2011 Wrap Up

So 2011 was a pretty big year for New River Gorge bouldering. This was my first year living at the New and I am still amazed at the amount of potential there is. I'm just going to dive on in. The winter started off with the down fall of the long standing Black Pocket Project. After about 25 days of work I was able to figure out some subtle beta that made this line feel possible. One perfect morning I was able to stick the move to the lip and the Black Pocket Project was no longer a project. I kept the name because it explains this boulder to a "t". Black Pocket is a power packed pocket pulling classic. It remains unrepeated and its arguably one of the hardest lines in the Gorge. The next day I sent another project I'd found at Hawksnest Dam. I called it Brass Knuckles V9 (Unrepeated). I also repeated the only two V10's in the gorge at the time, Joel Brady's Fayetteville's Finest, and the problem formally know as the Squeal project. The Squeal project was first sent by Stephen Meinhold and Matt Ginley a few years prior. They named the line Octagon Control. Before the heat set in for the summer I was able to send one of my longest standing Projects. The Rambo Rabbit Project.  http://www.dpmclimbing.com/search/node/rambo%20rabbit . It was right before the New River Rendezvous. I heard that a few crushers were coming into town so I was feeling the pressure. I gathered every pad I could find in southern WV and I fired the rig on a cool summer day. I called it Beauty Mountain Beat Down. I also sent a high ball project that I was referring to as the V16 project because of its looks, blank and impossible, from the ground. After rappelling off the top to clean it I found a single line up the center of the face. The name stuck and it became V-sixteen. Its only about V7 but who doesn't want to say they have climbed V16 (Unrepeated)? The day of the comp ABS champ Alex David Johnson had the most impressive single day of bouldering the Gorge has seen to date. He made quick work of Beauty Mountain Beat Down; in his opinion its a V11. After warming up on that he claimed the second acsent of John McCauley's test piece, a V10 dyno he named Commitment Issues. Then Alex had his mind set on trying the Cardiac Arrest project. He sent too and it was officially dubbed Heart Breaker V10(unrepeated).

Me on Beauty Mountain Beat Down

Summer sucked as usual but it brought a few cool days. Local climber Micah Klinger and I made our way to check out some projects on the Dries. Micah was able to snag the FA of another  projects on the same boulder  Gone With the Wind V9 (unrepeated). He also showed me a line he had tried in the past. Between the two of us within a day we found some new beta and I sent. I called it  Dark Passenger (V9, unrepeated).

Travis Gault on Spinal Remains

Fall and winter came and the New started to see some welcome outsider traffic. PA strong men Tim Rose, Travis Gault and Ryan Scurfield all left there mark on the New. Tim put up Bubba Hotep V10, Prince Ali V9, Cock Block V9, Vaminos V9(unrepeated) Bitches Get StitchesV8 (unrepeated) and Revelry V9 (unrepeated). Ryan Scurfield  claimed the fa of Master Lock V9(unrepeated) and nabbed the first ascent of Master of Manipulation V11(unrepeated). Travis Gault made a short trip to the New sending one of the most amazing roof problems I've ever seen. It climbs out a huge flake into a horizontal block for about 15 feet. It is called Spinal Remains V10 and is unrepeated. Micah finished out 2011 with the fa of the Fern Creek compression project. He called it F-five and it might be the most aesthetic boulder problem in the gorge.  The movement is just as good as it looks and its an unrepeated V10. 

2011 was a great year for the New. New friends,  New lines, New psych and a New Guide Book in the works. I relized that the New for me isn't a place where I climb, its home. Every new line is bigger and better then the last,  each bringing its own challenge to the table.

Tim on the FA of Bubba Hotep, Photo by Kyle Adams

Ryan Scurfield on Master Of Manipulation .Photo By Kyle Adams

I just wanted to thank everyone who came out and made 2011 what it was.

Micah Klinger 

Matt Stark

Michelle Eckert

Rudy Oppenheimer

Chris Helm
John McCauley

Tim Rose 

Ryan Scurfeild

Travis Gault 

Jason and Rachel Babkirk
and

Big thanks to all my sponsors 

Friksn clothing 

Organic Climbing

Evolv shoes

Me on Revelry

Travis Gault on The Black

Tim Rose on Bitch's Get Stitch's

Me going For the Fa of Black Pocket

the summit of Dark Passenger

CHECK OLDER BLOG POST FOR VIDEOS OF THESE LINES

  

