I’m full of red wine and turkey, so there is no need for me to ramble on and on about this fun-filled day. Instead, just enjoy these photos!
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Vikki
Christmas Fleur
Santa!!
Homestylin' Breakfast
Merry Christmas Stacers
Logan on his throne
Crazy Maggie
The Little Ones
Mama and Papa Weldon
Noodley Legs Mikey
Barkin' Up the Right Tree
Mike, Dad and Stacey
Skating Tradition carried on!
Soggy Squamish in September. Dang. It was sticky. And it may be again very soon. But this weekend, soggy was the correct word.
Ryan and I headed up yesterday afternoon for a session in the Grand Wall boulders. The humidity hung low in the air and rock felt far from perfect. But the forest was empty, and we were happy to be touching some stone. We picked up our friend, Mike Foley, who is going to school at Quest University, and headed into the boulders.
Ryan and Mike both made fairly quick sends of the impressive and slightly nerve-wracking Physics Hyperbole (V9).
Ryan scrunching it up on Physics Hyperbole V9
Mike Foley cruising Physics Hyperbole V9
We then made our way over to the mammoth Cacodemon boulder and I hopped on No Troublems (V9? V10?) and was able to do all the moves! Progress! Hopefully a few more days of effort and I’ll nab this one.It’s a powerful problem and I feel that each move is at my max right now, but that’s how projects feel at the beginning. Soon enough, the rain began in full strength. Holds became mangy ([main-gee] a new ‘merican word I learned from Foley!), my arms became noodley, and I packed up to watch the boys project Dreamcatcher (5.14d).
Foley making his way to the pin-scar section
New view of the beautiful Dreamcatcher 5.14d
Both made some solid links! All in all, it was a fun day! We rounded it off with a great sushi dinner. Yum 
Grand Wall Forest just before the rain
The past few weeks have exhibited both an extreme high and low for climbers; the girls in particular. Angie Payne proved herself as one of, if not the, strongest female boulderer in the world today by completing the Automator (an established V13) at RMNP in Colorado. Angie is on a rampage this season after coming back from a year long hiatus due to an ankle injury. She’s a a champ on the stone and a true inspiration to me.
The climbing world also suffered a severe loss with the death of Belgium climber Chloe Graftiaux earlier this month. Chloe won the Vail World Cup this year and was ranked 3rd in the Boulder World Cup series this season. It was an untimely and unfair death and my condolences go out to her family and friends around the world.
I feel that these two events have shown us the highs and lows that the sport of climbing has to offer. We can work hard and achieve what has never been done before, and we can also suffer the consequences of a dangerous sport. Now I know that Angie was bouldering and Chloe was alpine climbing, and both offer different dangers and challenges, but there is a common thread of success and consequence in all forms of climbing.
These two events, as well as my own experience in the past week has ignited a little flame in my soul.
This past Tuesday I headed out to Squamish with my boyfriend Ryan for an evening bouldering session. The goal for Ryan was to complete an absolutely beautiful and asthetic V10 called Hydra in the North Wall boulders (a problem that I cannot do a single move on..sigh), and for me to continue to work on Worm World Low. Ryan made progress on the problem (and sent it quickly on Saturday when we went again. The photos below are from Saturday).
Ryan crushing Hydra V10, The North Walls
Hydra V10
"Sasha l'avion!"
It ended up being dark when we walked into the Grand Wall boulders to World World. As I walked in I was completely devoid of enthusiasm. I’ve been working this problem all summer and am completely stumped at one move every single time. It’s frustrating. Instead of approaching the problem with a clear mind and psyche, I was already anticipating the frustration and failure. I was not appreciating the cool night air or the wonderful person by my side, and the fact that I was engaging in the sport I love most. Nope. It was a grumpy girl brushing the problem and pulling on her shoes that night.
As I worked the powerful sloper moves on the bottom of the problem, I felt my right wrist was weak. Usually I tape my wrist for these moves to help support it, but alas, no tape in my bag that day. I managed to do the crux move from a lower down move (I won’t slay you with details on the problem), something I had not managed to do before. Instead of feeling excited with the progression, I was indifferent. The next moment, I was trying the same move and felt an intense pain in my wrist. Busted. I could barely open my hand and could not hold on to any holds. The day was over and I immediately fell into a depressive state.
