News & Notes – 1/17/2012

News…

• Dai Koyamada adds a potential V15 called Shanbara near Toyota, Japan:

On 20th December 2011, I completed a new line in Toyota, Japan.
This problem is a sit down start version of Agartha, V14, and is called Shanbara.

• Iker Pou is well known for repeating finger intensive testpieces like Action Directe (5.14d) and Demencia Senil (5.15a), so it’s not surprising to see Kairn reporting that Pou has done the FA of Nit de bruixes in Margalef, Spain suggesting a grade of 5.15a for the line.
• Sasha DiGiulian has been in Hueco Tanks for the past couple of weeks where she’s done a couple of V10’s¹ and the V11 Sunshine according to her 8a scorecard.
• In the past couple of weeks Jimmy Webb did the 3rd ascent of Daniel Woods’ Crook By The Book (V14) in Hueco and added two V13s near Chattanooga according to his 8a scorecard.
• Isabelle Faus and Kasia Pietras were also in Hueco and both succeeded in repeating Sunshine (V11), with Pietras following that up with another V11 once she got home to Chattanooga.
• Jorg Verhoeven and Katha Saurwein have been cruising around Bishop climbing several notable highballs including Ambrosia (V11) for Jorg and Golden Shower (V10) for Katha.  Check out videos of them getting high off the deck here,  here and here.
• Alex Johnson has been busy on the higbhalls of Bishop this winter as well:

On this trip she has taken things to a new height by getting off the deck on some of the area’s taller problems. It impresses to hear of her ascents of Mesothelioma (v7), Golden Shower (v10) and The Ninth (v6), all at The Pollen Grains (a.k.a. Lydija Boulders) in a day.

• Magnus Midtbø climbed two 5.14ds in Santa Linya, Spain as 2011 came to a close with repeats of Fuck The System and Open Your Mind Direct.  Footage of the latter route can be seen here.

…and Notes…

• Short interview with Camp 4 Collective’s Renan Ozturk who went from nearly dying in an avalanche last year to being part of the team that did the FA of Meru Shark’s Fin:

Yeah, it was a really intense year going from a complete state of helplessness after the big accident (two broken vertebrae in my neck, fractured skull, severed vertebral artery) to taking part in a very intense and demanding Himalayan expedition

• Rock band The Killers come to the defense of Red Rock:

As members of the rock band The Killers, we don’t usually get involved in local politics. When we learned how Red Rock Canyon is being threatened, however, we wanted to do all we could to help. Timing is urgent.

• Alex Honnold reports on the gym scene in Poland:

The contrast to US gyms was stark. Where a US gym is meant for fun, Polish gyms reminded me more of small training centers. Systems boards, steep bouldering caves, campus boards, and a few weights all crammed into a dark, extremely dusty little nook. Not really a place to play, but certainly a place to get extremely strong.

• The 2012 Hueco Rock Rodeo fast approaches with this year’s event scheduled to take place March 3rd and 4th.  This year’s event, which is sponsored by adidas, features clinics, slideshows and much more.  Can anyone keep up with Daniel Woods?

• Save the dates of September 27-30 for the 2012 Idaho Mountain Festival