dyno_merchant

coyote, one thing that helps me gain better technique and tension strength is slow motion climbing. can be done on routes and boulder problems. when you first start the exercise you should start on routes/problems that are easy for you (your not going to fall on). Climb very slowly and consistantly reading the route as you move up it. Breath every move. When you place your hand or foot on a hold do it percisely. Your hands and feet shouldn't make a noise as you place them. If you don't like how you are positioned move through the move anyway. After you reach the ground again look at the route or problem and note any places that you made noises placing your hands and feet on the wall and also note body positions that felt awkward. climb the route/problem as many times as it takes until you feel that you are climbing "quietly" and in efficient/smooth body positions. an exercise that works good to get better tension is "toe taps". use all styles of holds for this exercise (slopers, crimps, pinches etc.)hang from the holds on an overhanging wall (feet need to be free hanging) and have someone point to a hold on the wall. you must lift your right leg up and place your right food on that hold (you need to try to show control with your foot/no swinging to the foothold and brushing it and then swinging away again) then go to the same hold with your left foot. repeat this with 4 to 8 holds (don't go to failure/stop one foot placement before you fail even if it is less than 4 foot holds). repeat this exercise until thrashed. this helps foot placement efficiency and helps on routes where your feet cut away and you need to get them back on again quickly

quote: Originally posted by daler: check out the damian potts leavenworth boulder guide. much has been cleaned and climbed up to V8 with plenty of sick stuff left. dale i haven't seen the leavenworth guide. last time I was up there it was out but i didn't get to look at it. i guessed my way around leavenworth and found some o.k. stuff. most of the problems i climbed weren't that great except the stuff thats along tumwater (i forget the name of the picknick area). that place had great problems but limited. are there more areas with the quality of rock that tumwater has?

You guys are great!!! I do love to boulder and I know that it goes against what most people are doing up there. I have to admit that even though the southwest can be thought to be heaven, I think that the PNW blows it away because of rad people and places. The cascades rule! I think I miss the moss in my armpits!

erik, I guess I've just gotten lazy. My memories of climbing peaks in the Cascades are like nightmares. The view is great but at what cost!!!Freezing your one eyed trouser snake, death hikes, sharing bivis with dudes out of the canteen boy sketch on snl and rappels off of mossy choss are a few reasons not to do it. Why not drive right up to the beautifull view, get out of your car, push your technical limits on some amazing boulder and then take a nap on your crashpad with your favorite hot chick while tossing back a few beers?

marcus, don't you think it's weird that bouldering hasn't taken off in Washington like it has in other places? I know of tons of boulderfields up there that will be world class if people put in a little effort. Maybe it's the fact that people travel south (like I did) and realize how rad it is to be climbing year round in the desert and then they never go back to Wash. Maybe it will just have to take more time until people in the PNW really realize how much bouldering potential there really is. I believe there't tons of potential or I wouldn't be moving back this spring. I'm not saying that there aren't people putting in a huge effort up there trying to develop new areas. It just seems that the crews that's are putting in the effort are suprisingly few compared to the tons of people that are rope climbing up there.

marty, hows it going? I think we've actually met at marcus before. It was probably about 5 or 6 years ago. If it jogs your memory, I was from B'ham and had a big nose... I was hoping that you would post sooner or later because I thought you might know what's going on in the bouldering scene. Sounds like all the hard stuff is going up east of the "crest". Where's your favorite bouldering spot (good problems and scene) up there? When I get back up there I'll be sure to get in contact with you!

As someone else said: "there isn't any bouldering in Squamish"

let me see... "put a glide in ya stride and a dip in yo hip and climb aboard the muthaship." I don't think I need to look in the yellow pages. I should just get a date with you! I've got a crash pad so you bring the oil and candles. But seriously...I'm just interested in seeing what's going on in the bouldering world up there.If you got something interesting to say about girls, beer or bouldering then we can have a conversation. If not, then maybe you should check out the yellow pages. [ 01-23-2002: Message edited by: dyno merchant ] [ 01-23-2002: Message edited by: dyno merchant ]

I know that there are tons of hone master climbers in the PNW pulling super hard. What I was wondering was how hard the boulder problems have gotten up there. Where are these stiff little numbers and are there ones on rad rock with cool moves (not just painfull one move wonders)? The hardest problems I have seen up there are about V8 but I know there has to be harder stuff around.

oh yeah... I'm still interested in hearing about more areas. There has got to be more out there or I might be starting to press into the realm of hush-hush secret areas that people won't discuss. Oh well, bring on the beta and I'll do my best to return the favor with info about the year round bouldering in arizona.

Where is Entiat River Road off of Hwy 97? I couldn't find it on a map. What kind of rock is it? ...thanks to everyone who has commented on my posts. For a while there I thought that Leavenworth was the only place that people went to boulder in Wash. I'm psyced to find that other areas are getting some pebble pinching also. I'm moving back to Washington in May or June and I'm excited to role back some moss and unearth some classic areas to add to the hopefully growing list.

hey dcramer...where is the zekes wall...

more about sehome hill in b'ham... if you liked the V6 thing that's on the lower cliff then you should drive to the top parking on sehome hill. above the fenced in radio antenna and left of the tunnel is an awesome!!! semi highball problem that climbs directly over a scooped wall to a super slopey top out (seemed to me to be about V5)and there is another rad problem that is to the right of the tunnel. it is a traverse that climbs right to left and finishes with a long move up to a rounded jug (V6 or V7?) really good moves! by the way, is there more bouldering around index than just what I have seen under the lower town wall?

yo rat Larrabee state park is pretty good, I bouldered there alot when I lived in B'ham. Fun problems with an amazing view. Little new developement is possible but there are a few sick lines to be done still. Mud bay has a steep (almost 45 degrees) wall with great up problems on great sandstone. Limited but worth checking out if sick of Larrabee and the tide is out. Sehome Hill in B'ham also has a few good problems on awesome sandstone. Again limited, but the few that are there are great if you're hanging out in B'ham and looking for a fix. I'm pretty convinced that there is alot more to do around B'ham area. Especially eastward in the crumbly mountains.

come on you guys... I know there has got to be rad new bouldering areas "west of the crest". I grew up in Bellingham and I know that there are tons of great boulder fields up there that just need a little love and the caress of a wire brush to uncover hundereds of classic problems. If I know about potential rad areas up your way and I live in Arizona, there has got to be someone up there thats got the scoop on areas that are going off. by the way, I looked at that website. Loved it. Keep scrubbing-you never know what you'll unearth.

banks lake sounds interesting. have you bouldered there and is the rock compact stone or crumbly piles of poo. I'm interested because it would be nice to know there is a good winter area in washington to boulder at (what would be the seasons?). Do you know of any areas being developed between Seattle and Bellingham. On the coast or along the west side of the Cascades. Are there any good areas in Idaho near your neck of the woods? by the way thanks for the info on bouldering in the NW.

What is Rosilyn? Bouldering mecca, girlfriend or yo' mama.

Where is Banks Lake? Is there any word on new areas poping up or is everyone bouldering like drones on the granite of Levenworth.

where is all the bouldering in washington??? I know that there has got to be tons more than Levenworth. There are boulderfields all over the Cascades but all I ever hear about is Tumwater and Icicle Creek Canyon. Are you guys hiding the best areas from the rest of us or is that all there is?