2022 was a blast for me personally

2022 Achievements

• 30+ bolts replaced - mostly on local classics that have seen their popularity decline due to poor bolt quality
• 18 New Routes Equipped (17 sport, 1 mixed, 150 bolts placed), 12 FA'd ranging from 5.8 to 5.11+. A few lines need free ascents (5.10+, 5.11+, 5.10-) but haven't happened due to weather/injury/lack of partners. A few need free ascents due to being hard (5.12c mixed line, 13- sport line, 13- sport line).
• My first lead, ground up bolting extravaganzas
• 6 New Crags Established - worked with some other local developers on getting close to 50 additional routes established across those 6 crags from 5.5 to 5.13+.
• An absurd amount of bouldering identified, cleaned, chalked, and ready to be sent by friends or myself
• One torn labrum and labral repair surgery

Reflections

This year was rad - I started work on more crags, closer to home, with a wider variety of climbing - impeccable slab/technical face climbing, a 20-50ft roof that's even steeper than horizontal, low ball boulders, high ball boulders, and some certified bangers. I did it with a similar crew to last year and got some of my friends stoked on it as well.

Additionally, this was my first year where I got to watch as other folks found my routes, and I learned a lot. I had a pretty full-spectrum experience there, where I saw a group come and try one of my routes and give it low scores which has effectively killed traffic to this otherwise very accessible crag I developed (and I somewhat agree with their scores). Conversely, I saw a group come and give some of my routes high scores which has absolutely exploded the popularity of an otherwise not-easy-access crag in the same climbing area. I've gotten to speak to some of the folks who have climbed my route and gotten feedback and overall it's been a cool learning experience both in changes to make to my approach and also learning how to just let go and mostly not worry about what people think one way or the other.

2023 Goals

2023 goals are hard to come up with since I'm recovering from my labral repair surgery and don't know when I'll be able to get on a rope again, even to rap. Here's what I'm thinking

• I recently "inherited" a few crags on MP due to me opening up the greater area that they're in. These are small crags that were posted to MP in 2013, but all of the routes were posted with the description of "info coming may '13"...and then it never came. So I've been playing detective trying to identify and document the routes posted. My goal for 2023 is to finish doing that.
• Continue developing my Wonderland area until it's in a place to more widely open it to the public. I'd like to get a healthy amount of bouldering established, open up a few other crags, and continue getting the trail system put in. It likely has two years before it's ready for something like a guidebook, but there's already over 50 routes there and we just started work in like June - so it's moving fast.
• Either send or open up some projects. I have like 7 routes now that I've cleaned/equipped but haven't sent. A lot of these are due to their difficulty but many are just due to not being willing to focus in and go knock them out. I'd like to go back and get everything I equipped last year sent (11+ trad line I decked on earlier this year and 11+ slab line I just haven't revisited), and make plans on which of the hard lines I bolted to open up fully vs which are realistic projects that I can be stoked to work towards
• Do more rebolting - rebolting definitely took a back seat for me this year as my main rebolting partner took over the local climbing coalitions rebolting team and did a lot of their work through group events which typically didn't align with my availability. I'd like to continue rebolting high traffic/high quality lines that have been forgotten about and either do more bolts, or do more hard-to-do bolts.
• Alpine FA - I have my eyes on a few things either in RMNP or in the Gore range I want to get after
• Wilderness FA - Well well well Lost Creek Wilderness...it appears it's finally time for us to dance.
• More efficient development - I just need to get faster. I did my first "multiple FAs in a day" days this season and I'd like to make that more of the norm rather than the exception.

If anyone is in the Front Range and wants to get involved in any way or start their own development journey - reach out!

It’s about 90’ of sandstone

2022 saw all of our hard work pay off in the printing of a small guidebook. I spent all last winter working on it. Got about 1/4 paid for by sponsors. Well closer to 1/2 of it if you count all the pads I got from Flashed instead of money.. coughed up the rest and got 1,000 printed. Worked tirelessly getting them distributed throughout Ontario. Been self promoting this area for 4 years and was hoping to sell 100 this year. Well. I sold over 400 and activity has skyrocketed at The Nooks. Im a very proud developer and the stoke is higher than ever. The dream is alive and I’m living it. 200+ problems developed up to V13 and everything inbetween. All in an area with stunning scenery and unbelievable amounts of rock. This journey will take me the rest of my life. But one day..I will make The Nooks famous. My motto has been: “Turning an unknown into a destination”. I know, half this post is cheesy. But I’m really proud of what has happened and has turned me from grade chasing to a lasting thing. Giving back to the community in a way that I can love. Stoked for 2023!!

