Hound Ears Bouldering Comp 2000

"Hey Man, you think We should postpone?"

"Nah, the weather is always better than what they call for".


Thus began the countdown for this years Hound Ears Bouldering Comp. We were gripped about the weather. They were calling for snow, wind and a high of 37. Ray gave it a 2 golf ball day at best. But the show must go on. All the preparations were in place, Jim Horton seeing to every last detail himself. Spending a 35 hour sleepless stretch furiously working out the last details, afixing all the route names himself. The camping, food, band, volunteers, prizes and everything else was ready to go.

And the day dawned beautifully, cold, partly cloudy and windy. The conditions were perfect and by the time they had everyone up top and ready to go the day warmed to a perfect 50. After announcements were made, everyone got down to having a good time.

3 Star Roof area is always a crowd favorite. It is home to many classics, including the stellar 3 Star Roof problem, shown here. Mighty pulling leads to a grippy finish over the bar-b-que grill all just part of the thrill of competing at Hound Ears!

The Bulge Boulder houses some burly mantles, including Throbber, V5, shown here shutting someone down. This stuff is beta intensive and the slighest adjustment can make the difference between send or spank. The simple turn of the hand made all the difference for this guy, next try he was on top!

The Crotch Potatoe, V5, features steller sloper madness to a cold stoppin mantle. The backside of this rock has Heckle and Jeckle, both V4 crimpfests. This small rock epitomizes the diversity of the Hound Ears experience.

Curly Mike cuts loose on the hidden wall with a late afternoon go at Twister. Mike took a beating early in the comp when the guy he was spotting clocked him with an elbow nearly knocking him out and opening a nasty gash under his eye. A quick check and some butterfly bandages by the emergency personell pronounced him fit to go. He had to hurry to make up for lost bouldering time.

Lisa Rands, womens champ, gets desperate on Desperation Crack, V6. Lisa, along with all of the other competitors, had a great time at this years comp. The overall positive energy of the whole event really fueled some outstanding climbing achievements and should serve to propel next years comp to an even higher level

Ben Montgomery is shown here doing the mantle on Toe Jam, V7, on his way to overall victory. Ben won a Magnum Bouldering Pad by Misty Mountain, some cash and assorted other prizes. There was gobs of booty to be won and almost everyone walked away with something. We would like to thank all of the sponsors for their generous support and especially the Hound Ears Club for being so gracious.