2009 SLC OR Mammut Bouldering Championships

The Mammut Bouldering Championships at the 2009 Summer Outdoor Retail (OR) show started off slow, with both the initial women and men competitors not topping out a single route. At first you questioned the route setters, thinking it may be too tough for anyone. Or, maybe it was the 90+ degree heat and sun beaming down on slopers and crimps that was making it impossible for anyone to top out.

Then, Alex Johnson, Alex Puccio, Lisa Rands, Daniel Woods, Paul Robinson and Julian Bautista took their turns -- some of them flashing several of the routes. Both Alex' flashed the first three routes and timed out before topping out the final route. Johnson won by completing two more moves than Puccio, who had previously won over Johnson at the World Cup finals. The last route for both genders seemed to be the hardest and required the most juice.



For the men, the last route typically included a rose move or some sort of 360 cross-through over three separate holds. In the men's division Daniel Woods took first place by flashing all but one route. Julian Bautista made a surprising triumph over Paul Robinson by topping out all routes and placing second. He definitely appears to be one to look out for.

Photos by Leland Marshall

You can see video of the comp by going to http://www.video.ne2cproductions.com/
or through http://www.boulderingcomps.com/

Final comp results: http://www.boulderingcomps.com/index.php?id=26

AF Hole

This past weekend, Brady Robinson, Access Fund's executive director, was in town to test out the local limestone, discuss access issues with Central Texas Mountaineers (CTM), and on other business. Myself and Gary Ellis, CTM president, took him out climbing on Lake Travis on my boat to appease his appetite for water soloing. On the way out we discussed some access issues in San Antonio and our interest in aggressively assisting in educating locals and building relationships to open new and old areas to climbing. Hopefully we'll have some progress there to discuss in the coming months.

We arrived at Pace Bend Park around 8:30 a.m. and headed straight to Cow Creek Cove to do some soloing. The crags are a little chossy, but what do you expect from rock that has been submerged for over a decade? Austin is experiencing quite the drought this year and water levels are dropping about a half a foot a day at the lake. This is good and bad. Bad for obvious reasons, but good for the fact that it's opening up new climbing areas, new first ascents and onsights. It's also making what were once mere boulder problems into 30+ foot routes, which doesn’t seem so short when you’re topping out a crux on an unknown route that has never been cleaned.

We were spent after a short three or four hours, but were all satisfied. Brady even ticked what was most likely an FA on a great route that spat me off several times when I relied too heavily on some loose footholds. If it was an FA, he's calling it AF Hole. Check out the pics from the day after when we had a crew of six boats representing. If you haven’t been water soling in Austin you are missing out. Come on!

Deep Water Soloing in Central Texas - A Growing Armada

Yesterday I went out on one of many water soloing excursions to come this summer. With Texas being so hot (102 degrees today), climbing outside has been about as motivating as paying to work. Even the gyms here don’t see the need to turn on their AC’s – combining Bikram Yoga with pulling plastic. I haven’t climbed more than a handful of times over the past month or so due to this reality, ultimately becoming a fair-weather climber.

The rock wasn’t bullet hard, but it was super steep and crazy fun. Top outs were around 30 feet, with the crux often conveniently positioned at the top. There’s nothing like that adrenaline rush you get from sending a crux move that would otherwise have left you doing a reversed belly flop. There were nearly a dozen of us out on three boats. The Austin armada has grown to six boats now and I wouldn’t doubt it if more flee the gym and join the fleet. The lake is evaporating, but there are so many limestone crags on the Colorado that I think we’ll have plenty of updates to come as the summer continues to heat up.
Photo credit: Erik Moore

Positive growth in outdoor retail - OIA news release

This news release was originally posted on The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) - See link at end for full release.

April Outdoor Sales Indicate Declines Easing, Shoppers Returning

Boulder, Colorado, June 10th, 2009 — Retail sales for all core outdoor stores combined (chain, internet, specialty)* grew 2% compared to last April, moving from $339M to $347M, according to the most recent edition of The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Outdoor Topline Report, produced for OIA by the Leisure Trends Group. Sales for the four months of the year totaled $1.4B, down 5% from the same period in 2008.

