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Friday, July 24, 2009

Bouldering and Biking in Jackson

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 6:51 PM / / 0 comments


Thursday I took a chill day and decided to go bouldering. Lori and I decided to check out this area called Bouldertown or Bouldercity north of Jenny Lake. When I was trying to find out information out about the area and problem info I came to a halt. There was no info on the inter-web. I did find a site that said there was 5 to 6 highball boulders and a description of the approach. Bouldering is not like alpine climbing, there is not a lot in "route finding" in bouldering. It is good to know what you are working on especially on a highball with a tricky landing area.

So Lori and I decided to check it out. We found the trail very easily. It took 8 min to find the Y in the trail. It took another 3 to find the main area that was described online. There turned out to be 6 main boulders in this area and about 20 other medium to highball boulders in close proximity. There is a ton of potential for this area.
The center piece of Bouldercity.

We warmed up on the center piece of the main area. I climbed a nice lieback to a ledge system. Probably V1.
V1 Highball
Once on top I noticed that there was two anchor bolts for top roping. Then I moved to something more committing that went at V2. The V2 was a great arete. It was tricky through the fifth move. Very fun. I was walking around some of the boulders around the proximity and found a problem that obviously had never been climbed. It really reminded me of a great problem at Horse Pens 40 in Alabama named Low Down V4. I cleaned off some of the lichen and started to work it.
Low Down Duex V2.
After a couple of tries on it I was able to send it. I wanted to know if anyone knew if this was a problem or not. So I asked latter in a gear shop and no one even knew about the area. I talked to some Exum guides and they said that they did not really go there. I think that it's V2. If no one has climbed this I would name it Low Down Duex. That might be part of the reason that no one has tried this problem. It is low to the ground, it is easier, and it is surrounded by highballs.
V0 arete on the left.
A fun V0 arete.
We played around on three or four more problems and finished on a sweet traverse. It starts as a sit start and moves higher along a ledge system. The ledge is good but there is no feet. The crux is a hand foot match that is tough. It is probably V3 0r 4. I got a flapper on my third attempt and did not have any tape.

We walked around after and looked at all of the potential of this area.
This shot gives perspective on the size of the boulders.
There are hundreds of problems that are just waiting to be done. I really wish I had more time to climb in this area. Not to mention the view of Mt. Moran.

On Friday is was very rainy and stormy so we took a rest and planning day. We are headed into the Wind River Range on Sunday afternoon so we had a few things to consider. We are going to be climbing many routes. East Ridge on the Wolf's Head, SouthButtress on Pingora to name a couple. We are planning on climbing until we only have nubs left. Bloody, bloody nubs.

Saturday Lori and I went mountain biking. She took me on a really fun down hill singletrack. It was two trails, Cashe to Game trails.
The pass.
It was a six mile ride up to a beautiful pass. Then we had a three mile no pedal section to a great less steep lower section that was very intense.
This is right after the steep section from the pass.
I am very proud to say that I endoed four times. Not to mention the many other times that I fell. I love to go Fast!!!! It was absolutely wonderful. The views were great and the decent was worth it.

Today we are packing for the Winds and figuring out who is going to carry what. It is an 8 mile hike in with a 5 to 20 min approach depending where you bivy. We are very excited and I am ready to get some longer routes in.
Stay Tuned for amazing photos from the Winds.
Thursday, July 23, 2009

Exploring the Great Outdoors and OR

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 10:39 AM / / 0 comments


I have just returned to Jackson from Salt Lake City. Before I left Chris and I went back to the Rodeo Wall for a rest day. We went up three routes each and had some fun in the shade. The next day we went to a new area, Blacktail Butte. Or as Chris calls it, The Blackflail.

First off the routes here really start in the 11b range and are all stiff. We climbed three routes and Chris sent a 12b clean. Strong Work!!! That afternoon I travelled down to SLC to check out the Outdoor Retailer Show.
I met up with a friend and designer, Patti. She is great. She is super talented. If you need a bag designed call her. Anyway, I ended up staying at a hostel that was only a few blocks from the convention center. And a side note, if you are ever in SLC bring your own beer. All of the beer in the city is 3.2%. I brought some New Belgium so I was good, but just wanted to let you know. If you do want to enjoy a good beer you are going to have to "join" a club. Or become a member of a private bar and pay a small fee at the door. It is easier to just bring your own beer.

