In The Air

And we're off! In route to Stockholm, Swedan!! 

Psych Increase

Jenny getting on one of her projects at a North County "back yard" crag. Stoked on our new Asana pads that provide tons of protection and are an inch thicker then our old pads. We better start pulling hard as we will be visiting some world class European bouldering locations in a couple weeks! 

June in Yosemite!

After a crazy winter Jenny and I were able to head north to Yosemite for 5 days. It was just as beautiful as it always is. Here is a short video of me bouldering.

Yosemite Bouldering from John Daniels on Vimeo.

MIA Pacific Northwest

M.I.A Pacific Northwest

Sorry we've been M.I.A. for the past year on the blog. Jenny and I have been working very hard and playing very hard as well. Our most recent road trip was 15 days in the Pacific Northwest this past fall 2014. We left Bonsall and hit several national and state parks on the way up to Squamish, B.C. in Canada. Here are a few photos of the trip. We hope you enjoy the scenery.

This was our first night in the RV(Mazda 3)!

Sheldon Creek Campground, 1.5hrs. north of Santa Rosa, CA

Redwood NP

Starry Night Crater Lake NP

Wizard Island, Crater lake NP

It was nice to get to Smith Rock in Oregon and just chill for a couple days. The past few days were pretty long. Smith Rock was really an amazing place and provided the best camping facilities of the trip. SR is one of the most historic climbing destinations in the world. They say its the birth place of sport climbing in the United States. The conditions on the wall were a bit warm, but we were able to get in a handful of good climbs. We began to get antsy as our time at SR was nearing an end and the thoughts of future destinations were getting closer. And we're off...

  Smith Rock SP

 

Enjoying the steep 5.10 climbing

Jenny nearing the top of the classic "Five Gallon Buckets"

Columbia River Gorge from Beacon Rock, WA

Beacon Rock SP campground

The green room, Olympic NP

Found a prize in the park!

The Olympic coastline is not to be missed

San Juan Islands, WA

Golden evening light 

 Finally, we've arrived at the "Chief" Squamish, BC

The Chief, a rock formation featured above is another world class destination we were able to visit on our trip. It was another one of our multi-day stops. We spent most of our first day gathering info on the area but we did sneak in a little bouldering. The next day was spent on a rope at nearby cliffs. The rock here is some of the best granite in the world and rivals the rock in Yosemite Valley. Most people trad climb here, but the bouldering is some of my favorite anywhere. The boulders are sprawled out under a blanket of pines and covered in moss and lichen. Walking through the boulder fields is like opening a door to another planet. Squamish is truly an awe-inspiring place I hope to one day visit again. 

"Laughing Crack" the best 5.7 I've ever climbed

Jenny racked and ready for a trad lead

Jenny cruising her warm up lead

Fun evening bouldering in the forest

Shannon Falls, BC

Emerald waters of the Squamish River

As we headed back south toward home, we hit some other incredible spots on the way: Mt. Rainier NP, Fort Stevens SP, Haystack Rock and Lassen NP.

Christine Falls, Mt. Rainier NP

Muir Snowfield, just below Camp Muir, Mt. Rainier NP

 Marmot lookout

Logging Yards, a sight never seen in SoCal

Ship wreck, Fort Stevens SP, Oregon

 Haystack Rock, OR

The wild geothermal/volcanic features of Lassen NP 

Thank you all for following us on our worldwide adventures. More to come from our most recent trips.

Wintery

A short film previewing an early season swell on the North Shore. Something to get excited about, because we all know there are zero waves in California right now. A great way to spend a rainy day. Enjoy! Wintery Summery from Guy Mac on Vimeo.

Jussiiii

A few years back I did a little house painting at Jussi Oksanen's place. I was stoked to have told stories of trips he's taken snowboarding around the world. He's the nicest guy and a mental snowboarder. Burton just released this video of him going nuts! Hope you enjoy. We just got our first local dusting yesterday, snowboarding season is just around the corner.
Burton Snowboards presents [BEST OF] Jussi Oksanen from Snowboarder Magazine on Vimeo.

A Night In New Jack City

I went to New Jack City to teach Steven and Sheena how to lead and maybe get on an 11c project I'd worked a couple years back. The teaching part went really well, but I got shut down on the project. Here are a few images we captured of the night and of me getting crushed on my project. The weather was nice in the morning, but got pretty hot in the late afternoon which made me think this would be our last desert trip of the season.

 ADIOS.....

A Death On El Cap

 The bird hauling rescue supplies to the top of El Cap.

 Yesterday as we were leaving the park I saw a helicopter and several firefighters in the meadow across from El Cap. I knew this was bad and instinctively pull over and exited the car. I asked a bystander what was going on and couldn't believe my eyes. As I looked through my binos and spotted a man hanging from a roof motionless, I felt sick and had to look away. My initial thought was that he was dead, but nobody knew exactly what happened or his state of consciousness. For hours we watched the helicopter and amazing rescuers work as quickly and efficiently as possible. We watched until the victims were hauled over the cliff and left the park. Now that a day has passed more and more info is being released.

From what I have gathered, The lead climber triggered a rockfall that
 cut his lead rope, thus sending him on a long free-fall until his haul line (that he was still attached to) caught his fall. This left him hanging over a large roof for hours. His partner seemed to stay in the same spot (next to the haul bag) until rescue. I believe the following climber was uninjured.

Sending prayers and condolences out to the family and Friends on the deceased climber and partner.

 Accessing the situation.

 

 The following climber is at the haul bag, Leader is stuck under the roof.

