Fall is nearly upon us…and thankfully it seems summer’s heat has broken. The BCC (Boulder Climbing Community) continues its get-togethers, Saturday, October 9 at The Spot. Go by and check out their latest projects.
Eagle Rock is open for business, with the raptor closure lifted for the season. The Boulder Falls area has reopened for tourist activities, but the area immediately above the main trail is still closed–which means access to the popular Plotinus Wall is technically closed, too. Careful not to get a ticket from The Man!
The 2010 Reel Rock Film Tour starts Thursday, September 16 at the Boulder Theater, with the first showing at 6 p.m. Get on the mailing list of the BCC (e-mail BoulderClimbingCommunity@gmail.com; it’s that simple!) and you’ll get tix for a mere $10, instead of $18.50.
Plans are coming together for a Grand Teton trip in a couple weeks. I just spoke with Exum guide, Tim Brown, who explained they’d already had a couple days of verglas…uh oh! I’m hoping to meet my bro in Jackson and do the Exum the day after Labor Day. I’ll take along some new Scarpa Geko Guides, as well as a shoe they’re still dialing: the Dharma ($169). The Dharma is a mid-cut version of the Zen, but with a sticky Vibram dot-sole on the forefoot. I’m not quite sure if I’m supposed to spill the beans on this shoe…but check it out anyway:
Brown and others at Exum have been loving the Dharma, so I’ll see what it feels like. I’ve worn the low-cut Zen for a year now and enjoyed it for approaches, working in the yard, and hikes…but a sticky version…that might just be the ultimate grand shoe! The LaSportiva Ganda will have something to say about that, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
Another piece I’m double-stoked on is my new Rab “Demand” Pull-over ($250; 10 oz.). It’s rare in Colorado wear a hard-shell, but when I do it’s usually a nightmare–most coatings and membranes don’t breathe worth a damn. The primo, most popular, biggest “waterproof-breathable” membrane in the industry is actually a total hoax–if you look at its test results it doesn’t *start* breathing until the interior environment is nearly 100% humidity. Translation: you’re bucketing sweat on the inside before it starts working. Lame. Rab builds their hard shells out of eVent, which is lighter and breathes FAR better than the popular, well-known stuff. Their fits, too, are more Euro, with longer sleeves and a longer, slimmer torso. The Demand is crazy light for a hard shell, using a deep zip instead of full, narrow seam-taping, and elastic and the cuffs instead of Velcro-adjustable closures. I’ve worn it in the rain a few times so far and carried it quite happily up climbs…without having to use it. I’ll take it on the Grand, though, and give a fuller review.
Right on! Get out, enjoy, and talk to y’all soon.