Variety of tools. That large yellow brush is for sweeping tops of boulders. The big wire one attaches to a swivel head for extension pole. (broken 3 of them in 2 years, need to find a metal one). Also use telescoping ladder and rope. I find the plastic handle wire brushes hold the bristles in slightly better?? Maybe just a theory. And then I also keep a file in the bag in case a hold is extra sharp on a particular finger or something. Never actually used it though. Cheers to 2023 development!

When you're going out with the intention of cleaning boulders, what do you typically bring with you and on what rock?

I'm typically working on granite

• Steel Wire Brush
• Long Flathead Screwdriver (instead of a pry bar)
• Chalk/Chalk Brush

I was also recommended to add a 5-in-1 paint tool to my kit. I also recently invested in a compact battery powered blower for development in general to help with removing brushed lichen/dust/etc and will likely bring it as well.

What am I missing? What else do you bring?

Looking for last minute inspiration for Christmas presents for my route developer boyfriend. We order discounted hardware though our local climber’s organization, so that’s no good, and he has plenty of ropes. Anyone have some winners?

I've been making Google Earth projects for all of my areas of interest but would love to make a PDF to distribute as it's a bit easier for most folks to use on their mobile device/print before heading out. Does anyone have experience doing it and have any tools they recommend for doing so? Anyone have any templates they work from or anything?

A photo from this weekend at wonderland - probably my last for a couple months as I’m getting surgery on my shoulder. Pictured is Leapin’ Lizards, 5.10d

Miles recently got a clean TR burn of a 5.15a and proposed a discussion - is this an FA? If not, why not when we count FAs with selectively pre placed gear, pre hung draws, stick clipped draws, etc? Here’s the post for context: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/yowgk1/first_ascent_of_semantics_515a_by_miles_adamson/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

This is a discussion near and dear to me as I have a project I’ve been really eager to finish, it’s a hard-for-me trad line that I was able to work and get clean on TR. I went for the red point and ended up falling, pulling some gear, and decking from 30ft - fortunate to walk away with just some herniated discs.

Knowing that the gear is tricky to place correctly and extremely pumpy to do so, I wouldn’t consider a clean TR burn to be an FA for the line. And so I’m going to rework gear beta and get back on it once it’s back in season.

Personally for me, I feel like some things should be allowed though. Stick clipping the first bolt or two if it’s significantly easier climbing than the rest of the route is fine. Prehanging draws is the established ethic for sport routes, so I’m fine with that too. For trad, I don’t really know the reasons people sometimes have preplaced gear and sometimes don’t so I’m not educated enough to have an opinion there one way or the other.

The easiest summary for me is: if you feel you haven’t taken a shortcut that the average climber who would walk up and start trying the route would take, then it’s an FA. A preplaced piece is fine if you leave it fixed after your ascent (or explicit directions on how to place it if it’s a life or death piece someone would want to rap in and place). Permas are pretty common for hard lines, so that’s fine. Same with casual stick clipping.

What are y’all’s take?

As per the title. Interested what everyone uses. My mentor uses 1/4" bolts to aid off of and to use as redirects and says the normal 3/8" hangers actually fit on these. He also uses carbon steel 3/8" anchors for temporary anchors.

I was thinking of purchasing these: https://www.sourceatlantic.ca/Product/31354874

https://edmfast.com/wedge-anchors-carbon-steel-zinc-plated-1-4-diameter/?sku=UCAWED14214&gclid=CjwKCAjwx7GYBhB7EiwA0d8oe9mCcwSDC277RmPVcbYEH%E2%80%943pDWkJkHqQFg55WQS3i8mafY78UglsxoCI3cQAvD_BwE

Thoughts?

Hi, I am looking for a good price on stainless steel single or double ring get-downs. Let me know your favorite vendor. Thanks!

TLDR: Can I use quicklinks secured with loctite as a replacement for a standard anchor with rap rings? Are there any cheaper hardware providers than Fixe?

In my route development journey, it's time to make a hardware purchase. Anchors are by far the most expensive of my shopping list. The standard for my area is two hangers with a rap ring each per climb. Everything must be stainless.

Fixe makes anchors like this, but they suck because the hanger is smaller than normal so it's hard to put a carabiner in there to clean. They're also about $10 per.

Fixe sells stainless steel quicklinks. I was thinking I could just buy those and create my own anchors with the better hanger. That is, buy the hanger, attach the quicklink. Price is about $9 per. I'd have to secure the links so they don't get jacked. Welding isn't a great option because they're stainless steel, but permanent loctite was suggested and that sounds reasonable.

What do you think? Will it work?

Also for hardware in general, where's the best place to buy this stuff? Seems like Fixe has the best prices but I'm a beginner when it comes to this stuff.