Side Show Area

[The Teth]

Jonathan sent me an email and photo last week regarding an area I had discovered last year. I got inspired and decided to take advantage of the fine weather of the first day of Spring and go clean some new problems. I could not get hold of Jonathan so I ended up going out on my own. It is funny, I got into bouldering for the social aspect, yet more often than not I go bouldering by myself. There is something to be said for the solitary tranquillity.

Anyway, the Side Show Area is located just to the left of where you cross the ditch to get on the path to Porcupine Fortress. It might not have offered enough potential to get people to drive out from the city for it alone, but if you run out of stuff to do, you can continue on to PF. I have added a topo for the Side Show Area at the bottom of my Porcupine Fortress guide: http://members.tripod.com/novascotiaclimb/guide_pf.html

There are a lot of uncleaned lines here, so if anyone wonts to make their mark, go send a new line, name it, give it a tentative grade and let me know about it. I will try to keep this guide up to date with new problems, and I track when and by who the first assents were done. I cleaned a couple of problems which I did not send. (I am really out of shape.) Anyway, these are open projects, so have at them. There is also at least one obvious line on the first boulder you come to, but if you want it you better clean it before the thaw as there is a bit of a water trap at the bottom of it in the worm season. (Call it a water hazard. The landing would be soft, but you would get soaked.) It is good now though while the swamp is still frozen.

The problem I did send is a new classic. Trivial Pursuit is a long problem with consistently good holds which climbs out of a hole, traverses under a roof, then climbs out from under the roof and up a face to finish on good holds about 11.5 feet off the ground. The problem is easy do to the good holds, but gives you the true climbing experience better than most easy problems do. I would say it is on a pare with The Scoop at Duncans Cove, or The Coffin at Dover. I rated Trivial Pursuit V1 as the effort to climb out from under the roof was a little high for a V0. Of course I may have overestimated how out of shape I am, so it could use a second opinion as I may still be sandbagging it, or maybe it should be a V0...anyway it is a classic for the novices, an excellent warmup for intermediates, and fun for everyone.


The Teth

[mothecat]

No wonder you always climb alone, stealing people's problems like that.

My cell phone had an unfortunate meeting with a Reb Bull and Vodka and is no longer working. I'll send new the new number when I get one, also got a new home number.

Bummer, I would have liked to do a little Spring cleaning.

M

[The Teth]

Both numbers are out of date? I was calling you all day Saturday to try to get directions to your house. I was wondering why I could not get hold of you.

I did not realize I was cleaning the rock in the photo you sent me until I got back and looked at it again. I would feel guilty, but I found it last year. The weather was beautiful.

We should get out sometime. Send me your new numbers. I am a little rusty on making smoke signals.

The Teth

[mike]

Suicidal Cell Phones.... who'd a thunk it?

J- no hotmail here in the land of the ya'lls. mjdorse@yahoo.ca

drop me a line cuz....sheeeeit! damn barracudas been tryin ta eat maa crew.

[Guest]

land of the ya'lls

that the SE USA??

[mike]

Damn straight.

Out here in the sunny Gulf of Mexico preparing a rig to get towed up to Canada

[c.eager]

Mike y'all got them Texas boys on the crew? JP, Jarred, & Luke?

[mike]

Sure do, cuz.

The crew boat was one of them fancy orange get-ups with one of them there general lee flags painted right up there on the top of that good ol' boy