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Greetings to all friends and family,

We hope you enjoy a little glimpse into whatever we are currently up to! We will try our best to keep everyone posted with new photos. Let us know what you are doing and stay in touch!

Galleries

Summer of Rock II : The summer of 2008 started well with trips to the Black Canyon and the start of the South Platte season. Here are photos from all our trips climbing around the front range. Although it isn't exactly rock climbing I also threw in some photos from Martha's in RMNP, I did use the rock at least once during the climb, so its legit.

Summer of Rock II

The summer of 2008 started well with trips to the Black Canyon and the ...

Updated: Jun 02, 2008 3:50pm PST

Eisman Hut : The last weekend in April and Luna invited us on a final hut trip. We headed in after work (and McDonalds) and met two guys headed to the same hut with snow machines. They kindly offered a tow and the first four miles zipped by. We then spent three hours digging the two machines out of tree wells, so I think we actually broke even. The next day was cloudy, but it cleared toward the afternoon and we had a pleasant half day tour up a 12,000 foot summit. The next day we headed out and skied the north face of Baldy. Good snow and beautiful weather plus an arduous tree bash out to a different trailhead made a pretty good weekend.

Eisman Hut

The last weekend in April and Luna invited us on a final hut trip. We ...

Updated: May 28, 2008 8:56pm PST

Fontainebleau 2008 : Nine days of sandstone bliss. We flew on down to Paris, jumped straight on the train to Font and upon disembarking, discovered we were just a few cars away from everyone else. We rented three small cars, which still left Josh tying the mondo pad onto the roof of his BMW. We climbed at Bas Cuvier, Elephant, Isatis, Apremont, Cul de Chien, and Roche Aux Sabots. We basically climbed until our arms didn't work and our fingers had no skin. At that point Agie's parents showed up and it was off to Paris for a day at the Louvre. I kind of felt like the Venus de Milo, that is, no arms at all. It was a great trip, and all involved were a blast to travel with. I highly recommend the gite route, as it is cheap and very comfortable.

Fontainebleau 2008

Nine days of sandstone bliss. We flew on down to Paris, jumped straig ...

Updated: Apr 15, 2008 8:01pm PST

Citadel Peak, aka Snoopy : We thought about climbing in RMNP but since Agie wanted to ski we decided on the Citadel. Located on the north side of I-70 really close to Loveland. We skinned on up, then booted to the summit, then skied down. Which is pretty much standard for our weekends here.

Citadel Peak, aka Snoopy

We thought about climbing in RMNP but since Agie wanted to ski we deci ...

Updated: Mar 24, 2008 8:20pm PST

Rocky Mountain National Park Couloirs : Two weekends of skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park with Pete. We started with the Trough Couloir on Long's and had a long skin and not that great skiing. Two weekends later we had a clear day and opted for the much closer Dragontail Couloir. This one went great and everyone made fun fast turns all the way, passing seven thousand snowshoers on the way out.

Rocky Mountain National Park Couloirs

Two weekends of skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park with Pete. We ...

Updated: Mar 20, 2008 7:32pm PST

Nokhu Hut :

Nokhu Hut

Updated: Feb 04, 2008 7:12pm PST

Lake City : After a long week of work, we piled us and Luna into a small Subaru and drove down to Lake City. We passed through Gunnison, which was only -30 degrees at the time. Luckily it warmed up quite a bit on Saturday and we climbed at the upper park all day. We returned for grilled cheese sandwiches and spaghetti at the Texan. This cabin was indeed built to withstand the fierce Texan winters as it had quarter inch gaps between the boards to the rather chilly outside. Needless to say the few heater boards didn't quite do the job. The next morning we arose and headed out the lower park, where along with a Western State College class we enjoyed fine ice until returning home that night.

Lake City

After a long week of work, we piled us and Luna into a small Subaru an ...

