Athens Video Teaser #2

So here is the link to another short athens video:
*Athens Teaser 2*
I really like the feel of this video, I think it helps get across the care free kind of bouldering there is in Athens.
All the climbs in this video are from around the Trailer Park Area and the Font Area. Again, I think these are all super fun climbs and are totally worth checking out, especially the last climb. It was a tricky first couple of moves, then a balancey no-hands which was awesome to find, then towards the end there's a hold that feels just like a drawer handle or something.
Stay tuned for more videos!

Athens Release!

So the past few months have been an Ohio climbing marathon. For everyone who says there is nothing good to climb here, you couldn't be more wrong. Now the climbing certainly is different; if you like your routes perfectly clean, all the holds ticked, tons of people around to spray beta and to make sure someone saw your hard send, this place may not be it for you. That being said, there are gems here in Ohio.
My place of choice lately has been Athens, which is about an hour and a half south east of Columbus. The main climbing areas are called The Trailer Park, Coad, and Witches Area. Over the next few days I will put up the videos with info and fun facts about them.
Most of the climbing in athens is somewhat specific and the grades are far from soft. Below is the first video I made:
*Athens Climbing Video 1*
The first two climbs in this are at Bong Hill, which is right at where you park for the Witches Area. There is nothing about this place anywhere on line, and we just accidentally stumbled on these climbs. The first one was so much fun, if I got to name it I'd call it Happy Thoughts, because for that dyno to the sloper you just have to believe in yourself. The climb right after that was a blast too, it was warm up difficulty but I'd give it at least 4 stars for fun.
After those there are a few climbs from the Coad area, all very fun climbs that I have gone back and repeated several times cause I just couldn't stay away.
The last four climbs on the video are by the Trailer Park area. It starts with commitment, starting on two underclings and making a huge move to a bomber jug. All the rest are warm upish climbs, but still all fun.
Full length video is in the works now which will break down almost all of the fun climbs in athens area by area. Until then more teasers will be on the way.
Thanks for reading, support your local access funds and keep your wild places wild!

Mckenzie Pond Video

I was lucky enough to get up to Mckenzie pond for a quick session a few weeks ago. I havn't been there in over a year now and I had a project on the last boulder in the set. The last time I tried Shtickums I chickened out at the top and came down, this year I had to do it. Here is a video I made of the day, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqCqjLNEBlg, I also recorded Cooker, and Brock Lee Soares, two more fun problems.

New Videos Up

New videos of some of the classics at the Rumbling Bald in North Carolina are up now on Youtube. Check it out Here. Also there's a quick video of some of the fun boulder problems in Prescott's boulder spot, Groom Creek.

Hueco Tanks

After a long few days of car trouble we finally made it Hueco. Just driving into the park we could tell we were in for some crazy climbing. One thing I never really realized is that Hueco is pretty much just a big mountain of boulders, there is so much climbing! We have been climbing three days now on north mountain and we have barely scratched the surface of it. One of my favorite climbs so far was most definitely the Asylum Crack, a gnarly climb that goes for about 20 or 30 feet up a nice slanting crack.

This is Andrew pulling up near what we thought of as the crux sequence. The only downfall of the climb is that you have to get past the other boulder under it that threatens to hit your back every time. It's definitely a really fun and unique climb though. Another fun problem we got on was 100 Proof Roof, a horizontal roof that comes around to what looks like 40 feet of slab afterwards.

There are a couple ways to do the roof sequence, either dyno twice, or do the first then make a couple moves that lead out right. I chose the double dyno because it was just too much fun to pass up. Unfortunately the roof part was the easiest and I couple quite pull out from under it yet, so hopefully next week it'll go. Also right nearby this problem is some of the rock art left by the native americans, really cool stuff.

It makes you realize how lucky we are that we can even climb at a place with these important historic paintings on the same rock. Well we are planning a couple more days at Hueco and the camera is charged so there'll be more of Hueco soon.