Tim Clifford, Matt Wilder, The Swarm (v14)

The Swarm (v14) has had a couple of new ascents in the last few days, first from Tim Clifford (an ex-Brit now living in Squamish, British Columbia), and then today from Matt Wilder (of Boulder, Colorado). "It best represents the hard Bishop crimpy problem," says Tim. "I was really psyched to climb it. I knew I only had a few tries, due to my skin, so had to dig deep."

Tim suggested that the line may not involve such hard moves as the grade implies, but also noted that because of the tiny holds, it requires a patient technique of "waiting and making each go really count."

In case you don't know Tim, he's the climber who made the first ascent of The Singularity, an incredible, and incredibly hard, unrepeated problem in Squamish, once known as The Room Project.

Here is a short slideshow of Tim Clifford climbing The Swarm (the 9th ascent I believe) during his recent trip here. Thanks to Georg from Squamish for the photos!

Tim Clifford climbing The Swarm (v14); photos by Georg

I also shot some pics of Matt Wilder climbing The Swarm today (10th ascent). Check these out:

Matt Wilder climbing The Swarm (v14); photos by Wills Young

Got Pads...? Matt Wilder climbs Evilution Direct

Matt Wilder 20ft/6m up on Evilution Direct (v11), Friday Jan 2.

Matt Wilder has made the fifth ascent of the phenomenal Evilution Direct (v11), calling it, "One of the best boulder problems I've ever climbed." The hold he's reaching for in the above image broke about a month ago making the top part of the line slightly harder and more sustained than previously.

Matt on the penultimate hard move.

Luminance (v11 super-highball) by Shawn Diamond

Yesterday, Shawn Diamond climbed what one of his two spotters at the time, Walker, describes as the "scariest thing I've ever seen," and which Shawn describes as "the dumbest thing I've ever done!"

Luminance (tentatively rated v11) is an exceptionally beautiful wall above a heinous landing. It is on the steep west face of a giant block (not in the guidebook) at the head of a gully between the Windy Wall and the Secrets of the Beehive Area. Eyed previously by a few of the best climbers around, it had always been left for another day, or another climber. Shawn threw a rope down the line to check the moves. Then he summoned up the courage to step on un-roped. The wall begins with some long moves to good sloping crimps that lead to the mental challenge of throwing a total-commitment dyno to a hold just below the lip.

The ground drops off dramatically, so spotting is also pretty terrifying. Walker, who was tied into a rope for safety at the time of the ascent, was able to save one fall from just before the most dangerous point, by pushing Shawn away from the worst landing and into a pile of pads.

"There was a moment there when I actually thought to myself, 'what am I doing here?'" Shawn told me, of the moment he arrived at the committing move, and for an instant became aware of his surroundings. He realized he had to give it 100 percent: a controlled lock-off was not an option, the lip could only be reached dynamically. He stuck the move, sinking his fingers into a hidden slot at the back of the sloping rail, and the rest was pretty much a formality.

"I saw that line years ago and had been walking around New York City dreaming about it," says Shawn, who is currently at medical school in the Big Apple. "It was definitely a big step up in my climbing... My most memorable ascent, and a big breakthrough for me."

Here are some more photos I shot of Shawn on the opening moves. See also his other line on this block.

Here's a shot of the boulder, so you can see the steepness of the ledge and fall-zone

Chris Schulte, Buttermelter...

I recently heard from Chris Schulte about some new lines he has done, including an intriguing right start to The Buttermilker on the Cave Boulder at the Main Buttermilks area. Chris dubbed the problem The Buttermelter. We'll have to see if this proves popular, but it definitely seems like a fun addition. It's likely in the v11/12 range.


He says, "Start in a large hueco right of The Buttermilker, on underclings (right hand on a "ball"), lock in a kneebar and udge up and across with the right hand to the "glass dish" on The Buttermilker. Bicycle, left hand up to a sidepull crimp, double toe hooks to bicycle switch, and finish the 'Milker..."

If you can follow all that, you deserve an honorary v12 in bouldering, even if you don't actually do the problem. Good luck! See Chris's blog for more info and photos.

Another fairly hard and cool-looking line that Chris has recently completed is on the west side of the Golden Boulder (to the right of the Iron Man Traverse, if you're looking up hill). This line begins at the crack around on the back left side of this huge boulder and follows a lip up and right to the apex of the boulder before topping out. It's a nice line, and because of the adjacent boulder, even after climbing 20 feet, you will find yourself only a couple of feet above your pad.

Chris writes: "The lip traverse on the Golden Boulder consists of pretty good positive holds traversing along the obvious aspect change. There is a sorta hard move 1/2 way, over the point of the adjacent boulder, then a tough cross, and the last move is also a bit of a grunt... Maybe the last move is easier for the smaller, but a redpoint crux, for sure..."

