Ten Must Do 5.10's at the Tennessee Wall

Over the holidays I had the pleasure of spending ten days back in Tennessee with my family. On previous trips back during the winter months, the weather has been pretty unfriendly to climbing, with the heavy rain and clouds that typify the region during the winter months. But this year, thanks to global warming, or El Nino, or the Annunaki , the weather was pretty splitter overall.

Of the ten days I was back in Chattanooga, I was able to spend five out on the rock, clocking almost fifty pitches of stellar Southern Sandstone. When I lived in Tennessee, I was a relatively new climber and cut my teeth on the myriad of 5.7-5.9 dihedrals at the crag (with one 5.10- that I was quite proud of at the time). But this time, I came back as a much stronger climber; and was finally able to take a full measure of the many 5.10 classics at the wall.

Since moving out west, I've always looked back fondly on the Tennessee Wall, but questioned whether or not this fondness was the result of nostalgia or the actual quality of the climbing. However, after this most recent trip, I can confidently say that the quality is 100% real and in no way inflated by my own fond memories. The 5.10's especially have a consistent style that is unparalleled in its variety and uniqueness.

Here's what I mean: without exception, a T-Wall 5.10 is going to include the following:

• A tricky boulder problem at the start
• A mind-bogglingly large roof with HUGE, jungle gym style jugs
• An incredibly fun, if deceptively challenging splitter crack
• A technical, balancy and somewhat run-out face

So, basically, combine the best of the Gunks, Indian Creek and Eldorado Canyon, mix well and serve. (Did I just blow your mind?)

For those of ya'll pondering a trip to see if the aforementioned mind-blowing crag truly exists, here is a list of the ten coolest 5.10's that I climbed on my trip back that I think are worth your time.

1. Finger Lockin' Good
This route is to SE finger cracks what Champy's Chicken is to KFC. In other words, it's the real deal, with bomber finger locks and tricky footwork. Unfortunately, the finger crack ends all too soon, but don't worry, it TR's easily and you can come back for seconds!

2. Margin of Profit
A bit spicy, but not to a deadly degree, starts with a thin crack then traverses right onto a beautiful arete with the best views of the Tennessee River Valley that you can find at the T-Wall. A must do for those confident at the grade.

3. Corner Pockets
Don't let the route's short length (40 ft) dissuade you from getting on this classic crack line. But don't get so focussed on the crack that you miss the face holds that unlock the tricky mid-point crux.

4. Fill in the Blanks
Easy to miss, as it sits right in the middle of two classic routes (Digital Macabre and Razor Worm), but missing out on this techy face climb would be a real shame. The highlight of this line is the crux about 3/4 of the way up when you have to stand straight up on a left foot smear with no handholds to use for balance.

5. Hidden Assets
A fairly easy 5.10 by T-Wall standards, interesting climbing out around a roof leads to an ever steepening crack with a stemming crux up to the chains.

6. Blood on the Rocks
A unique T-Wall route with its two distinct cruxes, but the lower crux (about midway up the climb) is the harder of the two, but don't sleep on the upper roof that blocks your path to the chains, it's steep, juggy and will make you pay if you come to it pumped out.

7. Crackattack
A fairly mellow, low-angled crack starts you off and tries to lull you into a false sense of security before the crux hits with a committing, awkward lie-back that gives way to a grunt-fest chimney up to the chains. Stout for the 10- grade, but it eats gear and is a must do, even for those who are not exceptionally confident on T-Wall 5.10's

8. Golden Gloves
A route with cracks so splitter, that you'll be tempted to get tunnel-vision into them and miss out on the crucial foot-hold that makes the crux go at 5.10.

9. Electric Rats
This route comes at you from the start with a MASSIVE overhang. Fortunately, you get some equally massive jugs to pull through the roof on. After that, you get to feast on one of the most enjoyable and puzzling hand crackthat you'll find at T-Wall.

10. Day's Work
Looks deceptively easy from the ground. A burly boulder problem at the start soon gives way to a sustained thin-hands crack in a flare. Any veteran of Vedauwoo will feel right at home on this classic.

Will Parks. My favorite Bronco.

This Sunday, America was introduced to the Denver Broncos' rookie safety Will Parks:

Now, not only do I share a first name with Will, I've also been a big fan of his ever since the Broncos drafted him out of Arizona in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. Parks has been, to this point, the biggest steal of what seems to be one of John Elway's better draft classes. Why did he fall? Well, ever since the Seahawks gave a woodshed beating to the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, the NFL has decided that they want their safeties to be built like Kam Chancellor (6'3" 235 lbs), and the general wisdom has been that you need big bodied defensive backs to keep up with the increasingly huge wide receivers coming out of college. At 6'1" and 192 lbs, Parks isn't leaping off the page to scouts, who assume that he lacks the physicality to keep up with the likes of Dez Bryant and Kalvin Benjamin. 

Those scouts shouldn't have been so lazy, and maybe watch some game film. Such as this little beauty showing just how well Parks holds up in coverage on 6'5", 245 lbs Oregon St. WR Jordan Villamin:

So... he seems pretty capable of covering big-bodied receivers to me. 

Another reason I'm such a fan of Parks, stems from a lot of similarities in our personalities. Like me, Parks has a goofy, energetic personality and an almost childlike wonder for the world of the NFL in which he has found himself. Just listen as he bubbles over with enthusiasm after his first ever career interception:

Notice how, when asked about being 3-0, he just seems genuinely psyched and amazed. "Damn, damn" he says. 

Damn indeed.