 Rescuer making his way down.

 Rescuer and victim being hauled out.

Nalle in Penoles, Mex.

I really enjoy watching Paul Robinson, David Graham, and Daniel Woods Boulder, but think Nalle Hukkataival is a step ahead of the rest. Here is Nalle going south in search of some new  boulder problems. Enjoy...

Departure Delayed

Epic vid of John John doing the normal freakish things he does! Great clips by Blake Kueny!

Departure Delayed from John John Florence on Vimeo.
Check out more stuff from Blake at: https://vimeo.com/blakekueny

Moonwalk

Dean Potter walking an amazing high-line at night with a priceless backdrop!

Just Around The Corner

Bring Your Own Water Dihedral 5.10b/c

Just around the corner lies an oasis of rock sprawled out for miles among Manzanita and Scrub Oak. As progressing climbers, we are always looking for the new line, boulder, or potential project. With enough time and energy you can find the line you're looking for. It just takes some determination. My buddy Buck Branson is one of those guys who's been hunting these lines for years. Last week, Buck invited me to check out this amazing new 50ft dihedral he found.

 After a sweaty 30 min hike we stumbled upon his warm-up boulder area where I watched him send a pretty sick new line up a seam. After one potential fall onto a bad landing, we decided to put a TR on it. Buck sent it right away. The top out was for sure the business of the problem. I tied in and sailed the the V1 rail to the top where I was abruptly stopped by the thin V5ish top out. After some grunting and groaning and hearing Buck's encouraging yell, I scrambled over the top. Congrats Buck on a gnarly FA.

Buck on his new line I call "buckit Seam" V5ish

After moving on from the boulder, we bushwhacked our way another 15 mins up the trail to get our first glimpse of the dihedral. It was the most aesthetic crack climb I'd ever come across.  The weather couldn't have been better: warm in the sun and cool in the shade. 

Top to bottom view of "Bring Your Own Water Dihedral" 5.10b/c

After sizing up the crack and racking up, Buck sent me up the unknown. I knew I'd get pumped at some point and have to take, I just didn't know when. With little offwidth crack climbing experience, I took up what little info I knew and my determination to succeed. After a few steps into the crack and a few karate chops, I was in it to win it.

Cruisin' the bottom section until my first placement (BD #3)

Once I got to the ledge, the midpoint of the climb, I was able to get a knee-bar rest and place my BD #5. At this point I was amazed I wasn't pumped yet and didn't have far to go. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. After a decent rest and placing a high BD #1, I was off to the races. This was the crux. With a combination of stemming and liebacking I was able to reach the last placement just before the top.

At the overhanging crux looking for jugs

At this point of the climb the crack gets a bit overhung and powerful. Your only option is to reach your hand around the rock for a wrist/fist lock, with a secure left hand you quickly place a BD #2 and clip. This is where I felt like I was going to lose it. Fortunately, I made a risky move for the top and stuck a bomber jug. I was so psyched and pumped at the same time. I set up an anchor and belayed Buck up the beast. He cruised the bottom half until he got to the crux where he accidentally pushed the BD #2 deep into the crack. I could tell he was getting pumped while he was fishing for the buried cam. Finally he pulled it out, clipped it to his harness, and made it over the top to congratulate me on a solid lead.

Short video..
  Bring Your Own Water 5.10b/c (Enhanced) from John Daniels on Vimeo.

Congrats Dan on the FA.
Thanks Buck for the 2nd ascent onsight!

STAY TUNED FOR TWO MORE ASCENTS TO COME IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO!!!
The "Bring Your Own Water Arete" and "Grey Boulder Huecos"

Three Amigos

Call them what you want, but the three amigos have been crushing! Nalle, Dave, and Daniel  have been taking down some bold routes and problems lately. This is one of there latest trips to Norway. Enjoy...

Backyard Bolting

Two years ago I came across Cougar Crag, a climbing area just east of Fallbrook, CA. It had several top rope routes and a few boulder problems. The Cougar Face in particular was one that grabbed my attention. It's beautiful steep 50+ foot wall offered tons of potential for new sport climbs. A few months back, Cameron, Jason, and I talked about bolting it, nothing came into fruition. At this point, I figured if I wanted the face to get bolted I'll have to gather up the equipment. I called my buddy chuck for a hammer drill, ordered 3/8x3in. bolts and hangers from Fixie Hardware, then gathered my gear (rope, harness, grigri, atc, quickdraws, carabiners, hammer, wrench, pipe cleaner, blow tube, duck tape, drill bits, slings, and hardware bag).

Once I had all the gear it was time to get started. First thing I did was drill and bolt the anchors. Next off I rapped and climbed the route several time on TR to find the perfect bolt placements, which I marked with a duck tape X. I then started the bolting process. Drilling, cleaning, hammering, then tightening. The whole process took about three days= 6hrs. two days after I finished bolting/cleaning/ and prepping the route I led it for the First Ascent. It was a pretty amazing feeling and a lot more heady and exposed then it felt on toprope. I don't have a name or a grade yet. I would say its harder than a 5.9 and easier than a hard 5.10 I'd say its around 5.10a/b!

The break down.... A V2/3 first move gets you to a quick rest to get feeling back into your fingertips. After your brief rest you're off on a combination of micro crimps and decent edges to the fifth bolt. Once you make it to the bulge, your at the crux and steepest part of the climb.If you can figure out the beta, your home free! Have fun....

Thanks, Jenny, Nate, Cameron and Jason for your dedication to the area!!
Congrats Cameron Carlson for your onsight 2nd ascent of the route.

 FA