Dan Beland on 2016 Projects and Road Trips

Dan Beland is a West Coast climber who spends much of his time on the road.

Based in Victoria, Beland makes regular trips to Squamish and Horne Lake. Last summer, he sent Revival 5.14b on the Big Show. Previous to that, he sent Beefy Gecko V11 in Bishop and The Egg, Squamish’s well-known V11.

Watch Beland make a quick ascent of Heresy in Smith Rock.

What have you been up to for the past six months?

I’ve been keeping busy with lots of climbing. In the last six months, I’ve spent time in Squamish, Canmore, Washington, Kentucky and Bishop.

Between trips I’ve been putting time in training and setting at the local gyms in Victoria. Crag X, Victoria’s downtown gym, just opened an awesome new facility so I’ve been hanging out there a lot over the winter.

Where did you climb in the fall?

Last fall, I spent a full month climbing at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. That was my second trip to the Red and I totally love it there. The climbing is steep and very endurance-based which suits me well. It’s a good place to get fit.

Where are you now?

Right now I’m bouldering in California’s popular Bishop area.

What have the conditions been like?

Overall the conditions have been good. There have been a few forced days off due to rain and snow, but it doesn’t take long for things to dry out around here.

The Buttermilks were out of commission for a several days because of a big snow storm but I have loads of projects in the Tablelands to keep me busy.

Do you take rest days?

My standard schedule is two days on, one off. I’ll take two rest days every once in a while if I feel extra wrecked or my skin is really bad. Most of my trips are about a month long, so I don’t feel the need to climb lots of days in a row due to tight timelines.

Are there many Canadians there?

We have a solid crew of friends from B.C. here right now and I’ve seen other vehicles from across Canada. Conditions usually aren’t great in Canada this time of year and Bishop is prime so it’s no surprise to find lots of Canadians here.

What are a few of your projects?

I put in a session on The Aquarium V12 and managed to do it in two sections which are separated by a good rest. The top out was a sheet of ice so I’ll have to wait before I can give it a solid effort from the start.

(Note: After Beland’s interview this weekend, he sent The Aquarium and wrote the following: Battle mode. This ended up being way harder to link than I thought it would be. Long. My sequence came in at around 23 moves to get through to the final wall. I was so pumped that I almost fell off the top out jugs. Perhaps not the best boulder problem, but a wicked fitness challenge.)

I’m also keen to get back on Redrum Sit V10, Center Direct V10 and Xavier’s Roof V11. There are a few harder problems I have my eye on but haven’t had a chance to try yet.

Now that I’ve had a couple of weeks to get into bouldering mode I think I’m ready to check them out.

What’s your biggest send of the trip?

I’ve sent a few fun V10s so far – Low Rider, Slow Dance and Aquatic Hitchhiker. While those might be the hardest, my most memorable send is probably flashing High Plains Drifter. I’m very wimpy about taller problems so for me that was exciting.

What’s your approach to projecting?

I can get pretty obsessed over projects. Once I believe that I might be able to send something it’s hard for me to think about anything else until I finish it.

I’ll often stop climbing other routes so that I can focus 100 per cent on my project. I love getting every move dialed to the point that everything flows without having to think about it.

Plans for the rest of 2016?

I’m going to check out some of the sport climbing around St. George, Utah in the spring and then spend most of the summer in Squamish, as usual. No plans yet for the fall.

I’ve had some thoughts about trying out the competition scene to see how I like it. I’ve volunteered at lots of comps at The Boulders in Central Saanich so becoming a competitor might be a fun way to change things up.

Favourite post-climb bevy?

Beer. I love a good IPA, but a cold PBR will do just fine.

–  Be sure to follow Dan Beland on Instagram here and on Sendage here.