Christmas Break - Calvin and Hobbes

For all those of you who follow my blog or Stumble Upon it: all the best whishes and a merry christmas with my all-time-favourites comic.

p.s the second comic is a slightly altered version I found during 'stumbling' through the web.

Red Bull Urban Bloc - Anna Stoehr (by Rainer Eder)

Check out the fine pictures taken during the Red Bull Urban Bloc, held in the end of october 2009. Amongst others Anna Stoehr was present and together with Rainer Eder (the photographer) and Franz Widmer (a local climber) they roamed Zürich for climable objects.

The contest was more of a photo- than bouldering contest, so the best photo's would win.

Go here for more pictures, and there good !

(source: anna-stoehr.at)

Simon's Cat - Snow Business part 1

Unfortunately I wasn't able to put an embedded file here. Don't know why but I'll try to fix that.
Njoy !! for I did certainly.

Calvin and Hobbes - Christmas Loot Reprise

Because last year the resolution turned out to be less than hopeless, this year the full picture of the best Christmas comics of Calvin and Hobbes; as a teaser of the christmas comics...

Simon's Cat - Snow Business Part1

Sorry, I couldn't get the film embedded here. I'll try again soon !!

Louder Than 11 presents "Colorado Glow" - boulder movie

Click the picture to watch the movie.

(source: revolutioniclimbing.com)

Chris Sharma Neanderthal - part 2

Is there some controversy about the route and grading of Neantherthal??
Bjorn Pohl reports:

I just had a chat with David Graham, who's snowed in with Jon Cardwell in Cataluña. He said they were all kinda laughing at the Neanderthal reports because they're all so off regarding the route.

"The route is like a 9a (more or less) which is comprised of something like four 7C blocs on a row, very resitant, on pinches and kinda crack like features. There are some holds to shake on in between the last 7C and the crux which is this dyno. The dyno is a move from a crimp and a two finger pocket to a sloper brick. Then there is a jug after a couple more moves. The boulder must be 8A minimum.
Then there is a small rest, a small boulder, maybe 3 moves, not so hard, then a big rest. Then it is a maybe 8a+/8b route to the end of the cave, out another little bulge.
Thus the route is something like a 9a, to a 8A bloc, to a big rest, which makes solid 9a+ or easy 9b? Then about 8a+/8b route outro climb after a big rest in a break.
This is Neanderthal."

To be continued or not? I'll keep U posted.

Chris Sharma sets another possible 9b in Santa Linya

(picture by Joe Kind)

After adding Papichulo 9Aa+ to Oliana, Demenica Senil 9a to Margalef and Golpe de Estado, a possible 8b to Siurana, Chris Sharma has now freed another testpiece for the world elite. Neantherthal stands a 9b and is located at the wildly steep Santa Linya cave in Spain.

Read more here.

(source: planetmountain.com)

Less impressive climbing skills

hmpfrr, a dry wit to the max.

(source: xkcd.com)

A guide to understanding flow charts, in flow chart form

eh-eh, I luuuve this kind of humour.

(source: xkcd.com)

Climate Change?? - Economical Energy !!

In the hausse of news about the climate change, and weather global warming is true of false, one forgets that men (in the sense of the inhabitants of the earth f/m) are capable of huge changes and feats that have impact way beyond our imagination. But on the other hand many, far more catastrophic changes have taken place during the earth's history.

I think it's true that men consume much more than we should, and in that sense we change the 'world'. But to say we can change the climate and make a shift in the global system is much more 'credit' than men should get.

So all in all we should focus on consuming less, including energy. Contrary to the filosophy of Cradle2Cradle where the focus lies on 'consume more' if the equation waste=energy is true.
It's the way of living we should worry about (consuming, production, waste, environmental health) not the amount of CO2 or the global warming that certainly could originate by the earht's system itself.

Anyway, enough of my thoughts and it's time to activate. Check the site of GE (yes.... they company who invest in energy from coal and gas, but also in renewable sources) where you can set your own wind of solarenergy system in motion. Augmented reality plugged into the smartgrid of ecomagination. Above picture is me blowin into the mic of my laptop showing a part of the print I am holding and the 3D picture that my webcam constructed. Nice eh !!

Check this link, download the solar panel marker and get started !!

Sports Center Paris - Mulifunctional vs Monotonic

Designed by Paris-based KOZ Architects, and coexisting with several older educational buildings and a residential development, the 1,600 square-meter facility is unexpected and bold in its riotous use of colors both inside and out.

