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I picked up Olin Martin early on Saturday morning, and we headed for Mill Creek’s North Rim.
As you all know, my friends Dane Scott and Ken Turley have been developing sport climbs at the North Rim for the better part of the year. They’ve been gracious enough to allow me to join forces with them, and I have been working on new routes through the spring and early summer. I have had help from excellent partners along the way, from my daughter Kate to my friend Tim Karst, who shares credit with me for two routes.
On Saturday, I aimed to add Olin’s name to the list of those working in Mill Creek. Tim and I had sussed out the moves on a new line right of No Dick Tick, a 5.8 climb Kate and I developed and Brett Klaassen Van Orschot helped me bolt. Tim and I had most of the bolt placements marked for the new route, but I still felt like it needed to be climbed a few more times before we put the drill to rock.
 Olin drilling the last bolt on Ticktastic, 5.10b/c, North Rim Mill Creek My usual partners were busy on Saturday, but I’d run into Olin in the climbing gym a few days before and he was up for adventure and anxious to learn how to set a new route.
I met Olin more than a year ago, when a friend of his was dying from brain cancer. Noah Ginnings, something of a legend at the University of Montana, was 26 when he died, and his family graced me with permission to write about his final months. During that time, I met Olin and a handful of Noah’s other close friends.
This was an incredibly emotional time, obviously for Noah and his family, but also for his friends and, ultimately, for me. By the time Noah died, I had fashioned a friendship with Noah’s friends that endures to this day. Brett and Olin, because they are climbers, are the most obvious symbols of this friendship, but there are a handful of excellent young men I am honored to know.
Olin now works as a contract mental-health counselor for the military, and he just spent several months in Turkey, talking to our soldiers on a daily basis and helping them keep their heads straight. What we owe to our soldiers we also owe to Olin.
Olin is 22 years my junior, but he is wise beyond his years, and our conversations throughout the day touched on war, soldiers, family, parenting, fellowship, love, friendship. And oh yes, climbing.
We climbed a handful of routes at Mill, and we also climbed and bolted the new climb, Ticktastic, 5.10b/c. It’s a great line and we had an absolute blast opening it up. My heart was full, of eagles, creeks, towering rock walls and a good friend. Climbing has always been graced by the brother/sisterhood of the rope; it’s an unspoken bond between partners and it is alive and visible in the mountains and rivers that grace our pursuits.
We lived it Saturday, and after a day of work and play, Olin and I entered yet another new chapter in that brotherhood. I came away feeling that a friendship first forged in grief had been transformed into joy.
Michael Moore
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Here’s some really good news, courtesy of the Access Fund, which we should all be supporting — Michael
Washington Climbers Coalition pays off Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign loan for Index, returning funds to the revolving loan program
The Access Fund announced today that the Washington Climbers Coalition (WCC) has paid back its loan to the Access Fund for the option agreement on Lower Index Town Wall in Washington. The loan was administered under the Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign (AFLCC).
 In the spring of 2009, the Access Fund loaned the WCC $15,000 to secure an 18-month option agreement to protect the Lower Index Town Wall and surrounding crags from a quarrying operation. The option agreement protected the area while the WCC worked to raise the $300,000 needed to purchase and steward the 20-acre tract of land.
Over the last year and a half, climbers from all over the nation worked together to raise the funds to purchase the Lower Index Town Wall—fundraising through bouldering competitions, slideshows, and major donor requests. “The community response has been incredible,” says Jonah Harrison of the WCC. “The challenge with Index was not, as we had originally thought, getting people together to work and donate to the cause. It was how to channel all the talent, enthusiasm, and funds people offered.” We are happy to report that WCC has nearly reached its fundraising goal and is well positioned to purchase the property before the December 31, 2010 deadline.
The WCC submitted its final loan repayment to the Access Fund on June 22, 2010—returning the original $15,000 to the Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign where it will be loaned back out to save other climbing areas. “It has been exciting to work so closely with the WCC and see the AFLCC’s first loan fully revolve back into the fund,” states the Access Fund’s Joe Sambataro.
The WCC is still working to reassign the land to a climber friendly public owner (such as Washington State Parks or the County), to secure access across the railroad tracks, and to find a suitable location for parking improvements and toilet facilities. With each step, the WCC is closer to securing permanent access for future generations of climbers.
Ken Turley, one of the route-developer extraordinaires at Mill Creek’s North Rim, has started a new blog. It’s called the Mill Creek Report, and you can find it here: http://millcreekreport.blogspot.com/.
The North Rim, located one canyon north of Blodgett Canyon and west of Pinesdale in the gorgeous Bitterroot Valley, is a relatively new climbing area founded by Turley and Dane Scott. They’ve drawn a handful of other folks into the fold now and we’ve been busy putting up routes nearly every weekend since March. I believe we’re close to 20 routes now, with a handful of new routes going up this past weekend. You can read about that and other doings now at Mill Creek Report.
