Last weekend I had the opportunity to take a break from setting Spot Bouldering Series comps and finally compete in a bouldering event.  My schedule for the last 6 months didn’t allow me to compete in any of the UBC events, so it was nice to finally throw down with a little competition pressure.

I headed down to Albuquerque’s Stone Age Rock Gym to compete in the annual Yank-N -Yard competition.  Despite being a “local” competition, the generous cash purse, always manages to attract the some of the strongest boulderers in the country.  This year was no different.  I made the 7 hour trek south from Boulder with good friend and dark horse strong man Nicolas Sherman, photographer and long time friend Greg Mionske, and fellow Five Ten Athlete Jon Cardwell.  It’s safe to say we had a blast!  An amicable community of climbers, well set boulder problems, unique hanging volumes, and an energetic crowd made this year’s Yank-N-Yard one of the best competitions I’ve ever attended.  I managed a 2nd Place finish just behind Jon Cardwell and couldn’t have been happier with my performance.  A little better management of my time on the final problem could have helped(I timed out on the last move!), but such is the case with comps.  The psych was high and I can’t wait for next year’s event.  On to some more real rock before the snow comes...