The Word from The Black Hills

I'm just sayin' If I was a cop and I saw the Warden, Johnny Mac and Quick Draw zooming down the highway, I would want my dog to sniff their car too. The officer was just doing his job.

The boys gave Spearfish a good thrashing and QD flashed a 10b, He was pretty excited about it. I think it's a good idea that he keeps the keys in his pocket, I'm not sure it guarantees a good belay though, but if he needs to think so, ok!

So they are off to the free campground. It's only illegal if you get caught.

Red Wing Unplugged

Here's video of our rappel clinic on Tuesday. I didn't have time to edit it, so it's just raw footage. (Link is here if player below doesn't work.)

Happiness Is A Good Prusik

 

Some photos of our multi-pitch, rappel/aid climbing clinic at Red Wing on Tuesday. It was "chaos" to use Ron's term. But fun. And not so hot. (Temperature-wise, I mean. Because, of course, everyone there is a super hot climber.)

More photos here.

 

 

 

 

Ron preparing to rap down from the 1st ascent of the 2nd pitch of the 3rd buttress on the 4th bluff on the 29th of July (sorry I ran out of sequential numbers.)

Our Rappelling Class Outline

This is a very basic outline in PDF for our practice on Tuesday at Red Wing.

Rappel & Multi Pitch Training Tuesday at RW

Because of Mel-lo's and Sunbeam's upcoming trip, we're going to practice some of the techniques they'll need to climb at the Needles. So let's meet this Tuesday afternoon at Red Wing starting about 3ish. (We'll do some climbing too.)

Here's what you should bring - besides your regular climbing stuff:

• Some accessory cord - 5mm to 7mm about 2 to 3 feet is plenty
• 2 locking biners
• A daisy chain or personal anchor system
• An enthusiastic willingness to learn (blah, blah, blah)

I have all of the above (except the enthusiastic willingness to learn) so don't worry if you haven't bought that stuff yet - but remember: it's always better to get more stuff.

Read about what we'll practice here and here.  You'll need to know how to tie a prussik knot. Go here for that.

(Ron, we'll be there late, so get your butt out there!)

PS Apparently "rappel" is French and "abseil" is German. We'll use the French. Vive le France!

We're # 2!

Hooray for us. We saw some nice rocks, they were laying down so we climbed them with no hands. Photos are on my other blog if you want to see. Women on the Edge Blog The only photos I have right now are of a big party... I was busy paddling during the race!! I'll post some exciting race photos as I get them. As for now enjoy the cute-ness of you climbing buds.

Dragon Boat Race Update

Lisa and Mel-lo's team came in 2nd place. Big whitecaps and rollers; no capsizes. 2nd place time was 2:27.5 (just under 2 1/2 minutes.) Hooray for them.

Volcano Lightning

The Chaitén volcano in Chile belched forth a 40,000-foot-tall ash plume touching off lightning and a monthlong eruption.

Lots more photos here.

epiphany!

I never had an Idea of what I wanted to do exactly. I had a great idea today. I was thinking about climbing (go figure) and I thought about trad gear and who designs it. I researched job opportunities for Black Diamond and found one that fits my mechanical engineering major. Quality Assurance Engineer. I emailed Black Diamond about internship opportunities today and am excited.

Quality Assurance QA ENGINEER

apply for this job

POSITION SUMMARY:
Conduct statistical and graphical analysis of test data. Conduct product testing. Analyze test data, determine product and component strength ratings. Provide technical support for the Quality Assurance, Engineering, Product Design & Development, Sewing, PP&L, and Manufacturing Departments. Define, implement, and maintain quality records systems for test, design, and product rating documents.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Required: Bachelors degree in Engineering (Mechanical or Materials Science).
Preferred: Bachelors degree in one of above with advanced statistical analysis knowledge.

Work experience:

Required: Internships or major classwork focused on testing materials & statistical analysis.
Preferred: 1 year post-graduate experience testing materials & statistical analysis.

SKILLS & GENERAL EXPERIENCE:
Required: General knowledge of strength of materials & failure analysis. General database, word processing, and spreadsheet knowledge. Ability to read and implement technical procedures and government regulations. Ability to design test fixtures and relevant test procedures. Ability to collect and present data, identify trends, and make written & verbal reports on conclusions.

Where is everybody?

We had a great time in Red Wing yesterday, had the whole place to ourselves. It made me wonder where everyone is! I like to look at the world map on the blog. Mike and I play a game called "Where am I now?" He travels, he asks. I guess. I got the message yesterday. I think he thought I would never guess this! I wouldn't.

