A fresh blanket of 8 to 10 inches had fallen making the hike in more interesting to say the least.

The river crossing is always a heads up affair but on slippery logs and planks covered with snow, even more so.

After crawling up the braided hand line we were rewarded with our first peek at the cave.

I have been here a dozen times over the the past year in every season and its always climbable. Its perfectly situated so it catches sun all day in the winter and shade throughout the warmer months.

We hopped on The Dean Of Mean .12d as our warm up. This was a climb I did last season after what seemed like way too many tries. I thought I would do it on my second go like so many of the steep and pumpy climbs in this cave but after several visits and many attempts I was still failing at the top after a lengthy rest. Its so juggy and flows really well and really is one of the easier climbs in the cave so I was psyched to dispatch it today as a warmup and get on with the next step, Fight of the Night .13a.

Starting out on FOTN
Thanks Marc for snapping these pics
A nearly horizontal girdle traverse brings you out of the back of the cave to join Dean of Mean.

This has been my high point for several tries. From here there is only about 8 more feet to the rest, then the redpoint crux of Dean of Mean.

Marc was with me last fall on a visit and was quite taken with Baby Face Assassin, a short .13a.

This climb is more Tensleep-ish than anything else in this cave. It comes up the back wall at a consistent 15 or 20 degree overhang and has small and medium sized crimps the whole way. Its kind of bouldery and suits Marcs style and strengths well, plus its super fun! It also has a 60+ foot extension called Soul Assassin that goes out the horizontal roof and up the headwall at .14b.

Marc starting up BFA

Approaching the crux.

All in all a great day, though no one really had much sending success. Its still early in the season and on the way home, we all talked of returning in a few weeks for more full body thrashing after some more gym training. Can't wait!!

More New Granite Routes

The new SDS drill bits for drilling 'harder' material seem to work very well in the Cody granite. Inspired by easy pickens, I decided to re-equip an old route from the early 90's. A strange tale this one, it was there in 1993 when I first started climbing and then it wasn't. Without going into too much detail, the route was stripped by the first ascentionist due to questionable rock quality. I have seen (and climbed on) some pretty good routes put in on some pretty shady choss over the years, so I figured stringing a rope into the existing anchor and having a look for myself wasn't such a bad idea. I took the drill for this little recon, of course, and in about 3 hours had equipped and cleaned the longest line at the Island. The top was really good reddish granite which is always quite solid and featured. The bottom third however, was black basalt which is always blocky and hollow. I pried off the offending hollowness and scrubbed the solid core rock to produce an awesome moderate. Big Ben .10d is 10 clips and 95 feet long.

I was lured back to the Single Malt Wall for another slam dunk quick and easy moderate between the Bowmore and the Angels Share roof. I knew the line was there but just needed to look at it up close. It is essentially a second pitch to Glen Morangie or an alternate finish to The Bowmore and goes at .10/+. I called it The Ardbeg which is one of my all-time favorite Islay Single Malts. I climbed it as one long pitch from the Bowmore beginning without too much rope drag and tried to do the same beginning on Glen Morangie but the rope was quite heavy by the end. It is probably better to do it as two pitches when starting on Glen Morangie.

Getting two long but easy routes in made me long for some suffering. No not really. Though many of the lines I want to do in the Lower Canyon require a ground up approach and that is a LOT more work and a very slow process. I launched up onto a short angular fin on the left wall under the big chockstone and was excited to find great slopers and pinches. The route took two sessions to completely equip and clean and produced a unique compression style climb that finishes in a chimney. Climbing it was more difficult than I expected but boiled down to one stopper move on a terrible slopey pinch. I managed to send it on my third try and realized that although it is good engaging climbing the whole way, it really was only the one hard move. The Art of War .11d is a very cool and different route that may or may not be graded right. Its kinda steep and somewhat slopey with an awkward finish curling into the chimney to clip the anchor. Marc and Jason were with me the day I sent it, but I couldn't convince either of them to try it, I think they were a bit intimidated.

