Climbing with Hans

A few weeks ago, Eric and I were at the climbing gym when we noticed that Hans Florine was giving a lecture. (Hans Florine is an American climber famous for holding the world record for the fastest climb up El Captain, in Yosemite.) We thought to ourselves, "hell yeah we should go to that!" I was actually amazed that the bouldering wall and big walls didn't completely lose climbers when his lecture started. I guess that goes to show who the real climbers are.

The Nose of El Captain

Hans was hilarious. He showed us some video of him and Yugi (his climbing partner) hustling up the nose on El Captain, more than once. He shared stories of failed attempts, and records that were broken three days later by his rivals. Hans prepared a slide show of information we needed to know about the climb, and the history of his ascents. There were other hard core climbers in the audience, and some of them had also climbed with Hans before.

At the end of the lecture Hans was signing books, posters, and DVDs. We ended up buying a copy of Wall Rats, which is a movie about Hans Florine taking a couple of advanced child climbers up the the nose El Cap. Good thing they took credit cards! We also got a signed poster, which is always a plus.

It's been so much fun learning the history of climbing. It's a relatively new sport, and some (if not most) of the record setters are still alive to tell their stories. Not many sports have that going for them. Seeing people like Hans go out there and tell their stories reminds me why I like climbing. It creates adventure, laughs, stories, and friendships. And I love all of those things!

YouTube: High - Low
Masters of Stone Clip of Hans and Yugi setting a speed record on The Nose

Recent Event - TBS4 @ GWPC

November 21, 2008

A couple of weeks ago we participated in the TBS 4 bouldering competition at the Great Western Power Company climbing gym in Oakland. We had a blast. The gym was packed to the brim with people all trying their skills on the new bouldering routes. Eric, Kenneth, and I all competed under the beginner category, although Kenneth might have been fibbing a little. He's slightly better than a beginner.

Some roped problems were replaced with bouldering problems.

Eric and I attempted most of the VOs and a couple of V1s. I've never seen so many people crammed into that tiny gym. The entire bouldering wall had been replaced with new routes for the competition, and everyone was eager to climb. Eric finished most of the VOs with little trouble, but I only finished a few. Eric struggled with a few V2s, and Kenneth conquered some of the harder routes that were above our level.

The new routes on the GWPC bouldering wall.

I fought with a VO in the corner about five times without ever finishing it, but the next time I went to the gym to try it, I completed it. I did try a V1 that night, and finished it the first time I tried it! Did I mention the flow of pizza and beer? That alone can make the competition well worth a shot. This competition was my first, but probably not my last. I was a little sore the next day, but it was worth it. Competitions are a great way to test your level of climbing, and to enjoy a fun night out trying to out-climb your friends. I may have come in last place, but I had a great deal of fun doing it, and that's all that matters. Here are the results of the competition.

Day one and two

Hey everyone! We had a lot of fun playing frisbee golf, watching a little kid win the bouldering contest, and eating BBQ in Bear Valley on Saturday. Today we climed some amazing cracks, at Spicer Terraces. On the way to our new destination, we saw a fire in the Sanora pass, so we changed plans, and we're heading to Twin Lakes to dayhike Matterhorn Peak instead, which means we won't be backpacking Tower Peak this time around.

Upcoming Event: Bear Valley Adventure Sports Festival

August 16-17 2008

I just recently came across this event, the Bear Valley Adventure Sports Festival in Bear Valley, CA. Since Amber and have been planning on heading up into the mountains that weekend, it looks like we may go check it out.

We've been through Bear Valley before and it's a cool little nook of the Sierra. It's on the CA-4 which is not the most traveled trans-sierra highway, but like any route through the Sierra, it
traverses some beautiful and unique country. In the winter Bear Valley boasts a downhill and cross-country ski center, and in the summer is a lesser-known point of departure for hiking, climbing, cycling, and paddlesports.

How to know if you're in Bear Valley or not

The festival celebrates these summer activities and then some! Here's some of the highlights:

Extraordinarily affordable rock climbing clinics and day trips
Bear Valley Boulder Bash bouldering competition
Cycling races & tours for mountain bikes and road bikes (incl. centuries)
Kayaking clinic or tour
A disc golf tournament (woot!)
And an "All-You-Can-Stuff" barbeque (of course!)

Another BV landmark, I guess they like bears!

The registration fees are surprisingly low for all of the events. As for Amber and I, we will probably take a couple of the climbing clinics, maybe throw a few discs, and then head off for another part of the Sierra (Oh! I almost forgot stuffing my face with BBQ!). Seems like a good way to kick off a mountain vacation if you ask me!

Bear Valley Adventure Sports Festival Official Site
(register by Aug. 9, 2008 to recieve a discount)

Bear Valley Ultimate Adventure Truck