St George Project Mode 2017

It’s almost overwhelming how much climbing the St George area in southwest Utah has to offer.

When we first checked out St George last spring we visited several of the different crags and sampled tons of spectacular routes. We got SO psyched on all the amazing lines and immediately planned a return visit to the awesome limestone crags for this year.

The Canadian van congregation back for more!

The approach we took this year was different than last. We each set our sights on a couple routes that we’d tried in the past but were too hard for us at the time. It is difficult to project on a road trip because time is always a limiting factor. The pressure is so much higher than projecting at your home crag… and there is the looming reality that you just might not send. You have to be ok with that. 

Another challenge with projecting on the road is that you are almost never sending or climbing on new routes. In the one month we spent in St George we both climbed only about a dozen new lines each.

So what did we put our time into instead? Climbing the same warm-ups at the same crags and giving the same attempts on the same projects over and over and over again. 

Graham sunk his energy into one main route: Breakin’ The Law (5.14b) at the Black and Tan crag. He also worked on two “side projects”, All Dressed Up (5.13d) and Super Loaded (5.13c) at the Cathedral in Welcome Springs. 

Graham climbing through the long arch on Super Loaded (5.13c)

I split my time between two routes I had touched last season, Pucker (5.13c) at the Wailing Wall in Welcome Springs, and Sniffing Glue (5.13c) at Black and Tan. 

Working the crux on Sniffing Glue (5.13c). Photo credit: Yannick Neufeld-Cumming

We both had our own unique experiences working these routes. After making quick progress with sorting out the crux sequences on Breakin’ The Law, Graham proceeded to match his high point in the second crux around a dozen times (spread over multiple sessions). Body worn down and sore after several weeks of repeated bearing down on the route, he took 5 days of rest from hard climbing and we went to Moab. A few days after returning he made the decision to forego Super Loaded for another trip, and then proceeded to send All Dressed Up AND Breakin’ The Law on back-to-back climbing days right before we were scheduled to leave! 

Graham moving into the crux on All Dressed Up (5.13d)

Graham on the send of his big project, Breakin' The Law (5.14b)

I surprised myself with a fairly quick send of Pucker on my tenth attempt, less than two weeks after our arrival. I thought I could capitalize on my psych to fuel attempts on Sniffing Glue, but this route put up MUCH more of a fight for me. Then, just three days after finishing Pucker I accidentally hit one of the crux holds on Sniffing Glue as a mono with my left middle finger and proceeded to pull off it anyways. I immediately felt a twang of pain through my finger, hand, and into my wrist. 

I injured a pulley a couple years ago, but this was my first tendon injury. Fortunately it was fairly minor. I took a week off climbing, and then slowly eased back into it. I was basically feeling good to go after two weeks as long as I didn’t use that finger in isolation. 

On our second to last day, I managed to link all 15 moves of the ridiculously hard opening boulder problem on Sniffing Glue and send the route!!! Psyched! It took me nearly three times as many tries as Pucker. 

SUPER psyched to finish off Sniffing Glue (5.13c) before we left!!

It was rad to spend our time in St George with a bunch of our friends who were crushing their projects as well. In photos, a few of these sick ascents…

Nicole busting out the try hard for her send of Bastard Stepchild (5.12d)

Chris looking casual on Infidels (5.13a)

Kye taking down Talking Smack (5.13b)

Dan crushing Solid Gold (5.14c)

Jakob on the send of his first 5.13a, Space Shuttle to Kolob

Kirsten making the most of climbing despite a pulley injury :(

Yannick sent a ton of stuff this trip and we have no photos... but here he is looking cute with Mona!

It was great to hang out with Tim and Kim for a bit too!! Kim on her send of Raising Cain (5.12b)

Jared had to jet back to Canada in late March, but here he is working the moves on Breakin' The Law before leaving

Breakin' the Law!

