Our man in the Philippines, Dennis Diaz keeps up to date with the latest news from the premier sports crag of Cantabaco. He also fills us in on recent bouldering developments at Cagayan de Oro - will the infamous Sir Robin of Locksley project have fallen...

Cantabaco, Cebu

"The cabin doors closed leaving a resounding thump that booms like a dolby digital sound effect in the hollow confines of my mind.  The lights faded, the bitter cold of the darkness bit and loud roaring noises from outside drowned out all other sound.  The cabin felt like a coffin, sealed, dark and cold.  It’s the conclusion of another climbing trip.  A vampiric mood casts over another chapter of this supernatural climbing life. "

August 2010 saw us leaving Cagayan de Oro in the wake of some unfinished business.  It would be another 3 months before we could set foot on those grounds again.  In the meantime our sights are set on the sports crag of Cantabaco, Cebu.  

October 2010.  The news of bolted extensions at Cantabaco circulated fast.  The long wait for the day I could get my fangs onto those rocks again is close to an end.  The month was right and the weather was perfect as I studied the new drafted topos.  They looked very detailed and I am quickly impressed.  The new lines lit up on the pages as I began picking out prize winners.  The short hike to the main road led to where Manang Virgie’s eatery was.  Sadly it’s no longer running.  I quickly learned that the new girl to look for was Ate (literally meaning ‘older sister’) Tetchie.  She would be the one cooking for us in later days. 

We made our way on the familiar trail and soon arrived at the crag.  The new Areas 1 and 2 have been cleaned and the access for multi-pitch routes are clearly visible.  On the 2^nd tier of the crag (Area 3) a wide belay area has been cleared.  Easy routes line the area and the wider berth given for the belayers and onlookers now entice beginners to embark into the world of climbing.  Moving up, Area 4 rests on a more slopey belay ledge.  I quickly move past these areas and enticed a friend to come up with me to Area 5.  The highest tier on the slope flattens out and we soon come face to face with what we were looking for.  The new extensions were now  visible, yet blurry of detail.  There was only one way to find out for sure what they were like.

First on the list the extension to “Vina Kulafu ” dubbed “Sweet December” looked really tempting.  The lower section is an easy 6b+, the extension, they say is 7b+.  Not bad I thought.  Dispatching the first 17m. was hardly easy.  After coming off from a long season of dedicated bouldering, climbing long routes become quite a task.  Nonetheless I found myself cranking hard, giving loud guttural roars until the last 7m.  The 7b+ extension at that point felt tragically higher than 7c+.  I had to start over again and try once more before the line would give.  I was a little skeptical about how my climbing was going at this point. 

Further right of “Sweet December” is the route “White Flower” with an extension called “Jack Sparrow.”  It has seen only one ascent so far despite tries from several Pinoy climbers of the highest caliber.  While “White Flower” rates at 8a, the extension (only an extra 8m) rates at 8b+ on the topo.  It was, without a doubt, the main draw for the trip.  After the miserable performance on the previous route, however, I began to doubt my chances.  I had my partner belay me still.  I maxed my draws to 20, 5 on each gear loop and quickly started.  The first section …  was in a way for me, loud !  I had my previous ascent on the route in mind before starting.  I remember firing the route 2^nd go some years before so I had my hopes high.  Slowly off on the first crux which was right off the ground, my hopes quickly shattered as I approached the 2^nd draw.   What started out as an optimistic and ambitious retro-flash quickly turned into a hard fought battle.  I ended up just placing the draws; climbing free on easy sections and hauling on the draws on harder ones.  The long 30m. of “Jack Sparrow” got equipped with my draws and I had my partner lower me down without a 2^nd thought.  The draws were up, I had 7 days of work ahead. 

Between days working “Jack Sparrow” I ticked easier routes and simply enjoyed climbing those which I hadn’t tried before.  On working days, I grited my teeth on “Jack Sparrow.”  The roof section at the very top marks the start of the extension.  The crux section begins moving past the lip - a series of crimps, thin sidepulls and a slopey mono marks the otherwise blank exit to the head wall.  The feet, much of the time, stay below the lip making them harder to place.  The first time I got myself up there it felt utterly desperate for me.  The sequence was blurry and my head couldn’t wrap itself around it.  On the third try, it became clearer.   Keeping it together, especially on the bottom three fourths of the route, became the real crux.  At this point, when the head is finally working right, the body needs to regain some chakra back.  Sadly there isn’t time for replenishment.  It was an all out battle from day one.  Resting in between work days with too much cerveza in tow from the nights, took its toll.  Disappointment struck. My best attempt, became the one I had the day before.  It found me marginally recovering to get to the slopey mono at the 2^nd crux, 23m. up the route.  On the final attempt, on the final day of the trip, I found myself destroyed once again at the 2^nd clip.   

All is good.  I have more reason to go back and perhaps newer lines will be put up.  Today the route count in Cantabaco rises to 63 together with the new multi-pitch routes and the new extensions.  The routres range in grade from 5.7 to 5.14a (5a to 8b+).  Areas 1 and 2 are the new multi-pitch areas.  At Area 3 there are easier single pitch routes.  Area 4 keeps the moderately graded routes and Area 5 is where the cleaner and harder routes can be found. 

Here’s a new list of recommendations.  Area 2’s easy routes (5a to 6c+) on multi-pitch can be a hit.  The small belay station can fit up to 3-4 people.  Bring lots of water and a good supply of snacks if you plan to fire all the lines.  Area 1, however, still requires first ascents.  If you’re into warming up on 5,12’s (7b’s) firing routes at this area can be a good way to start your day. “Sweet December”, “Roller Coaster”, “Itchy Extension”, and the notorious “Jack Sparrow”, all in Area 5, are the new set of long routes added to Cantabaco’s hit list.

Cagayan de Oro

December 2010.  Operation Goo-Goo Ga-Ga Rocktrip, Cagayan de Oro is underway.  After a 3 month long hiatus from Basalt bouldering, it felt really exciting to get back into the grid.  The main purpose of the trip was to bring in more eager climbers to the new areas and create a boom in the number of new lines.   The event drew in strong climbers from all over the Philippines.  In the event we weren’t disappointed at all.  In a short 2 days, several new lines and additional projects were uncovered.  Through some previous projects like “The Sir Robin of Locksley” project still remain as strong standing projects, new ones have been established that bridges the gap between the current “impossibles” and the “walks in the park”. 

Notable new additions to the lineup of problems are:  “The Real Bully – V6” a new harder extension of the previous line “The Natural Bully – V5”. The line continues to a wide throw to a slopey edge that renders the body wasted from the chest down from the continuous wide compression moves before toping out.  “May Liwanag ang Buhay – V7” literally translating to “There is Light in Life” saw only one ascent on its heinous sharp monos and dime edge crimping.  It is a slab problem that delivers a hurt that cuts deep.  Many more problems were put up in the range of V1 to V4.  A handful of projects were also opened up; most remain unnamed and the areas are spread wide apart.   It remains best to keep in touch with the local climbers in the area to help with logistics on these routes.