With over 2,000 climbing routes on purple quartzite cliffs looming over the water 500 feet below, Devils Lake is the premier rock climbing destination of the Midwest.  Records indicate that people have been climbing and training on these cliffs since the 1920’s.  Now with the explosion of rock climbers throughout the U.S and world, Devils Lake State Park attracts an estimated 140,000 climbers every season.  The climbing atmosphere at the Lake is much like it’s midwestern surroundings.  People are eager to chit-chat, make new friends, give a belay, share a rope, or share a beer at the end of a good day.
Many of the hiking trails wind about bluffs just below or above many of the famous climbing routes providing easy access and mobility throughout the day.  While certain areas can get crowded on Saturdays with climbers and spectators, thousands of other routes remain hidden within the deep Wisconsin woods.  Sundays tend to be quieter even at the most popular climbing crags.  Most of the cliffs are about 60 – 100 feet in height which is perfect top-rope climbing.  Top-rope climbing is incredibly safe and therefore makes Devils lake a wonderful place for new and novice climbers to practice and learn.  That said, Devils Lake is also home to some of the toughest climbs and many professional from around the world have come to test their skills.  One of the climbs called Bagatelle looks like a 70 foot sheet of glass and has only ever been climbed by 3 people.  Jason Houston was the last local legend to master it.
There are two bluffs that dominate the lake, the east and west bluffs.  The east bluff provides the most options in one specific area and has a tremendous view down the valley to Lake Wisconsin.  The West bluff has hundreds of pockets of climbing and provides a better view of Devils Lake itself.  The less domineering bluff, the South bluff has a few climbs but keeps it’s real gems (the boulders) hidden from most as there are no maintained trails on this bluff.   Along the railroad tracks on the East side there are a couple great climbing spots which allow for a swim on the hot days.  There are so many endless options that one could spend a lifetime climbing at the lake, and several have done so.
Guides and Guide books can be found to get you around to the best spots.  The Devils Lake Guide book by Sven Olof Swartling has been the classic and best guide book hands down.  And of course, Apex Adventure Alliance is the oldest guiding company using local guides.  Wildside is the local climbing shop in the town of Baraboo, and they can get you any gear you need, guide book, or guide contact, etc.  Even if you are an experienced climber make sure to talk with the locals or get a guide as the ratings are off, and a little local advise will go a long way.  If your coming with a group on a Saturday make sure they know of several places to climb in case the first place is already grouped out.

Devils Lake is worth visiting just for the hiking, swimming, and unforgettable camping, but if you really want the trip you’ll treasure for your whole life, then make sure to add in the rock climbing.

Hope to see you on the cliffs!

Todd Stowell
Apex Adventure Alliance
www.apexadventurealliance.com
(608) 434 – 3360