Updated: Jan 24, 2008 10:24am PST

Kit Carson and Challenger Point : For a long Labor Day weekend we departed Denver early on Saturday. Our first destination ended up being the Sand Dunes National Park, which was, well, sandy. We did some cartwheels, then showered and headed for the real business, the Prow (5.8R) on Kit Carson. We met a couple of other climbers at the trailhead and promptly headed in, trying to dodge private Zen Mountain property on the way. Soon it started raining and we pitched a wet and rather chilly camp beneath the Prow. The next morning dawned fine and we were off, six pitches with some simuling later saw us to the Challenger/Carson saddle. We ran up Challenger point and finished with a quick 5.5 pitch to the summit of Kit Carson, outstanding climb. We then hiked down the third class gully back to our camp, just in time for the afternoon thunderstorm. We did a little napping, ate some dinner and went to bed. The next morning our motivation wasn't quite up to Humboldt as well, so we hiked out and enjoyed a long (wait) in Crestone at the hippy commune/cafe.

Kit Carson and Challenger Point

For a long Labor Day weekend we departed Denver early on Saturday. Ou ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2007 9:26pm PST

Vedauwoo : Thursday night at the Spot, and we decided the weather on the Diamond was just too iffy to commit a whole weekend to. Our solution was to pack it all up and head to Vedauwoo! Krugman brought the wide gear and we all piled into the Explorer and enjoyed some Swedish rap on the way down. We climbed Saturday at Little John's Tower and John's Tower, both excellent. From there it was back to camp in order to apply neosporin to our entire bodies. Later that night the rest of the crew arrived, and by the time morning rolled around and Lee brewed up some wicked coffee, we were off again. We headed straight to Spectreman, however we had to wait for quite the hard man to finish, although he did get a good insult in on Nate before he left. We climbed all day and soon enough it was time for beer in the rain, and then a quick drive to Big City Burrito for super potato goodness.

Vedauwoo

Thursday night at the Spot, and we decided the weather on the Diamond ...

Updated: Aug 06, 2007 7:49pm PST

Summer of Rock : We have had a lot of days where we take only one or two photos. So here is a collection of basically what we do every weekend, climb somewhere in Colorado. These photos range from long trad in the South Platte, to alpine in RMNP, to bouldering at Castlewood. So far its been a pretty good summer. Since I am lazy, these are also our fall desert photos from trips to Zion and Indian Creek.

Summer of Rock

We have had a lot of days where we take only one or two photos. So he ...

Updated: Nov 03, 2007 5:38pm PST

Moab and the Family : I returned from the Black Canyony just in time to meet Agie and her parents for a a trip to Moab. So we loaded the Explorer with basically everything we could need for a four day desert trip, bikes, crash pads, camping gear, and beer. We headed down to Colorado National Monument, and enjoyed a good lunch at a great overlook. Upon arriving in Moab, we met my parents for a four days of biking, hiking, general sightseeing, fine dining, and one afternoon of bouldering.

Moab and the Family

I returned from the Black Canyony just in time to meet Agie and her pa ...

Updated: Jul 29, 2007 6:58pm PST

Fruita : We departed during a rainy Friday for some sunny mountain biking in the desert. All I can say is that Fruita really does have some amazing riding. I can't wait to go back and try some of the longer stuff. We stayed at the RV park, although next time we are definately camping at 18 road or the Colorado National Monument, they are way nicer. We slept Friday and awoke to great waether. We headed to the Kokapelli trailhead and rode Mary's to Horsethief, to Lion's to Mack's and finished with Moore Fun. It was a pretty good afternoon of riding, especially considering it was the first time back on the bikes in about a year. Unfortuneately that was all we got, as Sunday we awoke to pretty heavy rain. We spent Easter morning in downtown Fruita, doing absolutely nothing, and finally decided just to return to Denver. It was still worth it for the day of great riding and I would like to go back.

Fruita

We departed during a rainy Friday for some sunny mountain biking in th ...

Updated: Apr 11, 2007 8:26pm PST

Mount Lindsey : March 2007 and we decided a good ski descent of a 14,000 peak would be fun. We picked a couloir on Mt. Lindsey and headed off for a weekend blitz. We arrived at the Huerafano road, however, to discover way too much snow to drive up the road at all. This only added 6 miles (one way) to the climb so hey, packs on and off we go. After a long slog we made it a camp, ate some dinner and slept well. The next morning we were off and made it well above 13,000 feet before realizing we had to ski all the way back to the car that day. We turned around and enjoyed some turns down before returning to camp, and slogging back out. Wendy's in Pueblo provided a fine after ski feast.

