This month has been good for climbing, June is the ideal time of year to get in some alpine routes in avy-safe conditions while still being able to rock climb in the shade.  I ticked off a climb I’ve been wanting to do for a while, the Yellow Spur in Eldorado Canyon.  Dan took the direct start and bolt ladder pitch, and I climbed everything in the middle of the route.  Later that evening Dan, Monika and I went to the Dosage V premiere in Boulder and got to be humbled by the sheer pool of climbing talent that was on screen and in the audience.

This weekend my friends Matt, Gregory and I climbed the route Martha on Mount Lady Washington in the Park.  This year we’ve seen record snowfall and cold temperatures, and we thought the route might be in a bit longer than usual.  It was fairly melted out and we ended up climbing the difficult sections with our bare hands instead of our ice tools.  Even though the conditions weren’t ideal, we had a great day up above treeline.

Summer is now in full swing in Colorado, time for cookouts, hiking, climbing and enjoying the warm temperatures! Where to begin? Mike Wysuph and I climbed four routes in Eldorado Canyon in a day: 13 pitches and a boulder problem to total 100 points (grade of the climb x number of pitches, 5.8 x 5 = 40 points). A 100 point day has been a goal of mine for a while, to me it represents a full day of climbing on great rock in a good setting with a fun partner. Recently I’ve been climbing more sport climbs in Boulder Canyon, Animal World and Tonnere Tower are two fun crags with a variety of good routes.

Samuel and Benjamin are growing up every day, they both love to go swimming and dive into the water with their swim goggles. Benjamin is especially fearless, Monika and I have to constantly keep an eye on him because he’s always diving underwater. As brothers, they alternate between war and peace, one moment they will be playing nicely and the next fighting over a shared toy. I finished building a loft bed for Samuel, and now Benjamin and Samuel share a room.

This past month we’ve been getting out in Rocky Mountain National Park to do some hiking, snowshoeing and camping. Monika and I went on a hike to Mills Lake a few weeks ago, last weekend I spent a night camping at Jewel Lake, and today I tried using touring skis with my mountaineering boots as an alternative to snowshoes for ice climbing approaches. The uphill part went just fine, but the downhill part was difficult due to the lack of support with my boots. It was a beautiful day, though, and I was able to get a few panoramic shots of the Glacier Gorge region of the park.

This is a view from Mills Lake, with the ice climb All Mixed Up on the right Pagoda is visible at the end of the gorge, and Longs Peak is barely visible at the center of the picture. I was able to cross over the middle, but temperatures will soon begin to melt the lake and make things a bit messier. The freeze-thaw cycle that comes every spring will help some of the higher elevation ice climbs form up and stabilize the snowpack to allow for safer avalanche conditions. more…

Last weekend was cool but bearable, and climbing in Boulder Canyon was enjoyable and uncrowded. This weekend, with the temperatures in Boulder reaching a high of 75, every climber in the area seemed to be out enjoying the nice weather. Matt and I got up early on Saturday to score the pole position on Icarus, a romp up Tower One in Eldorado Canyon. We climbed the first pitch of The Great Zot and shivered at the windy belay, topped out in the sun and sweated our way down the rappels. Every route in Eldo had a party already on it, so we bailed for Boulder Canyon and a newly developed area that wouldn’t have the traffic. All in all a fantastic day!

The yearly trip to Ouray to go ice climbing went very well this year. I got to lead some easy, long ice and try telemark skiing for the first time (boy, my thighs are still tired). Midway through the trip Dave Ruel and I decided we were just getting too much snowfall to pass up Telluride and made the jaunt over to partake in the powder. The ice park was great, but every night we’d get more snow and the first person up a route would have to shovel their way to the top. My mom and the boys headed out with me again to see the sights and play for a bit in the snow. Good food, hot springs and some beautiful scenery always make for a good visit.