The Southeastern Climbers Coalition

Future's sending Wet Dreams (v10?) at the Houndears Comp 2007. Photo by Barrett Mooney.

by Caleb Calhoun - The scarlet and amber foliage stood out against the grey autumn sky as climbers from around the country descended on the town of Boone for the first leg of the Triple Crown of Bouldering. Inspired by the opportunity to climb on “private rock” (the venue at which the comp is held is open to climbers only one day a year) even the thunderhead clouds and obscure forecast couldn’t dampen the spirits of these boulder-junkies. One by one climbers arrived until a patchwork of tents and SUV’s dotted the once-empty field at Grandfather Campgrounds. Old friends were reunited, old stories retold and dinner was served, yet in the back of their minds everyone was pondering the same question...

Chad Wykle and Jim Horton present the Hound Ears Comp 2007. Photo by Barrett Mooney.

A nice way to spend a fall afternoon pullin' on great stone. Photo by Barrett Mooney.

Kate dials in the moves on Fuc-Yo. Photo by Barrett Mooney.

“Is it going to be dry tomorrow?”

The answer to that question depends on whether you are local to NC, more importantly however, it didn’t really matter. The rain cleared out late Friday, and despite the manky conditions, the 14th annual Hound Ears comp turned out to be another success. Headlined by climbers such as Paul Robinson, Sasha Diguilian, Kate Reese, Max Zolotukhin and Chris Sierzant, some of the strongest climbers from across the country came out to throw down. They were joined by climbers of all levels - everyone was psyched for this unique and storied outdoor comp, and as the day progressed it was obvious that no one was using the weather as an excuse for poor climbing.

Almost every climber there pulled at their limit, many sending some of the hardest problems they had ever done. A number of the hardest problems in the boulderfield saw repeats, even with damp crux holds, and Wet Dreams (v10?) saw it’s long-awaited send. Modestly, Future’s said, after sending one of the most long-standing projects in the area, that it was “just because the beta got figured out”.

It was all over far too soon, and Sunday morning, as old friends parted and new stories were packed away for next time, everyone was asking the same question...

“Does anybody have any aspirin?”

Triple Crown Scores
Open Women
Jill Church 7,607
Kate McGinness 6,879
Tomoko Ogawa 6,393
Jessa Goebel 5,683
Sasha Digiulian 5,109

Open Men
Paul Robinson 12,565
Nick Vosbein 10,376
Ryan Roden 9,857
Ronnie Jenkins 9,338
Ryan Olson 9,326

-Photos by Barrett Mooney
Caleb Calhoun is the founder of A Subtle Squeeze, and on rainy days, a student at the University of Chattanooga.

Note: Thanks to Chad and Jim and all of the sponsors of the Hound Ears 2007 Triple Crown.