Bawl Higher

If you are into highball slabbin this problem is for you. Bawl Higher is an inviting little problem . At first glance there appears to be holds all the way up and doesn't look that hard until you step off the block and onto the face where you encounter a typical Nova Scotia slab. It would not be so intimidating if it just stayed straight up but this little gem weaves back and forth over the starting block making each move more committing. A fall from this one will definitely leave you crying.

Bawl Higher***, 20ft, V5, BL – Located on the backside of this boulder. Start on the block four feet right of the arête. Climb up using small holds to a difficult sequence at the top (there is a jug up there)! Have good spotters and a big set of kahunas!
excerpt from Greg Campbell's unpublished guide book.

Bouldering Nova Scotia - Bawl Higher V5 from Todd Foster on Vimeo.
Music by: Scoop

There is no video in this post today but i though i should share it anyway. I got an email from the French climbing magazine Escalade. Somehow they have stumbled upon the Nova Scotia Bouldering scene and Pull Down Productions. Here is the email i received.

Hello,

Just to announce you that we've talken about your movies and boulder near Halifax.
You can see it here
http://www.escalademag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=888&It

Well done...Your trailer makes me want to go to boulder in your country!!
Best regards

Philippe Mathieu

My French is quite poor but i still had a good time looking around their site. According to my unofficial translator Eastern Tide: One Season in Nova Scotia and this blog were part of their weekly features. Check out Escalademag.com.

Mr.Freeze

I Was digging through the archives and found this footage of Sean Therien climbing the Mega Boulder. It was getting late, the sun was setting and in typical Therien style he just had to squeeze in one more climb. Can't really blame him, he was just following the mantra of the day.
"Climb every day like it is your last."

Here is the route description from "the underground guide to the land of confusion" (currently out of print).

Mr.Freeze V1** (scary)
First done on a cold, cold day. Sit start adds to the pump, but the crux is actually up high. Be solid!

Mr.Freeze from Todd Foster on Vimeo.

Just Jump Chumps!

Today's video is a mix of the unseen archive footage of Show me your guts and a slight re-cut from Eastern Tide: One Season in Nova Scotia of Kleos.

These problems represent a real evolution of bouldering in Nova Scotia. When Show me your guts - V4 was first done i returned back with Ghislain to film it with the Digital 8 at the time it was an original idea for a problem here. If you can't reach the good holds from the ground, just jump chumps! Although it did not spur on a flurry of problems starting with leaps, it did open my mind to what bouldering could be and the unwritten rules around what is a valid start.

Later this problem was worked and sent from a sit start and named Kleos -V11. On a very cold and windy winter afternoon Ghislain and I returned with my PD150 in hand to capture the sequence for Eastern Tide: One Season in Nova Scotia. Before going in with Ghislain i had no idea of how exactly the problem went, what was revealed was a truly inspiring sequence of movements.

Although Show me your guts is not listed in the Bouldering Halifax guide book it is certainly a valid problem for those of us mere mortals who aren't cranking off V11s on a regular basis. I've never done it but it's on my to do list and once i've bagged the jump start maybe i'll be ready for the sit start. I have a lot of unfinished business in Area 51...


Bouldering Nova Scotia - Kleos V11 from Todd Foster on Vimeo.

Show Me Your Guts***, 12ft, V3/4 – At the far right corner of the overhanging face, jump to two incuts at the lip and top out. Good luck!
Description from Greg Campbell's unpublished guide.

Megga Man - V6?

Just want to send thanks to everyone who is tuning in. I definitely see an increase in viewers after the Valentines Day Massacre and the Tour de Bloc videos went up. Plastic is cool and i love comps as much as the next guy but the season is upon us, time to get outside.

I'm going to spend the next few weeks on videos from the LOC. I was out in "Bug City" putting up a few routes at a new little crag and got a wicked sun burn and thought for sure that i had seen a BUG. The clock is ticking for the Land of Confusion soon our little blood sucking friends will be out in full force.

Here is a re-cut of Mega Man from Eastern Tide. Just a note for anyone attempting this classic problem, the shaky left hand flake referred to has indeed met it's demise. The hold broke a few years ago, the problem still goes and it's apparently not much harder. Have you got a repeat of it? Any thoughts on the grade?


Mega Man - V6 from Todd Foster on Vimeo.

Tour De Bloc - Atlantic Regionals

Saturday March 29 brought the Tour De Bloc to town for the Atlantic Regionals. Participants came from all around Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ottawa and as far away as Alberta to put on a show.


Tour de Bloc - Atlantic Regionals from Todd Foster on Vimeo.


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