Mount Lindsey

March 2007 and we decided a good ski descent of a 14,000 peak would be ...

Updated: Jul 29, 2007 7:27pm PST

Dead Dog Couloir, Torrey's Peak : Ryan called on Tuesday and we decided to ski Torrey's on Thursday. Turned out to be a pretty good choice. Although the road was still completely snowed in it "only" added three more miles to the skin. I guess I was really naive hoping it might be open for a mile or so. I was pretty beat by the time we actually got to the couloir, but oh well, I need to spend more time above 10,000 feet, that is for sure. We decided the snow was okay, and booted right up the sucka. We then turned around and undid every vertical foot we had climbed, and at a much faster pace by the way. We were both pretty excited, it was a rare day. Dawson's D guide even rates this as more severe than the Messner or Orient on Denali, but I am calling BS on that one.

Dead Dog Couloir, Torrey's Peak

Ryan called on Tuesday and we decided to ski Torrey's on Thursday. Tur ...

Updated: Mar 15, 2007 2:27pm PST

Fine Jade and Ancient Art : We decided to blast to Castle Valley and tick a few towers for a weekend. We left Friday night and made it the Castleton trailhead, threw the bags down and went to bed. The next morning we hiked in to Fine Jade and had the whole rectory to ourselves. We opted for the wild hand traverse ending and enjoyed a great stroll along the summit. After Fine Jade, we headed to the Fisher Tower campground and enjoyed a fine dinner witht a great couple who let us share their campsite (thanks!) The next morning it was off to Ancient Art, which Krugman had climbed numerous times, but was new to me. This meant I got to lead a lot of it. Freed, the bottom bit, then enjoyed a lovely dirty loose chimney, with the craziest summit pitch ever. We finished with Mexican food in Fruita, and coffee in Glenwood Springs. Truly an amazing weekend.

Fine Jade and Ancient Art

We decided to blast to Castle Valley and tick a few towers for a weeke ...

Updated: Mar 11, 2007 8:45pm PST

Shelf Road Feb 07 : A plan that started as ice climbing in Lake City, somehow turned into sport climbing at Canon City. It turned out to be a great two days of clippin' and sendin'. We departed Saturday morning, climbed till the sun went down, and with it the temperature, then drove into town for Mexican food. We capped the night with some hot tub time, a few Coors Lights, thanks to Pete, and sleep. The next day, Krugman showed up and we climbed till sundown again. The weather was again sunny, not too shabby for February.

Shelf Road Feb 07

A plan that started as ice climbing in Lake City, somehow turned into ...

Updated: Feb 12, 2007 5:13pm PST

Rollins Pass, Indian Peak : With no new snow in a while we decided to skin up Rollins Pass and see if there was anything to ski. Sure enough, there was no snow on some aspects, which made walking up easy, but some decent snow buried in the protected gullies. We managed to find one and have a pretty good run. The bottom was variable, but the top and the narrow sections were great. This is definately an area we will return to, it is so nice to not have to drive I-70 and still be able to ski in Colorado.

Rollins Pass, Indian Peak

With no new snow in a while we decided to skin up Rollins Pass and see ...

Updated: Jan 23, 2007 8:57am PST

All Mixed Up : on January 14th 2007 we awoke around four AM for a day of ice in Rocky Mountain National Park. Our objective was All Mixed Up (WI3+, M2). We started the 3.5 mile skin around sunrise and arrived at the climb a little tired. We did the first two pitches and walked off, after looking at the time. We ended up skiing out in the dark, at least until Agie broke her telemark binding, then she walked out in the dark. Pete was nice enough to ski ahead, however, and warm up the car for us. It was a long day but a blast nonetheless.

All Mixed Up

on January 14th 2007 we awoke around four AM for a day of ice in Rocky ...