Outdoor Chain – Shoppers Return
According to the OIA Outdoor Topline Report, chain stores saw sales surge 20% in units and 18% in dollars. Every major product category (equipment, equipment accessories, apparel and footwear) and most sub-categories gained. Products that appeal to families and car campers fared especially well. Recreation tent sales shot ahead of last April by 78% in units and 64% in dollars. Sun shelters were up 88% in units and three-season recreation tents, retailing for $124, jumped 71%. Synthetic fill rectangular bags, retailing for $32, increased 82% in units whereas the more technical synthetic mummy bags, at $99 retail, grew 31%.

Outdoor Specialty – Declines are Slowing but Not Yet Reversing
In specialty stores, April declines were not as severe as in past months, as total sales fell 1% in units and 4% in dollars compared to April 2008. So far this year, all specialty unit sales declined 6% and dollars fell 10%. Each major product category (equipment, equipment accessories, apparel and footwear) saw single-digit declines compared to last April. There were bright spots this month, too, as synthetic sleeping bags, medium-sized packs, climbing gear, multisport shoes, hiking boots and various equipment accessory categories posted gains.

Outdoor Internet – Retail Prices Rise, Units Fall as Online Retailers Rein in Clearance Product
Internet sales totaled $54M this month, falling 20% in units, rising 4% in average retail-selling price and dropping 17% in dollars. All year, Internet sales have been sporadic, up 35% in January on huge carryover sales, down 9% in February, back up 14% in March and now down 17% in April. Higher retail-selling prices across many categories coupled with dramatically smaller carryover sales (defined as old and/or discontinued merchandise) point to either a lack of available merchandise and/or online retailers reigning in the amount of rock-bottom clearance priced product they are offering. If this is the case, total sales may have fallen but profit per turn might go up.

For more on this, see the whole release on the Outdoor Industry Association's news page: http://www.outdoorindustry.org/media.oia.php?news_id=5435

Competition is heating up in the outdoor industry in Texas

A decade ago there was really only one place to shop for outdoor gear and apparel under one roof in Central Texas – Whole Earth Provision Company. Yes there were a few fishing or outdoor stores that carried one-off products and maybe even some climbing gear, however, they were short lived and rarely had everything you needed in one go.

Fast forward to 2009 and Austin alone has nearly a dozen stores that carry a decent variety of quality apparel including Whole Earth Provision Company, REI, St. Bernard’s, Backwoods, Patagonia and others. Each have their attributes and none carry a decent selection of climbing shoes. Whole Earth still has one of the more comprehensive apparel selections even over the three local REI stores, which I found surprising since the retail space is so drastically different.

One factor that makes this growth even more interesting is the increasing use of online mega-stores like Mountaingear.com and Moosejaw.com. It’s a good sign that there’s still a place for physical stores. It shows that each is creating a niche that is working for them and exceeds the experience of shopping online – since it’s nearly impossible to beat the deals you can find throughout the options provided online.

Myself, I still need to know it’s going to really fit. I want to try it out. Hold it in my hands. And, perusing the grounds of an outdoor store can actually be a stress reliever as compared to some of the other places we are forced to shop throughout our lives. It’s almost like you are feeding that itch to be out climbing or looking to inspire yourself to take a trip – can be a good break from the monotony of the work day.

It will be interesting to see how these companies stay competitive and how they position themselves to emerge as leaders in their own niches. They all have great potential.

Links:
www.wholeearthprovision.com
www.patagonia.com
www.backwoods.com
www.stbernardsports.com
www.rei.com

Granite Gripper Film Contest

This year the Granite Gripper is hosting a climbing film contest alongside the regular comps. With all the locals picking up cameras and honing in their skills at documenting the climbing at local crags I look forward to this.

There have been several good videos dropping lately that get me as hyped as any pro sponsored feature (see example below). I hope there are some serious competitors and some great films that come of it. Film on!

Lake Travis Deep Water Soloing from VTP on Vimeo.

Links:
www.vimeo.com/4855697
www.centraltexasclimbingcommittee.com/gripper_files/Rock_Climbing_Film_Contest-1.pdf

OR is one month out!

The outdoor retail and sports mega event, Summer OR, is coming up on July 21. The summer event is in SLC and hosts tons of fun for those involved in the industry. There's always time for hitting the local crags on the surrounding weekends. Check out the site for more details. I'll post more as the show gets closer. Let me know if you plan on going.