I Do Boulder, Sometimes

Yes I finally went bouldering on Tuesday evening. We had a pretty good crew too. Members of team FOCM were present and fun was had. The posse warmed up on the Cheese boulder and then moved to the Ripper Boulder to work out the cryptic sequence enabling a clean (dabless) ascent of the Ripper Extension V8. Kerrek Stinson joined us halfway through the process and showed us how it was done. His pants dabbed on the first try and he was called out by the raucous and unforgiving crowd. He rested and casually sent it again which worked for me, allowing me to shoot it twice.

Kerrek Stinson on The Ripper Extension V8 from Mike Snyder on Vimeo.

We also visited the 80 foot long traverse on the West Face of the Symmetry Boulder. This awesome V1 'route' never disappoints. Lastly we ventured up to the Eternal Gardener Boulder which no one seems to know about as it was developed shortly after the guide came out. The fantastic problems Eternal Gardener V5 and Brilliant V6 were savored by all as the sun set on us briefly illuminating the red sandstone pocked by white chalk trails.

About the time my heart got racing for the brilliance that is Cody Bouldering, I went back to the Octagon in Ten Sleep. I can't believe how much fun those climbs are! I nearly flashed Kevin's new addition on the left side of the Cave called Vanilla Gorilla 12b/c, succeeding on my second try. It is the start of the Mexicutioner 5.13? which travels over 100 feet to the top anchors. I also fell going to the jug to clip the anchors on my second try of Baby Face Assassin 13a. I decided to continue out the horizontal roof to check out Soul Assassin 14b which adds 8 or 9 more clips of insanity to BFA. I belayed Kevin twice on his 5.14 project The Thrashing Machine. At 18 clips going out a nearly horizontal roof, it is one of the craziest routes I've ever seen, though one of many similar creations in this cave.

Can't wait to get back there for more. I climbed at The Octagon in February and March and now September and have always found tolerable if not ideal conditions. Summer is a little warm though the cave gets shade most of the day. Winter is cold but the sun shines in nearly all day long. What more could you ask for?

Tired Now

My last post alluded to the number 20. I didn't really define it though it has been a goal of mine this year. In 2010 I equipped eleven new sport routes and managed to climb nine of them, all were located at the new crag in Ten Sleep called Downtown. I put in my first sport climb in 1994 in Cody and have managed to bolt at least one line each year since with the most in one season being nine. 2010 was very productive and I hoped to be able to eclipse that number this year. After hitting eleven I set a goal of twenty and though I just finished number twenty there is one route along the way that isn't finished yet.

The trip to Cayman Brac early in the year got things rolling with three routes. Nameology 10c, Hindenbergs Harmonica 12b, and Cayman Nights 12c all turned out great. When I got home I realized that on sunny Winter/Spring days the granite in the lower canyon caught enough sun to afford comfortable development of some warmup routes. I slowly worked my way through three more new lines one of which is two short pitches separated by a ledge. The Single Malt Wall now has LaPhroaig 11a, Glenmorangie 10b, The Angels Share 12d and The Bowmore 10c. With seven pitches under my belt before the snow melted in Ten Sleep I was fired up.

The upper canyon in Tensleep is usually too cold or snowy in the Spring and May and June can even be somewhat in-climate. I picked a long line in the lower part of the canyon to equip at Drywall. It turned out quite well but I only tried it once before it got too hot and I haven't been back to finish it off yet. A line in Cody called out and having just finished going ground up at the Drywall, I set off on another ground up push on the harder and more secure granite (a ripped RB and 15 foot aid fall made me rethink aiding the soft Dolomite). Eight and nine were finished though neither has been redpointed yet.

My attention focused back on Downtown and I decided I needed to finish equipping the shallow cave like feature at the left side of this area we had dubbed the John Henry Grotto. I added Easy Wind, Shagadelic, Shake and Bake and extended Charlies route Shaggy's Marijuana Flag. These routes are all 5.13's, I was able to climb only Shagadelic 13a and the Shaggy extension 12?, the others are beyond my ability right now. Ten through thirteen done.

