Highlights of Zion

"This adventure began with the intention of climbing the hanging left facing corner two thirds of the way up the SE face. The route came close. But we should have brought a bolt kit to reach the dihedral."

- Ironically, I didn't read this guidebook description until the next day. Sometimes the best adventures are those unanticipated and unplanned ones.

Ty lured me into a trip to Zion after his solo road trip to the Southwest in May. Towering sandstone walls greeted him at each bend in the narrow canyon of the Virgin River, yet he left his rack and rope at home in Seattle. Fortunately, Zion offers more than just climbing and one can spend weeks just hiking and canyoneering. He vowed to come back in the Fall and I took the bait.

On November 17, we sped out of Vegas as fast as we arrived with a trunk full of gear. After stocking up on over-priced groceries in St. George, we arrived in Zion with enough time to get a taste of Zion rock. We warmed up on a few Indian Creek style splitters:

Squeeze Play 10a

Ty on Fathedral 10+

On our first full day, we got an early start to make use of the shorter days. Yet, it was a tad too cold, shady, and windy at the Temple of Sinawava to jump on Monkeyfinger. I'd have to test myself on the "Astroman of Zion" another day. Instead, we found a sunny aspect on the Organ below Angel's Landing. To avoid a long hike, we forded the Virgin River. Ty led the first 2 pitches of 10 Percent on rambling terrain. I then broke right on a 5.7R traverse to a perfect hands splitter left facing dihedral - the obvious objective we spotted from the car. I thought it would require wider gear, but turned out it was actually 30 meters of 2.5-3" jamming and I only had 2 No. 2 and 2 No. 3 camalots....I opted to leapfrog and downclimb/backclean, which detracted from the joyous experience just a bit. There were no signs of previous travel on the last two pitches and we wrapped up the day with an unexpected, unplanned adventure that offered the perfect taste of what Zion had to offer: a blend of splitter cracks, sandy holds, loose rock, adventurous route-finding, and beautiful scenery. Turns out, after some further research and verification, our variation was a new route as described by Bryan Bird above. We dubbed it, Thrutch to Clutch, 5.10- (5.7R), sans bolts. Here's a short of the adventure:

Back in camp, we still had high hopes for Monkeyfinger, but our daily morning ritual was to drive to the end of the canyon, check it out once again, and then find sunnier rock. Day 3 brought us to Iron Messiah, the supposed "Epinephrine" of Zion, albeit only 6-7 pitches:

Day 4...well, on day 4 we could hardly lift our arms anymore so we slept in and debated a rest day. Somehow, we opted for a 4 pitch 5.11 finger crack. It was worth it! We highly recommend Smash Mouth. Supertopo is right on in recommending 6 or more 0.5" cams - yozers! The ratings are a little off though. The breakdown was more like 10+, 10+, 11-, and 11.

Now that our arms and bodies were fully obliterated, we racked up that night for Monkeyfinger - no ifs, ands, or buts...however, the 30% chance of rain forecasted all week finally touched down in the night and all morning. Logically, we packed up and headed south to Red Rocks to squeeze in a handful of pitches in Calico Basin, including the Fox, 10d, an ever-expanding crack from thin fingers to 6" offwidth. I used 2 #4s and 2 #5s on the upper section and was sure glad to have 'em. We climbed the classic Caustic at Cannibal Crag and a couple others on the way out before checking into our room at Circus Circus for a wopping $35. With a flight out at 5pm the next day, we opted for a chill half day at the Gallery and Black Corridor. As our 6th day straight, our arms politely told us 5.10 would be the day's limit. Clipping bolts in the sun never felt better.

For those of you who have never ventured to Zion, put it at the top of your list, whether you are a climber, hiker, or canyoneering junkie. I can't wait to get back. Even when the road is visible from above, the climbing feels alpine in nature and there is something for everyone. Feed the rat!

Check out the full gallery here.

Jailhouse gets a makeover

Check out the new AF blog site and our
recent blog post on the
Jailhouse Rock Adopt a Crag

* what's unsafe about the above photo? *

Hard to Say...

What's not hard to say is that we had sunny skies and t-shirt weather in late September at 13,000 feet on Mt. Evans this past weekend. After a weekend with Team Mammut on Mt. Baker in full white out snow storm conditions, Dougald MacDonald and I met up again for some more cooperative alpine conditions in the Rockies.

We printed out MP beta on a few climbs but after a short scout along the base of the Tan Buttresses opposite the Black Wall, we chose a line that led to a beautiful ridgeline between Astro Goat and Musafar's Home Cookin'. We had info on Astro Goat but not Musafar's at the time.