There was a guy at the hostel that over heard Patti and I talking about where we were going to climb the next day. He would end up joining us the next day. This is a big reason I love travelling, to meet new people. We woke up at 6am to head to Big Cottonwood Canyon. The area that we picked out was in the shade in the am and very easy to access. Patti had a meeting at 10am so we had to make it a quick trip. We parked and found the wall, which is right next to the road. You have to hop across a small creek to reach Dogwood crag. As we walked up we noticed that there was about 30 military guys in fatigues. As it turned out they were doing a rappel and aid climbing clinic. We were pushed to the very end of the wall were there was only three routes. A 5.8, 5.6 and 5.9. I was a little disappointed. But then I realized that I was outside climbing. I got pumped up again and roped up. The rock in this area is quartzite. Which was new to me. I jumped on the 5.8 and noticed right away what Stewart Green was talking about when he wrote that the rock was smooth. It is not that is is polished it is naturally very smooth. Patti and John ran up the 5.8, Haven't a Clue, and I set up, I Think I'm Going Bald, 5.9. The route pulls a small roof and moves to its crux on small holds and smears. Fun route. We packed up after everyone climbed the route and just as Patti was crossing the creek a flash flood broke out. It came out of nowhere. Patti started at ankle deep water then in a second it was at her knee. She came back before it swept her away. The military guy's bags started to float away so I started to collect them and move them to higher ground as they looked on in aw. It is funny how people react in an "Emergency". These men are trained for combat and a flash flood comes and no one knows what to do. They were appreciative and we headed out.

At the OR show I met a ton of great folks. I ran into Lynn Hill, John Sherman, Joe Kinder, Cedar Wright and Paul Robinson. I have met Christian Griffth before but we chatted a bit about the market and how Verve was doing. I went to check in with Mountain Khakis and had my butt photoed. I was overwhelmed at all of the people and product at the show. Everyone was there.
First I walked through the climbing section and saw the new Cassin edition gear from CAMP,rad!!!! I talked to the guys at Evolve, 5.10 and Sterling a bit and felt really at home in the climbing gear world. I love GEAR!!!!!

After a day of walking around and looking at gear I was pooped. I caught a keg party at the Primaloft booth. And went to the Mountain Khakis keg party, killer. Then walked over to the climbers memorial in the climbing area. It was a great video and gathering.

Next was the climbing comp on the roof of a parking garage. The whole event was awesome. It was my first pro comp and it was done in style. The wall was sweet. All overhung and with the final problem on an eye. Very cool.

The women went first and started out the show in style.

Alex Puccio and Alex Johnson put on a great show.



Alex Johnson would end up winning. The men had a few surprises. It took until the fourth person to send problem one. It was Jimmy Wood from Chattanooga.


Then a surprising finish standings with Daniel Woods first and a new young guy named Julian. It was a great show.

The next day I went bouldering because I was solo. I went to the Ogden boulder field. It was on the way out of town and I really wanted a pump.
I would send four problems and attempt two more. Quartzite is nice and very featured. I drove back to Jackson and met up with John at the free camping site.
Today I am planning on bouldering with Lori and meeting up with Chris later to talked about going up the Grand this weekend. Stay tuned for photos from the Grand and a new development on climbing for four days in the Winds early next week. Here I come Tetons!!!
Sunday, July 19, 2009

The Tetons are Beautiful!!!!!

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 1:58 PM / / 0 comments


On Friday the 17th we travelled south of Jackson to a small sport crag called The Rodeo Wall. There are only 14 routes there and range from 50 to 70 feet in length. I have to say that the routes there are very stiff. I talked to a local and he said that most of the route were put up by Greg Collins. He is apparently very strong, so that would explain the stiff grades. We first ran up a 10 named I Against I. All of the routes here full a small roof. This route is east until five feet after the roof. And as I found out all of the routes have the same beta. The top of the routes are SUPER crimpy on Limestone. The little rails are bomber but scary when clipping blots. After I sent IAI, I would grade it more as a 10b. Next I went up on Thelma, 9. It too would, in my opinion, go as 10a. Next was Copenhagen 10a, and the best route out of the ones I tried, Alive in Wyoming, 10a. The roof on AIW is large but the holds above are enormous. The line moves into a crack and is really fun. There is a swallow nest deep in the crack. So look out. Everyone loved AIW. It is a great route.


