Sunday, March 20, 2011

Horseshoe Canyon- Pebble Wrestle 2011



Orbital MechanicsV8
It was only a few weeks ago when I had no plans for spring break. I knew that I wanted to go climbing, but my plans just were not materializing. I finally decided to go to Horseshoe Canyon for the first weekend of the break. I traveled with my team members and some of their families. Before we left, a friend of mine told me that they were holding a competition the same weekend I was going. Always being a competitor, I felt that the competition would push me to climb harder. I signed up for the competition and then left for Arkansas. The trip went pretty quickly, and we were able to make it in around sunset. We ate dinner then decided to go for a little night bouldering session. My friends and I headed to the Idaho boulders to do a few climbs. We warmed up, and then headed off to work on Glass Bowl V10. This climb is a very beautiful line that consists of dynamic movements into a core intensive mono move near the end. I ended up sending it in about 30 minutes, and my friend Addison came up just short of sending the problem. I hiked back feeling happy about the send, but I knew the task had to be done again in the competition.


Glass Bowl V10
            The Pebble Wrestle competition was set up in a redpoint format. This meant that the score would consist of my top ten climbs. Ten boulder problems is a lot for one day, but I was up for the challenge. After the rules meeting we were set free to go climb. My friend Addison and I first went to the areas we were the night before. We warmed up on a few problems, and then continued to an arĂȘte V8 named Numerical Methods. Addison got it first try and I got in a few tries later. The next climb we headed to was Glass Bowl. I was a little worried that I would not be able to send it again, and eventually end up wasting some valuable energy. I luckily sent the climb first go, and we were then on our way to the Far East Boulder. I made quick work of a few climbs there, consisting of Jeff’s Prow V9, African ArĂȘte V7, and Traumatic Lunch V6. While climbing there, we met some nice guys that told us about a boulder that had hard fun climbs on it. We were excited to hear the news, and they thankfully led us to the boulder. This boulder had a big overhang with pockets all over the place. The boulder was very unique for the area.  The first climb we did was named Undertow V10. I onsighted the climb, and Addison did it soon after. We both agreed that it probably felt more like a V8, but the guide book and the score sheet said V10. We then did another V7 that was named Hang Ten. At this point we were completely wiped out, so we headed back to camp to get some food and rest for a little while. After some lunch and an hour of rest, we headed back out to get our last few climbs. We first stopped at the climb Orbital Mechanics V8. I knew that my energy would only let me have few goes on it so I had to make them really count. I got it on my third try, but really struggled the whole way. With limited energy I decided to finish off with attempting some V7’s. The first one I went to was Leather Face. The climb was really not too difficult, but I was having a hard time topping out the problem. After numerous failed tries, I finally topped the climb. I wasted a decent amount of energy on the climb and knew I would have to do my last climb quickly. I was fortunate to flash my last climb named Butt Plug V7.
Nico on Dig Dug V4

After the most physically exhausting competition I have ever done, we turned in our scorecards and continued to enjoy the company of the 80 competitors and have some food.  The competition was put together very well and had a very fun atmosphere. Dynamic Earth held the event and did an amazing job. The raffle was one of the largest I have seen, plenty of Fat Tire for those over 21, and plenty of friendly competitors and spectators. Following the food, they announced the results. I knew that I climbed well for me, but really had no idea how my score would stack up against all the other climbers. When they announced my name as the winner there was a slight silence as people looked around. I walked up to get my award, and then everybody started to clap. The majority of the people were from Missouri, Arkansas, and a few other states. I guess they did not recognize my name from any of their climbing groups. Luckily my friend Addison gave me a loud cheer. It was not too long until the competitors and spectators started to embrace me and congratulate me. I really did not take it offensively and took of it more of a compliment that I came out of nowhere. I was happy to reach out to a climbing community that I really had no knowledge of. We headed over to the barn after the results and raffle. They had a pretty cool band that played a few Black Keys songs (my favorite band). It was really nice to mingle with all of the different climbing communities and hear about their groups and climbing stories. The competition was an overall success, and I am really happy that I went.
I now am turning my attention to SCS Adult Nationals. I am building up my endurance, and I plan to be very competitive in Boulder.
Addison on Jeff's Prow V9
Numerical Methods V8
Canon 
Fraziac V6
Glass Bowl
The Team