CSU’s New Climbing Wall Opens to Crowds, Injuries

Climbing Wall from the Outside

Climbing ground to a standstill Wednesday night at CSU’s new climbing center as paramedics flooded the bouldering area. Once the woman was packed onto a gurney, a group of wall employees gathered in the cave where the injury had occurred. There was still some blood on the mats, and climbers were not allowed to return to bouldering quite yet.

“Did you see her fall?” asks Rodney Ley, director of the Outdoor Adventure Program and head of the climbing wall. A few nod their heads and Ley delves into the proper response to injuries in the gym. “You’re not supposed to call 911 unless someone is dying,” says Ley, only half joking. This is the second injury since the wall opened on Sun. March 21, both of them ankles. Unfortunately, the latest resulted in a compound fracture.

“Its because of the pads they have,” says Priscilla Williams, the first victim of the new wall. “The floor padding isn’t broken in yet, so everyone is using those big custom Asanas.” CSU had several custom crash mats made, green and gold and complete with logo.Williams ankle, severely sprained, is two to three times its normal size and she hasn’t been able to weight it since the accident. “My boyfriend always called those things ankle-breakers,” says Williams, referring to the foot-deep custom mats with vertical sides, “Now I know why.”

In addition to injuries, the new wall has also been plagued by large crowds. “Our goal is to keep it to between 45-55 people at a time,” says Matt Norville, junior Wildland Fire major and wall employee. “Sometimes the line gets pretty bad.” On Wednesday night, the line was twenty people deep at one point, and more than one person left rather than wait it out.

“Hopefully some of this will resolve itself once the novelty wears off,” says Norville, “And once the pads get broken in.”

The Rope Wall

American Bouldering Series 11 National Championships

Click each division for full results. Check out footage of the finals below, courtesy of USA Climbing.The results of the ABS 11 National Championships in Alexandria, VA of Valentine’s Day weekend are as follows:

Men’s

1. Daniel Woods
2. Matt Bosley
3. Rob D’Anastasio

Women’s

1. Alex Puccio
2. Alex Johnson
3. Francesca Metcalf

Malcolm Daly Hosts Seminar @CSU

Malcom Daly, a leader in the outdoor industry and CSU graduate (College of Natural Resources ’78), will be holding a special seminar Friday, February 26th from 2:00-3:00 p.m. in room 130 of the Glover building on CSU’s campus. A reception and a chance to meet the speaker will take place following the presentation in Glover 201.

Daly is the owner of Great Trango Holdings, which incorporates Trango, PMI Dynamic, and E Grips among with other climbing related buisnesses.

Daly, who lost his leg as the result of a climbing accident in Alaska in May of 1999, will speak on a variety of topics from equipment design to the psychology of human survival.

For Daly’s harrowing account of his May 1999 accident, go to Trango’s website here.
Thanks to the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering for bringing Mr. Daly to campus.

Daniel Woods Does The Game

Daniel Woods completed his super project at Cob Rock, Boulder Canyon, on Wednesday, February 10th.

“I worked on it at least 17 days over two years. Compared to Terremer and Jade, this is definitely another level ,” Woods says of his proposed grade of v16 on BigUp Production‘s blog.

The v16 grade marks Woods problem, which he called The Game, as one of the hardest boulder problems in the world. The Game is also one of the shortest problems to recieve the grade of v16; at only 8 moves long, The Game is one of the only v16s that is not a link of two previously climbed lines.

Video courtesy of Cedar Wright’s blog Vertical Carnival.

Video by Chad Greedy of HardClimbs.blogspot.com.

Godzilla Indirect Sit

Blake Rutherford, first acensionist of Black Swan v12, has put up a new hard line at Arthur’s Rock in Lory State Park, according to Paul Dusatko over at firetherig.com.

Calling it “some of the best pure power movement at Arthur’s,” Dusatko’s blog makes the case for Godzilla Indirect Sit as one of the hardest lines in the Ft. Collins area.

Make sure you check out photos at Dusatko’s blog here.

Daniel Woods Repeats Terremer

By now you probably have heard the news – Longmont local and world-renowned strongman Daniel Woods has repeated Terremer, v15, for its third ascent overall.

Established in 2005 by Fred Nicole, the line was also climbed by Paul Robinson on New Year’s Day 2008.

Woods is climbing in top form, just off an extended European climbing trip that netted him his first 5.14d route. Colorado climbers have high hopes for Woods’ next project, which some proclaim to be the next level.

This begs the question, can the grade of v16 be established with so few v15’s in existence?

“Disciples of Gill” Makes Ft. Collins Premiere

Colorado climbing legend Pat Ament will be at CSU on Wednesday night making the Ft. Collins debut of his new film, “The Disciples of Gill.” The showing starts at 7:00 in Clark A103.

The film showcases the roots of bouldering in Colorado. Featuring vintage footage of pioneers John Gill and Jim Halloway, the film is also interspersed with interviews with some of climbing’s most notable.

Check out the Daily Camera’s take on the when the film premiered in Boulder here. And here is a review of the Boulder screening at Peter Beal’s blog, Mountains and Water.

Tickets are  $10 and can be purchased at the door, or can be reserved by contacting Ament directly.