Updated: Jan 23, 2007 8:36am PST

Conundrum Pass and Castle Peak : January 2-5 2007 we decided it was time to see the Elk Mountains. So we drove to Aspen, left a car at the Maroon Creek Trailhead, then drove all the way to the Conundrum Hot Springs trailhead. Ten long flat miles later we were at the hot springs. The next morning we found a good run down Castle, and finished with a nightime soak. In worsening weather the third day we crossed Conundrum Pass and dropped down the long east Maroon drainage. Two days of skinning saw us back to the car. Even though it was mostly flat, with only one good run, it was a pretty interesting trip.

Conundrum Pass and Castle Peak

January 2-5 2007 we decided it was time to see the Elk Mountains. So ...

Updated: Jan 20, 2007 10:40pm PST

Cynical Pinnacle and Devil's Head : The Germans arrived during the first week of September 2006, after a few days in Denver we departed for the groovy South Platte for a night of camping. The next morning dawned cold and a little rainy, but we joined Pete and Krugman's crew for a day at the Cynical Pinnacle. We did Turf Spreader while Agie and Pete worked on the Center Route. We then drove to Devil's Head, made the Germans sample American beer, and then spent the day in the sun climbing.

Cynical Pinnacle and Devil's Head

The Germans arrived during the first week of September 2006, after a f ...

Updated: Jan 20, 2007 10:17pm PST

Mount Toll : On the 6th of August we met Pete Gray in Boulder, and after a light breakfast we headed for a romp up Mount Toll. We started at the Mitchell Lake trailhead (after paying our seven dollars) and began the hike. Three miles later we were just below a completely fogged mountain. However, one cheese bagel later we could see the north saddle, and by the time we arrived at the saddle, we could see the first pitch. By the time we climbed the first pitch it was sunny. One more pitch and a fourth class scramble dropped us on top. We enjoyed the company of a large rodent and began the descent. Some pleasant glissading led to the lake and a slightly less pleasant three mile walk. All in all it was a pretty nice day, except when Pete drove over my new helmet while leaving the parking lot.

Mount Toll

On the 6th of August we met Pete Gray in Boulder, and after a light br ...

Updated: Aug 07, 2006 9:43pm PST

Midsummer : We arrived in Sweden just in time for some mid summer activity. On the longest day of the year we enjoyed good food, friends, alcohol, and the nicest sauna in a motor home ever.

Midsummer

We arrived in Sweden just in time for some mid summer activity. On th ...

Updated: Aug 03, 2006 11:05pm PST

Kalymnos : After the craziness of Morocco, some time to relax was called for. We rushed to a wedding in Sweden, then immediately departed for beautiful Kalymnos. We first flew to Athens, then enjoyed a ten hour ferry ride with a large snoring Greek family. The island was great, Agie enjoyed the snorkelling and we both loved the climbing. All the crags, in fact the entire island is accessible with nothing more than a scooter ride. We clipped many bolts, fell many times, and had a blast. We even got up a few things.

Kalymnos

After the craziness of Morocco, some time to relax was called for. We ...

Updated: Jun 16, 2006 7:21am PST

Merzouga : The only thing that could get us out of the Todra Gorge was some good skiing, and this guy Ali said the skiing was great at Erg Chebdi, so off we went. We got a room and booked our transportation and guide. The next morning, we were off. Yousef led us straight to the goods, with Agneta atop Jimmi Hendrix, and myself onboard Bob Marley. They were aptly named as my dromedary was a much better singer. We spent one night and watched the sunset and sunrise, then it was back onboard for a sore ride to the hotel. Today we depart for Fes, enroute to Gibralter, which our booking guy ensured us was the cheapest way to get to Stockholm.

Merzouga

The only thing that could get us out of the Todra Gorge was some good ...

