What climb made you proud this year?

From your neck of the woods OP... Don Quixote 5.10d trad (shown here) It Ain't Hay on Chimney rock (most fun) Methow Inspiration Route in Mazama Aces and Eights in McClellan

If I am honest, I guess, kinda Nothin'. So if anyone else is feeling that way, you are not alone.

I just don't feel like I had a great year and I recall more 'off' days than 'on.'
So I bought a gym membership at an Access Fund Auction and initiated that. Maybe it will help for 2017, and I can feel like I am doing well out there again. We shall see. The next step is actually going, working out, and sticking with it often enough to matter.

If nothing else, I guess I got 427 pitches in... or at least I remembered to record that many. Probably 450+, but that is also not a banner year and most of it was probably not very hard. Honestly, much of the volume was easy scrambing in the flatirons this fall after work.

OK... thought of something. I was willing to turn some stones, so to speak. Did 18 FA's in a total of 5 areas, on 9 different crags across 3 states. I placed 0 bolts in all (Bolts are fine, but the lack of them on my ascent means it was always there for the taking, but nobody took it). I guess I can be happy with that, even though the grades were almost all below 5.10. It means I had my eyes open and took initiative when I did get out there. There, that's something.

This year I got 3 v3's in Leavenworth. I've touched these problems for two seasons now and have mostly not been able to start or do the first move on them. This year I went out pretty often and got a new one each time I went out. Felt great to be able to make the moves that had shut me down multiple times previously.

This upcoming season I'm looking to get my first v4.

This is where it's ok to humble brag, right?

I redpointed my first 11a, and while at times the project felt impossible, afterwards I thought - you know, it didn't take THAT much effort from my body, it was mostly my head! So now I'm looking at endless possibilities for how hard I can push myself, rather than these self imposed limits I had set. I have big plans for 2017 as a result of that experience.

To top it off, the day I sent I didn't think it was going to happen...it just did!

At the phat chainz of reefer madness

climbing friend,

bold flash, la dura dura.

also hucking the meat onto tiny cams.

This thread is awesome. Props to bearded sam on sending Evo. That route sent me home with tail between my legs last year.

For me, cruising Pervertical Sanctuary felt so great. And falling off of (and in love with) D7 was just as great -- project for 2017!

No Calculators Allowed, a (reportedly soft) 10a trad lead at Josh. The climb probably is a bit softer than 10a, but the top is committing. I was able to place a .3 cam in a horizontal crack before moving into the crux, but I ran out the top 15 or so feet.

There is a really solid hand in this section, but I kept looking for a solid placement while hanging off the hold. I realized that I was just wasting gas on the hold and I either had to commit and go or take a short whipper.

It was nice to push past my typical caution and recognize the impeding pump out while I still had the strength to finish the route. A nice on-sight, especially since I didn't get the beta that the top was run out until after I was done.

It may seem like it's hardly noteworthy to most folks here, but 2016 was the first year where I led all of the whopping two pitches on Man's Best Friend at Red Rocks!It was my first multipitch climb ever.

The two most memorable/proud climbs for me this year were some unfinished business left over from 2011. In summer 2011 I took a trip to Squamish, and two of my goals for that trip were Freeway (11c multipitch) and Flight of the Challenger (12c single pitch trad). I got totally bouted on both of these. On Freeway we found ourselves in way over our heads, and bailed after a few pitches. On Flight of the Challenger, I dropped a TR on it to suss it out, and totally flailed. Retreated from that trip with my tail between my legs…

Flash forward to 2016, I was able to spend a number of weekends in Squamish, and wanted to return to these routes. On Freeway we cruised through the bottom couple of pitches (which my partner and I had both been on before), then onsighted the rest of the route, topping out at a casual 2 in the afternoon. A few weekends later I got on Flight of the Challenger. I sussed it out on TR, figured out the moves and gear, and then sent on my first lead attempt.

These routes were quite satisfying because of the way they stretched across 5 years of my climbing, and the progress they represented. They went from being unattainable goals to reasonable weekend objectives. Also, both routes are off-the-charts high quality.

Timothy Carlson wrote:It may seem like it's hardly noteworthy to most folks here, but 2016 was the first year where I led all of the whopping two pitches on Man's Best Friend at Red Rocks!It was my first multipitch climb ever.

First multipitch is always noteworthy!

Some inspirational reads and pics on here.

I was proud to do Ten Little Indians on Chiefs Head. Most adventurous day of climbing I've ever done.

High on the wall, low on blood sugar.

We met a heard of these ladies on the approach.

I finished off a climb I had failed on before I had my son who's now two. Pen 15

Not exactly climbing related but I finally got out to see Mesa Verde and it was amazing.

Cliff dwellers.

Climbing related?

Happy climbing next year!

Coming off a bad A2 pulley strain last winter, getting back into it and getting up Xanadu (10a) in eldo was big for me. looking forward to progressing more next season!