 Yours truly drilling on Tick Magnet, 5.10a, Tick Farm Wall, North Rim Michael Moore
By Amanda Fox, courtesy climbing.com
7/6/10 – The second-to-last Bouldering World Cup of 2010 transpired this past weekend in Sheffield, England, where a crowd of more than 20,000 amassed to watch the world’s highest-ranked climbers battle it out.
Belgium’s Chloé Graftiaux climbed back to the top (she placed a disappointing 14th in Eindhoven), finishing first in women’s finals. American Alex Johnson placed a very close second, with Japan’s Akiyo Noguchi – who has finished impressively within the top seven at each event this year – followed with the bronze. Anna Stöhr of Austria, who won in Moscow and Eindhoven, didn’t fare as well in Sheffield, finishing ninth. Graftiaux’s win has shifted rankings, with Stöhr falling to third and Graftiaux taking over first.
The top three women topped out all finals boulders. Only one try separated winner Graftiaux and runner-up Johnson.
Adam Ondra was way ahead of the men’s crowd in finals, topping out all finals problems with only Cedric Lachat of Switzerland, who placed second. Mykhaylo Shalagin of Ukraine finished third. Austria’s Kilian Fischhuber, who remains first in rankings – with only a seven-point lead on Ondra – placed tenth.
Women’s Bouldering Results:
1. Chloé Graftiaux
2. Alex Johnson
3. Akiyo Noguchi
4. Natalija Gros (Slovenia)
5. Juliane Wurm (Germany)
6. Yulia Abramchuk (Russia)
For full results, please check out ifsc-climbing.org.
Men’s Results:
1. Adam Ondra
2. Cédric Lachat
3. Mykhaylo Shalagin
4. Guillaume Glairon Mondet (France)
5. Rustam Gelmanov (Russia)
6. Tsukuru Hori (Japan)
Full results here
Women’s rankings so far:
1. Chloé Graftiaux – 337.22
2. Akiyo Noguchi – 332.90
3. Anna Stöhr – 326.39
4. Alex Johnson – 276.94
5. Juliane Wurm – 216.68
6. Natalija Gros – 199.60
Men’s Rankings:
1. Kilian Fischhuber – 334.74
2. Adam Ondra – 327.10
3. Tsukuru Hori – 250.64
4. Dmitry Sharafutdinov (Russia) – 158.35
5. Rustam Gelmanov – 158.08
6. Guillaume Glairon Mondet – 155.77
Here’s a study from the online magazine Quirkology. Obviously, I think its findings are extremely meaningful and important.
Quirkology teamed up with fitness expert Sam Murphy to explore the relationship between sport and attraction. Are men more impressed by women who play soccer or climb mountains? Do women go for body builders or yoga fanatics?
The work involved over 6,000 people indicating which sporting activities would make a member of the opposite sex more attractive. Results revealed that 57% of women found climbing attractive, making it the sexiest sport from a female perspective. This was closely followed by extreme sports (56%), soccer (52%), and hiking (51%). Bottom of their list came aerobics and golf, with just 9% and 13% of the vote respectively.
 Hey, those guys are sexy! In contrast, men were most attracted to women into aerobics (70%), followed by yoga (65%), and going to the gym (64%). Bottom of their list came bodybuilding (5%), rugby (6%), and golf (18%).
Women’s choices appear to reflect the type of psychological qualities that they find attractive – such as bravery and a willingness to take on challenges – whilst men are more shallow, looking for a woman who is physically fit but not challenging their ego by being overly strong.
The findings also reveal that both men and women have little insight into what sports the opposite sex find attractive. 56% of men believe that women are attracted to male bodybuilders, whereas only 19% actually are. Likewise, 73% of women think that men find female runners attractive, whereas in reality 55% do.
‘Our findings suggest that women who’ve been pounding the pavements in search of love would do better taking up aerobics, while men seeking women need to ditch the weights and get on the climbing wall,’ said Murphy. ‘That said, the best way to find happiness – not to mention a long-lasting fitness regime – is to do what you love. Unless, that is, it’s golf!’
Full results
Everyone was asked to indicate whether they would find a member of the opposite sex more attractive if they engaged in one of 15 sporting/physical activities (response options ‘yes’, ‘uncertain’, and ‘no’). The percentage of men giving the ‘yes’ option to each option is as follows:
Men
Bodybuilding: 5
Rugby: 6
Golf: 18
Rowing: 20
Soccer: 30
Extreme sports: 32
Martial arts: 35
Cycling: 39
Climbing: 41
Hiking: 41
Skiing: 53
Running: 55
Going to the gym: 64
Yoga/Pilates: 65
Aerobics: 70
Here’s the breakdown for the women:
Aerobics: 9
Golf: 13
Bodybuilding: 19
Yoga/Pilates: 20
Cycling: 37
Rowing: 43
Martial arts: 44
Rugby: 44
Running: 44
Skiing: 46
Going to the gym: 50
Hiking: 51
Soccer: 52
Extreme sports: 56
Climbing 57.
