Smith Rock Family Tyro Day

Summer is in full swing here in Central Oregon and what better way to beat the heat than catching some air on the Monkey Face Tyrolean Traverse!
Smith Rock is of course a mecca for climbers from all over the world and one of the most renowned features in the park is the famed Monkey Face. A free standing 350 foot tall volcanic plug when looked at from the right angle resembles that of a monkey's face.

We recently had the Burt family join us all the way from the great state of Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas but they had to come all the way to Oregon to see how big we do rock climbing!
A Tyrolean traverse is when a climber pulls themselves across a span from one structure to another. Smith Rock Climbing School's tyro day is a bit of a climbing circuit. We start with a Tyrolean traverse from a feature called the Diving Board and travel across the void into the mouth of the Monkey. Once successfully into the cave the climber has a short rock climb out of the mouth and up to the Nose Boulder. This climb is known as Panic Point, a short 5.7 climb with some classic exposure!

Now that you're up and on the Monkey it's time to get down with a 250 foot free hanging rappel with great views all the way east to Mt. Jefferson!
Thanks to the Burt family for the photos and a great day out at Smith Rock State Park!

Please follow the link below if you are interested in setting up a day for your group or family to do the Monkey Face Tyrolean Traverse.
Smith Rock Climbing School Tyrolean Traverse

Summertime at Smitty's Place

Yes, its pretty warm in Central Oregon these days, but with an early start, you can get some great climbing in. Amy M., from the Gunks came out for a couple of days of climbing at Smith Rock. She found the pebbles and nubbins to be quite a bit different that back home, but she really enjoyed it. Here she is the first pitch of Sky Ridge (5.8), an "old school" classic.


Below is a video of Amy on the third pitch hand traverse on Sky Ridge. You can beat the views here.



Next, we climbed Wherever I May Roam, a 5 pitch 5.9 sport route on the west side of the Smith Rock Group. Check out that xenolith to her left on this first pitch!

On pitch 3, there is some delicate face traverses. This is some really fun climbing here.

On pitch 4, there is definate exposure as you tip-toe up the arete.

Here is Amy topping out after some great climbing.

Late season ascent of Wy'east (Mt Hood)

On July 11, 2009 I had the opportunity to complete a late-season ascent of Mt Hood with the Rosell family from Bellevue, Washington and Cozette from Fort Collins, Colorado. Working with guide Jon Bates, we reached the summit by 6:30 AM after a 1:30 AM alpine start.

Even though it was late in the season, we had some unexpected great climbing conditions on the headwall due to a combination of wind that hardened-up the snow at night and the sun forming suncups during the day, creating a 'staircase' of horizontal footsteps up to the summit. The clear night with the light of a near full moon and the planet Mars, presented an awesome nighttime backdrop to our summer ascent. At sunrise, the mountain shadow was striking, stretching out to the southwest (photo below, with guides Matt Cline and Jon Bates). During the descent, ravens were circling the summit-always a good omen!

Click below to see a photo/video log of the climb.