As a culmination of my increased interest in onsighting sport climbing routes, I decided that a logical, yet slight absurd,
Birthday Challenge would be onsighting 30 routes on my 30th birthday. I picked
Wild Iris in Lander, WY. It is a beautiful crag, cool in the summer, with short routes.
Hands at the start of the day.
Rad Coffee + Rad Rock = Rad Challenge
The owner of
Folklore Coffee in Lander is passionate/obsessed about coffee.
Do yourself a favor and stop by.
Sometime in the middle.
The route follows the lieback crack with no feet.
Most of the climbing was vertical limestone, but there was the occasional 3 dimensional route.
The route is graded 5.8, there were 2 actual holds.
My awesome belayer/girlfriend
Clipping the chains on the 30th route.
Hands at the end of the day.
Not too bad, considering the amount of limestone climbed.
I started the challenge at 7:30 and finished around 5:30, with plenty of time for the Lander Bar. Overall, the challenge was "easy". It was 99% mental. My training prepared me almost perfectly. I was most sore from things I didn't train for - holding clipping positions (I trained mostly by bouldering) and from high stepping (I trained mostly indoors).
I've struggled to come with the proper words to describe the experience. This challenge was a once in a lifetime experience, but felt like just another step along my path of life.
The Numbers0 - Falls/Takes
1 - Awesome Belayer
2 - Major slips (both within the first 10 routes)
4 - Monos
Ticklist Grade, Name, Route Number*
7, Greenhorns in Velvet (11)
7, “R” is for Redneck (25)
7, Medicine Show (27)
7, Chapito, (30)
8, Phat Phinger Phrenzy (8)
8, Guns of Diablo (14)
8, Ticks for Chicks (21)
8, La Vaca Peligrossa (23)
8, Slave (24)
8, Huggys Pull-ups (28)
8, Pronghorn Pinnacle, (16)
9, Iron Horse With a Twisted Heart (1)
9, Annie Get Your Drill (10)
9, Saddle Up (17)
9, Britchen Strap (18)
9, The Hanging Tree (22)
10a, Red Ryder (12)
10a, Jabba The Hut (13)
10a, Brown Dirt Cowgirl (7)
10a, Nouveau West (19)
10b, Stacked Deck (2)
10b, Aces & Eights (3)
10b, Never Sit With Your Back to the Door (6)
10b, Wet Wipe-a-Whet (29)
10c, Claim Jumper (9)
10c, The Man From Laramie (20)
10c, Back in the Saddle (26)
10d, Red As a Blooming Rose (4)
10d, Matilda’s Last Waltz (5)
* I forgot to write down route #15Thank YousMy Girlfriend - She is probably more relieved than me that Birthdays are 365 days apart
All the equippers - Made the challenge "easy"
Todd Skinner - Enough said
Steve Becthtel & Mountain Athlete - Invaluble training & advice
