Jordan and Amanda visit Tahoe

Recently, my brother Jordan and his girlfriend Amanda came to visit us in this little piece of heaven on Earth...  Needless to say we golfed and fished just about everyday.  The end result was me investing in a fly rod.  I had gone really hard at climbing the week before Jordan and Amanda's visit, touring the Mountain hardware team around the Way Lake bouldering area in Mammoth, CA.  I split a tip pretty bad almost repeating Wills Young's epic Wavecatcher problem (I have done this climb before.)  One of my best friends, Matt, managed to complete the problem; check it out:



Soooo.... A week of fishing and golf were just what the doctor ordered!

The last week, I have been climbing again, trying to shed some fat from the time off and the crazy sushi dinners.  I have been to Sugarpine 3 and 5 developing first ascents with the West Shore boyz.  Dave Hatchett & Co. are super fun to climb with.  Dave is the main developer of Sugarpine, which now has over 150 boulders and 620 boulder problems of every type imaginable. SP1 & 2 are the biggest so far, but it's stacked everywhere.  Best area in Tahoe BY FAR...

For the next 2 weeks, we will be living in the Yosemite house behind the medical clinic.  Hopefully it's not too hot, but if it is, we'll do classics and climb the Muir tree a bunch.  Can't complain about 2 weeks in the valley.

Take care, everyone!

Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual

Ground Control

This is the first ascent of an incredible new line in South Lake Tahoe.  "Ground Control" took me 5 days to complete, the crux move alone is about V10 and I think the problem falls in the V10-V12 range (gun-to-head-rating = V11 (until consensus,)) but it is definitely harder for shorter climbers!  The first day on it, David O and I sent the stand start with a jump-start for a pretty cool, techy, facey V6 (12d) committing line.  The crux move took me several days to send, and skin was an issue as it was warm.  The send day was breezey and cool.  The problem is in the sun all day, so it should be cold, or before 1pm (shaded till then.)  The moves are so cool.  First move lurch to the coolest granite sloper than pull-up to a bomber 1/3 pad crimp-match...  Then HUGE deadpoint to a precision sloper.  Reaaly really neat boulder problem.  I found it with Siemay while we were looking for "Space Invaders" wall to sport climb.  We got lost and that was a very fortunate thing since this gem was waiting, hidden so close to a classic sport area in South Lake Tahoe.

Ground Control is located near the famous "Space Invaders" route, a total classic 12a sport route and the best I have ever done at that grade.  Ground Control is about 500 feet from Space Invaders in the next gully over to the right.  (Space Invaders is near Echo View down Sawmill Rd. past the Pie Shop area.  There are many other problems and boulders to be explored in this tight gully, some of the rock is exceptional, as with Ground Control, but some is crap.  There is a good V7 warm-up on the same boulder that Jesse put up called "Major Tom" (hat tip to Frank Lucido.)  Also on this boulder is a rad tall aesthetic V3 highball that I did and called "The Eclipse."  There are also several other extremely difficult looking lines to do on this boulder.

On a nearby boulder, Clay and I did a sweet V5 called "Claymation" which is a little sharp but otherwise superb.

Thanks to Metolius for pads and Evolv for shoes!

Special thanks to Siemay for filming and motivating me, Jesse, Joe, Frank, David O and the rest of the Tahoe scene.

Try Hard!

Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual

Metolius Hangboard video

What a great summer it has been.  So much to write about and show in the next couple of weeks!

I just completed one of the best first ascents of my life in Tahoe called "Ground Control" and there will be excellent video coming of this rad and aesthetic hard line. A Tahoe must do, if you can...  Jesse B is hard at work on the second ascent, but the problem may be V13 for him.  (I thought V10-12 range.) This climb is up near "Space Invaders" 12a Tahoe classic sport route at echo view.  The boulder is in the next gully over (to the right of Space Invaders wall.) It is a strong stone's throw and even in altitude.  It is absolutely sick. One of the top 5 ascents of my life!  There are many other boulders/problems there including a cool but sharp V5 called "Claymation" and a super highball V3 called "The Eclipse."  Jesse also put up a nifty V7 warm-up on the Ground Control Boulder.  Video coming.

Siemay and I have been doing tons of route climbing and I believe this is the missing link to elevating our bouldering and overall climbing abilities.  Routes are fun!  Btw, Siemay is clipping bolts and taking falls.  This is prouder than the fact that she sent her first 12d this summer in Maple!

Burning Man:  Essay and synopsis/review coming.  ...Life changing.

I recently made this video for one of my sponsors, Metolius: Check it out.  Jesse Bonin also makes a cameo.  It is quite a long video; an 8-minute instructional about hangboarding with the Metolius Simulator.



Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual