Partial list of the climbs
we have done before embarking on this trip. We climb almost exclusively as
a team. Unless indicated otherwise, all the following climbs were done by
both of us.
1995:
- Our first climbing
experiences ever: the introductory class with the Los Alamos Mountaineers
(April).
- First traditional lead:
Easy Ridge (5.6, 14p), Brazos Cliff, NM (July).
- The Matron, East
Ridge (5.5), Flatirons, Boulder, CO.
- Tunnel Vision (5.7,
6p), Dark Shadows (5.8-, 4p), Frogland (5.8, 7p), Red Rocks,
NV.
- What's my Line
(5.6-A0, 3p), Cochise Stronghold, AZ.
1996:
- Introduction to
ice climbing in Ouray (January).
- Ellingwood Arete
(5.7, III), Crestone Needle, CO (July); our first of the crowded 50 Classics!
- Rewritten (5.8,
6p), The Great Zot (5.8+, 4p), Bastille Crack (5.8, 5p),
Eldorado Canyon, Boulder,
CO.
- East of Easy (5.7,
14p), Cat Burglar (5.8, 8p), Resignation Ridge (5.8, 10p),
Brazos Cliff, NM.
- East Ridge of Wolf's
Head, (5.6, II), South
Buttress of Pingora (5.8, 3p, II), North-East
face of Pingora (5.8, 11p, IV), Cirque of the Towers, Wind River
Range, WY.
- South Six Shooter
(5.7, 2p) Indian Creek, UT.
1997:
- Black Orpheus (5.9+,
10p), Crimson Chrysalis (5.8+, 9p), Triassic Sands (5.10,
6p), Sour Mash (5.10-, 6p), Dream of Wild Turkeys (5.10-,
7p), Red Rocks, NV.
- The Green Spur
(5.9, 5p), West Buttress of the Bastille (5.9, 4p), Green Slab
Direct (5.9, 4p), Yellow Spur (5.9, 7p), Anthill Direct
(5.9s, 6p), Eldorado Canyon, Boulder, CO.
- Our first spring snow
gully: Red Gully, Crestone Peak, CO.
- Northcutt-Carter
(5.7, III, this route has since disappeared in a major rock slide), Hallett
Peak, The Petit Grepon (5.7, 8p, South Face), Rocky Mountain National
Park, CO.
- North Face of Fairview
Dome (5.9, IV), West Pillar of Eichorn Pinnacle (5.10b, III),
Tuolumne Meadows, CA.
- South-East face
of Clyde Minaret (5.8, IV), Fishook Arete of Mt Russell (5.9,
III), East Face of Mt Whitney (5.6, III), Eastern Sierra, CA.
- Royal Arches
(5.9, III), Yosemite Valley, CA.
- Central Rib Direct
(5.8, ~10p), Brazos Cliff, NM.
- First Gully (WI4,
800ft), Whore House Hose (WI4-5, 500ft), Eureka Valley, Silverton,
CO.
1998:
- Horsetail Falls
(WI4, 500ft), Ouray, CO.
- Treasure Falls
(WI4-5, 130ft), Wolf Creek Pass, CO.
- Bridalveil Falls
(WI5, 400ft), Ames Ice Hose (WI5, 600ft), around Telluride, CO.
- East Buttress of
Middle Cathedral (5.10c, IV), Central Pillar of Frenzy (5.9,
5p), Nutcracker (5.8, 5p), Yosemite Valley, CA.
- South-West Ridge
of the Needle (5.8, 15p), Sandia Mountain, Albuquerque, NM.
- George's Tree
(5.9, 4p), Loose Ends (5.9, 4p), Fantasy Ridge (5.9, 4p),
Back Flip (5.9, 3p), Mainliner (5.9, 6p), Femp (5.9,
4p), Lumpy Ridge, CO.
- Direct Exum Ridge
(5.7, IV, combined with Upper Exum), Direct South Buttress of Mt Moran
(5.9, A1, IV), North Ridge of Grand Teton (5.7, IV), Grand Teton
National park, WY.
- South Prow of Kit
Carson (5.8, ~8p), Crestone Range, CO.
- Supercrack (5.10),
Incredible Handcrack (5.10), The Wave (5.10+), and others,
Indian Creek, UT.
- Kor-Ingalls
(5.9, 4p), Castleton Tower, Castle Valley, UT.
- Crabby Appleton
(5.9+, 5p), The Nightcrawler (5.10, 4p), Prince of Darkness
(5.10c, 6p), Red Rocks, NV.
- Stairway to Heaven
(WI4, 900ft), Eureka Valley, Silverton, CO.
1999:
- The Ribbon (WI4,
600ft), Skylight area, Ouray, CO.
- Gold Rush (WI4+,
500ft), Eureka Valley, Silverton, CO.
- Ames Ice Hose
(WI5, 600ft), around Telluride, CO.
- Escape Artist
(5.9+, 9p), Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO.
- Ancient Mariner
(5.10a, 3p), J-Crack (5.9, 5p), Endless Crack (5.9, 5p), Fat
City Crack (5.10b, 4p), Romulan Territory (5.10b, 4p), Progression
(5.10, 7p), Orange Julius (5.10b, 6p), Lumpy Ridge, CO.
