Thursday, February 27, 2014

Last days in flight...

Its done. The movie is done. Editing and all. Just fucking around with exporting. Finishing up my last babysiting gig with bruno and flying to Miami tomorrow with my love to meet the parents for the first time and get some r&r and also, I am outta bolts and hangers and waiting on my care package from climbtech.
Still thinking about the name for the movie... days of flight, seasons in flight, one percent... still thinking.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

La Boca Update ( El Salto Mexico )

La Boca

Main Wall (Left to Right)
OK in the rain
Sun 11- 2pm

1.             Lado a Lado 5.10c 15 Bolts 35m FA Ulric Dec 2013
2.             Pino-Colda 5.10d 14 bolts 35m FA Ulric Dec 2013
3.             Mojito 5.10d 14 bolts 30m Start 5 feet left of Cuba Libre and follow the steel up the grey face to obvious side pull blocks at the 4th bolt. Full Anchors. Ulric 2013 FA Paul Brenner/ Ulric Dec 2013
4.             Cuba Libre 5.9 15 bolts 35m Start on the Climbtech hangers and follow the weakness to the top of the buttress. Please be careful when on ledges for loose pebbles. Superb. Full Anchors. FA Ulric Dec 2013
5.             Alta Tension 5.13+/14-??16 Bolts. 37m. Start on stainless steel hangers of Num.6 to the ledge. Tread left at the fourth bolt. Follow the obvious overhung arete, tufas, laybacks and upper headwall face. Full Anchors. Ulric Dec 2013 Closed Project
6.             War One 5.12d 25m New Stainless Fixe hangers following a right facing, right arching dihedral. A little runout Full Anchors. Paya 2012 FA Ulric Dec 2013
7.             Lounge Puppy 5.13a 10 bolts 20m  Start on easy grey stone to the fourth bolt and the business stays with you until the very last move. Stellar. Alex Catlin 2001
8.             Honey Bear 5.12a 20m Just Left of Hijo de Puta. Short but really featured dihedral leads to tufa pulling on easier ground. Often dismissed because it looks dirty but the stone is bomber. FA Unknown 98/99
9.             Hijo de puta 5.12b 20m 8 bolts Classic pull. A little run out but uber safe. FA. Paul Irby, Winter  98/99
10.          Fuerza Civil Project 5.14??? 30M 13 Bolts Obvious dihedral 10m right of Hijo de Puta. Ulric Dec 2013 CLOSED PROJECT
11.          El Arte de Volar 5.12c 25m 12 bolts. Climb up the blocky face to the business. Shorter climbers will encounter a nice dyno/deadpoint to the hole at the 2nd to last bolt. Full Anchors. Ulric Dec 2013
12.          El Arte de Volar EXT 5.14?? 40m 15 bolts (Climb El Arte de Volar, pass the anchors for three bolts and twelve more meters.) Small. Hard. Exposed. Flight time required. Full Anchors. Ulric Dec 2013 Open Project
13.          El Tecolottito 5.12a/5.11c 2 pitches. FA Unknown
14.          Unknown 11c 9 bolts. 25m Start on a big bloc for two clips. Step over the void onto perfect stone. Superbe. FA unknown.
15.          The Sound of the First Season 5.12a 11 bolts 25m. Technical. Ulric Dec 2013
16.          The Sound of the Second Season 5.14? 40m 6 more bolts past the anchors of First Season. Runout, steep, sustained all the way to the last bite. Can lower with an 80m or use First Season anchors as sub. Full Anchors. Ulric Dec 2013 CLOSED PROJECT
17.          Mouchie Mouchie 5.11d 9 bolts. Start 10 feet right of No TENSION on the same bloc. Climb the face to the waving tufas and features. Amazing. Full Anchors. Ulric Dec 2013
18.          La Derma de Oro 5.13a 4 pitches ( 5.11b,5.13a,5.12b,5.12b) FA James carse 97/98
19.          Half Warp 5.9 25m 12 bolts. Full Anchors. Ulric Jan 2013
20.          Aero Russia 5.11c 35m 14 bolts. Full Anchors. Ulric Jan 2013


Carino's Wall (Left to Right)
NO in the rain
Sun 4- 6pm
My dog passed on to heaven on january 29th 2014. This is an homage wall to him. i started bolting here that same day to keep my mind occupied. When you enter the boca, in the arroyo, carino lays in peace below a rising pine tree. Say hi to him and maybe he will bring you good luck :)


1.         Arete de Plueré 5.11c 30m 12 bolts Full Anchors. Ulric Jan 29 2014
2.         Mi Carino 5.9 35m 15 bolts Full Anchors. Ulric Feb 29 2014
3.         Mi Corazon Full Anchors. Ulric Feb 2014
4.         A mi lado, por la vida... Full Anchors. Ulric Feb 2014

           Catlin's Wall
NO in the rain
Sun 4- 6pm
           Walk back towards town from Carino's Wall, and encounter three routes at the end of the wall. really nice on hot days.

