Marshall & Mollie

A long awaited climbing weekend finally arrived Saturday as Brian Frandsen, Brian Burgess, and Matt Elley all converged on my apartment floor for some of Redrocks’ best sandstone. The Brian’s both showed up Thursday night for two full days of climbing Friday and Saturday. Matt was coming up to try to get in some multi-pitch climbing before it gets too cold, and to make up for us having to bail off of the Fishook Arete of Mount Russel earlier in October. Friday Brian and Brian smoked up Ginger Cracks in the Cloud Tower area, picking off one of the climbs I’d been scoping for quite some time, while I was busy slaving away at work (ie chatting gmail and trying to look busy).

Saturday morning came early, and we headed out the door at 5:45am. After much debate and speculation, we decided on a couple classics in the Black Velvet Canyon; Brian Burgess and I would head to Sour Mash, a 5.10a in the center of the wall, and Brian Frandsen and Matt headed to Frogland, a sweet 5.8 up the outer wall that I climbed earlier in the year.

I was super stoked to climb with Brian Burgess. Frandsen had been spewing for years about this ‘apparently’ awesome guy, who leads trad climbs like they are going out of style! As our day of climbing continued on, Brian’s skills and awesome attitude proved Frandsen to be telling the truth.

There’s the route…just to the right of my finger, is a crack system running 600′ or so up some varnished black sandstone. Black Velvet wall is HUGE. Even after 6 pitches of climbing, we were barely into the middle of the wall. Here’s me and Burgess 3 pitches up.

The crux pitches were the first and the fifth, so we swung every two pitches. I took the easier 5.7/5.9 pitches in the center, while Brian cleaned up the 5.10a’s on either end. Awesome exposed climbing!

Above me is Brain on the heavily bolted 5th pitch, and me way up high, leading the 4th, naturally protected 5.9.

Getting to the top was pure elation. I was so stoked! This is the hardest trad climb I have ever been up, and it was such a fantastic line. One crack, the only line of weakness around us on such a giant wall. I pulled up to the top to meet Brian, and could tell he was just as pumped as I was. We threw a high-five and a couple victorious fist pumps to top it off. Brian’s climbing has absolutely inspired me to push the trad envelope a lot more than I have. There’s nothing better than sharing an awesome climbing experience with people you trust and really enjoy spending time with!

As we pulled the top, we could see Brian Frandsen and Matt hanging out at the summit of their respected climb, but across the canyon, with a half mile of air seperating us. Felt great to know that we all had a great day of climbing!

Gotta get in some more days like this! Come on back any time guys!