All in all the Rodeo Wall is very fun. And is a good place to visit if you are in Jackson. The grade range is 5.8 to 11a. There are only 14 routes but the close proximity to the road makes this a popular area.


The next day Lori, Rylind, and I went into the Tetons to climb the Guides Wall. When I woke up the sun was just starting to rise and the alpinglow on the Tetons was one that I will never forget. But of course my camera battery was dead. We took the Jenny Lake boat across to the base of the hike. We took the Cascade Canyon trail to the climbers trail that is very.... not obvious. On the hike in we saw several marmots and small wildlife.
The Guides Wall is a very popular area because of the grades and route variations that can done to give a guide more variety to their clients. We decided to take it slow and climb the easy 5.7 pitch skipping the 10a P1. I placed a piece very low which turned out to be bad because of drag. The second pitch was interesting. There are two variations, a fifth class left and a 5.7 crack on broken rock right. I went where I thought was left but turned out to be the 5.7. It turned out to be very easy. I pulled the lip and found the tree anchors. It was a very easy free solo, sorry Star. The third pitch was up a easy 5.6 finger crack to a small ledge. Pitch four is an easy 5.6 "scramble" to the lunch ledge. P5 is a great pitch what ever way you choose to go. We went up the wonderful looking 5.9 finger crack. It was tough down low but easy higher up. This funneled to the smallest ledge on the rock before the final and crux P6. The 6th pitch was absolutely amazing. There was a little exposure but was not bad considering it was 600 ft up. This lead to a beautiful view on top of the buttress. The abseil down was done in three rapps. If you ever do this route be careful when abseiling, your rope has a very high chance of getting caught in the many flakes. There is an alternate walk off after the first rapp, but be careful it is very loose and not often used.
The hike out was somewhat eventful. Hiking out we walked within 20 feet of a bull moose. We tiptoed by and made our way to the nearest water source. We ran out of water on P4. So we were very parched to say the least. We missed the boat back, so we had to hike the 2 miles around the lake. We met up with Chris who was just arriving from a Teton trip. We ate some pizza and drank some New Belgium beer. We slept very good last night. Rylind and Lori made everyone breakfast and it was wonderful. I did miss breakfast with Star which sucks.
Sorry that I do not have pics from the Guide's Wall. I will have some more from today. We are taking a rest day and climbing a few pitches at Blacktail Butte or the Rodeo Wall again. Chris and I want to talk about rope rescue a little and run through some scenarios. Stay tuned for more photo fun.
Friday, July 17, 2009

Five Days into my Adventure

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 11:45 AM / / 0 comments
Star and I decided to head out on our trip a bit earlier than we originally planned. We left after Alex and Gracie's wedding, which was wonderful, at c 11pm on the 10th. We only were able to stay awake until 2:30 before we had to crash on the side of the road. We woke at 430 and decided to hit it. Star drove, she is such a trooper. We drove straight through, all the way to Denver. We arrived at 1am on the morning of the 13th. Texas is long!!!!
We met up with some friends and decided to head to Upper Dream Canyon, in the Boulder area, the next day. We arrived at the UDC trail head just in time to see the thunder clouds gathering. We decided to head back to town and have a bit to eat at the Boulder Cafe, which has an interesting selection of foods, most of which are Creole in nature. We drove back to the canyon after the rain stopped. We spent some time trying to find the right climbing sector unsuccessfully. We happened upon some routes to looked moderate so I decided to rope up and figure out what they were about. The first route seemed 5.7 and the second looked harder. The harder route went up this brilliant overhanging arete. It looked like the entire route was bolted, I was wrong. The crux was protected by gear. I of course did not figure this out until I was in the crux sequence and tried to run it out to the anchors. I fell just above my last bolt, not felling so confident considering I had no idea what the grade was. I lowered and grabbed some C3s. There was excellent placement and I sent on the next go. I figured based on the moves that the route would go at about 10b/c. Star thought it was more like 10a. Star climbed both routes and our friend Shannon climbed the first route because we did not have much time. It was a wonderful day. UDC is beautiful and a must see in the summer. But beware, it is hard to find certain sectors first try. When we made it home after dinner I confirmed that the first route was Werner's Legacy 5.8, and the second was Rock Doc 10b/c.

