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Rock
Brad
Barlage, Sales Rep
Sheer Lunacy, Zion National Park, Utah
"I worked on it for a long time with many good friends until I got the first
free ascent. I like the exposure, the line, the diverse climbing and there
aren't a lot of crowds."
Russ
Clune, Sales Rep
Supercrack, Shawangunks, New York (ps—one
of many favorite routes)
"Has all that is awkward for finger cracks in 50 feet. looks so easy, but
deceives. has tons of history as the hardest climb in the world for a short period
in the early 70s and is a true crack climb in the land of overhangs. now more
mystery than history, as the sky top cliff is closed. never-the-less, supercrack
still sees its share of clandestine ascents."
Marc
Courteau, QA Engineer
Wizard's Well, Hyalite Canyon, Montana
"This
one more or less sums up everything I like in a
route: good rock, interesting moves, steep, a
bit committing, and you can protect the whole
thing with a set of nuts and some draws. The only
thing I can say bad about it is that it's a little
short, but a linkup with one of the routes below
it takes care of that. I have quite a few good
memories of climbing this one on a bright summer
morning with the whole place to myself. Classic."
Matt
Ginley, Sales Rep
Direct Start to Table of Colors, Red River
Gorge, Kentucky
"My favorite route sits in the rolling
hills of eastern Kentucky at the
spectacular Red River Gorge. Left Flank in one
of the most classic crags at
the Red. At the far end of the wall, you round
a corner and before your eyes
is one of the most beautiful walls you'll ever
lay eyes on—the Table of
Colors wall. Four classic routes make their way
up this towering 80-foot
face bursting with different hues of vibrant
orange, contrasted by dark
swirling bands of iron deposits.
The prize line on the wall is the direct start to
Table of Colors. The route
begins w/ one of the three cruxes—a powerful pocketed
boulder problem,
leading to some small crimps. Make it through this
and you get a few moves
on decent holds to reach a good rest on a classic
sandstone bass-mouth
pocket. Get as much back as you can and get ready
to enter the second crux—
some hughly
delicate, thin, and power-crimping moves on a blunt
arete feature. If you pimp your way through this
section, you'll reach a pristine
black sandstone headwall, and one more shake before
the final hurdle— another techy boulder problem,
this one requiring some good footwork the
whole while battling your bursting forearms. Bust
through it and you're in!
Clip the anchors and be psyched you've just ticked
one of the most classic
lines east of the Mississippi."
Chris
Grover, Minister of Sales
Jug Abuse, AF, Utah
(Long pause, drag on the cigarette) "Had
to think about it..."
Randy
Hankins,
Web Developer
The Yellow Spur, Eldorado Canyon, Colorado
"The
Yellow Spur is a beautiful line with incredible
exposure. There's an amazing variety of climbing—from
overhangs to steep cracks to easy corners to
a fun hand traverse to a long runout arete.
It's just perfect."
Roch
Horton,
Sales Dude
Tuolumne, California
Chug down pre-dawn coffee at T-meadows store parking
lot. Dolly Madison chaser.
Run Sunrise Trail to Cathedral Peak. Climb east ridge
route and descend.
Run over to Mathis Crest. Climb and traverse Mathis
Crest—south to north.
Run over to Unicorn Peak. Climb west buttress and
descend.
Run back to the Meadows. Buy ice cream and box of
Triscuits.
George
Jamison, Engineering Director
Casual Route, Rocky Mountain National Park,
Colorado
"The Casual Route stands out for me because of the alpine setting. The rock
is really good, and the climbing was just plain fun. Big exposure, too."
Dave
Kappus, Shipping Dude
Rosy Crucifiction,
Eldorado Canyon, Colorado
"Spooky exposure from the first move."
Jim
Knight,
Art Director
The Nose, Yosemite National Park, California
"The Nose has so much variety, heritage and history. Just before I climbed
it I actually got to talk to Warren Harding and hear his personal account of
the first ascent. That really added to our ascent. I also like the fact that
it's a touchstone route—a common point of reference for climbers worldwide.
While we were on it there were climbers from Great Britain, Australia, and France.
It's really international."
Corey
LaForge,
Quality Assurance Engineer
Tower of Innocence, East Rosebud Canyon, Beartooth Mountains, Montana
"This route is just enough of of an obscure
Montana gem to make the top of my list. It's got
a little of everything from slab moves to steep crack.
being buffed by the wind on the exposed crux pitch
will not soon escape my memory. The setting is classic
and the views from its precipitous summit are pretty
worthy."