5.         Nalgas Perfectas (left finish) 5.12c Alex Catlin 2001
6.         Nalgas Perfectas (right finish) 5.12d Alex Catlin 2001
7.         Super Alien 5.9 Superbe. Long. Un-Sustained. Chains. Alex catlin 2010
8.         Where's Waldo 5.11 Jason Nelson 2001

Santo Bohorquez Wall (Left to Right)
OK in the rain
Sun 3- 5pm
It took 5 days of cleaning, 10 days of anti-biotics and 2 shots of cortizon to get this wall up and the 300+ pounds of vines off the rock and away from the base. Nathan and I both got massive infections from the vines, I mostly in the right eye. We both learned how to shoot ourselves with syringes. The wall is now clean and offers the steepest tufa ridden and coolest moderates in el salto. Mike would be proud.

1.             Traffic Warrant 5.10 Full Achors. Ulric Feb 2014
2.             RockSaw Massacre 5.10 Full Achors. Ulric Feb 2014
3.             Easyrider 5.10 Full Achors. Ulric Feb 2014
4.             Dragon Fire 5.10+ 35m 15 bolts.Full Anchors. Ulric and Nathan Jan 2014
5.             Radio Columbia 5.10+ 25m 12 bolts. Hard face and daheidrel to an easy ending under the big bloc. Full Anchors. Ulric and Nathan Jan 2014
6.             Live from Bogota 5.12- 35m 15 bolts. Slab climb and angle to the left towards the roof. Pull the overhang after the rest and saddle up fo the headwall. Full Anchors. Ulric Jan 2014
7.             Double Espresso 5.12c/d 30m 14 bolts. Climb the slab left of the looming bloc. follow laybacks and underclings to the bulge below the tufa roof. Pull the roof and hit the easy slab to the anchors. Full Achors. Ulric Jan 2014
8.             Slipknot 5.10b 25m 12 bolts. Climb the slab right of the looming bloc. Simple. Climb to the anchors. Superbe. Easy. Full Achors. Ulric Jan 2014

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Carino Passes


On an early fall morning in Oct, 2013, a little dog started following me to the crag. He was fast and bright and decided, after a cold night huddled under my blankets, that he would protect me until he could no longer. He stayed by my side everyday and would not wander more then a feet feet from me at any given time. When I whistled, he would come running back immediately.

Carino was the best friend I could have. He protected me from rock fall and intuitively new when to stay away when we bolted. He had plenty of organic, non-bi product food, but would always sniff his way to some scraps on the floor.
I shared many days alone with him on the wall, or at the base, talking and laughing and playing. He would eat part of my cookies, but always leave me some. When I bought expensive meat, I would always cook him a nice piece and he would always get all the bones and fat. He would wake me in the middle of the night, sometimes Eva and I, if someone approached the van. He would do this more often when Eva was there, knowing, I guess, that he should protect her more then me.

He hated water, especially when I bathed him. But he would always forget the horrible moment and run back to me after 10 minutes, smelling good and clean.

Carino, like my first dog Ujiro, saved my life many times. And for that, I can never be more grateful.

I will never be able to have another dog. Carino was nothing short of the best dog I could have ever wanted, and nothing can ever beat his personality. He was alive, and while he was, enjoyed a good life by my side, or should I say, I had a good life by his.

On jan 29, 2014, he succumbed to a series of seizures that I cannot explain. Carino was acting a little funny all day, begging for more attention then usual. He would not stay in his seat while I drove nor would he stop barking at imaginary objects once arrived
back home. Around 10 pm he started shivering and a few minutes later, crippled by spasms, his little heart gave out. He was no older then 15 months. God took him away. He is now with Ujiro, and I am sure, they are looking down on me now and
hoping they could both share the front seat once again.

I buried you in your favourite climbing area, over a gloomy dark night and shadowed by a think fog just after midnight this morning. I walked with you in my arms, lifeless, and I cried the whole time, through the night, and tears still waterfall on my cheeks
right now.

You will always be by my side little buddy. Your seat will always be your seat, while we drive the open road. And I will always keep a good piece of meat for you at the table. You will be with me forever. For as long as blood courses through my veins, you will be my dog.

Love. Eternally.

Ulric.

Carino.
Nov 2012 - Jan 29 2014