After a break of a couple weeks I installed Electric Jesus on the far left side of the cave. The only line left to finish there goes up just to the right of EJ and should continue out the second tier roof. I bolted half of it but I'm not sure the lower half goes so I'm leaving it for someone with the proper vision to complete it. Number fourteen, Electric Jesus on the other hand turned out brilliantly, short steep and powerful with the hardest bit at the end. I think I can send it though I will need top fitness and a little luck. I thought it would be 12+, but I realize now after a few attempts, its probably more like 5.13b or c.

The injury sidelined climbing for a while but I continued bolting. Fifteen, Sixteen and Seventeen at Downtown went in between the Coolsville and John Henry walls. These long lines produced excellent 5.12's and as my abs healed I was able to tick off Red Neck Super hero 12c, Robot Steamroller 12b, and Super 8 12a. Line eighteen back in Cody on the granite has been started but isn't finished yet. Its another ground up affair and requires new drill bits before I can finish it. The Chill Arete 11c, was a quickie and used some existing anchors. Its a cryptic little granite beast that I hope to send again with improved style and maybe some better beta.

Number twenty went in last week at the French Cattle Ranch in Ten Sleep. I have been staring at this line since my first visit there in 2000 before there were any bolts. It climbs the left side of the Matrix pillar and though its short (only six clips) its pretty hard. It climbs great stone and is steeper than it looks. It seemed reasonable my first attempt, falling my way up the thing learning its secrets. It felt much harder on my second attempt, gunning for a redpoint. I squeaked the send on the third try and though it is short it packed quite a punch. I called it I Know Kung Fu and slash graded it at 12c/d. I tried to compare it to other climbs nearby that I have done. It felt slightly harder than the sandbagged Hot Dog 12b and Kielbasa 12c yet easier than Esplanada 12d. I made a placard for the base of the climb since a new guidebook may not be around for several years and Aaron Hueys lines are drawn in the wrong place for the other routes on the pillar. I liked this line a lot though I think it will torture future ascentionists because it is tricky, reachy and has a few small holds.

Hammering Toward Twenty

A month has passed and my midsection is almost healed. I couldn't stay away for too long and of course gingerly prodded my way back in earlier than I should have. Initially I convinced myself that top roping wasn't such a bad idea and 5.11 or under was okay. As long as my core never became suddenly engaged things would be fine, so I stayed on my feet, with nothing dynamic and no campus type moves. Not too long later I convinced myself that bolting would also be fine because I generally go top down and use a wooden bosin chair for cushy comfort. And so it went.

Fortunately, none of this obvious tomfoolery has blown up in my face yet.

The two new routes at Downtown needed a final scrubbing and blowing and of course some attempts. After futzing around on the fixed line with the back pack leaf blower, crowbar and scrub brushes they were ready to be climbed. I liked what I had created but was apprehensive about the lower angle rambly beginning sections leading to the money climbing going out the bulge section at the end. I rallied Marc and we headed up to try 'em out. I was most excited for the left route and after a quick warmup I hopped right on it. The bottom section has great flow and deposits you into a tricky small pocket crux with thin feet at the base of the bulge before the holds get big and the angle steepens. All goes well for a couple clips and the holds start getting smaller as you get more pumped, with tiny crimps guarding the last clip. I knew it was coming but second guessed my ability to step up and just grabbed the draw. Once I had the quickdraws hanging, Redneck Superhero .12c went down on the 2nd go.

The one just to the right also has easy rambling terrain leading to 5 clips on steep rock going out the bulge. It too has the hardest bit right at the end. Having moved the clips over on the way down RSH, I managed to fight through this one for the flash. My nine year old came up with and insisted on the name Robot Steamroller .12b. Marc and I were so enthralled with the quality of the rock and movement on these two routes we started envisioning more routes on the formation. We decided there could be as many as six or seven lines but maybe only one more route out the bulge.

