Airing it out on Filthy Sanchez (5.11ish), a beautiful Arete at the Ranch. Photo courtesy Lucas Marshall.
That title is far too negative sounding, but I’m not the one who decided to name the event “24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell” rather than “A Full Day of Horseshoe Heaven.” Big Andy made that call, so I’ll just adopt his preferred nomenclature.
It would be equal parts impossible and boring to recount the entire week, so I’ll save everyone the trouble of skipping over a long post. Needless to say, we had ourselves a good ole time in them thar hills. The Ozark Mountains. Arkansas. God’s country.
The week at the Ranch leading up to the comp held plenty of climbing, partying, mullets, and $3 breakfast specials. As always Kristo and his crew of Patagonia athletes were a blast to hang out with, although it was too bad the Canuck couldn’t make it this year.
The comp itself was incredible. Les and I – “The Shawtay Slayas” – held our own and came in at 6th place. We had decided to try and climb for quality rather than quantity, so the vast majority of our 57 pitches apiece were 5.10 to 5.12. We even sent a 5.12 (albeit a very easy one) on hour 23!
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furry, October 5th 2009 |
Tags: 24, 24HHH, arkansas, comp, horseshoe, sandstone, sport
Posted in Trip Report, Uncategorized
crankin at the Ranch
Saturday will mark the 4th annual 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, a 24 hour climbing competition started by some friends of mine a few years ago. Basically you climb for 24 hours straight, trying to do as many single pitch routes as possible without sleeping and taking as little breaks as possible. Its rad. Last year my partner and I did decent, we’ll see if the new partner and I can improve upon last year’s performance.
Like anything its important to get the lay of the land ahead of time, get comfortable, and connect with your surroundings. To that end I’m heading out this morning; I decided that the first three weeks back to Gtown have been rough and a week off was in order. It’s also a great opportunity for the Oklahoma boys to reunite, pour one out, and get a little crazy.
Not only does Horseshoe Canyon Ranch offer the beauty of backwoods Arkansas, the local flavor ain’t bad either. Spots like the Ozark Cafe still serve up a hearty $3 breakfast special, and you never know what you might find at a local yard sale.
So saddle up your climbin shoes, grab a few draws, and come join us at the Ranch!
furry, September 21st 2009 |
Tags: 24, arkansas, hell, horseshoe, ranch
Posted in Uncategorized
Here’s a random collection of numbers I threw together in retrospect of the last week at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell climbing competition.
% of the ole Oklahoma Crew that made it out: 90
Miller Lites consumed by Adam and Andrew on Tuesday: 30
Pitches climbed by our team (White People Can’t Dance): 123
Pitches climbed by Sonnie (not his team, just him): 119
Shoes I blew out: 2
Estimated calories consumed during comp: 7000
Core shots on my rope: 2
Entry fee: $40
Plane ticket: $300
Rough total value of free schwag: $500
Times I brushed my teeth in Arkansas: 2
SUM TOTAL = One of the most ridiculously fantastic weeks of all time.
furry, September 30th 2008 |
Tags: 24HHH, arkansas, climbing, comp, horseshoe, numbers
Posted in Trip Report
This coming weekend marks the 3rd Annual 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell! Originally conceived under the influence of significant libation as a personal challenge among a few Okies, 24HHH is a different kind of climbing competition. Competitors team up with a patner, line up at the starting line Saturday morning at 10 AM, and have until 10 AM on Sunday to complete as many routes as possible.
At this point, I know what you’re asking, and the answer is: yes. I’m flying out tomorrow to hang and climb with some of the boys prior to the comp, and come Saturday I will be teaming up with the magic Columbian (hopefully) to form Team White People Can’t Dance. We haven’t worked out a strategy, but I’m thinking something complex like: sleep = bad, GU = awesome.
furry, September 22nd 2008 |
Tags: arkansas, hcr, hell, horseshoe
Posted in Uncategorized