Updated: May 13, 2006 10:13am PST

Todra Gorge : We arrived at the Todra Gorge after a very long bus ride and managed to check into Hotel Yasmina. This is the luxury hotel of the Gorge, so we enjoyed good food and had our own shower, although it had no hot water. The Gorge itself is beautiful, very narrow and often full of tour busses loaded with French tourists. The long multipitch sport routes were the highlight here, with some hitting a good 300 meters of climbing. The single pitch stuff was fun as well, with Jardin D´Hiver being our favorite with lots of 30m bolted 7a routes. We spent one day just hiking and meeting Berber nomads as they came down for water. The climbing high point was Le Pilier Du Couchant, which rises right out the middle of the Gorge, we climbed a fun 6b, which the guidebook failed to mention had an offwidth pitch. It was a neat place, full of different noises and good tea. The closest town is called Tihnerir and even though Matt rather stays away we ventured there for an afternoon. Morrocco has an unemployment rate of 20 percent and with 70 percent under 30, you are the head target for touts and fake guides. All of this we of course know about, but one is only so wise. We fell for a typical carpet tout. Oh, it started oh so innocent, this guy at the table next to us starts talking to us... where are you from, when I visited France and bla bla Oh, by the way had we checked out the market where the women did a lot of handicraft work, oh, only five minuites by foot, no, problem Ill take you there. We venture in to the myriad of narrow streets and just as we start wondring where this market is the guide stops at a door, a woman opens and invites for tea. Oh, its the berebere way, everyone is welcome, come watch my work. By this time, we know what is to come but curiosity killed the cat. Well, we settle in, chatting over our sweet mint tea, admiring the beautiful weaving this woman does. Soon enough this man shows up, it is her brother, and now the carpêts come out, any color, any size, any prize. Well, the woman was sweet and it is oh so hard to say no so of course we buy a carpet. So what, the tout caught us, but in the end we got a hqndmqde, pretty saffran and henna colored carpet I really like.

Todra Gorge

We arrived at the Todra Gorge after a very long bus ride and managed t ...

Updated: May 13, 2006 10:59am PST

Chang Mai : We flew straigh from Krabi to Chang Mai with a one night layover in Bangkok, upon arriving we checked in and started to do a little sightseeing. We saw many Wats, and took part in the crazy night bazaar. We rode elephants, wrestled snakes, and of course climbed. Chang Mai is a much more pleasant place than Bangkok, which I find repulsive. We even managed to rent a scooter and not die, which is something I am proud of. The climbing is okay here, but it is certainly not as good as farther down south, the other tourist activities make up for it however, as there is good trekking and even some quasi downhill mountain biking. It was fun and we both enjoyed the change from southern Thailand. Oh yeah, the frog dishes really aren't that good, they serve up whole frog pieces, and you just have to try and suck the chewable bits off. We were both too weak to try the worm dishes.

Chang Mai

We flew straigh from Krabi to Chang Mai with a one night layover in Ba ...

Updated: May 06, 2006 5:06am PST

Phra Nang Peninsula : We are currently kickin'it at the lovely Phra Nang Peninsula. Our bungalow is decent and it is hot as all get out. The sport climbing is pretty damn good and we are having a blast, more juciy details to follow. We are nearing the end of our time down south and are planning to head north for more climbing at Chang Mai. We still have a few projects to finish up but have done some great routes while we have been here. The Ao Nang Tower was a lot of fun, although we did pay a boatman a thousand baht so he could lie in a hammock for three hours underneath us. Tomorrow we climb again after a short snorkeling and island tour break. Agneta has a vendetta to settle with "Lars and Lars" (7a) and I need to even the score with "Tom's Route" (7a+). We hope everyone is well and will update again soon!

Phra Nang Peninsula

We are currently kickin'it at the lovely Phra Nang Peninsula. Our bun ...

