Photos by vram1974

This is a pleasant little limestone pocket bouldering crag in Milton, ON. It's rather vertical, and serves mostly as a good pump traverse, or dynos to large pockets. Here I am warming up no higher than six feet off the ground...

Here I am on (I think) Achilles Heel V5/6 which is a sit-start under Balancing Rock. You start with a good sized jug and chuck for a pinch (first chalky hold). Bump to a better pinch with a good thumb-squeeze (second hold where my hand is on). Throw your right foot to where the sunlight is at the top, and flag your left foot under like crazy. Match with a good spot to avoid cracking your skull, and campus to freedom!

Here's Nick hanging tough on Royale With Cheese V8, on Balancing Rock. The problem was too much for my talents, so I sat back and watched younger, better climbers work it.

I know, it's a Gunks route.... Here's Nick peeling off Royale With Cheese V8 in the Glen. Ah, the young and the driven!

Nick works the toe hook to try and hang on to the difficult Royale With Cheese V8.

Here I am resting above the second pitch on the Grand Wall, Squamish. Howe's Sound and the town is in the background. The views from the ledge are wonderful.

This is me (Adrian) jamming up the climb "Exasperator" 5.10a/c on the Grand Wall in Squamish. The rain had made the rock wet that night, and smearing was difficult. Lucky for me the protection was excellent, and I was able to slot my fingers and shoes into the crack without falling. I led only the 5.10a pitch, and my partner finished up the strenuous 5.10c part.

Here I am on the hanging belay below the Split Pillar on the Grand Wall, Squamish. The exposure is wonderful, and the views breath-taking.

Ok, well as the name suggests, the crack contains solid slots for fists and hands, making this an enjoyable route. You can either protect as much as you like, or run it out; very little gambling is actually required on this ride. The first pitch goes nicely at 5.8, with a short 5.6 finish. Double ropes useful for the dual crack.

Here's a photo I snapped of my partner, Wolfang, as he rapped down the Grand Wall after we got up the Split Pillar in Squamish.

This is a photograph of my Austrian grandfather (RIP 2002) Adalbert Moser, circa 1943-44 on top of a peak in the Karwendelgebirge ("gebirge" means mountain range in German).

The clothing, shoes, and rope are all relics of an era in climbing which was new, exciting, and exploratory. The Karwendel range was made famous by my grandfathers countryman Hermann Buhl, who grew up in Innsbruck, about 19 km from Mittenwald and the Karwendelgebirge. His exploits in "Nanga Parbat Pilgrimmage" tell of his climbing experiences in this range and many others in the wonderful Bavarian region.

In the year 1943, during the second World War, my grandfather made the Karwendel traverse, summiting 10 peaks in all, Wörnersattel 1,979 m, Wörnerspitze 2,476 m, Großkarspitze 2,420 m, Tiefkarspitze 2,432 m, Larchetfleckspitze 2,365 m, Westliche Karwendelspitze 2,385 m, Nördliche Linderspitze 2,374 m, Sulzleklammspitze 2,323 m, Kirchlspitze 2,304 m, and the Brunnsteinspitze 2,180 m ("spitze" essentially means "peak" in German). I made the same traverse 54 years later in 1997. It is not very technical, with fixed guy wires and cables from the Bavarian Alpine Club, but it has some very exposed sections and difficult terrain. The traverse took me 12-14 hours from base to each summit to base again.

This picture inspires me, not only because my grandfather was a climber, but because he was a pioneer in an era when it was viewed as an activity for the lunatic fringe.

I find this picture just beautiful. My brother (Dylan) is standing on top of the Acropolis ruins in Australia. The contrast of the sunlight, the dark menacing storm clouds to the left, and his small shape on the pinnacle is very nice.

Here is a scenic picture of the Acropolis ruins bathed in sunlight. My brother, Dylan, was there in the summer of 2002.

This is a gorgeous picture of the sheer and sweeping cliffs of Mount Geryon, in Australia. I love the raw and untouched look of the place... as though no man has ever set foot upon her flanks...

