Psicobloc Competition

Daniel getting ready for the belly flop

As many already know I spent last weekend hanging out in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.  It was the first annual psicobloc and more importantly the first ever deep water soloing competition held in the USA.  Chris Sharma teamed up with locals Mike Beck and company to create something none of us had ever been a part of.  Standing there underneath the 55 foot wall overhanging the only 10 foot deep pool I was skeptical.  Sure I had jumped off higher cliffs in my day but this was a bit different.  It took the control out of it.  We climb with fierce aggression in these competitions and I knew that if I wanted to do well I had to let go of all fear and doubt.  Turn your brain off and just go.  Don't think about the fall or the worse case scenario.  Things like this sneak into your head and the next thing you know you're getting pumped, doubting your ability, and falling.  For me, this competition was more taxing mental than physically.  You had to be consistent and confident.  That was the key.  Fresh off my recent trip to South Africa I really had no expectations.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to hang out with my friends and do something brand new.  Experiencing yet another amazing aspect of this sport and sharing it with the people around me. 

  The competition format was different then your average sport climbing comp.  Instead of focusing everything into one effort you had to spread out your energy and go head to head multiple times on the same route.  This required an absurd amount of stamina and as I inched closer and closer to the final round my endurance, or lack there of, was winding down fast.  I knew that If I had any chance to win I had to climbing quick.  Every time I pulled onto the wall I became more and more in tune with the route.  It felt like I was back in the comfort of my local climbing gym training hard on some sick circuit me and my mates created.  I went into this mode that was somewhat mechanical.  As I was climbing up the route it was almost as if my body was doing all the work, and my brain was still 3 moves below.  The dyno became a formality and instead of worrying about falling there I just would turn it all off and jump.  My body knew what to do and every time I did it I felt more and more comfortable.  The final came down to my good bud Daniel Woods and I.  Honestly, at this moment I was sure I would take 2nd place.  Daniel is a phenomenal climber and really brings it when everything is on the table.  He is a competitor.  A very good one at that.  So with my heart set on 2nd place I just went out and had fun.  A huge weight was lifted and at this point it was icing on the cake.  Climbing side by side with a good homie, guaranteed cash in our pockets, and being part of this unbelievably surreal moment that was psicobloc.  In the end I inched out Daniel but just barely.  We were both exhausted and luckily I had just a little extra in the tank.  Although I won the competition I don't feel that I was the best climber there.  Everyone of those athletes I was up against is one of the best rock climbers in the country.  These big comps come down luck, and execution.  I believe it could have been any one of us up there on that podium.  I feel super grateful to the fact it was me, and I can't express the amount of fun we all had throwing ourselves at that wall!  I had an absolutely amazing time and am so glad to have been a part of it.  Events like this are history in the making and it is so rad to see it all coming together.  Cheers to everyone who put in the effort to make this competition go down.  Climbing is really heading in the right direction and I feel proud to be in the mix.  

Here's a sneak peak into what went down!

Enjoi, 

JW

Miss Schweiz Video and onward

Alright so here is the Swizzy video!  I've been home training tons since I returned in April but really wanted to get this thing out before we left for Africa.  Which we are doing today!  Switzerland was an absolutely incredible experience and I will remember my time there for the rest of my life.  It is truly a magical place and I can't think of many places that could top it.  I had an amazing crew of friends from the USA and even made a few new ones while I was there.  The typical "culture shock" that you receive from traveling to far away places seemed to take a backseat to the beauty and simplicity that resides in Ticino.  Editing this piece really brought back memories and made me miss it so much.  Next year we plan to return and I cannot wait!

Miss Schweiz from Jimmy Webb on Vimeo.

But onward we go.. and today Kasia and I are departing for Rocklands!  We have been trying to make this trip happen for the past few years but could just could never pull it off.  Finally, here we are, tickets in hand and packing all of our gear.  I've dreamt about this place for so long and right now I just can't seem to contain the excitement!  I have to say a big thank you to my sponsors who are really allowing me to do this.  It is a dream come true and I am so grateful.

