Michelle Yalowega Heads South to Tahoe

An early summer heatwave combined with smoky air quality drove us out of Squamish this July. Lured by the appeal of adventure and endless rock climbs, we packed the car and headed South to Tahoe. With two weeks of free time we aimed to visit as many of the areas as we could - a daunting task when the guidebook is written in three volumes.  

Tahoe was literally a breath of fresh air. The bouldering areas featured no crowds (we actually never ran into another climber during our trip), high rock quality, endless boulders, and amazing scenery.  If you are willing to hike for it you are often rewarded with some stand-out lines.

An equation to represent Tahoe bouldering could be:

Flat landings + big boulders x good features = fun times. 

Coming from Squamish where there has been an explosion of bouldering traffic over the last few years, it was nice to get away from the crowds and the noise and do some wilderness bouldering in amazing settings. My favourite thing about Tahoe is the variety. You can choose to hike a little or a lot. You can choose techy climbs on smooth and glassy rock or to jump on something with a bit more bite.  No matter what you are in the mood for you can probably find it in Tahoe. 

Before you pack your bags, call in sick, and get on the CA-89 let me tell you this: it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes not being able to find the boulders is funny, other times it’s downright frustrating. We experienced a lot of both. We also wished we had come down with a crew. We had a few friends down there, and the days when they were able to make it out with us were amazing. The days we were on our own, not so much. In Squamish we are spoiled with easy access and a high concentration of boulders. You could say that bouldering in Squamish is like skiing in a resort. Tahoe, then, is the backcountry: wilder, more adventurous, and less predictable. In Tahoe you are gonna get lost. Probably daily. Learn to map GPS coordinates on your phone and don’t even considering heading out without having done this ahead of time. Carry as many pads as you can, and then strap on one more for good measure. 

Here’s what we learned from our time in Tahoe: The weather is variable, the rocks can be hard to find, and you may get more of an adventure than you bargained for.  But as long as you plan ahead and don’t mind when things go a bit astray, it’s definitely worth the trip.

Staci White and Rock the Blocs

In addition to being one of the drivers in the development of the Kelowna bouldering scene and organiser fo the Rock the Blocs Bouldering Festival, blurr ambassador Staci White took the win in the women's open event at RTB this past weekend.  Thoughts and photos from Staci...

I’ve never been a big indoor competition climber, they make me super nervous. Outdoor comps have a different feel. There’s so much stoke for each other, everyone spotting and giving beta when needed. Competitors are cheering and on a high from the great vibes. It’s also a great opportunity to see other strong women crushing and to get inspired.

I have competed in the “Rock The Blocs” comp since it started back in 2013. I took away last year’s open prize for the women and this year I was going for gold again. I made a plan, and I feel like I was able to walk away completing a lot of the climbs I had set out to do. With this comp, though my husband (Andy White) is the organizer, I am not able to see or know what climbs will be on the score card, which made me quite nervous leading up to the day. When I got to the fields, my plan was to get on something I was sure I could flash. I jumped on “Surfs Up”, which came in at V6, and got my day rolling. I knew at that point I had to get on my hardest climb while still fresh. I went over to send a V7 called “Shark Biscuit” on my first go and I was stoked! I felt great, this was something I had climbed once prior to the comp and it was HARD! I then went and rolled off two more 6’s (Master Beta and Full Chub Morning Wheezer) and a V5 (Ribrageous) to finish off the scorecard. I came out with a score of 30 points and 7 attempts total, taking home first prize and some beauty loot.

It was rewarding to see progression from previous comps, where my hardest send had been a V6. I have been alternating my outdoor bouldering sessions with indoor training, specifically training power and compression, which suits the fields perfectly.

It was great to be able to celebrate with friends and our amazing family at Blurr who came up to check out what The Fields are all about. 

I already can’t wait for next year’s comp, and hope that we can lure some more strong ladies up to join our field!

