Friday, January 28, 2011

Open Projects

So I wanted to do a full on projects post here. Kind of the be all end all of open projects at the lake. There are a bunch of them that need to get done and I'm hoping we'll see many finished up this year!

1 - Seam Project


I've spent 3 days on this one and have come away empty handed. I'm not really sure how that happened. I will say that it was comforting to see RV and Chris both go through the same progression as I. It feels so doable when you first try it but as time goes on it gets trickier and trickier.

When it comes down to it it's a single move. It should be over once you get your feet back on and cross over.

It's thrutchy, a bit awkward and the landing is interesting enough to keep me coming back. I'm very much looking forward to doing this boulder problem. Not sure what it'll take.

2 - Corner Project

Remo and I have spent limited time on this one and the crux seems to be getting off the ground. Once you're a couple moves in Remo tells me you can throw a toe hook in and move around pretty well. Opening this could mean that a true low start could be done for Moj which would be cool as well.

For those of you who haven't played on it it starts on a poor left hand edge and a mediocre undercling. Getting up off the ground doesn't look terrible until you look at the feet. Just horrible. If we can figure it out this could be one of the harder ones at the lake. Time will tell.

3 - Half Dome Project


Sadly this one is turning out to be a bit of a heartbreaker. The jug will surely break at some point and the start is a touch awkward till you get the momentum right. Both those points in mind it's a relatively safe and incredibly hard project with an easy approach. Can't ask for too much more in Wisconsin.

This problem seems like a good step up from others I've tried around here but in true Lake fashion it's going to be a whopping 3 moves long. After a pretty heinous dry fire last fall I'm curious what it's going to take.

4 - Falling Pieces Project


Peter and I tried this one years ago but ultimately deemed it too much of a heartbreaker. Once more a boulder sadly covers up two amazing underclings making a would be perfect project into a jump start. So sad.

Melin seemed to be the only one really psyched on this one and it seemed he came fairly close to it a couple times but then had to leave it for next year. I've never had huge motivation for it but I'd be happy to see someone do it.

5 - Jack Backwards


So I'll be honest here. I had no clue that the official Jack Backwards project went up the gully to the right of the amazing wall. Never would have imagined it but oh well. Last fall Vince did the dihedral and named it Jack Bawkwards.

In my eyes the true gem is still there.

The wall to the left of Bawkwards is AMAZING. 100% completely incredible. Not sure if it'll be hard, easy, moderate, whatever. It'll be cool though. Not sure how this ones been overlooked. Actually, thinking about it now I should check my guide when I get home. Who knows. It could be a TR for all I know.

Either way, project or not, it's worth doing.

6 - Big Money Project


Gotta thank Remo on this one. RV and I looked at it very very briefly this past spring and dismissed it as not worthy of time. Remo says it could be cool. He says it could be hard. Who knows. Gotta try it though.

The nice thing about this is that it'd be easy to do with one or two people and obviously the landing isn't an issue. While lowball, it could be cool. We'll see.

7 - Triple Tower Project


If we can move one boulder this could be a very good addition. It looks like some cool compression moves into an existing V4. Who's up for some trundling??

8 - Tunder Tikes Project

I'm just going out and naming the project left of Tunder Tighs. This should be a prime one as long as we can fill in the pit. That's the big question. We'll need a decent sized crew for it. Remo and I are in, who else?

9 - Tilted Boulder Project


Within a span of a week Remo and I looked at this problem without knowing the other had. The main project would go up the right arete on kind of a striking line. There is also maybe potential for something REALLY hard up the left face.

If I remember right there weren't that many holds.

10 - Science Friction Project


Again another problem that I haven't been super excited about but it's been fun to follow its progress as more an more people try the thing. Sweaty, Remo and Vince have all put time in on it and come away empty handed.

Aside from one seemingly really sharp crimp it seems like a prime line with a good approach.

11 - Project Wall


So most of these projects I can imagine doing. They don't seem too outlandish and actually rather possible. The project wall doesn't even seem imaginable. With that said though, every time I go out to the reserve I throw a pad below it and futz around for a bit. Always with the same result.

It very well might go. Who knows. If it does, I think it'll be well into the double digits.

Off the top of my head I can't think of any other of the "big" projects. There are literally hundreds of other problems out there for the taking right now! Not just on the West Bluff either but the entire East Bluff and off the Fire Road on top of the West Bluff. That's not even taking into consideration the huge expanse that is Steinke Basin.

