A Day With Skeeter

Saturday the forecast for Red Feather Lakes called for sunshine and temps above 40 for probably the first time this year, and I was excited to try some projects in non-miserable conditions. The two other days I've been to Red Feather this year involved post-holing along frozen-tundra approaches to climb poorly on icy boulders. Saturday, though, the sun was shining and the air was fresh. Birds were chirping and there was a distinct lack of bone-chilling breezes. Spring was upon us.

2 Fires 1 Match

New rule: do not attempt Vampire sessions if the forecast for Red Feather is less than 45.

 

 

 

Projects...

It was a cold, quite day in Red Feather on Monday. Conditions were great, though the topouts were somewhat snowy and required maintenance.

Jamie came within two moves of sending the Dracula Project, which starts The Vampire and finishes on the far left of the boulder. There is another project that starts on The Vampire but busts out right to the arete and does a few hard moves to a mantle. I've decided, just now, to call this the Bram Stoker Project. Something tells me Chuck would approve. Of the name, that is. Jamie also found and cleaned a project 75 yards or so away from the Toucan boulder.

Yes, it is short. Yes, it is sharp. Yes, it is hard.

 

The crux/only move is a double clutch dyno/surge maneuver from two poor crimps to a mostly flat lip. Jamie was able to hit the lip a couple times but controlling the swing proved to be too difficult for the end of the day. Not a King Line by any means, but when completed the Lemonhead Project will be a nice, hard addition to the Ceremonies.

The Feather

Not the Feather, alas. Instead, Red Feather. Which isn't a bad thing. Despite cool temps and a long walk on a snow-crusted road, we came to a climbable boulder called The Chopper.

B3PO, our guide and firestarter

 

Christ Craft

 

 

Despite being low to the ground, The Chopper is a remarkably good climb.  The first move, a powerful stab to a decent incut, is by far the crux, and after that come a few tenuous moves and a fun, Tigerstrike!!-approved mantle-press. We postulated that if it were on the boulder behind the Dali Wall, it would see more traffic than that boulder's namesake. Probably an exaggeration, but the point is that The Chopper, and Red Feather in general, is good. Very good.

To complete the day we saw a small herd (troop? gathering?) of deer, who seemed utterly uninterested in our activities. We joked that if it came down to it, none of us could cook, let alone capture, kill, and prepare, one of the deer. Grizzly Adams we ain't.