>> June - July 2005
World
News
Witness the Fitness
Chris Sharma has surfaced in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas
and returned to the cutting edge by putting up Witness the Fitness. According
to Sharma, the 40 ft roof problem is similar in character to Esperanza V14
at Hueco Tanks, but is three times as long and has a more difficult crux
which comes right at the end. The crux involves a powerful lock-off to a
three finger gaston, followed by a long cross to an undercling, all on improbably
bad holds on a horizontal roof. Sharma, who is normally reticent about grading,
nevertheless offered up that he is in the best shape of his life, and that
Witness is definitely harder than Esperanza. This suggests that Witness
the Fitness is likely to be V15.
Star of the Future
It seems that the next generation of rock stars is starting
to appear. More and more new climbers are operating at the highest level
of the sport before they can drive. The latest phenom is David Lama of Austria.
Lama, still only 14, onsighted Bastilla 5.14a at Misja Pec this spring,
becoming the youngest to onsight at this grade. With only Yuji Hirayama
having onsighted a 5.14b, Lama at 14 is already operating at the world standard.
More Spanish 5.15 Routes?
Spanish muscle man Dani Andrada linked a 5.14c and a 5.14b at the Santa
Linya cave to produce La Novena Emienda 9a+ (5.15). Earlier this spring
he linked up parts of three climbs at Terredets, also in Spain, to produce
Definición de Resistencia Demòcrata, also tentatively graded
5.15a.
New 8C from Toni Lamprecht
German climber Toni Lamprecht, sometime lead singer of
the band Anal Steel, has returned to the forest of Cresciano, Switzerland
to add a sit start to his own problem, the Dagger V14. However, this is
a slightly different line to Dave Graham’s Story of Two Worlds V15,
with Lamprecht’s starting on the right while Graham’s Story
starts on the left hand side of the boulder. Lamprecht, while uncertain
about the grade of the problem, is sure that the sit start is more difficult
than the Dagger which is solid V14, but still a touch easier than Graham’s
Story. On the same trip, Lamprecht also sent There’s a Hole in My
Life V13 as well as a slew of V11s and V12s.
World Cup on the Rocks
With the start of World Cup season looming, competitors
have headed outdoors this spring to climb on the rocks before their focus
change to plastic as well as test their winter preparation. Three who have
done their homework properly are Tomas Mrazek of the Czech Republic and
Spaniards Ramon Julian Puigblanque and Patxi Usobiaga. Mrazek spent his
pre-World Cup preparation at Misja Pec in Slovenia. There he redpointed
Martin Krpan 5.14d and Konec Mira 5.14c as well as half a dozen 5.14bs before
heading to Ceredo for two days of onsighting, netting Millenium 5.14a, Afrodisia
5.13d, and many 5.13c routes.
Fellow Spaniards Puigblanque and Usobiaga checked out Dani Andrada’s
new crag Santa Linya. The two proceeded to climb everything in sight, with
Puigblanque flashing La Mare del Tano 14a and redpointing Selecio Natural,
Blomu and La Novena Puerta, all weighing in at 5.14c and the latter two
in only two tries. Usobiaga went one better and onsighted La Mare Del Tano.
This year’s title will be a hard fought one judging by the form of
this trio.
Fred and Hueco
Fred Nicole has returned to his old stomping grounds of
Hueco Tanks this winter and added a pair of new problems to the long list
of first ascents he has made there. Terre de Siene involves a difficult
lockoff to a bad edge and then a difficult toss before easing off somewhat.
While El Techo de los Tres B climbs out an obvious cave line at the Nacho
Man Boulder. Due to the chipping of his route Dreamtime, Nicole stayed out
of the limelight for the past year, despite putting up some hard problems.
He declined to rate Terre de Siene and El Techo. Nicole concedes that both
problems are harder than Slashface, Esperanza and Coeur De Leon, the other
three V14’s he has established at the park. Accompanying Nicole on
this visit was none other than Bernd Zangerl who repeated Slashface as well
as Coeur de Leon.