Dustin
Lee, Manufacturing Tech
Liquid O, AF, Utah
"Aside from my ugly climbing of it, it is such a
great line. I especially love the chalk all around
the chains from the desperate slaps of gumbies like
me."
"Angelina" Joel
Lee, International Sales
Sasquatch and Pentaptich, LCC Utah
"High quality thin finger crack on excellent rock
positioned up above the forest in LCC. Do it in the
fall for the cool temps and hillsides of orange and
red across the canyon. An easy pitch above the Sasquatch
belay ledge leads to a final pitch of dubious 5.8
thin crack and face that can be cruxier than the
5.10 below it... enjoy!"
Lee
McGuffey, Retail Store
North American Wall on El Cap, Yosemite, California
"We started this climb at dawn on 9/11, and didn' t know about the attacks
until we got down 5 days later. Was just one of those timeless routes that went
as smooth as silk. Didn't take pins or a hammer. Lying around on The Igloo, not
wanting to top out. 'Looking down on this old world...' Perfect place
to be."
Anna
Martens, Category Director, Lighting &
Clothing
Exum Ridge in-a-day route, Grand Teton, Wyoming
"My first climbing trip ever was up and down
the Exum route in a day. In the company of a great
BD friend, hiking under the stars, followed by some
hours of Climbing 101 on the most spectacular rock.
Thirteen hours later, back at the car with a beer
in hand—what could be better?"
Andy
Merriman, Quality Assurance Engineer
Crack
in the Cosmic Egg (a.k.a.
Smoot Ellison Route), Zion National Park, Utah
"Better
than any trade route in Zion and no crowd, not
too many people hanging out on Moroni. Thin and
steep for most of the route with a great bivy. Be
sure to get a bivy permit though or the ranger will
be waiting for you at your car…"
Jeff
Maudlin,
The King of Mail Order
Moratorium
5.11b, Yosemite Valley, California
"One
of the best crack climbs in Yosemite. 3 pitches (skip
the mungy 4th). Great pro, awesome position, fun moves.
This one had my partner and I feeling pretty smug for
several days after."
Kolin
Powick, Director of Global Quality
Trad: Beckey/Chouinard, The Bugaboos, Canada
This route gets a lot of hype, and it absolutely
deserves it. I’d wanted to climb this route
for years and finally made it up to the Bugs
for a perfect weather week with my wife in July
of 2007. The route is pretty cruiser, mainly
5.8 and 5.9 with two pitches of 5.10. An incredible,
great long route (we did it in 18 pitches) on
perfect granite in one of the most spectacular
settings you’ve ever been in. Top it off
with relative solitude and a bit of an exciting
descent and you’ve got one of best rock
routes you could imagine. Photos from my trip
HERE:
Sport: Joe Six Pack, Virgin River Gorge, Arizona
"Hard sections with rests inbetween—big moves to good holds with super
techy feet and big fall potential—Joe Six Pack is often called the best
13a in the western U.S. Never mind the setting next to the highway, it's the
last thing you're thinking about in the middle of the run-out improbable 'thumb
move' crux—soooo
good." Go HERE to
see Kolin's video.
Nick
Rueff, Carabiner Line Process Engineer (pebble
wrestler and occasional “real” climber)
Favorite Route: Nicorette at Military Wall, Red
River Gorge
“The
Red” is where I started climbing
and I will always have fond memories. Of all the
amazing routes I have done there, Nicorette always
stands out in my mind. Not necessarily the hardest
thing around, it nonetheless requires a bit of power,
some endurance, and a little commitment. Pulling
around the corner is insecure and frightening—even
if you are only 30 feet off the deck. All in all,
it combines fantastic movement on perfect gray, Corbin
sandstone.
Favorite
boulder problem: Midnight Lightning, Yosemite,
California
The
bouldering in Yosemite is amazing—beautiful
granite, giant boulders, and tons of classic problems
with a lot of history. Understanding Midnight Lightning
took many attempts and two trips from the other side
of the country. I’ve never achieved this level
of personal satisfaction with any other climb I’ve
done.
Mike
Schultz, ERP System
Analyst (aka Computer Hack)
Triple Overhangs, Lone Peak Cirque, Utah
"Four pitches of alpine granite. Pull three big roofs on the forth pitch
as the crux, immediately followed by a 5.8 corner and airy exposure, which inevitably
gets runout to the summit. But first you must survive the approach."
Jen
Lyons,
Graphic Designer
High
Exposure, The Gunks, New York
"My first lead, High Exposure at the Gunks, on my birthday almost 12 years
ago, a beautiful July day. Somehow I cleanly lead the bulgy crux at the top,
which I almost always fell off of when I seconded, and then sat on top to belay
Blake up. It was so perfect. But a 5.6? Then we went swimming!"