I’m no stranger to injuries. Just this spring I injured my shoulder and am still recovering from that. As a youth climber I suffered serious finger injuries, and I still feel the lingering effects from those as well. It sucks. Simple as that. Injuries are a pain in the ass. Yet they also come with the sport.
The next few days I was overcome with regret. My wrist ached constantly and all I wanted to do was go back out and climb. It’s funny how you don’t appreciate something until you’ve lost it (cliche alert!). I went back out to Squamish this past Saturday to watch Ryan kill it on The Hydra and to watch him session a crazy hard testpiece called The Squaminator (V12), also in the North Walls. Awesome to watch people crank, not so awesome to be sitting with your ass on the ground and your shoes in the car.
But the next day. A sliver of hope! I taped my wrist up like a mummy and tentatively climbed a few moderates. Not completely pain free, but definitely not as bad as I thought. After not even a week on the ground I felt rejuvinated. It was so good to just climb. I was with amazing people (Thomasina Pidgeon as well as her little girl, Cedar) who inspire me and make me happy. It was fun. Plain and simple fun. The way it should be.
Thomasina hanging out at Paradise Valley
Cedar brushing holds just like her mama!
Rock Lady Boulder, Paradise Valley
Crushing at the Rock Lady Boulder, Paradise Valley
So I just wanted to share with you all the lesson I have learned and hope to keep learning. Appreciate the ability to be able to do what we love. Push yourself to new heights and keep in mind the consequences our endeavours can have. Angie Payne and Thomasina Pidgeon are my heroes. Chloe Graftiaux was a soul lost to us too early. Climbing takes you to heaven and hell and back again. Enjoy the beauty, push yourselves, be healthy and be aware.
This past weekend I spent both days under the shadow of the Chief in Squamish. I haven’t bouldered in Squamish for a few months, and to be honest, I hadn’t been that psyched to spend that much time there this summer. I was tired of the same old problems and areas. But this weekend, I headed out with a group of psyched climbers, keen on finding some different boulders. With the help of the new Squamish Bouldering guidebook authored by Marc Bourdon, which contains tons of new problems, we had an amazing weekend!
I tried a ton of new problems, and rediscovered my love of the Squamish boulders.
I also began to work on a beautiful and often climbed V10 at the Grand Wall Boulders called Worm World Low. I have done the stand start, which is a soft V9, and had dabbled on the low start a few times last summer. I have never put a huge effort into a boulder problem. I most often focus on sport routes in the summer. Last summer I put my heart and soul into Division Bell, up at Chek. Yet this summer, I’ve been bouldering alot and I think it would be amazing to try something hard and to put a lot of effort into it. Worm World Low is perfect, because all the hard moves are made with your left arm, which saves my still recovering right shoulder. So I’ve made it my goal to try Worm World Low and just see what happens.
Also, lately the girls have been KILLING IT in the boulder fields. Thomasina Pidgeon recently climbed The Summoning Sit, a sick V12 at the Murrin boulders near Squamish. Angie Payne just sent No More Greener Grasses, a stiff V12 at Mount Evans. Alex Puccio also recently sent Centaur, V12, and flashed a V10 called Fireball. It’s just amazing to see such power and strength come from these dedicated climbers, and I know they are all capable of pushing the boundaries of female bouldering. I’m inspired and psyched and I want to climb as hard as them. One step at a time!
Here are a few pics from the weekend.
Ryan working Stalling Tim, V10
Jamie running a lap on Killing Me Softly, V6
Enjoying Prime Time Sit, V5, at the Murrin boulders
Ryan Chilling with the Chief
FREE RANGE TURKEY_dispatch #7 from camp4 collective on Vimeo.
Finally, I recently came across this short video clip of Yuji Hirayama, one of the most impressive rock climbers in the world. I say impressive, because not only is he a talented and intelligent climber, with the capability to onsight 5.14 routes, he is also one of the most positive and happiest people. This video showcases this attitude and I was so inspired by Yuji’s philosophy. So check it out, feel the psych, and go climb some rock!
Howdy. Here are a few fun climbing snaps from a weekend trip to Pemberton Ryan and I took a few weeks ago. It was perfect weather and we both had a great time, climbing on the classics of the area.
Into the Light is a beautiful problem and according to Ryan, “probably the best boulder problem in B.C.” Phew! What a claim! It sure was fantastic though.