I’m officially in Bum Fu@# China!
Unbelievable….
-m

There are other dots on the map that I know who they are. Israel is my nephew PJ, who would be eager and welcome to climb with us if he would get his lanky self back here. Colorado! Jake and Levi. I know more, but how about you?

Mel and I are of to Grand Marais to Race Dragon Boats this weekend.Click here for race coverage on Saturday Our team is Women on the Edge. Our goal is to not create an emergency rescue situation. I will try to send updates through QD. It's a sprint accross the harbor about 4 minutes. But I'm always spent after about 2 minutes. It's fun! more later.

On A Perfect Summer Day At Red Wing

 

A perfectly good day to climb on a perfectly new rope.

 

                                                                 

 

 

Ooooooh my god, is that Aaron? I vaguely remember him. (Didn't he used to climb with us?)

So what if you don't make it?

Sunbeam asked young Levi on the phone. He was thinking... (insert some long explanation here) SB suggested carrying a few leaver biners and come on down. He said he is to poor to leave gear. Sunbeam said, Buy some leaver biners for $5 and if you need to leave them, I will give you $10" He thought that was a good deal. SB said it is a lifetime deal. But if you have to be a man, the diagram here is pretty good and bears repeating on the blog. And the deal is in writing and witnessed by climbers worldwide.

 

There's a complete explanation with a more detailed drawing here.

How Much Power Can You Generate

Could you light a 60W bulb with the energy you use to climb? From this website, the equation for power is:

power = work ÷ time (equation 1)

work = force x distance (equation 2)

The distance is the vertical height climbed (in meters).

force = mass x gravity (equation 3)

Mass is the weight of the climber (in kg).

Gravity (or more accurately, the acceleration due to gravity) is 10 meters/second/second.

So putting these into equation 3, and then that into equation 2 we get: work = weight x 10 x height (equation 4)

And putting this into equation 1 gives us: power = weight x 10 x height ÷ time (equation 5)

This equation gives the average power output (watts) required for a given weight (kg) to climb a given height (meters) in a given time (seconds).

So I used the above equation to calculate the watts I generated when I climbed "Looking for Lust" at RW this week. 72kg x 10 x 21 m ÷ 240 seconds (it took me about 4 minutes) = 64 watts.

Wow, that's a lot. This might be a solution to green power. So could I light an electric bulb with that amount of output? I did some research at this site and found out a 60 watt bulb uses 60 watts per second. I did the climb in approximately 240 seconds so that equals a .27 watt bulb (that's 27 hundredths of a watt per second). And I'd need to climb it 24/7.

I guess I'm just a very dim bulb.

Another Black Hills Trip in the Works

Mel-lo and I are headed to the Black Hills Labor Day Weekend. We have a camping Cabin in Bluebird, We intend to hire a guide for 1 day to do some multi pitch spires, then we'll have the guide point out some sport climbs for us to do the next day. Interested persons should leave a comment.

needles eye is a climb that looks like a lot of fun to me. It's so dramatic. Richard say he hasn't lead that one yet. Mel's has been talking to the guide at Sylvan Rocks. He say he won't send his guys up there because the top 40 feet are completely unprotected. Mountain Project seems to indicate exteme runout as well. HHHmmmm how does a gal get up there?

Climbers Gather At Black Hills

Each year, the Black Hills Climbers' Coalition has a meeting to discuss their climbing ethics in the Black Hills. They also put up  ropes on some of the classic climbs and allow others to top rope them. This year, they're roping up climbs in the Tenpins area of the Needles. And John and I will be there.

When You Need A Base Camp

 

For all your climbing trips, this seems like a nice way to go.

 

 

 

Or you could travel this way, which is more earth friendly but not as back friendly.

Ice & Snow Colors

Here's an article on Greenland that explains why ice looks like it does:

"About 50 feet of snow depth is required to pack the snow into typical glacial ice. That ice is white because it is full of air bubbles and crystal boundaries which scatter the light — what a physicist like me would call Mie scattering.

It’s the same phenomenon that makes milk or clouds white.

Non-fat milk is much less opaque than full-fat milk or cream and has a bluish tinge. This is a different kind of scattering, called Rayleigh scattering, and is why the sky is blue, and why deep water is blue. The difference between Rayleigh and Mie scattering is the size of the particles.

Once a meltwater lake starts it tends to get deeper because it absorbs sunlight more than the surrounding ice. It is intensely blue from Rayleigh scattering."

Online Adventure Travel Magazine

This magazine (go to page 38 from the first screen) has an article on deep water soloing in Vietnam - which is not quite legal there, I guess.

