Sunday, January 17, 2016

My Top 15 Bouldering First Ascents of 2015

"Vortex" V3r/dws - Potter Valley/Three Rocks
"Sasquatch" V4 - Wildwood/Bridge Gulch
"Piano Man" V6/7 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"Tower Of Power" V7/8 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"Rosacrucian" V4 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"The Alchemist" V5 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"Illuminaughty" V4 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"Pyramid Arete Sit" V4 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"Heavens Gate" V3 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Canyon Trail
"Resolution Arete" V3 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Sunrise Rocks
"Sungazer" V6 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Sunrise Rocks
"Solar Wind" V4 - Sugarloaf Ridge/Sunrise Rocks
"Tall Drunk Monkey" V6 - Castle Rock/Sunnyvale Park
"Lager" V5 - The Preserve/Lumberjack Boulder
"Redemption" V4 - Pope Valley/Pope Creek

:)

Friday, January 15, 2016

Testpiece Boulder Problems + Projects at "The Loaf" Sugarloaf Ridge Park

The Top 25 Testpiece Boulder Problems + Projects at The Loaf as of January 2016:
{*= ok *****= world classic}

Testpieces:
"Pipedream Sit" V8**** unrepeated? - low sit - FA: GZ (Adobe Canyon Boulder - out of park)
"Tower Of Power" V7/8*** unrepeated? - center sit into left crimp face traverse - FA: CS
"Four Ferns" V7** lowball sit sharp right crimp - FA: GZ
"Milky Way Traverse" V7*** unrepeated? - lip traverse (not climbable ~ tree fall) - FA: CS
"Piano Man" V7**** center sit into right arete slab traverse - FA: CS
"Neptune" V6/7*** left mega sloper arete - FA: RE
"Neptune Direct" V6/7**** direct/right overhang - FA: RT
"Sungazer Sit" V6**** unrepeated? - low crimpy sit into fun stand - FA: CS
"White Fang" V6*** low sit overhang - FA: CS
"White Fang Direct" low sit overhang direct - V6*** FA: RT
"All Rise" V6*** direct face sit / no right arete - FA: AC
"Dry Hump" V6** unrepeated? - low sit short steep lip mantle - FA: CS
"Trailblazer Traverse" V6** traverse low into or out of Trailblazer - FA: CS
"Solar Wind Traverse" V6*** traverse left to right into Solar Wind - FA: CS
"Booger Eater" V6*** unrepeated? - low sit up left on back of Booger Boulder - FA: CS
"The Gypsy Traverse" V6** unrepeated? - traverse lip up right from The Gypsy - FA: CS
"Hips Don't Lie Sit" V5/6**** high face - FA: GR



Projects!?
Sungazer Boulder East Face - center left or center right!!?? 
Sunrise Rock Direct Main Face - TR or highball!? 
Sunrise Traverse - full traverse uphill / right to left!?
Tower Of Power Direct - straight up between Tower Of Power and Piano Man!?
From Dawn to Dusk - up right side of steep overhang in lower creek above waterfall!? 
Pinball Wizard - wide double arete compression highball in upper creek!?
Black Mirror - sit to Heavens Gate!?
The Student - low sit!?



Monday, January 11, 2016

Top 15 NorCal Limestone Boulder Problems

In California where most of the stone is granite (and granite like monzonite) or sandstone, limestone is very unique. "Climestone" as I like to call it can be very solid and well featured to climb on and also dries very fast. Here are 15 boulder problems, some of which are in my guidebook Northern California Bouldering by SuperTopo, that I have either personally climbed or have seen and heard about and highly recommend:

UPDATE to Northern California Bouldering by SuperTopo possibly coming in ~2016/17.

