Endo Valley is the new bouldering hotspot in Rocky Mountain National Park, but I’ve been so busy this summer (and so fixated on developing a new cliff near my house) that I haven’t had a chance to head up there and check the place out. I’m actually a little embarrassed to admit that. But then my buddy Ethan Pringle swung by for a night on his latest Colorado road trip, called his friend Matt Segal, and we all spent an afternoon checking out some of Endo’s awesome new lines.
For the skiers, cyclists and runners in the house, Ethan and Matt are both pro climbers and just happen to be two of the best in the world. Both have ascents of Canada’s Cobra Crack, a 5.14 trad line reputed to be one of the, if not the, hardest crack line on the planet. Matt is known for his world class and astonishingly scary trad lines (Iron Monkey, 5.14R) while Ethan has sent everything from Realization (5.15a) to Wheel of Life (V15/16). Read more about his uber productive summer in South Africa here and here, and don’t be surprised if you hear about another ascent of Jumbo Love in the coming months.
Anyway, here are some random shots from the afternoon, the first few being the area testpiece Flux for Life, V13. It’s a massive roof problem that gets progressively harder with each move. It’s a really proud line.
This is a shot of Merkin, a classic V9 in the area.
And here are some shots of Matt on the MS 13 Training Arete, V8, and Merkin, V9, as well as of me on the MS 13 Training Arete.
At the end of the day, after working V13 the whole afternoon, Ethan cooled down by sending Cambrian Explosion, V10, his third try.
