There have been several notable new problems that have gone in since the road has opened. Jimmy Webb snagged a project Dave Graham had cleaned and tried, called Dismantling the Enemy V12. This problem starts on We Can Build You V14 but heads right and then sneaks out of the overhang. Two obvious linkups have yet to be climbed, starting on Kryptonite V7 and reversing The Overcling Traverse V11 into either Dismantling the Enemy or We Can Build You. Both of these would add a V11 or V12 to the beginning. Jimmy also added a nice line on the Bebe Wolverine Boulder called Guillotine V10. A harder crimp line to the right, cleaned by John Gass, awaits an ascent.

Ivelin Penchev attempts There is No Was V11.

Before setting Youth Divisionals I took advantage of a snow filled landing and put up two new problems The War of Insects V9 and There is No Was V11. Last week most of my time was spent cleaning several new lines and I did the FA of The Tree of Life V6 or V7, which is a very long sloping lip traverse on the back side of the Bebe Wolverine Boulder. It starts down and right with a mantle and then climbs 20 some moves out of the cave to a sloping and tricky topout. Zack Smith, Justin Jaeger and I put up a great tall slab that is probably V1 I am calling Seafoam, for the bright green lichen, near Freak Attack. Finally, Jaeger added a nice V8 on a boulder adjacent the BBW boulder called Fist Full Of Dollars. It’s surprising how many great new problems are still to be.

Justin Jaeger on the FA of Fist Full of Dollars V8

And finally, a word about access.
The rangers have asked the climbers not hike directly down the steep part of the hill to Phobos, but (if parking at the near lot) to hike into the saddle and then around the steep part, taking the fishermans “trail”. Please, as Lincoln Lakes gets attention, be as respectful as possible to the area. Take the time to pick up your trash!

Sparrowhark is a campus roof problem to the right of Daniel Woods V14 Evil Backwards. In the evening, Dave Graham made the second ascent of that stellar roof problem and Jon Cardwell made the third. Here are some pictures.


Dave Graham makes the second ascent of Evil Backwards V14.
Great day and hopefully many more to come!

I had a great session at Mt. Evans on Saturday. A huge crew was there and the conditions were good. A group of Southerners including Jon Glassberg, Jimmy Webb, Nate Draughn and Brion Voges climbed several classics, but local boy Paul Robinson earned the employee of the day with his send of The Big Worm V14. I added a nice variation to Bierstadt which starts about 5 ft to the left on a right hand pinch and a left hand edge. I named it after one of my favorite artists, Banksy, in keeping with a theme Ben Scott started so many years ago. Here are some pics from the day.

Ground Control V11/12

Banksy V9 FA

I also tried a very nice project, which is in the V12 or V13 range, and scoped out an old project from the early days. When completed, this will be the best problem at Mt. Evans.

The best project in Colorado…?

Saturday I finished off No More Greener Grasses at Mt. Evans! So psyched! More on this great day below.

In 2003 nothing at Mt. Evans more difficult than V9 had been climbed. While there were many obvious and hard projects there, one stood head and shoulders above the rest. Ben Scott and I had always referred to it as “The Lime Wall Project”. This was a stunning and pure line of difficult climbing up a cresting wave of rock on the Dali Boulder. Ben and I had both put many days into it and it was well above our ability. Enter James Litz, who was absolutely unstoppable that summer and had systematically climbed every hard problem in Colorado. James struggled to do the moves on the lower section and told us he thought it was V15. This made me feel much better as his suggestion seemed appropriate to my rate of failure.
The next year, local strong man Luke Parady stepped up to the plate and quickly made the first ascent of this incredible project calling it No More Greener Grasses.
In my mind this is the most coveted tick at Mt. Evans. The quality of the rock, the purity of the line, the difficulty of the movement all add up to one of the finest V12s in America.

