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Just a heads up. Matt Futlz made it to the UBC Pro Tour finals at the OR trade show in SLC. Be sure to tune into boulderingcomps.com tonight at 7:30 to watch him compete against Daniel Woods, Chris Sharma, Ian Dory, Carlo Traversi, and Steven Jeffery. Should be an amazing show and it’s very cool that we can all watch it live streaming on the Internet.

Just got an email from Geoff Williams, sounds like a cool project. Please comment your favorite climb in each area:

Mike,

I have been thinking about a photo/possibly video project for awhile. I want to do a project on the best climbs around Boise. I was hoping we could start a forum on climbidaho.com where people could comment on their favorite problems/climbs in the area. I would like to focus on The Cliffs, Table Rock, Mores, Reynolds and Swan. People should focus not necessarily on the hardest climbs of the area, though that could be one of them, but also the funnest, the most aesthetic, something that has a good story behind it, anything that makes that problem or route special to them. Not only will this help me decide what to do for this project (if I actually get around to it), but it will hopefully give new climbers to the area a good idea of what problems/routes to try.

Geoff

Words and photos to come:

Here is the long awaited vid (sorry Fultz) of the Sawtooths along with a few photos Geoff Williams sent me from his trip up there. The vid has four problems:
#1 is a great looking, unnamed problem that Jeff Smith put up on what I am calling the Swamp Boulder.
#2 is on the Milk Roof which has a really nice V5ish (Harvey Milk Roof) roof crack/jug system to an awkward topout, a hard line which is shown in the vid, that begins on the V5 and breaks left through some bad holds (Milk Roof Left), and a still to be cleaned warmup on the left side of the roof.
#3 is on the Swamp Boulder again. Swamp Thang is a cool little low start with a big shoulder move right away.
#4 is THE LINE of the area. The Prow is very reminiscent of The Practitioner up in leavenworth but slightly easier, about twice the size in every aspect and no dabbage potential…This is one of the best boulder problems I have ever done:

Jeff Smith working a hard looking project

Geoff Williams a little higher up on the project

Geoff working on The Prow

Geoff working on The Prow

Jeff on The Prow

Jeff Smith and I made a day trip yesterday to a new area in the Sawtooths he has been developing over the past couple weeks. The area is very remote by bouldering standards yet one of the most accessible in the Sawtooths. After a two hour hike and about 2,000 feet of elevation gain, we had made it to the boulders and they had exceeded my expectations. I first explored the large talus field above the main bouldering area. This area was very reminiscent of the Upper Chaos area in RMNP. Huge boulders, many 60+ feet tall. Although I didn’t find much in the way of classics there, I think this area needs to be explored a bit more before it is written off. Next I found my way down to the main area where Jeff had already established a few great problems.

Although the quality of rock is not perfect up there, the size of the boulders and the fact that the rock is featured enough to climb on (ahem…McCall…) makes this area more than worth the hike in. Oh yeah, and there are roofs to climb on so you know I’m all in. I’ll upload the video in the next couple days, til then here are a few photos:

Jeff working a crazy looking project on a HUGE boulder in the main area.

Jeff on a cool new problem that involves some very hard compression roof climbing

Jeff on the FA of a nice new problem

Jeff re-sending one of his new classic problems

Jeff on the same problem, different view

The hike out, only 2 hours to go

Here is the vid of the McCall Scree Fields:

Last week we made it up to the McCall Scree Field. The road in was very rough and the drive back took forever. But in the end it was well worth it. We climbed a few lines that have undoubtedly been climbed before and we did a few lines that I am fairly sure are FAs. Here are a few photos of some problems. I’ll get the vid up early next week.

Here is the latest vid from Jimmy Bowman. It’s Beau Stuart sending a cool looking line at The Channel in central Idaho:

The Buddha Belly from Jimmy Bowman on Vimeo.

Start: 06/30/2010 – 7:00pm
End: 06/30/2010 – 9:00pm
Idaho Power representatives will discuss the future of bouldering, paintballing and other activities in Swan Falls. This will be very important for anyone that boulders at Swan Falls who has a problem with paintball use in that area, and its effects on bouldering, to support a ban on paintball activity in the Swan Falls area.

Where: The Front Climbing Club

Here is a short vid from Nate Coffman bouldering at Table Rock:

Tablerock Classics from Nate Coffman on Vimeo.