We stopped at the Wolcott boulders on the way home from Denver yesterday afternoon. I had been there once before, it’s really a nice spot to get some mileage in. Lots of V1-V2 problems that are pretty tall (the highest is 18 feet). I hadn’t been on any big boulders in a while, it was definitely a bit unnerving to get way off the ground, as a fall from up high, even on to the Metolious Behemoth pad that we have, is still a scary thing, and not always without consequences. The temperature was perfect and that sandstone has some of the best friction around. This is a great spot to hit up for a quick session if you are traveling along I-70 and don’t have much time to spare.
It’s a busy week here in splitterchoss land, as we are heading to Boise for June and July to see what kind of trouble the choss master can get into with his drill in the untapped climbing areas of Idaho. Stay tuned for all the adventures!

On March 11, 2007, Isaac “Ike┝ Palatt, 21, took a 110-ft ground fall from the anchors of Soul Train, 5.12a, breaking both heels, four vertebrae, his left elbow, a rib, and bruising a lung.Palatt and his partner, both experienced climbers, had been warming up on the second route of the day at the Soul Asylum, a sport-climbing destination in southern Utah. Palatt was to single-line rappel the route with a Grigri, lowering and cleaning on one side of the rope while his partner sat as his counterweight on the other side. However, due to force of habit, followed by complete oversight, Palatt prepared to lower on the right side of the anchor, not realizing that it was the same side his partner was on.

It always boggles my mind that someone can fall this far and live. I knew someone who fell 60 feet and sustained worse injuries. Read the rest and view the video at Climbing.com.

Just found out about a great new site, Momentum Video Magazine. It’s a cool idea, everything loads within the framework of a “magazine”, and there’s even a page flipping sound when you click on a video article. They’ve got an impressive roster of talented contributors: Mike Call, Brian Solano, Chuck Fryberger, Josh Lowell, Paul Dusatko and Peter Mortimer. Right now there’s videos from all over: Joe’s Valley, Indian Creek, Bishop and more. I like how it isn’t limited to one discipline, that should really help to grow the audience.

Go check out their latest issue, after a time the issues do “expire” and are then put onto a dvd which you can buy.

PS Hey fellas, if you are reading this, you should have built the flash into an html framework so people could bookmark your individual movies. Maybe next redesign?

There’s a couple of cool new things up on the main site. First is a topo to the Loft, a bouldering area in Redstone, just up the hill from the main zone. The problems here range from V0-V7 and tend to be more feature oriented climbing, as opposed to the pebble pinching most people think of when they go to Redstone.

There’s also a new photo gallery section, with two galleries from Michael Kennedy showcasing climbing in the Roaring Fork Valley back in the day. There are some great shots in there, including rock and ice first ascents, as well as some alpine adventures. Be sure to check them out.

In case you missed any of them, here’s a recap of the recent gear reviews here on SplitterChoss.com.

Black Diamond C3 Camalots - Perhaps the best small cams on the market, these things will fit just about anywhere.

FiveTen Galileo - Perfect for edgy routes, and comfy too!

Reversino Belay Device - Great for ice climbing or any other situation using skinny ropes.

Patagonia Down Parka - A big expedition style puffy jacket with all the warmth and comfort of down.

Patagonia Aimless Jeans - Durable climbing pants that wont wear out after a couple weeks of use.

Metolius Behemoth Crashpad - A massive crashpad that works just as well for catching falls as it does for sleeping on.

Look for more reviews, coming soon!