Mike "Mr.
Sarcasm" Springsteen, Manufacturing
Supervisor
"Currently I would have to say it's the brown tape problem behind the desk
in Rockreation. You jump start to a match on a half moon hold then campus left
to another half moon match. Throw the right foot up parallel with your head and
pull like a madman three feet up and right to yet another half moon which is
turned as a side pull. Match again, reset the feet and crankanother three feet
to the top. Be sure to turn and wave to the cheering crowds! This will probably
change next month when new problems go up."
Kasie
Stallings, Marketing
Coordinator
Snake Dike, Yosemite, California
"Hike from Yosemite Valley by full moon in June to
the top of Nevada Falls. Before going around Liberty
Cap, sleep behind a big boulder, then stash your
stuff in the morning. Find the climber's trail (look
hard!) and follow it to the base of Half Dome Shoulder.
Usually there is a queue but once you're making moves
and make the scary traverse from the pine tree to
the dike, you're golden. Follow the dike up as if
climbing a ladder, don't forget to enjoy the view
along the way! After about 1000 feet, unrope between
two large rocks and continue your "walk" up
to the top. Surprise the hell out of everbody who
came up the cable route. If you're lucky, someone
is selling beer. The most excellent 5.7R ever."
Ken
Stone,
Director of Global Sales & Development
Moby Grape 5.8, Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire
"Big talus field approach (this climb may even
be part of the talus by now). Start on Reppy's
Crack (classic), around the triangle roof, through
the finger of fate (wildly exposed), finish on
easy slabs and walk down over Man of the Mountains.
Pretty good way to spend a day."
Roger
Strong, Sales Rep
West Face of Colchuck Balanced Rock, Enchantments,
Washington. 5.12B, 12 pitches.
A
six-mile approach takes you high above Colchuck
Lake to breathtaking veiws of the all the peaks in
the Stuart Range. Pitch after pitch of perfect alpine
granite with nothing easier than 5.10 except the "5.8" sting-in-the-tail
OW/squeeze at the end. To truly summit, you get
to do a V1 boulder problem, sans protection, to
gain the balanced rock that caps this stunning
route.
Eric
Summerhays, Manufacturing Manager
Fin Arête, Little Cottonwood Canyon,
Utah
"I ended up climbing this with my manager at
the time, Bryan Beavers. A capable partner as most
of BD knows. I was a little nervous about the route
after talking to Garrett. He was more than happy
to tell me all about the "money" pitch
that had a long exposed slabby runout. When we got
up there every thing seem perfect and I found my
self surprisingly calm. That's probably due to the
routine Beavs always went through in his front room
before climbing. Whatever it was, that was the best
day of climbing I have ever had. I lead the money
pitch and loved every puckered step of it. So next
time you're driving down the canyon look up at the
sky line directly in front of you and you will understand
why I love this climb."
Chris
Thomas, Warranty Manager
Free Rider,
Yosemite NP, California VI 5.12d/.13a
The El-Cap free route for those of us who aren't
strong enough for the Salathe. 35 stellar pitches,
with only 4 or 5 pithces of 5.12. Don't discount
the 5.11 offwidth pitches though—these will wear
you out faster than the techy face climbing. An incredible
experience.
Eddie
Whittemore, Sales Rep
True Grit. EEOR (east end of Rundle),
Canadian Rockies.
"Nearly Verdon-quality limestone in a great location."
Jonny
Woodward, Product Designer
Choke On This, Black Pudding Mesa, Nevada
"I like this one because it's a really tasty morsel that most people can't
stomach."
Snow
Brad
Barlage, Sales Rep
Y-Couloir, Wasatch Mountains, Utah
"It's a perfect line—3200 vertical feet of constantly steep and narrow
chute. It makes a great pre-work workout!"
Craig
Hatton, Sales Rep
The Esplanade/Selkirk Mountains,
Canada
"The area is so vast and the terrain is really mixed. There's everything
from glaciers to glades. It feels similar to the Wasatch to me, only there's
untracked lines 365 days a year."
Brett
Keyes, Developer
Grunge Couloir, Mt Timpanogos, Utah
"Not really my favorite in terms of snow conditions—I
think it would be hard
to hit this one in soft snow. But, the line is
pretty aesthetic, and it's on
a mountain that is stunning from every angle. If
you can get up and down it
on a nice day with stable snow and cold temps to
keep rocks in place, it's a
super worthy ski descent."
Mike
"Kurl" Kurilich,
Idaho and Oregon Sales Guy
Ivory Flakes, Mill B South, Big Cottonwood
Canyon
"Alpine zone skiing on da' kine pow bruddahs
and seestas and no local hassles..get it now!"
