AP-Adventures

February 25, 2017 Tod and I had plans to take a quick trip out to Alberta for some quality ice climbing. He has been climbing ice and alpine routes for about twenty years longer than I, so obviously I was psyched to get out and gain some experience with him. On our drive to Canmore, we stopped to check out Marble Canyon. This slot canyon is home to some awesome rappel accessed climbs of about 40m in height. We spent a few hours top-roping a cool WI5+ pitch (Tokkum Pole) with a few variations and some fun mixed climbing. It was a perfect start to the trip. We eventually made our way to Canmore and found a place to call home for a couple days. Tod rappelling into Marble Canyon Standing beneath Tokkum Pole We made our plans for the next day and prepared the kit for our objective: The Sorcerer. The climb is a remote and adventurous outing with about 215m of water ice and goes at WI5. The climb is located near Ghost Valley, in the Johnson Creek drainage. The drive o...

Smith Rock State Park in Oregon is a place that I spend a lot of time. Each year in the spring, and then again in the fall, I take advantage of its desert climate to have fun and also work among the droves of hikers and climbers. Its pretty great, and nearly always climbable! Smith is home to some of the best and most classic sport climbing lines in the United States. There is a rich history of climbing in the park, and before it gained the reputation as a mecca of sport climbing, Smith was a place that helped push the grades of hard traditional free climbing, To top it off, the scenery is phenomenal! As my friend Jon Manz once said, "You can point a camera in literally any direction and take an amazing photo." Smith Rock State Park is absolutely stunning. The desert and river meet to create a harmonious and lush beauty. Soft greens are contrasted by sharp tans and reds. These are typically laid out below a brilliant blue sky in one of nature's greatest triumphs. Com...

Mt. Stuart in the distance Every year my goals and aspirations for alpine grandeur grow exponentially. Right or wrong, and without regard to previous successes or failures, I make more plans that are increasingly complex. My time is always tight due to the various obligations I have accrued, and the plan for this day was not outside of my distorted “normalcy”. I had to drop my kids off at the airport with their mom in the morning, and then pick up my partner and head to Leavenworth to climb Scarface (III 5.10+) in the Enchantments. I was not certain that we would even attempt the climb, as the weather forecast was looking rough. The Spring had been warm and sunny, so I expected the hike and approach to be mostly snow free. We leisurely made our way east, arriving at the Stuart Lake trailhead around 11 am. We grabbed our gear intending to hike up to the lake, but not intending to climb. Turns out that carrying a pack of climbing gear to the base of a climb makes it difficult to wa...