Mt. Evans

Posted on 30. Sep, 2008 by B3 in Mt. Evans

The past few years I have spent the majority of my free time climbing in Chaos Canyon. Although having a full time job has severely limited my climbing this summer I try to get out as much as I can. Having done several great problems up in the Park I thought I would turn my attention towards Mt. Evans as the temperatures cool off.

Sunday was a brilliant fall day. The aspen shivered in the brisk temperatures, their golden leaves contrasting beautifully with bright blue sky.

The clouds rolled in and conditions were very nice. Angela and I were both psyched to try Clear Blue Skies, a V12 put up by Harry Robertson on the Dali Wall. This is the ultimate crimp ladder. I had tried it one other day this summer, falling off the last move several times before splitting my tip really badly. It took me a bit to refigure out my beta but I managed to get the send and thankfully didn’t split my tip. Ang. climbed very well for her first day on the problem and did all the moves quickly.

Clear Blue Skies

She even fell off the final jump on a number of attempts. I am sure we will head back in the coming weeks. We also climbed with Flannery Shay-Nemirow. She has been trying Clear Blue Skies as well and is very close, herself falling off the last move. This spring Flan did the first female ascent of Center Route at Morrison, a burly V10 that is considered by John Sherman to be the standard for the grade.

Also, James O’Connor added a new problem at Area A called Useless Tools. The problem starts on two obvious edges to the left of Seaurat in the cave and makes a campus move to a good crimp. James thought it could be as hard as V11 and I suggested V9, although I just did it to the jug and dropped off.

9 Responses to “Mt. Evans”

JamesO

30. Sep, 2008

I find it hard to grade campus problems. I thought between v9 and V11 at first, but I agree with the V9 grade.
peter

30. Sep, 2008

See my blog for comments regarding CBS as V11. Any thoughts?
jamie

30. Sep, 2008

For me, this problem was definitely V12. I had a very hard time getting over my foot and I was really scrunched. I think shorter climbers have an easier time with this and both Ang and Flan were static-ing the 2nd move, which I was no where close to doing. Of course I have a considerable advantage on longer moves so it’s hard to say. Keep in mind, Max Zolotukhin did Freshly Squeezed, a hard V12 or some say V13, in 2 days or so and then spent 9 days on Clear Blue Skies which he never did. Max and I are about the same height.
das bpc

01. Oct, 2008

clear blue was originally 13, correct? i’m at the point that i can usually get close to doing all the moves on 11s, though i may not be able to link. i cannot do any move on clear blue after the intro mini move. not even close. lines like clear blue seem similar to me as the turning point… short, low problems with good landings… such lines lend themselves to lots of ascents because they requre little commitment in the way of fear, but that doesn’t mean they do not require total commitment in movement to send. also, that someone can work all the moves from the ground does not mean that the moves get any easier… just that ‘working’ them is facilitated.

the opposite phenomonon occurs with highballs, which are often way easier than their given grade since folks must mentally commit to moves high off the deck and cannot usually work them out without climbing ground-up.

working low problems is somewhat akin to hangdoggin in sport climbing…. someone can usually climb a 5.14 much quicker when hang-dogging to sort out the moves rather than lowering after each failed effort, but does this mean the line is 5.13? it seems like no in the sport climbing world.

i’m not saying what clear blue is or isn’t… just some thoughts on grading lowball stuff. i’d still say that mental pollution is light years more difficult than any v10 or v11 that i’ve done at evans, the park, or otherwise. two moves. “soft”. wtf?

jus’ sayin.
peter

02. Oct, 2008

Clear Blue is pretty hard for sure but I found myself doing the moves either right away or getting really close on the first session. This was not the case on any other V12 I have tried. So that’s why I wonder.
campusmang

02. Oct, 2008

america is faking a financial depression to kill wall street as we speak

The illuminati forgot money is not real anyways

oh well, I cant wait for our lives to go back to regular animal status

just hopefully no bombs are involved again.

natural food will be hard to come by though. I just want everyone to know-
I love you all.
bronco

07. Oct, 2008

I have two comments to post on this site of arrogance.

1. Peter – You haven’t done the boulder problem or EVEN all the moves, yet you think you can downgrade a climb because girls are having success on it?

2. As for you campusmang you’re an idiot
jamie

07. Oct, 2008

Please, I really don’t like to approve anoynmous slander, so it would be great if you wrote your name. Secondly, if you think this is a site of arrogance, and don’t like it, then don’t visit.
Bronco

10. Oct, 2008

I am a real person, it’s not my fault you have never heard of Charles Bronco.