CAPLES IS BACK!

Climbers:

First off:  Reminders.
Oct. 2nd is the Film "Progression" at The Lake Tahoe Com. College at 6:30pm till 9p.  We'll probably rally to get beer/pizza afterwards.  The director has told me I have a cameo appearance!
Oct 3rd is the Bear Valley Competition/hangout.  $35 dollars, 9 am - 10 am is registration, and then climb time. lot's of gear/prizes for every category.  should be rad.
Oct 1st I am trying to rally a posse for THURSDAY to go back out to Caples.  Should be awesome weather. mabye 10am-ish.

Business:

Caples has seen a bunch of rad new FA's this week!  Here is the 20+ foot "Tower of Song" V3****  It starts on an obvious sloping ledge with bomb feet in the scoop.  Then a rad mantle to a 5.4 highball slab.  THE DOWNCLIMB IS A 5.10 FREESOLO, OR BACK DOWN THE SLAB AND JUMP.

On the back of this boulder is another V3 **** FA called "Suzanne."  It is a cool face, neat moves.  This boulder is really cool and will have about 4 more amazing/harder very serious highball boulder problems of great aesthetics.  It would be good to go there with many pads/spots, and maybe a rope, too.  This is the biggest boulder at the tree/water line, near the four star V9 "Excalibur."

Next is "Shark fin Soup" V4.  This problem felt like V6 to me, but Siemay and Josh insist so.  It was fun, but only ** and a little shapr/thrutchy.

And up further into the rocky woods there are these classics:  "Columbo" **** V0 (shown) and a cool V7 huge dyno called "Tornado" just to the left.

The prize of the day, however, was probably "The Marlin" V5***. Fun and athletic, this problem is a must do for moderate boulderers (5.12 crux.)  Josh, Siemay and I all sent without too much trouble.

Much more to do at Caples!

...I am trying to rally a posse for THURSDAY to go back out to Caples.  Should be awesome weather. mabye 10am-ish.









Seek perfection of character. Respect others. Try Hard.
Noah as usual...

Eratica Et Cetra

Wow.  Today was amazing at Eratica.  Three new brilliant lines got FA's.  1st:  "Pool Service" V5 *** on the back of the Painter boulder.  This is the same boulder that has "Global Warming" V9 **** highball face, and Jesse's "Element of Surprise" V11 ***.  Thanks to Dave Nunley, the motivator on this one. (See right.)

Next up, two new slightly harder high quality lines about 100 yards down and slightly right of "Fujiyama"  These lines are AWESOME!  I'd say the left one, "Stimpson Maneuver" is V8ish and the right one (shown here) "White Scapula" is maybe V7-V9 depending on your height. ...See the white scapula on the left?






Thanks to Todd Paige and his lovely wife, Ev (and Sunny, wonder-dog) for joining me for the send of these great new Eratica classics (I would not have sent without Todd's beta!)

Another new line at Eratica is "Farcaster" V6*** a super cool, short problem done by visiting hardman, Brian Arnold.  Here's a picture of this rad line:

Additionally, Here is the Boulder at Eratica with "Bunny Grinder" V9**** (or likely 10 as it remains unrepeated despite strong efforts.)  This boulder also has 10 other amazing lines including Jesse's addition "Long distance Girl" V8**** and the "Balls of Steel" *** project (likely another V13.)

I also, at the end of the day, went back to Caples lake, one of the best places to boulder in all of Tahoe.  The lake level is low enough that several calssics have re-emerged!  "The Pearl" V6 etc., "Excalibur" V9**** and "From Ohio With Love" V9*** are all climbable as is Jay Sell's Boulder.  Here are some pics:

(EXCALIBUR) V9 **** amazing.

jay's boulder

Seek perfection of character. Respect others. Try Hard.

Jesse Bonin continues to crush.  Party Animal: Tahoe's first V13 established!  Great job Jesse.  I will be writing an article about Jesse in an upcoming issue of URBAN CLIMBER MAGAZINE.

Saturday:  we are going up to Crater Lake. FREAKIN BEAUTIFUL UP THERE! 2 miles west of blue lakes turnoff on 88, on north side of 88 past a large pullout. 1 mile 4x4 to get up to lake, alternatively can hike last 1/3 of 4x dirt road. BE THERE! boulder is behind lake at 10 o'clock, 5 min hike (can't see from lake.)
Sunday:  ERATICA. past KW, up over pass, down hill turn right at big gravel mounds, take dirt road in 1/4 mile, park, walk down into rock climbing heaven. vast area.
(boom)...Big crews with lots of pads, climbing at ALL levels. DRINK THE DAMN KOOLAID, PEOPLE!

Seek perfection of character. Respect others. Try Hard.