Build My Own FeedChris Schulte crushing in Boulder(ing) Canyon, Colorado
BD athlete Chris Schulte sent us the following update and video after a recent string of unique bouldering first ascents in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. Impressive to see the canyon is still yielding FAs after all these years!
For years, Boulder Canyon has hosted the cutting edge creations of several generations of traditional and sport climbers, from Classics like Athlete’s Feat (5.11a, 1964) to Verve (5.13c, 1987) on up to Deadline (5.14-, first a sport climb, now a trad lead; 2007). The canyon has been scoured up and down, and most every line has been done that’s worth roping up for.
I moved to Boulder from Durango, Colorado about five years ago, and started bouldering in the Canyon after work; the feeling is comparable to that of an English pub crawl: you get a great little bloc with a warm up or two, and a couple hard things, then a mile down the road, another, and another, and so on… Nice, tight granite and technical climbing typify the style in the canyon, on secret little gems often hidden in the trees, or just out of the line of sight. Since I started climbing in here, I’ve seen ten or more modern, fun, double-digit boulder problems go up in the Canyon; I’ve been lucky enough to open a few of these myself. Now, you can find a fistful of boulder problems from V0 to v14, and a couple seriously hard projects sitting out in the open, waiting for the right person on the right day.
Usually, when I think there’s nothing more to discover, something crops up, like the most recent finds: Davey Jones Footlocker and Authentic Battle Damage. My girlfriend and I discovered these by chance after a mellow day out, trying to get used to the granite after a winter spent on the sandstone of Fontainebleau. Davey Jones is high, with a crux move from a heel-toe cam out over a sloping boulder that’ll pitch you into the torrential creek. Just around the corner sits ABD, a horizontal compression prow climbed via poor slopers, toe, and heel hooks: my absolute favorite style of climbing. A couple days work, a lot of pad hauling, and a generous in-the-creek spot by our friend Chad Cates, and the Footlocker was born, only two days after the ABD. I can only venture a round guess at the grades, but I’m certain they are both amazing climbs, and they are both waiting for a second ascent… As soon as the raging creek goes down!
-- Chris
United States / English 