- Epinephrine
(5.9, 18p), Eagle Dance (5.10-A0, 9p), Cat in the Hat (5.6+,
5p), The Great Red Book (5.8, 2p), Yellow Brick Wall (5.10,
5p), The Gobbler (5.10-, 2p), Red Rocks, NV.
- Flying Buttress
of Mt Meeker
(5.9, 6p), Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.
- South Face of Charlotte
Dome (5.7,
11p), Red Dihedral of Incredible Hulk (5.10, 11p), Third Pillar
of Dana (5.10, 7p), Eastern Sierra, CA.
- Traveler's Buttress
(5.9, 4p), Lovers Leap, CA.
- Casual Route
(5.10a, 8p), the Diamond, Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.
- Warpaint (5.10c,
5p), Warpath (5.9+, 4p), Cochise Stronghold, AZ.
- Cotopaxi (19,347
ft - turned back 500 ft below summit), Chimborazo (20,701 ft - summited),
Ecuador.
2000:
- Climbed the classic
ice routes of SW Colorado again: Bridalveil
Falls (WI5,
400ft), Ames Ice Hose (WI5, 600ft), Stairway to Heaven (WI4,
900ft), CO.
- Arribas Amoebas
(5.10, 6p), The Wasteland (5.8, 7p), Dem Bones (5.10, 6p),
Absinthe of Mallet (5.9+, 9p), Cochise Stronghold, AZ.
- Rigid Designator
(WI4+, 130 ft), The Thang (WI5-M5), Vail, CO.
- No Name Crack
(5.10b), Bad Rad Dual Reality Crack (5.10d), and others, Indian Creek,
UT.
- Ruper (5.8,
6p), Rosy Crucifixion (5.10a, 3p), Grandmother's Challenge
(5.10c, 2p), Eldorado Canyon, Boulder, CO.
- Leasure Climb
(5.9-, 6p), Comic Relief (5.10-, 9p), Maiden Voyage (5.9+,
6p), Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO.
- La Demande (5.10'ish,
~10p), Gorges du Verdon, France.
- Spigolo Giallo
(5.10, ~9 pitches, on Tre Cime de Lavaredo III), East Face of Catinaccio
(Steger Route, 5.9, 18p), Dolomites, Italy.
- North Ridge
(5.6, 8p) and Sycke's Sickle (5.9, 7p) on the Spearhead, North-East
Ridge of Sharkstooth (5.6, 6p), Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.
- Mountain Momma
(5.10c, 7p), The Great Escape (5.10d, ~5p), Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque,
NM.
- Pervertical Sanctuary
(5.10d/11a, 6p), the Diamond, Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park,
CO.
- Coatimundi Corner
(5.9, 5p), Reunion (5.10-, 4p), Slammer Jam (5.10, 5p), and
others, Granite Mountain, Prescott, AZ.
- Jah Man (5.10c,
5p), North Chimney of Castleton Tower (5.9, 4p), Sister Superior,
Castle Valley, UT.
2001:
That year was marked by
a failed trip to Peru, where Eric broke his clavicle. This put a serious damper
on any climbing over the next several months. Several weeks before the Peru
trip were also absorbed by training for it on Colorado Fourteeners.
- Ames Ice Hose
(WI5+, 5.9, 600ft), this time in really thin conditions, and several other
classic ice climbs in South-Western CO (already listed above).
- Stairway to Heaven
(WI5-6, 5p), The Fang (WI5-6, 2p), Provo Canyon, UT.
- Dreamweaver
(AI3, M2+, III), Mt. Meeker, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.
- The Grand Giraffe
(5.10a), and others, Eldorado Canyon, Boulder, CO.
- Pequeno Alpamayo
(17,700 ft), La Derecha (WI3, ~ 18,000 ft) in the Condoriri valley,
and the highest peak in the country, Sajama (21,463 ft), Bolivia
(Lucie only).
2002:
Not that much climbing.
Eric was still healing his shoulder a large part of this year (not to mention
breaking it again while leading rock too soon...). Our alpine trips suffered
bad karma/weather (Mt Alice, Diamond). The last few months of the year, we
spent most every weekend preparing for this bus trip.
- Osiris (5.7,
4p), Kor's Flake (5.7+, 6p), Melvin's Wheel (5.8+,
4p), Pear Buttress (5.8+, 5p), The Guillotine (5.10b, 6p),
Lumpy Ridge, CO.
- Fingertrip (5.7),
Open Book (5.9), Whodunit (5.9), El Camino Real (5.10),
Superpooper (5.10), and others Tahquitz Rock, Idyllwild, CA.
- Rising Spirits
(5.10+, 6p, Hermit Spire), Magic Dragon (5.8, 12p, Magician), Thin
Ice (5.10b, 3p, Sorcerer), Airy Interlude (5.10, 3p, Witch),
Igor Unchained (5.9, 3p, Witch), Love Potion #9 (5.10, 3p,
Sorcerer Apprentice), the Needles, CA.
- Durrance (5.8,
6p), El Matador (5.10d, first 2p), Belle-Fourche Buttress
(5.10b, 4p), Walt Bailey Memorial (5.9), Soler (5.9, 2p),
New Wave and Assembly Line (5.10a and 5.9), Devils Tower,
WY.
2003:
on the road...
This
is partial list of some of the more notable (to us), higher quality, or longer
climbs we have done.