The In-Between Times

WARNING:  the following blog post contains no media and has very long and to some peope boring route descriptions of new climbs I have bolted in Sitka.  Reader beware. 


Thought I would write a quick post on how the crag development is going.  In the last five days I have put in all of the bolts I ordered which gave me a total of three new sport routes to choose from.  The most exciting of which is a route on a new wall literally 30 feet down from Whale Wall (formerly Shitballz wall).  I'm probably the most psyched for this line even though its not the hardest.  It takes you on a sweet journey up the wall via large flat holds and ledges that eventually leads you to a technical slab sequence, and then finishes off with a very nice juggy overhanging section.  Its around 65-70 feet in length and is a true classic.  The bottom part is still a tad dirty, but with a little brushing and some more traffic this is going to turn into an everyday-afterwork-must-DO!  I placed the bolts very liberally so that beginner climbers could have a taste of what leading is all about without pooping their pants.  It took a long time to rapp bolt this thing because I was also cleaning the line as I went down.  I got really lucky in some places because I had only rapped down the line once and hadn't really tried any kind of sequence on TR before.  However, this rock is really interesting.  Its almost perfect for climbing, meaning it has holds in all the right places and the variety is astounding; pockets, crimps, sidepulls, slopers etc. etc.  I am very happy to have my name on this line, which I named 'Medicine for the People' after a band that came through and played at the local music festival here called Homeskillet.  They were easily the best band of the night and a few days later we got to hang out with them at a bonfire on the beach while they played some of their music for us. 
Anyways, I am happy to report that my new line has been getting some traffic and even had its first whipper!  Thank god the bolt held :) 
Besides the new line I have also finished bolting some older lines that I had been doing on TR.  One is an amazing line that takes the path directly up the center of Whale Wall which I have been calling Sitka Sounds.  I have done the line on TR many times and it feels like 5.11a/b, but I have yet to try it on lead.  I think it might turn into my favorite line on this wall because it has some of my favorite movement. 
Sitka Sounds route description:
The route is slightly overhanging the whole way and starts off on easy 5.8 climbing to a nice big jug that is flat on top and incut around the sides.  From here you get your feet up high on some foot smears and drop knee making a big move to a very weird little three finger crimp.  You then latch your heel into the side of the jug locking oyu into the wall, grab another small flat crimp and scamper your feet up onto the jug.  From here you have an awkward rest (if you are short) with your hands in a deep undercut and a really sweet little sidepull.  Again you have to get your feet high on a slopey ramp and lock off the sidepull reaching out right to a couple of really neat almost incut/flat finger jugs.  This is where the route gets really cool, you start to follow this slanted rail that has neat incuts, pinches, and flat jugs.  You follow this rail to it's apex where a perfect incut gaston and a four finger notch await.  From here there is either a really hard shouldery move to a small three finger crimp, or a a BIG committing move to one of the coolest incut crimpers I have ever seen.  I mean, this hold is like a gym hold its so perfect.  After latching this incut, you have to make some really difficult feet adjustments while at the same time locking off to a sharp pocket, a gaston pocket, and then finally the route finishes on really neat flat rails and jugs.

The other line I bolted is called Whale Song and is a true crimping masterpiece on a slight overhang that takes a clean line directly up the left side of Whale Wall.  I'm proposing solid 5.11d for this one, its got a very sustained section of hard crimpy moves and at the very end there is a low percentage deadpoint to a good rail. 
Whale Song route description:
You start on easy 5.8 climbing that gets hard very quickly.  You leave the easy climbing to gain a really neat pistol grip sidepull and a crescent shaped incut crimper.  These are your last 'safety' holds for a while.  Crossing to a very small crimper you make a lunge out left to a pill shaped sloper.  This is the most technical of the two cruxes, you have to adjust your feet getting almost horizontal with either a downward pulling toe or a heel hook and bring your right hand into a almost full pad incut undercling crimp.  From here you have to get your feet underneath you to establish in the undercling before punching to a good sidepull and then again to another good side pull.  You squeeze these two opposing sidepulls and maybe get a quick shake here before reaching into two sets of perfectly horizontal crimpers.  One crimper broke and got a little better but the other three aren't the best.  The feet aren't very good either but once you establish on the last set of crimpers you need to get your foot on a high 1/2 mm edge and make a very low percentage deadpoint to a really sweet rail.  From here you gain jugs until you climb back into the ending sequence of Sitka Sounds, where the rail comes to an apex. 
Unfortunately I ran out of bolts while bolting this last line so the only part that is protected is the crux section which is three bolts long.  AFter hitting the good rail you have to run it out a bit until you climb back into the finishing sequence on Sitka Sounds, both lines share an anchor.  There is also a variation to Sitka Sounds which will make the grade solid 5.11b, and even makes for a better line with a really neat drop knee move on crimpers and a crux deadpoint to a cool rounded incut crimper. 
So basically, the three independent lines on the wall have finally been bolted, and now all thats left on Whale Wall are the variations and linkups.  I'm busy right now with trying to raise some money for a new batch of bolts but once they get here I have several more lines already picked out.  There is a stunning exposed arete at the very top of a cool juggy face climb just to the left of Medicine for the People, that I am foaming at the mouth to equip.  I've started to call the wall that MFTP is on the Jah Wall.  There are two, maybe even three more lines on this wall that hold a lot of potential.
PLUS, the area I am excited about the most is right next door to Whale Wall and is an impressively overhung wall with two very distinct lines.  I'm going to call this overhanging wall The Frontier Wall.  There is so much potential!!!  I love it here!  The best part about all of this, is of course the proximity of the climbing to the road.  Its ROADSIDE!!  And, its literally five minutes away from where both Steph and I work.  Stpeh is working at a local boat engine repair shop while I am busy learning the secrets of the perfect brew...
Summer has been very good, with the exception of the weather.  We really don't see much of the sun here, and it doesn't get all that warm either, but I'm not complaining.  Life is too good to complain. 
I will try to get my camera out the next time we go climbing so my very small audience will have some eye candy.  I'm hoping to get out to the wall today and put down both of the new routes I bolted so maybe some pictures of the first ascents will surface in the near future.  Thanks for reading! 

