In honor of our nation’s liberation from the tyrannical tax policies of King George*, we hope you take the opportunity to free something that was, for you at least, previously subjugated by the oppressive bonds of “A0”.

In other news, we have a bunch of random announcements to make.  First, if you haven’t already, please check out our Podcast Interview with Neely Quinn over on TrainingBeta.com.  We discuss a number of fascinating topics, including:

• How we got into training
• Our biggest accomplishments in climbing
• How much we train, and how little YOU need to train
• Balancing work, family, training and climbing
• Training in Afghanistan
• The best training tools, and who should use them
• JStar’s training program
• Running and climbing
• Diet
• How to polish off a long term project

If none of those topics interest you, you can make a fun 4^th of July drinking game out of trying to guess which one of us is talking at any given point in the interview.

Second, the entire Anderson clan will be in Lander, Wyoming next weekend for the International Climber’s Festival.  If you’re in the area come say hello, or sign up for our clinic.  We will be at the Trade Fair Friday afternoon at City Park (look for the Trango tent), then at Wild Iris (the crag, not the shop) Saturday morning for the shoe demo and clinic.  You may also see us around the crags before or after the official events.  You’ve been warned 🙂

Keith North trying my new 13b-ish jug haul Apoca-Lips Now.  Photo Mark Anderson

Finally, we’ve been climbing a fair bit over the last few weeks, uncommonly so.  I’ve been fortunate to help out with the development of a new eye-popping crag in Clear Creek Canyon.  This crag will be described in Kevin Capps’ upcoming Clear Creek guidebook, published by Fixed Pin, which should be available sometime this Fall**.  The crag is unusual for Clear Creek in that the routes are super steep, relatively juggy, and yet, quite continuous.  It reminds me a lot of the Arsenal (at Rifle).   The rock quality is “mixed”, to put it nicely, but the best rock is outstanding, reminiscent of the best quartzite at the Gunks.   If you’re willing to climb through short sections of flaky pegmatite there is some really fun climbing to be had.

Kevin Capps near the lip turn on Apoca-Lips Now. Thirty feet of horizontal climbing on mostly massive jugs! Photo Keith North.

Thanks to Keith North for providing a few of the photos.  You can check out more of his shots of this crag on his blog.

Figuring out the foot sequence before the FFA of Full Metal Jacket, 5.13c. Photo Keith North.

Video still of me on the FA of Valkyrie, 5.14a? The green fixed line is attached to the Valkyrie anchor, and is directly “behind” me, providing a good indication of the crag’s steepness.

*To our many readers residing in the UK or the other realms of George’s descendants, we say, “Solidarity brothers (and sisters)…and sisters!” 🙂

**I don’t have the best track record when it comes to predicting publication dates