News & Notes – 1/25/2011

Has it really been almost 2 months since we last did this???  Hopefully this massive round-up of News & Notes will get me back in your good graces…

News…

• In the past week Brit Tom Bolger managed a couple of notable sends in Spain with a repeat of Ciudad del dios (5.14d/5.15a) at Santa Linya and an onsight of L-mens (5.14a) at Montsant.
• Jimmy Webb ticked off Tilted World (V13) at Tennesse’s Lilly Boulders over the weekend.  Tilted World is another of those James Litz testpieces that took on an almost mythical status, not to mention several different names, as it sat unrepeated for years until Webb’s ascent (which you can see here).
• Chris Sharma on the good “problem” of living close to so many amazing climbing areas:

One of the biggest challenges living here in such a climbing mecca is that its easy to end up climbing too much. It’s normal when you go on a trip and you want to climb everyday to maximize your time and get as much in, in the 3 weeks that you have. But being here longterm I often find myself so beat up from so many day and months in a row with very little rest. For me learning to not feel obligated to go climbing even though there are 50 projects waiting to be done right out my door, has been key to sustaining my motivation over a long period  of time.

• Alex Honnold has been travelling around the Middle East sampling climbing in Israel, Jordan and Turkey.  In Turkey he managed a handful of routes in the 5.14a-b range while his trip to Jordan ended with a bit of an epic:

Without letting this get too involved, the route that I went to solo turned out to be harder than I expected, and I was climbing in my blown-out sport shoes with no chalk bag because we’d already stashed all our climbing gear at the base of Dar el Salam a few days before. The real crusher, though, turned out to be when I topped out and realized how far away the summit of Jebel Rum was. I’d hiked about an hour from town across flat desert to get to the route, now I was about that same distance from the summit, but instead of flat desert it was all cliffs, chasms and ramps. Basically it was the most complicated topography I could imagine.

• In Hueco Tanks Thomasina Pidgeon repeated El Techo de los Tres Bs (V11) giving her some 13 V11 or harder boulders in the past 12 months.
• Last Friday, Daniel Woods went up to Fort Collins, CO’s Horsetooth Reservoir and repeated a few hard problems including Ian Dory’s new classic Doxology (V12).  The following day he showed up at The Spot in Boulder and cruised to victory at the SBS Gladiator Finals.
• A bit old, but still worth mentioning at this point is Daila Ojeda’s repeat of Full Equip (5.14b) at Oliana, Spain.
• Ben Blakney reports on his blog that he did the 2nd ascent of Gun Control (V13) in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The problem, which climbs a “short, steep, blunt prow with virtually no holds”, was first done back in 2003 by Nick Sagar.

Ben Blakney on Gun Control (V13)

Photo:  Ben Blakney Blog

…And Notes…

• Dream In Vertical, one of my favorite “personal” blogs out there, is participating in a fundraiser to help raise money for the Access Fund’s acquisition of the Jailhouse in California.  You can help them out by donating below or at this link.  All funds they gather before February 9th will be doubled as part of a fundraiser at their local gym, Planet Granite.

• Fred Nicole and his “superhero powers to keep finding places no one else can see”
• A nice picture tour of the various crags in the Canadian Rockies.  Blue Limestone!!
• Not sure how much other people care about this stuff, but I find it interesting:  Paul Robinson is no longer a member of Team 5.10 as he’s made the switch to La Sportiva.  Say it ain’t so!! 🙂

Paul Robinson wearing the new kicks on The Island in Fontainebleau, France

Photo:  Paul Robinson’s Blog

• The American Alpine Club will be holding their annual benefit dinner in Seattle, WA on 2/26/2011.  Featured speakers include Dr. Tom Hornbein and Steve House.  More details here.
• Helpful beta for visiting Cresciano, Switzerland
• More details on the upcoming 2011 Petzl Roc Trip in China
• Tim Kemple with some excellent advice:

I guess my point is, if you enjoy the process, the lifestyle and you go after it (whether it’s a mountain or a spectacular image) with your whole heart, sooner or later the clouds will part and you will be in the perfect place ready to make a run for the summit.