The funhouse by KOZ has turned into a favorite of kids, parents and teachers, as the facility was planned and its wild colors used in specific ways that fosters the intended functions -- play and sports – and not just to shock or delight.

Joining cube-shaped, basic concrete structures with an overlay and creating a sports court on top of the building have not only increased the building’s usability and maximized the use of the site, but also accommodated the complex’s surprisingly easy fit into the site. A monolithic, monotonic approach would have created a mass much more imposing and seemingly unfriendly than the varying-height structure with its pixelated glass facade that now draws children in through color and an abundance of natural light.

Comic - Climate Summit Copenhagen 2009

The Dutch comic figure 'Sigmund' by Peter de Wit posted 'his' opinion about the Climate Summit in Copenhagen. I freely translated the original Dutch text and I hope the sarcasm still prevails...

Tim Burton on the mov(i)e again - Interview and news

At the end of November, the Museum of Modern Art in New York mounted an exhibit of the sketches, paintings, storyboards, props, cartoons, and puppets created by director Tim Burton. Wired.com chatted with Burton about the birth of Edward Scissorhands, the rise of 3-D, and anthropomorphic coffee pots, look here for the interview.

The above picture comes from the set of 'a bride corpse' (2005) a brilliant puppet stop-motion film. Set in Victorian England, the story of Corpse Bride begins with an arranged marriage between recently bankrupt Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson) and Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp). Put together by their parents, the two find that they really are attracted to each other and are more than happy for the wedding to go ahead. But when Victor makes a hash of the rehearsal he is sent away to practice his vows.
Whilst walking in the forest he places the bride's ring on the tree that resembles a hand only to discover it is, in fact, a real hand that grabs him, and up comes Emily (Helena Bonham Carter) who declares Victor her husband and takes him down to the land of the dead to celebrate

And even more for those of you who are Burton-adepts:
Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp will team for a feature film version of the classic 1960s soap opera "Dark Shadows." the film will shoot in the fall, with Depp set to play the vampire Barnabas Collins, according to producer Graham King.

"We're actually going to shoot that film next September/October with Tim Burton and Johnny," King confirmed in an interview Friday in Los Angeles. To guarantee a fall release, King is already prepping production with screenwriters. "We've been working on the script a lot, even though he's working on 'Alice,'" King said. "We've been given a script. John August wrote the first screenplay. We're making some changes, but the film's going to be in production ..."

From 1966 to 1971, "Dark Shadows" was a daytime gothic soap opera on ABC, featuring Jonathan Frid as Collins. NBC attempted a prime-time series reboot in 1991 that stared Ben Cross.

(source: wired.com, denofgeek.com & rabbiddoll.com)

The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody

This is truely amazing. I love, no worship the Muppets, but this is truely awesome. A parody on the opera-like song Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen, but now 'for something completely different'. Watch in wonder.

Liu Bollin - The Invisible man in Bodypaint

I stumbled upon this a while ago. Brilliant art work with the combination of bodypaint, camouflage and trompe l'oeil. Especially the last picture took me a while to spot the man. Stunning !

(source: stumbleupon.com)

Footage of James Kassay repeating Sleepy Rave (Font 8C) - Australia

James Kassay has repeated Sleepy Rave (Font 8C) in the Hollow Mountain cave, Grampians, Australia.

The endurance boulder problem links three Font 8A+ problems together and is part of the very famous boulder problem The Wheel of Life (Font 8C+). If James links the Font 7C problem of X-Treme Cool to the start of Sleepy Rave, he will get the ultra-coveted tick of The Wheel of Life.

Click the picture to see the footage.

Chris Sharma new redpoint - "Sistema Analogico" hard 9a

Daila Ojeda is posting again... It took a while after her trip to Bishop USA. The PETZL team meating in Siurana gave Chris and Daila a boost to dig some hard routes in their favourite cave Sta Linya. Chis managed to redpoint "Sistema Analogico" hard 9a and Daila send "Deja vu" (Finestra)7c+ onsight!

Chris's ascent has been filmed by Mike Call for momentumvm.com and will be awaited shortly. Keep U posted.

(source: Daila Ojeda blog)

Huber brothers repeat "Eternal Flame" (FA by Güllich/Albert '89)

During a four day period of good weather between 11th and 14th of August, Alexander and Thomas Huber managed the first RP ascent of the »Eternal Flame«, a legacy of the legendary German climbing team Güllich/ Albert from 1989.

