B o u l d e r f e s t !

The Snow Valley Bouldering Guide

Sample Topo

Kids Boulder
Adults: keep off. Midgets OK.
1. Kids Slab Left. 5.5. Kids problem on the left side of the west face.
2. Kids Slab Center. 5.6. Kids problem in the center of the west face.
3. Kids Slab Right. 5.5. Kids problem on the right side of the west face.

The Brain
4. Chimney. 5.7. Chimney on northwest face.
5. Unknown Brain. V7. Right of the arete, move straight up the face through a large scoop. All holds left of the arete are off. Top out.
6. Brain Transfer. V10. Start with both hands in crack/seam, move straight up to flakes and top out.
7. The Brain. V4 T.R. Move up over the “brain” formation, stay direct, top out.
8. Assassin. 5.8. Start with hands high on large flake, east side of the south face. Top out.
9. Cracked Skull. V1. Sit down start with hands in back of crack. Follow crack up and right, top out.
10. Blood Clot. 5.9. Start with hands on diagonal dike, move up dike, top out.
10a. Sit start to Blood Clot; harder than Blood Clot.
11. Right Side of the Brain. V0+. Start with both hands in horizontal incut, move straight up and over, dike on left is off, top out.
12. Shit for Brains. V2. Sit down start in fist crack on northeast corner. “‘Shit for Brains’ is the second of the two difficult cracks at the Brain (the harder ones are seams), was undone probably because it is so crappy looking. When I heard Kenn Kenaga hadn’t tried it yet, I knew I had to do it. The trick was to stay off the edges to the left, make it a crack problem. It is pretty painful to start--you have to swing your hips in to the right and stick a hand jam way back in the crack. Then move your feet up, get another jam, pull off the corner at the lip, and push a fist way into the back of the crack, get your feet up and it is done. I worked it close to 20 times before getting it. And it is so hard but unspectacular that it needed a name to lampoon the whole institution of naming a climb, especially when it is shitty and hurts. Keeping with the ‘brain’ theme at the Brain, ‘Shit for Brains’ seemed appropriate.” --Rob Stauder
13. Double Crack. V0-. Double crack system on the left side of the north face. Start on block.
14. Cerebral Cleavage. 5.9. Sit down start.

Mosquito Boulder
15. Gagging on a Mosquito. V0. Move up the left side of the south face, just to the right of the arete. Holds on problem #53 are off, and jugs on top are off. Top out. A few days after the Choking on Toothpaste FA, Brad Singer and I were at The Brain, another area at Snow Valley, and I was showing him a new clump of boulders I had been cleaning and working between the Brain and the road. There was a sweet little 5.10c/d arete I was working on. I cleaned it. Brad got it 5th or 6th try. I was on my 5th or 6th try, pulled the mantel and, gasping for air, swallowed a mosquito. I coughed like hell for quite a while, almost but not quite puking. The climb is now known as Gagging on a Mosquito.
16. Mosquito Bait. 5.9. On the right side of the southeast face, start with hands matched on lowest flake, move up to jugs, stay direct, top out. Keepin’ with the theme.

Ant Farm Boulder (another reference to Snow Valley ants…what a surprise)
17. The Ant Farm. V0+. Left side of the slightly overhanging south face. Start with hands matched in low horizontal incut, move up to crimpers, stay direct, mantel over top.

Tree’d Boulder
18. Tree’d. 5.8 X. On the south face just left of the tree, start with hands matched in horizontal crack under small roof, move up over bulge, stay direct, top out.

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