About a week ago…

I had one goal in mind for our time in St George: A short and bouldery climb at the Black and Tan cliff called Breakin’ the Law. I don’t know what exactly drew me to this climb in particular, but it was all that was on my mind when we discussed our time in southern Utah.

I had tried this climb last year and had been unable to link the first crux sequence, hadn’t done a single move in the second crux, and was struggling to consistently link the ‘easy’ slab crux near the top.

My old beta in the first crux. Photo credit: Yannick Neufeld-Cumming

Exploding off of the first crux. Photo credit: Yannick Neufeld-Cumming

This year, with the help of Jared’s excellent beta, I started to consistently do the first crux. Shortly after that, I figured out a sequence that worked for me for the second crux and slowly began to get that part consistently as well. The slab crux wasn’t proving to be a problem either.

New crux sequence using toe hook beta that Jared found

Perfect, I thought, this should go quickly! This has not been the case. The difficulty for me revolves around getting perched on a glassy smear with my body in just the right spot to take enough weight off my left hand to move it to a good crimp – what I feel is the last hard move in the second crux. In my mind, if I stick this, I should send.

Trying really really really hard on the smear

However, each attempt seems to go as follows:

Climb through the first crux, grab the two holds at the start of the second crux, tell myself ‘I know I can do this’, grab a small undercling, get my right foot on the glassy smear, rock over the foot….and be unable to find the perfect body position. Thrutch for the crimp, miss, fall, rage. Pull back on at the start of the second crux and climb all the way to the top. Rinse; repeat.

Grabbing that last hold in the second crux

I have done this over a dozen times now…one move away from completing the final crux. Each time I feel like I learn something, which is definitely positive. Still, it is hard to stay psyched as I ask myself how much more I need to learn before I can make the move feel like it does in isolation.

Almost every day we have been in St George (about 4 weeks) at least one of my friends has sent a project of theirs. In that same time, I have completed a grand total of 5 new climbs; all of them were used as warm ups. When we got here, I had decided that I wanted to climb this one route, which would be my hardest ever, instead of doing more climbs of lesser difficulty. Completing this climb, of course, would be a huge step forward in my climbing and would complete my goal I had for this year: climb five 5.14s, one of which is 5.14b. 

What I didn’t expect was the frustration and sadness (for lack of better word) that I would feel seeing everyone else successfully redpointing their projects and having done none of my own. Instead of thriving off the psych of everyone else’s successes, I am constantly asking myself ‘why can’t I send as well?’ I find myself wanting to walk away from Breakin’ the Law and climb something else just so I can have that feeling of success. Is that the right decision? Or is that just the selfish thought of me wanting to show my friends ‘hey I can send something too!’?

Would those little successes of climbing something well below my limit equate to the same feeling as sending my hardest climb ever? Unlikely. I need to remember that the relationship I have been forming with this climb is like any other relationship – it takes work. I need to keep focused and devoted during those low times in order to have the high times. I know I can climb this and I know I am getting close. It will just be a matter of time…

April 13 update…

Three days after pouring my thoughts onto this page I had my best go on Breakin’ the Law. I snagged the final hold of the crux, the decent left hand crimp, only to have my right foot pop off the smear resulting in yet another fall. I hit my knee hard on the lip of the roof on the fall and tore off a massive scab I had healing there, resulting in a bloody mess and some anxiety about repeating the same thing over again.

Ouch...

Another three days after that attempt I successfully redpointed Breakin’ the Law (5.14b), my hardest climb to date.

Sending! Pulling the first crux

Sending! Pulling the first crux

The head wall slab

Southern Utah Sandstone

After hanging off the limestone cliffs of south western Utah for a couple weeks we felt the calling of high desert sandstone. In need of a break for our bodies and minds, we set off to tour the National Parks and watch the sun set over the red-orange towers and cliffs of the Moab area. 

The first park on our list was Zion, which we visited with my parents at the end of March. The weather was a bit dodgy but it made for beautiful skies, and we did a couple short hikes to enjoy the views. 