The next day we geared up early and headed to Eldorado Canyon the climb The Bastille Crack on the Bastille on Bastille Day. The BC is one of the most popular route in the states and I figured that a ton of folks would be on it especially because it was Bastille day. We headed up it and had an absolute blast. It can be done in 3 pitches but we did it in the original 5 pitches for Bastille Day. After, we met up with our friends and I set up a top rope on Northcutt Start 10d, March of Dimes 10b/c, and the first pitch of the BC all of which are trad routes. All are super fun. It was wonderful weather which always makes for a great climbing day. And FYI the BC is in the shade all day.
Star flew back home that night and I drove the next day to Lander.
On the way I of course stopped at the New Belgium headquarters and toured around their facility.
In Lander I stayed in the Sinks Canyon and left early to meet up with Chris and Lori in Jackson. The drive to Jackson is indescribable with words. Just look at the following photos.


We met up, had a bit to eat and headed to climb at the Hobak Shield. The Shield is a sport area about 20 minutes south of town. Which everyone complains about being sooooooo far away. Yea right. I wish I had a crag 4 hours away, let alone 20 minutes. This was actually the first time Chris and I climbed routes outside together. We had been bouldering, but never routes. He is very Strong. We climbed four routes in the 5.9-10d range and had a blast. We drove into town had a bite to eat and headed to camp, for free, at Sheep Mt. Which is directly across from the Tetons in a Aspen grove. And the bison are abundant.

Today we are headed to Climb even farther south of Jackson at another sport area, The Rodeo Wall. Stay tuned for more beautiful photos.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Final Trip Update

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 11:38 AM / / 0 comments
I am past ready to leave on my trip. I am planning on climbing at least six days a week. I am planning to cross train with mountain biking and long boarding. As of an itinerary, this is what I have come up with.

Star and I will be leaving this Saturday night. We will be driving straight to Denver. It is about a 20hr drive. So that puts us in Denver around 8pm without stops. We plan to stay with some friends in Denver that night and climb in Upper Dream Canyon and Eldo Canyon on the 13th and 14th. Star has a flight that she has to make on the evening of the 14th and I am planning on hanging out in Denver that night. On the 15th I am planning to start traveling north towards Jackson Hole. It is about an 8hr drive and I am guessing that I am going to want to stop in Fort Collins to check out the New Belgium Brewery and Vedauwoo, Wy. I am planning to meet up with Chris, a guide with Exum, that night and just take it from there.

The only thing that I have set in stone that I am going to do is go to the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake around the 22 through the 26th, ish. But we will see what is in store. I have no idea where the wild wind will blow me. I am planning on climbing in Montana in the Gallatin Canyon. I would also like to check out Red Cliff Campground area in Montana too. I hear that there is a ton of routes there. In Wyoming I am excited to check out the Sinks, Rodeo Wall, The Tetons, The Island, and Rock Springs Buttress. I am uber ready to visit City of Rocks in Idaho. I hear the lines there are Rad!!
And when I am in SLC I want to climb in Little Cottonwood Canyon. But there are so many places in that area that are worth visiting. I am going to wait and meet up with a friend from Black Diamond and see what he wants to do.

We will see how it turns out. As of now this is what I have. I am not 100% on when I will be back in NOLA, but I will miss my wife and the New Orleans food everyday.

Look out rock, here I come!!!!!


Go Climb Something!!!
Monday, July 6, 2009

Massey's Gear Swap a Success!!

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 1:28 PM / / 0 comments



The annual Massey's Gear Swap was a great success. There was a great turn out over the week of the event. Many customers brought in their old "slightly used" gear in hopes of buying new gear.

The items that were brought in ranged from kayaks to sunglasses. From backpacks to crampons. All of which sold very fast. Massey's is considering having a semi-annual gear swap. Or even a section of the store designated to just customers consignment items. Stay tuned for more in to come.
Also, Thanks to Mountain Khakis for donating some gear that was raffled off. Mountain Khakis Rock!!!

The images are from the first day of the event. Customers brought in much more merchandise as the week crept on.
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Independence Day!!!

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 9:02 AM / / 0 comments
I saw a great Top 50 Awesome Things about Climbing and America on pimpinandcrimpin. You have to check this out. It is great.



Go Climb Somthing!!!!!!!
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