Climbing in Vegas - March 2004
Cory Rich Photo

Upcoming 2008 Events:

Road trip to Mt. Charleston, Nevada
July 14-21, 2008

Outdoor Retailer Trade Show - Salt Lake City, Utah
August 8-10, 2008

Climbing in Australia and Youth World Championships
August 13-September 1, 2008

Wall Rats

Wall Rats is a documentary of Scott's first trip up The Nose in 2001. He was eleven years old. The film is being previewed at film festivals throughout the country. It's been winning awards too. To see a trailer of the film, click here.

Trip Reports

July 2006

Scott went to Peru for the third year in a row. While he was there, he hosted a climbing competition in Huaraz. With the generous donations from his sponsors, he was able to bring the competitors climbing shoes from Montrail, sunglasses from Bolle, and energy and nutrition products from Cytosport. The competition was a huge success for all. Not only did the competitors get much needed climbing supplies, but the top three male and female winners each received a cash purse.

July 2005

Scott went back to Peru to see his friends he met in '04 and to sport climb in Huaraz.

July - August 2004

Scott, Steve Schneider and Heather Baer, traveled to Peru for a month, hoping to become the first American team to climb "Welcome to the Slabs of Koricancha" (VI 5.13a, 650m, 13 pitches) on the 17,470-foot-high La Esfinge ("The Sphinx".) The route was recently established, and according to our research, is the hardest route in Peru.  What makes this trip special is the degree of difficulty of the route, coupled with the high altitude. In addition, the thirty year age difference between the climbers makes for an interesting expedition. Accompanying Scott to Peru were his Father and his Grandfather.

La Esfinge ("The Sphinx")
 

• Daily Notes From Peru (From Scott calling home by SAT phone)
  
  #1
  The group spent a couple of days each in Lima and Huaraz, and enjoyed exploring. The climbers are now at base camp, which is at 16,000 feet, and have spent several days there acclimating. They climbed the "Routa Normal" or "Original Route" (V 5.11) on Tuesday, August 3rd. They did a one day ascent, leaving base camp at 5:00am and not returning until 11:00pm. Steve & Scott either on-sighted or flashed each pitch, with Heather flashing all but one pitch.
  
  The only surprise about the trip is that it is unseasonably cold. The locals say they have never seen anything like it. It snowed the first two days they were at base camp. Luckily, they were prepared, and had warm North Face clothes, sleeping bags and tents. The cooks didn't, and after some sharing, all involved are warm enough, with North Face labels visible everywhere.
  
  #2
  Another storm front came in, bringing more snow. Scott called to say he hadn't planned on this many rest days, and didn't have enough to do. He couldn't use his solar charger for his laptop due to the snow, and was left with only crossword puzzles to fill his time. Unfortunately, his pens were frozen, and wouldn't write. He'll definitely add paperbacks and pencils to his expedition list next time. Corey Rich and Todd Offenbacher arrived to join the party.  Corey will be shooting still photos of the trip, while Todd will shoot video. The weather cleared up, and the climbers got a chance to give "Welcome to the Slabs of Koricancha" a try on Monday, August 9th. They climbed the first six pitches of the route, with the sixth pitch being the crux. Steve & Scott either on-sighted or flashed all six pitches. The weather was really nice compared to what it had been. Scott climbed in the sun most of the day, except for one pitch where he said his hands went numb. They are all really pleased with their progress on the route so far, and can't wait to give the rest of the route a go.
  
  #3
  It's a success.  On Wednesday, August 11th, Scott,  Steve & Heather made the 2nd ascent of "Welcome to the Slabs of Koricancha". (VI 5.13a, 650m, 13 pitches) Needless to say, they are very pleased with their efforts.

  Steve Schneider's Peru Trip Report:

  El Esfinge, Peru - 2004
  
  On July 23, 2004 I traveled to Northern Peru as climbing leader for an expedition to El Esfinge (Spanish for the Sphinx.) El Esfinge is about 2000 feet high, is made of high quality golden colored granite, and tops out at just under 17,500 feet. My wife Heather Baer (43), Scott Cory (14) and myself, Steve Schneider, all hail from the San Francisco bay area. Scott's Father and Grandfather also escorted us to base camp.

  Our first objective was the "Ruta Normal" (VI 5.11) or normal route, a wandering classic line established in 1985 as the first route on the cliff. Most of the climbing was in the 5.10 range, with two pitches of 5.11. We opted to fix the first five pitches with three ropes prior to our summit day. On August 3, we climbed to within fifty feet of the summit, shunning that windy spot as the nighttime temperatures plunged rapidly. I led every pitch on sight, while Scott followed everything free, and Heather pulled on just one piece on one of the eleven pitches.

  Our second objective was a route called "Welcome to the Slabs of Koricancha." (VI 5.13a) Koricancha is the name of an Inca temple in Cusco, Peru. This route had been established just the year before by a strong team from Slovakia. It hosted ninety-seven bolts, including sixty-eight on the lead, and thus I reasoned my young partner Scott could do some leading, as his trad skills are just developing. It is the only route on El Esfinge with a grade of 5.13, and is in all likelihood, the hardest rock climb in the Country.

  Unexpected snowy weather and fatigue slowed our progress, but on August 9, I was able to on sight the crux (13a) sixth pitch, a thing edging and lieback affair, that was completely bolted. Scott followed the pitch clean, and we were all smiles. We left fixed ropes to our high point, headed back to base camp and had a much needed rest day.

  On August 11, we left base camp at 5:00am, ascended our ropes, and climbed the remaining seven pitches to the summit. I ended up making a no falls ascent of the entire climb, on sighting every pitch on lead, except pitch eight (5.12a), which Scott led, and I flashed on toprope. Scott took just two falls on the entire 1700' climb. The first was on the seventh pitch (5.12a), which he was unable to go back and redpoint due to time constraints from the inclement weather. Scott's only other fall came on the eighth pitch, after which he quickly lowered to the belay, pulled the rope, and led the section in proper style. Higher on the lead, which appeared to be well bolted, Scott led a 40' runout on sketchy 5.9 and 5.10 ground. Not exactly something to call his Mom about. Heather opted to help us save time and jumared (ascended a fixed rope) on pitches six through nine on summit day, but climbed the rest of the route with just one fall on the third (5.12c) pitch. This time we summited in the sun around 3:00pm, and reached the true summit of the mountain, a spiked ridge marked with a tipsy cairn, in the beaming sun. Scott is undoubtedly the youngest person to ever climb this peak. We descended into the chilly shade, cleaned all of our gear from the mountain, and marched to our tents happy and victorious.

  Two days later we left base camp and returned to the States on August 18.

   

  Vital Statistics:
  
  Area: Peru, Cordillera Blanca, Paron Valley
  
  Ascents:
  
  El Esfinge, "Ruta Normal" (VI 5.11)
  Summit on August 3, 2004
  Steve Schneider, Heather Baer and Scott Cory
  
  El Esfinge, "Welcome to the Slabs of Koricancha"
  (VI 5.13a)
  Summit on August 11, 2004
  Second ascent of climb and first American ascent
  Steve Schneider, Heather Baer and Scott Cory