Triple Crown
By Brad WeaverPhotos by: Kevin Todd
The Triple Crown Bouldering Series is the largest outdoor bouldering series in the Southeast. The three events take place at three of the best boulder fields the south has to offer. This was the 7th year the event was held and it drew quite a crowd. If you are looking for a fun outdoor climbing event and you enjoy meeting new people, the Triple Crown is for you.
Round 1-HOUND'S EARS
It’s always exciting to visit new areas. For me, it is one of the main things that keeps my psych high. I had seen footage from Hound’s Ears in the first Dosage video when I started climbing 5 years ago and have dreamed of visiting the area ever since. One of the problems that stood out in that video was The Crusher V10, which is a sit start to the classic V9 Fuc Yo. The line takes a series of crimps out of a perfect 45 degree overhang. Needless to say this problem was very appealing and was high on my list for the day of the comp.
I arrived in Boone, NC after driving through some rain. Luckily the rain stopped as I pulled into the campground and a nice breeze was blowing the lingering haze out of the area. I hung out with some friends for a while before we all decided to call it a night.
Competitors awoke the next morning to blue skies and sunshine. After registering and eating a quick breakfast, everybody piled into the shuttles that would take us to the boulder field. After a quick review of the rules, we were set loose to pull down on the sharp crimps and pockets that are characteristic of most boulder problems at Hound’s Ears.
After warming up the first thing I went to was The Crusher V10. There was already a stack of pads thrown beneath the base and competitors lined up to try their hand at the problem. I watched and waited patiently as others tried the problem, absorbing the tricky beta before attempting it for myself. It was then my turn. I pulled on and made it through the bottom of the problem and shook out briefly on a good in-cut slot. This is where the stand start, Fuc Yo V9, starts. From there you do one more move, get a key toe hook, and crimp your way to the lip of the boulder. I was able to do this sequence first go and found myself topping out after a committing mantle. This was easily the highlight of my day; being able to flash such an amazing boulder that stood high on my lifetime ticklist.
A Selection of Classic Problems:
The Heretic V3
Jaws V3
The Blade V6
Mr. Thick V9
The Jerk V8
Etc.
Shoe of Choice: Solution and Testarossa
Round 2-HP40
Horse Pens 40 is one of the best boulder fields that I have ever visited. Period. The quality and the concentration of problems at HP40 makes it a key destination for anybody visiting the southeast. HP40 is particularly special to me because three months into the climbing game, I made my first outdoor climbing trip there to attend one of the Triple Crown Bouldering events. I feel as though going to climb outside for the first time at HP40 has spoiled me. Anytime I go to another area I find myself somehow comparing it to Horse Pens. Weird? Maybe.
The features at Horse Pens make it some of the most fun climbing that I think you can find, especially if you like slopers. The problems can be powerful or delicate, but all of them are technical in a subtle way. Body positioning is key here and often times you will find yourself failing, only to tweak your beta slightly, in order to succeed.
I arrived this year excited for the competition. Out of the three areas that host the Triple Crown, I had spent the most time here. One of the greatest things about HP40 is the proximity of camping to the boulders…literally 50 yards. I arrived the night before the comp and walked through the boulder field trying to scheme for next day. The one thing about this place is that you want it to be COLD! Friction is the name of the game for the majority of the problems here and without it, things get much more difficult. The forecast for the next day called for a high of 75 degrees with full sun. As I walked through the boulder field I knew the next day was going to be very interesting in terms of what people were able to do in the warm conditions. I decided to call off my planning for the next day and just see what happened.
Warming up the next morning was easy, given the warm temps. Everybody seemed to know that things were going to get hot fast, and you could sense the urgency to warm up quickly in order to get on the harder, more condition dependent lines. I started my day off right with quick sends of the classics Thugs and Bitches V8, Hugs and Kisses V8, and Ghetto Superstar V9. I decided my fingers were sufficiently warmed up and headed over to the notorious God Module V11. The problem is very simple…take two poor starting crimps, paste your foot onto a nothing smear, do a big move to a decent edge, and do two more crimp moves to a jug. As was the same for The Crusher at Hound’s Ears, there was already a stack of pads and a crew waiting their turns to try this classic power-crimp problem. I had done this line the previous winter and had the beta worked out. Despite the warm conditions, I was able to top out the boulder after a handful of attempts.
Even after all the time I’ve spent at Horse Pens over the years, I’m still finding fun new problems to try. I was really excited to be able to do a few new things this trip including Cadillac Thrills V9 and Super Slider V10. With the number of fun, amazing problems that Horse Pens holds, it’s hard to not go back.
A Selection of Classic Problems:Mortal Kombat V3
Bumboy V3
Lowdown V4
Swirls V4
Popeye V5
Great White V7
Landslide V8
Slider V9
God Module V11
Etc….the list is endless
Shoe Choice: Solution and Speedster
Round 3-STONE FORT
The last leg of the Triple Crown series is held at the Stone Fort boulder field in Chattanooga, TN. Situated on the edge of a golf course, and nestled in the woods, Stone Fort is the most unique boulder field in the Triple Crown Series. Boasting the largest concentration of hard problems out of the three boulder fields, Stone Fort is attractive to the strongest of the strong. However, Stone Fort also has a large concentration of more moderate problems, all of which are high quality.
After a sleepless night (I never sleep well before comps), I awoke early Saturday morning to snow. Only a few inches had fallen but the organizers decided to postpone the comp for the next day. Winter had arrived just in time for the last competition and bouldering season was officially in! The next 12 hours were filled with movies and lots of food. These are perfect rest day activities, in my opinion.
I slept much better Saturday night due to the lack of sleep the night before and felt well rested when I woke up Sunday. After a quick breakfast and some coffee I was off to catch the shuttles that would take us up the mountain to Stone Fort.
Conditions were quite frigid as competitors made their way into the boulder field, making warming up a long process. With my feet frozen and my hands numb I made my way through my usual warm up routine, climbing classics like Incredarete V3 and The Wave V5. My goal for the day was to have at least 10,000 points and to place in the top 3. I had a long list of problems that I wanted to complete in order to come close to these goals and set off to try to tick them off.
My checklist for the day:
I Think I Can V9
The Law V11
Interplanetary Escape V9
Biggie Shorty V10
Electric Boogaloo V10
The White Face V10
Robbing The Toothfairy V9
Psychosomatic V9
Grimace V8
Cleopatra V8
Although it wasn’t the most impressive scorecard of the day I ended up fulfilling one of my goals and ended with a score of 12, 157 points. This put me in fourth place for the Stone Fort comp and third place in the overall ranking. I was happy with my performance and I feel like it was a good end to the Triple Crown series. For anybody looking for a great bouldering/social/competition scene I highly recommend checking out the Triple Crown Bouldering Series! I had a blast this year and look forward to coming back next year for more good times.
A Selection of Classic Problems:Incredarete V3
Super Mario Brothers V5
The Wave V5
Celestial Mechanics V7
Deception V7
Biggie Shorty V10
The Law V11
The Shield V12
Etc.
Shoe Choice Solution, Testarossa, and Miura VS
How to sign up next year: Go to Triple Crown Bouldering to register. You can sign up for individual competitions or the whole series. Be sure to sign up in August or early September because spots fill up fast!
When: Competitions are held the first Saturday of October, November, and December.
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