British Duo Frees Finger of
Fate
This March, British climbers Ben Bransby and Pete Robbins
freed the Finger of Fate on Titan, the largest of the Fisher Towers in Moab,
Utah. The aid route rebuffed the efforts of many free attempts since it
was put up in 1962. In 1996, Stevie Haston came closest but was stopped
short by the prospect of falling on to 34 year-old bolts in soft crumbling
sandstone. The route, featured in the book Fifty Classic Climbs of North
America, was rebolted last year, renewing interest in free attempts. However,
the British pair still encountered significant difficulties placing protection
in the soft sandstone as well as climbing up to 5.12c. The Finger of Fate
was originally put up by George Hurley, Huntley Ingalls and Layton Kor,
and was the first route on the Titan. –Andre Cheuk
COMP NEWS
Sean McColl Wins
Krankenstein 2004
Jim Sandford would have been proud. Several years ago in
a Gripped interview, Jim stated that in order to make competitions more
interesting they needed to have climbers climbing through flaming hoops.
For Krankenstein 2005 they should have passed out asbestos shirts because
the finals contained spectacular new features added overnight and a rope
swing start to a problem.
The entire open event was held on Saturday April 2 with the qualifiers on
Saturday morning at the Cliffhanger (Coquitlam) and the finals that evening
at The Edge (North Vancouver). Nature’s Path was the title sponsor
of this event and put up the prize money.
For the finals Mike Shannon was brought in to MC and get the crowd amped
for the competitors. Sydney McNair of Seattle had qualified behind Vikki
Weldon but managed to flash all the final
problems and was the only competitor to complete problem number three. Weldon
had to settle for second place. The Edge’s own Nikki Honson of North
Vancouver tied for third place with Audrey Sniezek of Seattle but claimed
it after their qualifying results were compared.
With Sean McColl of North Vancouver and Jason Holowach of Saskatoon tied
after qualifiers in the male category, the routes had to be hard enough
to separate the two but easy enough to be doable. McColl fell once on problem
number three and once on problem number four, but was the only competitor
to finish either of those problems. Holowach put on a good show but had
to settle for second with Simon Villenueve (Calgary) and Lyle Saunders (Kelowna)
tying for third place, even after their qualifying results were added.
All in all, it was a memorable night of climbing that left the spectators
and the climbers eagerly waiting for Nationals in Montreal.
MOUNTAIN NEWS
Hardest Trad
Mixed in the World Goes up in Scotland
One of the birthplaces of modern technical ice climbing,
Scotland’s Cairngorms, has become the home of what is arguably the
hardest trad mixed pitch yet climbed. At Choire an t Snaeachda, Dave MacLeod
sent a summer rock route called The Hurting, 5.11c, in full blizzard conditions
and tentatively graded it M10 X. MacLeod was quick to point out that this
was not a statement route. “People like to refer to traditional routes
like this as part of an argument to discourage or demean sport mixed climbing.
They would find my views disappointing…If there was more sport mixed
in Scotland, I would have climbed a trad route onsight much harder than
this already.”
Aaron Martin
Solos Cerro Torre
American Aaron Martin made the fourth solo ascent of Cerro
Torre via the Compressor Route. He made the ascent in 16 hours, encountering
mixed conditions low on the route and unconsolidated snow and ice that stopped
him only a metre from the summit. Earlier, along with Jacob Schmitz, he
had made the second ascent of the Canadian Route on Fitzroy.
Another Babanov-Slawinski
Route in the Rockies
Rockies ace local Slawinski and new Canadian and globetrotting
extreme alpinist Valeri Babanov have made another first ascent of a big
new Rockies route. Their climb takes a circuitous line up the Northeast
Face of Mt Andromeda to the right of the classic Andromeda Strain.
Dangerous 31-pitch
5.13 in Venezuela
The rotting jungle limestone of Venezuela’s tepuis
has lurked in the background of climbers’ nightmares since the first
ascent of Roraima by Hamish MacInnes, Joe Brown, Mo Athoine and Don Whillans
in 1967. Recently, Venezuelan climbers Ivan Calderon and Alfredo Rangel
teamed up with Russian Alex Klenov and Brits John and Anne Arran, Ben Heason
and Miles Gibson to put in a 31-pitch bolt-free 5.13 on Angel Falls. Most
of the pitches were onsighted, although a few were redpointed with preplaced
natural gear.
