So you want a new pair of climbing shoes, but want to try them out before you buy them? Come to the Climbers coffee at Wrinkled Rock Trail Head near Mount Rushmore...8am May 23, 2009 and Nic, the 5.10 climbing shoe rep will set you up with some cool shoes to demo for the day.
Free coffee, and you get to try out shoes before you buy them for free...how can you beat that?
Plus you get to chat with real Black Hills National Forest and National Park service Staff
One day only....there will be free coffee on Sunday the 24th, but no shoe demo.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Dont throw rocks little boy - they can cut your climbing rope
Cheryl and I were out climbing 2 nights ago out behind the house. Its a big beautiful hunk of rock called Buckhorn Mountain. More rock out there then in some states. But that's not what I wanted to write about.
We were doing some first ascents, and top ropes where we could not lead up without placing bolts, and on one of those top rope climbs I knocked off a hunk of loose rock with out thinking about it. Well, there was only one small spot where it could do damage and of course it tumbled down the granite and smashed right into the tail of my rope. I deserved it, but what are the chances?
It was pretty impressive how it did not really cut the rope, but the one square inch that the rock landed on where the rope laid on an edge...it compressed the rope and melted it in 2 and left a little chunk in the middle. Only 3 of the inner cords held. Wicked Scary!
Climbing ropes are kinda like the human body...really tough, but fragile at times. If your rope looks like this, be scared!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fat Tire Fest
Don't Forget the Black Hill Fat Tire Fest is coming up soon in Rapid City, SD. Its a great event with rides -n- races plus food -n- fun. Check it out here
Starts May 22, 2009
Yeah, and Fat Tire Brewing is a Sponsor...how cool is that!
Credit Where Credit is Due
If you were in the Custer South Dakota Area of the Black Hills the last few 3-4 days, you know it was less then nice spring weather. It was incredible the way it went from sunny and OK to snow and WIND...wow was it windy at times....then back to the good life in the sun spot!
Through all this I had a great guest to climb with out in the Needles. She was a tough one too. I must admit, had I not been working, there was no way in heck, I'd have been out there climbing, but as it was, it was truly great to experience the fickleness of Mother Nature. The only thing that was consistent was the cold rock in the shady sections of our climbing. Well , and the
We'd top out in the Cathedral Spires, and be greeted by great wind gust, and terrific views of snow showers coming in from all directions. We were actually glad it was cold frozen snow. Had it been the wet stuff, we'd have had to quit...as it was, we just pulled on another layer of clothing, and pulled down. It was full conditions like you might find in some remote places of the earth, w/o leaving our home crag. All and all it was mighty fun and beautiful out there. I'm pretty amazed by how fast things start to pile up. The snow pellets run and dribble down each chimney and it can get slick in a hurry.
The moral of all this is be prepared when you go outdoors. No matter what the weather forecast is, you never know what is coming your way. Around here, that means...keep your sticking cap and gloves in your pack with your rain jacket all year round. Be prepared for changes, and everything will be more fun.
So that is my advice to all the visitors we salute this week here during South Dakota during Tourism Week....Have fun, make sure you are prepared to enjoy some Black Hills Adventure, by packing what you need because mother nature can be mean if you don't.
Through all this I had a great guest to climb with out in the Needles. She was a tough one too. I must admit, had I not been working, there was no way in heck, I'd have been out there climbing, but as it was, it was truly great to experience the fickleness of Mother Nature. The only thing that was consistent was the cold rock in the shady sections of our climbing. Well , and the
We'd top out in the Cathedral Spires, and be greeted by great wind gust, and terrific views of snow showers coming in from all directions. We were actually glad it was cold frozen snow. Had it been the wet stuff, we'd have had to quit...as it was, we just pulled on another layer of clothing, and pulled down. It was full conditions like you might find in some remote places of the earth, w/o leaving our home crag. All and all it was mighty fun and beautiful out there. I'm pretty amazed by how fast things start to pile up. The snow pellets run and dribble down each chimney and it can get slick in a hurry.
The moral of all this is be prepared when you go outdoors. No matter what the weather forecast is, you never know what is coming your way. Around here, that means...keep your sticking cap and gloves in your pack with your rain jacket all year round. Be prepared for changes, and everything will be more fun.
So that is my advice to all the visitors we salute this week here during South Dakota during Tourism Week....Have fun, make sure you are prepared to enjoy some Black Hills Adventure, by packing what you need because mother nature can be mean if you don't.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Following in the footsteps
Well, if you have not noticed, I really enjoy following in the footsteps (or sometimes standing on their shoulders) of Jan and Herb Conn. If you have never heard of them, well, you are missing out. They are currently a couple of cool ol' white haired people enjoying a quiet life devoid of most modern conveniences and hassles (yeah, they are still living w/o electricity and running water).
