Back in the Blog! Local Landmarks

I have found that whenever in a place of significance, there is something memorable about the first time you see landmarks of significance. Take for instance the looming presence of the Eiffel tower, the crumbled remains of the Berlin wall, or the regal majesty of the Taj Mahal. These moments of significance also extend to sport, and historically important places/climbs.

To this day I still recall the first time I walked through the forest of Squamish, and looked at Chris Sharma's infamous Dreamcatcher (5.14d). I find these monuments of grandeur also present in our local communities, and I have always enjoyed climbing on notable lines in the areas I visit. To this day, I still recall humbling myself in the forest of Fontainebleau, as I groveled my way up La Marie Rose (a modest V3!). While infamous climbs like the aforementioned bloc are not always the most striking or classic lines, more often than not they surpass the positive or negative attributes, drawing people to climb them for the sheer "Rite of Passage".

Talking at length about this with several friends has motivated me to suggest a list of climbs for some of the areas I am more familiar with (and hope to expand on as I travel more!). Without further adieu, here are some of my proposed "must climb" boulders.

SQUAMISH

Mantra, V8 (an FA by the legend Trent Hoover! I was very happy to do this one (Here's a photo from my squamish trip, S/O to Stephen Salvador for guiding me around!!!)

The Egg V11 (Andrew Funk is the first one to come up on google images! Definitely on my list to try next time in Squamish (not my photo))

Easy in an Easy Chair V4 (the first boulder you come upon in the forest, and very nice! Checked this off as my first bloc climbed in the forest! (not my photo))

The Singularity V14 (somehow looks very climbable in person (not my photo))

CALGARY/CANMORE

Resurrection V7 (Couldn't find a photo with a climber on it!)

Jabba V12 (Yes i did the jump! #strongnottall)

Buddha Finger V8 (felt hard when I did it! (not sure who's in the photo))

Bleeding Edge of Free Will V8 (Suited me well. A few of the coolest holds i've seen, reminds me of sport climbing at Acephale! (Matt Lucas pictured))

Right Potato Bondar V10 (Used a crazy Knee drop, would not recommend that method! (Here Loic spots me on one of the nicest landings in the rockies))

Coming soon......

FRANK SLIDE
BOULDERFIELDS
HOPE
ARROW LAKE / NELSON / CASTLEGAR

Have a thought on what you think the notable climbs are? Fill in the form below!

Google form link

Living for the (long) Weekend Pt. 1

With the opening of parks, wet Bow valley conditions, and a general search for remote crags, climbers have been flocking to Frank Slide in search of some isolation and the prospect of fun bouldering. As a result of this years unique social climate and the massive turnout from the previous years Tour de Frank, it would seem Frank Slide is finally becoming popularized. A typical weekend even just one year prior would have the usual locals (Trent, Kyle, Josh B., Dan, and Myself), and a maximum of ~4 cars present in the slide. The past few weekends have seen upwards of 12 vehicles. I'll try not to be to nostalgic, but as Bob Dylan once said, “Times, they are a changing”.

Armed with a stack of pads and our highly motivated quarantine training group (Chris, Kaylee, Loic, and myself), we yet again made the voyage down to Frank Slide to test our strengths on the sea of limestone cubes. Josh B had recently proposed V12 for his new line on the Nintendo Boulder, and Loic and I were eager to test the limits of our strength. Before heading to Nintendo, we decided to first stop at the classic old school boulder Lipsmacker to warm up and try an old project of mine, Smack Talk Low (~V10). After warming up on the The Seam (V0), the namesake line Lipsmacker (V3), and the always-fun Smack Talk (V6), we set to work on the low start project. I had tried the boulder previously when I completed the gargantuan task of excavating several tons of rock from the cave. At the time linking the improbably tension and slopers seemed unfeasible, and I quickly abandoned it to the eager hands of Josh B. After some stout effort over a few sessions, Josh completed the problem, but mentioned it gave him the worst wrist injury he had ever had, and thus deterring me from returning. With Frank Slide projects, I often find that sometimes I return to boulders with renewed vigor and motivation after I let them sit for a while.

Myself entering the crux section of Smack Talk Low

Another key factor to the renewed motivation for a bunch of older Frank Slide lines has been the presence of Loic F., and his insane work ethic and strength. I really have enjoyed working hard boulders with Loic, and find myself more motivated than ever.