Updated: Apr 22, 2006 5:53am PST

The Blue Mountains : We departed Point Perpendicular just as the Navy moved in for their weekly bombardment, luckily they don't target the good climbing. We arrived at the Blue Mountains and pulled into the free camping. Our first day arrived with the steady drip of rain so we headed off to the Visitor center because they have nice toilets and we needed some hiking info. However, they day cleared and we decided to head to Mount York and climb! Which we did, Håkan's fingers were still thin but we managed several classics, including a great lead by Agie on Exhibition Wall (21). This time we were prepared for the infamous Australian carrot bolt and had enough hangers. Our second day we decided to sport it up a bit and started by touring the Jenolan Caves with a follow on trip to Bowen's Creek. This spot has about an hour walk in, but is well worth the hike. The sandstone is phenomenal for sport, really featured, great friction, and steep. We played on some warm ups and finally tried a few harder climbs, which would have to wait for our second trip here for an ascent. The third day we rested (15km mountain run). Day four consisted of hardest core trad, what wonderful variety! We managed several mega classics, and Håkan blasted up Flake Crack (17) in fine style. Agie finished with the brilliant Eternity (18), and with that we were spent. Our final day of climbing was back to Bowen's and even more hard sport. Agie and I finished our outstanding projects (mine after considerably more tries than her's). We then spent another enjoyable night at our free campground and headed in to Sydney. In summary the Blue Mountains are fabulous. The rock is excellent and there is a huge variety of climbing styles. This is by far the most pleasant area of Australia we have been to so far. The climate seems great and there is actually some water around so it is not quite the desert that the Grampians and Arapiles are. This is a definate must stop for climbing trips down under.

The Blue Mountains

We departed Point Perpendicular just as the Navy moved in for their we ...

Updated: Apr 03, 2006 6:28pm PST

Point Perpendicular : We picked up Håkan and spent the next day in Melbourne doing battle with the Commonwealth Games. On the upside they did have a free Miriam Makeba concert which we managed to attend. We thankfully headed out to drive the coastal highway and spent the next couple of days looking at water and one day surfing outside Tokay. It was fun, but I don't think I will sell all my skis quite yet. We then headed up to check out Point Perpendicular for some sea cliff action. We were certainly not disapointed. Despite only have two days there due to a Navy training thing (the cliffs are below a range) we had a blast. The camping at Honeymoon Bay is pretty nice with a good beach and the cliffs are amazing. Routes were done by all, and there were still many more areas to explore. Two ropes and lots of carrot bolt brackets are definately the way to go at Point Perp. I am not sure how, but Håkan managed to wear out all ten finger tips to the point where they were bloody, now that is climbing dedication.

Point Perpendicular

We picked up Håkan and spent the next day in Melbourne doing battle w ...

Updated: Mar 27, 2006 7:18pm PST

Grampians : The Grampians are both similiar and quite different to Arapalies. The climbing is much more spread out and a little bigger. The approaches are way longer and a car is very nice. The two Germans did some more sponging and crammed all their crap into our car for the trip to Stapylton Campground. We set up camp and the first thing we notice are a billion kangaroos. These things are cute at first but they ravage your camp. They go into tents and make a ton of noise shuffling around at night. The final toll of kangaroo food theft was 1 box cheerios, a kilo tasty cheese, a bunch of bananas, and two bags of trash. The campground was much more mellow as there were no large school groups present. The groups at the Pines consisted of around fifty 12-16 year old students basically screaming and running and hugging and being loud. Agie was completely unable to use the restroom for several days because large packs of 15 year old Australian girls would move in and spread powders and bottles all over the sinks for hours on end. So Stapylton was a nice respite from the "scene" at the Pines. We met up with Vite's buddy who lives in Melbourne and three other "locals" who gave us a pretty good tour. We climbed at Van Dieman's Land, the Gallery, and Hollow Mountain. We finished with a trip up Simpleton (18) near the Taipan Wall, while the two Germans did World Party (27). Agie and I will have to come back when we both climb solid 26 and do something there. The camping was fun, but we were ready for a shower after five days, so we packed it up and drove to Melbourne, where we will meet Håkan and head to climbing farther north!

Grampians

The Grampians are both similiar and quite different to Arapalies. The ...

Updated: Mar 15, 2006 11:45pm PST

Arapalies : Just under two weeks in a trad climbers paradise. We arrived at the Pines Campground the day after arriving in Australia. We spent one night in Melbourne then drove to a climbing shop, bought the guide and headed out. We nearly kill the first kangaroo we see but Agie moves everything from the back seat of the car into the front seat and the kangaroo jumps away, unscathed and oblivious to its near death experience. Upon arriving at the Pines the first thing we run into are the same two Germans from New Zealand, well they climb hard and are quite friendly guys, so we set up a shared camp. They are happy to have friends with a car, and we like the shade of their campsite. Especially considering it hits like 40 centigrade during the day in camp. We start out climbing the next morning and it turns out to be a great day, Agie leads a solid grade 20 and a 14 while I do a single 17. The climbing continues at a good pace, with a rest day about every three days. We catch some swim time in the beautiful brown murky waters of the Wimmera River and drink milkshakes from the Natimuk milk bar. The weather is unrelentingly hot and climbing in the shade is the only real option. Julien and Vite climb really hard, and we try to keep up, some of my favorite ascents include Kachoong and Lamplighter. We knock off a slew of classic moderates and try a smattering of classic not so moderates. We had an amazing time and we both hope to return at some point.