Starting the first pitch, it was hard to say where we were going to end up, hence the name. After negotiating some loose rock at the start, I pulled over a small roof and continued up the shallow corner to another roof. I finagled some small gear below before laybacking up the arete where the crack closed off, stemming and finding just enough gear to motivate upward progression. A short traverse and splitter small hands crack led to a ledge. 5.10. So far so good.
Dougald headed up the second pitch, climbing cracks and flakes towards a steep and attractive arete above. He crossed over the arete to find a beautiful face crack. After contemplating his remaining gear, he climbed up balancy terrain to a small roof. A great find and a stellar pitch! 5.9.
After a short tiered roof of sandy horizontals, a beautiful double crack continued up ridge proper. Moderate climbing over fun flakes reminded me of the North Ridge of Stuart in the Cascades. 5.8 and its no longer hard to say, the ridge eased up and fun climbing continued ahead.

From the 4th pitch onward, we climb previously traveled ground as for Musafar's Home Cookin'. Dougald climbed a short chimney and dagger flake to gain more fun ridge climbing similar to the Flying Buttress on Meeker. Goat Food also meets back up on the ridge crest for the 5th and final low-fifth ridge traverse.

Hard to Say, 5 pitches, 5.10, ground up trad (in blue)

Its 1:45, still sunny, and there is plenty of time to get back to town for a fun evening out. Cary Granite, Road Warrior, and Good Evans looked amazing and I can't wait to take another trip to climb on Mt. Evans.

In fact, Arun and I took a leisurely tour the next day, taking photos of Summit Lake, an 1000+ year old stand of Bristlecone pines, Echo Lake, and aspen stands on the way back down:

New Explorations on the West Side

Remember Jason's post about skiing a likely first descent of Caterpillar Couloir on Mt. Alice? After Jason crushed me on a 24 mile day of carrying skis and skinning deep into the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park, I was psyched to head back up East Inlet and explore its granite faces.

After the massive AK-esq cornices finally melted in the hot summer months, it was time to cash in my backcountry camping permit the weekend of August 12. While I wasn't Jason's best choice for a big ski trip, I needed a climbing partner who was willing to hike more than 8 miles to climb, cross a few log jams, jump on an alpine climb sans topo, and run it out a bit because "honey badger don't give a shit."

So, we opted on the attractive granite tower of Aiguilles de Fleur. We didn't know the name of the peak nor its handful of routes until after the trip, but we selected a corner along the right side of tiered roofs. After 2 60m rope stretchers and a short 3rd pitch of moderate climbing, we were at the base of the corner. Three short and wide roof cracks lined the way. I bypassed the last roof on a hand traverse out right to avoid loose rock. By the time I topped out, I was coated from my toes to ears in a fine layer of lichen and wished I packed goggles.

Nonetheless, we topped out on a grassy summit of wildflowers (hence the name, "Flower Tower") after climbing 4 pitches ground-up onsight trad at 5.9+ with the afternoon to spare. We have reached out to a number of climbers who have explored the western side of the Park in the last few decades to verify route history of the area. Our route is likely an FA, but it was the adventure and lack of beta that drew us there. We will not be giving the route a fancy name or more than one star, but for those keen on an adventure, the massive roofs to the left offer some new potential hard free/aid lines.

Afterwards, we explored another unknown route on the main east face after descending a gulley via a short rap (a sun-bleached cord was in place). A beautiful corner crack on impeccable granite was the main attraction, yet it blanked out 300 ft up the face. A few discontinuous flakes near it gained higher ground but also blanked out far below a roof. We decided to check it out for the hell of it and climbed 2 pitches of flawless rock, yet the cracks were filled in with hard dirt and grass. After we reached the first fixed anchor, we called it quits since it appeared to die out and we did not have a hammer to check the pins or a brush out the cracks.

We headed back, dipped our feet in Lake Verna, and threw a few casts to eager trout. With our main objective complete, neither of us had the motivation to explore another route, so we opted for some fly fishing instead. The trout were plentiful, albeit small.

I highly recommend folks to drive the extra hour to explore the western slopes of RMNP - less crowds, lush vegetation, and solitude. All the camping above Lone Lake are single group sites. The only thief stealing your food while you're out taking care of business will be the resident fox.

The log crossing and "bushwack" up to Aiguilles de Fleur

Impressive view of the tower and its lower slabs

Topo of our route, "Eastern roofs" (5.9+ Grade II) and the unknown and potentially unfinished line on the main east face

The impressive tiers of roofs - our line followed the orange left facing corner

Jason following the first pitch (5.6)

Jason making his own path up the 2nd pitch (5.8)

A short 5.7 pitch brought us to the base of the corner

Joe on the final 5.9+ pitch - solid pro but pretty dirty

Summit panorama from Aiguilles de Fleur

Looking up the corner of pins from our high point on the unknown line - beautiful, steep granite!Fishing rocks don't get better than this!