After quickly sussing out some beta, Loic and I had soon developed our plans-of-attack. Unfortunately, Loic had other objectives in mind (having not yet done the classic Nintendo 69), and after making some generous skin donations to the sandstone-esque sloping ledges, he decided to save his skin for the Nintendo Boulder. Having done Nintendo 69 a few times before, I had some extra skin to spare and gave some good burns on the project, managing to squeak away with a send. Chris played around on the low start as well, but seemed to experiencing restrictions based on the material of his pants (cough..denim..cough). People climbing in denim has (and always will be) one of the mysteries of the climbing universe to me. 

While Chris denied the viability of denim for climbing, Kaylee was kind enough to hop back on some of the moves of Smack Talk (V6) so that I could take a few photos!

Kaylee sampling the fine sandstone texture slopers of Smack Talk (V6)

After we finished at Lipsmacker and moved on to Nintendo 69 for our main objective. After sussing out some beta, Chris managed to make a surprisingly fast ascent of Nintendo 69 (despite his claims that he's not a boulderer). Some of the moves proved to give Loic a significant amount of difficulty and required further tweaks and beta refinement before he could send. Despite his difficulties, Loic's unrelenting attempts eventually forced Nintendo 69 into submission.

Eli enjoying the afternoon shade at Nintendo 69

Having enjoyed a pleasant lunch and rest, I decided to give Street Fighter some effort in order to decipher the seemingly tricky sequence. After a few tries, my effort soon caught the attention of Loic, who promptly joined me in finding a sequence.After some effort, we managed to find a very cool sequence using a kneebar and several miserable crimps.

Myself moving through the tensiony crux of Street Fighter.

Chris (A self proclaimed sport-climber, desperately trying to avoid enjoying a day of bouldering)

Loic was wisely more conservative in his attempts, and managed to eek a send on Street Fighter. With a slightly more carefree nature, I ended up trying the problem 10 or so times, and by the end was consistently falling on the top hard moves, with no send in sight. Feeling rather dejected, i decided to spectate as the others tried the infamously short-person-friendly problem Mortal Kombat, situated on the backside of the Nintendo boulder. 

As the groups collective energy waned, we packed up and made a series of stops at Cereal Killer (V5), Killing Frost (V6) , and Healing Arete (V5) for a few "fitness ticks"to finish up the day. By the time we got to Healing Arete, Loic and I were sufficiently thrashed, and were content to spot, encourage, and give beta to Chris and Kaylee. After a few tries, Kaylee quickly sent, and we all head to the river to wash our hands and enjoy an end-of the-day victory beer, and made our ways home to get some rest for Monday...

A refreshing beverage to end off a great day in the Slide. 

Trouble in Threes

It is often said that good things come in threes, but the events over the past weekend seemed to indicate otherwise. With a short workweek in order, and an extra long weekend planned for myself, I was excited at the opportunity to get out to the Crowsnest Pass for relaxing weekend of climbing and relaxation. So following my 11am Skype call, I quickly tossed my climbing gear in the car and was on my way down highway 2, on pace for a record time for my usual commute to the slide (2 hrs!).

What's the saying about best laid plans...? Little did I know that my fun, apres-work adventure would be soon thereafter steamrollered by my singular greatest cause of anxiety: automobile problems.

Now I am no stranger to car troubles, and driving an 08 Subaru with > 100 000 km's on it, I fully expect there will be things that need fixing. It just so happens that I have a bit of a, shall we say, long term relationship with car troubles and the Crowsnest Pass. I couldn't help but feel uneasy as I pulled my (un) trusty Forester into the Spiderweb Right parking and noticed a bit of an off odor emanating from under the hood.

With coolant leaking and rampant overheating, I quickly weighed my options:

- Do I salvage some still available sunshine and get some bouldering in?

- Should I abandon all hopes of climbing and sort out my car troubles.

Admittedly, I considered the former option a great deal more seriously than a more rational person might, and eventually succumbed to reason, and the realization that something was gravely wrong with my car. I slowly worked my way into Blairmore, where the local mechanic promptly recognized my troubled face and dusty Subaru. Leaving the vehicle in his capable hands, I grabbed a snack from the grocery, and started on the 45+ minute walk to the family cabin.