Deep Water Solo with Tyler

Hello friends,

here is a link, which will take you to a slideshow of my pictures from Mallorca, Spain. It was like a dream. Part of me is still there. Maybe I will even put captions on these pictures. Maybe I will have an ice cream dispenser installed by my computer--ahhh, a vanilla-chocolate twist cone please? My eyes are melting out of my face, I must get away from this screen. To the outdoors friends. Keep an eye on the moon, Tyler

I Think The Devil Swing Would Get Me

(Who am I kidding? I couldn't make it past the first obstacle.)

I wonder if they'll ever add this to the gym?

A Second Look at Duluth

Now THIS, would be fun to climb. But if we would have I would be in jail, climbing the walls. Common sense kicks in now and then. Just a casual poll. Who would bail me out?

Up Nort in Dulute

I was all prepared not to do any climbing. We did the harbor tour, FUN! walked the beach. Laid on the sidewalk and watched the bridge come down on top of us and then that voice came into my head "We could climb that". We thought we were safe from the bridge guys eyes. Until we saw the super 360 spy camara under the bridge. Fun was had. No arrests.

Devil's Tower

 

Nice article about climbing Devil's Tower with a little slide show video here.

Tower Jumping

A new activity not for people who are weak of heart - or ankles. There's a video link in that article that shows tower jumping in the Czech Republic. Could this be replicated in the Needles of South Dakota? 

Here's another video that shows some tower jumping in the Czech Republic along with slacklining.

Track Your Progress In The Wild

Whether you're out running in the extreme heat ( Lisa) or putting up new routes in the Tetons  (Mel-lo) or skiing in Alaska ( John and Dr. P.) this will help others track your progress and see that you are alright.

It seems like a great idea for wilderness travel because when you "...press the OK button, SPOT acquires your exact location from the GPS network and routes it through the SPOT satellite network. Your contacts receive either an SMS text message on their mobile phone with your message and coordinates, or an email with your message and a link to Google Maps™ showing your exact location."

Jurassic park lead training!

levi taught me how to lead climb today in jurassic park. the first climb i did was a 5 bolt climb and was about 40 feet high. then after i did that i went ahead and did a 95 foot lead climb. heres a video montage of some boulder problems and my first lead climb!
-Jake

Here's Where Lisa's Shoes Are

"Bishop is blessed with perfect climbing conditions. Not only is the climate perfect for climbing with only 6" average annual rainfall, and over 300 days sunshine, the crags and boulders that surround the town are world class."

 

 

 

Don't you wish you could've gone with her shoes?

 

Jurrassic Park

today levi taught me how to lead climb in jurrassic park! it was my first time. i tried it once on a 40 foot climb about then i went ahead and did a 95 footer. then i belayed levi to clear the anchors. it was pretty fun. here's some clips of bouldering as well as my first ever lead climb!

-Jake

Sandstone Anyone?

Just for something different, I thought I would throw this idea out there. Would anyone like to meet me in Sandstone to do some climbing this Saturday about 10 am? I'll be on my way back from Duluth. If you want to go, let me know before Thursday, so I can throw my gear in the car before I leave.

J gets to RW

No photos right now but I have some on my camera to prove I finally got to RW again. Managed to get my in-laws (siblings) out there so had quite a group of us. I was pleased to put some scratches on my brand new Helium quickdraws. I am most excited about leading Anadonia! Took a couple attempts to pass the start (had to do an undercling as I couldn't reach the pocket on first move), then I took one break before the big move over the overhang (finished on the right finish, not the left). Jessie from VE tells me the right finish is quite a bit harder, so I am all the more pleased. Great day...

Ward's Report From Spearfish

The Warden finally reported in. (Oh, yeah, I called him to see how his trip was. But that's about the same as him calling me, right?)

Anyway, they did all the 5.6s in Spearfish - there are 4. They did one of the 5.7s - there are 2. They did lots of other climbs and saw very few people. Weather was good - no rain. Good coffee. 'Nuff said. No photos.

Here's one of the 5.11s he onsighted.

 

This isn't a climb they did, but it is a climb in Spearfish. So, close enough.

Red Wing Monday & Tuesday

We're planning to go to Red Wing both Monday and Tuesday mornings. Saddle up Trigger and meet us there if you can.

Dangerous Exposure...

Now that I've been exposed to SD granite and quartz I might become dangerously obsessed. We had a great trip to Custer State Park and took a day to have a guided climb with Sylvan Rocks. We climbed in an area around Inner Outlet.

