Instagram story viewer> @djviernes> Posts

DJ Viernes

@djviernes

1.5K

followers

1489

following

Video // Photo // Climber // Doggy Daddy
🇵🇭/🇺🇸

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Whenever I develop a new wall I search for the easiest routes first. This is for a variety of reasons. First of all, I have gained a pound a year from the age of 30 to 52 (I partly blame my love of good bourbon 🥃) and I don’t climb as hard as I did when I was in my 20s and 30s. However, the main reason is that more people climb the easier routes and therefore it is a better investment of time, effort, and money knowing that the moderates will be enjoyed by more people. For example, routes like Send Me on my Way, Plate Tectonics, Brown Eyed Girl, and Boltergeist see far more ascents than Magnum Opus, Golden Road, Blue Collar, and Galunlati. I am particularly proud of the route pictured above because it is the easiest so far at the Secret Wall and has already seen plenty of ascents since the FA on June 1st of this year. At 65 ft and 6 bolts, “Hoard of the Flies” goes at 5.8 sport. “Canadian Coddiwomple” next to it is 80 ft and 9 bolts and goes at 5.9 sport. Both of these routes are sure to see plenty of repeats by the masses. #routedevelopment #ontarioclimbing #thenooks #weakfatbaldandold #neverstopexploring taken in Ontario, Canada by @djviernes

36

3

6 days ago

Nooks 26

What a blast to see friends experience the Nooks for the first time. Big thanks to @brendanbaars & @djviernes for all the hard work through the years. I’m already dreaming of going back… by @djviernes

214

12

a month ago

Take me back to the mountains….even if they tried to kill me…. taken in Colorado by @djviernes

67

5

a month ago

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST FUCKING DOG EVER. Love you Lou Bear!!!! by @djviernes

95

7

5 months ago

22 years. by @djviernes

44

3

6 months ago

THE UNREPEATED // Lines Of The Nooks
🎥 - @djviernes AND me
#TheNooksBouldering
Spotter // @dirtbag.dre

Blind Date With Destiny // V12
Upper Gold Mine

Putting 👀 on some classics that have gone unrepeated through the years in this new series of short shorts!

Bring on the power! Sequence through the improbably delicate sidepull slopers to tackle a compression beast. Requiring full tension and a precise blind heel hook for the first crux move. Keep it together through the double bump and tackle the second crux! The hand flip on the sharp arete. Meet your maker with few hold or foot choices on the vertical face except the arete. Overbalance and your out and don’t call it done until you are standing on the top.

This line has gotten looked over for years despite it being close to every other classic. Maybe it’s the height, maybe it’s because it hardly looks like a rock climb without chalk. But whatever it is, even the stand start (proposed v10 probably soft) hasn’t seen a second ascent either. taken in Elliot Lake, Ontario by @djviernes

119

2

7 months ago

THE UNREPEATED // Lines Of The Nooks
🎥 - @djviernes
#TheNooksBouldering

Putting 👀 on some classics that have gone unrepeated through the years in this new series of short shorts!

First on that list is MAD HATTER! A powerful overhanging highball on perfect stone and just enough holds. A gem of a line that’s more intimidating in person due to the almost perfect landing that drops away. Making the high sloper lip incredibly daunting.

As far as I’m aware, this line has sat unrepeated although I think it’s gotten some eyeballs and interest over the years. It was a spur of the moment ascent. Cleaned and climbed in a day before I had time to think about consequences. taken in Elliot Lake, Ontario by @djviernes

107

0

7 months ago

THE DEVELOPER available to stream now on YouTube! Click on the link in my description or visit DJ’s YouTube page to watch it. Grab your popcorn and tissues!

Filmed by @djviernes the film follows me through my addiction of a dream to turn an unknown into a destination for all. Putting The Nooks on the map and showing that distance doesn’t matter, time is only a sacrifice, and life isn’t anything without a purpose.

I can’t express the gratitude I feel towards DJ for filming and editing this over the past 4+ years. We’ve worked tirelessly on this project to bring this to reality!

#TheNooksBouldering taken in Elliot Lake, Ontario by @djviernes

78

3

7 months ago

KEEN TO GET HYPED FOR THE NOOKS SPRING SEASON!?! We’ve got you covered. The Developer will be available to stream FOR FREE starting Friday, March 13.

Get beta. Get stoked. Come crush. taken in Elliot Lake, Ontario by @djviernes

185

7

7 months ago

Best year yet. by @djviernes

194

15

9 months ago

Way out in the Canadian wilderness — six hours from the nearest city, little to no cell reception, surrounded by mossy forests and granite — lies a world-class bouldering destination. Secluded, quiet, and breathtakingly beautiful, The Nooks has quickly become one of the most talked-about new climbing areas in North America. With incredible rock quality and a massive spread of problems from V0 to V13, it’s the kind of place that feels unreal the first time you see it.

The Nooks was first discovered in 2018 by Michigan climber Brendan Baars. Since then, he has spent nearly every climbable weekend out there — cleaning hundreds of boulders, building trails, collaborating with the local community, and documenting the entire process alongside his close friend DJ Viernes. Brendan’s vision and commitment have transformed a patch of remote forest into a full-blown destination area visited by hundreds of climbers a year — something that almost never happens on this scale.
Today, I’m sitting down with both Brendan and DJ to talk about how it all came to be.

In our conversation, we dive into the history of The Nooks, why Brendan fell in love with bouldering, and what it actually takes to develop an area of this size. We break down his first ascent of a new V13 called Deadliness, and get a deeper understanding of how The Nooks has shaped both Brendan's and DJ’s lives over the last seven years.

We also talk at length about DJ’s new feature-length film The Developer, which documents the area and the process behind building it from the ground up. It’s beautifully shot, full of heart, and we use it as a reference point throughout this conversation.

🎙 Watch the full episode on Youtube OR listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.

#bouldering
#climbing
#rockclimbing
#sportclimbing
#podcast
#climbingpodcast taken in Michigan, USA by @djviernes

263

6

10 months ago

@michael_bienick on another new addition to The Nooks up at Bolgers Lake, “Parabolic” V8

#thenooksbouldering taken in Elliot Lake, Ontario by @djviernes

57

5

a year ago