Arapalies

Just under two weeks in a trad climbers paradise. We arrived at the P ...

Updated: Mar 15, 2006 11:34pm PST

Castle Hill : Imagine a place where very nice limestone boulders proliferate throughout a peaceful grassland. Where the weather is great and the only sounds are the constant bleating of sheep, encouraging you to climb harder. Agie and I enjoyed five days of serious pocket pulling, mantle slapping, and stem smearing in this absolutely ideal bouldering paradise. We spent our first day at Spittle Hill and enjoyed awesome climbing, with a little too much sun. After that it was back to the Craigeburn Campgrounds, which charges the absolutely overpriced fee of nothing every single night you stay there! The second day it was off to Quantum, there were too many areas to work the same ones twice, so we had to hit a different one every day. Day three was a rest day, and we went through the cave stream. This is grand fun and consists of a thirty minute hike through a cave whilst wading through knee to waist deep water. Headlamps are a definate must. After that we checked out Arthur's Pass for some ice cream. Day four it was back to Quantum, our tips were wearing thin but there were whole areas left to be climbed. Our final day we were dead tired but climbed hard anyway, looking forward to a break as we travelled north to Payne's Ford. We stayed at a really hippy happy campground near the Ford and enjoyed a day of climbing and swimming, grand fun. Payne's Ford was not as amazing as Castle Hill, but still worth a day or two. Our final New Zealand activity consisted of a dolphin bobbing expedition. This humorous exercise involves ten or so tourists bobbing around in full wetsuits trying to sing underwater and attract some really uninterested dolphins. At times the absurdity was too much and we had to laugh at ourselves. Then it was back to floating face down and trying to sing underwater. It was still really fun and by far the closest I have ever been to a big sea mammal.

Castle Hill

Imagine a place where very nice limestone boulders proliferate through ...

Updated: Mar 02, 2006 11:37pm PST

Elephant Rocks and Hulk Hogan : Two days of bouldering in sunny New Zealand. Elephant Rocks is a fun area with some large limestone boulders in a sheep pasture. Hulk Hogan is a steep limestone escarpment right on the road. We ended up climbing with the same four guys that we were stuck on Mount Aspiring with, small country I guess. The camping was decent with the pub just a short walk away.

Elephant Rocks and Hulk Hogan

Two days of bouldering in sunny New Zealand. Elephant Rocks is a fun ...

Updated: Feb 16, 2006 4:48pm PST

Mount Aspiring, New Zealand : The start of our New Zealand adventures. We rented our car in Christchurch, a sweet Nissan Pulsar. Soon we were zooming down the west coast. Two days later we arrived in Wanaka and camped out near the parking lot for the approach. Of course it started raining as soon as we awoke, but that didn't deter us, we were off. With our heavy loads we camped that night below the start of the trail to the French Ridge hut. The next day, heavy rain, once again we were undeterred and up we went, the trail was steep and really vegetated but heavily travelled. We made it to the French Hut, which has three rooms and sleeps about twenty people. We met up with two other climbers and agreed to join forces for the glacier approach up the quarterdeck to the Colin Todd hut. The next day dawned with sun and no wind, perfect. So perfect I torched my face and lips on the glacier. The Colin Todd was much smaller and we went to bed planning on climbing the northwest ridge the next day. We awoke at four AM and it was off via headlamp. We hit the rock difficulties at daybreak and roped up. From there it is a long fourth and easy fifth class ridge to the summit. We had pleasant weather and a fun day. Exhausted we returned to the Colin Todd hut for some fresh vegetables left by a helicopter party that had bailed! We then spent the next two days stuck in the hut by zero visibility and sheeting rain, so much fun. I read three books before it finally broke and we made the long descent down Bevan Col to the car in one day. It was a long way out but well worth it.