Here are some photos of the climb area and our cabin. The first is me finishing a gully area and our cabin. The next is the right side of the climb area, middle and then the left side. The fourth photo is the tower directly behind us.

Spearfish Update

Heard this from Mike about Saturday:

"Went to Sunshine today. Started on a 5.6 chimney. So we have now climbed all the 5.6 's in spearfish. Ward and Todd finished on a 5.7. So now we need to tick off the 5.7 s. Coming home in the morning."

Report From Spearfish

Here's Mike's report from Friday at Spearfish:

"We were at the Big Picture Gully area. Super fun.

Ward onsighted 11a. Finished on a really fun 10a 

at the end: "Everything's Big in Texas." Big moves 

on good holds. Good final pump!

Coffee is perfect!!
B-team"

They were here.

One More Video Of Wednesday

I thought they were the very model of modern, major climbers.

If the player above doesn't work, go here.

Longest Sport Climbs?

You know how this works, right? I was following some links around the 'net - don't even remember where I started  (Oh yeah, I started on my keyboard.) - and came across this:

"El Potrero Chico (the "little corral") is a sport-climbing paradise, with limestone similar to Thailand and routes up to 20 pitches in length."

20 pitches of a bolted sport route? Sure enough, here it is:

"Time Wave Zero is one of the longest routes at El Potrero Chico. The route is about 2,300 feet and is listed as 23 pitches in the guidebook, although it is possible to climb the route in as few as 13 pitches with a 60m cord."

Looks like winter is the time to go. Fun, huh?

I'm Out Of The Closet & Back On The Grid

Our power was out for 8 hours but I'm totally self-sufficient so no problemo. In preparation for these events, I've stored plenty of water, mucho food, and power galore.

My water, I keep in pipes underground that run all the way up to a big tower on a hill near me. Food is kept in a large, fully refrigerated warehouse area I call "Costco." Power, I get from my generator which uses gas that I store in big tanks I've named "Superamerica." So I am always prepared for a disaster.

I painted a closet today and finally worked my way out of it. I don't like being in the closet; it's confining, no one can see me, it's dark and I get all hot and sticky.

So I thought I'd reward myself and finish a video of our climbing last Wednesday at Red Wing.

If the player doesn't work click here.

Spearfish Canyon

Those boys did this climb yesterday:

News from Spearfish Canyon

Ok here you go.
We did 4 climbs last night. Mike even did a climb that finished on a slab and liked it! Today we did 6 climbs. Everyones buying beer. Finished on a super cool climb called yippey-kiy-yay. Pumpy exposed arete.
Rock 0n!
Mike

Jurassic Park

Looks like there are a lot of "well bolted, fun, sport routes" to climb in RMNP.
The more the merrier. go here to see more

How DOES He Do it?

I think I have finally captured the secret, the play by play of how Richard does his incredible climbs! This is our QD on "Last Call for Alcohol". Notice how he climbs, up. That's the secret! He demonstrated it again on Dead Dog Face today. It was miraculous to behold. Seriously, great climb Quick Draw. Congrats!

Shoe Resoling

Lisa needs to get her shoes resoled and this place was recommended to me by Mike. I've used them 3 times in the last few months and they do a good job. Their website is here. (It's a little racy. So you may not want to use them.)

Wednesday at Red Wing

Even though some of the stalwarts were gone - Mike, Ward and Mel-lo (interestingly enough, all three of them are currently in the Black Hills. Hmmmm...) - a group of us gathered to climb at RW. Ron had "Rock Flu" so he had to see Dr. P. who was at the Cliff Clinic this morning along with John and Sunbeam and me.

We did many leads including Vertical Vice, Goofed, Dealer's Choice, Blue Moon, Last Call for Alcohol, 3 Fat Chicks, Sunburst, Cool for Cats and Dead Dog Face (attractive name, huh?)

We also did a new exploratory climb to the right of Cool for Cats, as of yet unnamed. Some suggested names include: Broken Hold, Lisa-  Watch Out Below, Pull Hard - You're Almost There, or Ron Went First. This climb was chossy, manky with high degree of funkness.

 

Photos of the day are at this link.

Or slideshow below.

Levi's Climb

Is this it?

Best Spot yet

Today I got my package of 12 quickdraws and a rope and went right up to jurrasic park. I did the ultra classic Fin that is on the front of the estes park guide book. It was awesome.

Climbing at Red Wing on Wednesday

A group - Ron, Lisa, John and Dr. P. - plan on climbing Wednesday morning arriving 8:30ish. Apparently, several people have developed "Rock Flu" and must see the Doctor at the "Cliff Clinic."