Columbia - State Park & College & Labyrinth and Trinity Aretes & Wildwood
{In no particular order - problems I've solved = *}
"Triple Cracks" V6 stand V6/7 sit - mega classic FA: Chris Falkenstein - Columbia College *
"All In Due TimeV9 aka "Triple Cracks Traverse" classic FA: Mike Campana - Columbia College
"Mind Over MatterV10 highball! FA: Ben Polanco - Columbia College
"All American Finger CrackV2 stand/sit FA: Dave Yerian - Columbia College
"The Autobahn Traverse" V0 ~50ft! FA: Lance Kimball - Columbia College
"Ultimate TrogdorV8 sit ("Trogdor" V4/5 stand) FA(V8): Ben Polanco?/? - Columbia College *
"Miners BaneV7 sit V3/4 stand FA: Ben Pope - Columbia Labyrinth *
"The BehemothV5/6 highball! FA: Ben Pope - Columbia Labyrinth
"The MinotaurV5 highball! FA: Phil Bone/Ben Pope? - Columbia Labyrinth
"Aries Curse" V9 direct ("Aries" V7 all holds) FA(V9): Ben Pope/(V7)CS? - Columbia Labyrinth *
"Horse Trail ProwV3 sit V1/2 stand FA: Seth Zaharias/Granite Stanley. - Columbia Park
"Stagecoach Arete" aka "Ghostown Arete" V3 sit V0/1 stand FA: SZ/GS? - Columbia Park *
"Trinity TraverseV3 ~75ft! FA: Chris Summit - Trinity Aretes *
"Natural Bridge TraverseV5 ~75ft! FA: CS? - Wildwood *
"SasquatchV4 low stand V3 stand FA: Chris Summit - Wildwood *














Friday, January 1, 2016

The Sunrise Rocks - Sugarloaf Ridge Park CA.

Sunrise Rocks
*=ok *****=world classic

Main Rock
Southwest Face - left to right:

1 VB easy way up down or V0 low start - or direct low face/arete? FA=?

2 !? right arete on separate detached block face over rocky landing? FA=!?

3 "Sunlight Arete" V0** far left arete or "Sunlight Corner" V0/1** direct face/corner right of arete. FA=CS

4 "Direct Sunlight" V0*** stand or V0/1*** sit - face right of corner. FA=DW

5 "Synchrodipity" V2**** sit or V1*** stand. FA=CS/LB

6 "Sundial" V3**** corner/face up left into #5 or direct up right V2/3** - start on jug chunk. FA=CS

7 V1R*** or 5.10*** TR high face just right of #6 and left of #8 - highball/TR!? FA=HH/RT

8 V1/2R*** or 5.10/11*** TR high face/prow - stand start or V5*** steep face or arete sit!? - highball/TR!? FA=HH/RT

9 "Sunrise Traverse" V4** stand or V5** sit or V7*** from #8 sit on steep arete - or ~V8!? from #14 traverse face left around arete into V7 start up into #3. FA=CS

10 ? black streak - highball/TR!? FA=?

11 "Succulent Savior" 5.10**** classic corner/crack/face - avoid/don't hurt the succulents :) highball/TR!? FA=CS

12 steep bulge - start on#13 - mega highball project/TR!? FA=?

13 "Sol Rebel" V5/6*** sit start same as #15 drop from jug match or "?" V5 start on #14 and angle/traverse up left into Sol Rebel or V6** start #11 traverse up right into #13. FA=CS/AC

14 "Sol" V1/2**** start on big undercling up into #13 arete then traverse far right up into #18 VB/0*** arete - or "?" V2/3** direct low sit. FA=CS/EB

15 "Solar Wind" V4/5*** low start on edges in center of face traverse right to big undercling up into #14 - or "Solar Wind Traverse" V6** left sit start same as #11 then traverse right into #15 - or "Savasana" V6*** same low sit start then traverse high right into #14 arete staying above the big undercling (or V5** stand start) - or "Savasana Traverse" V7***? sit start #11 into Savasana. FA=CS

16 "East Arete?" 5.8/9**TR or V0**R/X high left face/arete over rock chasm! FA=DW?

17 "The Chasm?" 5.7/8*TR? or VB/0*R high right face over rock chasm! FA=DW?

North Face - left to right:
18 VB/0*** high easy arete on backside of main face up to the top of the main Sunrise Rock. FA=CS

19 "Stashbox" V1/2** left slab face traverse in corridor up into fun V0/1* slab arete. FA=CS

20 "Matchbox" V5/6** right face in tight corridor sit start matched in far back or V3/4** mid sit into V2/3** arete sit start to V0/1** slab stand start. FA=CS

Short Man Boulder
21 "Short Man Complex" V2/3/4* low direct sit or V1/2* lip traverse left or right sit - short boulder opposite #14-16. FA=CS/RT

Dawn Boulder
Southwest Face - left to right:
22 "Common Ground" V6*** center/left slab face. V4 left stand start. FA=CS/AC

23 "Free Dawn Wall Memorial Boulder Problem" V1/2*** high right hand arete/face over creek! FA=DW

24 "New Dawn Arete" V2** start #23 then traverse up right around arete over creek into #25 top out. FA=CS

Southeast Face:
25 "The Student" V5/6*** mid sit or V6/7!? low sit or V1/2* stand - downclimb V0 right. FA=CS/A