Before their 'retirement', they did the first ascents of some of the rad'est and bad'est climbing routes in the area...Oh, and then they did that little caving thing and discovered and mapped the first 60 miles of Jewel Cave (now one of the largest known caves in the world).
So again I was out in the Needles Eye Parking lot along Needles Highway in Custer State Park, looking up at a granite spire called the Bell Tower. It is the mass just west of the Needles Eye. Its around 200 feet tall and was first climbed circa 1952 by Herb and Jan.
Today I found myself there a the base with another living legend, Peter Lev. We really enjoy climbing together and he has explored a lot of these crazy Conn Routes, so he can get me started on the right track....which is a huge plus, because when you are following someone else its important to keep on their trail...as climbing off into uncharted territory without the proper gear can get wild in a hurry.
As it is, many Conn Routes have bold run outs (sections w/o protection), airy traverses, and grovely climbing, and our trip today had all his and more. Again I questioned why anyone in their right mind would do such things. What made Jan and Herb explore all those summits and deep dark holes? I'll never know.
Ones ability to belief in his ability to preform is key. When you grab a little hand hold or dance across some foot hold 15 feet above your last piece of protection there can be little doubt that you will stick to the rock and continue moving upward. Doubt causes fear and fear can release a flood of other unwanted emotions that can result in failure when failure is not an option. Preform at this level repeatedly, learn to dig deep down into power and it can be a real eye opener as to what you might really be made of. This is perhaps what keeps people climbing. Continuing to learn and push the edges of that they thought was possible. I see it almost everyday I guide. Take someone who has never been in the vertical world, tie a rope on them, teach them the basics, get them to trust you, themselves, and the equipment, and it isn't long before they have gone somewhere they never even imagined possible. Now that is a vacation experience they will not soon forget.
Today, that with a clam head and a few long sections of climbing above little or no protection and a wicked fall for motivation, we were challanged to hold on tight and move delicately up the rock and enjoyed a wonderful summit view. Looking down on the city of Custer, and the Black Hills National Forest below, we were quite pleased at our accomplishment. Perhaps that feeling of happiness and accomplishment is enough...I mean it must be, because we are excited about doing it again sometime...after we forget how scary it was. Like I tell many of our guest. "That little voice in your head telling you this is crazy is what keeps you alive, but sometimes you have to learn to turn down the volume on that voice and break into unknown territory of what is possible."
Before their 'retirement', they did the first ascents of some of the rad'est and bad'est climbing routes in the area...Oh, and then they did that little caving thing and discovered and mapped the first 60 miles of Jewel Cave (now one of the largest known caves in the world).
So again I was out in the Needles Eye Parking lot along Needles Highway in Custer State Park, looking up at a granite spire called the Bell Tower. It is the mass just west of the Needles Eye. Its around 200 feet tall and was first climbed circa 1952 by Herb and Jan.
Today I found myself there a the base with another living legend, Peter Lev. We really enjoy climbing together and he has explored a lot of these crazy Conn Routes, so he can get me started on the right track....which is a huge plus, because when you are following someone else its important to keep on their trail...as climbing off into uncharted territory without the proper gear can get wild in a hurry.
As it is, many Conn Routes have bold run outs (sections w/o protection), airy traverses, and grovely climbing, and our trip today had all his and more. Again I questioned why anyone in their right mind would do such things. What made Jan and Herb explore all those summits and deep dark holes? I'll never know.
Ones ability to belief in his ability to preform is key. When you grab a little hand hold or dance across some foot hold 15 feet above your last piece of protection there can be little doubt that you will stick to the rock and continue moving upward. Doubt causes fear and fear can release a flood of other unwanted emotions that can result in failure when failure is not an option. Preform at this level repeatedly, learn to dig deep down into power and it can be a real eye opener as to what you might really be made of. This is perhaps what keeps people climbing. Continuing to learn and push the edges of that they thought was possible. I see it almost everyday I guide. Take someone who has never been in the vertical world, tie a rope on them, teach them the basics, get them to trust you, themselves, and the equipment, and it isn't long before they have gone somewhere they never even imagined possible. Now that is a vacation experience they will not soon forget.
Today, that with a clam head and a few long sections of climbing above little or no protection and a wicked fall for motivation, we were challanged to hold on tight and move delicately up the rock and enjoyed a wonderful summit view. Looking down on the city of Custer, and the Black Hills National Forest below, we were quite pleased at our accomplishment. Perhaps that feeling of happiness and accomplishment is enough...I mean it must be, because we are excited about doing it again sometime...after we forget how scary it was. Like I tell many of our guest. "That little voice in your head telling you this is crazy is what keeps you alive, but sometimes you have to learn to turn down the volume on that voice and break into unknown territory of what is possible."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Climbers Coffee with the Rangers
Would you ever like to chat with the folks who manage the land you climb on?