We were also lucky enough to bump into a friend from Squamish who gave us the low down in a beautiful little gem hidden beside a waterfall. It felt like we were in a fantasy world, hiding in the little alcove right next to a raging waterfall. Such a trip.
Well, that’s all for now. I just hope you enjoy these photos.
Side note: Stacey (my big sis!) finished an impressive 24th place in her first open bouldering world cup in Vail, CO this weekend. Ryan also competed and finished an equally impressive 26th place. One fall from making semi-finals. Balls! Next time! Sean McColl finished 16th, falling out of the final 6 after the semi-final round. I’m sure the big guy ain’t too happy, but hell, he has a whole summer of Euro fun to make up for it. Have a wonderful trip!
Until next time,
xoxo
Morning Blossoms
Olson climbing "Into the Light" Classic!
Into the Light once again
Brushin off 'em rocks
Dazed and confused on "White Bread Lover"
Into the Light. Step 1
Step 2!
Gushing Waterfall. Classic Unnamed
This past weekend was the Western Tour de Bloc Regionals!
Cliffside Climbing Gym in Kamloops, BC held the Open qualifiers, combined with a fun comp for youth and adults. This was the first competition held in Kamloops since I was a youngster, and I must say that Simon and Sabrina (the owners) did a pretty darn good job!
Beyond the Crux (Kelowna, BC) held a CEC sanctioned youth comp and citizen’s comp in the morning and put on a spectacular show for finals in the evening. With a bit of a nagging shoulder problem right now, I opted to keep two feet on the ground and watch my friends crush this weekend.
Finals at the Crux were incredible! Mike and April Shannon are the masters of fun, and they showed their true colours this weekend. Problem #3 (aka ‘The Shark Pit’) for both men and women was the showcase of the evening, with a massive blown up shark and pirhana with laser beams attached to their heads providing some motivation for climbers to stay on the wall. A big swing also started the climbers off. It was some good ol’ fashioned fun climbers and spectators alike. I have to say that whenever there is a comp in K-town, you are guaranteed a riot of a time!
The night ended with a suprise kidnapping of Gary Foster, the lucky unsuspecting birthday boy, who ended up with his hand and feet hog tied and a pillow case taped unnecessarily tight over his eyes. The kidnappers brought Gary to Mike and April’s house where his girlfriend, Karly, his parents and his friends were all waiting. It was a grand night, with a bonfire, Mike Shannon’s infamous ‘salty pork’ and tractor barrel racing.
Although I didn’t compete this weekend, I still had a fantastic time. I was also motivated to get over my injury and start climbing harder than ever!
Here are the results from the comp this weekend. Ryan came 3rd!!
Women’s Open
1. Tiffany Melius
2. Amanda Berezowski
3. Audrey Sniezek
4. Clarrie Lam
5. Elise Sethna
6. Sarah Austin
7. Maria Celkova
8. Regan Kennedy
Men’s Open
1. Sean McColl
2. Terry Paholek
3. Ryan Olson
4. Miles Adamson
5. Josh Muller
6. Jamie Chong
7. Pat Valade
8. Nate Woods
Enjoy some pics! They’re not in order and totally random, but they’re colorful and show the fun!
Tiffany at the TDB qualifiers in Kamloops
Amanda B.
Alison S-P.
Nate W.
Nate W.
Maria C.
Josh M.
Does he do it?
Jamie C.
Alex 'Dirty Q-tip' Q.
Ryan O.
Ben M.
Clarrie and Gary, the unsuspecting birthday boy
Big Ben
Little Ben
Medium sized Ben
Leo
Tim
Little Thomas making big moves
Selena
Thomas
Some green wall fun
Ben F.
Selena
Kyle
Sean M. looking a little shaky on problem #2 
PHOTO: Ryan Olson
Josh M. reliving a childhood moment on problem #3. PHOTO: Ryan Olson
Ryan and I returned from Bishop, CA yesterday morning, exhausted but refreshed. Vancouver is a beautiful city and I love it to bits, but the winter rains definitely take their toll on the souls. A week of pebble wrestling in the sun drenched desert lifted my spirits and brought a smile to my face.