Thomas
Laakso,
Ski Line Category Manager
"Anywhere knee deep, nothing more, that fades away fast." Like THIS.
Jen
Lyons, Graphic Designer
Dave's
Wave ,
Loveland Pass, Colorado
"High spring/early summer is the best time to hit Dave's Wave, the backcountry
line highly visible from A-Basin. Perfect corn skiing, a small amount of hiking.
Hitch back to top and ski the other side of the road."
Chris
Thomas, Warranty Returns Clerk
Triangle Couloir, LCC, Utah
"Roadside ski mountaineering. Starts with a healthy
bushwack to get to the base, followed by 1000
feet of booting to get to the technical climbing
section. Depending on conditions, this 300 foot
section could be rock, snow or ice, so come prepared.
Finish climbing by post hole-a-causting up to
the ridge. Fun but stressful skiing will get
you to the rappel station—don't blow it above
the cliff! In a big snow year the rappel could
fill in completley, and the whole thing could
go without a rap. The bottom section is more
of the same, dreamy steep chute skiing down to
the road."
Ben
Walker, Design Dude
Robert's Horn, East Couloir, Wasatch, Utah
"There are steeper lines in the Wasatch, but only
a few that feel as committing
as the East Couloir off of Robert's Horn. The line
starts out at a solid 60+
degrees and never gets below 50. It has a ski-width
choke near the top, a big
open face in the middle, and ends in a 200 ft. cliff
you have to skirt around.
Acutally now that I think about it, its the kind
of line that's seems like a
lot of fun AFTER you ski it, but the actual skiing
is just plain scary!"
Ice/Alpinism
Mike
Duncan, Customer Service
Liberty Ridge / Mt. Rainier, Washington
"On summit day we awoke at 3 am, broke camp and left Thumb Rock in frozen
boots. As we were climbing the sun began to rise and revealed a sea of clouds
that stretched for as far as we could see in every direction. It was beautiful.
Taking it all in I felt a very strange disconnection to the rest of the world
and got lost in the moment. I will always remember that morning as one of the
most profound and pure times of my life. (Laughing.) I know that shit sounds
totally cliché but it was amazing!"
"Angelina" Joel
Lee, International Sales
Champagne Sherbert, Hyalite Canyon, Montana
"I used to do this route every Thanksgiving morning.
Starts with a thinly iced, low angle corner that
leads to a hanging pillar. Followed by another
hundred feet of easier ice pouring over the cliff band. Rappel
60 meters off of a tree to the right or finish
with another 10 meters up a very short pillar and frozen
moss gully (takes Spectres) up to the last tree,
then walk off right."
Kolin
Powick, QA Manager
Ice: Polar Circus, Canadian Rockies
I saw a photo of Polar Circus before I was
even a climber. It has always epitomized ice
climbing for me. Long, amazing position, and
each pitch slightly harder than the one before.
A long Canadian Rockies classic—t just
doesn't get any better. Go HERE to
see Kolin's video.
Alpine: East Ridge of Edith Cavell, Canadian Rockies
A
great intro to alpine climbing. A big day car-to-car
with varied climbing—scree slogging,
snow slogging, easy technical rock—all with amazing views. A must do
if you're in the Jasper area.
Joe
Skrivan, Designer
Fafnir, Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire
"Beat the queue on the Black Dike and head right for less traveled and increased
technical difficulty... alpine, classic, under-rated; in hard nick, a tough tick.
Please use descent trail left, don't rap."
Roger
Strong, Sales Service Dude
The Real Big Drip (WI7-,M8,
5 pitches)
"It's the first huge intimidating piece
of Ice that you see from miles away while approaching
the South Ghost in Alberta, Canada. I've dreamed
of climbing this route since my first adventure
there 8 years ago. The route constantly teases
the fear factor without being completely insane."
Chris
Thomas, Warranty Returns Manager
Ham and Eggs Couloir, Mooses Tooth, AK
"20 or so pitches of absolutley beautiful snow
and ice climbing. The approach from the Ruth
Glacier can be the crux—make sure avy conditions
are welded before you commit. The route itself
is as aesthetic as they come—steep ice in a narrow
couloir on on one of the most spectaclar mountains
in Alaska."
Eddie
Whittemore, Sales Rep
Sorcercer, Ghost River Valley,
Alberta, Canada
"This is my favorite ice climb of all
time. 4 pitches of fun, beautiful location
and you even get to challenge your
driving skills on the drive in. The
drive into the Ghost never lets me
down—it's always spicy!"
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