Crazy atmosphere at the Buttermilks! ~ Siebe Vanhee

Climbing in the Buttermilks is sharp, technical, intense for the fingers, beautiful and inspiring! If you’re on the road a lot of things about climbing and living become clear. Last days I concluded a couple of things. The most important conclusion is that climbing is my excuse to live and learn all the time! In other words, I need climbing to develop myself in life!

It becomes more and more clear for me that it’s not only climbing styles, grades and the physical aspect of climbing that makes me climb. The things that are getting more important in my climbing life are strangers who become friends, environment, nature, good atmosphere, developing myself in all possible ways, dealing with people you like, dealing with people you don’t like, etc…

All this becomes clear really slowly and I needed Hueco Tanks, Red Rocks and Bishop for this! Knowing there is more that’s coming is making me want to travel like this for a long time!

Last days we’ve been camping in the Buttermilks near the boulders! It’s just so amazing to wake up every day and just enjoy the little things. I know I sound like a hippie but I don’t care! Since I arrived here in Bishop I’ve been spending my time with one nice group of people! Four of them left a couple of days ago and today three others left. So now it’s Mike, Tom and I again on our own. Kevin and Liesel, the couple of the group, are on the road for one year. I’ll definitely meet them again in Indian Creek. That’s the next stop!

It has been a long time since I hung out with such a nice group of people. It reminds me of last year in August where I joined a group of people on their own in Rifle. It’s always strange when people leave.

Let’s talk about climbing! Since the day I tried ‘Stained Glass’, a sharp V10, I have been climbing with four cuts in my fingers. This caused a lot of frustration. I tried ‘Evilution’, V10, again but I couldn’t stick the first move (the crux) anymore! I know I can do it but it became a mental game! On top of that I was climbing with four fingertips completely taped. Projecting is for me still the hardest part about climbing. Failing over and over again and accepting to fail. Now I’m waiting for my fingertips to recover completely before I try Evilution again.

Besides Evilution I did a lot of easy boulders and enjoyed the climbing!

Picture above is 'Evilution'!

Five Ten US has sent me the new ‘Supermocc’ crack climbing shoe. I received them today and I’m ready to test them out in Indian Creek! It is a better version of the old red Moccasin. It has mystique rubber which is really flexible. The Supermocc has a great surface and rubber on the top of the shoe. Despite the rubber on the toe it stays really flexible. The Supermocc is made for thin finger cracks and is supposed to be really useful in Indian Creek! Siebe Vanhee is psyched!

I think I’m staying in Bishop for a couple more days and then I will leave to Indian Creek! I want to learn a new style of climbing and become better and better at it.

Enjoy the pictures!