This route runs with an impressive line through the South Buttress of Nameless Tower (6251m) amidst the Granite Mountains of Trango Group in the Karakoram. Its first ascenders could climb large parts of the route free. However, four pitches proved too difficult to complete the RP ascent. Climbing difficulties up to 5.12a at 6000 metres was a true pioneering achievement back then.

In the years that followed, climbers from all over the world tried to ‚free’ the »Eternal Flame«. In 2003, Denis Burdet from Switzerland free climbed two of the four aid pitches, with difficulties up to 5.13a. In 2005, Spanish climber Iker Pou found a possible solution to the problem of the 10th pitch: he discovered a variation to the right of the bolt ladders, but unfortunately, bad weather conditions prevented him from redpointing that pitch.

This summer, Thomas and Alexander Huber were so fortunate to have both, perfect conditions on the wall as well as a perfectly timed patch of good weather, which enabled them to make the first free ascent.

After they had investigated the first four pitches of the route and discovered a variation to the second pitch’s pendulum, the Huber brothers had to wait a few days for better weather conditions. Within four days they managed to redpoint the 24 pitches back to back – with difficulties up to 5.13a at an altitude of 6000 meters!

„I take my hat off to the achievement and free climbing instinct of the first ascenders. This route is a true enrichment for mountaineering“, says Alexander Huber. „With »Eternal Flame« Kurt Albert and Wolfgang Güllich have passed on the best and most beautiful free climb on the globe. We are thrilled that we could play a little part in developing this route!“

Read more here

Conversation Qualities - Dilbert

Sorry for the long absence but the flu hit hard at our home :P

(source: Dilbert.com)

Rocklike Outdoor Speakers - Rockustics

Sturdy Econo Speakers Rock Your Knoll, Blast Your Neighbors
Finally, the perfect set of speakers to crank up Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock." The Pavoroccis are backyard boomers that will satisfy all your hard rock and metal cravings, and anything else you throw at them. Despite a campy appearance, these are some sophisticated outdoor speakers, with a clean, well-balanced and sharp sound. On the Beastie Boys' "Pass the Mic," they produced some spooky-cool imaging during the synth solo, and the tight, earth-shaking bass toppled several gnomes on our patio. Rockustics speakers are in play at high-profile places like the White House and Sea World — if they're good enough for Dubya and Shamu, they should work for you.

WIRED Speakers designed like rocks. Place them in the garden, and crank up the Led Zep and drive out those meddling gophers. Cabinets constructed of 90 percent recycled products.

TIRED What happens when the dog discovers these are perfect leg-lift height? Pricey. No indoor option with these speakers, unless you happen to live in a cave.

Electronics: Outdoor Speakers
Manufacturer: Rockustics
Price: $780, duh....for the seriously demented

(source: wired.com)

Bouldering the Dolphin - some Highball stuff on Video

The Dolphin from Garrett Gregor on Vimeo.

Ekaitz Maiz has made the first ascent of Basapiztien eremua 9a at Etxauri, Spain.

Basque climber Ekaitz Maiz has bolted and freed a new mega route at Etxauri, "Basapiztien eremua" on the north face of the Kantero. The route is a massive 90m long and is the 29 year old local has graded it 9a.Although Etxauri isn't one of Spain's most famous crags, perhaps it should be. As many will remember, the cliff made headline news at the end of 2007 when Patxi Usobiaga climbed into history with the first ascent and contemporaneously world's first 8c+ on-sight, Bizi euskara. The route was later repeated and the grade confirmed by Iban Larrion.Maiz explains briefly why the crag is so special: "Etxauri is a climbing area in Spain's Basque Country, circa 15 km to the west of Iruña (Pamplona). The crag counts some 800 routes and the imestone is of excellent quality. There is much climbing tradition and classic and sport routes coexist. The climbing is mainly technical and crimpy, but there are routes of all styles . The best time of year to visit Etxauri is in autumn and winter, although due to the sectors facing different directions we can climb all year round."

Click on the picture for footage of the route.

(source: planetmountain)

Bouldering in Arkansas - by Jimmy Webb

Check this out.Found two videos from Jimmy Webb from bouldering action at the Ozarks, Arkansas. The most cool and notable footage is about the possible 2nd ascent of Chris Sharma's 'The Zone' possible somewhat at the grade 8B.

Part 2 of bouldering in Arkansas

Comic Daylight Saving Time - Dirkjan Humour

I love it, this kind of humour !

Nina Capres - Trailer Video Tuzgle

Nina Capres on a month long roadtrip in Argentina with Mickael Fuselier, Julien Nadiras, Nina Caprez. Lots of highballs, stunning landscape and loads of fun. A pure bouldering teaser made by ABK. Click picture to start the trailer.