There is so much potential still up at the lake that it's absolutely mind boggling. The days of hiking for more than an hour to get to a mediocre project and thinking it's the future of the lake are done. They're over. There are so many new problems to be done it's staggering.

Let me know if I missed any though. I'll happily add to this list.

13 comments:

  1. Don't remember Big Money but I am guessing its one of the fifty million `oh my god this may be an amazing roof' moments I had on that one day.

    I really like the pic of the Tilted Boulder. It looks very clean!

    There is snow on everything I want to get on in Tahoe. The local beta seems to be that it isn't going to be climbable till end of Feb at the earliest.

    Which is cool. I like plastic more anyway.

    I am guessing that even with the current snow, Devil's Lake will be climbable soon. Hate!

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  2. science friction has a gigantic last move from what i remember. that project wall looks amazing! wow. still havent been to the reserve. gotta go.

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  3. Psyched to go check those out! DB, you should clean the snow of Welcome to the Future, it's a good winter one. It's at the 88/89 Junction near Luther Pass by Meyers behind the Horse Corral about 100 yards. There's stuff by kirkwood doable in the winter too. Tahoe is good snowldering. Perfect conditions
    Ian

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  4. Dear Ian,

    You just had to go ruin it for me didn't you. Here I was with a perfect excuse to keep climbing plastic and have the perfect excuse to suck down south. But nooooooooo someone had to come give me location betas. Now I am gonna have to go check this nonsense out as soon as it stops bloody raining (see I have a backup excuse).

    By the way did you ever climb up at the Saddle in Donner park (N. Lake Tahoe)?

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  5. RV- I don't know if this was the "saddle" or not, but Donner is amazing. No excuses man.

    http://mountainproject.com/v/california/tahoe_vicinity/donner_pass/105972973

    ce

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  6. Chris,

    Yes, Donner is bloody amazing! The place is still being hit by snow. The Saddle is this: http://www.supertopo.com/bouldering/Lake-Tahoe-Bouldering-The-Saddle

    I have sort of been fixated on it since I got here. Had a couple of sessions (=shutdown, bitch slapped around) there Sep-Oct before it got snowed out. Short season for it since it's hard even getting to it if there is snow on the ground (you have to drive through old train tunnels, no turning around).

    Although, sounds like I should just go hit up the south lake area.

    Also, I always have excuses. It's a defining personality trait. That and the whining and the complaining and the hating and the browning.

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  7. RV how far are you from Donner? I would love to go back there someday. I climbed there for 2 days in 2006 (playing hooky from a conference in San Francisco). Just awesome. I can't remember, maybe 3-4 hours by car from there? Yup, I just invited myself out there. How long you gonna be in CA? ce

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  8. Hey RV, big money is the steinke project. the low roof behind jack backwards. We didn't climb anything over there but it all looked good.

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  9. Chris: I am 2 hours from Donner (less depending on traffic and speeding). I am in Davis and am going to be here at least till Jun 20. You are more than welcome to crash with us if you are ever in the neighborhood. Just give me some forewarning!

    Steve: Ah ok, the Steinke area, I remember now. The trying to haul a boulder out with a dead tree. Hah.

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  10. Hah. nope. not that one either! Big money is a super low roof we crawled into by jack backwards. it was a classic "OMG STEVE LOOK!!!! A ROOF!!!" moment.

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  11. There's a pretty cool winter area by Carson City too, Prisoner Hill. Really neat rock, though you may want a tour, I could hook you up with somebody if you want. Saddle would be hard to access in winter, you drive through these train tunnells and they are icy even in the early summer. I know the White Lines Boulder by Donner summit gets a ton of sun and could be a go in the winter, Good Luck
    Ian
    - probably just drive to Bishop

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  12. Ian: Yeah I climbed at the Saddle in Sep-Oct. Drove there some days back, hiked through the train tunnels (not wanting to have to back out halfway through), the saddle itself was not really climbable. I have tried finding white line twice now. No success.

    And yes, everybody keeps telling me to just drive to Bishop. But the world would fall apart if I took more than a daytrip anywhere. Well, except for the down souf trip, that's been planned for a while.

    Steve: I have no idea what you are talking about now. There were too many `OMFG roof roof roof roof. Wait, wait, awwww god damnit' moments.

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  13. If youre looking for tahoe boulder beta (esp. locations) this site might fill you in:

    http://wikiboulder.com/guides/guide/California/Tahoe/

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