New bouldering abounds!

[mydogscout]

Hey Morgan, post info about all this new bouldering you've been finding and sending lately!  Saw the videos on Facebook and couldn't help but post on here to give you and Brad King a shout out, stuff looks sweet man!

[Explore]

Hey there! I've been meaning to get some pics/vids up on here, but just haven't had the time between going out there and climbing and then editing the footage and what not. The editing part has become just as big of a hobby as climbing it seems. Glad you saw Brad and I's work, hopefully it got you a little stoked.

First off, I've heard a hundred times that the potential for new stuff is either non existent or not worth the effort. With that in mind, I must respectfully say to the few who have fed me this horsecrap.... keep your lies to yourself!

Between google earth and my own running around, I have found what I consider megaclassics (mainly boulders, but a few routes as well). I use that term a little loosely, because I realize that everything seems awesome when you're the one who has found it, cleaned it, and sent it. But honestly, the general consensus of our new area (officially dubbed the Labyrinth Boulders) has been really positive. And we've only explored one cluster of around 10 and have already found more problems that what I've done at Quartz. The Labyrinth is in the Wichita's, but off the refuge on private land. The owners are really really awesome about access, but I'm treading on thin ice right now to make sure their enthusiasm and positive take on us climbing and traveling through their property stays on the plus side, so I won't be posting exact directions or anything. That will come once we have really secured our access. Until then, if you'd like to check them out, please let me know and I will gladly take you out there on the understanding that you won't go party it up in these peoples backyard. It would be devastating to lose access to these things.

I'm working on getting the videos up on Vimeo.com right now, but if anyone is interested just add me on facebook and you can check them out there. Morgan McNeill.

I will say this about the Labyrinth though, it is probably the most solid rock, as far as bouldering goes, that I have ever seen, with problems ranging from 15-25 feet in height, everything from incut rails on overhangs to hand sized cracks running up faces with the perfect footholds, and so far the landings have been superb (except for a problem Tember Hursh and Sara Saylor sent a few days ago called "The Helmet of Horror." The landing on that, even with 4 pads, was extremely unnerving, for them and for me having to spot them, lol). Most problems have ranged around the V3 to V5, but there are so many problems still waiting to be tried that there's really no telling how much hard stuff there is. Several high quality V0's and 1's and 2's as well. And for those who need to be scared shitless while they boulder, there are a lot of highball problems on solid stone with great landings. The best part so far? 99% of the topouts have been amazing! None of that climb 15 feet only to be shut down by slick ass sloper holds that aren't even fun to climb on. Nope, apparently all the good top out boulders were thrown into this one, highly concentrated area and then hidden away. But... I'm rambling now. Last thing I'll say is that the approach is super mellow as well, similar to that of Quartz. Let me know if your interested, though I know most are more interested in routes than boulders.

I'll try to post some links to the vimeo stuff once I get it figured out.

[Explore]

Here's the link to the Labyrinth boulders.

http://www.vimeo.com/12067417

[mattking]

Hey Morgan good stuff. It's good to see others putting in effort to maintain the freshness of adventure.  I have a question about the "Gash V7", where is it located?  It looks like it's by the road around the Desperate Reality formation.  If so that problem was put up years ago by Matt Komatsu and I.  Terry knows about as well. The actual problem went up initially like you all start the problem, but then goes streight up and left over the roof using a heel hook out to the left and then exiting the short slab via the horizontal crack. We also went right as well like you guys did.  We called it Lazurus V3.  Correct me if I am wrong.

Best Wishes,

Matt King

[Explore]

Hey Matt, thanks for checkin it out. The Gash boulder is over in the Steak Dinner area, just up the creek bed a ways, and I'm sure it's the same one you are thinking of because there is a great problem that probably rolls in around V3ish that goes up and left with a heel hook just like you said. Brad and I both agreed that it had probably been done, especially with it's close approximation to all the Steak Dinner boulders. Tell me you weren't calling Brad's version (aka The Gash) V3?! If so, either you all were tapping into drunkard or old farmer strength and V6/7 feels like V3 to you, or you are all lying sandbaggers! haha

I'm getting to be a pretty solid V6 to V7 climber these days, not really getting super strong but staying consistent and being able to do most V5's in a few tries, and The Gash is literally one of the hardest things I have ever tried (that actually feels possible with a small gain in strength that is). If you all were indeed calling it V3 then I demand an immediate climb off where we (You, me, Brad, Komatsu, and Terry) shall meet at the Lazurus/Gash boulder and proceed to throw ourselves at it relentlessly until eventually someone climbs it and rates it V-freaking-hard and all losers will end up like Lazurus. I promise this is not some ploy to get everyone out there at one time to boulder. Seriously, that has no bearing on my proposition. We need to do this... for.... scientific purposes! Yeah, it's for science! haha

Any word on the last two problems in the vid? I can't help but think at least Tantalus has been done, but we had no idea what people were calling what, and I would be it goes easier than V5 in the winter when the friction is better. In 90 degree weather with 90% humidity it felt V5ish, can't wait to come back with some better conditions to get a more accurate grade on it. Any one know anything about them?

