The Sunrise Boulder: Tuolumne's Best Boulder?

Of all the boulders I saw in Tuolumne the Sunrise Boulder was the one that really stood out.  This solitary boulder is circled with great problems of all grades and sits in a spectacular setting.  It doesn't need much selling and is not to be missed if visiting the area.

Blake on Solar Power, just one of the fine problems on this boulder. 

Deemsters was my favorite line on the boulder.  A pad stack or stone is required to reach the starting left hand, or you can add a couple levels of difficulty and start a bit lower.

Creg sticking the bad sloper on Deemsters.  This might not be the problem for a warm sunny day but Creg sent in miraculous fashion anyway.  

 The Sunrise Boulder.  

Tuolumne Bouldering

While my trip to Tuolumne was primarily for Trad-climbing it is impossible to take me anywhere without the smaller rocks getting some attention.  Initially I was hoping to spend the latter part of most days bouldering but we were confronted with daily showers that threw a monkey-wrench in my plans.  Despite the weather I still managed a couple half-days of bouldering and one "dryish" evening.  With the sub-par conditions I stuck mostly to moderate "star-chasing" and tried to see as many areas as possible, never giving more than a few attempts per problem.  Here is my take on Tuolumne bouldering and a few pictures................

People have known about bouldering in Tuolumne since the days of the original stone-masters but it wasn't until recently that it started getting the attention it deserves.  For years the bouldering in Tuolumne had the reputation for consisting of mostly technical knob climbing and "pure boulderers" tended to snub the area.  Fortunately there was a small dedicated crew of folks that didn't buy the lies and spent their summers wandering around developing boulders.

Three of the primary developers happen to be friends (Creg Phares, Charlie Barrett, and Matt Arnold) and for years I've been hearing about a wonderland of granite boulders with little spray and no scenesters.  My friends practically had the boulders all to themselves but after years of development and sharing with friends people started to realize Tuolumne offered more than just granite domes and pulling on knobs.  With bouldering this good it was only a matter of time before the throngs of "dude-bros" that pummel the boulders of Yosemite Valley started to venture up to the cooler air of Tuolumne Meadows.

Now it is safe to say that the secret (not that it was ever a secret) is out as the publication of Charlie's new guidebook has brought more boulderers than ever to the Meadows.  There was a fair amount of deliberation about publishing the guide but even with the fresh influx Tuolumne remains a pretty laid-back place (especially when compared to the chaotic shit-show that can be Yosemite Valley).  It is surprising easy to escape the crowds as the bouldering consists mostly of small areas separated by short drives; just choose your location appropriately.  And for those seeking solitude you only have to wander a little further and not only will you be all alone but you'll find plenty of untouched granite boulders ripe for the taking.

Perhaps it was the roadside "Knobs" area that gave Tuolumne a bad rap but even if pulling on knobs isn't your thing The Scoop is not to be missed.  Do it on a warm sunny day to add a little extra spice.  Awesome problem and impressive to think it was put up before crashpads. 

A closer look at The Scoop.  Blake loves the knobs

Kitty Dome is one of the area you can walk to from the Tuolumne Meadows campground and offers a good array of problems, including another technical highball that is not to be missed (no knobs on this one).  Blake gets it done on Tombstone. 

Parker on another Kitty Dome classic, Golden Rastafarian. 

The Gunks is another old school area that gets a lot of traffic.  While not my favorite it did have a few gems.  Here Blake fires Cellulite Eliminator.

Blake on the best problem at the Gunks (my opinion), Mean Green.

The Giving Tree is a new school classic and one of the many problems put up by Charlie Barrett.

Reach for a Peach is an old test piece put up by Jon Bachar and not to be missed.  Fortunately it's roadside so you shouldn't have a problem finding it.

White Stuff is a nice Matt Arnold addition to Tuolumne and well worth the short hike.  Here Creg sticks the crux dyno. 

Creg on his problem Prince of Thieves.  Another new school classic. 

Creg jumping on Friar Huck

Rocking some Domes: Climbing in Tuolumne

It has been a good number of years since I was in the USA during the summer as I generally opt to visit during the winter to escape the darkness of Scandinavia.  While the winter trips are great there are limitations to where I can climb so you can imagine my excitement when a short trip to the USA in late June fell in my lap.  I only got a week but it served as a perfect opportunity to explore the high Sierras and I arranged to meet my sister in Tuolumne Meadows for some trad-climbing and a bit of bouldering.  

Tuolumne is located in the eastern part of Yosemite National Park and offers a welcome respite from the crowds and the heat of Yosemite Valley during the summer months.  A seemingly endless granite playground, Tuolumne offers something for climbers of all abilities and disciplines.  While I'm generally a boulderer I decided this trip would be primarily for traditional-climbing on the plethora of granite domes in the area.  My sister has spent a couple seasons in Tuolumne and she served as my guide, lining up what routes we should do and providing the necessary equipment.  It was an awesome trip.

Here are a few pictures...

There is lots of granite in Tuolumne.  So much climbing, so little time.

Tools of the trade. 

