Trying out Tmblr.

I just started a Tumblr account.  Follow it http://tim-a-rose.tumblr.com.  I will be updating both sites with content.

Pic From Armistice

Thursday was cold, rainy and snowy.  Conditions being less than ideal I didn't really expect much.  I drove almost 2hrs to get to Gretna so I wasn't going to leave without trying to do the Cut Tree project.  Gault and I fell off the top of this boulder a combined 300 times.  Thankfully it went down.

Armistice

Cut tree project @Gretna went down today, not without a fight. Gault and I suffered... well not that bad

Armistice from Tim Rose on Vimeo.

NRG trip footage

New River Sampler from Tim Rose on Vimeo.

A few of the problems from our trip to the NRG.

NRG trip - Coming and Going

NRG Super Project

I just returned to MD from a short but sweet trip to the New River Gorge.  I had five days to climb with one rest day.  Short trips like that are tough.. Sometimes the weather can suck, you could split a tip or the weather could be good but the conditions might be terrible.  Luckily for us we had some ok weather, no new injuries to account for and to top it off the best bouldering conditions I have had at the New..  Cold was the motif. When the sun was shining it was great then it snowed 2 inches.  Jah Bless. Good thing mother nature crapped on my rest day so Micah Klinger and I hiked around that day.  He showed me some of the local projects on the dries one in particular that ranks high, one the best things I have seen in the country.  It reminds me of the shield at Stone Fort.  One line of holds, perfect white sandstone, no hodge-podge.  Why has this not been done?? might be the question floating in your mind.  Logically, the answer must be that its really not as cool as I am saying it is.  Something like that would be well known.  Objection!  Perhaps the 25min + steep down hill approach to the rivers bowels could lend an explanation as to why its not been climbed.  Climbers have a tendency to be lazy creatures. I cannot blame them, I love being a fat kid.  Why drag loads of pads down a hill covered in poison ivy and its cronies when the New hosts so many amazing routes and boulder problems that require only the motivation to push the larger of two peddles to the ground on the floor of your car.??? Ah yes, lets not forget the hike up the steep hill to get home.  At least the new isn't located at the top of a volcano...  but in some minds it should be. They will never venture and therefore never reap the rewards.
The trip started well, I managed to repeat a bunch of lines that have gone up recently.  (bouldering, this trip was primarily a bouldering trip).  After a day of cleaning up outstanding problems I started to look for projects.  It was supposed to snow the following day so the idea was to get a game plan together for the rest of the trip.  We saw some really good lines but the one that stood out to me was the F5 project.  F5 being the name of a really great boulder problem that Micah put up last year. F5 for any meteorological aficionados that are reading is also the rating they use to describe a tornados ferocity based on wind speed and cone size.  Pretty much the boulder looks like a tornado is what I am saying.  Anyway, up the hill from that boulder is another boulder and another boulder and another boulder.....  but the one I was interested in is suspended in the air. Its super steep and has/had an amazing project out some crimps to a good right hand finger bucket then enter crux town to undercling pinch, wind mill to bad bad sloper move feet jump to finish jug and you're doneski.  Two session on this beast.  The first was a lack of preparation.  I was not informed that the boulder had a super nar landing and at the same time I forgot all those years of boy scout training that would have told me to be prepared with an additional pad.  We hiked for 25min with two and a half pads to a boulder problem that required at least 7 pads.  Oh well.  I tried the moves and managed a two piece with no intentions of trying a red point.  Too dangerous.. So we left and I would return on the next nice day to send.

Our next stop was Fayettstation, a well known bouldering area right on the river.  I was there to see a super project that may or may not go.  Really steep boulder with small holds to a blank section.  It looked amazing.  I tried it a little but it too requires some pads.  After a few attempts at the project I scooted over to the classic Octagon Control and banged that out.
I am tired of writing so I will say that the rest of our trip went like this.  Great climbing, first v12 in the gorge and a ton of fun with our good friends at the New.  I got some footage from our trip that I will put up soon.

Vid from ULK

Footage from Under Lock and Key


Under Lock and Key from Tim Rose on Vimeo.