February is a fantastic month. For us Canadians it means Reading Week, a break from exams and studying. With the 2010 Winter Olympics being in Vancouver this year, students were given an additional week off. So it was no surprise that when we rolled in Bishop, The Pit was chock full of those maple syrup addicted Canucks. Among my favourite polar bear loving friends: Jamie Chong, Sean McColl, Laura C-H, Josh and Luke Muller (only got to see these wacky bros for a day due to an unforunate ankle roller off of Saigon Direct), Alex Quiring and girlfriend Megan, Dan Gainer, my wacky little bro Mike Weldon, Will Stanhope, Jeremy Blumel, Mandoline Masse-Clark, and the list goes on! Needless to say it was an amazing week.
I came to Bishop with little expectations for myself. My shoulder has felt tweaked for a few weeks, and so I wasn’t ready to push myself at the harder classics that Bishop has to offer. Yet I was able to send a few classics that I was proud of, including the most beautiful V8 I have ever been privileged to climb: Checkerboard.
Highballs intrigue me, they make my heart go boom, and I am ever impressed by the immense mental strength it takes to climb them. My first boulder at Bishop was the Grandma Peabody. Not a difficult feat, but nonetheless it was an incredible experience.
So there you go. Checkerboard, Grandma Peabody. Do ‘em, love ‘em, climb some more of ‘em!
Olson hiking out of the outer Buttermilks
Will taking a morning stroll with wise old Grandma Peabody
"Holy atomic pile Batman! It's Iron MAN!"
Josh Muller flaunts his flapper minutes before a proud send of Evilution to the Lip V10
Mike givin' the Weldon Grrr on Get Carter V7
Laura cruising a hueco-esque traverse
King of the Boulder
Jedi Mind Tricks is dwarfed by the immense Californian landscape. Photo Credit: Ryan Olson
Little Laura munchin on a Bun. Yum Yum Yum
MDub chilling at the Pollen Grains
Big Will Stanhope working The Mandala
Ryan Olson moments before a heartbreaker on The Buttermilker V12. He makes the proud send on the last day of the trip!
Sean working out the massive moves on the impressive Spectre
The Edge crew wiped and chilly after a solid day of Buttermilking
Mr. Chong shows the young guns what's up on Suspended in Silence
Quick little update for you all. Last weekend I took a little road trip out to Kelowna to compete in my first Tour de Bloc competition of the year. Mike and April Shannon own a little gym called Beyond the Crux and every year they put on a fantastic comp. This year wasn’t disappointing with a new wall and a huge turnout. I had only competed once or twice last year and I was determined just to go and have fun. My little bro lives and studies in Kelowna and it was a great opportunity for me to go and see him.
Finals was quite interesting. I got my ass HANDED to me on the first two problems and was sitting waiting to go on #3 with a frown on my face and some regret about entering the comp building up. By some luck, Ryan was sitting next to one his rest between problems, and he just gave me a pat on the back and told me to just have some fun. Next thing I know, on problem 3, I’m dangling from the final hold. Interestingly enough, this was the problem that my little brother both set and judged. Hmmm…no cheating, I swear. Just good sibling intuition!
All in all it was a great comp and I had a ton of fun.
Now back to school!
I leave you all with some film photos that I had tucked away and have scanned for your viewing pleasure. The black and white photos are from a Holga camera. Blurry pics, but fun nonetheless!
Enjoy and peace out.
North Shore Advice
Downtown Vancouver from the North Shore
Sneaky Sneaks
Seawall Fog
Ah to have a home on the sea
Relax, just follow those dreams
What's this? Both sisters smiling? No funny faces? Madness
We made it! My mum and I arrived home on Saturday night, alive and well after approximately 4500km of driving. My mother has proved herself as a real live superhero, which is really cool. We did the drive over 4 days, with half a day spent in and around Moab, Utah.
We arrived in Moab early in the morning, and with the chilly forecast, decided to do a quick hike around the Arches National Park rather than go straight to the Big Bend Boulders. We hiked up to the Delicate Arch, which is astounding, especially since we were the only ones there. It felt good to stretch the legs and breathe in some fresh, silent air.
We had lunch at one of the few open restaurants in Moab, as we found out that a huge portion of the town shuts down in the winter. It’s a cool, trendy looking town though, and I can only imagine that it’s a fantastic place to be in the summer. After lunch, we headed to the Big Bend Boulders. By that time it was getting late and still quite cold (excuses, excuses..) so I opted not to climb, but I still ran around like a chicken with its head chopped off, feeling boulders and staring in awe at some wicked looking lines. I reassured myself that I would be back soon enough as we hopped back in the Gopher.
