It's a little cheesy and cliche, but as the year comes to an end it is hard not to look back and reflect on the previous 12 months. Did we live up to our expectations? Did we meet any goals, check any items off our Bucket List? For climbers, this inevitably means thinking back to our favorite climbs, those elusive projects, and the great times laughing at the crag. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of the highlights from my year in climbing, and hope that some of you guys will share a few of yours in the Comments section. 

The year started off with a couple of high notes from the midwest. First, a group of friends from St. Louis came to visit and do some climbing. I got to play tour guide, and take them to some of our local classics, including Steve's Arete, Hitchcock Pinnacle, Arizona Flyways, Blood Book and of course, Milagrosa Canyon and Gates Pass. Shortly after that I flew to St. Louis myself, and between spending time with family and friends, got to squeeze in a trip to the Holy Boulders of Southern Illinois. With near perfect temps and high motivation, I was able to finally send a long term project that had eluded me for many reasons. But I managed to pull out a send of Jungle Book, an ultra-classic sloper arete, and one of the most striking lines I've ever had the pleasure to climb.

This summer I fell in love with the Orifice Wall, and had a blast climbing up there. I felt like I finally developed some of the skills necessary to be a decent sport climber, and toiled away at a few projects up there. I feel pretty confident that Hard Day at the Orifice and Orifice Politics will always be among the best sport routes I will ever climb.

After Orifice season, I was pretty psyched to switch gears and start bouldering some more. When Chris Prewitt sent me satellite images of Panther Peak, I was salivating at the chance to head up there. It was exhilarating exploring the area, and finding cool new lines around every corner. And after cleaning epic amounts of choss, I feel we found some pretty good problems up there, and begun development of what could be a real good area. Snagging the first ascent of Righteous Beast was definitely a highlight. And even now, after the initial excitement of sending the problem has worn off a bit, I am convinced it is one of the best problems in Southern Arizona. Hopefully development will continue up there, as there are plenty of stellar lines still waiting to be done.

Recently it has been a lot of fun to work on this website. It has been a lot of work, but well worth to help people find some new areas to check out. Thanks especially to every one who has contributed to the site or offered feedback or suggestions! I hope to keep improving the site and keep adding more and more information and media.

Of course, the most memorable thing about any year of climbing is all the amazing people I have been fortunate enough to climb with. From the OG's of Team Tuesday, to the peanut gallery at the Orifice Wall, and all the folks I have been bouldering with lately - THANKS FOR A GREAT YEAR! There are so many reasons I love and continue climbing, and the people I get to climb with are right on top of the list. So thanks for the laughter and stories, the motivation and support, and for sharing this passion and making every day that more interesting and meaningful.

What about you???