At the inlet to Lake Verna - alpine sandy beaches at their best
A tree in the sandy isthmus at the inlet of Lake Verna

South Africa video finally complete!

Arun and I captured thousands of photos and a fair amount of video during our journey around South Africa: bouldering at Rocklands, wine tasting outside Cape Town, craziness at World Cup games, driving along the Wild Coast, safaring at Kruger National Park, exploring the history of Johannesburg, and much more. We narrowed it all down to 12 minutes, so sit back, take a break from work or enjoy a beer on your couch.

Its full HD so if its streaming slow, deselect HD. Enjoy!

South Africa 2010 from Joe Sambataro on Vimeo.

Lost my shirt

Arun retrieving a stuck rope rappelling off Young and Rackless, a fun 5.9 4-pitch climb, with Leici...go Arun!

Its summer in Boulder, which means I may be inclined to climb without a shirt on occasion. I bet you've never seen me climb in shorts though - I'm too much of a trady at heart to not bang up my knees scumming up a climb.

But yesterday was the first time I lost my shirt. Luckily, a crumpled pile of cotton did not add to the climber micro-trash of tape - Marc and RD kindly picked it up on their way out. I drove the hour+ drive home weaving through the farms and estates of the front range shirtless and feeling free. I won't forget the look on my neighbor's face when I said I lost my shirt. I can crack myself up sometimes. Apart from the occasional sufferfest (see Jason's post on Mt Alice ski trip here), I've been enjoying the daily swing of trail runs and sport climbing.

18 miles down, 6 to go in the East Inlet of RMNP

Here are a small handful of photos from some start-of-the-summer trips:

Paul cruising up Empire of the Fenceless at Easter

Zach on his way to sending The Ticket

Hiking the meadows below Lumpy

RD getting us started at the Monastery

Marc on the fabulous Tabula Rasa

Me enj0ying the moves high on the pillar

Quite a ride

...on the Joy Ride!

10 months and 6 trips to Coney Island later, I convinced Arun to meet me at work for a quick trip up the canyon. The weather was stellar and the route would be in the shade, but I couldn't convince a partner to get on it with me; others had Easter Island, Oceanic Wall, and Sherwood Forest on the mind. I made it clear it was Coney Island or bust for me. I felt good after working The Ticket on Saturday and climbing the full Naked Edge on Sunday with Mr. Briggs. We swapped leads - I led the first pitch clean (wahoo!) and followed Roger on the spicy chimney pitch - a classic climb with a classic guy!

First a little more history on why I became obsessed with the Joy Ride. On my first try with Jason last August, I didn't get to the last bolt on my first attempt - two sections were super reachy. I didn't even get it clean on TR, but the moves were awesome, the foot skills super technical, and the rock just fine. We went back with Shane a week later and both Shane and Jason style the RP and show me how its done.

Shane cranking the first crux move over the roof

Jason agreed to feed my need the next week and we headed back. Despite a poor state of mind, I jump on it a second time. The roof move is now on cruise control and I finally figured out a short dude's sequence for the reachy move at the 4th bolt. After sticking the 3rd and final crux, I blow the clip attempting to lock off and reach high. My forearm juice crystalizes and I take the fall after 5 minutes of deliberation. Ideally, I would have made a few more moves and clipped it higher, but my fear of falling was too great. I was climbing it for the wrong reasons.

Long story short, I developed a shoulder injury, initiated PT, and associated the climb with my shoulder pain, so I shelved it for the year. 7 months later, I returned to it before my trip to the Ruth Gorge and knew I had to change my approach: not to get to the top clean or tick it off the list, but for the personal growth it would bring. On an early May return with Brendan, I climbed it with one hang between cruxes when my fingers went numb. With the lack of a good warmup in sub-70 temps, my fingers had no chance.

With my lovely fiance at the belay this evening, I head up with the idea of warming up, taking a practice fall, and hanging the draws. As I step off the ground, I let out my usual flatulence, but this time I let it fly a little too far. With some TP and hand sanitizer on hand (thanks hun), the damage was manageable. A few minutes later, I was depressurized and back on the climb with my mojo unfettered. I kept thinking I would take a fall or a hang as part of a warmup run, but the moves came together and the fingers did not fall asleep. Soon enough I was on the ledge. At this point, I let the pump in my right arm subside and worked out the upper crux moves in my head. But the anticipation returned and a rising heart rate sneaked up on me. Boulder Creek raged below and I realized that if the water could flow so easily (along with my flatulence), why couldn't I. Arun smiled up, I embarked, struggled a bit with the sequence but committed and hit the jug. Instead of reaching high and blowing the clip, I made a couple more 5.10 moves and clipped the bolt at my thigh. I reached the anchors, called it a day with a huge grin, and we drove back to town to shop for our future kitten. Thanks for all the good vibes everyone!

