Smoot killing it.

Shawn on top.

Lost Trail

Snowboarding at Lost Trail on the MT//ID border.

Grand Targhee

This past weekend, 8 of us took the 6 hour drive down to Grand Targhee on the west side of the Tetons. An amazing ski area with amazing snow conditions. They had 5 feet of snow in the last 7 days. Hero conditions for someone like me who is still trying to progress what I can do on a snowboard. I logged over 51,000 feet of vert over two days of bluebird skies.

Saturday found more clear sky, more soft snow, and a climb and descent of Mary's Nipple, the rightmost peak in the photo.

Shawn climbing up the boot pack towards the summit

summit view from Mary's Nipple

descending down the deep stuff off of Mary's Nipple

Big Sky, New Year

Over New Years Anya and I went up to ski Big Sky/Moonlight Basin with a group of friends for a couple days.

taking the lift back to the condo at Moonlight Basin

morning view from the condo

The Last Climb before the War

Saturday Mulkey and I ran up School House Creek to have a look at The Last Climb before the War (thin ribbon running down the left wall). It was kind of "in" and I witnessed one of the finest leads on ice I have ever seen. It was a long day and needless to say we hiked out in the dark.

Joel running up the first pitch of School House.

the second pitch of School House Creek

Joel atop the second pitch

Aaron on the third pitch.

Aaron climbing thru the mixed section of The Last Climb before the War. It was amateur hour thru the first section. Dropped cam, dropped tool, and hugging very thin icicles for dear life.

Aaron pulling onto the ice

Mulkey cruising the top section of steep ice above the pillar. The ice was completely dry.

Cody Bouldering V

Ben making good progress on the Plague (v10)

Alex, Ben, Clint, and myself enjoyed warm weather on black friday while climbing on the Sphinx boulders. Problems worked and sent were, The Plague (v10) Park County Sushi (v8) Mini Cave Center (v6) Moon Shadow sit start (broke a hold, still v6) The Wanna Be V6 (v5) Nathan's Problem (v5) Nipple Crippler (v4) Moon Shadow Right (v4) Mini Cave Left (v4) Moon Shadow (v3) Toadstool Hueco (v3) Toadstool East (v3) and Smiley (v0)

Joel topping out the Nipple Crippler (V4)

Alex sending the Nipple Crippler (V4)

Alex going into the crux move

Clint cutting loose, but staying on Park County Sushi (V8)

Joel giving Moonshadow (V3) another run for the camera. So classic.

The Space Rock Jam

We did it, and it was awesome. 80 competitors over two days took on the black lights of the Space Rock Jam 2009.

Steepteam Bouldering

Saturday found the team and myself bouldering outside. We had great weather for a late October day. I gave the team a tour of the 3 main boulders at Phipps Park, and then watched the sendfest begin. Great to hear kids saying how awesome it is to boulder outside. The highlight was getting on the rarely done "Dyno Problem" V5-6 and working it out until an eventual send by Ben.

The Thigh Hooker (V0)

Forrest on the Cube Slab V3

Cody Bouldering IV

While the snow falls, Tanner gives the Holy Horizontal Arete (V5) a go.

We committed to the drive down to Cody to find nice occasional sun and grippy temperatures. With Tanner, Jeremy, Art, Clint, Snyder and myself working our way around the Sphinx area, we got on Coffee Skills (V6) Billings Coffee Skills (V5) Holy Horizontal Arete (V5) Nathan's Problem (V5) Mini Cave Left (V4) Toadstool V3) Holy Horizontals (V3) Terrible Twos (V3) The Sphinxter (V3) Toadstool (V1) The Sphinxter (V0) and Smiley (Vo). My first time I bouldered at the Sphinx I was with team kids and parents. Thus making today sort of was my first time really climbing in the area, and it took me a while to warm up to the problems being very eliminate in nature. I flashed my first Cody V5, but also have gotten shut down by three V3's in the past week, go figure.

Snyder crimping down on The Wanna Be V6 (V5).

Joel about to take a big fall on Holy Horizontals (V3).

Cody Bouldering III

Mike on the Hueco Traverse V2

Sunny but brisk day in Cody with Nate, Ben, Mike, Miles, Angela, Clint, and Synder. Problems climbed were Studs V8, Babies for Breakfast V7, Sugar Pie V6, Medusa V5, Tuna Town V5, The Bludgeoning V5, Spear Chucker V4, Perseus V4, Hueco Simulator V3, With or Without Sugar V3, Hueco Traverse V2, Special K V1, and a host of other moderates. Camera settings were off tilt all day so not much for quality photos.

Clint on the Sugar Pie V6.

Snyder giving it a good run on the V9 crack on the Spear Point Boulder.

Chicago

Anya ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend in 3:55. Elvis did not finish.

Cody Bouldering II

The Antelope Boulder.  The single greatest boulder in the state of Wyoming. 

We rolled up with a full car from Billings with Jay, Nate, Ben, Ryan, and myself to find the most wonderful conditions.  We met up with beta masters McClintock and Dylan from Cody  Routes that were sent were Pocahontas (V6)  Meathook (V5)  Shyza (V4) The Tuk (V3)  Home on the Range (V3)  Palm Pilot (V3)   The Muncher (V3)  Arnold Palmer (V2) and Where's the Beef (V0).  Routes that were heavily worked were Snytonga (V9)  Shyza Shyza (V7)  Finger Paint (V7) and the Antelope Half Traverse (V5).

Ryan working the Antelope Half Traverse (V5)

Ben climbing Arnold Palmer (V2)

Nate so close to sending Snytonga (V9)

Jay working Shyza Shyza (V7)

Joel working Shyza Shyza (V7).  I will be back with fresh hands.

The Recent Quest for the Microclimb

Joel sending The Sherman Problem Stand Start (V5)

My interest in climbing has recently swung to the micro climb.  Bouldering.  There is a certain beauty in working out the hardest moves possible without the rope on smaller garage sized boulders.  I've been coaching bouldering for the past three years but really haven't put in the time to see what I can do outside, until now, and I'm having a blast.  It's been like finding a new sport and I've really been inspired some of the others I've had a chance to boulder with the past few weeks.

Ben sending the Assassin (V9)

Nate on a still un-named V4

Forrest working the Sherman Warm-Up (V2)

Lost Horse Canyon

Alex on "The Duke"

the Hoin on the Dope Show Traverse

Jay Walking the Rail and strutting the fedora

Coach has  got mantle Skillz!

The Sherman Boulder in all its double rainbow glory.