Link:
http://www.outdoorretailer.com/

Review: Arc'Teryx Rampart Long Shorts

I never envisioned reviewing a pair of shorts; however, my recent trial of the Arc’Teryx Rampart shorts inspired me. I was pretty tired of the elastic waistband shorts that could barely stay up against the weight of my wallet, mobile and keys. Or, there’s the ones that are made for climbing and outdoors that all but deteriorate the first time you chimney or even sit on somewhat abrasive rock – you know who you are.

I kind of took a gamble with these just to see how they were and at the end of it I ended up ordering another pair. They are excellent for climbing, swimming or even just lounging. The material – a nylon/spandex blend – is sturdy, lightweight and breathable and the pocket design actually makes sense. Also, they are fit to size so no worries about relying on the elastic band being just right.

Overall I would give it a 9 out of 10. Price is $69.

Link:
http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?Mens/Pants-Shorts/Rampart-Long#Light-Athletic

Registration opens for 2009 Granite Gripper

(Posted on behalf of CTCC)

That's right folks. This will be the 18th consecutive year for us!

We're really excited about this year's event as we'll be debuting a companion film contest to the climbing comp. We've taken input & lessons learned from year's past and poured our creative juices over trying to make this the best year yet.

Everything is made possible by our sponsors, volunteers and, of course, you! So mark your calendars for the weekend of October the 17th, 2009 as Gripper Weekend and come on down for a great time climbing on central Texas' best granite and socializing below the domes among our awesome climbing community.

As always, all money raised goes directly to the Friends of Enchanted Rock... our local ERock stewards who have tirelessly worked to not only maintain, but improve the quality of our trails and our experiences while visiting the park.

Please visit the granite gripper site at granitegripper.com (or you can just as well start at the CTCC's home page) for information regarding the film contest and how to register online. Act soon as we're offering incredible deals for online registrants!

Here's an early "Thanks Yall!" for everyone who can make it or help spread the word. We'll see ya at our beautiful Enchanted Rock SNA.

Wishing you safe & happy climbing!

The members of the Central Texas Climbing Committee,
Bill Gooch
Matt Twyman
Conrad Schaefer
Barry Wilson
Corey Fields
Gail McClanahan
James Faerber

Links:

http://centraltexasclimbingcommittee.com/gripper.html
http://www.centraltexasclimbingcommittee.com/home.html
http://www.friendsofenchantedrock.com/

Let’s try this again

Yes, I know it’s been a while, but sometimes you have to take a break to have a quality return (no promises on that one). Just like with climbing – often you need rest so you can come back even stronger. Now that the temps are boiling once again in Texas, I must resort to getting my partial fix through the Webcrag. Not to say there aren’t positive aspects of the hot summers.

For instance, there’s water soloing in Central Texas, something that has grown exponentially over the past year (more to come on that). The other is getting pushed to take road trips seeking out fair weather. Plans are currently brewing for climbing trips in Montana, SLC and Cali. Let’s make the best of it. Stay tuned!

It's water soloing time

Getting acclimated back to the Texas heat has been tough. As early as April I was seriously doubting my return and wondering if people could really climb in this heat and humidity. Then, I went to Pace Bend and reminded myself what climbing in Texas' summer is all about.

I didn't remember there being so many routes at Pace Bend when I lived here before, but the heat has apparently driven the growing Austin crowd to seek more routes above the cool waters of Lake Travis.

There's almost always a crew of folks out on the weekends and no matter what the lake levels are at there's typically a place that is safe to climb. If anything, the top-outs will just get more and more mental as the crags get taller and taller.

The routes are pretty consistent with other Austin cragging in that most of it is juggy and overhung. However, there are plenty of routes with vertical/technical features as well. Also, routes range anywhere from 5.5 - 5.13 so you are sure to be entertained for many summers to come.

Links:
http://bloodyflapper.com/main.php

Fontline airs "Storm over Everest"

This week PBS aired a Frontline special covering the May 10, 1996 epic on Everest that was earlier revealed in Jon Krakaeur's book, Into Thin Air.

Go to the PBS link below to view an online version, explore a "Roundtable" of climbing ethics, view an interactive map that takes you through the events, and read other interviews/discussions around the special and epic Everest events.