(source: ninacaprez.ch)

Dilbert - Unproductive time

Hello world. Goodmorning Monday.

Adam Ondra bouldering at Melloblocco 2009 - Airbag

Click the pic to start the video. Funky moves and the crashpad must be the (in)famous airbag...

The Power of Jam / Video from the roadtrip of Nicolas Favrese and Sean Villanueva

Nico Favresse and Seán Villanueva spent four months in fall 2008 traveling western North America (the pair are from Belgium) with their climbing gear, a mandolin, a tin whistle and a penchant for hitchhiking. From Squamish to the Bugaboos to Yosemite to Indian Creek they did bold repeats, set new routes and played many a jam session along the way. Click the pic to check out the film about their trip.

(source weblog of Nicolas Favresse)

Berni Schwaiger - Anam Cara 8C (Silvretta)

Berni Schwaiger bouldering in the beautifull Silvretta (Austria) region. A short (duh) boulder route at 8C level with pretty small holds making body tension a must. Watch in awe (click picture to start the movie).

(source: climb-up.com)

Gunshow Boulder Venue Colorado

I found this video with footage on the net at Routesetter.com
Lot's of action and the familiar buzz of a boulder contest. Note the fabulous 'rock structure' of the boulderwall and the yeah! mantle moves you can make on them. Real Bleau-like. Love it.

By the way click on the Vimeo Link in the top righthand corner of my blog. To give it the full size left click with the mouse and select 'full screen'. Njoy !!

Frankenjura Climbing Update - Ondra / Bock / Seeger

Frankenjura climbing updates: Markus Bock, Sarah Seeger and Adam Ondra
Sarah Seeger climbs Steinbock 8c in the Frankenjura, Markus Bock creates his hardest to date, The Man That Follows Hell 9a+, while Adam Ondra makes swift work of two other testpieces in Germany's premier climbing area.

A crisp autumn has facilitated important ascents in Germany's Frankenjura. Sarah Seeger kicked off the high-end action on Saturday 3 October with her redpoint of Steinbock, a steeply overhanging 22 move 8c at the Orakel first ascended by Markus Bock in August 2008. After redpointing Ronin (10+/11-) earlier this year, Steinbock is now Seeger's hardest route to date and contemporaneously is also the hardest route climbed by a woman in the Frankenjura.A day after Seeger's success Markus Bock experienced "one of the happiest moments" in his climbing career when he freed The Man That Follows Hell at the aptly named Grüne Hölle. Bock's latest effort is in fact an old project originally bolted by Milan Sykora (thge man who envisioned the line of Action Directe) and a direct start to the existing Kawaschuwu (8c+). The straightened out version weighs in at 9a+ and the 30 year old described it as follows for the German climbing magazine Klettern: "16 moves - exactly as many as Action Directe 9a - with comparable climbing and steepness - yet the individual moves are significantly harder." Bock stuck the crux on his seventh try on 4 October of what is now, together with his 2006 testpiece Corona, the Frankenjura's hardest route.Talking about Kawaschuwu - last weekend Adam Ondra repeated this route third go, a day after redpointing Pantera (9a) which he had first attempted in June. Ondra needed 4 days to climb this nth Bock creation, a record for the young Czech climber who no doubt will have "Follows Hell" high on his agenda.

(source: planetmountain.com)

Sigmund Cartoon - Monday Philosophy

(source: sigmund.nl)

Frank Bogerman and friends in Rocklands South Africa

I found this footage on the site of Sloper. Click the picture to watch the video.

(source: sloper.climbing.nl)

National Geographic captures Big Sequoia

National Geographic sent Nichols to spend an entire year in California's redwood forest. His mission was to capture the majesty of some of the tallest trees on Earth, some of which date back before Christ. And if you've ever photographed in a forest, you'll understand the challenge this presented. There's no capturing the awe one feels before these monoliths that measure, in some cases, upward of 300 feet.

The making of the above picture, which is composed of no less than 83 images, took the team three weeks and an assortment of climbing gear worthy of climbing a big wall. In a recent lecture at National Geographic in Washington, D.C., Nichols described his frustrations. Eventually, though, he devised a way to do redwoods justice. It involved three cameras, a team of scientists, a robotic dolly, a gyroscope, an 83-photo composite and a lot of patience. Check the short movie about the making (click picture below).