MILL VALLEY, CA, June 17, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ — SuperTopo.com, one of the most popular climbing web sites in the world, revealed today the results of the SuperTopo 2010 Editors Choice Awards for Rock Climbing Belay Device category, listing this year s best climbing belay devices and best value for climbing belay devices. The SuperTopo.com staff chose the following winners after extensive field testing in Yosemite, Colorado, and Utah. Each nut tool underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as lowering, sport climbing belay, rappelling with two ropes, lock off, belaying the second and other factors. The complete belay device review test results for 2010 are available on SuperTopo.com at The winners are:
Petzl GriGri – http://www.supertopo.com/review/Petzl-GriGri winner of the Editor’s Choice Award for 2010 for auto-assist belay device. According to gear tester Chris McNamara, “The Petzl GriGri is Editors’ Choice because it is simply awesome in most climbing situations. Seriously. What device do you think Chris Sharma was belayed on when he fired Jumbo Love? What device do you think Ammon McNeely is belayed on when he smashes El Cap records?”
Black Diamond ATC XP http://www.supertopo.com/review/Black-Diamond-ATC-XP – winner of the Editor’s Choice Award for 2010 for manual belay device. According to gear tester Chris McNamara, “This was one of the best devices for paying out rope to a leader. It is versatile and solid and its friction grooves add stopping power confidence.”
Wild Country VC Pro 2 Belay Device http://www.supertopo.com/review/Wild-Country-VC-Pro-2 – winner of the Best Buy award for 2010. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Chris McNamara, “Wild Country packs more features into the VC Pro 2 for $15 than competitors give you in their base model manual belay device. The VC Pro 2 is a great, compact, belay/rappel device and earns the medal as our Best Buy.”
Petzl Reverso 3 http://www.supertopo.com/review/Petzl-Reverso-3 – winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities. According to Chris McNamara, “Its like a sports car. It has sleek curves, excellent handling and is smooth to use. Nine times out of 10 we belay directly off the anchor when multipitch climbing so we need a great auto-block device. On big Yosemite free routes, we found our arms stayed fresher with the Reverso 3 as long as the rope was skinnier than 10m”
Trango Cinch http://www.supertopo.com/review/Trango-Cinch – winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities. According to Chris McNamara, “This is a great auto-locking (or “auto assist”) belay device that we liked more and more the longer we spent with it. It has a simple design that reduces its weight and bulk compared to the GriGri. It also pays out rope exceptionally smoothly once you figure it out. Overall, it is a great value and is recommended down to 9.4mm ropes, something the GriGri is not.”
Here’s a great link to a video of some new boulder routes being put up by friends Levi Parchen and Dean Towarnicki.
http://climbidaho.com/?p=1190
Knocked one off the bucket list on Sunday.
I’ve rock-climbed on and off over 25 years, and I’ve taken part in what may have been first ascents on some traditional routes.
Trad routes are those where you place your own protective gear, which a second climber removes as she follows you up.
I say “may have been” because unless you drill a bolted anchor at the top, it’s often hard to know whether another climber’s been there before you.
In any case, on Sunday I finished bolting a new sport route at the North Rim of Mill Creek, in the Bitterroot just west of Pinesdale.
Sport routes are climbs that depend on bolts for protection, and they generally are found on walls without significant crack systems in which to place your own protection.
That means drilling holes and placing bolts. It’s the sort of thing you do only in places whether both climbing ethics and regulations allow it, and you do it in the most respectful and safe manner.
 Michael Moore climbing Sabertooth, 5.10b/c If you’ve been following the paper, you know I recently wrote a long Outdoors page story about a new climbing area being developed in Mill Creek. My friends Dane Scott and Ken Turley have done most of the work, but they’ve opened the door to several others, including me.
Over the past couple of weeks, my daughter Kate and I got a rope up and started scouting a new line up a steep face called the Tiger Stripe Wall.
After climbing a variety of paths up the wall, we finally settled on one last week and set ourselves to bolting. But no sooner than we got all the equipment up the wall, we got chased down by some very serious lightning.
On Sunday, I got back to the wall with my friend Brett Klassen Van Ooschot to finish the job. It took us a couple of hours to drill and bolt,but we had the route finished by early evening.
Obviously, a climb isn’t something that’s created in the same we think of creating, say, a painting or music. But as I scouted and climbed the line up the rock, I found that the same part of my brain that goes off while playing the guitar was again firing on all cylinders.
I’ve felt that musical sense on a few other climbs set by others. Even from the bottom, you could sense the beauty of the path.
In this case, that sense was heightened by my role in finding the line. No one can rightly say they created a climb. Nature does that.
On the other hand, I think it’s fair to say that you found it, that you pioneered it, enabled it.
Whatever you want to call it, what it sparked in me was a feeling of musical creativity.
And that was a very rewarding feeling.
The climb is called Sabertooth and is tentatively rated 5.10b/c. It’s on the new Tiger Stripe Wall, just above the Tick Farm Wall on Mill Creek’s North Rim.
Michael Moore
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