I have posted this in the forum and thought i put it here too... for those who dont read the forum

Months ago, I asked on Supertopo which areas were good in February. Jim offered me a trip to the Creek in a response.


As I didn't know yet what was going on I said I was psyched and would tell him when/if I have time. (But I was going nuts with excitement...
Well february was going to be spent studying linear algebra as it turned out in January. But there were holidays March 27-April 11. Mid January my dad called me saying I had to decide whether or not I was going to Cornwall to attend the BMC Meet.I had 5 more days to apply. I had money for one trip... sth during Easter or Cornwall. Jim was in Patagonia at that time and I immediately sent him an email asking if he had time March 26 to April 11. I was going crazy hoping he would reply in time.. He did and 5 days later I had my plane ticket to Montrose booked.
I cannot describe how excited I was to meet him. It was unbelieveble. 2 days ago I told a friend who I went climbing with, and he said: "Wow man! Thats the jackpot!"
He was right. Very, very right.

I flew from Munich to Montrose, by Washington and Denver, with United.


A romantic night in Terminal B in Denver followed. I made it to Montrose the next day.

And then I met him. Again hard to describe the first impressions, but we arrived in IC and I was super convinced these two weeks would be the best ever. I guess that tells.


His wife and a friend of hers joined us in the evening. Jim cooked an excellent meal, and the next day we climbed on Optimator Wall. Hay U Take and Neat were the highlights.


The next day I did my first first ascent, which, for me, was a big deal.
The first part was a squeeze chimney which Jim later rated 5.9.
It was the first squeeze chimney of my life and without him belaying and it being a FA I would probably have given up. Jim told me to heel-toe, and after inquiring what that was, I did.


After that a short sandy section got me excited before I launched into a offwidth bulge. After cleaning of all the crappy flakes and thus "creating" some holds I struggeled trough. I hung from a cam to pull up more gear and finished the pitch climbing up an awesome off hands to off fingers dihedral.
Mega psyched I lowered and we called the route Lunch then Launch, and gave it 11-.


I freeed it later so Jim's friend would stop teasing me it was no FA without doing the First free Ascent. haha

Getting the bolts in was a different story and took 2 days.

Bad weather was coming in and the next morning we climbed on Supercrack Buttress. After I did Incredible Handcrack, Jim led Supercrack. After all it is cooler following Jim on Supercrack than actually leading it.


Me following Supercrack which is about as cool as it gets.


We went back to Ouray... the house is awesome!! No not because it has a shower and a hot tub. All the fantastic pictures of mountains in Alaska, Patagonia... wow.

After 2 days, we went back to the Creek!


Jim was feeling a bug but that did not keep from cruising 5.10s and 11s.
More about that later- we met Dave , a guy from England who had attended the Bmc Meet in Wales in 08 in 2008. The climbing world is small, and Jim, Angela and Kitty knew him from the International Meet in the Creek from last year.


The next day we went to the Battle of the Bulge Wall, where Jim sent Hole in the Wall not stoppable by his bug, and Dave climbed Quarter of a Man after a great fight... I then wanted to try my first 5.12 crack, Digital Readout. Thin and straight up a blank wall the line pleased me immediately.
After climbing up 5 meters to the first real finger jam I hung... I told Dave to lower me, it was to painful. Dave's answer: "oooh its too painful? Should I call your mummy? ... " This got me psyched, I pulled the rope and sent, barely- pretty cool route!

We drove to Castle Valley, stopping in Arches NP and the Fisher Towers. Awesome rock formations, and I will be back to climb some of them!


We spent the night at Jay's and Kitty's house in Castle Valley. They are both really funny, nice people. All in all I think it was the people I met, especially Jim, who made my trip so great.


On Sparks Wall, a day later, I tried to climb my first 5.11 ow. I just couldn't get up the crux. Jim who really wasn't feeling to well that day said he would "try". You know what he did.
I couldn't even get up on toprope clean...
On my second to last day we wante dto climb North Six Shooter. 2 other guys went up with us. Jim was pretty sick by now and stayed down, he had climbed the route 7 or so times before. I led the climb and the two others followed up. The view from the summit and turning the roof on the 3. pitch were mindblowing... Jim led the first pitch of the Shadows route later and I saw a possible new line on the West Face. Up a crack until it gets less steep, and then easy to the Summit. Jim drove home the next day and I went up with Dave Brown.
The First ascent was epic...To sum it up the 30 m took 3 hours and 1 fall, 2 points of aid. We called it Perfect Hands All the Way ( a phrase with which Jim hand sandbagged me for 2 weeks ;) )and gave it 5.11+ R C2 .
You have to read this : http://daveeabrown.blogspot.com/2010/04/perfect-hands-all-way-north-six-shooter.html
Dave is a much better english writer and describes the route really well.

We drove back to Jims house the next day after climbing fine Jade, and the next day I flew home. I was pretty sad, and right know I regret the damn volcano in iceland did not erupt a week earlier so I could stay longer.

Jim made the most inspiring climbing trip of my life happen. I have climbed with many great climbers , some of them famous, like alex huber or pat littlejohn, and Jim left an impression on me like no one else.

The man himself:



Ben