Friday, November 2, 2012

The past & the future

Wow, it's been a while..  Sorry for the lack of posting but not too much has been going on until just recently.  After my gnarly incident with my arm I was just back here in Chattanooga on the mend.  I got healed up and starting training with the fury.  TBA sessions are where it's at!  Shortly after I returned I was back on the plane heading to Bellevue Washington for the UBC pro competition.  In short the trip was amazing and very eye opening.  I took 2nd place in the comp and got one day to climb outside.  I visited the 5 star bloc at Gold Bar and then spent the rest of the day at Index.



Crazy formations on the river


Index

Upon my return from Seattle it was back on the grind.  Just training hard and getting ready for the Triple Crown Bouldering Series!  I was able to do well at the first two events and took 1st.  HP40 is this weekend so i'm getting psyched. 

I did recently get to spend 9 days in the RRG.  I hadn't been climbing on ropes or training endurance at all before I left but I was excited to use these 9 days as time to get back in shape.  To my surprise though my endurance wasn't complete trash and on my 2nd day I was able to climb the classic 14a Transworld Depravity.  After that I started focusing my efforts on mileage.  I finished up some nice madness cave routes and did a couple rad lines at the chocolate factory, Death by Chocolate 13b & Eternal Fire 13c.  Then towards the end of my trip I thought it would be fun to try a harder line.  I chose to try 50 Words for Pump a 14b at Bob Marley.  At first I was surprised on how difficult some of the movements were but then again I have little to no experience on how hard these routes should feel.  I sussed out some good beta on my 1st and 2nd goes and on my 3rd go I managed to make it through the bottom and punted off pretty high up.  I didn't get a chance to try the route again as this was our last day and I was completely wrecked.  But no worries, i'm heading back to the RRG on monday and this time it will be for almost a month!  The tic list for the trip goes on and on but i'm mostly just excited to better myself as a sport climber and see what I can manage.  I know Adam Ondra just completely murdered the area but he's not real so I don't care.  I will be rolling up with my good buddy Tyler Wilcutt and we are going to have a field day punting off some routes and hopefully bolting a few of our own!  

For now here are some pics courtesy of Forest Woodward



Transworld Depravity


50 Words for Pump


Ashima down there hiking 14c

ENJOI



Friday, August 31, 2012

Unfortunate events in CO

Well as some of you may already know i'm back from CO early.  The trip definitely did not go as planned and I had a few unfortunate set backs.  First off was the weather and then on my 3rd day of climbing I manage a pretty nasty gash down my left forearm.


The only upside that I can think of is the fact that I got to climb 2 AMAZING V13's,  Clan of the Cave Bears and The Mote in God's Eye, both at Lincoln Lake.

Check out the video below to see these 2 problems as well as a little glimpse into my ER experience..



ENJOI


Sunday, August 19, 2012

Back to CO!

Tuesday I am off again and it's back to the Front Range for me!  I'm going to be spending 10 days there checking out a new area high in Mt. Evans as well as some cool projects at the Wild Basin.  Expect some cool media upon my return!!

Here are some shots of the new(ish) area in Mt. Evans! Photos courtesy of Jon Glassberg.





ENJOI

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Colorado Video

Well, our summer vacation here in Colorado is unfortunately slowing down.  We have a couple more days here in Estes Park before we make the transition to Rifle.  Recently we've been keeping it pretty mellow.  The rain and crazy weather here has definitely made it a bit tougher to get a full days climbing in.  No worries though.. we've been sport climbing a little bit trying to get back in endurance shape.  It's looking like we'll be in Rifle around 15 days before making the trek out to the annual trade show in Salt Lake City.  That should be a fun time and hopefully on our journey home to the south we'll be able to get in a few more climbing days!

For now here is a quick video i've thrown together of our time thus far



Enjoi

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Upper Upper Chaos Canyon


Yesterday I decided to go exploring high up in Chaos Canyon/ Upper Upper ChaOs. I was lucky enough to run into a very motivated crew including Jamie Emerson, Collin Horvat, Rylan Marshall, and Jason Pinto.  It had been almost three years since I had set off into Upper Upper so I was super psyched to see this area with fresh eyes.  Jamie has been exploring this area for years now and knew of a few very sick projects that he was psyched to share with me.  


Lower Chaos is at the lake 

The first project I saw was a very sick rail boulder that Jamie found and cleaned.  He had put a good amount of time and energy into the boulder and asked me nicely to not climb it.  I have a huge amount of respect for people who devote their time trying to make amazing boulders like this a reality so I had no problem just hanging out and taking photos. This problem is truly amazing and will most definitely be one of the best boulders in the RMNP.


