by Mark Anderson

High on the First Ascent of Shelf Road’s hardest climb, Flight of the Phoenix, 5.14a/b.

The American Alpine Club’s Craggin Classic series will be descending on Shelf Road this weekend.  The festivities will include clinics on Saturday and Sunday, food and beverages, a costume contest and slideshows Friday and Saturday night.

Friend of the Show Jonathan Siegrist will be presenting Friday night and I will be presenting a slideshow Saturday with help from Shelf Road pioneer and all-around legend Bob D’Antonio.  The Saturday night show is scheduled to begin ~8pm, followed by a Halloween costume contest.  Bob is expected to talk about the early days at Shelf, and it’s seminal role in establishing the nascent discipline of sport climbing in America.  My show will center on my recent efforts to raise the upper limits of difficulty at Shelf into the 5.14-range, including video footage of Shelf’s best hard lines.

I believe the festivities will be centered around the Horse Trailer Parking area, which is located at the bottom of the hill, where the road to The Bank splits off from Shelf Road.

I will also be teaching a clinic on Saturday that will have something to do with training and climbing.  I anticipate I will present a top-level overview of the Rock Prodigy method, and then discuss methods for maximizing performance on the rock.  Unfortunately the clinic is full, but if you’re out at Shelf for the weekend, please come by and say high and enjoy the slideshow.