Short hike to the Emerald Pools

Then, in early April, we set off to Bryce Canyon for the first time. We arrived in the evening and hiked through the hoodoos in the last light of the day. The air was cool and there was snow on the hills, which was added to the following morning. 

Evening sunlight on the hoodoos

Sunshine and snow

Wildlife along the Queens/Navajo Combination Loop

Hmmmmmmmmm

We awoke to morning snow! For camping tips: https://freecampsites.net/

Next up was Arches National Park just outside of Moab, in southeastern Utah. One of the things we really wanted to do while in the Moab area was climb some desert towers, so we decided that climbing is how we would experience the park. As we had never climbed a desert tower before, and we hadn’t climbed on gear in sandstone in over three years, we picked an entry-level tower as our first. The one-pitch 5.8 crack on the west side of Owl Rock was perfect. 

Graham getting set to lead

Summit selfie :D

Owl Rock: Our first desert tower <3

One of Arches' arches

While pondering what to do next our friend Michael Pang invited us out to join his campsite in Indian Creek. We hadn’t planned on driving down to the Creek but in the end we changed our minds. We are so glad we did. 

Sun rising in Creek Pasture campground, Indian Creek

The following morning we climbed the South Face (5.6) of the South Six Shooter – a big step up from Owl Rock in terms of adventure and a much more impressive feature. The North and South Six Shooters are just outside of Canyonlands National Park. They are huge, stand-alone towers in the middle of an expansive landscape. The one hour hike to the base of the climb was one of the most beautiful approaches we have ever done. The climbing itself on the South Face was mediocre at best, but the position and summit were amazing. We also took the opportunity to swap leads on the route, making it the first time we teamed up together for a multipitch on gear. 

The South (left) and North (right) Six Shooter towers

Views along the approach. You can JUST see our tiny van

We're gonna climb that thing!!!!!!!

Summit selfies again

In the afternoon we hiked up to meet Michael, Nina, and some of their friends at Cat Wall. We didn’t bring our rack, rather opting for the opportunity to spectate and be inspired. It worked – we are inspired, and can’t wait to come back and learn. 

Washing dishes instead of climbing.... Cat Wall in the background

Is Michael Pang teaching us to ring lock or showing us how to make shadow puppets?

Nina Caprez on her onsight of Cattle Call (5.12-)

hehehe

Finally, we wrapped up our sandstone tour with a drive and small walk through the southeast corner of Canyonlands. 

Quick jaunt around Canyonlands NP

Now we are back in St George to continue to pull down on those tiny limestone edges with renewed psyche for our projects. 

Just before sunset in Indian Creek

#utahisrad

Utah is a rock climber’s dream land. The state has so much high quality climbing to offer, spanning almost every discipline. We were immediately drawn into the incredible limestone sport climbing in the south west corner of Utah around St George.

We met up with Yannick and Kirsten to spend the following four weeks climbing with them. Our good friend Cory was also down for a few weeks visiting family and was able to squeeze in a week of climbing with us, and we had the pleasure of seeing Yannick’s dad, Robert! We spent our first few days at The Grail in Lime Kiln Canyon, technically part of the Arizona strip. The Grail offered a slap-in-the-face intro with its dead vertical, long (sometimes as long as 55m) routes. It was great to feel a pump again. The middle of the main wall offers the best rock quality: blue/grey stone consisting of phenomenal edges and features with often slabby feet. The area is a technical climbers’ heaven.

Graham on his flash of "Vesper" (5.12b)

A rare shot of us climbing together...... thanks to Kirsten Hundza!