This is your chance to meet them...tell them how you see things, and learn whats happening and how it might affect you.
Bring your mug to get a FREE cuppa joe at Wrinkled Rock Trailhead 8-10am on all the holiday weekends this summer
Memorial Day weekend May 23 and 24
Independence weekend July 4 and 5
Labor Day weekend Sept 5 and 6
Wrinkled Rock Trailhead is along highway 244 west of the Mount Rushmore faces
Hosted by the US Forest Service and the US Park Service
Coffee and things to be donated by Dry Creek Coffee, Granite Sports, and Sylvan Rocks Climbing.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Deep Dark Hole in the Ground
Even though I was very very happy to see the sun shining yesterday morning, I didn't get to enjoy much more then the first few hours of it. I threw my bag with helmet, headlamp, knee pads etc. in the truck and headed out to crawl around deep underground.
Caving or 'Spelunking' is an horrendous athletic endeavor...it's intense to push - pull - squish - walk - crawl - grunt and slither through the darkness for hours on end. Why would anyone in their right mind do such things? Well, that is a good question, and about 9 hours into every trip I always ask it. Then I look up and see some fantastic geologic formation that blows my little mind and I need not ask anymore. The crystalline formations that are as thick as your hair and up to 20 feet long that glisten in your head lamp amaze, intrigue the human mind....how does that happen and how much time did that take? The walls covered with white crystals make it look like someone blew snow all over the room or passage sometimes........and there there are the other little things that seem to grow out of the rock in wild shapes and sizes that are just beyond description. It's fantastic!
Then there is the exploration end of things. I think it's a human need to explore the unknown, and the above ground 'un-mapped territory' is rapidly shrinking. With almost all the great mountains climbed and huge rivers followed to their headwaters, it's hard to go beyond the edge of the know world. Caving has become the 'fix' that feeds that addiction for me. Step beyond the edge of the map, and you might be the first and last human to ever occupy that space.....just think about that for a moment.
Wriggle down some dark little hole and around the corner and you could 'discover' the next big passage to a whole unknown world. Its a bit of a rush. All that plus the fact that you are hundreds of feet underground in a place that is very dark and hard to get to...actually outright impossible by many who are not as skinny as I........ and it's an excitement that's had to put words to, but takes you back to a time when you were young, and everything was new and fresh. I think that connection to younger days is what makes it so great.
So go check out a tour in one of the show caves or National Park Caves of the Black Hills, and while you are marveling at the beautiful formations, just think about stepping off the trail and disappearing for 12 hours or several days in the darkness and exploring the great unknown. It gets your imagination going!
Caving or 'Spelunking' is an horrendous athletic endeavor...it's intense to push - pull - squish - walk - crawl - grunt and slither through the darkness for hours on end. Why would anyone in their right mind do such things? Well, that is a good question, and about 9 hours into every trip I always ask it. Then I look up and see some fantastic geologic formation that blows my little mind and I need not ask anymore. The crystalline formations that are as thick as your hair and up to 20 feet long that glisten in your head lamp amaze, intrigue the human mind....how does that happen and how much time did that take? The walls covered with white crystals make it look like someone blew snow all over the room or passage sometimes........and there there are the other little things that seem to grow out of the rock in wild shapes and sizes that are just beyond description. It's fantastic!
Then there is the exploration end of things. I think it's a human need to explore the unknown, and the above ground 'un-mapped territory' is rapidly shrinking. With almost all the great mountains climbed and huge rivers followed to their headwaters, it's hard to go beyond the edge of the know world. Caving has become the 'fix' that feeds that addiction for me. Step beyond the edge of the map, and you might be the first and last human to ever occupy that space.....just think about that for a moment.
Wriggle down some dark little hole and around the corner and you could 'discover' the next big passage to a whole unknown world. Its a bit of a rush. All that plus the fact that you are hundreds of feet underground in a place that is very dark and hard to get to...actually outright impossible by many who are not as skinny as I........ and it's an excitement that's had to put words to, but takes you back to a time when you were young, and everything was new and fresh. I think that connection to younger days is what makes it so great.
So go check out a tour in one of the show caves or National Park Caves of the Black Hills, and while you are marveling at the beautiful formations, just think about stepping off the trail and disappearing for 12 hours or several days in the darkness and exploring the great unknown. It gets your imagination going!
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