Notch

I was very happy to be asked to join and lead the entire Notch Couloir route from Broadway to the top of the Notch on Longs Peak in full on Winter conditions for two buddies of mine. They were trying to climb Longs Peak each month of the year by a different route. They reckoned I'd be a good rope gun because of the combination of my multipitch and steep snow experience. I think they were both crazy in thinking so, although I'll admit I may have been the only one in the party to know how to use an ATC in guide mode and make a SERENE anchor out of gear (of which I made two of as we simul'd most of the route). It was beyond exhilarating of an experience for me. Crossing the bottom of the Notch Couloir with a picket 30 feet away as the last piece of, "pro" is exciting, to say the least. Full Story

I joined one of them yesterday up Keplingers (miserable!) to see him finish his project. My other bud finished his project earlier this month on Cables, something like his 70th lifetime ascent on Longs. In Oct, we also tried our luck on an obscure line on the West Face of Longs called Van Diver's West Wall. He added it to MP Small history lesson: Van Diver was the first person ever to rap down the West side of the Maiden.

These two are now something like the 3rd and 4th people ever to complete the project. I'm on month #5, myself.

Proudest was doing the complete north ridge of Mt Stuart in good style, car to car. Can't say we beat any time records, but with 9k total elevation gain (3k of that is the route), it's a damn big day.

Second was an 11b, Megatherion at exit 32. As soon as I could lead trad last year I had largely ignored sport climbing, my hardest lead had been a 10b one move wonder. I started going to world wall with a friend who was projecting a 12c. I would take rope laps on their warm ups and realized I actually could climb steeper sport.
I picked out this route to project because the crux is far off the deck and involves a cross over into a steep boulder move to a horn. There's some cryptic business getting above the horn (which I whipped on) and then it finishes with balancey footwork on steep slab (totally not characteristic of the crag).
I nearly got it the second day, but tweaked my shoulder throwing for the horn. I did rotator cuff work as the weather deteriorated. Early november we got a brief high pressure period that wasn't terribly cold. Went out despite having the flu, did a bunch of 5.9 laps to warm up, and was feeling weak. Decided to just get on it and hang dog if needed to get the draws up. My partner had just moved to Seattle, she flashed it and that got the stoke back up. Second go it all went clean. Realizing that I could pull it off while sick/weak I'm psyched to see what I can do next year if I make an honest effort to project.

MP photo of route, not me.

Not much pride this year... Shure did have a lot of fun though. I suppose leading both pitches of Soler on the Tower made me feel pretty good about myself for a day or two but mostly it was just fun :)

Isa follows Soler. Devils Tower

Got out more than I ever have. And while I'm climbing less hard than I used to (thanks labrum tear) I'm getting more consistent in the grades I do climb.

I was looking at my year and I would say I am a bit torn on the best moment. I took my first trip to Yosemite, climbed some fun stuff in the east, a lot of cool stuff in Colorado.

Proudest Hard Climb: This has to be sending Fly Low (12a) in 6 tries. I had made a goal to try a 12 in January but I really never got around to it. I was doing some sport but a lot more trad and easy climbing all around. October 1st I decided I should probably give this a go. I spent a couple weeks in the gym trying hard. I was really proud of this send after trying it the first day and falling probably 10 times. When I fired it the next weekend it was great.

Proudest single pitch lead: Probably a toss up between the first pitch of After Six and Zanzibar Dihedral but I think I will give the nod to zanzibar. Just an amazing climb that you really have to want to go get (shitty approach and have to climb a pitch up to it).

Proudest Multi Pitch: You would think going to Yosemite that something here would top the list but not so! It has to be the Carter Classic in Buena Vista. I led all the pitches, my girl friend had a blast, we got rained on just a bit during the rap, just one of those super awesome climbs that you will remember for a long time. It is another one of those climbs that you really have to go out and find, off the beaten path for sure.

A pretty good year overall.

Lucid Dreaming, Dream Canyon

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This is an awesome thread... Nice to see ppl not complaining about how bad 2016 was...
I had a great year climbing. Last year I had some nagging elbow and shoulder injuries so I decided to tone down the difficulty, and focus on volume. Sent 99 routes this year. Some hard, some easy, some multipitch, and some projects. That's by far the most routes I've ever done in a year...

Then I talked some whicked hot chick into climbing Wham Ridge w me... Then married her the next morning in the meadow below Vestal Peak...

Then, to top off the year I sent Lucid Dreaming in Lower Dream Canyon. Only the second 12d I've ever done...

Hoping 2017 is just as good

Got my first real free solo up the first and third flatirons! And first 5.11 onsight in Ouray. Pretty cool to see progress in my own confidence

Fandango

My first trad lead, or any lead for that matter, on Fandango on the First Flatiron with Brian Crim on the other end of the rope.

Stood on top of Ancient Art for my birthday!