As we rolled back into Vancouver, I was struck by mixed feelings of sadness and excitement. I was being pulled in two opposite directions, as I wanted so badly to be able to turn the car around and drive straight back to the Red, yet I was eager to return home. Once I got home, it took me 5 minutes to become instantly reattached to my cellphone, 2 minutes to unpack and explode in my room, and 1 minute to pass out on my bed. Not much has changed I suppose.
Me 'n my trusty steed in Moab
Park Avenue, Arches National Park
The Delicate Arch
Mama vs. Rock: Who will win?
My first big roadtrip is now in the past. I had an insane amount of fun, and I really came to appreciate climbing at a higher level than before. My psych is high to train for next summer’s endeavors, and with Vancouver rains and school in January, I’m going to need all the motivation I can get.
“The best climber in the world is the one who’s having the most fun.”
-Alex Lowe
Last Morning in Kentucky.
A Full Moon Filters Through the Fog on my Last Night in Kentucky
Let me just say this. Dorothy and Toto were two lucky SOB’s to have been blown out of Kansas. That state is flat, windy, and brown. Sorry all you Kansians..Kansonians..Kansions?
That’s right, the trip is coming to an end. I left the RRG on the night of December 1st after almost 6 weeks of plain, straight rock climbing. Wanting to make the most of my remaining time there, I climbed 7 out of my last 8 days. Needless to say, by the 7th day I was beating my head uselessly against the rock, but I sure as hell smiled while I did it. My friend, Todd Clark from Alabama, stepped up to the challenge of climbing 4 days on with me. As I had successfully completed my project, Flower Power (5.13b) at the Motherlode, I was keen on trying anything. We ended up going to a different area each day, and I found some amazing gems. For all you Motherloders, Swahili Slang (5.12c) at the Warmup Wall is Stellar (with a capital S). After pulling on steep, pocketed stone for over a month, I was completely out of my element on slab, mantels and technical foot placements. It was brilliant! We also visited the Bob Marley crag and scratched our heads at No Redemption (5.13b), as well as Dogleg (5.12a). It’s been a long time since I’ve had to walk away from a 5.12a. Quite a humbling experience, let me tell you. On my last day, we went to Left Flank, a classic crag that I had not yet visited. Todd and I both worked on the ultra classic Table of Colours (5.13a), a wicked route with a powerful crux. I tried the route 4 times, and eventually had to accept that I was too gassed. It would have been nice to come away with another 5.13, but hey, you can’t always get what you want. In the end, I climbed with amazing people, on quality rock, in a unique part of the world, and for that I am happy.
When I left Lago Linda’s that night, there were 6 people left at the campground. It was an odd feeling to glance at the empty cooking shelter that was chock full of people and laughter just weeks ago. I said goodbye to my friends, Todd, Tim, Ali and Kevin (as they had their eyes glued to UFC while cracking jokes about the connotations of the term “rear naked choke”) and hopped into the Gopher to head to Louisville, KY.
Now, why, may you ask, did I head to Louisville? What could I possibly be doing there? Picking up none other than the World’s Best Mum, Laurie Weldon!! My mother (did I mention that she’s rad, spectacular, and all other things cool?) decided to fly all the way to Kentucky to make the cross country drive back home with me. Now this may be some maniacal scheme to trap me in a car in order to spend time with me, but hey, who am I to complain? I love spending time with my Mum, because she is cool (as aforementioned) and a blast to hang out with. Plus she brought cookies.
That first night we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was odd sleeping in a bed. What was even more odd was that I missed my tent dearly. And the oddest of all; this lady had hundreds of nut cracker soldiers. ‘Tis the season to be nutty I suppose.
Funky town that Jeffersonville, Indiana
Old Bridge Inn Bed and Breakfast, Jeffersonville Indiana
Currently we are in Grand Junction, Colorado. We have been driving for two straight days. Today we drove through Kansas. It was horrible. We’ve already gone through this. Tomorrow we’re going to hit up Moab, Utah for the day. My friend Nick told me about a small but quality bouldering area called Big Bend that I’m eager to check out. Yet a frigid forecast of 32F (around 0C) is in the works, so we’ll see how hardcore I am.
Kansas: This is why people once thought the world was flat
Mama Weldon taking a break from driving for a happy snap
Peace out ya’ll!