Bachar Boulders

Maximus

After a few days froggin' in the High Sierra, bouldering is the ideal evening activity on the Eastside. Bubble-pocket volcanic tuff is scattered among the dry pine forests around Mammoth. Climbing on the cooled ashen remains from the eruption of the Long Valley Caldera volcano 760,000 years ago is a powerful experience. The explosive energy tap is open, if you feel it...

Hard'n Root, Mt. Conness

Behold!

Go up

Breakfast of chimps

High above Tuolumne

Warren Harding's 1959 FA bolts, straight balla'

Clip it or whip it

Unleash the OW monkey!!!

Baagaawwk! Tasty Chicken Wing!

Stellar granite on the upper pitches

Cumbre!

Feelin' great

Squamish Season

Three days is not enough time in Squamish. With the correct tour guides, it's barely enough time to get a good look around.

Rachel and I had a civilized start to the Angel's Crest on the Chief. The tree climb start quickly returned me to childhood memories of monkey business.

The totem pole kept us on track... all smiles. The smiles faded quickly as we navigated treed ledges and steep fixed lines to the base of High Planes Drifter. Squamish served it up all right.

Do all the young men solo for the correct reasons in Canada as they do in the U.S.?

Non-climbing highlights of the trip include: explaining to Phillipe what Putin is (frenchfries and gravy); the Cowboy/girl and Indian party at the Sqauamish Mountain Festival; and getting back into the United States of American without being searched!

Salud to all the Monkeys in Squamish SENDING!

High and Dry

Don't look directly at IT...
Keebler Needle's always watching

SALUD!
Steven Timothy Dittman

Nimbus Pitch 1
Wheeee!

Launching Nimbus Pitch 2

Splitteron, CA

'Bama Hills
"The Poormans J-Tree"

Definitely watch out for this guy...

The Eastern Sierra may be the greatest rock destination on Planet Earth; pick the season, pick the location, then get yer crush on!
Season: Summer (When its hot, go higher)
Destination: Whitney Portal

Its hot, hi in the hundos, as I cruise the Neil Mobile southward through the searing desert sagebursh on HWY 395 with AC at 9am. Soundtrack is Pink Floyd's "Animals", face melting guitar solos and sharp commentary on humanities social downfall; its LOUD! Im psyched to meet Tim Dittman and explore The Portal's white hot granite.

Day one finds us on Nimbus, an excellent three pitch climb emphasizing slab footwork and stellar crackage. As we begin to notice, slab is quite common here, after climbing 'Tanager' another awkward leaning tight hands crack with exfoliant granito smearing my calves were screaming lactic acid barfies. Call it a day...to The Portal Store for nourishment!

Next, we couldn't pass up Bony Fingers, possibly the most classic route around. Seriously, finger cracks don't get any splitterton. Check out those Diorite knobs!!! A whale of a tale....

Thanks for the photos Timmy; I'm getting a smaller camera for climbing, stay tuned.

Friendlies From Leavenworth to the Tetons

Jens and Max on the perfect ledge below ROTC crack on the recently opened Midnight Rock.

Ty and Matt sicking me on the Gallatin Canyon's best cracks.

Family Life in the Tetons

Mountain Corn putting the high hemoglobin count to good use in Teton Canyon.

Grand times!

Neil recently started work on the East Side of the Sierra. However, he was able to lead all but two pitches of the Nose before committing to the grind.

The drive down from Washington was augmented with good company and climbing in Montana. The Yellowstone Ecosystem serves it up. The top of the food chain is not humans down here...

New Route "Vegetarian Couloir"

After a day of snow followed by a day to clean off the snow, Raphael and I set our sights on a route named Bacon and Eggs. Upon correspondence with Eammon, we realized that we climbed a route just right of the aforementioned. The name for the possible new line, "Vegetarian Couloir." The appeal of this route is it's proximity to Kahiltna, BC. We completed our mission in 9 hours camp to camp.

The route enters the mixed looking right facing corner to gain the East Ridge of Begguya.

Begguya.

We enjoyed a classic Alaskan style top out. The unconsolidated snow provided good "swimming" as Raph put it and definately increased the pucker factor and the overall commitment of the route.

Raph on the East Ridge of Begguya (aka Mt. Hunter), known to the natives as Denali's son. Huntington West Face is in the background reminding us of unfinished business.

Check out Raph's blog

Looking down the weakness.

Raphael contemplates the best way around the corniced ridge

Looking toward BC with first light on Sultana, which is Athabaskan for Denali's Wife (Mount Foraker). Sultana is North Americas 6th highest mountain at 17, 400ft.

Ice from the Triassic Period warmed us up for the main event.

The clock starts when one crosses the schrund.

The Moonflower Buttress is the obvious striated granite wall in the center. The Mini-Moonflower climbs the tower just to the left, and the Mini-Mini-Moonflower (aka Bacon and Eggs) is just a little further left.

Rock climbing close to Kahiltna BC. Sam reaches for a chalk bag that doesn't exist.

The Columbian-American Expedition to Little Switzerland was a total success! Andres and I stocked up on calories in Talkeetna, Alaska for a few days before flying onto the Pika Glaciear. We were on the super-chill program.

The hot daytime temperatures and low elevation forced us to adopt the night schedule. Most days we slept in and left camp around 1700. The freezing started just before mid-night or day-end as it should be called in Alaska near the solstice.

The Pika glacier joins the lower Kahiltna glacier around 5,000ft. Water pools in the depressions of the glacier. A reminder of what awaits at the bottom of some crevasses...

Andres shows us how to schralp, Columbian style.

When the snow clears off the face of the North Pillar, there will be good climbing...

Many projects await the adventurous.

The North Pillar of the Crown Jewel is illuminated on the left.

Cumbre ca. midnight... The beauty of 63 degrees North Latitude.

Andres walks the final ridge to the summit of the Throne after simul-soloing

III 5.8 Lost Marsupial.

Peering over the edge with the Royal Tower on the right. The ridge just left of the central cooler weakness is IV 5.10a.

Mixing things up a bit...

We practiced the art of boots into rock shoes on snow!