Jamie eying down the crux on the "Death Row Project"


Jamie made some good efforts on the boulder but didn't manage a send. Instead he took me on a hike further up the talus and showed me one of the best projects in the park, the "Ice Cave Project".  

 

The boulder is an almost horizontal roof and the climbing is all about tension on slopey holds.

                                     

Crux move


 I was able to put this amazing boulder problem together in a couple hours and called it The Shining, V13. 


The view from Death Row

Upper Upper Chaos seems to be becoming a destination in itself.  Sure the hike is long but that in no way steals from its quality.  The rock is as good or better then the rest of Chaos and there are more boulders than I can even handle.  During the day Jamie, Jason, and I found a few more projects that looks absolutely incredible.  One line that is around 30 foot long, another cave project 8bish? and a new  8b+ project. HUGE thanks to Jamie and crew for showing me around! The amount of new lines up there is massive and I hope more people get psyched to come contribute to this amazing place..

Friday, June 22, 2012

Organic Climbing with Kasia Pietras

So here is a little video I threw together for our good friends over at Organic.  This one revolves mainly around my lady Kasia Pietras as she chats about her relationship with our local climbing gym TBA and the southern community.  Kasia has always flown under the radar when it comes to the amount of recognition she receives as a rock climber and more importantly what she does for our community.   Managing TBA is no easy task and she single handedly keeps this historic piece of southern climbing history afloat and thriving.  It's incredible and my hat stays off to her!


Organic Climbing with Kasia Pietras from Jimmy Webb on Vimeo.


We are currently out on the Front Range in Boulder, CO.  The psyche is high around here and though it has been a bit warm for this time of year boulders are being sent! I have been shooting tons of video so you can expect some media to pop up in the days to come..

Until then, here are a couple screen shots!


WOLVO LAND


           
                                      Taylor Mcneill on Tetris v12


Wild Basin


Friday the 13th v10


Kasia climbing Garfunkel v7
                                               
Enjoi

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A New Beginning

So, as of recent I have made some changes regarding the companies that I choose to support.  I am very psyched on this change and the future with them looks very bright.  I have decided to make the switch from La Sportiva to the 'brand of the brave' Five Ten!  Five Ten for years has been on top of the game when it comes to both climbing and approach shoes.  On top of that I must say that the Stealth Rubber is hands down the stickiest on the market! I'm really excited to begin my journey with Five Ten and I can't wait to see where it takes me.



The next company I have began working with is Prana. Prana in my eyes has always been that prestigious company that we all looked up to.  From watching dosage 1 and Chris Sharma climbing the first ascent of realization I have always seen Prana as "top notch clothing".  Since receiving some of their threads I have began to fall in love with the comfort and relaxing fit the clothes tend to offer.  Organic cotton shirts and some Mojo shorts are a summers dream!



 Big things are starting to happen on the home front and I couldn't be more excited about it.  Keep an eye out for more from these amazing companies here on my blog.  Click the logos on the side bar for a direct link to their website and do some shopping!

On a side note the River Rock Competition went very well!  Surprisingly I came out on top in a very stacked field.  I have plans to do a nice little write up of the competition complete with some cool photos as soon as I get my other blog set up on the Five Ten website.  I will be sure to post a link here for everyone to go check it out.

Here's a nice write up from the homies at DPM

For now it's off to the New River Gorge in West Virginia! I'm going with some chilled out people, kasia, Luis Rodriguez, Theresa Rodriguez, Tyler and Stacey Duncan.  Tyler has booked a baller cabin for the week and it's going to be nothing short of relaxing.  I'll update upon my return!

Enjoi


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Dominion River Rock Competition

Tomorrow Kasia and I are departing for Richmond, VA to compete in the 2nd annual River Rock Bouldering Competition. Last years highlight reel got me super psyched to climb on the crazy walls they had created.


The competition format is a little different than most comps i've attended. The schedule is going to be qualifiers Friday, quarterfinals Saturday morning, Semifinals Saturday evening, and finals in the afternoon on Sunday. Gonna be a tiring weekend to say the least. On top of all this there is actually going to be a dyno comp! Qualifiers Thursday and Finals Sunday evening. I am looking to compete in both so it will be 4 days straight of competing.


