Season Ending Injury + Hardest Problem in Stillwater

I've been in Squamish for a few weeks, bouldering and trad climbing in hopes to get stronger for the valley. After a slew of onsights in Skaha and Kelowna, I'm convinced the time in Squamish has paid off. Things were going great, and I arrived back in town stoked and ready to help Matt Hodgson finish his project on the West Main Buttress.

The new problem follows the thin right crack above the over hang.

Matt has been climbing strong, nabbing the first ascent of "the future project" in Stillwater, a boulder problem with strenuous technical moves on micro crimps. It had been walked passed for years, assumed to be too hard until Matt suggested I try it - and we quickly figured out the sequence. (You just never know till you try it!) After a few sessions Matt put it all together, though it's yet to be named or graded (though I'd guess it's around a 7...I originally thought it'd be a double digit until I actually tried it).

The day before I arrived, I had a gnarly fall while bouldering alone in Squamish. I felt I would flash the problem, a moderate V4, but I lost my focus and slipped. My foot blew off and I slammed hard into the rocks below me, a few feet away from my very poorly placed crash pad...in fact, it wasn't under the problem at all. Lesson learned - play it safe. I finished the problem immediately after, but noticed pain in my hand which became fairly severe later that night. 

Learning to be a lefty

After not being able to hold a tooth brush the next day or turn my car key, I thought I'd stop into the ER in Powell River. What I hoped would be a sprain turned out to be a fractured scaphoid, requiring a cast for 4-6 weeks. There goes my chance at helping put up the route in the Valley, sending any more projects, scrubbing new lines, bolting anything, and heading to California for November. Time to heal and reflect, re-connect with friends and focus on other things. This will also give me time to rehab a knee injury that's kept me from heel-hooking for 2 months. So, until next season, wishing you all great health - don't take it for granted.


In other news, a
great night bouldering session went down in August at Stillwater, which may have been the largest bouldering session in PR history.

Krista on Huff - V0+ during the first annual night bouldering party

Drinks and good times flowed, and I may have even ended up with a first ascent - though if it had been climbed in years passed by Colin or Rob and crew, I may have at least got the first intoxicated night ascent....though that's also debatable. At least I had spotters!