Gabriela Cendoya (code name: labarrosa) gets ready to nab the jug on a V1 boulder problem at La Barrosa's usual boulders.

I couldn’t find a better picture, but there I am climbing a pretty face in La Barrosa at Balcarce (Argentina). I’m really bad in grading routes but I think is 6 b.

Gabriela Cendoya de Bratten getting ready to fire through the 5.10d crux of the steep and unrelenting, Rock Nacional, on Balcarce's La Barrosa.

Had some free time the other day and decided to piece together this sequence of shots to give absolute proof that bouldering in Balcarce is fun. This little boulder problem is maybe V2, for a couple of powerful reaches between jugs.

Techo Clasico means Classic Roof, and there's no overstatement here: this V4 boulder is classic. Here's a shot of Tim hitting the crux deadpoint above the caring hands of his wife Gaby.

Trad climbing in Balcarce? Yanqui trying to get untangled from the rope while seconding the first ascent of the 5.11a overhanging chimney: This May Feel a Little Weird. Put up in classic grunt style by Mike Pleinus, this route certainly does make me feel weird. After cranking the crux roof move to gain entrance to the chimney, I inevitably wind up facing outward, as in the photo. Thus I'm always forced to do a strange, 180 degree rotation, to turn the final roof and finish the route. The no shirt and shorts offwidth style requires extreme care with body friction, so as not to remove skin from the body.

OK OK, the shirt was a gift. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead in clothes like this. Would you forgive me if I said I used the shirt to wipe my shoes clean before doing a dicey face problem? Oh, by the way: this is a nice V2 boulder which has a cool sit start under the lowest roof, and a third roof up higher, out of the frame.

Got to love those nice girly moves. Gabriela Cendoya finishing up an airy V0- in The Middle Earth on La Barrosa.

Mariano tries not to get bombed out by the steepness of La Barrosa's North American Invasion (5.11d)

I thought I'd better include a picture of roped climbing for the La Barrosa area, just to compensate for all the bouldering shots which are there now. Here's Tim on a 3 bolt 5.10b called Nuevas Medidas Económicos (New Economic Measures) named after the painful and confusing governmental policies adopted as the Argentine economy slowly spiraled into the toilet.

I had to include a shot of resident hardman Mariano Maceri for the La Barrosa record and this looked like the nicest one. This long V0 traverse on big sloppers (the boulder continues for another 5 meters around the corner) is just the thing to get those arms inflated before taking on some of the harder problems. That's Balcarce, birthplace to 5-time world champion race car driver Juan Manuel Fangio, in the background.

All this V-rating still confuses me, but Techo Clasico is probably something like V4. The problem actual starts down and right (look for chalk) outside the frame of the photo and involves about 5 meters of upside down climbing, mostly on jugs. Here Tim is in the crux, which involves a few smaller holds followed by a powerful toss to a huge jug and an easy top out.

If you look down and right you can see Michi's toes sticking out of his shoes. But that won't stop him from dialing the dicey V5 footwork required to complete El Huevo. That's Mariano Maceri winning an oscar in the role of spotter.

Gorgeus spring day in Balcarce. If you look closely you'll see Rubio taking a nap under the roof.