Rest Days in the 'Milks

As I mentioned in my last post, I got the chance to head out to Bishop for a week just before school started.  Though I told myself I wouldn't try anything too hard, it was a great time scampering around on the many quality moderates the Buttermilks have to offer, and an even better time showing around some of my friends who'd never been.  The place can be pretty life changing.  A few of the group favorite were:

The Green Hornet

Southwest Arete 5.9
Sunshine Slab V0
The Hunk V2
Shepherd Bread V3
Green Hornet V4 (my vote for best V4 in bishop)
Jedi Mind Tricks V4
Suspended in Silence V5 (Also phenomenal.  If you can, do it.)
Fall Guy V9

I even managed to talk Greg Horvath and Matt Martinez into climbing the Advanced Rockcraft Arete with me.

This climb, the oft overlooked brother to the popular Southwest arete, is I think, even better.  Better movement, higher, more secure/solid holds, and equally accessible to people with an interest in highballs.  Weighing in at only 5.8 and littered with positive holds throughout, the challenge of this climb is purely mental, though mental it definitely is.  Not only do you top out at the very apex of the boulder, ~15 feet higher than the Southwest Arete, but the way up is also the way down.  No easy walk off here.  For us, it was the perfect end to the trip. The penultimate easy highball to a great view of the valley.

Not that everything was so serious.  We spent most of an evening just screwing around on the Robbins Rubber Tester, climbed in every conceivable fashion.  Once all the conventional lines were done, we had to get creative.  Greg, Mark and Buddy all managed to run straight up the middle of the face, and I, dared by Matt, climbed the slab in my Daescents while wearing padded ski gloves.  Pretty surprised to be honest, though maybe I shouldn't be, equipped with the greatest approach shoes known to man and all.

Okay, anything else... It's really been a bit too long since I last wrote on here.  Too much to talk about. I managed to climb the newish line on the Jedi boulder, Vic Copeland's Return Jedi, as well as finally making it out to the hueco wall.  I flashed Gastonia and did Hueco wall in 3 goes, took me a second to figure out the first move.  I really do have to repeat how much I love the daescents.  They're amazing. I climb everything in them.  I'll probably write a post just on them over at Five Ten's website, but for now, they're amazing, check em out.

One of these days I'll write a post that doesn't ramble everywhere. It's not a myth, promise.

Matt Martinez on Zen Flute

Green Hornet

Jedi Mind Tricks

Sunset by the Grandpa

That's all folks