Chipping Ice

So I went to the Ice Fest to get my once a year Ice session out of the way and now I’m thinking about Ice gear. Ice climbing is pretty much all about chipping. They even make tools for your hands and feet to chip. Chip a hold with your ice axe and pull up, chip a hold with your crampon and step up, next ice axe, next hold. All these Ice climber are a bunch of sorry ass chippers.

I did do one route that was pretty fun. It was kind of a mixed climb. The first 25’ was a ribbon of ice that was no more than a half an inch thick and about 8 inches wide. I was amazed that the axes and crampons stuck in such thinness. There was a couple toe in, or maybe I should say crampon ins, on edges and scoops that there would be pretty tough to use with rock shoes. Of course the tip of the crampon just made the hold a little bit better. I guess it was a pretty hard route, I just thought it was fun.

Then I did some try tool routes. That’s just not right. But I guess it is kindof cool to be able to climb outside when its almost zero degrees out and have warm clothes on! On one “dry tool” route I had to put away the ice tools and hand jam with gloves on for about 15’.

I wish I would stop looking at Ice gear now. La Sportiva makes some boots with crampons bolted right to the bottom - wicked cool. And the Ice axes are like mid-evil weapons you get to toss around at the ice. Of course you have to go leashless. Leashes seem like cheating – kindof like pulling on quickdraws and claiming you flashed a route or something.

I did score a new 70 m rope. Second time at Ice fest, second rope won. If anything I’ll have to keep going to Ice Fest for the ropes.

Hilti.

Over The Top

Okay so supposedly there is a new climbing gym going up in the NW metro.

The owner is a well renowned climber having gotten the FA of a V12 in Duluth, MN, has climbed all 5.12's at Red Wang, MN in a day, and has flashed a V11 and several V9's in a day. His name... Nate Iverson. Oh, wait you've never heard of him before?... Oooh that's because it's total bullshit.

Well regardless, it will be nice to have another gym in the metro if it does happen. Check it; http://overthetopclimbing.com/

And here's a video link because I don't know how to make videos work here. But anyways, I think this is supposed to be that V12 on the 1st street boulder.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q2rfSmk1fHU


Oh and try my new routes at the gym, they are sic! Even more sic than BB's routes!


Duchess

Once You Go Basque You Never Go Back

Shit dogs... I don't know if any of you pay so much crazy attention to all things climbing but have you seen what Patxi just did to all my future projects??? He is on a fucking tear all across Europe. So I was beginning to wonder... How can I gain Basque citizenship??? If this means I will make quick work of all things harder than 8b+ sign me up. I mean damm, and you get a super cool name that regular people can't even pronounce. I of course I know it by heart as I will be naming my first born USOBIAGA Prime Time Bodenhamer!!!

Well we need some posting from all you login members it's kinda turning back into my blog which was not the intention. Come on what's your plastic proj for the winter???

See yaa I'm off to 4 days in Sunny SO Carolina!!!

Jeah!

What are my real goals...

Well at work it is the time of year for performance evaluations. You know great job doing what you do for the year and now were going to give you a raise! Well I was looking at my list of goals for next year at work and well I was kinda board while taking sales calls so I thought I would really write my goals. You know for the only sport that matters... no not subaruing, coffeeshopping, or ect.eering like we learned about last week from the TNB blog. I'm talking about fucking sending and what its going to take for me to fucking do it, so here you go a half serious half bullshit work eval. Hmm should I send it to my supervisor? Probably not because he most likely wouldn't understand the f'ed up crag language that we speak in anyway (hmm what a good next post-> MN crag speak)... Well here it is booyakasha, and respect the techmology.

Prime Time over and out!!!

Major Rockfall at Willow River!

Last time at Willow I was walking up to warmup on Natural Selection and Wam! I ran straight into a huge boulder just before the base of the climb - what the????? Where did this thing come from? I looked at the route and luckily it didn't fall down. Turns out it just rolled down from the sitting rock at the base of Natural. Did an act of god do this? I fear not. More likely some hooligans having fun trundling - or maybe it was a bear looking for some last minute grubs before turning in for the winter. However it got there it sure is in the way. We have to get some he-man rock movers out there to open the trail up again.

I climbed the new linkup from Tsunami into Natural and have to say it is really a great option. Its a great alternative to all the regular jug pulling. And to clean it is even more fun. Climb up Natural through the traverse below the bread loaf, downclimb 20' to the lip of the Tsunami roof to retrieve your draws on Tsunami, then continue up to the top of Natural leaving a TR for someone else to clean Natural.

Hilti.

Sick Links From The Wang

The American Duo of the Duchess and Prime Time made some sick link ups of local La Grange test pieces.

First off the two made quick work of the new power-endurance route Preemptive Drilling Play. Followed up by a quick send of Jump the New Kids and Touch em at the Boutique where pendulum potential was a serious factor and failing to clip the chains would mean a five and a half to six foot fall. When asked for comments about the commitment grade on the route the Duchess said "I've done some hard things but this makes them all look like a pile of piss".

Afterwards the Duchess quickly made repeats of 3 routes 7b (American grade 5.12b) or harder, while Prime Time ran multiple fitness laps on the same king lines. In an interview Prime Time said that he "owed the day to Patxi and Dani" (his right and left arms respectively) stating that they really pulled him through all the business.

Just as the two were leaving the crag rumors where spreading about the exploits Hilti, Spidey, and the Professor. Check back for more details.

Mississippi Crushing

Well since someone thought Mississippi Burning was too hard... they decided to pull off the jug rest creating a huge ledge where you can sit your fat ass down and have a cup of tea. As soon as word got out about this The Duchess hit up the Wang the next day for a quick sending sesh and executed the new route with the help of Smith and Wesson, and sponsered by 8a.nu.

Now the route's name has been dubbed 'Mr. Sippi'. So get used to it!

The Duchess

From "The Rock Doctor"

Local Crisis

Word came via telegraph to the remotest of Eastern European regions that the "Land of 5a" was in trouble. "ICH CZAS PRZESZŁY CZASOWNIKA N PROJEKTOWANIE" came the code. Ivo a local salt crushing machine employed at the mine was able to roughly translate this into"The locals hardmen in the Land of 5a have been repeatedly shut down cold on their local "sic projects."

This was dire news indeed.

Despite having not climbed in several weeks, I decided to make haste and fly deep into the heart of this land forth-with. The news, it seems, was worse than I had imagined. Local strongmen had been spending months "projecting" testpieces that should have been sent fourth go at worst.

One local had even come so close as to taste the chains -literally- before succombing to the whip and falling in utter pumptitude.

It is a good thing that "The Rock Doctor" came prepared with healthy doses of beta in a convenient spray form.

With a little luck and a shit-load of spray, we might, just might be able to get through this crisis.

-The Rock Doctor

Taylors Meat Raffle!

Prime Time or Prime Rib??!!!
Sesh out the new bolt ladder and be sure not to miss the meat raffle at the Border Bar and Grill!!!

Twas The Night Before...

Halloween y'all! And there was crushing to be had at Willow River.

Spidey Redpointed his project 'Hatefull Pleasure', to the last draw. It was rad. The climbing above the last draw is lame compared to the rest of the climb so it was a bonus redpoint by skiping the shity climbing. He was so pumped he jumped off at the end! If anyone is looking for this new beta be sure to IM me.

The Professor

Well this is the first time posting for prime time climbing

Yo here is the place to bring it!!!

All the latest climbing news can be found here on this blog you don't have to look any farther.

So post up spray away and suck it!!!