One Month on the Road

Yesterday marked one month since we left Durango on our winter trip 2011. We have been hanging out in the Buttermilks of Bishop, CA for the most part.

Bouldering is the name of the game in Bishop, we have yet to rope up in the nearby Owens River Gorge due to the mass amount of high quality boulder problems found in the hills around Bishop.

I guess this is an opportunity to spray about the sends we have each had on the trip:) For me it has been a great chance to push grades in bouldering and get stronger. I am happy with the progress I have made this first month in anticipation for the next 2 months ahead. So far this trip I've sent 3 V8 problems, 4 V7 problems, about 10 each of v6 and v5 problems as well as more in lesser grades. Highlights for me are Strength in Numbers - V5, Saigon - V6, High Plains Drifter - V7 and a flash of Tut Traverse - V8. I also was happy to take the North Face Direct (V2) to the top of Grandma Peabody, it's about 35 feet high! Pictured above is one of my proudest send of the trip, Brian's Project - V8.
Liesel has been crushing as well:) She quickly dispatched all of her left over projects from the spring including classics Solarium - V4 and Hauck a Loogie - V3. Just yesterday she sent her first V5 of the trip Milk the Milks (stand) in good style, the picture above is during the send. She's now got her sights set on Saigon, a beautiful and tall line standing above the Buttermilks 25+ feet and going at V6.

Much love to our friends and family, it was a great vacation from the vacation seeing Jim (Liesel's dad) in Las Vegas... Cirque du Soleil's production of Ka is totally sweet!

Resting...

Liesel and I have been in Bishop for a week and a half now, the climbing has been AMAZING and the community and weather have been equally wonderful. We have been on a schedule of two days on, one day off for climbing. On rest days we generally go for a run, for the rest of the week we will be going one on, one off in hopes of doing some real recovery from the beginning of our time here in Bishop.

This morning I stumbled across a blog posting from Chris Sharma that touched upon this subject, he wrote:

"It's nice to find this balance here. One of the biggest challenges living here in such a climbing mecca is that its easy to end up climbing too much. It's normal when you go on a trip and you want to climb everyday to maximize your time and get as much in, in the 3 weeks that you have. But being here longterm I often find myself so beat up from so many day and months in a row with very little rest. For me learning to not feel obligated to go climbing even though there are 50 projects waiting to be done right out my door, has been key to sustaining my motivation over a long period of time."

We have only been here for a week and a half, but I am really focused on sustaining the psyche and motivation required to achieve personally high level goals. I have not specifically bouldered this much ever, I have not purely climbed any discipline as much as I have for the past year and a half. So basically this all boils down to today we are resting... tomorrow BUTTERMILKS:)

Here are some videos from Jason Chinchen of the climbing in the Tablelands of Bishop:

http://www.deadpointmag.com/climbing-videos/watch/strength-numbers-v5

http://vimeo.com/18961597

And check out Jason's ongoing blog at

http://www.sierrasalve.com/sierra-salve-blog.html

and pick up some Sierra Salve at your local gear shop... Durangotangs can find it at Pine Needle Mountaineering and the Rock Lounge climbing gym very soon.

Now everyone motivate and have a rest day!!! from whatever your doing:)

We're in Bishop, California!

We've made it to Bishop, CA where we will be calling home base for at least the next 4 months. Along the way we stopped for a short bouldering stop in St. George, UT. On the first morning we were there we ran into Dovid, Bumby and their two house mates Elizabeth and Andrew. Dovid and Christine (Bumby) are some great friends I met out in Spain, it's always great to make unexpected encounters on the road.

Dovid made quick work of Bazooka Tooth (V10) and everyone had a great day of bouldering, mud skating and hiding from the desert sun. It was a shocking transition from 20 degree Durango to 60 degree St. George, the desert sun is STRONG!!

On Monday evening January 18th we arrived in Bishop and found the Buttermilks to be too snowy upon arrival so off to the Pit for us and a day at the Happy Boulders!!! (Not too bad a consolation from the Buttermilks:)) The Happies are a Welded Tuff climbers dream! Within an hour of climbing in the Happies we had already made friends, met climbing partners and run into old friends we didn't expect to see along the way. Local climber and business owner Jason Chinchen let us in on some of the new stuff being put up and we enjoyed another hot day in the desert sun. Liesel and I both sent our leftover projects and the highlight for me was a sunsplashed send of Karma (V6/7)... AMAZING!

-Kevin and Liesel

Training Schedule

I've been thinking a lot about training recently. This may be instigated by my somewhat tweaked fingers. (maybe my tendons are just getting stronger???) I have settled on the following:

Sunday: Hangboard/Boulder (Gym)

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Climb (Hard Intensity)

Wednesday: Climb (Moderate Intensity)

Thursday: Climb (Hard Intensity)

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Climb (Dependant on feeling)

Saturday has been a climbing day about half of the weeks since May. I have been on this schedule since late April/early May and seen pretty good results. I am climbing harder than I ever have in multiple disciplines and it has enabled me to climb all over Colorado and spend some great time with Liesel. This schedule involves no cross-training and my diet has not changed, I eat whatever and however much I want. I'll probably stay on this schedule through the end of the year and I'll update on how it is working out along the way.

Avalanche Coffee House

I'm sitting in a great little coffee shop in Silverton, CO, the Avalanche Cafe. Coffee is great and the breakfast burritos are top notch thanks to mr. Zach Lashley, part of the family owned and operated shop. Free wi-fi and a cool atmosphere make this classic Silverton staple a must see. It's located just off historic Blair St. so stop in and grab a bite on your way through. If you don't know Silverton, you should check out the SSSSIIIIIICCCKKK skiing at Silverton Ski Area.

Liesel and I are on our way up to Rifle Mountain Park today until Thursday the 23rd. Really excited to enjoy good temps and send some projects. My birthday is this upcoming Friday the 17th of September.

Durango Rock Lounge

The day has come... DURANGO HAS A ROCK GYM AGAIN!!!!

September 1st the Durango Rock Lounge opened for business so stop by and sign up for your membership. It's located at 1111 Camino Del Rio, exactly where Animas City Rock was. I'll see you there!!!

http://www.rockloungedurango.com/

See ya there!!! Let's keep this one in business.

The Grotto

On September 1, 2010 I moved out of a nice comfortable living situation on E. 5th Ave. here in Durango, CO, in favor of life on the road and sleeping amongst boulders and rocks.

That being said it's now September 2, 2010 and I have already made a great discovery!!! "The Grotto," as Walker called it when I was explaining it, is a group of sandstone blocks with a variety of high quality lines ranging from v-easy to mmm... hard. One line in particular is stuck in my head and I will be back to climb it. Amongst the vivid green oak the crimson arete stands proudly as a beautiful testpiece for the area... bomber rock and intriguing movement!!! psyched to put some work on this rig...

This will be the spot to stay updated on what and where I am climbing. Destinations upcoming include all of Durango, Rifle, Indian Creek and more all in preparation for the epic road trip Liesel and I have planned starting January 14th.

-Kevin