Just in case your psyched to come check it out you can get all the logistics here: http://www.dominionriverrock.com/

Last years highlight video


Enjoi

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Disappointment in Boston

So kash and I are sitting in the Boston airport awaiting our flight home. The competition was a super good time and Kash ended up taking 2nd! As for me, it did not go so well. Qualifiers was set really tough and I ended up 3rd going in to finals. The finals route was set very well, but unfortunately was set to destroy me. Most recently i have acquired two injuries in both of by knees and in one crucial section of the route you had to do a double heel hook that allowed you to make it up to the headwall. Hanging there I went through a series of thoughts and in all actuality I should have just let go. Unfortunately I went for it, messed up sequence and finally my right knee gave out and I came swinging off the wall. Once I was down my knee wasn't in too much pain but once the adrenaline wore off I felt as if I could barely walk on it. I popped a shit ton of Ibuprofen and iced it well. It feels decent today but still very sore. Looks like I'm going to have to schedule that doctors appointment I really did not want to make. Overall though it was a cool experience! This was Central Rocks first major indoor competition and I have to say they did just as well as any other competition I have been to. The setting was really good (besides qualifiers being SO hard) and the people that make up the CRG were super nice. I can't wait for the next event they throw!

For now it's back to Chatty. The next few days are looking in the low 60's so it' time for another round of attempts on the project!!! Also, next month Kash and I are going to attend the River Rock Competition in Richmond, VA. So, until then we'll be working & training.

Congrats to all the finalist this weekend, and thanks again to everyone at the CRG!!

Enjoi

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Boston Rope Comp


Tomorrow morning kash and I will be waking up around 3:30 a.m in order to make our flight out of chattanooga at 5:30. We are heading to Boston for a rope climbing competition at Central Rock Gym in Hadley. This is my first ever sport comp so I literally have no expectations, except for getting stomped. The field of competitors looks pretty stacked so i'm just gonna see what happens. The past couple months have been pretty busy here for me, working 2 jobs and training when I can. So really i'm just excited to get out of town and travel to someplace new ( even if it is to climb indoors ). I'll be sure to keep ya posted on how bad I do!

Also, I wanted to take this time to thank one of my AMAZING sponsors Metolius. I just recently received a sick shipment of some new draws, a harness, and a bunch of chalk! I cannot wait to get back and put these new draws on the stone!!!!



Enjoi

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

6 days in Font Video

So my video of my time in Fontainebleau is finally out! You can go check it out over in the Stash at Deadpointmag.com. Hope you guys enjoy it!

JW

Sunday, March 4, 2012

10 days on the Front Range

So my 10 day adventure on the front rage has now concluded. I am back home sitting on the couch watching the Miami LA game, just chillin. The trip overall was a great success, and though I finished in 10th place at Nationals I felt I did quite well. Competition climbing is a very different form of rock climbing and whats really cool about it i think is the fact that you don't necessarily have to be the strongest climber, but instead, the best climber. At least on that particular day...


Courtney Sanders getting buck on Qualifier # 2

On qualifiers day I felt on point, and all the problems felt relatively effortless. This was a cool feeling and I was psyched, but the following day my feelings were on the opposite end of the spectrum. My 2 tweaked pulleys inflamed, my knee felt jacked, and on top of that I woke up sick. All excuses, I know, but when it comes to days like that where you feel like you MUST be on the top of your game, you start obsessing over the little things. The problems we're set well, and the competition was super close. To make it into finals you had to top all 4. This was something I wasn't expecting. On problem # 3 I felt really pumped after spitting off the last move to the finish jug. Looking at my time left, I figured I could take it easy and try and climb the last problem. This was my big mistake, and thats just how it goes. You don't know how well everyone else did, so you gotta trust your instincts. Obviously mine were off. Oh well though, it was a great experience and I'm psyched with how I did. Looking forward now to the World Cup this summer at the Teva Games! This will be my first world cup, and I can only hope that I do better. I'll be training it up hard!!!

After semi-finals was over and I was sitting around a bit bummed I quickly came to the realization that I still had 3 days to go climbing on some real stone! I hooked up with my buddy Ivo and we spent 2 days climbing in the RMNP, and 1 day at Clear Creek Canyon. Far from the flashing lights, and large crowds I have to say I felt right at home. There is just nothing more tranquil then a quiet day in the woods with your friends and of course, amazing boulders! My first problem that I chose to put time into was Daniel Woods' recently established Mirror Reality V14.