I've owned 2 identical Subarus now, both which have broken down on me in the CNP.

With this being the 3rd vehicle to break down in the CNP, I was familiar with the senses of trepidation and worry that come from unknown car troubles. Is it fixable? How long will I be stranded for? How much will the repairs cost? How will I get back home?....The list goes on. With an overnight part coming in for the repair I stayed the night at the cabin, and tried to enjoy my time in the mountains. Like the impending rain that littered the weekend forecast, the call from the mechanic the next day only served to impart more dismay. The classic Subaru head gasket issue had come for my dear Forester. With COVID transport limitations in the AMA towing, my (gracious) girlfriend Emilee was kind enough to come rescue me as we escorted my broken car home. 

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Despite the unfortunate last two days, I was determined to salvage my weekend and get my bouldering fix in. Luckily, the ever-positive Loic F. was also psyched enough to gamble on a suspect forecast, and with pads packed we made our way down highway 22 to see what the day would bring. As we pulled up to the Pass we noticed more cars than typical, and I think that slowly but surely, the Slide is growing in popularity (for better or for worse). 

I had a couple things on my mind which I wanted to tick that day, and first off was one of the two 666 list problems (The 6+6+6 most accessible/quality/popular sixes of the slide, link here)  which I have not tried. Giddy Up (V6), is an older Josh B line which goes straight up a good sized block through crimpy edges in the Farm sector of Frank Slide. Before getting to Giddy Up, we briefly stopped at a Man of Science, Man of Faith (V6), an classically steep lip/arete line Kyle and I did some years back. After grabbing a few photo's and doing some warm up laps, and trying the extremely nails hard project in the cave, we quickly moved on to our first main objective.

Myself on MOSMOF (do people pronounce this moss-moff?, thats how i always think of it in my head). Loic wanted me to mention that he pressed the shutter button, after I set up the tripod and camera... Ryan Frecka was a huge help with a weird color correction thing, as my lens seems to have a green tint all the time (I didn't even notice till he pointed it out!). Ryan is a photo guru.

Giddy Up proved to be fairly straightforward, with a sharp crux down low, leading to some good incut crimps and a hero topout. Loic and I made quick work of it, and I climbed it 3 or 4 more times for good measure. With everything that's going on, its been hard to discern the relative strengths and weaknesses I have right now, but I suspect climbing in the steep garage wall has given way to some gains in finger strength. Specifically I feel stronger in the half crimp position, which is likely due to most of the edges in the garage being half-to-full pad edges, just like Frank (although this might have to do with the fact that I made most of the holds ;) ).

Loic entering the (somewhat) cruisy top section of Giddy Up. There is actually quite a large cave under this boulder, which is perfect if you are waiting out the rain like we did!

A great shot of the last business move on Giddy Up. Loic did take this photo, and there was no tripod, so full credit to him :) . I especially like it since Turtle Mt. is captured beautifully. Photos in the slide are tricky, as they often turn out very grey and bleak, but when you get a nice one its hard not to admire it.

With a good warm-up in the Farm sector out of the way, and some rain persuading us to stay closer to the car, we opted for some close to the road projects. While I've done nearly all the lines along the old Frank road, I was happy to show Loic the classic V6, Fender.  I've done it a handful of times now, and was more than happy to throw a quick lap on it and shoot some more photos and video. After showing Loic the beta and repeating the problem, I snapped some video and photo of Loic's send. Partially through the impromptu photo-shoot, we ran into my good friend (and now full time guidebook author!) Trent Hoover. 

Loic bearing down before the dynamic crux of Fender. A notoriously tricky problem due to a very condition dependent throw to a sloper, Fender is one of the closest approaches you can find in Canadian Bouldering. 

Trent is an absolute legend. If you've been around the Canadian bouldering scene long enough, you'll have come across his name in countless guidebooks, nabbing some of the best first ascents in all of Canada (maybe you've heard of a famous Squamish boulder called Mantra?). Besides being a very talented climber, artist, and professor, Trent is now in the final stages of completing the (seemingly insurmountable) task of writing a comprehensive guidebook to Frank Slide. Definitely buy him a coffee and thank him if you run into him out here, as he has put in countless hours cleaning, trail building, writing, and promoting bouldering in the Slide. 