The following week I set to work on what would become Super 8 .12a, just right of the other two. This one takes a direct line up the massive flake following its left side towards the top to reach the bulge. Though it may be the steepest part of the belly it is on it for the shortest time with, you guessed it! A crux at the end. This time its a long reach, with a cryptic series of hand changes to make the finish go smooth. All three of these routes are very fun with incredible movement through out and I would recommend them as warmups for the tough stuff to the left or as can't be missed ticks for the 5.12 leader.

This past holiday weekend Marc and my family met up with JB, Sara and CK for some pocket pullin at Downtown, The Ice Plant, Wall of Denial and Valhalla. I was psyched to climb JB's last new route this year Vulcan Jezzerie .12a at Downtown. It is a long vertical affair with some small positive holds and a few monos along the way. The next day we ticked a few pitches at the Ice Plant and went over to try Charlies' new route Zombie Leprechauns. This brilliant .12a just left of Insane Hound Posse at Denial was the hit of the day and everyone in our Micro-posse tried or ticked it. Monday we trucked on up to Valhalla so Marc could try Killer Karma .11d and I could give Aaron Huey's Succubus On Top a go. Aaron gave it 5.12 in the guide though I'm not sure he climbed it and its not really that much harder than KK. I hung draws on each route while Marc absorbed beta and easily dispatched both of these roof routes first go. This type of climbing is what we have been training indoors for 15 years so its hard to tell what the grades should be. Nevertheless, Succubus is another fine addition to the Oblivion Wall.

Jason has had quite the sport climbing bug this summer. He has steadily worked his way through almost everything at The Island in Cody. Marc and I took him down to the new Single Malt Wall on the old road near the river to climb the new granite sport routes I put in this Spring. He was pretty psyched and easily onsighted or flashed each of the climbs. Marc and I were salivating to try the route 100 yards back up river that climbs through the giant black basalt inclusions at the start of the route. I bolted this thing in May in the rain right before the summer heat settled in. It was at first wet and then almost immediately after, too hot to pull on the small holds near the top. I have been patiently waiting all summer for conditions to improve, since I can't seem to drag myself out of bed at first light for the one or two hours of morning chill. Marc and I both took burns on it and we both executed all but one move, albeit we both skipped or failed on two different moves. We felt the route was probably in the 5.13- range and I would need a little tighter ab muscles and cooler conditions.

On the way out that day, Jason and Marcs' twenty-something knees blasted them up the talus, leaving the old man slowly plodding along behind. Instinctively, my head rocked back and up I stared at an over hanging arete littered with bulbous features. I have looked at this section of cliff too many times to count but now I was seeing 'the line' for the first time. In fact, I knew that there were already anchors up there from a neighboring trad line that may be in the right spot to do double duty for this potential addition. I returned a few days later and in under two hours had it bolted, cleaned and ready for action. That same night, I snared Jason after he flashed the almost 30 year old Last Freedom .11d at the Island and hustled him over the guard rail and down the talus slope to the arete. Two goes later I sent the Chill Arete .11c after offering it up to Jason upon falling twice my first try. It tricked him too but we both felt that it probably wasn't hard climbing just hard to read. It features crimps, pinches, slopers and a mantle and is steeper than it looks.

There is a section of cliff line down there I have been staring at for years now and I finally made my way across the river to look at it up close. This happened on a day when the route I was there to bolt was baking in the sun. Finding a brilliant looking wall of 15 degree overhang for 100 feet with obvious features, I shifted gears and started my way up. Six bolts up and the wall won, chewing up my last drill bit. Granite is only marginally softer than titanium and carbide tipped bits that will make hundreds of holes in dolomite succumb quickly to its will. Apparantly you can buy SDS bits for drilling in extra hard material. Hmmm... I need to place an order.

More Sleep and Some Rest

Returning from a week back East with my family to visit my folks, I surfed the interweb and found this well done video by John Dickey and Cedar Wright. This irreverent video features a route I bolted last year at the new 'Downtown' Crag, called The Gravy Train .12b.