 

Thursday Red Wing?

Anyone want to climb on Thursday at Red Wing? Time is open.

on mountaintop experiences and my "Love Wins" bumper sticker

I was doing a little research and writing this morning, Thought I would share. "One climbs a mountain," writes Tim Robinson, "drawn instinctively by the magnetism of the highest point, as to a summit of personal awareness, awareness of oneself as a point in relation to as much of space as can be grasped within a maximal horizon. Thus the mountain top is one of the most sensitive places on earth. After reading ancient texts, one might add that perhaps mountains are among the most spiritual places on earth. There are endless references to mountains, hills and the miracles and events that occurred there in the Bible. Noah's Ark came to rest, Moses encountered the burning bush and Jesus went there to pray.Mountains reach toward the heavens. They are a "thin place" between heaven and earth. Their vastness and beauty are beyond measure. All the more impressive then when Paul says in the book of Corinthians "if I have the faith to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."

(a little help provided by "A Spiritual Field Guide" by Bernard Brady and Mark Neuzil)

Cool Video of Champion Climbers Resting On A Ledge

Now this is the way to rest on a ledge so you're prepared for the next big pitch. (There's a lesson to learn from this video: please help your climbing partners get up on the ledge.)

If player doesn't work, watch it here.

Danger Signs

Some signs are very clear, some signs you can get the gist of what they mean. But some just make you wonder."What shouldn't I be doing!?" I'm glad there are no signs at Red Wing.

Black Hills Climbing

I know the "A" team - Mike, The Warden and Todd - are off to Spearfish this week. They may or may not email us with updates. (Mike might do that, I know Ward won't.) We'd especially like to know which type of coffee helps them climb the best.

I'd like to know if anyone is interested in climbing in the Black Hills area near the end of July. I'm somewhat open to dates and am thinking it'd be a 4 day trip. Let me know.

Anyone for Red Wing on Monday?

Anyone want to climb on Monday at Red Wing? I have the day off and can climb anytime after 11am or so.

Spearfish Canyon Song

Based on what Mike told me today about your trip to Spearfish and the necessity of getting good coffee there, I found a song for you. But after 2 hours of trying to post it , I turned it into a video. (It's racy so guard your children's eyes.)

If the above player doesn't work, click here. 

Mostly Sunny Sunday

Except for when it rained. We hid out here until the sun reappeared. Then QD and I climbed Looking for Lust and He did a great job under cruddy conditions on Cool Cats. Ward, Todd and Mike headed for the sunny side where it was drier. It wasn't the heat so much as it was the humidity, Close.
This is brief but there were a few of us there. So more posts are expected.

Happy fourth of july to me!

I got paid this wendnesday so I decided to splurge and go all out here is what I got. An Edelweiss Flashlight Dynamic Rope, and 12 black diamond freewire quick draws!

Here's A Way To Build Strength At The Gym

But I don't think they'd let us pull another climber off the wall. (They're no fun.) And are they wearing the new prAna line of super tight clothing? I kinda like it. 

Kinda Like Climbing at Willow

If the river were closer to the cliff at Willow and a tad deeper, climbing there would be like this short video. Oh, yeah, the weather would have to be better and there wouldn't be any snakes or bugs. Otherwise, it's just like Willow.

The Weirdest Thing We Saw in France.

Weirder yet, he was the only one we saw in

Mayrinhac.

We also saw bars on the windows in the shape of lovely interlocking hearts. Nothing says love, like Iron Bars.

5¢ 4th

Another great day at the bluff. Perfect weather few climbers and a visit by the local fox. Wish I had a picture. Todd and I got an early start (1st car at the parking area) and didn’t see anyone until after our 4th climb. Got a good pump and home by 1:00. Todd’s Monte Carlo got us to bluff in record time. 40 minute from my house to the bluff – no stops…….
Oh ya and I found a nickel to go with the two pennies I found on Wed. I’ll be able to fund a new pair of shoes in 2020 at this rate!
Have a great 4th.

Today I'm Stuck on the Alps

A few years ago, we went mountain biking in Chamonix. We also did this:

After You've Climbed the Eiger

Here's a quick way to get down.

Here's a story of a recent climb up the North Face of the Eiger.

A Wingsuit Might Help for Those Long Falls

For those whippers, one of these suits might help. The French sure know how to use their mountains to do fun stuff.

Top Pitch of Independence Monument

 

This is the top pitch of the route Lisa mentions below. Maybe the Colorado boys should do it.