Stop and smell the Roses

FA: Under Lock and Key, v13

Everything, all of the details, down to the subtlety of how your fingers land on a hold, what angle your foot is turned, where your hips should be, how much energy you should have to do the crux, all of those variables have to align perfectly.  That's hard bouldering.  Sometimes climbs feel easy and sometimes they feel hard.  I wonder why that is?  Did I get weaker?  Perhaps I didn't rest long enough between attempts?  Climbing perplexes me and I think that's what keeps me loving it.  It's not as simple as train harder or be the strongest.  If it were that easy we would have people straight out of Golds Fitness or Brick Bodies onsighting our projects.  It's in the details.  I call them illusions "tricks are for kids and what hookers do for money" but illusions are the details that make climbing work.  Sometimes I like to think that I can just go into the gym and start cranking out sets to be a better climber.  That actually works sometimes but its probably a coincidence.  The best I have been able to come up with over all the years is to stay healthy, stay motivated and keep pushing it, whether it's harder problems, harder routes, technique or power.  Firstly stay healthy!!
If you have read my humble and horribly written blog in the past few weeks you will already be aware that I have been trying some projects at a local area in PA.  I say local but it's a good 2hr drive.  Yesterday I made that trip on a busted knee with hopes to send the Key Hole Project.  I had put three sessions into it prior failing to snag an ascent.  Two sessions the weather got the best of me but I tried to send anyway.  2hrs one way is a long drive and I was psyched..  Thats old Tim talking, new Tim knows better.  It's not worth getting injured which is exactly what I managed to do.  Nothing serious mind you,  I tweaked my hammy heel hooking and it resolved itself in a few days.  None the less feeling tweaked can put mental stress on any situation.  So, I started my session off yesterday as I had previously.  Warmed up in an area close to the project fully knowing that today may or may not be my day to send.  Failing has become just as important to me as succeeding.  Maybe more so know than before.  My parents were right this entire time??  Its not about getting there it's about the journey?  I think I understand now...  Or is that just me being trapped into the state of mind, the perception, the vantage or my current time?  Whatever, anyway I was feeling good and warmed up as best as I could in 30 degree temps and set up for my red point attempts.  After two attempts I was feeling confident and sent on my third.  Finally!!!!  I had managed to link it up.  I barely stuck the slot move which is "the" move.  It's always a little manky and the hold is not exactly in a great spot.  Its just big enough for my fat fingers to get some bite but it bites back.  That's it.  That's the end of my story.  I sent.  Awesome!  I am really psyched to put another line up.  So continues my love of the sport.  Off to try something new.

The Projects

It has been rumored for many many years that Central PA has some very hard projects.  The list goes on and on, each area has its lines.  Some of the hard problems have even topped a few lists for "hardest in the country"...  Recently, I have visited some of said projects, in fact they are hard and doable.  The Keyhole project at mt. Gretna is first on my list of stuff and things.  I have done every move many times, two pieced it and it took my hamstring, we have some business, keyhole and I.  Next session for sure on that one, super cool line.  After Keyhole Mt. Gretna has another project called the Cut Tree. Cut tree is hard, hard, hard..  All the moves have been done tho.  It will probably be in the 13 realm when it goes and will be another hard diabase "condition dependent" climb.  Last and perhaps the most well known, unknown, line is the fabled v14 project on PA sandstone.  Emerson had contacted some people about it way back, early 2000's I believe..  Rumors surround local areas like fly's on crap and its all across the country.  Picking through whats possible and whats not can be a matter of a climbers vision or simply a question of if there are holds or not?? It can be tough to see beyond yourself, to see what the future could bring. Thats where the Mordor project story starts.  This thing is killer, literally..  It ended one climbing career and created some controversy in the PA scene back in the day.  Whats really cool is it could be one of the hardest climbs in the country just sitting in PA at an area with bad access issues.  "Hardest in the country"...??? Bold statement.  For sure this line will clock in at high double digits, not falling short of the v14 mark.  Its unclear as to exactly how hard.

I visited the Mordor project a few weeks ago and managed to do all but one move.  I even managed to link a few moves together.  The crux is 4 moves long starting with the first move..  You move off a bad crimp to a bad pinch..  pause on a non hold crimper and do a move to a terrible undercling.  move your feet, pull the undercling to your chest and fire for a jug pinch on the lip.  Beautiful, just beautiful...

I was told that someone had maybe done the climb years and years ago, which means it could potentially be the first of its grade.  Here is the controversy part, when the climber was asked to repeat, he was unable to do half the moves making a repeat impossible.  After trying it myself the other week, I could see that situation being a possibility.  Its a very unique crux that requires an infinite amount of undercling and wrist strength.  I am not sure either way, If you are nerd you'll get this, "the truth is out there."..  personally I don't care, its just a badass line.  The whole story is really interesting and maybe I will write it up if I send.. It might make a cool article, that is if magazines still exist when that happens.  Anyways, Its kept my attention and here is some bad footage.

Pa Projects from Tim Rose on Vimeo.