BD athlete Cedar Wright sport climbing in Ten Sleep, Wyoming from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

The left side of Downtown features The John Henry Grotto. I added one more short and stout line on the far left fold, it is called Electric Jesus and may check in around 12+/13-. I gave two attempts but was unsuccessful in red-pointing it. The last and maybe one of the best routes there, it features a juggy start and holds that decrease in size until you are left with crimps at the end.

Before I left on my trip, I started two more long routes on a formation between the J.H. Grotto and the Coolsville stuff. These routes ascend a lower angle section to reach a bulging feature toward the end. All of the bolts are in but more cleaning needs to be done. I hope to get back to them soon but I will have to wait for a while due to an injury sustained in a wake boarding fall. I ripped my abdomen muscle to shreds and have been advised to take some time to let them heal. Bummer!

Downtown with CK and JB

Yes indeed more routes of a variety of grades are going in Downtown. Charlie and JB installed and climbed 4 new routes on the front of the Cigar pillar, 2 - 5.10s and 2 - 5.11s. I climbed both 11s and one of the 10s the other day, all are nice additions and great warm ups for some of the harder stuff nearby. JB hooked up two longer routes left of the Coolsville stuff. He thinks one is 5.10 and the other may be 12-, though both still need to be climbed and are currently 'projects'.

My last three visits to downtown have been spent almost entirely bolting new stuff at the John Henry Cave. I have roughly 6 new lines there now depending on how you count them. The left most line is totally independent and could be the hardest at the crag with 5.12+ climbing and a hard (V8?) boulder problem at the end. Charlie has been asking me to extend Shaggy's Marijuana Flag .10d, up to the John Henry anchors. I added three bolts and basically chalked the holds and it is done, it will probably check in at 12-. There is a direct start I added as well coming up through the bulges to join the low anchor, this is called Shagadelic and seems like 13a. Of course the extension from the former route can be added to spice the ending up a bit. I also added a new 7 bolt ending to the left of Shaker which produced a 12+/13-. This ending can be linked into the Shagadelic start as well, which may or may not up the grade of that route.

All of this is finished just in time for a three day visit to the Canyon for the long weekend of the 4th. I have only tried Shagadelic as of now but I hope to finish that and several others this weekend.

Summer in Full Swing

A lot has happened in the way of climbing since my last post but yet I don't feel like I have accomplished much.

I went down to Lander for a weekend of sport climbing and their annual Beer Fest. I took the Wild Iris Climbing shop my last Cody Bouldering guidebooks and in exchange picked up the recently released Lander Area Sport Climbing Guide written by Steve Bechtel. This book is an improvement on two decades worth of guide books on Landers wealth of climbing. This one is properly descriptive and informative with color photos and not a lot of fluff. It is compact and thin belying its over 1000 climbs covering the Sinks, Wild Iris, Baldwin, Fairfield, Fossil Hill and several other smaller areas. We got in two pretty good days of climbing despite the beer drinking and debauchery sandwiched in between. My goal was to take down a Lander .13a. While I did manage to do a handful of 12's that I had never been on before, I never even got on a 13a.

I did finally try and red point the new long slab route at Drywall. I surprised myself by getting through all of the subtle crimpy trickery only to fall at the last and probably hardest and most runout portion of the climb. Theres not much quite like a 25 foot lead fall on a slab. Yee-ha!! Fortunately it was a clean fall with no injuries or even abrasions and I climbed back up and through to the anchors. Rain began and forced us running back to the car. This climb is all of the technical nightmare I knew it would be but maybe not quite as hard as I thought. I'm guessing at 12a or b, which is pretty high considering its a slab. It is quite long and though I got very pumped I hope to do it next go.

I went out with Jason for an evening of bouldering and he wanted to do the classic The Wretch V7. This is a great boulder problem located a stones throw from the parking area. Its just hard enough that warming up on it can be dangerous and trying it at the end of a day can be futile. We tried to warm up as best we could and then hopped right on it. Having worked out the bottom already Jason needed a little direction on the end. I explained my method and after two tries each we both sent it. We walked over to Caya another V6 or 7 problem and set to work on that as Jason had not sent or even tried it yet. I showed him how the sit start worked and explained the 3 different finishes. We flailed about trying the harder right finishes and eventually settled on the direct crimpy finish which is about V5 or 6. Drew joined us and showed me yet another start which seemed to be quite a bit easier yet still fun. Jason and I stuck with the original start and both finished it that way.

