A few new routes...

Not a bad weekend at the Meadow - I met Bob, Matt and Katherine this weekend at the Meadow; My roommate Ryan and a RRG rock star Moya and her dude rounded out the group - we had a good day of climbing Saturday - though we got a hardcore storm Sat night - which drenched everything.

We bolted a handful of routes:

Right of Pooh's Thought Spot:

(Names and Grades are tentative:)

Hard Pipe Hittin' Tiggers (5.12b) ***: Follow techy slab to a super unique crux move including some serious kung-fu tigger moves... SP

Right of that:

Something Tigger?? (5.11d/12a)* Pull a low roof and continue through technical edging on perfect white rock to the roof. Clamber through the roof on slopers and finish with an in-your-face repoint crux. SP

Right of than and left of Low Brow:

Matt's New Route (5.10?)***: Follow the bolted slab to a high anchor. SP

Right of Plumb Pudding I bolted another route:

Staying on the Line (5.10?)*** Boulder up through a thin crux and continue through plesant jugs to anchors. This route climbs crosses the bolted hand crack and continues straight up the face. SP

I put an anchor on and scope the line to the right of Depth Charge - it doesn't go out the roof - at least for me - maybe for Chris Linder or Matt Fanning...but I'm not gonna waste the bolts...

I'm waiting on a shipment of 100 hangers - once I get those - I'm going to bolt the line inbetween Pipe Hittin' Tiggers and the one to the right - it looks good and will probably be moderate.

Also - I want to bolt a handful of lines at Area 51....which I won't of course talk about until the iron is set =)

-Danno

SCORE!

So I was searching through my things at home and...

FOUND AN ENTIRE BOX OF BOLTS! WOAH! (that's 50 bolts)

So - if anyone wants to donate some hangers, I'll use them for routes and not name them "Some Tigger"

Bolting Spree

We're poised to go on another bolting spree at the Meadow Matt F and I talked on the phone and have divvied up the spoils to come...I got myself 100 bolts and hangers coming + 30 cold shuts + donates from Matt - we got lets see..1, 2, 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 or so lines picked out - oh wait 11,12...we'll see....lines picked out to bolt next week - assuming I can get a hold of enough battery power....

Its too late for the guidebook - since that went out yesterday of the day before, but unless we can get together an online format similar RRG equivalent, I'll keep an on-going PDF update for the stuff we've been up too....stay posted...

-Danno

Last weekend...

Not So incredibly bad I guess - conditions kinda sucked.

I think for some reason, Saturday was a rest day - I don't really remember - darnit - this is why I keep a climbing journal - because all the trips just run together....oh yeah - I think I went to the red thursday and friday; took a rest day Sat and climbed at the new Sunday/Monday...

I know that we climbed at the Meadow Sunday - I got on my Uber project - Made in the Shade - doing somewhat decent, though I think I have a long way to go - but the conditions were majorly crappy......hot sticky, and well - really hot...
Monday - I talked Matt Fanning into doing Butchers Branch - it was really busy - and conditions were HORRIBLE - Some random girl tried to steal my grigri - i was like WHERE IS MY GRIGRI WHERE IS IT? DID ANYONE SEE IT????? finally - this chic pulls it out of her pack and says "Is this it?" ???????????

This isn't a joke - I'm gonna drill a hole right through mine - just so ppl don't steal it...

So it started raining - and I had my draws on both Lost Souls (though a TR on it) and Flight of the Gumby - In the pouring rain - I did Lost Souls up to the crux - then started jugging...I wasn't getting any wetter - so I lead my first waterfall - Flight of Gumby...it actually wasn't all that bad - maybe mid 10 - SERIOUSLY - it was a waterfall, but the only slippery holds were the ones with chalk on them - after washing the chalk off - the friction was pretty good.

Ok next post - my plan for the next two weeks....

NRG last weekend

Conditions kinda sucked it was hot and sticky - but I managed to send a few routes - including an onsite "Instant Gratification" - 100 foot 11b (that's more like 11d) - it was awesome and there was totally a black snake on the upper ledge =)

Here are a few shots of Made in the Shade - my "uber" project...

Thanks for the photos Elodie.


Clipping the first bolt - I like this shot because it looks really sharp and there's a nice narrow DOF

You can see the start of the route in this shot - and the first hard move - which goes over the buldge above me - its basically the only small holds on the route...This is the redpoint crux - sticking a decent crimp rail off of double underclings and good feet - after you stick this move, you match and do another big move (then either clip or skip the clip)

Photo of me on Tissue Tiger at the Red...

Rendezvous ... what is rain???

Man - it rained this year at the Rendezvous - it wasn't that bad though - I got to climb all three days - though the first day - it was so humid - that nothing was really even close to being wet - we tried Bubba City - what a mistake...it was just horrible - my big send for the day was "Look Who's Pulling - 11a" which was more like 12b...it was pretty rough...