Chris named this one Constellation, and the rating is unknown (v9-v11 range?). Sounds and looks like a great endurance problem to me. The line beginning at the same place, but heading directly up the slab remains to be done.

Alex Puccio climbs A Maze of Death (v12)

This afternoon Alex Puccio climbed the short, steep, and very powerful line A Maze of Death (v12), first done by Dave Graham late in 2002. This pretty, concave wall, with its perfect patina is located at the Bardini Boulders area not far from the Main Buttermilks and is an incredible piece of rock.

Alex traveled to Bishop with Carlo Traversi and spent just long enough to get a feel for the area: "I have had a great time in the wonderful land of Bishop. There is so much to be done here. I can't wait to come back."

Working off of beta devised in conjunction with Garrett Gregor (who also climbed the line recently), Alex used a sick lock-off at the start to gain a key right hand sidepull/undercling and then a twisted drop-knee to make two moves with the left hand to gain the good (ish!) crimp below the upper slanted rail (see photos below). That latter part was Garrett's sequence, and apparently a great way to avoid a heinous upper gaston move. Even so, the final pull through is no gimme and proved a thorn in the side for a few days for Alex: Though close to success on her first day at the line, she became frustrated by deteriorating skin and tired muscles during her visit. A rain break and a Thanksgiving Day interlude broke the pattern, and Alex returned for a fourth time to claim this major first female ascent!

"I found the moves on A Maze of Death to be quite hard," says Alex, who struggled at first to deal with the slick footholds. "It is very technical with precise movements. I had to make sure I placed my feet PERFECT. I think I came away from the boulder as a stronger climber and person."

Well, hey, that's what a trip to Bishop will do for people!

Alex Puccio making the moves described. Photos: Wills Young

Stained Glass (v10) by Tilly Parkins, First Female Ascent

Just received this note:

"Hi Wills, I’ve recently returned home after spending most of November around Bishop and the Buttermilks whilst traveling with my partner, Tilly Parkins. During our time at your bouldering paradise we had the opportunity to climb many of the best lines that the Buttermilks have to offer. One ascent in particular I would like to report is Tilly’s send of Stained Glass (V10), which according to locals could possibly be the problem’s first female ascent. An amazing and pure line, Tilly first spied the problem via youtube and fell in love with the thin and technically demanding climbing. Working the problem over a few days, Tilly managed to fire this classic Buttermilks test piece on the last day of our trip (destroying a tip in the process)! A wonderful and fitting end to our time in this awesome location. The send was ever sweeter for her, as she had a knee reconstruction and multiple surgeries in 2007 after tearing knee ligaments (LCL and PCL) and rupturing the joint capsule when a heel hook went horribly wrong. This was one of her first sends since recovering and it’s good to see her back in form." -- Mark Withers

Tilly Parkins on Stained Glass (v10)

I do believe this is the first female ascent of this outstanding Buttermilks gem. No question about it, this is one of the finest little problems I've seen anywhere in the world, but it is a tough choice for a road trip--indeed a bold choice for Tilly given that she is likely the first woman to do it. It is notorious for its tiny, skin-eating crimps, and a heartbreaking lunge for the final hold. Great stuff! Nice way to come back from an injury! -- Wills

Here's a vid of the ascent:

Evilution (v12) 4th Ascent, Carlo Traversi

On Friday Nov 21st, Carlo Traversi made a swift fourth ascent of the super-highball Evilution (the original version, and I think it's the fourth ascent!). Speaking to me today he said he took "five or six falls" in all, and did the problem from the ground up without even looking at the line from a rope -- a proud achievement and a step up in style from previous ascents by Jason Kehl (FA), Ethan Pringle (2nd), and Kevin Jorgeson (3rd) . Climbing ground-up on this line is a reasonable proposition if you can find and schlep a truck-load of pads the 100 yards or so from the road--though there is a crux up high (from about 15 to 20 feet), the ground is flat. Nevertheless, despite talk, no-one had made that step or totally committed to the process until now.

Carlo is visiting while on a road trip away from Boulder, Colorado. Interestingly, he grew up in the Bay Area,under the tutelage of the groundbreaking Buttermilks boulderer, also from that area, Kevin Jorgeson.

Running beta (refined since earlier ascents) from now-Bishop-based highball master Charlie Barrett and well-chalked holds were two important factors that helped Carlo succeed on Evilution ground-up. "If I had been trying this with no chalk on the holds, it would have been nearly impossible," he said. I would think he's right: the upper crux comes after a very steep v9/10 intro and is, in itself, in the v9 range. You come into it kind of blind from below and the holds are hard to see at all without chalk. Another factor in his favor is the fact that Carlo, though relatively short at 5-foot-6 is one of the physically strongest climbers around.

Carlo took two big falls from the upper crux where the climbing is hard, crimpy and required him to make a stab for what he describes as a "chalked blob!" He figures a v12 rating appropriate.