I returned to the Downtown Crag in Tensleep to try and finish last years unfinished business on Shaker. Young Stefan Lavender from Colorado had recently nabbed the FA and told me it was one of the best routes he has done in Tensleep. He commented that it felt hard at 13b, having recently sent The Hellion .13c, Burden of My Member .13b/c and The Incredible Horse Cock .13d. I hung the draws with some serious effort and managed to two hang it on my next go. Though not quite as strong as my efforts last year, it still seems early in the season. I left the draws on the upper headwall since it is so continuous up there.

The left side of Downtown has so much more potential for hard routes, I just had to check it out. I asked Huey if I could finish his route that he and Nick had re-conned last year and he said they had abandoned their effort. Huey thought it was too hard for him and Nick not hard enough. This is a really nice 20 degree overhung wall with smallish pockets and edges, just what I was looking for. I got most of the bolts in and much of the cleaning work done, so it could be ready after another hour or two of work. I also started bolting the upper roof and plan to link down the left bulge to create a mammoth route with two sets of anchors. This king line, if it goes like it looks, will be 110 to 120' of overhanging pockets and edges, finishing 50 feet out from where it begins. The first half will likely be 13- or harder and the second part is much steeper with better holds. The whole thing may be in the 5.14 range.

The heat has finally set in and the local granite crags are just too hot. I'll have to time a visit early or late in the day or wait for a cool day to try the two unfinished lines down there.

Bolted Cracks!?!?

We just returned from the first weekend family camping trip of the season. A familiar place to kick things off, Ten Sleep Canyon for some bolt-clippin' therapy was the ticket. The weather turned out to be perfect with 70's and 80's both days. I was psyched to get up to Dry Wall with my recently acquired 2011 Ten Sleep guide to check out an area that has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. Aaron Huey's color photos and route descriptions were spot on, despite the fact that little is known about the names of half the routes, grades and bolt counts are what I'm looking for.

I guess I have always enjoy the bolted cracks located at most areas throughout the canyon, and after a weekend of sampling these gems I'd have to say, Dry Wall has the lions share of quality bolted crack routes. Most climbers groan or even worse at the mention of such atrocities, but soft limestone and crack gear is typically a bad combination so I applaud the climbers brash enough to spit in the face of convention and equip these lines. Thank you, I had a blast climbing eleven pitches most of which were some or all crack style climbs.

I had been eyeing this 5.12 called Cheesy Livin which is a Matt Wendling route. He has quite the eye for a good line but tends to sandbag the grades, so I'm always a little wary. I finally realized toward the end of the day that what I was staring at was a crack climb of sorts, a hanging dihedral, the same kind of lines I had been stemming all day long. I went from being intimidated to feeling invited and got instantly psyched. I tried to study it and underestimated the sporty beginning missing a key pocket only to slump onto the first bolt. I pulled back on, executed the move and ended up climbing to the anchors like I was still onsighting. The climb was so good and engaging that I just gave it what I had and enjoyed the heck out of it. I got the intro sequence right the next go and sent it. I loved this route and would highly recommend it and most of the other crack lines at Dry Wall.

Speaking of the Dry Wall, I finished bolting and cleaning a route there this past week. It took three evenings over the past month. The route is located at the far left end of Drywall and it went in ground up. I wasn't sure how to get to the top to rap down, plus carrying an extra rope and all that bolting stuff when you're not sure where you're going is a little taxing for me. This will be another techy nightmare ascending 14 clips of generally vertical terrain with very few jugs and an ample amount of crimps. I wasn't really amped about it until I began cleaning and ticking it on the way down. That was when I realized just what I had created. As we like to say, "Its sooo very Tensleep". I don't think I am quite ready to tackle this beast yet, but soon enough I will be attempting to drag anyone who is willing to sample the cracks and viscous crimps this crag has to offer, out for a belay.

