October Blog

"Champion Fingers"

I'd never in my life met a girl who could out-eat me until I picked Johanna Ernst up from the Denver airport on October 1^st. It was obviously a sign that we were going to get along great and that her stay at my house for the next three weeks were going to be awesome. For those of you who don't know, Johanna is 16 years old and has already earned the most impressive resume of any competitor, and the success she has so quickly gained usually takes others years to accumulate:

• Winner of 2008 Arco Rockmasters at age 15
• Won almost every 2008 Adult Lead World Cup
• Became youngest Overall World Cup Champion at 15
• Winner of 2008 European Cup Championships
• Winner of 2009 World Championships
• Undefeated in Youth World Championships
• Undefeated in European Youth Cups
• Has won 5 out of 6 2009 Adult Lead World Cups so far
• On the way to becoming Overall World Cup Champion again
• Has onsighted 8b outside

 This was going to be the young champ's first outdoor bouldering experience, and I wanted her trip to be unforgettable. Prior to her arrival, I'd ordered her a custom-made Organic pad to use for her time here and show off back in Austria.

Considering I spent four gorgeous days up in RMNP the week before Johanna came to town, I expected the weather in northern Colorado to be decent for the duration of her trip. I was optimistic about the Park season lasting long enough for Johanna to get the true Rocky Mountain climbing experience. After six days of snow, rain, and multiple miserably failed attempts at climbing in Chaos, we gave up hope.

We'd heard that the weather in Joe's Valley at the time looked promising and inviting. I'd never been before and would have made a lousy tour guide for Johanna, so we needed someone worthy to come along and show us around. I called Alex Puccio on Thursday, October 8^th and said "Pack your shit, we're leaving for Joe's tomorrow." The next day my Forrester was filled to the top with crashpads and camping gear. Johanna, Pooch, myself, and my "poop master" Chihuahua Fritz were Utah-bound.

For some reason we didn't end up actually leaving Boulder until around 7pm, so when we finally rolled into Orangeville it was 4 in the morning. Despite the huge Starbuck's coffees we all got earlier in the evening, my eyes were drooping heavily, and Johanna was sitting shotgun yelling, "Attention, attention!" every time a deer ran across the road. Aside from the late hour of our arrival, we all had a great time climbing the next day, playing around in the Big Joe Cave and on classics like The Angler.

After a rest day it was time to get down to business. This was Johanna's first real bouldering road trip, and I was determined to not only give her a fun time, but to let her see her true bouldering potential. (This never really happened in her time here, because pretty much everything we put her on she finished in a couple of tries!)

Getting to Area 51 took a little guess work now that the main parking area is closed. The beta now is to drive 0.8 miles past the old lot, and walk along the ridge trail to avoid the aggressive up and down of the direct approach. We only got a little lost...

But with Puccio's keen sense of direction we eventually managed to head the right way and we stumbled upon the boulders we were looking for.

We warmed up and Johanna quickly did Two Finger Variation, V9. Then we went around to the other side of the boulder where the classic Resident Evil took the honor of becoming Johanna's first V10.

Riding her psych and taking my rightful place as the caboose of the send train, I was able to finish the boulder as well. In the mean time, while Johanna and I were sending boulders, Puccio was struggling to stand on her own two feet. In the midst of giving beta, she managed to slip off a six-foot rock and grind her way to the ground.

After giving Puccio time to recover from her pride-wounding plunge, we ventured back to Right Fork to do Three Weeks Low, and Johanna earned her first V9 flash. The problem starts with two incredibly small, sharp crimps, huck a big move to a decent hold and roll up on a right heel to top out. To celebrate the successful day, we went back to camp and had a wood collecting contest, built a big fire and made S'mores.

We got a slow start leaving camp the next day.

But we eventually trekked up the hill from our tent where Johanna stylishly sent the crimpy test piece Fingerhut, V10, Puccio finished Scrawny and Brawny, V10, and I ripped my finger open.

This abruptly ended my climbing activity in Joe's Valley. We spent another day there, but we were all tired and grungy from not bathing for a week. In the middle of a rainstorm on Wednesday we packed up the car and headed home.

The weather in Colorado was looking up for our return. We spent Thursday climbing at CATS and Friday at Elitches Amusement Park. Saturday was beautiful so we headed to the Poudre. Johanna flashed and then repeated The Bischer Traverse, V8, to warm up, and made the third female ascent of Jousting at Windmills, V10. My baby Chi-hu thought it would be fun to eat a field rat that was bigger than she was.

The weather on Sunday promised to be perfect, but I was wary to go back to the Park considering the horrific snow-hiking experience we'd had before. Emerald Lake held the lowest available boulders in Rocky, so if anywhere was climbable it'd be there. While Johanna and I hiked up in the sunshine, there was barely any snow on the trail, and our optimism grew with hope that the boulders would be dry. When we approached The Kind Traverse, V11, we found that every hold on it was dry! The easier problems to the right were soaked, though, so, it made warming up a little difficult.

The Kind Traverse is long, pumpy and powerful, and Johanna's world cup-winning endurance came in handy. After a few attempts slipping at the crossover, the final crux, she was apparently still getting warmed up. Each try was better than the last, and before long she was sticking the cross and topping the boulder.

On Monday Johanna, Kelly and I went to Eldorado Canyon. The approach was probably the hardest hike I've ever done!

Since it was Johanna's last day in the US we did a lot more playing around than actually climbing.

Johanna went home on October 20^th to finish competing in the final two comps in the lead world cup circuit. The time she spent bouldering in the US was "the best time in her life!" Everyone whom she met here really enjoyed climbing with her as well. Her sarcastic sense of humor, funny Austrian accent and nonchalant attitude make it all that much easier to appreciate her incredible talent as a climber. Johanna hopes to make a return trip to the US in December where our plan is to hit up Disney World, Hueco Tanks, Adult Rope Nationals and Bishop.