Hard New Trad
Mixed Near Thunder Bay
The North Shore of Superior is witnessing a boom of new
mixed activity. Strong contingents from both nearby Thunder Bay and not-so
nearby Minneapolis have been steadily ticking off first ascents. The diabase
rock lends itself to traditionally protected mixed climbing but recently
locals have been also seeking out sport mixed lines. Last season (2003/2004),
James Loveridge, Brian Hall, Nick Budda and Matt Giambrone established Superior’s
first sport mixed crag. The Fishery, located on Black Sturgeon Road, now
hosts four bolted rigs including the midwest’s most difficult –
Trypathan M9, by Loveridge. Not to be labelled “sport climbers”,
Loveridge and Giambrone also established a serious two pitch trad line at
Kama Bay called Shelob’s Lair M8, R/X.
More drilling this season (2004/2005) has resulted in a handful of new classics.
To the right of Reflection Wall in Orient Bay, Mike Dahlberg and Shawn Tracy
bolted Refraction, M7, a long pitch of drytooling and ice smears protected
by 15 bolts. Parallax, WI5, is one of the area’s few true freestanding
pillars but it rarely forms, which was the impetus that Loveridge and Jen
Grimes needed to bolt a mixed variation up to its unformed yellow icicle.
Their Parsec, M7 scratches up a technical dihedral past eight bolts to reach
the truncated ice. Closer to Thunder Bay, Willie Meinen and Brando Pullan
opened two new creations at Squaw Bay. The Next Generation, M8+ climbs the
first steep section of April Showers, WI3, then traverses a shale band and
up a chimney. The second pitch follows a line of bolts to an overhanging
pillar. Their other bolted creation, Beer Run, M6, ascends a fun, balancey
ice-smeared corner.
During the Nipigon Ice Festival in March, Matt Giambrone, Brian Hall and
Sean Isaac climbed Crack Addict, M7 which is essentially an iced up, winter
version of Bad Crack Habit – a dirty, wet 5.9 in summer. The first
pitch jams and torques a sustained hand/fist crack with bits of verglass
while the second pitch pulls an overhang of frozen grass followed by a two
inch vein of ice.
On the Sunday of the festival, Brian Hall and Scott Backes attempted a new
line at the Ice Palace. Brian sent the first pitch onsight on traditional
gear at M7. Backes started up the next pitch, an upside-down-staircase roof
system protecting with pitons but after only a few metres he whipped off.
They decided that bolts would be a good idea and called it a day. The next
day, Loveridge and Isaac returned with Hall. Loveridge re-led the first
pitch then Isaac aided the second pitch, placing six bolts. Both Hall and
Loveridge tried flashing the pitch but fell near the top. Finally, Hall
came back two weeks later with Giambrone and polished off Professional Business
Men, WI5, M8.
Throughout the season, Loveridge sporadically worked on a new M10 project
that drytools out a massive horizontal roof. Since the season has come to
an end, the send will have to wait until next season. Rest assured it will
be the area’s most difficult mixed climb.
-Sean Isaac
OBITUARIES
D’arcy
McKrae
b. 1973 d. 2005 D’arcy McKrae was a mountaineer.
I could list his climbing and skiing achievements, but this was a fraction
of the friend I knew. He would talk about taking someone snowshoeing for
the first time or seeing the alpine through new eyes. He was passionate
about the wilderness and sharing it with others gave him great satisfaction.
In 2001 he established Kootenay Wilds Backcountry Adventures. Tree planting
was a love-hate addiction that helped him pursue his greater goals and like
the perma dirt left under his nails it was a huge part of his humble character.
D’arcy was at Joshua Tree with his girlfriend Candace on a climbing
detour before he soloed his way to Thailand. The tragic fall that took D’arcy
happened on December 15. He was kept alive at the Palm Springs hospital
for three days surrounded by family and friends. Saving six lives through
organ donation, he was a hero in his death.
The night before embarking on his journey to Joshua Tree D’arcy had
a traditional send-off potluck. As people filtered out the door he embraced
them with appreciation. A week later, on Winter Solstice (D’arcy’s
favourite day), 40 of us gathered around a fire in his backyard to guide
him home. My three-year-old understands where D’arcy is now: “He’s
in the mountains, Mom.” To which I reply, “Yep he’s givin’er!”
–Amy Barrett
