July 2014 Highlights, New Routes & Updates
HIGHLIGHTS:
First off, thanks to the drought the bugs were already mostly gone by the end of the month, which was a very rare treat. But lets hope for some snow this winter, we need the water. Kyle O’Meara moved to Utah this year, so we were very stoked to get a vist from him in July, even if it was hot as balls. Kyle is a very talanted climber and an all around cool guy who always brings a positive vibe to the boulders. Joining Kyle were two young ones, Dalton Bunker and Nathaniel Coleman who are both 17. Nathaniel has been the national champion in the youth circuit for bouldering the last 2 years. Dalton sent “Tequilla Sunet” v9 at summit lake and the donner classic “White Lines” v8 and pulled on onsight of “Cajun Hell” 5.13b at Mayhem Cove. Nathaniel sent “The Real Deal” v10, “Pimp Slap” v9, “Tears of Tammy Fay Baker” v9 and “Crown Jewel” v10. We also toured them around Sugar Pine 3, which they really enjoyed. And lets not forget Kyle, who sent a long standing project on the “Freeloader Boulder” at Sugar Pine 3. The line climbs a cool steep arête, it’s called “Confidence” and its v10.
New Routes:
Warren Digness and Jon Thompson got all sorts of pysched on Summit Lake and added many new lines ranging from Vb-v8. The new boulders sit up on the hillside above the classic “Purple Sticky Punch.” At Sugar Pine 2 we found some goods. I’ve had my eye on this nice cluster of erratics sitting on top of the “Balance Bluffs” for a few years now and we fianlly got up there and went to work. We named the zone the “Six Pack boulders.” It has many fun lines from vb-v5, including a very tall terraced cliff sitting above the “Six Pack Boulders.” This rig is close to 40 ft high in spots and is a little beyond highball, although the climbing up high is easy and enjoyable. Sean Harverstock added some really nice lines to the Platinum Boulders. His best effort was a great problem out a steep bulge using pinches, heel hooks and other trickery. It’s called “Electric Chair” and it’s v10. The line quickly become popular and it saw several repeats. Next up Sean added 2 great lines on the “Mushroom Block,” a v4 and V6 which both climb out a gently overhanging wall to high finishes on perfect holds. He also added many nice problems around Granite Lake, which helped round out the area.
Updates:
I went to Legoland with Harrison Eberlin on July 6th to finish up the mapping for the Outlying Guide. Once again I was blown away with the quality of this spot. We saw two big Rattlesnakes in one day, one on the approach and one at the “Wave Boulder.” Harrison saw two in one day last july as well. If you happen to venture here in spring or summer be heads up, this place has a lot of snakes. Which is a little odd considering it’s at 8500 ft. Fall is the call!