Media-wise no camera means not much in the way of Ten Sleep eye candy. However my little HD cam goes bouldering with me so here is something from Cody to chew on in the mean time. I had some old footage from a day last November at the Sphinx with Marc, Clint, Jason and myself. Marc had a good day this past week, snagging a couple FA's, one of which I managed to capture. I mixed the recent FA in with the footage from last Fall.

8000 Beats & Sushi from Mike Snyder on Vimeo.

Good lord, another one.

The granite walls of the lower canyon in Cody have had a strange pull on me this year. Like a junkie having found a new drug, I am pulled back again and again. Though this is a much healthier habit and has produced some pretty good additions to the canyon. I finished installing another route, this one went ground up. The recent rains had left it quite wet as I picked my way up the wall leapfrogging RB's and bolts. This was a pretty clean stretch with several different varieties of stone. Of course there was a section of the pink exfoliated potato-chippy shit and also the dark brown lichen covered stuff. The usual suspects notwithstanding, I was pleased to find a section of coarse grained grey rock with macro features and also a clean greyish-pink intro with good crimp edges punctuated by several giant inclusions of black basalt. Though I was able to clean it pretty well on the way down, I'll have to wait for it to completely dry out to go after a cruxy section that was soaking wet. I am very pleased with this new addition and I think it will be a great challenge for me to redpoint.

This is a route I have been looking at for nearly 20 years that until recently had a ancient power line strapped to the wall blocking any thought of development or ascent as a rock climb. The Bureau of Reclamation removed the old rusting cable and cut all the steel struts off with a torch a few years ago returning the wall to a more natural state. Fortunately the Bureau has always been friendly to climbers and the myriad of other user groups that visit the canyon on a daily basis. As it is, I am the only local resident interested in developing sport routes down there, so you might say I have there entire canyon to myself. I hate to say what I have planned next, not because I'm afraid someone will steal it, but more because I'm afraid I won't get around to it or it won't actually go. Suffice to say, if this next line works out I will need several sets of anchors.

I went bouldering with Dan and Clint a couple weeks ago and shot them working out Ancient Sea of Fire, a cool V5 that ascends a beautiful orange face with subtle ripples.

Ancient Sea of Fire V5 from Mike Snyder on Vimeo.

Maya and Eden's climbing video

The girls had an end of the year talent show at their elementary school. They asked me if I would make a video of them climbing on a favorite route at The Island. We spent an afternoon shooting some different angles and practicing the route. I thought we would get to go back again to shoot some more footage but the weather has just been too cold and wet. As it turns out I had enough film footage to assemble an entry for them. So here it is; Maya and Eden climbing Witch on A Broomstick 5.8 at The Island in Cody with a favorite song of theirs, Jalan Crossland (sorry I butchered your last name on the video Jalan) doing Cumberland Gap.

Maya and Eden climbing at the Island from Mike Snyder on Vimeo.

A Little of This...

Things finally came together on the wall in the lower canyon. The Single Malt Wall now has four lines with five pitches. The left most line is Laphroaig .11a. The central line first pitch is Glenmorangie .10b, it finishes on the ledge with the second roof pitch being The Ardbeg Roof .12d. Since they are only 50 feet or so each, they can be strung together with a 60 or better yet a 70 meter rope and a little rope drag. The right line up the slab is The Bowmore .10c and is 13 clips and 100' total length. The only one I haven't finished yet is the original line just to the right and up the streaked scoop. This one is called McClelland Strong and I think it is about .13b. I slid off right at the anchors last fall and hope to finish it up as soon as it dries out this year and before the heat sets in.

I met some friends today up at the Carcass Crag and got some bouldering in. We have had so much rain recently, this was the only place we could think of that might be dry enough for climbing on sandstone. Jason and I had a session at the Antelope Boulder a week ago and decided it would be cool to check out some of the sport routes in this area, specifically the two on the Visionary Boulder. So today I packed a sport rack in with my bouldering stuff and brought a short piece of rope. The route on the left is 12- and the one straight up the steep part is .13?. We set up a TR on the left one to check out the route and the integrity of the sandstone, since it had rained a lot over the past four days. Surprisingly everything seemed sturdy and solid, so after a TR burn I went for it on the sharp end. It went much easier than when I practiced it earlier on TR and seemed about 12a due to the bouldery crux right off the ground. We didn't have time or strength left to check out the harder one, but we'll be back.