Sat of the Rendezvous was better - we did "The Other Place" oh - since its going to be in the guidebook - do you guys want me to post my little field topo for it??? A lot of people have it anyways....

It wasn't bad - the conditions were decent - I was pysched because I managed to repeat one of Matt Fanning's classic routes - Depth Charge - I had to try for it pretty hard - but it went...

Sunday was some of the best climbing I've seen - conditions wise - we spent the day at Beauty. We did a lot of the moderate trad routes - and I did a lap on Chunky Monkey - I really had to project that thing back in the day; it was nice to get on it and be like...oh...yeah...that's not so bad at all!

Unfortunately, Matt Fanning broke a jug off "Climax Control" - thankfully no one got hurt - but everyone is scrambling to send it and get the FA - I wonder who'll get it and what they'll name it??

If I mange it - I'll call it "Tigger goes to Beauty and Talks Matt into Breaking a Hold off Climax Control"

Aparently not...

Well, Tiggers and Airplanes is now 11a/b - cause I'm obviously not even close to climbing 5.12a...I got my butt kicked really really hard the past two days at the red...I couldn't even make it to the chains on Chainsaw at the lode - and I couldn't even begin to hold the crux holds on Gung Ho and Tissue Tiger at Military......

Oh well...

Back to the New tomorrow and for the next 3 days.

Here's a shot from the Rendezvous. I'll blog about that I promise!

Pretty Busy...and still more to come

Last weekend was the Rendezvous - and then I climbed yesterday at the New - today was a full rest day (I slept most of the day) and then tomorrow and Friday are the Red River Gorge, then Saturday is Ashley's Grad part - Sunday is the Obed maybe and Monday is the New River Gorge - I'll try to blog about the rendezvous and yesterday climbing when I get a chance..but I'm hanging out with the homeboys tonight - so sorry! I'll update when I can though...
Aparenlty 12c is my bitch these days though - I've never really been "strong enough" to consistently climb 12c - so its an interesting period in my life - like wow - 12c feels like 12a used to....

5 Days in a row....(part 2)

We spent the past 3 days at the New River Gorge, though its not like we camped - we did the American thing - and just drove back to Charleston to sleep in beds (which was quite nice)
Summersville was a good day - it wasn't busy - Elodie slept in - and we rolled up around 12 or 1 - I warmed up by bolt-to-bolting Apollo Reed, however, I still can't do the crux move off the hand - I'm really bad at undercling/sidepulls - pulling up into them - so thave move just crushes me.I bolt-to-bolted Reckless Abandon - and actually managed to second go it - it felt quite easy to be honest - and I think if it were a Tigger Route - we'd have called it 11d/12a...but that's just me....
Tuesday - was an ALL trad day - the only bolts we clipped were anchors; basically we spent the day at the Brain - and well - we did just about every trad route on the Brain - with the highlight of my day being onsitting the 11b direct start to Brain Teasers. It was a bit sketcy as the gear wasn't exactally totally great (or there for that matter)
Yesterday - we did Rico Suave - warming up on the name-sake route - and then between Elodie, Bill and I we put ?20 laps on Pockets of Resistance - I managed to fall off the top move like 5 times....Elodie did it 3rd go - I managed to do it like 7th go or so - and Bill - poor Bill - he fell off the top like 4 times! He's totally going to do it next time =)

5 Days in a row....

Wow - time really really goes slow for me - its great....I've climbed 5 out of the last 5 days - and well....lets just say I got up this morning at 7:30 or so - read some emails - and then went back to sleep until 12:30 (noon) - it was GREAT!

OK - so here's my recap of the past 5 days -
Saturday morning- Dave Statler and I left Charleston for a weekend at the Red River Gorge; weather was bad - rainy, monsoon-esque...and we hit both Military and Solar Collector - both crags being completely soaked - not just wet from rain, but condensation....but

There were a lot of cars at Roadside - so we figured it would be dry there - oh man - was it busy....but there were a bunch of peeps I knew - so it wasn't so bad. I took an easy day - just doing all the 10s on the 5.10 wall - and shooting some photos of Yasmeen on Wild Gift (bless her heart - that thing is scary when its 40 degrees and 0 percent humidity)

We piggy backed with WVU climbing club - and stayed in a cabin that night - which was RAD =) They had a hot-tub - which was comfy - and basically we all just hung out - talking shit on Coopers Rock and so forth =)

Sunday was a nice day - no rain - and windy - so we decided to head to Muir Valley. After warming up - I did a go on both Jesus Wept and Triple Sec (which is my project) - I couldn't stick the dyno move off the 2nd bolt - though I was able to do all the other cruxes fairly easily...one of these days - it will go down...