Mount Aspiring, New Zealand

The start of our New Zealand adventures. We rented our car in Christc ...

Updated: Feb 16, 2006 4:47pm PST

Joshua Tree : We got in a few days of good skiing in Montana before departing to Joshua Tree. The skiing pictures below are of Gash Point in the Bitteroots. We also managed to stop at the Hoover Dam on the way, so there are some dam pictures below. Once arriving at Joshua Tree we met up with Pär from Sweden and began the climbing! We camped at the Jumbo Rocks campground which was quiet during the week but was a mess during the weekend. We only had one night where our repose was interrupted by the arrival of a few young party campers blasting some great trance music with "The Girl from Ipanema" mixed in. Mostly we did moderate trad routes with a few days of bouldering mixed in. Favorites included the great two pitch Bird on a Wire, Pope's Crack, and Touch and Go. Many classic boulders fell to our group including Stem Gem, White Rastafarian, and THE CHUBE. All trips to Joshua Tree need to consist of a visit to the Chube. We did a little hiking to some more remote bouldering at the "Underground" although not much was accomplished. The weather was mostly cooperative, although several days were bagged due to high winds. I believe I wore more down clothing in 10 days in southern California than the last year in Alaska. It was a wonderful start to our voyage and I would gladly meet anybody there for some great granite.

Joshua Tree

We got in a few days of good skiing in Montana before departing to Jos ...

Updated: Jan 24, 2006 4:00pm PST

AK Highway : The first two very cold days we drove on very empty, frozen highways and made it to Whitehorse where our car broke down. One can say that is bad luck, but considering that we were in Whitehorse and not somewhere along a deserted road in the dark and -20, the car is forgiven. We therefore spent a day and a half extra in Whitehorse, got some Christmas shopping done while the car's radiator got exchanged. Finally on the road again we stopped by Liard hotsprings. After checking in at the lodge we got out to the hotspring at about 11 at night in the light of the full moon. The springs are natural with rock botton and dirt sides, it was awesome and you guys have to stop by there. Next day we drove the Icefield high way between Jasper and Lake Louis. We lucked out with the weather and had perfect views and it is really stunning. That high way took us to Roger's Pass where we checked in to the Best Western on the top of the pass. It's good to have travelling friends and Crane and the others were soo right about this place. It's a really neat hotel and they offer you the skier's discount if you join their backcountry ski club. The locals find that kind of silly, of course, some guys told us as we were chatting at the trailhead the next day. We had two really cold, beautifully blue ski days and got a little taste of this humongus backcountry ski area. Then we hit a rainy Seattle at five o'clock rush hour but finally got my car and drove the last long day to Missoula.

AK Highway

The first two very cold days we drove on very empty, frozen highways a ...

Updated: Dec 30, 2005 11:19am PST

Don Sheldon Hut May 05 : In the midst of the Ruth glacier in the Denali massif the Don Sheldon hut is perched on a hill looking out over endless glacier and breathtaking mountains. Cameron, Kelly, Kaycie and I were lucky to have this cabin for a weekend in the end of May.

Don Sheldon Hut May 05

In the midst of the Ruth glacier in the Denali massif the Don Sheldon ...

Updated: Feb 12, 2007 5:21pm PST

Tolovana : Thanksgiving 05 we loaded our cars and drove ten hours north of Anchorage to the rolling hills west of Livengood, Alaska. Tolovana hot springs are located 11 miles from the highway and a trip there in November invloves -20 degree weather, snow coverd trees, snow drifts, hours of getting snowmachines loose and cross country skiing long after dark, but what are a few frozen toes when a few days in the very plush woodfired cabins with unique outdoor tubs filled with the hottest water from natural springs will be remembered for life.

Tolovana

Thanksgiving 05 we loaded our cars and drove ten hours north of Anchor ...

Updated: Dec 01, 2005 10:04pm PST

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