Link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/everest/
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4844914&page=1

Endurance and Competition

I recently participated in my first climbing comp – The Limestoner in Austin, TX. In the past I avoided competing for a fear that it would potentially affect my passion for the sport. I always had this notion that mixing commercial interests (sponsors) and competition (climbing for a reason other than connecting with the environment) would take away from climbing’s purity.

But, I see it as a way to compete with myself. I entered the endurance portion of the competition. This awards the climber who climbs the most routes and at the hardest levels. And, since I had climbed 32 routes for my birthday a month or so earlier, I figured this would be a good opportunity to really push myself and see how far I could go, a notion I doubt any belayer could be as excited about. Luckily, I had a great buddy (Randy, a climber profiled in an earlier blog article) who was willing to help out.

Actually, when it came down to it, the fact that there were other competent climbers in the endurance portion pushed me even harder to keep going and try harder. Maybe I am competitive after all.

Regardless, the comp helped me push myself beyond any point I had experienced in the past and helped fuel my confidence for upcoming challenges.

Link:

http://www.ctmrocks.com/web/Limestoner_Summary.htm

Tufa City

A few weeks back I went down to Mexico with a couple friends to climb the enormous tufa cave at El Salto, Mex. First of all, El Salto was unexpectedly at a pretty high elevation – considerably speaking at least. There were pine trees and the weather was nice and crisp…perfect sending weather.

The scenery was pretty amazing. The trees were sagging with long moss and we were crammed in this rocky valley about 200 meters across with towering limestone crags on either side. There seemed to be the potential for multi-pitch everywhere. But, you can climb multi-pitch in Potrero, we wanted to pull down on tufas.

The drive in was a sketchy 4x4 trail where we kept getting passed by teams of ATV weekenders that seemed to be barely making it themselves. The climbing was well worth it though.

Once we finally got on some routes, we found it to be some of the most amazing overhanging routes we’d touched. Nasfuratu has become one of my top ten routes and I still can’t stop thinking about the moves. It’s that perfect route that has consistent moves, requires technique and makes you think about every second you’re on the wall. Then, once you think it’s over, you have a huge throw to a semi-blind slot that you either get or you miss…

I plan on getting back out there again soon. Who wants to go?

Motivation: 31 routes and one for good luck

It's crazy how much motivation plays as a factor to reaching certain goals in climbing. I have had days where I feel great physically, but am just not feeling the motivation from my climbing partners. It can be hard to concentrate and push yourself when your partner isnt saying a word and you have to look down to make sure they arent sleeping.

On the other end, if your climbing partner is psyched and wants to see you succeed, he/she will push you, read your emotions and even scream for you. That's when I do my best. Recently, I had my 31st birthday and I wanted to celebrate it by climbing my age in routes. The whole day I had a great friend belaying me and my girlfriend keeping me motivated. As a matter of fact, almost everyone at the crag was cheering for me and letting me run through on their routes and on their gear.

This kept me going and kept me psyched and not even considering giving up. Fear and tiredness didnt even enter my mind that day, whereas if a climbing partner is a wet blanket, I will sketch out on minimum run-out and take on a route I know I can crush.

It's important to stay psyched and climb with people that challenge you to push on. At least that's the case with someone like me who feeds off of the people around me. I also feel its important for me to keep my partners and other climbers psyched to keep the vibe up -- so go SEND IT!

Cobras are back?

Apparently La Sportiva is bringing back the sorely missed Cobra. Currently available in Europe, the near perfect shoe is slated for a Fall USA market return.

Bout time La Sportiva!

http://lasportiva.com/catalogue/catalogo.php?cat=10&cod3=976&Language=EN

Sir Edmund Hillary 1919 - 2008

The first to send Everest has passed. Hillary died at 88. The humble conquerer attributed most of his accomplishments to motivation and drive once stating, "I think it all comes down to motivation. If you really want to do something, you will work hard for it," a motto we could all live by.

New Years Resolution - To CRANK in 2008!

Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated in climbing. Either you get sick of climbing at the same crags and on the same routes, you get injured, your partner keeps flaking, the weather sucks or dozens of other things keep you from staying psyched about climbing. One of the best things I have found is that setting hard, yet attainable goals can get you out of your funk.