Daniel on the crux move of Mirror. Photo courtesy of Cameron Maier

Daniel had told me that the breakdown of the problem was essentially a V12 in to a V12. The first part revolves around a powerful first move stab to a slopey edge followed by a techy heel hook that leads you into the 2nd part of the boulder. The second part of the problem is similar to the first yet a little more difficult. It is here that you find the crux move. You grab a very good yet slick edge for the right, and a half pad edge for the left. Then you sit your right foot way low on a small spike and toss huge left hand all the way to the glassy sloper that awaits on the lip. This move is strange, and really revolves around just doing it perfectly. One centimeter to the left or right and your off. You can imagine the frustration this move causes from the ground.. After this move the climbing lets up a little but could still spit you off. It's probably around V9 and the finale is a nice V5/6 mantel to gain the top. On my first glance of the bloc I knew that it was my style, and I knew that if things went well I could complete it rather quickly. Luckily things did go well and I was able to put it together in about an hour or so. Luck is the key word here... The way this one goes you could either do it in a few tries or it could take a few weeks. Problems like this are badass and I tip my cap to Daniel for making the First Ascent!

The second problem I decided to try was Echale V14 in Clear Creek Canyon. I had tried the problem once before in the warmer weather but it always just seemed impossible to me. This time around was no different. I warmed up quick and ran the ending a few times to get psyched. After this I probably spent 1 hour working out the first move. The right hand start hold is a bit aggressive on the pulleys and on top of this I had tape on my middle finger. If there's one thing i've learned from climbing in CO is that granite and tape DO NOT mix! I made the first move a couple times, which is an ackward stab to an upside down gastone, but I just couldn't muster the match. Sticking the first hold perfect for me was definitely the crux. Without that first hold in that right spot the following moves felt impossible..


Photo courtesy of Ivo Penchev

One hour later when I was completely wrecked I decided to say fuck it, and gave it the "one go without tape" method. First try the right hand felt WAY better and I fell matching the gastone. Looking at my finger I knew that I only had one more try before the split started gushing. So I sat down, cleared my mind, and gave it my all. Before I knew it I was climbing into the last hard moves of the boulder with that voice in the back of my mind saying " don't fuck it up here, you won't make it back." I stuck the last hard campus move and took a deep breathe and climbed to the top! The feeling I felt once i topped out was like no other. It's just crazy to me that no matter how tired you are you can always muster that reserve energy and kill it. It is rare I know, and that's what makes it so satisfying.

Here's a quick clip of the send.



It's the 4th quarter now and a close game so i'm out. I'll try and stay updated on this thing over the next couple months!

ENJOI

Sunday, February 12, 2012

6 days in Fontainebleau

Thats right, I just spent 9 days/6 climbing days in the magical forest of Fontainebleau. My first trip to Europe was supposed to be a full month adventure, but there were some unexpected happenings at home that required my attention more. To be honest though, I can't complain. Font exceeded my expectations in many ways, and opened my eyes wide to the endless amounts of rock that resides in that area. My 6 days consisted of beautiful weather. Some said it was the best stint of weather they had seen in years. As for the actual climbing part of it, I was very psyched with how I did. I sampled countless classics, and was able to dispatch a few test pieces along the way.

Honestly, that's all I really have to say for now. No amount of words here can exactly explain to you the beauty that is Fontainebleau. It's truly a magical place, and I will wait impatiently for my next opportunity to visit.

Be looking for a DPM stash vid of my time there popping up sometime in the next few weeks!

Enjoi,
JW

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Hueco Tanks Videos

So our Hueco Tanks videos are finally out! The main 13 minute piece can be viewed over on the STASH at Deadpointmag.com. As a little taste here is a small extras clip I threw together of Brian A climbing Left martini and me on the uber-classic Slashface V13.



14 days till FONT!!!!!!

Enjoi

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Gross Roof

Been a minute since i've updated, I know. Been relaxing, taking some time off the blog scene, and just trying to get out and climb as much as possible. Our trip to Hueco Tanks in december went very well. I probably had one of my more productive trips, especially for just being there 10 days. Everyone else I believe felt the same. Kasia climbed her first v11 Sunshine, and a hand full of v9's and v10's. A nice little video of our time there should be up soon! Upon our return we spent time with our families, ate a TON of food, and watched the temperatures here in the South start to drop. With a belly full of food Kasia and I went out to climb on the classic Gross's Roof at Cumberland. Things went very well as Kasia climbed the stand V11 very quickly, and I was able to climb the v13 sit start for its first ascent.



I'm now looking at only 28 days till I depart for Fontainebleau, and I couldn't be more psyched! January will be spent trying to train, and work on some very cool projects i've recently ran across. I hope everyone out there is having an amazing season!


The rock of Fontainebleau
photo: Jamie Emerson

Enjoi