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Updated 9/4/00

Bouldering News-April 2000
4/30/00 Joe's Valley, UT
     Ben Moon has reportedly done the first ascent of a V13 at Joe's Vally in Utah. The problem, Black Lung, had been a Steven Jeffrey project (so you know it is way hard). For more information on this new problem, check out Rock & Ice's web site.

4/30/00 Cradle Rock, NJ
     Paul Nick, a New Jersey guidebook author, provided us with this access alert for Cradle Rock. The Cradle Rock bouldering area in NJ is being fenced off and climbers are being turned away by the landowners. The New Jersey Climbers Coalition (NJCC) is working with the Access Fund and eventually other groups (Sierra Club, Audubon Society, Princeton Outdoor Club) to move forward the Preserve Cradle Rock Initiative which has the goal of preserving the area through a combination of "open space" acquisition and environmental easements. To become a member of NJCC, point your web browser to http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/newjerseyclimberscoalition. Click the login link, register with Yahoo if you have not done so already (which involves obtaining a Yahoo ID and password), then post a message telling the group who you are, how long you have been climbing, and what climbing areas you are interested in.

4/20/00 Carinthia, Austria
     Klem Loskot has sent a new V14 at Carinthia in his homeland of Austria. Klem has also rated this problem, The Power of Goodbye, B1, similar to the old Gill rating system. However, Klem is using the B rating system to rate problems of the top difficulty level. Roughly, B1 is at Klem's limit, but repeatable; B2 is at his limit, but only repeatable when conditions are perfect; and B3 is at his limit and is a problem he does think he could ever repeat. For more information and photos on this new problem and Klem's thoughts on ratings, check out nadventure.com.


Klem working on The Power of Goodbye. Photograph by Udo Neuman.
4/18/00 Phoenix, AZ
     Here are the non-local results from the recently completed Phoenix Bouldering Contest. Click here for Tony Veltri's field report.
Men's Non-Local
Chris Sharma

11,000
Erik Harrison

5,100
Tommy Caldwell

4,200
Mike Auldridge

4,120
Dave Graham

3,760
Wills Young

3,620
Dave Struthers

3,590
Eric Scully

3,380
Women's Non-Local
Elena Ovinchikova

1,940
Tiffany Campbell

1,420
Alli Rainey

1,240
4/16/00 Rumney, NH
     Eric Mushial sent his first 5.14a recently with his redpoint of Dr. No at Rumney. Also, Luke Parady and Joe Kinder did the second and third ascents of Urban Surfer, 5.13d. This route had been an old John Mallory project before Dave Graham made the first ascent.
4/16/00 Mechanic Falls, ME
     Dave Sharrat recently completed a project at the Land of the Overhangs in Mechanic Falls, Maine. Dave had been working on the problem, Fuga, since last September. Although currently unrated, Greg Shyloski says the problem is at least V9 and probably V10.

4/10/00 Rumney, NH
     This past Friday, Dave Graham blasted New England standards into the stratosphere with the first ascent of The Fly. Dave has tentatively graded this 25 foot power route 14+, indicating that it may 14c or possibly 14d. Dave said. "The thing is RAD. It took me longer than anything, ever. I've been trying it off and on for over two and a half years." Dave estimated that he had spent five or six days on the route prior to even beginning to work on it this spring. He figures he spent about eight days on it this year.
     Dave went on to describe the route, "The sequence that I used on the send was refined down from 16 moves (every move went differently that I thought it would), to a 12 move sequence, with 6 difficult moves (each harder than V10). These 6 moves cover the entire grey portion of the wall." Making the route even harder was that it is not possible to chalk up for the entire route. Most of the time Dave left his chalkbag on the ground. The lack of chalk made the finishing sloper moves all the more difficult. On the send, Dave said, "It was by the skin of my teeth. I mean, it just barely went! I almost fell on every hard move after the the six hard moves, which I stuck with two tips, then punched through the last moves."
     Dave described the incredible amount of energy he put into sending this route by saying, "This route was a process. I started out not being able to link a single move into another. I couldn't do the hardest moves and I felt miserable. Every day I got on it, I only found like one piece of important beta and I would never make more than one move of progress. It was the most frustrating climb I've ever dealt with, with moves harder than any I have ever done, boulder problem or route."
     This route is a true testament to what is possible in the world of rock climbing. I remember looking at this piece of rock five years ago, fondling the starting holds, and thinking that there was no way anyone would ever be able to climb this route. Dave's tenacity and talent are clearly evident in this amazing route.             -- Joe McLoughlin            
4/7/00 Rumney, NH
Joe Kinder and Luke Parady repeated Ward Smith's Parallel Universe, 5.14a, this past weekend. Joe said this route is his hardest to date, harder than Dr. No, also 5.14a.

4/7/00 Lincoln Woods, RI
This past weekend, Lisa Pierce did the first female ascent of The Aid Problem, V6, which is the standing start version to Chemical, V9. John "Whitey" McLean first did The Aid Problem, which involves a typical Whitey high-step, back in the early 80s.

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