And, another similarity: 

Will Parks appreciates the art of a sports training montage:

I too have dabbled in "Sports Training Montages":

(Montage starts at 3:24)

As have Colorado heroes Trey Parker and Matt Stone:

Bonus bit of Broncos #hottakes for you. Apparently, placekicker Brandon McManus can tackle:

Who knew?

A Week at the Creek

This past Saturday, I headed to Indian Creek, a climbing area in the desert south of Moab, Utah. What follows is a photo journal documenting our adventure!

On the morning of the first day, we hiked up to Sister Superior (tower on the left) to climb the ULTRA classic route Jah Man (Castleton tower on far right)

I was SUPER stoked to tick off this classic tower

That little dot in the top, left-hand corner of the picture is Kourtney as she raps to the ground off Jah Man with the La Sal Mountains (12,001'-12,721') in the background. 

It's traditional in the desert to mark the start of a climb with the name and rating of the route etched into a flat bit of sandstone. This was the marker for Jah Man Grade II 5.10+

The next day, we were all pretty tired, and decided to head over to the Super Crack Buttress. 

Kourtney, Cameron and John take in the views from atop the South Six Shooter (pano, double click to open full picture in new window) 

You know that I'm bringing that #realnoflyzone

Second tower summit in one trip! Everyone is PSYCHED!!!

Looking out towards the North Six Shooter with Canyonlands National Park in the background

Nick cruises the crux of The Incredible Hand Crack 5.10+ at the Supercrack Buttress.

Broncos v Chargers 10/30/16 Live Blog

More Eldo Love

In my previous post, I spoke about some of my own personal history with Eldorado Canyon State Park, along with some historical context involving Eldorado Canyon's original thrill-seeker,Ivy Baldwin. As a follow up to that, I wanted to share some photos from my recent adventures in Eldorado Canyon.

I hope you enjoy!

Looking east towards The Bastille

Paul leading the exposed third pitch of Ruper

About to rappel off of the Redgarden Wall at the Vertigo rap anchors

The West Ridge

Looking west towards the Continental Divide

Tiffany rapping down off of Star Wars on the Lower Peanut Wall

Welcome!

Howdy folks. Hope everyone is well. This is the first edition of the Psyched Report. A report about things that get me Psyched.

Now, you may be asking yourself "Why would I want to be reading this?"

That's a fair question, if somewhat existential in its answering. I mean, why exactly do we do anything? But, to veer away from the realm of Camus and Nietzsche, I can offer you an interesting perspective on a couple of topics.

1. The state of climbing on Colorado's front range
2. Tips, tricks, and overall #protips on making alpine climbing more enjoyable
3. A deeper analysis of The Denver Broncos and the X's and O's that make them tick.
4. The occasional movie, music or TV review

So, in a fashion similar to Bill Simmon's The Ringer, there really isn't a single persistent theme except for an attempt to provide a unique take on a variety of topics that I find interesting.

So, without further adieu, let's talk about some stuff.

An ode to Eldorado Canyon State Park

On October 15th, slackliner Taylor VanAllen will attempt to recreate the high-wire theatrics of Ivy Baldwin as part of a fundraiser for Eldorado Canyon trail building.

This is cool for a number of reasons, but especially so for its historical significance. Ivy Baldwin was the early 20th Century's quintessential daredevil. Serving as a balloonist during the Spanish-American war, Baldwin would ride his hot air balloon high above the battlefield to gather intelligence on enemy positions that he would then telegraph down to his unit's intelligence officers.

Most notably, he served in this capacity during the hours prior to the battle of San Juan Hill, locating enemy sharpshooter positions from on high. This was especially significant, since the Spanish troops were equipped with rifle cartridges that utilized smokeless gunpowder, as opposed to the more antiquated black powder used by the American troops. The term "smokeless" in this context is a bit of a misnomer, as the rifles did produce small puffs of powder smoke, but those would be quickly wafted away by the breeze, making the enemy positions quite difficult to spot. But, gazing from on high, Baldwin had the vantage point to see the puffs of smoke before they dissipated, and relayed the information down to the American forces' artillery commander, who ordered his Gatling Guns to direct their fire at the sharpshooters' suspected locations. This suppression fire proved instrumental in the outcome of the battle. One month after the battle at San Juan Hill, while observing Spanish positions above the Aguadores River, Baldwin's balloon was shot down by enemy fire, making him the first American aviator to be shot down during combat operations.

After the war, Baldwin brought his love of aerial thrills back home to Colorado, where he began tight-rope walking as a member of a local performing troop. His pièce de résistance was a high-wire act that he would go on to perform more than eighty times, stretching 600 feet from the Bastille to the Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon. This is the performance that Mr. VanAllen will be attempting this coming Saturday. 

My own history with Eldorado Canyon State Park predominately features the two formations that Ivy's tight rope stretched between. The day after moving to Colorado back in 2012, I went to Eldorado Canyon for the very first time. I climbed two routes that day, The Bastille Crack (5.7) on The Bastille and Calypso (5.6) on The Wind Tower. Much like many first-time Eldo climbers, I was struck by how hard the routes felt for the grade, and the apparent scarcity of solid gear placements for the length of the routes. Of course, over time my ability level has risen to the challenge (in the past month I sent my first 5.10c in Eldorado Canyon as well as a number of 5.10b's) but one thing that hasn't changed to this day, is that the anchor that I found to bring up my follower at the top of the Bastille is the one that I still use. A heavy steel cable wrapped around the top of the formation. At the time, I had absolutely no idea what that cable was for. I found out a few weeks later.

It was left there from Ivy Baldwin's final tight rope walk in 1948.

I still use that cable as an anchor to this day. It's pretty bomber.