Trent on Wind War on a frigid January day. Fun fact, this was the first time we had climbed outside together! I've never met somebody who loves bouldering as much as Trent. Photo Dave Cassidy.

After we had a good chat with Trent,catching up, chatting bouldering, and reminiscing of the more undeveloped days in Frank Slide, Loic and I decided the weather would hold out for a few more climbs. With that in mind, we made our way into the City of Giants, where Josh B had recently (a few days prior) established a new V11ish compression problem deep in the heart of the City. Before making our way to Cocoon , we spotted a cool small leaning block with some interesting looking cave moves to a technical exit.

Loic on what would become Triaphilia.

After one or two tries I sent utilizing some funky toehooks and a dynamic exit, and Loic shortly followed suit. I decided to name it Triaphilia, a great V6ish line with unique movement for the slide, named after my trio of car breakdowns in the CNP. Afterwords we made our way to Cocoon (V8ish), a cool line which unfortunately has a HUGE dab factor. If you can look beyond it, its actually a pretty fun line, but the difficulty unfortunately results from avoiding the block at your back. After navigating our way around the dab block, Loic and i both sent in between rain showers, and decided to check out one last objective before calling it a day.

Chi Sao (V9) is probably one of the best 9's in the slide, and Loic was keen to hop on it as we were in the vicinity. As I had done Chi Sao previously, I decided to rap off a tall highball traverse on the same boulder to suss out some of the moves. As i was busy rappelling and poking holds with a brush, Loic managed to employ some classic Loic beta (he heelhooks anything!!!) to squeak out a end of the day send. as the snow started to fall, my hopes of hopping on my project quickly vanished, and we decided to pack up and end our day. All in all, a great day in the slide which definitely lifted my spirits.
As we made the drive home, Loic and I discussed some of the more perplexing aspects of Frank Slide Bouldering when it comes to beta. It is seemingly beneficial to be tall (like Josh B and myself), or short (like Loic) due to where holds are...formation of the rock...etc. We mused that a medium height individual typically has no specific advantages when climbing in the slide. While some people may dislike the long drive from the slide, I find it gives me ample time to sit and meditate on the climbing, my day out in the mountains, and other thoughts which pop into my head.

Weather is looking prime for this long weekend, and with 2 great garage sessions, I feel ready to test myself of some projects this weekend. Maybe see some of you out there!

-Mark

A Fresh Start

This week was a turning point for many parts of the globe with the opening of parks, and a return to the recreation areas and public spaces that so many of us enjoy. The past few weeks have been a large shift in the day-to-day culture for many of us. For some, this has been an opportunity to relax, reset, and take a pause from the busy structured lives. For others, this has been a period of unrest, as jobs, stability, and mental health have been affected. For better or for worse, I wonder how the events of this pandemic will cause changes in our societies as we seek to adapt to the rapidly changing norm.

Calgary City Center (or is it Centre... I can never remember), snapped on one of many social distance walks during the quarantine. 

  

I, for one, have been extremely fortunate to have a home, job security, and my friends and family to get through this. Accompanied by an amazing home wall setup and good training partners, the past few weeks have been great, and I think I'm making some strength gains!! As far as my job, I much prefer working from home, and have enjoyed the opportunities I've had to relax and focus on other hobbies and passions. Despite this, it is always hard to try to replace the sense of curiosity and adventure that comes from a day of climbing outside, and with the parks and public lands opening up, I was giddy at the chance to get out to my home area of Frank Slide this past weekend.

A quick snap taken  of my new hat (!) on the drive out to the mountains (another weekend). I have always loved the view of the prairies rushing to meet the mountains, and love the anticipation of adventure that rises as you come closer to your destination.

Along with Emilee, I was joined by local power couple Loic F and Kaylee T. With the goal for our trip to limit our impact and presence, we had the idea to check out one of the more seldom trafficked areas of the slide, to check out some of the remote but excellent problems to be found on the Olympus Plateau, namely: Lord of the Flies (V5), Ikigai (V6ish?), The Promised Land (V6?) and a few projects that have been on my mind as of late. Having successfully convinced everyone how short the hike is, we set off to make the march to Olympus. 