The Gaf (5.10d)

Last night I went out to the wall to make history!! I sunk the first bolts into the crag making Sitka's first sport route :) It was hard work, but it only took me an hour and a half to set up the gear, and put 5 bolts in the rock. I felt nervous and confident at the same time. Over the last week I have done a lot of research about bolting and what kind of gear to use and even managed to speak with a Petzl rep on the phone. I found a few videos on Youtube that were helpful as well as a really well written document by Eric Horst. I've also found this site to have the best prices and selection on everything you need to start bolting routes in any condition or on any type of rock.

The bolts I used are pretty standard, 5 piece Rawl expansion bolts with stainless steel hangers, 3/8" by 3", and a 3" SDS drill bit and a DEWALT D25323K 1" Heavy Duty SDS Rotary Hammer. I had drilled a few test holes in some random pieces of cement and rock and was really blown away by how easily this thing puts a hole in something. Infact, the entire process is pretty easy, but when you are starting out you have nothing to compare your experience to so I found myself always thinking in the back of my mind, 'Is this right?'.

I was excited that all of my placements were on bomber rock in the exact places I wanted them on the route, to ensure no sketchy run outs and easy clipping stances. The greatest success was that I didn't have any spinners, something that I was really worried about going into this. I've learned A LOT already from my first time out and now I am totally hooked! I'm ordering more bolts and am scoping out new lines on top of the already established lines I've done on the left and middle of this wall.

It's funny when I think about how my perspective on climbing has changed and 'evolved' over the years. I never really had any inclination or desire to want to start developing routes, and I guess I really wouldn't have either if I hadn't moved to a place that forced me to grow as a climber. It's less about progressing physically and more about learning respect for something that I have really taken for granted in the past. It's something completely new and exciting and just an overall different experience that I more than welcome into my growing library of life. Plus, it's a pretty damn cool way to leave your mark. I have checked out another crag adjacent to this one that will need a bit more cleaning but has potential for some really nice lines on easier terrain. I rapped down a nice vertical to slabby line last week and did some cleaning and I think that will be my next hit. I really want to put something up that everyone in the small climbing community can enjoy and learn on. Right now I'm psyched for myself, and to finally have something to lead; but I think it will be an even more fulfilling experience to watch other people lead my routes. Here is a peek for some other lines I have planned for the wall. Most of them I have alreqdy climbed via TR.

Friday the Right Way

Adam enters the first crux on Sitka Sounds (5.11a/b)






Friday night climbing sessions are back!!
Man, I have missed the community crag vibe for a while now and this past Friday I got a chance to indulge. At least half of the entire climbing community here in Sitka represented at the Whale Wall this past Friday evening and I was more than stoked to once again be surrounded by people who are all psyched on the same thing: climbing!
What was even better was seeing people climbing and figuring out the climbs I had cleaned and worked on for so long. It was great to share beta, talk climbing, and sit back and spray for a while. I had a good session repeating all three main lines on the Whale, Sitka Sounds (5.11a/b), Whale Song (5.11b/c), and Shit Ballz (5.10d). My endurance is absolutely shitty right now and I need to do a lot more training specifically for climbing before our move to Bishop. What the session did instill in me is a strong will to start cleaning more of the cliff. We are working with the Access Fund and the State of Alaska BLM dept. in order to get things legit and rolling to start bolting this small roadside crag. I really could not put in to words what it would mean to me to successfully bolt this crag. Well, we shall see...

It's Time

Warmer, warmer, warmer, HOT!
The climbing temps have meant disaster for the snow coupled with a very small amount of precip over the last two and half weeks. These combining forces have put a kibosh on the fluffy, inviting, powdery powder that has been such a lovely coating for the mountains lately. The snow is still there, but it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi? It has become hardpacked and spreadable like butter; mmmmm...country crock.
In the mean while I have rekindled that old flame. You know the one, it had something to do with rocks and climbing up and/or over them.
Steph and I got out a couple of times over the last week to bathe in the glorious rays of the sun and do some sweet rock fondling. I managed to warm up and do a couple laps on the classic of the wall 'Shit Ballz' which goes at a whopping 5.10c/d. My forearms were so pumped I felt like I had just come down from my first redpoint of Technorigine. It was real nice to lay fingers on stone once again. My interest in climbing had waned for a little while there as the snow commenced to do its little dance amongst rows of eager onlookers amidst the foliage of my mind. But the embers had never been extinguished. I love climbing, and have been following the latest climbing news like a bloodhound. Since I'm not in a position to do any 'hard' climbing it has been a real struggle to read about all of the climbing adventures everyone has been going on. With all of the good weather we have had lately an all too familiar itch has been rising up in my soul. So, as a tribute to my climbing enthusiasm I have made it a goal to start cleaning the right side of the crag. It will be a bitch, but could definitely turn out to be worth it. For example, there is a sweet arete I have been eyeing since I got here, as well as a ton of moderate looking climbs. For now, here are a few pics from last weeks attempts at climbing:


This is me nearing the chains on Shit Ballz (5.10c/d). I found a nice large loose block and threw it into the abyss.


The last ten meters of this line is truly amazing! The movement alone is classic and the holds are all small crimpers and finger jugs except for one sidepull that you get to do a huge drop knee off of. This is subsequently the first line I did on the wall. To the left of me there is at least three independent lines all ranging between 5.11- and 5.11+.