This is a nice photo of my brother (Dylan) standing at the edge of a precipice to a beautiful backdrop in Mount Kaputar National Park, Australia. Check out the snazzy gaiters he has on *snicker*

My first trad climb, courtesy of Mad Dog, was a 5.6 at Mount Nemo in Milton called Sian. My mentor for the lead was an American from Michigan who had contacted me over the internet, giving me the chance to try out trad using his rack. He coached me to a ledge, and then led the second pitch to the top. I owe him a debt of gratitude for that day!

Ok, but seriously... I didn't intentionally bounce test this short 5.11a climb. Shortly after I slotted this nut, I fell onto it... a whole two feet.

I then got back on that horse and finished the whopping 15 foot finger crack to the anchors. Yay! My first yo-yo ascent of a 5.11a trad climb.

Oh and... yes, that's my buddies head below me. His hat is quite colourful, eh?

My climbing partner, Wolfang, greets me at the top of "Holy Cow" 5.8, at Rattlesnake Point in Milton, ON. It was a hot and muggy day, which explains our lack of appropriate clothing on our upper bodies... or rather, more specifically, on my whitened and rather puny upper body...

For information on the route and protection, check the Route link below.

This is me (Adrian), on the classic three star route "Camel" 5.7, in Mount Nemo, ON. It's a lovely continuous fist and hand crack, unusual for climbing in Milton. The finish to the climb is exposed and slightly overhanging. Even a trad climber like myself liked to see those bolts at the top. This was taken in the summer of 2001.

Shortly after my first trad climb in early summer of 2001, I tried a second time. My first lead had been a 5.6, and so I decided to move up to a 5.7 roof climb. This was not a well-thought out plan, but thankfully it worked out. The route name I have since forgotten, but I remember it to be rather strenuous and frightening to pull the traverse move to the right and onto the easier face above. The fear and difficulty of the climb solidified traditional climbing as my new true love.

The reason I scanned in the whole picture, and did not crop the bottom portion, is that you can see the difficult start where the route begins on the right, disappears into a chimney, and reappears below a large blocky roof.

After I bought my rack in summer of 2001, I began testing my limits rather early, getting on 5.7 and 5.8 climbs right away.

This climb, "Harlequin" 5.7, shut me down completely in Mount Nemo. The full Trip Report is archived at the google URL provided. The picture pretty much says it all. A small DMM green TCU slotted behind the flake, with enormous overhanging flakes and cracks above me... I was in way over my head. After putting in 11 placements before the roof, I had run out of slings, and was forced to retreat...

I may go back one day and seek my revenge. This was in June of 2001.

This climb at Buffalo Crag, Milton (ON), is called "Dodger", and I forget if it's a 5.7 or a 5.9. Either way, it certainly fooled me on the routefinding.

It started innocently enough, as I made my way up a tricky right facing crack and onto a sunny ledge where I came across a peaceful snake!

I then started meandering left (as the picture suggests), until I arrived below a large overhang. At this point I girth hitched a four foot runner to a natural rock-formed handle, and looked down... man, that's going to be some nasty rope drag.

Taken in summer of 2001.

Well, what can I say about this picture? I was new to trad climbing, your honour.

First of all, you may have noticed my pretty yellow, black, and blue webbing runners. Dyneema was a luxury I could not afford yet.
Second, yes that is a bolt, and I did clip it *gulp*.
Third, yes you are correct, that rope does look backclipped...

I like the fact that I seem to be leading over somebodys toprope. Cheeky monkey that I am.

Okay, this is for those people who have asked the question "Is it okay to use a tri-cam in an anchor?" The answer is in this picture.

BTW: The tri-cam is not the only pro for the anchor, in case anyone was wondering.

This is my brother (Dylan), leading a 5.12a next to "Cat's Tail" in Mount Nemo. This roof has to be one of the most ginormous in the area.

See the crack in yonder roof above? That's the crux section. After we failed to get past it, we used the rack to try and aid it. As for the thing that looks like a crack next to the bolts... it's largely an optical illusion. This sport climb does not infringe on any traditional ethics.