Roadtrip_blurr Ambassador Kevin Goradia

Kevin recently joined the other blurr ambassadors and we're very happy to have him on board.  Climber and soon to be gym owner, here are a few thoughts and photos through from him on a recent roadtrip...

Someone once told me that when you decide to open a climbing gym you will climb less than you have ever before. I laughed at the comment and said "we'll see." 1 year later I can say no statement has ever been truer, with that being said though I have tried to plan at least one small trip every month.

This month my girlfriend and I decided to head back to my old stomping grounds of California to get some surf and climbing in. We were greeted with 70 degree temps and great sandstone.I used to live in California when I was getting my degree so I made it a point to climb all the classics that I overlooked in my college days. Some of the classics were smooth criminal, mutants amok,and skin of my teeth. Each problem posed a unique crux but when climbing on sandstone I just seem to try a little harder.

I came away with some very memorable sends and had a blast revisiting old areas and discovering new ones. Hopefully these photos will leave you psyched! Next up is the Bay Area and Squamish. Thanks to blurr for proving me with clothes for the crag and the bar.

Best

Kevin

Stacey and the Vail World Cup

blurr ambassador Stacey Weldon competed recently at the World Cup in Vail, her thoughts follow...

Two World cups down, three to go.

I didn't feel great during my warm up in Vail.  I felt shakey and heavy.  I tried to put it into the back of my mind.  I knew I had warmed up properly and that I was ready, but stepping out onto he first problem I felt like I hadn't really warmed up at all.  My foot popped off on the second move.  I was able to regroup and send my next go, but it definitely didn't feel awesome. 

Again, on the second problem I didn't feel on my game and my feet kept popping on the first moves.  By the fourth try I had finally unlocked the sequence, and was able to send. 

The last three problems I was not able to finish, but I got way higher on them than I thought I would.  I'm stronger than I think, and when I got to the bonus hold I realized I hadn't really come up with a plan for the rest of the problem.  

I felt like I could have done these problems.  Maybe not in my five minutes, but they were totally doable, which I'm super stoked about.  In previous years the problems have felt next level, and way beyond me.  

In Toronto I was 2 spots out of semi's, but I felt so much further away because I couldn't even fathom doing the problems I would have needed to send to get into semis.  In Vail I was 3 spots out, but only one or two doable moves away.  Semis is in reach!!! 

I've learned a lot about how to mentally approach World Cup problems from these comps, and I'm so excited to put it to use in China in two weeks.   

Stacey Weldon, Thoughts on the World Cup

blurr ambassador Stacey Weldon was kind enough to send through her thoughts after the first in the series of World Cup events she'll participate in this season.  From Stacey...

I couldn't be more happy with my performance at the 2015 IFSC Toronto Bouldering World Cup.  It's easy to get lost in he numbers in this game, and two spots out of semis might be disappointing, but I'm learning to focus on how I climbed, not the number I ended up in.

The first Boulder was a slap in the face, and I couldn't get off the second hold.  I felt defeated right away, but was able to regroup and refocus, flashing the second problem.  The third problem was on the steepest part of the wall, and steep climbing is definitely one of my weaknesses.  The problem looked doable, but I just couldn't manage to stick the second move.

The fourth problem looked like it had been designed specifically for me.  Volumes in a corner.  I flashed it easily.  The fifth problem was a huge volume on slab with horrible feet.  Only three girls in the entire comp were able to complete it, and I couldn't stick the first move.

This is the first comp I have been in where they split the qualifiers into two groups, and had them run on different problems.  3/5 were basically identical for each group, but the other two were quite different.  This definitely made me a little nervous, but focusing on things you can't control is a waste of energy.  Ten from each group advanced to semi finals.  I ended up 12th in my group, and tied for 23rd overall.

Overall I'm super psyched with the entire experience, and I think it's a great start to the World Cup season.  I've spent the last few days in Colorado getting ready for the Vail World Cup, which starts tomorrow.