The new area cleaning has begun. I have taken a couple of photos but none are very becoming. But saying this I have one just to show what it looks like. The new area is about 60 ft tall and just as wide. The rock is limestone and as of today we figure that there are about 12 routes ranging from 5.7 to 11c-ish. We will be bolting the lines very soon. The trail is being put in now and looks very good. Anyway I have spent some time here and it seems like this will be a great place to bring beginner climbers. Privater guiding area.

The other trip that Gavin and I took today was to Hinohara. Hinohara is about 30 minutes from Fussa and a nice drive. There is an old crag there that looks amazing. But the cliff, Kanoto 100m high, has been closed for many years due to the cliffs status. This cliff in Japan is to us in the states like climbing Mount Rushmore. Without the old dudes faces. The rock is very nice and steep towards the top. I really wish that we could still climb there. So it goes. I took some nice shots of some old scary gear. If this place did ever open, a hardware overhaul would have to take place asap. There are some nice large boulders nearby that have seen some climbing it seems. I know one of Yuji and Dai's hardest problems is in this area but not exactly sure where.

In other news, I am heading to Caramba tonight to set up some easy problems. I am teaching a bouldering class there on Friday, so I need to prep a bit. More cleaning and finalizing on the lines at the new area on Saturday and hanging with the fam on Sunday. This week is jammed packed with fun!!!


Go Climb Something!!!!!

Lately we have been climbing quite often. This past weekend we drove a hour away and checked out Kawamata. KM is a really cool sport climbing area with tons of fun routes. Many new projects, or so it seems. The weather was very cold so we did not stay long. The weather was over cast and because so it was -2C. We drove over to Base Camp and had a fun day climbing with Hit chan.

On Monday Jensen and I woke up at 5am and made the 3 hour drive down to Joyama. It was his birthday on Sunday and as a present I decided to take him multipitch climbing. We arrived to three other guided parties already climbing. But fortunately they were climbing other routes. We geared up and headed for the summit on a direct route 10c. A very fun onsight as it turned out. It was super fun showing Jensen how to handle himself on a multipitch climb. All in all it was a great day.

On Wednesday we headed back to BC and I have to say it was my best work out in a month. A very good night. I finally finished some projects and made great progress on others.


Go Climb Something!!!

Gavin Talks from Eddie Gianelloni on Vimeo.

And so he talks.

Our trip to the Izu Peninsula was a blast. We drove down the beautiful east coast to our hotel on Wednesday to our temporary home, the Star Hotel. The hotel was OK but we had private onsen access that was killer. An onsen overlooking the Pacific Ocean is very cool.

The next day we went up to Jogasaki to check out the coast there and to see what all of this seaside climbing is all about. Well I have to say that some of there areas looked great and others were very underwhelming. we hiked the trail above the cliff and located several great lines but all most all seemed very short. After a nice snack we drove up to Futo to check out Jackson boulder. This is not a destination boulder by any means. It also is not very beautiful, with three of it's sides covered in spray paint. It does tote a few 7a and a 7a+ problems. Their are a few easy problems on it too but nothing impressive. If you are there check it out, but do not make a special trip just for Jackson boulder.

On Friday we headed over to the west side of the peninsula for some sight seeing. Of course I was looking for some boulders or areas for some route. We actually found a few potentially nice spots. One of the areas is on the beach and has three large boulders. The main boulder is actually pretty cool. It is about 10 feet tall and on one side it has a couple of tiered sloper shelves that start in the middle and work their way up to the top. The start of this problem is on nice crimps. This would be the main problem on the boulder, probably V6/7. I could only play on half of the problem since part of the boulder was wet. This is the only thing with this boulder. It is rather close to the surf. But still climbable in the right tide. On the other sides of the boulder there are a couple of cool problems most v2 or 3. But on the seaward side there is a very tough problem on VERY small holds. The other two boulders are the same height and offer easy problems up to V4. Fun place, but not a destination area. We found a great lookout that gave us a fantastic view of Fuji and the Pacific Ocean at sunset.

On Saturday we headed to Joyama. I have to say that this is by far the best area that I visited on the peninsula. May great routes and long routes too. Up to 9 pitches it seems. In the sun all day, so great for winter climbing. When we were there it was about 8C in the shade and 12C in the sun. Great climbing weather!!!! With the little man in tow we hike up and climbed a bit but had to head out early. Gavin was ready way before daddy was. And so it goes.

All in all it was a killer trip. We found a few other spots with really nice rock and no sign og climbing due to the vegetation in and on the walls. I think this area has much to offer with more to come it seems.

Enjoy the photos. Gavin is starting to wake and I am on duty.

So in the past few days we have been quite busy. Star is on leave for two weeks and we have been trying to get outside as much as possible. We have gone to Base Camp twice and went and climbed at Tennoiwa. Tennoiwa is a beginner to intermediate chert climbing area west of Akiruno. A fun area, but can be VERY busy. This area is considered the guides area. We actually went and were the only folks there. Next we went to Shojiiwa. this area is about 20 minutes farther down 205 from Tennoiwa. This area is Limestone and offers some steep fun. The approach is much longer to Shojiiwa than tennoiwa and much steeper. Now problem this is good to me, this usually keeps the crowds down. This area is also in the sun until about 2pm. So good for winter. Tennoiwa was in the shade all day for us. Both areas are sport. We also went on a great hike that I have no idea where but was fun. We went for about a mile up steep trail winding back and forth on a ridge. And we say tons of rock. I am super pumped to go and get a longer closer view of the tall limestone wall that litter this area. Not to mention the boulders here too. Anyway fun week so far and looks like the rest will be better. We are going bouldering at Mitake tomorrow and are leaving to go to the Izu peninsula on Wednesday. And yes we are going to climb when we are there. Jogasaki, Joyama, and a bouldering area look to be the primary places. Also the coastline seems to offer some great places for birds. I am going to bring my big lens to try and capture some of our feathered friends.