The Flash

No, not the weird guy in the red spandex.

Here's the first round of experimentation with my new flash...

Eric on Meadow Face (V8 or 9)



photos - Jeff Sillcox

Eric almost sending Ugly Duckling (V9). He will send this weekend.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Wes sending Happy Hands Club (V5) just before dark.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Donkey Kong

Eric and I put up this 30 foot V4 last Sunday. It follows the slope up so you're never more than about 10 feet off the ground although falling off the first half might not be the best idea since you would end up at the bottom of the pit. It's called Donkey Kong and there's also a shorter, maybe harder version from a direct sit start that's obviously called Donkey Kong Jr.

Eric on the second ascent.






photos - Jeff Sillcox

Meadow Roof

I have way too many pictures from last weekend to fit into one post without Eric yelling at me so I'm going to split them up a bit. First up: Meadow Roof

Eric sticking the first move of the sit start which goes around V8/9ish.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

First move of the stand start (V7/8ish) that Tim Steele put up a while ago.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Andrew on the crux.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

And Eric on the easy-to-fall-off-of move at the end. He didn't fall off and instead sent the problem from the sit start for his first hard problem since taking two months off. Hopefully this means he won't complain about being weak anymore.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

New Problem Update #4 of 4

Okay, last post with a boring title... that's a lie. I can't promise something like that.

Only one problem in this one and it doesn't even have a name which is a shame since the rock is so good and the moves are really fun. We just call it The Seam and it's V4 or V5 depending on how fat we're feeling that day. Abbie trying it...

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Wes sending...

photo - Jeff Sillcox

And Eric doing some unnecessary, but cool looking jumping.



photos - Jeff Sillcox

Don't miss the other new junk below...

Books, Boulders, and ... (wait for next post)

First off, let me just say, "Read this book!"
(...am I allowed to use quotes when quoting myself? Oh well...)

photo - Eric Lang

... and here is the proof (without the pudding...)

a page from the book... and this one is not even funny...
photo - Eric Lang

...And now to climbing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abbie, Wes and myself went to Tram like 3 weeks or so ago and we spent the day climbing some moderate stuff. Abbie sent one of her projects (Don's Dyno v5) and another that was supposed to be a project (Methane Direct v4), in a handful of tries... Also Wes learned (sort of!) how to mantle. It was sort of a remedial class in mantling which will lead up to the class that Jeff is going to teach to prepare us to climb with Andy!



Abbie literally about to stick the first move and send Don's Dyno v5 (yay, no posed shots!)
photo - Eric Lang



Wes also sending Don's Dyno v5... not posing!
photo - Eric Lang

And after I did Emerald City v0 (i didn't flash by the way... stupid smear) several times, i decided to get Abbie to get on it. And she did it, and liked it, first go! Next time, Wes, next time...


Abbie not scared at all on Emerald City v0... sorry for the crappy overexposed skyline...
photo - Wes Dodson

Can you pick out the climbers in the pictures? We're like Waldo only creepier...
photo - set up by Eric Lang, taken by Organic Crashpad!

I also have some bugs and other pictures but i'll save them for their own post just for Andrew! I hope this post doesn't get lost in the pool of Jeff's flurry of posts!

New Problem Update #3

This problem is another one that I've been trying to get Eric on for a while. Mike and Johnny had tried it a while ago and were referring to it as the "Hurtful" project. Maybe the name had something to do with his lack of enthusiasm. It turned out to be easier than we expected and a lot less painful too. Eric called it Hosemonster and it's roughly V7.

Here's one of the painful moves... yarding off the left hand knife hold to the perfect sloper.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

It took Eric about 30 seconds to figure out the key bicycle beta and only three tries to nab the FA. He may look casual on the move here, but got a little cocky last weekend playing around on it and ended up headfirst in a hole in the ground below the pads.



photos - Jeff Sillcox

Ten feet to the right is Hose Cover (V8ish). Me on the FA.

photo - Eric Lang

There's another hose-related problem on the adjacent boulder (Golf Balls and Garden Hoses (V6)), but no pictures because it looks stupid. One more post and I'm caught up for the weekend!

New Problem Update #2

Jeff Honeywell and I hiked up to Way Lake in the rain last week to check out the arete on the giant wave boulder. It's scary. The rock is a little suspect and there's a not-quite-easy-enough topout above a horrible landing. He sent a couple days later and I repeated it after throwing up from spotting him. It's somewhere in the V4/5 range and needs a name and a third ascent... any takers?

photo - Jeff Sillcox

This one was probably done back around 2000 when development first started at Way Lake. Jeff H. runs a lap on Twin Cracks (V0).

photo - Jeff Sillcox

I think this V5 roof is a new one. Andrew on the probable 4th ascent.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

I put up Right El Plopper (V8) in the fall and it's still awaiting a 2nd ascent. (Probably because no one has tried it). Eric works the moves in the dark.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

I've been wanting to do this problem for a long time and Eric kept saying "No, I'm too scared". Finally got him on it and now he's done it several times. I've done it at least ten times now because it's just that good. Excitebike (V1)


photos - Eric Lang

This is my new flash and my very inconsistent off-camera triggering system (Eric). The radio triggers finally showed up today so we'll have some new lighting options this weekend.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Okay, only one or two more posts and I'm caught up. Up next... Hosemonster (V7) and some other crap.

Boulder Hunting

I'm going to try to sneak a post with no climbing pictures by Andrew without him noticing. I spent about eight hours one day hiking around near Way Lake trying to find boulders that Google Earth told me were there. I found them, but there wasn't much worth going back for. Anyway, it pretty much turned into me taking a bunch of pictures. Enjoy.

Some kind of purple dandelion looking thing.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Talus field with a bunch of tiny boulders. If I were ten inches tall, this place would be sick.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Flowers shaped like a bell... not sure what they're called.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

This one's actually right by Wills' crazy hard seam problem that he still hasn't named. If he doesn't name it soon, Eric and I will come up with something stupid.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Depth of field practice...

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Some pink flowers above Hammil Lake and more tiny boulders.

photo - Jeff Sillcox

And a couple from the Sherwin Fire a few miles from Mammoth.


photos - Jeff Sillcox

New Problem Update #1 of ?

Eric and I have been pretty lazy with the blog recently so I'm going to do a few quickies to catch up. So in no particular order, here's the first round.

This little six move problem turned out to be way cooler than it looked at first. Eric sticking the last move of Wingaling (V5).

photo - Jeff Sillcox

Me on the FA of Serpentine (V8ish). There are two more amazing lines to the right of this one: Green Mamba (V7) and Penis Envy (V3/4ish)

photo - Abbie Mood

Clouds over the Mammoth crest. Yes, we got rained on.

photo - Eric Lang

This one's not new, but since we have a picture of it... me on Happy Hands Club (V5).

photo - Eric Lang

Okay, I'm going to stop there before this mini-post gets out of control. Lots more to come soon...