RISE by Shawn Diamond

It's not NEWS exactly, but I just want to catch up on some stuff that's been overlooked during my summer off!

Well, around the end of April/beginning of May, Shawn Diamond climbed a stellar new line on the massive block that sits in the gully to the south of The Secrets (of the Beehive) Area. This huge block is now home to a few highball/headpiont routes. One of these is Kevin Jorgeson's line, The Golden Rule (see Dec 7 2007 post) on the northeast corner, another is an arete climbed by Chris Sharma on the northwest, and now this one from Shawn, which takes the steeply overhanging blunt southwest prow.

Photo: Damon Corso

The line begins steeply from the sandy wash, where you can pad out a fall to some extent, and leads to a scary slab.

"I did the problem over a two day period last spring," says Shawn. "I spent a day with a Home Depot-bought broom sweeping the entire topout so no pebbles would cause an epic fall. Did the line on self-belay a few times, then sent without the rope. I think it's around V9+ but SCARY and hard to protect a fall from the upper slab."

Photo: Damon Corso.

Sharma Summer Buttermilking

Yeah, it was over 100 degrees F in Bishop yesterday (Sunday), but does that mean it's too hot for the Buttermilks? Apparently not -- if you're Chris Sharma, anyway! While hosting some climbing camps in partnership with Yo Basecamp, Chris spent a couple of evenings up at the 'Milks, and took a look at his old favorite, The Buttermilker (v13) -- a full nine years and three months since his first ascent. He admitted that it had changed a little since he first did it, becoming slightly harder. Nevertheless, he quickly did the moves the first day, and then returning with the group from Yo Basecamp, dispatched the line in the evening on Sunday. So, no frickin' complaining about the temps from now on, I guess! Chris also spent an evening at the "Way Lake" area, near Mammoth.

Chris and Lisa at the house (Note: Lisa is standing on a step,
trying to look big! She's really only about 18" tall)

Bardinis Line

Went up to the Bardini Boulders last week. There is almost nothing recorded of the bouldering out there. I know of several lines that have been done but which are not mentioned either in my guide or anywhere else that I have seen and at some point in the not-too-distant future I will provide some pics and ratings to those I know.

Anyway, last week, I climbed this really sweet problem that begins as a sit-start in between the two giant boulders out there, the Bardini Boulder being the lower one (with This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned on it), and the other one on the uphill side of that. The problem ascends the upper boulder. I know that a direct start to this line had been climbed before and I have climbed it once, taking a direct line to where I'm shown in the picture below (this goes at around v4/5 with the crux at about 10 feet). But the line I'm writing about is this sit-start line that begins around to the left on perfect smooth rock. You move right and up into a right hand undercling. You roll through to a left sidepull/pinch and then move up the blunt arete a little before heading right to join the easier line, which, although only v4/5 is pretty highball and takes some nerve.

This sit-start problem is super-high quality and something I've been meaning to do for years. Check it out if you go out there. It's about v6/7-ish.

The KD Factor, Hive Boulder (Pollen Grains)

Heard from Kevin Daniels that he has climbed another tall and beautiful line, this time on the Hive Boulder at the Pollen Grains. Sounds amazing. From what I understand, it starts down and right from where Timothy Leary Presents runs (#6 page 291). You sit start matched in a nice hole; you dyno up left and move left and up through nice huecos to a big black xenolith. Fom there you head up left on nice slopers to intersect Timothy Leary Presents near the top. The KD Factor sounds like a three-star highball, and is thought to be around the v3 range (5.11-ish), but knowing Kevin, it could be harder.

Dale's West Projects Climbed ...

Went out for an evening session at Dale's West on Thursday and repeated The Green Hornet finding it about v3/4 and just as nerve-wracking as the first time I did it many years ago -- super-super classic though, and an absolute MUST-do line. Take big pads. Also climbed the line to the right that Jeff Sillcox told me he and Andrew Stevens had done recently, which is listed as Unknown in the guide (page 314). See also Jeff's Eastside Bouldering Blog. That one is also a little spicy. Seems about v4/5, with some hard pulls on small crimps and very technical as with Green Hornet. Failed miserably on Project #5, page 314. Someone can do it though, no doubt, but definitely in the v11 or harder range, I'd guess -- with long arms very useful.

Also went down to the Zen Flute Boulder and climbed a few things including the Project #17 listed on page 315, which wasn't too hard, maybe around v6/7 with a sit that went at a grade or so harder. Possibly been done before but likely not. Checked off Unknown/Project #14 listed on page 314, which was hard going as the rock stayed warm even after the sun dropped behind the nearby ridge, and the moves required some skin. Beginning with both hands in the lower crack/sidepull, the sequence involved hard moves to gain and then pull up on a limpet-like protrusion (v9/10? Maybe easier in good conditions!). I had to meat-wrap the limpet, which was one of the weirdest handholds I've ever used on a boulder problem. It is fun though, for sure, and maybe someone can find a way to do it without the limpet move?

New Line on Fly Boy Boulder

Got this from Garrett Gregor:

"I put up a new climb - I think? his weekend to the right of flyboy... same face as fly boy. which starts left hand low and right hand on a slopey crimp instead of crawling up the slab to the jugs. It busts right and has a comitting move over the slab... maybe v7/8ish? Let me know what you think..."

Here's a photo:

Evil Empire (v6/7?) on Solitaire Boulder

Charlie Barrett has climbed a project on the Solitaire Boulder to produce what he has named Evil Empire (at around v6/7). The Solitaire Boulder is out toward Dale's Camp, past the Painted Cave Area, approached either from Dale's, or from the same parking as the approach to The Checkerboard Area. The problem is listed in the guidebook on page 264 (project #2).

"The climb has some really nice movement," says Charlie. "You start on a nice rail about 4 feet off the ground make two moves to nice edges then dyno for the good edge about 5 feet up, then up on some cool slopers and edges to a hard move out left followed by a big high step onto the edge you dynoed for and stand up to a big dyorite knob on top."

The problem required a lot of cleaning, but is now, apparently, well worth checking out!