Name?
Joel Brady
Age?
37
Years bouldering in PA?
Over 20 years bouldering in PA.
Top five PA bouldering areas?
- Coll’s Cove
- Proving Grounds
- Casparis
- Susquehanna
- Every under the radar area I’m not going to tell you about.
Top five PA boulder problems?
- Golden Bough
- Ironborn
- Big Heist
- Wide Awake Nightmare
- Finders Keepers
Favorite PA stone type? Why?
That perfect sandstone at the Proving Grounds- ain’t nothin prettier or friendlier.
Favorite month to boulder in PA?
November.
Why do you enjoy PA bouldering? What sets PA bouldering apart from some other areas?
First ascents galore to be had everywhere you turn. Always a brand new area to go check out. Most days when I’m trying to decide where to boulder, I end up feeling like I don’t really care, because I can go to any of several dozen spots and have a great time.
Willing to share one memorable bouldering experience that embodies “community”?
I’ll share two examples that reflect the spirit of SWPA community.
The first was a sad and tragic day, but also one which has bonded us together. A significant portion of the SWPA bouldering crew was out at Coll’s Cove the day that the legendary Cal Swoager passed away. All of us were deeply moved and affected by that experience—climbers came together to try to resuscitate him after he fell, and we cried together when it became clear that we couldn’t do anything more for him. We helped carry Cal’s body out of the woods that day, and then were honored as pallbearers to carry him again as we, his climbing family, helped lay him to rest.
The second: a couple years ago I was in Pittsburgh and got a call from a Pittsburgh friend who was down at the New River Gorge. He had been climbing with his wife and six kids at the Meadow River, and had gotten a flat tire, the tow truck they had called never came, they were stuck pretty deep in the woods, and it was late and dark now. I put out a blast online to see if any of our folks were down there, and Jim Schuring, one of our SWPACC board members, responded that he was at the New, and that he and a friend could help. They took two cars—because that’s how many vehicles it takes to extract eight people from the woods—and made the hour and a half round trip to save them in the middle of the night. So we want you to know, if you ever find yourself stuck in the woods, no matter where, no matter how remote or inaccessbile, you can call the SWPACC…and we will send Jim Schuring to come get you.