Anyone have pics or vids of some of their secret areas? I know Terry has like 5 hundred million billion furfillion secret spots here in Oklahoma, surely some others do too!

[Explore]

Here's some stuff we filmed at this Spring's Gathering.

http://vimeo.com/12086760

[Explore]

And here are a few clips of the stuff Andrew and those guys put up down by Pear and Apple. Eating Stars = the scariest problem I've ever done.

http://vimeo.com/12088967

[Explore]

Here's another one of a few problems at Quartz. Not really something new though.

http://vimeo.com/12093485

[Explore]

Here's a vid of a new boulder we found at Quartz. Great climbing on this one!

http://vimeo.com/12133720

[BASE104]

Hey, I recognize all that and it was climbed out in the olden days.

NOT REALLY!! Don't you hate it when you hear that total crap? I can think of a few second first ascents of routes. Maybe three. Three routes that suck.

Cool. Duane has been saying for years that bouldering is the future here. I can't believe how hard people boulder now. And bouldering was super popular all the way back. Stuff is unreal for an old fat bastard to look at.

When I become a rich oil man I will buy the quarry and move in heavy equipment to cut routes. I mean, it is a quarry after all. I will cut boulder problems by custom order.

The rich oil man thing is kind of a moving target. It is always about ten years in the future. Like nuclear fusion.

Keep kicking ass!! And for god's sake, get the young hercules crowd to post here or at least tell us where they hang out so I can live vicariously.

Also, on sandstone and limestone areas, you can probably use a surface geologic map to follow the outcrops around. Terry knows how to do this.

[BASE104]

And the videos are cool. Don't move away or all will be lost.....

And who is the woman? She looks strong.

I wish I could go back in time so bad......

[Explore]

Thanks Base, hope you enjoy them. We're off to Colorado or else I'd say more, but here was our last trip out to the Labyrinth. We went to a new section, and it was pretty much the jackpot. These are only two of the several problems out there. I can't even begin to tell you how many there are, but I will say the rock is solid, porous, and tall. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/12267048

[Explore]

Well, we are back from our adventures in Colorado. Unfortunately we didn't get to climb nearly as much as we thought, and spent most of our time in a gym maintaining what strength we had gained over the past few months, so there's not a lot to report on that end of things. However, it does mean that we will be hitting up the Labyrinth area soon, so anyone who is interested in checking it out feel free to write me and we'll go.

I will say it's a shame that it's been a week since the last post was made on the forums, and that the interest in new rock is so low that not many have bothered checking out the links to the stuff that's been put up. Not to mention the fact that the last posts are all about Rock Rooms and losing sunglasses and what-nots. I will give out a free pair of sunglasses to anyone who posts something about a goal/new route or comes with us to the Labyrinth. Hopefully it's just the hot weather that's got everyone down and not talking about Oklahoma climbing. Okie climbers need to get fired up and interested in something, whether it's talking up the desire to send old routes or info on new stuff going down. I know you guys have something going on. Don't be scared to spray a little. That's what makes the internet go round.

[Marion]

I wish I could go back in time so bad......

The truth is for the last twenty years Hern and I have actually been secretly investing all of our oil fortunes into the development of a flux capacitor.  Meatbird recently installed the device into Mark's old truck.  We plan to test the system Saturday night as part of our 49th birthday festivities.  If all goes as planned, we will travel back in time with sticky rubber, cams and a battery-powered drill to the Wichitas and Quartz in 1976.  There we will spend a year establishing the first ascents of all of Duane's routes.  When we return to 2011 for our 50th birthdays, we hope to see our names immortalized in print and find ourselves as the celebrity playboy owners of Rock & Ice Magazine driving Ferrari's in Aspen and surrounded by scantily clad young hot women climbers.

Wish us luck.   

[BASE104]

Yeah,

And we are taking a full 35 year set of the Wall Street Journal on microfilm. With that information we will be able to buy half of Google for five grand and half of Microsoft for ten grand. Plus we will know where all of the new oil and gas fields will be.

So we will be the richest guys in the world this time around.

I am not so sure that sticky rubber will help me get up most of the routes in Oklahoma, though.

However, with our new wealth, we will build a monster 500 bedroom mansion near Quartz for all of our buddies. So you know who has been naughty and nice...

As for all of the hot women, it will probably be handsome young male models for Marion.