The first time rock climbing at Devils Lake can be frustrating for the experienced climber as routes are not easily found or marked. If you plan on spending more than a day at the lake I would start by picking up a copy of The Devils Lake guide book by Sven Olof Swartling The next best option is The Minnesota and Wisconsin (Duo) Guide book.  Both books are sure to be found “used” online for cheap or stop in at Wildside (the local gear shop) and support the local scene by buying one there.  The Wildside guys are knowledgeable and can give you lots of advise as well.  This is not a route recommending article so check out books or websites to look route up route info. Know that the ratings are off, (Stiff)  most climbs are much, much harder than the traditional rating given to them.  Climbers that flash 5.11 can spend the whole day working on a Devils Lake 5.9.  I warn that this is not an exaggeration, so please top-rope climbs at Devils lake until you get a feel for the rating system.  So, that said, don’t come to the lake looking to keep score, come for fun and challenge and forget ratings.  99% of the climbs have a walk to top-rope set up so no leading is required.  It’s so easy to set up top-ropes and everyone is so eager to share a rope that the whole place works more like an outdoor climbing gym.
If you want to meet up with local climbers just park in the CCC parking lot early in the morning and strike up a conversation as the cars with climbing stickers roll in.   The CCC parking lot is a small lot used primarily by climbers and access some of the parks best climbs on the east bluff.  If your new to the lake I would not recommend the West Bluff on a Saturday as many of the crags are isolated and can be overrun by groups, which means you can spend a good chunk of your prime climbing time searching and hiking from spot to spot.  Other days of the week, the west bluff can be a haven for isolated crags, serenity, and breathtaking views.
There are no bolts or sport climbing at Devil Lake so be prepared to top-rope or lead.  Not many of the routes eat pro that well so it’s best to talk with locals before trading up some unknown route.  It’s purple quartzite which is found in only three places in the world, and it’s super slick and smooth.  Sloppers are almost non-existent.  Little crimpy ledges will become your best friends. The locals that climb here all the time are tough as nails (but very friendly).  Towards the south end of the park, there is a sandstone bluff (Old Sandstone Area) which provides some variety to the climbing scene and has some classics definitely worth checking out.
If you can get a local to take you bouldering on the South bluff, surely take advantage of it.  Very hard to find, but excellent bouldering pockets on the south bluff make for a great raining day exploration.  Do hike with your pad as you’ll surely want to climb even if it is raining.
Camping can be hard to get at Devils Lake, but they do have several non-reservable sites that usually don’t get filled up until Thursday or Friday each week.  So if you can arrive on a Monday or Tuesday you’ll most likely be in luck.  Green Valley campground has been my camp spot for years, but you have to be recommended by someone in order to camp at this very beautiful farm setting.  Bring a flower or tree if you want to show up and try to get a site, they love the barter system.  Wheelers Campground is also very close to the Park and even sells some climbing gear.  Cute Mom and Pop hotels dot the roadside into the town of Baraboo and can go for very reasonable rates.  Check out the Willow Tree hotel, or Nordic Pines.
The place for beer and burger after a day of climbing is surely Hooty’s Sports Bar, ask for fried green beans instead of french fries.  Spotted Cow is the local favorite micro-brew, and it’s very good.
As mentioned before, it’s Wisconsin, so expect to make new friends at the crag and please partake in our very friendly rope sharing atmosphere.  Hope to see you out there.
Todd Stowell
Apex Adventure Alliance
(608) 434 – 3360
www.apexadventurealliance.com

As a Snowsports School Director for the last 3 years and 11 years of being a snowboard instructor I have learned much about the successful methods to learning and becoming a snowboarder.  I also work with the American Association of Snowboard Instructors traveling around the Midwest training the trainers who train the snowboard instructors.  There are some common fundamental mistakes that I see repeated so many times that I feel there is a need for an article addressing them.  I’ve outlined 5 tips below that I believe can help you snowboard or at least have a more enjoyable experience.  I also enjoy skiing and have taught many ski lessons and have worked with some of the worlds best ski instructors: which leads me to tip #1.

Tip #1  SHOULD YOU SNOWBOARD OR SKI?

The fact is: Skiing is easier to learn and harder to master.  Snowboarding is hard to learn and easier to master.  You can easily spend the entire day on the “bunny hill” with a snowboard and be learning at an accelerated rate.  It usually takes a day or three to get comfortable on a snowboard.  Many students do not ride the lift at all the first day.  In contrast to snowboarding, almost 80% or more ski students will ride the lift within the first couple hours. So if visiting the ski hill is a “one time thing” for you then consider skiing as you can enjoy the lifts, the view, and still comfortably sit on the ride home.   If you are going with friends who know how to ride and the point of the day is to be with them, then consider skiing.  Unless your friends want to spend the day on the bunny hill that is.  If you have a couple days to learn and want to work at it then you should snowboard.  Many people come to me because they are going out west (Colorado, etc) later that year with friends and need to learn to ride.  In that case I recommend that they learn to snowboard because they can spend 3 – 4 days learning and become quite skilled. As mentioned Boarding is easier to master.  So be realistic about what your snowsport intentions are.  Also, if your trying to get your kids into enjoying the slopes or a person who is suspicious about the whole “ski hill” idea then skiing is probably you best bet.  You just want them to have a good time, you can have them make the switch later once they are hooked.  It’s better then a bad day of falling and frustration.