We ran over to the Stadium - and after 3 goes - I managed to sqeak my way through the wet - but mostly dry "Cheetah"

We drove back to Charleston Sunday night....

With Elodie now part of the posse - we met up with Bill Bauer and climbed at Summersville on Monday....

Summersville - Oh Summersville....not too bad on a Monday...to be continued...

Quck Hit

Getting ready to head out for Day 5 in a row of climbing - tomorrow is a rest day - so I'll blog for sure - but just to give you some suspense or whatever you call it

- 12c - just another grade, or something that's hard at the New River Gorge? What about the Red River Gorge - is it all trad or are there sport routes there too? and then

- what's a trad route? Does Dan actually place gear - is it true that Dan didn't even clip a bolt yesterday (well not counting anchors - and really scary pins on the Brain)

And did Dan actually camp - or just drive back to Charleston every night...and

DID Dan really find himself in a hot tub with 3 other guys and 1 (actual and confirmable) girl?

Did Dan participate in a high speed race through Fayetteville only to find red and blue lights in the rearview mirrror and an officer saying 15 miles over the speed limit is too fast?

Stay tuned next week's episode of - The Dan Brayack show to see "All Danno's Go to Heaven" or "Seriously Officer - Its Chalk - not Coke..."

Another Busy Schedule....of what? Climbing?

OK - so here's whats the plan is...

Tomorrow - train - 5x5s, abs, and push ups (today was a rest day) -

Then wait - what day is it again? oh OK - friday is going to be a full rest day - then I'm leaving for the Red - where I'm meeting Elodie

I'm going to climb at the Red Saturday, Sunday and Monday (though prolly just rest or shoot photos Monday) - then I'm meeting Bill at the New Tuesday - we're climbing Tuesday through Thursday - and then the Rendezvous is Friday through Sunday

Expect to see Rendezvous Photos!

All this climbing is getting in the way of my training darnit!

Jib Arm Video Blog

video blog 5 may 2009 from Daniel Brayack on Vimeo.

Morgantown Photo Contest!

I won first place in the adventure photo contest at the Morgantown Photo Festival WOO! The photo is similar to this one (though a horizontal) (I am withholding the actually shot because I'm gonna try to talk DPM into running it some time...)

A dreary day(s) at the Meadow....

I drove down - through torrential rains - to the Meadow - on the way in - I was feeling a bit...shall we say, adventurous - so I drove the civic full speed through the stream crossing - it was high and a bit scary - but I made it OK (if you screw up - you get washed over a 50 foot waterfall that's like maybe 40 feet downstream from the crossing)

I met Matt, Katherine, and Sam at Area 51 - and put a few burns in on "Made in the Shade" - a hilarious name and a really really good route - Kudos to Mark and Lee - wow - its spectacular.....Its definitely on my project list - basically - its a power enduro route - with big moves between good (artificially) holds - with an undercling - punch move crux! I felt really good on it and feel like I can probably go back and maybe send it....

That night - we had Pasta and Tofu - and slept as the storms continued to thrash us. I was feeling pretty beat up Sunday morning - so I decided to head back to Charleston.

Monday morning - I was planning on training, but Eddy phoned me - he wanted me to come climb with him at the Meadow - so i was like SURE!

We drove through blue skies (and occasional sprinkles) to the First Buttress parking lot - the hike - well sucks...its a big hill - a long flat trail (with lots of puddles to dodge and fall into) - and then a steep hike up to the wall. I was really psyched, my new Roommate Ryan Smith joined us as well.

Well - I know I've been labeled a sand bagger - but those who lives in glass houses shouldn't throw stones - freaking MAN! the 10ds are HARD at the first Buttress =) Great routes - just hard =)

I managed to 3rd go this really cool route - called Creature - Eddy had like perfect beta for me....My first go was a working burn - figuring out the nuances of all the moves - all the tricks, the balance points etc. Second burn - I was doing really really really good, but on the 2nd to last hard move, I got my finger stuck in a hold and fell DOH! I rested maybe 30 minutes - and then did it - I really like routes where I have to try really hard; Createure is defifnitely a 3 star route - and I suggest it to anyone...a techy crux - and then basically two big moves in a row - moves remiscent of "All The Way Baby" at summersville (though not reachy and good feet)

Its cool....

I bought a construction tri-pod and just finished the attachment for the base of my jib arm to it - it was 75 bucks at Home Depot - I will do a full blog (probably video blog) on my construction of this - including costs etc...

I need to run out to lowes - unfortunately while making a square peg fit in a round hole - I ended up with four bolts being half an inch too short....

stay posted!

-Danno

PS i destroyed the zipper on a Lowe Pro bag - from advice from Sports Shooter, I've sent it back to Lowe Pro to see if they'll fix it free - if they fix it free - they have a lifetime user - if not - I hear think tank makes good products....