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Monday, August 25, 2014

The Boulderfields

We had been biding our time in the mountains waiting for the heat wave to ease, but it seemed to be a lost cause.  It was with some reservation that we finally decided to suck it up and head to our next planned destination - the Okanagan Valley.  With forecast temperatures in the upper 30's we didn't think we'd be staying very long.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that bouldering in The Boulderfields was quite manageable in the heat and, despite planning several times to move on, we ended up spending almost two weeks in the area.  With free camping right around the main parking area we also got to see a lot of the enthusiastic, and seemingly ever present, local climbers.  A big thanks to Andy, Jason and Ryan for showing us around and pointing us to amazing new problems and areas.  The hospitality of the local boulderers was one of the big reasons we stayed so long.

Other big reasons we stayed so long include:

1 - Awesome problems.

We didn't really take many pictures, because there were too many other things to do, but here are a couple.

Kristal on the Peanut boulder.


Me trying out beta on Dangleberries.


2. Establishing new problems.

The Boulderfields are now in the middle of a golden age of new development. Thanks to the awesome locals, stashed cleaning supplies and a tonne of rock we were able to put up some of our own problems. During our stay we established 8 new problems.  Here is Kristal cleaning the top of the awesome Cave Dweller slab we named Sriracha Slab.


3. Raspberries.

There were raspberry bushes everywhere, and they were delicious.  Here I am taking a break from bouldering for an awesome snack.


Kristal even collected some to put in the chocolate cake she backed back at camp.



4. Making new friends.

Both human and animal.  Here are Sasha and Kristal taking a break from cleaning yet another new 3 star problem with local hardman Jason.


By the end of our stay some of the locals were joking about finding property for us in Kelowna, but with the end of the summer fast approaching we had to start thinking about making our way back east.

The Boulderfields is an awesome destination, in no small part due to the amount of work the handful of dedicated locals have and continue to put into developing the area. Hopefully we can make it back there again next year!

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