Rocklands..

Photo courtesy of Jamie Emerson 

www.b3bouldering.com

Photo courtesy of 

www.outcropfilms.com

Enjoi, 

JW

Well I just returned from another 8 days in Arkansas and although it didn't go quite as well as I planned I still had an incredible time.  This go around I was there with good friends Dave Wetmore, Nate Draughn, Rami Annab and Mike Durenleau.

Main objective of the trip was Witness the Fitness and surprisingly on my first day back on the boulder I fell transitioning into the v7 stand.  At this point I KNEW that I was going to climb the boulder.  I chilled out for a while and decided to give it one more go for the day.  Unfortunately what happened next was not me sending the bloc.  Instead it involved me ripping off the crux hold completely leaving the problem no longer possible...

This was definitely the most devastating moment in my climbing career.  Witness is the most incredible thing i've ever seen and for it to no longer be available for myself or anyone else to enjoy is saddening.  I have the hold sitting here with me at my house and though I know it's very probable to just glue the hold back on I do not want to be the person to do so.  This roof was freak, and it was natural! Sandstone caves like this just do not exist..  It's just not possible.  So for myself to be the one to turn it into something less would just feel, wrong.  Now on the other hand if someone out there was looking to put humpty dumpty back together, I wouldn't argue with em'.

On a brighter note I did manage to make a couple rare ascents of some cool climbs.  I managed the 3rd ascent of 'Welcome to Fight Club' & the 3rd ascent of Chris Sharma's 'Full Package'.

Full Package V13

Welcome to Fight Club V13

I shot a ton of footage of the trip so keep your eyes out for a video coming in the next few weeks!

Also, I am working on a couple shorts.  First involves Nate Draughn chatting about a new company he is working with called GIDDY, and the second including both Nate and Rami as they establish some really nice new boulders in Dayton, TN.

Rami just chattin

Rami on his masterpiece 'Down by the River' V9

Nate on the FA of 'Jumby' V10

On thursday i'll be making my way out to Hueco Tanks to compete in my very first Rock Rodeo!  I'm pretty stoked to be involved in it all this year and can't wait to try some of the new problems put up there as of recent.  My main objective though is to just have a good time and not push it.  I'm leaving for Switzerland next tuesday and I want to make sure i'm 100% healthy and not injured.  I know the guys over at Lt11 will be on the scene and we'll be shooting a nice little piece for Prana.  It's gonna involve Paul Robinson, Fred Nicole and I as we climb around on some of the boulders Fred FA'd so long ago.  It should be a neat vid and i'm excited to be a part of it. 

For now enjoi some screen shots and stay tuned for what is coming next!

Glass Bowl V10

Nate on 'Color of Fire' V10

Shadow Jumper V11

I have the toughest skin these days..

Dave on 'Fred's Roof' V10

Anti-Hero V12

The man.

JW

The Recent

So lots is happening these days.  Just finished a 9 day trip to Arkansas where I tried one of the most amazing boulder problems in the world, Witness the Fitness.  This thing is truly incredible and I will be heading back that way at the end of the month to try and finish it up!  I went out there with friends Daniel Woods and Paul Robinson a.k.a Gucci.  Daniel was able to take down Witness for the FA after break and it was incredible to watch.  We got it on video as well so keep your eye out for that in the coming weeks!

Other than that we got to establish some lines of our own.

Daniel of the FA of Child's Play, V13

My skin took a turn for the worst

The Wall project

King Lion, V11

We had incredible weather for the majority of our trip yet on our last few days the rain set in..

Our last day

So for now I'm back here in Chattanooga training in the gym.  Tomorrow Kasia and I will be heading out to Boston for the Darkhorse finale!  Competition is looking stacked so we will see how that goes... Click here for the last comps highlights.

Also, just in case you missed it I spent a few days in the Northeast last month and had a pretty good trip.  Check the video!

Enjoi

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

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

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

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

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..

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

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