Back in Bishop!

I'm back! I'm back in Bishop for some winter bouldering under the sunny skies, amid the stunning scenery of the Sierra's east side!

Snowy mountains ...? Check! Vast vistas ...? Check! Big rocks ...? Double check! I've spent most of the last year out in the eastern US and yes, this blog has lacked updates for all of you beta-hungry boulderers out there! Has anything much happened? Have I missed something? Well, yeah, a LOT!

Thanks to everyone who has written me (email at right) with info and updates. I hope to see you all out there at the boulders in the coming weeks. I know there are a few new additions I have to get out to climb, and I will try. I am in okay health and have been climbing quite a bit lately so hopefully this will continue and I'll enjoy another fantastic season out here, long overdue as a result of various injuries and distractions. I've gotta take care of some household chores, but I can't wait to grab some of those familiar holds again.

I hear you about the broken jugs on some of the heavily trafficked classics like Suspended in Silence (Pollen Grains/Lidija Boulders) and also on Arch Drude (Druid Stones) among other less major breakages such as the right-facing ear on The Mandala. But don't worry, there ARE still holds left. All this means is your favorite bouldering area just got cleaner, safer, and better! Be careful though and never take anything for granted. Ha ha ha  ...!

Bishop is a-buzz as usual: Dan Beall, after establishing the area's hardest problem since Lucid Dreaming nearly a year ago (Misdirection --I'll get to that in a future post), has been climbing technical double-digit lines in his hiking shoes between sessions on new projects, while climbers continue going ground up en masse on previously unimaginable objectives! Young Alex Johnson (yeah, the girl not the guy version) has just (yesterday) joined the list of lunatics by making a ground-up flash of Luminance. Highballing has been the name of the game at the Buttermilks, as ever: New lines, climbers new to me, and much to talk about, so I'll sign off and return shortly with some updates and more about the last year's, as well as the last week's developments! Talk soon.