(source: unclesomebody.com)

Totem Pole Tasmania climbed free

All individual pitches of the original climb up the Totem Pole in Tasmania, Australia, were freed in January by Doug McConnell and Dean Rollins.
News from downunder sometimes takes time to sicker through: in mid-Janaury the original route up one of Australia's most iconic rock pillars, the Totem Pole on the SE coast of Tasmania, was finally climbed free by Doug McConnell and Dean Rollins. In a massive nine-month effort the two local climbers freed all the pitches of the first route up this remote sea-stack, established with the use of aid by John Ewbank and Allan Keller in 1968. The three pitch outing now goes free at grade 27, circa French 7c, and the two climbers were the first to point out that their style can still be greatly improved upon: they had freed the individual pitchs on seperate days and pitches two and three were split by a hanging belay. Those aspiring to climbing the line in a single push should be aware that the route takes fiddly trad, is run-out and solid for its grade.

(source: planetmountain.com)

Kilian Fischhuber flies Airstar Fb 8B

Rocklands bouldering, In August 2009 Kilian Fischhuber from Austria freed Airstar Fb8b, a long-standing problem at Rocklands, South Africa.
What do you get if you stack two of the best boulders in Rocklands, one of top of the other? The answer is Airstar, the Fb8b problem first ascended by Kilian Fischhuber this summer in South Africa's bouldering hotspot. Airstar was an old project. Klem Loskot, Fred Nicole, Bernd Zangerl and many others had tried it. This year when I returned to Rocklands Nalle Hukkataival told me about it, and both he and Kevin Jorgeson tried it a bit (see here for more).

(source: planetmountain.com)

Simon's Cat - Cartoon and Animation (NEW)

Because it was World Animal Day (we should treat animals like it every day) last sunday here a hilarious and very cool animation about cat habits. In this case what cat's do when (trying) to catch a fly.... Love it ! Click the picture to start the animation.

(source: Marianne (thanx!) and simonscat.com)

Jason Kehl Routesetting at Mammut Boulder Games 2009

Niii-ce video by Jason Kehl and Abbey Smith about the routesetting activities with Joel Zerr and Bret Johnston. Note his funky hairdo and the cool ladder they use for placing the high holds.The fun begins at the moment they start forerunning the routes and after that the tries from the competitors at real competition. Njoy !

(source: revolution.com)

Chris Sharma Climbing with Jibé Tribout

This footags has been shot a while ago, but since Chris Sharma is giving a lecture coming saturday at our famous dutch boulder institute MONK (Netherlands) it's a warming up for the spectacular pics and stories held in store for us.

Chris Sharma and Jibé Tribout climb some crazy sport routes. JB is 45 something years old and still rollin'. Chris says that he was inspired by JB in his early climbing days and hopes he will be climbing as hard (or much harder?!) as him when he reaches that age.
Click the picture for a short movie about Chris trying and JB climbing Draconian Devil (8B+) on the Greek island Kalymnos.

90 Grad - A movie about Urban Climbing

A poetic climbing movie made by Ties Linders during his stay in Zürich, Switserland. An unorthodox view of urban climbing. Quite refreshing if you want something different from the all omnipresent and often overwhelming rock climbing- or bouldering movies.

As the title says, '90 grad' changes your view about the city and tilts your point of view as well.

Check this link to view the movie.

(source: monkbouldergym.nl)

Boulderblok Rotterdam - Topo met Pocketroutes

Yep, Bart van Raaij zit niet stil. Als 't ie niet met Arnold Pipel bezig is om het blad BLOK vorm te geven, dan is het wel om nieuwe routes te bedenken en openen op het fraaie boulderblok in het Zuiderpark, Rotterdam. In dit geval allemaal routes op pockets. Check deze link voor een geupdate topo.

(bron: www.bladoverklimmen.nl)

Pixar Animation Budweiser - Wassup (Old but Gold)

Old but Gold. Still a funny ad to watch.

(source: youtube.com)

Lounge with Ondra

As if it's nothing, Adam Ondra lounges through Aloha (9A) after his siege at the World Cup in Puurs, Belgium. The route was done first by Julius Westphal, of which FA is this video.

'Amai', as the Belgian tend to say, or: 'Een fraai stukske klauteren' (translation: a wicked piece of scrambling, it is, isn't it?) :P

(source: kairn.com)

Rock Climbing Gear vs Photograpy Gear

This black & white image was part of a photography article in Climbing Magazine. The visual pun is pretty subtle, and you'll need a good working knowledge of the history of rock climbing to think it's actually clever.

(source:littleboingmarks.com)