by Mark Anderson Whenever I spot an unknown outcrop of rock I find myself craning my neck for a better view. The more I become interested in first ascents, the more I become curious about the countless blobs of stone that litter the Front Range. Perhaps the backside of that distant cliff is hiding some…
by Mark Anderson Piggybacking on last week’s post about designing a home wall, here is a quick virtual tour of the Lazy H Climbing Barn. Note that I didn’t go through any logical process when designing it, I just eye-balled everything, and I paid for my impatience with a wall that was too steep. Six…
by Mark Anderson After I finished Born on the 4th of July there were two more unclimbed lines remaining at The Bunker. The first, dubbed “Charlie Don’t Surf” by Rock Climbing Clear Creek Canyon author Kevin Capps, was one of the five lines bolted by the crag’s original clandestine developer. It was presumed to be…
by Mark Anderson This is part 2 in a two-part series. Part 1 can be viewed here. The most significant obstacle to climbing my looming Bunker project appeared to be a lack of specific core strength. My career for the most part has been spent standing on my feet, not swinging and stabbing them over…
by Mark Anderson Above all else, Front Range climbing is known for its variety. These mountains and foothills offer a little bit of everything, and climbers of all tastes can generally find something that suits them. However, one style has always been a bit lacking—long, steeply overhanging, enduro jug-hauling. With few exceptions, desperate Front Rangers…
Winter climbing in Colorado is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get. This year has been no exception, with an almost comical oscillation between too hot and too cold, too windy and too wet. In the Air Force we like to say: “Flexibility is the key to airpower.” – Italian General…
A few days after my first free ascent of Double Stout I went out with Mike and Janelle to shoot some video. Here is what we came back with. Thanks again to Darren Mabe for envisioning and equipping the line. Thanks to Janelle for patiently belaying and to Mike for filming. Enjoy! UPDATE: Deadpoint Magazine wrote…
by Mark Anderson Roof climbing is my nemesis. As someone who “grew up” climbing at Smith Rock, I always gravitated towards clean, monolithic faces that sweep skyward in one continuous plane of consistent steepness. My best angle is probably plumb vertical, and the steeper it gets after that, the more I struggle. The climbing on…
Editor’s Note: This is Part IV in a way-too-many-part series on Mark’s trip to Germany. If you missed Parts I thru III you can check them out here: Part I: Hitting the Wall Part II: Getting Blasted Part III: Chasing Waterfalls Over the next five days we climbed at nine different Frankenjura crags, split by…
Editor’s Note: This is Part II in way-too-many-part series on Mark’s trip to Germany. If you missed Part I you can check it out here. The next day was our first sight-seeing day, which we spent visiting a trio of so-called “Medieval Villages”. Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl, and Rothenberg have been fastidiously preserved to maintain the look…
The Rock Climber's Training Manual 