Tip #2 LEARN IN THE MIDWEST

If you are planning a trip out west, do not learn there!  As mentioned above your going to spend the first day at least on the bunny hill.  So take a day trip out to your local hill or even an afternoon.  You can spend $70 – 90 at a Mountain out west or $14 – 45 at a midwest resort.  Lessons are much cheaper here as well, usually half the price if not more.  (Private lessons out west $200+ versus at Devils Head Resort, WI – $40). So don’t waste your money and learn here.   Learning here also allows your muscles to recover.  Even better is to take a couple lessons spread out over a couple days.  Many resorts have a “cheap night” with lift tickets for $12-14.  Many of the instrcutors at Devils Head are as skilled as any instructor you would get at Vail, Aspen, or Copper,  they just happen to live in the Midwest due to family, jobs, etc.  Many of them still teach part time out west somewhere.  I’m was one of them!

Tip # 3 TAKE A LESSON, TAKE A LESSON, TAKE A LESSON

I hired a guy who was at one time 3rd in the Nation for snowboarding.  He had competed against Shawn White, and could do all sorts of complicated freestyle maneuvers.  He had no idea how to teach someone to snowboard.  He thought he did at first, when I hired him.  After a weekend of instructor training he admitted that he had taught people in the past completely wrong!  This is not a unique situation!  Unless someone has actually been trained to teach, I’m telling you that they can’t! So please do not take lessons from your friend unless they actually are or have been an instructor.  Don’t believe them if they say they can teach you.  Most snowboarders, even the ones that do all the crazy tricks and backcountry, don’t carve and ride properly.  I know, I run a Snowsports School, but this is not a commercial… It’s the truth!

Tip #4 GUARANTEE A GOOD LESSON FOR YOURSELF!

So here are the tips about getting a good lesson that a ski resort probably doesn’t want you to know.  At my home resort and every resort I have encountered gives you the instructor that is available, not the one that is best. If you pay $40 for a private lesson I may give you a 35 year old graduate from Harvard who has been teaching and training in instruction for years and years (I really have these guys!). I may also give you a 14 year old kid that says “Dude” more than a valley girl says “like.”  It all has to do with availability and luck of the draw.  So when you get a private lesson ask for someone who is “cerified” by P.S.I.A or A.A.S.I.  Ask for a level 3 or 2, but even if you get a level 1 your much better off in your instructor lottery.  Even better, ask an instructor to let you know who is the best trainer, freestyler, best with kids, etc. and get a name.  Then put in a request for that instructor.  Not only does that guarantee a good instructor, but instructors get paid more when you request them so it’s better for them too.  Since instructors all wear matching jackets, you should be able to find one and ask them.  Some Ski and Snowboard Schools are private from the resorts and you can make arrangements ahead of time.

Tip #5  KEEP A GOOD ONE!

Good instructors have great tips for more then just the hill, they often know the best place to eat, drink, and hidden local goodies.  So, if you get a good instructor, get their card, and keep in contact with them.  They can take you to the level that your sport was meant to take you with future lessons.  Lastly, Instructors make almost nothing in pay so if you give them a tip, even a small one, it is much appreciated and often means more emotionally than economically to the instructor.  Almost all instructors work a 40 hour week and practically volunteer  their free days to teach you to ski and ride, because they just love it that much!  So get emails, numbers, and link in with this very fun and exciting community of people.

Best wishes of snow and powder to you all this season.  See you on the slopes!

Todd Stowell

Apex Adventure Alliance

(608) 434 – 3360

Tip #5

It started with a conversation late at night in the upstairs of a dirty pub in Cusco, Peru.   Maybe in Peru Coca-Cola still has the original ingredients, maybe it was the whiskey, either way the talk had turned adventurous. There was John, who was young and fearless and described his profession as rich.com.  His friend Sam, an aspiring theatre man, was there taking a trip after the recent death of his mother in hopes of finding some healing along the way.  Both, like myself had been gallivanting around South America for several months and our paths crossed during a four day hike through the Andes Mountains to Macchu Pichu.   The Manu Bioreserve was the topic that night.  It’s a part of the Amazon that the Peruvian Government couldn’t seem to tame, so they made it a reserve and only doctors and scientists are allowed to go there.  Supposedly the last cannibalistic trip still inhabits it but other than a recent village storming (with bows, arrows, and machetes) no one really seems to know what’s going on there.  