PSYCHED!

To the Ruth Gorge and back

[Apologies for the re-post - blogger is decisively the worst online software I have ever worked with - it deleted the post and messes with your formatting all the time)

Lessons in defining success

After 2 years of negotiations and raising nearly $1 million in funds to conserve a thousand acre property, we awaited a signed purchase agreement, only to discover that, instead, the landowners went under contract with a developer to parcel out their land amidst some of the best salmon habitat in the Pacific Northwest. Who ever thought salmon could bring someone to tears? Well, it did, and it was an important lesson in land conservation. Just the same as the countless scores of alpine attempts, “takes,” and minor injuries which fill our climbing lives with erratic waves of success and failure.

But what really defines success in the mountains? How can we justify decisions to bail or head back and yet carry a lingering feeling of regret? How do we slay the ego-centric dragon and focus on real “success” – personal growth and learning, coming home in one piece, two weeks with one of your best mates?

Late in the afternoon, nearing the summit ridge on the Northeast Face of Dickey, Graham reaches an impasse out of my view from the belay. After a short discussion, we proceed to bail and make 7 raps on a series of pitons, nuts, flakes and snow bollards. GZ never felt so good about the decision he made – no other thoughts got in his way.

On our attempt of Barrill, another snow storm, avalanche, and above-freezing temps send us back to the safety of basecamp. With an inversion over our heads and a forecast of unsettled weather, we retrieve our fixed line the next day and take the next weather window to fly out 3 days early. Graham was comfortable about the decision; I was sad to leave. Yet, on my shuttle back to Anchorage, Graham called to tell me about the serac that slid into the Root Canal basecamp from Mooses Tooth and killed an unfortunate climber from Texas. “Those mountains were the most dangerous I’ve ever seen them,” said Graham.

I was beginning to understand. Chris’ copy of The Rock Warrior’s Way frayed at the edges as I flipped through its pages at camp and Ilgner’s words of wisdom filtered through to my subconscious. The lessons learned here will carry forward to my projects back home. “Joy Ride” will be just that, not a nemesis. After ten years of climbing, the lessons and learning are just as vivid and real as my first scramble or first trad lead. It’s the journey, not the summit or the redpoint, that we need to embrace.

Alaska was an incredible experience. Our trip was a success. Graham and I climbed some amazing, high quality pitches of ice, mixed, and snow. We took calculated risks and acted out our decisions confidently and efficiently. We climbed strong and threaded together some mentally and physically challenging pitches. We chowed down on “deancakes” and burritos while listening to solar-powered ipods. We shared quality bro time together. And I learned just how small we are compared to the expansive Ruth Glacier and its 3,000 to 5,000 foot faces. Graham and I started our adventures together over ten years ago and we have both grown and come back together as stronger people and climbers.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the trip. For the complete photo journal, visit:

http://isc.astro.cornell.edu/~don/pictures/v/friends/joe/joe_climbing/joe_ruthgorge/
(copy and paste link if it does not work)

At Talkeetna Air Taxi, GZ carting over half our 461 lb load of gear and food

Landing in Rick's Beaver ski plane

On a scouting trip to see whats in - so close yet so far

Denali

Cheers from basecamp! Barrill on the left

The Mooses Tooth

Our attempt of a potential new line on the NE Face of Dickey

Starting up a beautiful runnel of ice

More fun terrain

GZ topping out a short step

GZ backstepping up a narrow v-slot

Me topping out the v-slot below

A couple pitches later, GZ negotiated up some runout M5+ only to find a 30ft blank section with no pro and a loosely consolidated snow mushroom above. We bailed and a snow storm came in for the next 4 days.

Happy Easter from the Ruth Gorge! Bradley plastered in fresh snow

Our attempt on the NE Face of Barrill

GZ belaying the first pitch

Inching up the narrow M6 squeeze chimney

The chimney ate up so much time that we opted to fix a line and come back the next morning ready to send!

Graham starting up a beautiful pitch of tiered ice

Another thin vertical step

The crux of the climb - a vertical arete of rock plastered with dollops of ice. Just at the top, with his head above the lip, an avalanche hit, pounding Graham with snow, ice, and rock for a good 20 seconds as he held on 15 feet above his last stubby screw.

Me on the next pitch of snow and ice

With warming temps and greater snowfall, we called it a day and wrapped down

Graham prepping another meal of salami burritos

Our fellow basecamp buddies, Andrew and Claudine

With unsettled weather and an inversion, we opted to fly out early

Parting shot - we'll be back to the Ruth for sure!