If you have the discipline and the motivation to stay up with it, setting goals can make you stronger and more confident in your climbing than ever. Set a goal with a timeline that is reasonable and at a level not too high above your current ability. Then, create a "regiment" that will get you there. There are several training guide books you can pick and choose tips from. 

If you have a goal in mind and a training schedule to stick to, even climbing at the gym will be motivating (which is near impossible for me). Also, sign up for e-newsletters or RSS feeds from online publications or blogs like Rock and Ice, Climbing Magazine, Lynn Hill's blog and Nicros' Training Center (link below). Having this available while at work will keep you going throughout the day and you may even learn something new. Be sure to keep climbing magazines, guide books and videos around too. Seeing people sending and researching potential routes you will send will keep you good and stoked.

So, stay psyched and motivated by setting a goal and sticking to a routine that will get you there. Happy New Year!

The below Nicros Training Center article touches on the same subject with more tips. Check it out:

http://www.nicros.com/archive/goal_setting.cfm

http://lynnhillblogs.com/

http://www.climbing.com/

http://rockandice.com/

34-mile Green Belt Expansion: Climbing?

Article from Austin American-Statesman
New jewel planned in crown of trails: Walk-for-A-Day
November 10, 2007

For years, the City of Austin has quietly acquired thousands of acres of open space in western Travis and northern Hays counties but has offered the public few opportunities to enjoy them. Now, a nonprofit conservation group wants to use a small portion of that land as the foundation of a 34-mile trail from Barton Springs Pool to the city-owned Onion Creek Preserve at FM 150 near Kyle. The exact path and cost have not been determined.

The project is expected to take as long as five years and to be paid for with contributions from numerous public and private entities. The Hill Country Conservancy believes that city land can be used to form all but eight miles of the trail."Because of what the city has already done, it's not a task that seems to me out of reach," said real estate attorney and conservancy President Steve Drenner.Many details concerning funding, construction, maintenance, ownership and permitted activities have yet to be determined, but Austin is supportive of the project, which the conservancy has named Walk-for-a-Day.

See links for more info:
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/10/WEB1110bartonspringstrail.html http://www.hillcountryconservancy.org/news.php?a_id=42

Monster Rock

With names like “Invisible Slayer of the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazrad” and “Nyarlathotep Arises from the Blackness of 27 Centuries” you can easily gather that the route developer and landowner, John Hogge, is a sci-fi and horror fan. The story behind “Invisible Slayer,” as I call it, is that once one reads this book (or climbs this route in this case) you become possessed with evil demons. After climbing it I didn’t feel possessed with demons, but I did feel possessed to keep coming back and climbing it.


“Invisible Slayer” in my opinion is now one of the best 5.11 routes in the Austin area. Around the corner in “The Pit” there are several other routes that would likely top the charts as well. Actually, there are many other, even harder, routes that have yet to be sent, leaving opportunities for a few first ascents (FA).

The area is small and has limited parking, but is an amazing climbing spot with routes that are sure to become Austin classics. When you walk in you are not horrified by a long approach. It’s actually only about 20 yards. You then make your way down a series of steps and ladders (sorry no dogs allowed). At the bottom you find a small canyon reminiscent of the Black Corridor at Red Rocks. The Pit hosts about 10 + routes on either side ranging from 5.8 – 5.12.

On the other side, facing the river, there is a monster traverse with several exit options and a witches stew (ok, that was bad) of routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.13. And yes, I mentioned river. The area is about 20 yards from the Pedernales River, making this a good spot to hit in the summer. Not only for the swimming, but because the temperatures in the canyon appear to be about five degrees cooler.

What? You only boulder? Don’t worry, there are over 20 boulder problems and likely more development to be had. So, if you want to check it out, visit John’s website and set up a visit. It’s private land so you have to check in with him first.

Web site description:
“Monster Rock (MR) is a private rock climbing area near Austin, Texas, currently hosting day-pass climbing for $5 on scheduled weekends announced on Austin Climbers, Climbing Buddies, and Erock Online forums. The day pass also lets you compete for prizes in a laid-back ongoing climbing contest. Soon, access will be available via affordable annual memberships.”

Link:
http://monsterrock.info/