So we put together a small team, ourselves of course, an interpreter of the tribal languages, a guy who knew the terrain, and someone who could translate it all into English.  We invited three Israelis who were also traveling in South America after serving there time in the Israeli army.  We figured they might come in handy. We also brought a cook, mainly because she was female and we didn’t want to look like some sort of war party.  That was our plan, and unlike most late night conversations at bars, we actually did it.

We loaded into old Toyota’s early one morning and drove till the dirt roads ran out.  Then we loaded up a large wooden boat, which resembled more of a large canoe or and Asian long-tail boat without bright colors. Along with our expedition gear we loaded up bartering chips like cigarettes and live chickens.  We weren’t sure how effective money would be in a predicament. 

The first couple days were relaxing as we traveled the river deeper and deeper into the Amazon.  Gigantic birds exploding with colors, monkeys howling, and stars that blazed every night.   We stopped at little villages along the way were people were extremely friendly and curious.  At one point I was sitting in a circle with a group of topless native women, with bad teeth, drinking a bowl of corn whiskey they were passing around.  I later learned that they made the whiskey taking turns spitting into the bowl and the spit ferments the corn… yum…  

A couple days later I would run into 3 other westerners deep in the Jungle at another village.  One caught my eye in the distance.  I thought it was some sort of ghost at first and they thought the same of me.  But I met with them and learned they were “Doctors without Borders.”  My conversations with these incredible men inspired me to go PreMed at the UW of Madison some years later.  In another village the locals had rescued a baby monkey.  I also spotted a Capybara, the worlds largest rodent.  

I can’t say what day it was that the food just sort of disappeared.  We weren’t to concerned about it, and maybe that was the problem.  We went fishing using a rickety old raft which was really boards nailed between two dug out canoes.  We were catching parana but they small.  We used the Parana themselves as bait and caught some slightly larger ones, but 6 inches at the most.  We noticed some caiman (crocs) in the area and thought we might be able to catch one that night.  I had noticed caiman tracks around my tent several of the mornings along the way, but I had not paid too much attention since I was more concerned with tarantulas and snakes.  Hunting caiman is a lot like shining for deer, well kind off…

That night we dragged the raft to a lagoon and loaded onto it with headlamps and our brightest torch.  The night was thick with humidity and there was heat lightning in the distance.  We slowly paddled through the murky waters.  Our translator “Manuel” shined light out over the water. The eyes of a croc glow red in the night when a flashlight shines on them. I looked over the lagoon and see what looks like a night ski filled with red stars. With the flickering of heat lightning and the ever darkening mist of the scene makes my heart sweat. Mangu our Terrain man is leaning off the front of our rickety wooden raft with his steady hands for the catch. I might protest the whole event, but I’m 9 nine days from the nearest dirt road and hungry.  He has no luck getting there mouth in his grip.  After an hour I give it a shot myself.  After a few thrusts I realize that fear might be slowing my abilities.  After all, what if I catch it and it drags me in with it?  Our main problem seems to be that they are to small, maybe only 4 or 5 feet long, and thus still pretty quick at getting away. We have no luck, and sleep with hungry stomachs that night.  The fact that everyone is still alive is nourishment enough for me at this point.

The next day we decide we should head for home and the long voyage back begins.  I can’t say that I have ever been so remote.  When I was 18 I had hitch hiked/hiked to Alaska and I felt like the mountains at points had swallowed me whole, but the stomach of the Amazon has a way of digesting civilization that you cannot imagine.  Just as the grandeur of the night stars can make you feel so insignificant, or the Redwoods can make you feel so small, the jungle can make you feel terribly disposable.   At first it’s an uncomfortable feeling, but later you seek it.

 

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