Fresh Start

Jd chilling under Half Moon Tilt

So 2012 started off with an old school classic. Half Moon Tilt, This amazing line sit starts on an overhung  half circle shaped prow that leans up hill . Half Moon Tilt has been on my to do list for along time. Ive tried it few times over the years, i remember it always feeling hard and the holds always feeling terrible. I had pushed it to the back of my mind for awhile and kind of forgot about it. New Years eve an local buddy of mine mention he had been working the line and felt like he had some good beta. I though about it all night thinking what problem i would be most stoked about bringing the new year in with and i didnt really know what i wanted to do as soon as jd mention half moon i  I knew that  was it. With being so focused on all the New lines and developing going up this past year, i felt like a Classic like this is exactly what i needed to change things up for 2012. We got up early sunday morning 1/1/12 drove straight to half moon got about 40 mins of beta dialing in and the sky opened up and it poured for the rest of the day. We decided to call it a day and try again the following day. Monday came and brought great temps, we decided to warm up on a few moderate boulder problems and gave Fingers Malone a shot.After about 10 tries on that i knew that if i didn't walk away i wouldn't be able to give Half moon everything i could. so we walked up the hill to Half moon. The temps dropped and the wind and snow came in fast. i knew i would only get a few good tried. I sat down put my shoes on and took a few deep breaths . My first try i stuck the crux move from the start and my foot slipped off. The second try i pulled threw the crux again only to fall  on the barn door move later that i had forgotten about. I took about a 5 min break sat down and focused. I Knew exactly what i had to do for every move and shorty after pulling past the crux i found my self on top this amazing boulder.  Ill always remember this boulder not because its the hardest lines ive done but because a line like this cant be forgotten.

project to the right of half moon (First headpoint project for me)

Posting 2011 wrap up soon . sorry its taking so long, alot went down

Summer Syke

So the summer heat has set in here at the New River Gorge. It happens every year and every year I dread the end of cool temps. Its really hard to stay psyched when you have been spoiled all winter with some of the best untouched boulders in amazing temps. I've been doing everything I can to stay psyched, watching climbing movies, keeping up with friend's travels, and cleaning boulders. A friend of mine, Jason, was telling me about the fern boulders all winter, and getting on me about checking them out. I had heard of fern before but never really heard anything good about the area. You can't always go with what others say. So after sending all my year long projects, I was on the hunt for a new one. I decided to check out fern, with no expectations. I turned left turn to go up the creek, and had my mind blown. I'm walking around like a kid in a candy store, behind every turn, tree, and water fall was another amazing line. Hiking around in fern is like being in land of the lost, in the back of your mind your thinking a T-Rex is going to snatch you up. Its beautiful, I cant even explain how good it is. Its to hot to be working hard lines but I have recently come into a partnership with a really good friend of mine. We're writing a guide book. So between making topos and cleaning boulders at fern, i have more then enough to keep me busy.This video is a few from fern.  Nothing to hard just some fun lines. Enjoy.

Rendevous High balls fall

So this past weekend at the New River Gorge Was the annual New River Rendevous. I took the entire week before off so that i could help with the set up show some people around, and finish off some long time projects. On wed the 18 i went out to the substation boulders to try and get the fa on my year long boulder project The Rambo Rabbit Project. HEREs a link to a video of me working this line last winter
www.dpmclimbing.com/climbing-videos/watch/dpm-project-series-rambo-rabbit. This project was shown to be by some local boulders last january. The first time i saw it i knew that this line was something that had to be done. The project starts on a short lived vert face with some techy moves for me. You a long move out to the lip of this small roof onto a 15 foot long 35 degree overhung wall, then you mantle the lip and climb another 15 feet of easy slab. This boulder is about 30 feet tall but has about 35 to 40 feet of climbing. Well with the comp only a few days away and strong climbing comming to the area i felt the pressure to send. After refining my beta i was about to stick the crux and do the last dyno to the jug. sticking that jug at the lip for me was a life changing moment. When i grabbed that victory hold i felt like i weighted 3 pounds. I pulled the lip onto the wet slab and took my sweet time summiting the massive boulder.I found out that a local climber found this boulder years ago and was calling the line The Beauty Mountain Beat down. I decided that the beauty mtn beat down was a more suitable name, I didnt know what to rate it because its the hardest problem i felt ive done. The day of the comp ABS crusher Alex David Johnson was at the substation to go for the second ascent of the line. He made pretty quick work of it saying that it is one of the best and hardest boulder he has climbed, Giving it the grade of v11/12. Later that day Ryan Banister was able to get the third ascent and though the line to be v11. While at the substation Alex was also able to snag the second ascent of a ridiculous v10 roof dyno that was also a brand new line put up a few day before the comp by John McCauley. After that Alex had is mind set on trying  for the first ascent of the Cardiac Arrest project, he quickly sent and called the line the heart breaker, V10. Also in New bouldering news at the new South East crusher Nate Draughn was able to get a wet Third ascent of a Joel Brady v10 test piece called Fayettevilles Finest. I also made pretty quick work of a high ball project at the cotton bottom boulders. What did you do last week and why werent you at the New River Rendevous.

the video below is the two high ball problems i put up last week enjoy

A few more New River Gorge classics

Weekend session

Weekend Session

So Saturday after work a few friends and myself desided to go to Hawks Nest Dam for a little afternoon bouldering session. I havent been back down there scense i did the Black Pocket. The water level has been crazy high there too. The boulder field is on the down stream side of the dam so depending on rain fall and snow melt the boulders accessiblity  change daily. So once i got down there i took a walk around and saw that the high water level in past weeks had actually pushed large amounts of drift wood on to the boulder field, a few problems had trees pushed up underneath the starts, well have to go down there with some chain saws to free the lines up. I was able to send a V8 that i have never had to much luck on before. I brought my camera down for some footage of just a few classics .