No More Greener Grasses

I have tried the problem more days than I care to count, often getting shut down on the brutal shoulder move at the beginning. Each year feeling more motivated than the last and each year coming away humbled. I couldn’t design a problem to fit me less than this one. I made up my mind that after 5 years of failing it was time to stop making excuses and time to bring myself up to the immense challenges this problem presented me with. I patiently gained fitness this fall climbing in the Park and waiting for the temperatures to cool off. I sent Clear Blue Skies, its easier counterpart and felt ready for a full on assault.

Last Saturday I fell off the last move and patiently waited all week in hopes of good weather. Most of the alpine regulars have left the mountains as the fall fades to winter. A snowstorm threatened on Tuesday but local legend Christian Griffith ran up and came back with a good report. From the moment we left Boulder I felt confident and supremely motivated. Saturday, my good friends Jason Pinto and Brian Capps joined me to the Dali Boulder. Conditions were absolutely perfect. We arrived to almost no snow, 45 degrees, breezy and partly cloudy conditions. It took me a bit to warm up my fingers but after taking a long rest I finally sent the boulder. Making the final commiting jump to the lip felt stunning from the start.

A perfect feeling for a perfect problem.
I know this isn’t the hardest or most impressive bit of news to come out of Colorado, however, this is a personal epic over with and I can’t begin to express how happy I am to finish off this classic and amazing problem. I hiked out to a glowing and incredible Colorado sunset, eveything in its right place.

W3rd

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.

Saturday was a weird and epic day. My friend Brian Capps and I decided to avoid the humidity and the crowds and head up above the treeline. The weather was threatening but we pressed on. Ten dollars gets you up the Mt. Evans road to Summit Lake 12,830ft. From there the trail drops about a 1000ft to one of the highest and most beautiful bouldering areas in America. It took Brian and I about 45 minutes of very steep and slow hiking to make to Area D.

The scenery was outstanding!

The Black Wall and a bunch of unclimbed boulders

There are four big, proud boulders at Area D. The first one is a project dihedral.
A very pretty 18ft line with an obvious starting hold and a flat landing.

Poeject Dihedral at Area D

The second is a gorgeous highball put up by Jeremy Bisher. He had been watching the Never Ending Story and so this classic became The Nothing V8. Several of my friends think that this may be the best problem in Colorado. If you look closely you can see several small chalk spots that connect to a right trending, upward rising seam. This is the victory jug finish. It’s a little difficult to get a perspective of how tall this problem is, but I would guess it’s 25 to 30 ft.

The Nothing V8

The third is called Slander. Cameron Cross did the first ascent. This is one of the most aesthetic problems I have ever seen, and it lies just around the corner from the Nothing. It climbs out the middle of a near 45 degree overhang. I am interested but there are a couple of sharp holds and awkward moves. Cameron originally graded it V8. Clayton Reagan did the second ascent and suggested V11. Brian was psyched and put in a strong effort. I think he will send the next time he goes.

Brian Capps on Slander

Slander

My focus was on a problem put up by Joe Kinder two years ago. Joe’s problem is a V11 sit-start to a V7 established by Ken Kenny in 2002. Ken’s problem was called Equitos and it may have been the first problem established at Mt. Evans. Ken put this problem up around the same time he put up Veritas in RMNP. Joe’s name is so outstandingly vulgar that I will refrain from writing it here. It’s too bad, because this is one of the prettiest problems at Mt. Evans. I quickly figured out the moves and did it in about four goes from the start. A very classic problem. Check out the photos.

Equitos sitdown V11

The amazing Area D

Getting it done.

We hiked down to Area C for a bit, scoped some sick lines and played on some crimpy problems. Brian was psyched to head to Area B, and we bushwacked through some very thick willows to get there. I was pretty tired, but I did have the energy to chalk up an amazing problem I have been psyched about for several years.

Project at Area B… Tyler?

We hiked out in the rain.

Nic on the amazing Timeline V0, one of the best problems at Mt. Evans

Ben Scott talks the talk…

and walks the walk

Collin on Snow White V7

Chip Phillips on Snow White V7