Kim on her onsight of "Greyhound" (5.12a). Photo credit: Kirsten Hundza

In addition to The Grail, we spent most of our time at two other crags about 45 minutes out of St George: Wailing Wall in the Welcome Springs area, and Black and Tan at the Woodbury Crags. The styles at these two walls complement each other beautifully – Wailing Wall offers mostly vertical or slightly overhanging routes 5.11+ and up, and the style ranges from sustained powerful routes, to lines with hard technical cruxes. Black and Tan on the other hand has mostly shorter routes, often with heinously difficult, steep boulder problems. A delightful combo! Some of our highlights from the month included Graham ticking the three 13c classics at Wailing Wall, “Treebeard”, “The Cross”, and “Pucker”, Kirsten sending her first 5.12a, “Jumanji” at Black and Tan, Kim finishing off her project “Resurrection” (5.13b) and climbing her 10^th 5.13, and Yannick sending “The Cross” (5.13c). Throughout March, we reunited with several other friends and met a lot of wonderful new people that we were lucky to spend our time with as well!

Kim warming up at Black and Tan. Photo credit: Bonar McCallum

Graham on his send of "Talking Smack" (5.13b) at Black and Tan. Photo credit: Bonar McCallum

Kim on "Minus Five" (5.13a) at Black and Tan, which she sent second go! Photo credit: Kirsten Hundza

Bonar cranking out the steep roof moves on "Smoking Drum" (5.13b) at Black and Tan

Kirsten sends "Jumanji", her first 5.12a!!!!!!!!

Yannick on his send of "The Cross" (5.13c) at Wailing Wall

Graham mid-crux on "Treebeard" (5.13c) at Wailing Wall

Graham on his send of "Pucker" (5.13c) at Wailing Wall

Our new friend Melissa, making use of her full reach on "Pucker" (5.13c)

Lea cranking out her send of "Dull Boy" (5.12a) at Black and Tan

Enjoying a campfire on our last night in St George

We wrapped up around St George in early April and headed north. We stopped for a day in Zion National Park, where we made use of our endurance on the long overhanging bolted routes at the Namaste Wall in Kolob Canyon. Wow! The juggy huecos on this wall were incredibly fun and pumpy to climb.

Kirsten staring down the Namaste Wall in Kolob Canyon

Graham on his send of "Namaste" (5.12a)

Kim working the crux on "Huecos Rancheros" (5.12c)

On the next day we arrived in Orangeville, home to Joe’s Valley. Knowing we would have only about a week, we got right to it, immediately climbing three days on. Heavy rain kept us inside on our rest day, and then we punched out another four days in a row before leaving. Bouldering that many days on is tough on the body, but it was worth it! Graham finished off “Worm Turns” (V10/11) and “Resident Evil” (V9/10), Yannick made quick work of the classic “Worst Case Scenario” (V9) among other goodies, Kim finished off some projects from last year like “Kill By Numbers” (V5) and “Double Delicious” (V6) and Kirsten sent her first two V5s, “Gatorade” and “Mono E Mono”! We had the pleasure of staying and visiting with our friend Nikki and her pup Stella while we were in Joes, which was super great as well. What a switch to have the comforts of a house to return to after a day on the rock.

Yannick warming up in Left Fork

Graham finishing up "Big Joe" (V7)

Kim working her project "Planet of the Apes" (V7)

Graham on his send of "Resident Evil" (V9/10)

Kirsten setting up for the throw on "Stand Up Comedian" (V5)

Yannick on his send of the super tough "Scary Monsters" (V6)

Kim on her send of the techy problem "Gatorade" (V5)

Graham warming up in the Boysize area

Kim eyeing up the final tough move on "Double Delicious" (V6)

Having spotters adds peace of mind on "Worst Case Scenario" (V9)

Graham working moves on "Battletoads" (V10)

Stella and Nikki! Stella a bit nervous in the FalcVan....

Typical weather in Joe's..... sunny and stormy simultaneously!

We had a good run in Utah, but even after six weeks we barely scratched the surface. Hopefully we’ll make it back next year to sample even more of what this state has to offer. For now though… off to Smith Rock, Oregon!

Black-throated Sparrow one morning at Black and Tan