Also I managed to race up to the Mondo Beyondo in Tensleep Wednesday after work and install a proper sport anchor on Momma's Mental Medication at the Slavery Wall. This little bouldery beast has gotten some serious play over the last two seasons since it went in. Since the new Guide will be arriving in stores any day now I think it will see even more traffic. My original anchor was too far left and the hook portion moved, so I abandoned it and installed a better located one a few feet to the right. The rope runs better over the lip now as well. I left the chain from the old anchor so if the route ever gets extended up and left I can use it as a perma-draw. Hope that helps improve things.

Local Projects and Octano-no

A quick update on the Octagon: the BLM has identified a potential archaeological issue presenting an access problem. Hopefully this is a temporary moratorium and will be sorted out soon. Until the situation can be resolved climbers have been asked to refrain from visiting this area.

Due to this obvious redirect, my attentions have shifted back into bolt mode on the home front. The Granite in the lower canyon has been nagging at me to establish more lines, so drill I must. I am not seeking out the fractured protectable weaknesses but the steeper face lines requiring bolt protection. I have one two pitch line which is now fully bolted and a single pitch line as well. Both climbs seem to be of good quality but are still a little dirty as this billion year old basement rock tends to be. Hopefully a final cleaning mission on each line to remove some dust and dirt and clean the exfoliated 'potato' chip sections and they'll be ready to go. Properly cleaned Cody granite routes tend to be popular as evidenced by the traffic at the Island, so I'm hoping this new crag and its lines will be well received too.

A Visit to the Octagon

With my good friends Kevin and Alli leaving for the Red River Gorge soon, I wanted to get one more visit to the Octagon in while I still had tour guides. Its amazing the amount of work Kevin puts into each one of the routes he has established there, and there are quite a few now. The cave has 7 routes now, all with fixed chain link draws. Many of these lines have multiple anchors due to length and varying difficulty. One of the newer unfinished routes is nearly 45 meters long. It has an anchor after 10 clips of 45 degree tugging, and a higher finish 10 more clips and several roofs later. These king lines will check in deep in the 5.14 range.

Fortunately for me the grades start at 12c in the cave proper and slowly work their way up granting me some possible future sends. I ticked off another Prelim Wall route, one which I had tried before on a cold day. American Psycho 12a/b, starts with a dyno and climbs gently overhung shelves to gain another dyno right at the end. It seems to be easier for taller climbers as the grips are generally widespread. I had tried two climbs in the cave on a previous visit, the Dean of Mean 12d and Mini Shark 12c, and had my sights set on the Dean for this day. Alli had sent her project Rush 13b and was checking out Mini Shark. As I sat and watched, I got so jacked to give it a whirl, I changed my plans and hopped on it. It reminded me so much of the lip traverse boulder problems we have in Cody and things went relatively smoothly. The 35 foot long Mini Shark is just a precursor to Muscle Shark 13+ and The Thrashing Machine 5.14, which look amazing!

The Dean of Mean being the real goal for the day was a struggle even though every single hold is enormous. I was spent by the time I reached the only testy move which is near the top of the climb. A half-assed jump for a slopey jug left me swinging from the end of the rope. I figured I was done and was going to call it a day when Kevin urged one more go. This time I was much more confident and felt relaxed at the top. This time I hit the big sloper all the way up to my wrist and began an agonizingly slow slide which unfortunately never stuck and after what felt like ten seconds of slipping, I was in the air again. I'll definitely try to exact some revenge next time and then move on to Fight of the Night 13a. Here is a video of Kevin running a lap on this crazy jug haul.

Fight of the Night 5.13a from Mike Snyder on Vimeo.