Mini Boulder
26 "Mini Face" VB/0 short kids climb face - next to trail uphill from #25. FA=CS

Sungazer Boulder
Southwest Face - right to left:
27 "Sunnyside Traverse" V1** right to left from #28 into #33. FA=CS

28 "Heliacal" V1** face left of arete and tree. FA=DW

29 "Empyreal" V0** center/left face sit or traverse. FA=DW

30 VB/0* easy bulge face direct into #31 top out.  FA=DW

31 VB** easy main groove - fun up/down-climb. FA=CS

32 "Sunnyside Up Traverse" V0/1** far left traverse into VB/0* short left bulge face. FA=CS

33 "Sunnyside Up" V0** low sit up bulge next to down-climb. FA=CS

Southeast Face - left to right:
34 "Resolution Arete" V3**** sit start high face/arete right side right of tree (V2** stand start) FA=CS - or V2** sit start up into left arete/face exit (V1/2** stand start into left exit). FA=DW?

35 "The Dirty Joke"? bulge/face project!? FA=?

36 "Sun God" V7**** low left arete sit traverse #34 up right into V6**** stand start bulge/face right side FA=CS - or "Sun God Direct" V10**** {Sugarloaf Ridge Testpiece} direct right low sit (or V9*** sit) FA: KJ 1-16-17 - or "Sun God Traverse"? V9/10? same low start as #36 traverse right into #37/38!? FA: ??

37 "Sungazer" V6*** sit start on tiny right and left hand crimps up into V3**** stand start on perfect campus board size edges or "Sungazer Traverse" V6/7*** same sit then traverse edges right into jug chunk top out on #40 or "Sungazer Traverse Direct" V7** direct/no jug chunk - "Sunblazer Traverse" V5** sit start #40 traverse edges left into Sungazer stand - or "Sol Gazer" V6/7*** mid start direct on prow left of #37 stand start and right of #38 up into #37 top out. FA=CS

38 "Sungazer Direct" V9*** direct low sit (V8*** sit) up right into V7** mid start (V5/6*** stand start) direct out prow or top out right up into #37. FA: KJ

39 "Finger Slayer" V4*** sit start sharp right hand sugar-cube crimp up into campus edges then right into #40 or "Finger Slayer Direct" V4/5** direct up face (jug on #40 to right is off) FA=EB - or "Finger Slayer Traverse" V5/6** same sit then traverse left across edges (same as Sunblazer Traverse) into #37 top out. FA=CS

40 "The Chunk" V1/2** low sit start below jug chunks on far right - V0* stand start. FA=CS

Sunshine Boulder
Southwest Face - left to right:
41 "?" V2/3**? far left compression sit or V0 stand. FA=CS?

42 VB* very easy left face(s). FA=CS

43 "Sunshine Slab" VB/0*** fun easy center slab face. FA=CS

44 "Sunshine Face" V2** sit start center/right bulge face - or V1** stand start. FA=CS

45 "Sunshine Arete" V1/2** sit start right face/arete - or V0/1** stand. FA=CS

46 "Dark Star Arete" V2/3** far right - short left hand arete sit - top out or traverse off right. FA=CS

47 "Dark Star" V3*** far right face direct (no arete) sit - top out direct or traverse off right. FA=CS - or "Prodigal Sun" V4*** low left sit same as #46 go right and up direct into #47 no left arete. FA=TC

48 "Sunshine Traverse"? V4/5? full traverse FA=? - sit #41 traverse right into #46/47 traverse finish!?
- or "Stupid Cupid" V4** sit start #44 then up right around arete #45 into #46/47 traverse finish. FA=CS

49 "Sol Train" V3** stand or V4** sit start - slab/face traverse low and left below line of good edges. FA=CS

Dwarf Star Boulder
South Face - left to right:
50 "Dwarf Star" V3*** low funky sit start in left/center of steep face up over left lip arete top out. FA=CS

51 "Scrunch n Munch" V3/4* low sit start right side to overhung mantle - V2* mid start to mantle. FA=CS

52 "Dwarf Star Arete" V1** sit start left arete traverse right into #50 top out or V2* into #51 mantle. FA=CS

53 V3* sit #51 and traverse left into easier top out on #50 - V1/2* mid start. FA=CS

54 V3/4* link #50 sit into #51 mantle finish. FA=CS

55 "Dwarf Toss" V4/5** dyno! sit low holds center steep face skip all upper face holds lunge to lip! FA=CS

















































Sugarloaf Ridge Bouldering Reborn