Trent H, high on Achilles Woe (V3), on our first visit to the Olympus plateau.

The Olympus plateau is a great area in the slide, if you're not concerned about the lower density of blocs, and a short steep hike. What it lacks for in those areas, it definitely makes up for in exposure, scenery, and overall setting. There's definitely something special about climbing high above the valley and the wide sweeping views that come with it.

As Emilee and I were a bit faster on the hike in, we decided to warm up by cleaning up a funky looking boulder we've passed by many times on the hike. With a bit of time to kill, I started cleaning it up and set up the pads to give it a go. Luckily enough Loic and Kaylee came walking up just as I was about to pull on, and with a bit of a more-jumbled-than-usual landing, I was more than happy for the extra pads and spotters. After a few tries, Loic and I both sent, and Close Contact (V3?V4?) was born.

Loic and I eyeing up what would become the "Second Wave" boulder.

Following a brief snack and a few laps on the new problem for good measure, we proceeded to climb the other lines on the boulder, including a nice traverse that continued up and around the rounded corner, starting on Close Contact. Loic and i both flashed the problem, and then set to work on the short odd problem at the end of the boulder. We were initially stumped by the odd bloc, with a strange high left foot. Once we sussed the beta and figured out a nice toe scum, we both quickly sent (Loic styled the top out, while I beach whaled on top 😉😉😉 ).

Here I aptly demonstrate proper beached whale technique, providing some humor at my expense.

After finishing at the first boulder, we migrated uphill, headed towards the plateau. Following a short lunch, and a bit of exploring, we were waylaid by a snowstorm!!!. With a grim forecast and unrelenting weather conditions, we decided to head back to the cars and regroup. Once back at the cars we decided to check out some close to road objectives in case the snowstorm returned. With quick escapes in mind, I had two Josh B problems on my ticklist that I'd been meaning to try. Powerline (V8) and Blood Simple (V8) are two great lines for those seeking a challenge, without travelling far from your car. Loic and I were keen to try both, while our better halves enjoyed some r'n'r and the welcome sunshine by the river. Blood Simple revolves around a (large!) dynamic move off a sharp left hand sidepull, and after a few tries I managed to send the problem. Still battling a finger injury, Loic decided to save his efforts for Powerline, and instead invested his energy in fixing his pad strap with climbing tape.

Flashed climbing tape also doubles as an impromptu pad strap (in a pinch)!

Powerline proved to be quite interesting. I had tried quite a few years back with a hard left heel, but kept pulling my hamstring each time. Josh B. snagged the FA on the inaugural Tour de Frank day, when we listed it as a project, and he mentioned climbing it more straight on and bumping through the tough slopers. As a former gymnast, Loic was psyched on the straight-on method, which involved pulling on some nasty crimps and a poor left handed sloper. My original beta involved a left heel in the groove and matching the sloper, I soon realized a hard knee scum (with the assistance of a kneepad) might work a bit better, and also help avoid the leg cramp (Hooray!!). Just as we dialed in our beta, the snow/rain resumed, wreaking havoc on the slopey holds. Luckily we acted quickly, taking turns holding the spare pad over the crux holds. Trading burns and 'umbrella duty' we soon managed to claw our way to the top of the boulder! With a sense of accomplishment, we packed up our gear and returned to the car, and made the commute home. 

Brushing the very smooth slopers on Powerline with my Object brush. Trent was kind enough to get one to me, and I must say its one of the best brushes out there! 

Knee-barring my way through the devious slopers on Powerline. Very unique movement! This problem packs a punch!

I've always found driving to be a great time to think and reflect. As I piloted my trusty Subaru home, I thought about how great it was to spend some time outside with good friends, laugh, and challenge ourselves on the rocks. Something I've missed most about my climbing crew back in Lethbridge was the weekly discussions, good laughs, and remembering good times. Although in recent years I've turned to Instagram to chronicle my adventures, it leaves something to be desired. There is a hollowness behind a quick photo and 20 word caption that fails to capture the day outside, and doesn't provide the same creative outlet for me. With all that said, I hope people find something enjoyable in these posts, and at the very least find the beta and the photos useful or entertaining.

Till next time,

-Mark