"Climbers were definitely nervous Friday night as a wicked storm full of lightning and thunder rolled through El Paso, skirting by Hueco Tanks. The following morning Hueco was bursting with life. Everything was a little bit greener and the climbers were psyched to see blue skies.

The Mutants attacked East Mt. during the first half of the day. 'Eckstein' (V10) turned out to be the warm-up for most the climbers, followed by many attempts on Jason Kehl's new line 'Eternal Darkness of the American Mind' (V12), which resulted in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th ascents to date by Sam Davis, Ethan Pringle and Matt Wilder (flash) respectively. As time dwindled on East, a few guys attempted 'Slashface' (V14). Hoping to seal victory with this climb, nobody succeeded.

As noon rolled around the mutants started towards North Mountain. The big number climbs to snag were on the Big time Boulder, which is home to 'Dark Age' (V11) and 'Barefoot on Sacred Ground' (V12). Both saw multiple ascents. While many attempts were made on 'Alma Blanca' (V13) no one was able pull through for the big score on north.

The day ended at the Rock Ranch where burgers and beer were served to all. The awards ceremony followed and finally the bonfire was lit to burn into the early morning hours. Matt Wilder came out as the victor, followed closely by Sam Davis and Garrett 'G-unit' Gregor. On the women's side Ana Burgos came through for the second year in a row as the winner, followed by Jodi Hansen in 2nd Place. Many thanks to Rob Rice of the Hueco Rock Ranch and everyone at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for helping organize and promote this event!" -Damon Corso

MY DATE WITH A TREE HUGGER
Dear Diary,
Tobe Sherrill called me today! You know I've been wishing for his invitation for so long now and today it finally came - he wants me to try rope-assisted tree climbing! I can't believe I'm going out on a limb with the founder of Sherrill Tree and Climbing Supply. First, instructors met me at the entrance to the Botanical Gardens, NY in a golf cart! Too cute! Then I got to meet Tobe himself. I told him I was so excited to em-bark on this adventure, but no monkey business. The guys brought me to this huge tree with a tarp lying underneath that was covered in climbing gear. I was going really going to climb this tree! One of Tobe's assistants sling-shot a weight with a cord attached into the tree. It flew through the canopy and fell to the ground, the cord lying across a high sturdy branch. Tobe then tied a rope to the end of the cord and pulled the weighted end until the rope laid across the branch. I stepped into a super-padded harness and then Tobe clipped me into the rope. He talked me through sliding the hitch up, stepping up high in the foot ascender, and sitting back. I couldn't be-leaf how close it came to ascending a rope on rock climbing! Thanks Tobe. I had an awesome time. Almost got rained on, though, wooden you know! Randi's diary, out.

For more info, check out www.wtsherrill.com.

COME DOWN TO THE RIVER AND PLAY
The fourth annual New River Rendezvous happening on May 19-21 is a fundraiser for the New River Alliance of Climbers and the Access Fund, and it's free to attend (though you will pay to participate in the climbing comps). You can expect all kinds of climbing comps, slacklining, a tasty Dessertapalooza, and lots of parties. Bring your Fat Bastard coz there might be Crash Pad Sumo Wrestling. For more info: www.waterstoneoutdoors.com

PODCLIMBER
If climbing hasn't already taken over enough of your body, introduce it to your ears with the Podclimber.com podcast. Every few days, you'll discover a new podcast featuring gear reviews, access issues, competition info, interviews, or other current climbing issues. Subscribe through itunes or download individual episodes directly from www.podclimber.com

TOP BRASS
Claudiu Vidulescu, Chris Wall, and Kynan Waggoner have been selected as the official US National Team Coaches. They'll accompany US National Team Head Coach Kyle Clinkscales and the US National Youth Teams to Austria for the Youth World Championship August 24-27. Congrats.

"W" SCALE ANNOUNCED!
George W. Bush, an avid climber of 31 years, recently implemented his own W-Scale in climbing. In his address to Congress, President Bush commented, "I came up with the idea of the W scale after my friend Chris Sharma opened what we believe is a V17 on our most secure enclosure to the White House." The President went on to say, "We all know that seventeen is a grade of unthinkable proportions according to the V-scale. And I surmise that an inhuman ability to climb, possessed by the wrong person, could prove threatening to our security. Since the V-scale is getting complicated in numbers, I decided it'd be easier if we started back at zero. The W-Scale will be a coding system used solely for strategic military purposes." What are your thoughts on the new grading system? Tell us at: aphool@urbanclimbermag.com

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