Fairview is a fine example of the granite domes that draw climbers from around the world.  Unfortunately I didn't get around to climbing it on this trip.  Next time. 

Hiking toward Matthes Crest, which follows the sharp ridge on the horizon.

Matty on Matthes Crest.  The views are stunning.

Cathedral Peak is one of Tuolumne's most popular climbs and one my favorites from the trip.

The view from on top of Cathedral Peak

OZ is an amazing climb that tackles the beautiful dihedral for the 3rd pitch.  If you look closely you can see a couple climbers on the wall.

This trip would not have been possible without Prairie and Matty to show me the ropes.  Despite a week of bad weather (it rained every day) we still managed to get quite a bit done.  Here is an obligatory summit shot after climbing OZ.

A Week in the Valley

I compiled footage of a few things we climbed in Yosemite. The place is incredible and one week was way to short. I didn't document everything but hopefully it's enough to give viewers a taste of the goodness that is the Valley. Enjoy.

Yosemite Bouldering: A Week in the Valley from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.

Suffering

Both my road-trip partners are sick. Martin has developed a nasty head cold and my van has sprung a coolant leak. Martin spends most of his time sniffing and feeling miserable while my van requires frequent stops and a constant eye on the temperature gauge. Residual neglect did Martin in as I should have fed him better; climbing everyday and eating next to nothing isn't the best way to fight off sickness. He seems to be be improving and I hope he feels better soon. As for the van, a bottle of inta-fix seems to have sealed things up but I'll have to be vigilant.

Here's a few more pics from the Valley.

Van camping

Bruce Lee

The Diamond

The El Cap boulder

Leaving the Valley

We made the decision to leave Yosemite a day early as Martin has been feeling under the weather and the forecast was looking grim. It would have been nice for Martin to get another shot at Midnight Lightning but from the looks of him not much climbing will be done. There is always next time.
While Martin got the short end of the stick I left the Valley quite content. I climbed 7 out of 8 days and I managed to send the majority of my A-list problems, even scraping up two of Camp 4's most beautiful lines on my last morning (Bruce Lee and King Cobra) . There's still heaps to go back to and Yosemite is officially my new favorite place. With any luck I'll convince Lina to move there for a season as the place needs some more development.

Martin feels worse than he looks

Climbing 7 of 8 days. And this is my good hand

Greg on the El Cap boulder

Geg on King Cobra

King Cobra

Images

No trip report of Yosemite would be complete without some pics of Midnight Lightning.

Martin takes a ride on the dyno

Mike tries the Moffat start

Unsightly graffiti mars the boulder

The incredible King Cobra

A Pretty Good Off-day

The force went down first go the day after the mini-epic. I then send midnight lightning in a couple tries and was happy to see Martin actually get motivated. Mind you a motivated Martin is indiscernible from an unmotivated Martin. "I'm so psyched," he said in a monotone voice with no signs of any emotion whatsoever. I'll have to take his word for it. He did try quite a bit and is dreading the infamous mantel at the top. Hopefully today is the day.
Yesterday was supposed to be an off-day but I decided only climbing on two problems almost counts as not climbing, especially since I'd almost sent both the day before. Leroy and 6 Degrees both went down first try and very little skin was wasted. It was a pretty good off-day.

Here's a little vid of the force. We plan to put it up on crimp.se in a few day but until then....

May the Force be with you

Saturday was spent wandering around to different areas, gazing at the many gems and willing our skin to grow.
Sunday was spent epicing as my battle with "the force" took up the majority of our day (thanks to Martin, Greg, and Tim for their patience and support). After falling past the crux over and over again I walked away with hopes that I'll send first thing today. So much for preserving skin as my tips are still screaming. We'll see how it goes.

The Force

Greg on a sloppy arete

Martin on the slopy arete

Life in the Valley

Despite being dinged for $20 on a failed attempt at free camping I'm still in high spirits. The bouldering here is incredible and I'm destroyed after two days of flogging myself. Sooooo many good lines. I'm anticipating the confused looks I'll get when I say I went to Yosemite for bouldering. So it goes.

The nights are below freezing but it warms up nice and they forecast perfect temps for the foreseeable future. It's quiet here and our little 4 man crew (Martin, Greg, Tim, and myself) pretty much has the place to ourselves, but it's the weekend now so we expect an influx of pad people for the next couple days.

I don't know the names of most of the problems we've climbed but they have been of the highest quality. I've already collected a grip of problems to go back to or try for the first time. Whether or not my skin/body will hold up is yet to be seen. Life is good.

Martin on his way to the boulders

A sweet seam.

Martin

More Martin

Yosemite

Lina has left and been replaced with Martin. No offense to Martin but that is a raw deal. So while Lina works feverishly for the next few months, Martin and I plan on sampling some of the USA's finer bouldering areas (speaking of raw deals...).
Our first stop is Yosemite since favorable weather made this climbing mecca a possibility. Seems odd coming to ground zero of the climbing world and not putting on a rope, but the bouldering here is pretty spectacular.

Martin has the first of many "taco wagon" experiences

The Valley

Greg on a sweet arete

Martin on Thriller

Greg on Thriller