Upside down climbing

Seeing as I am on the other side of the world to all these other crazy cats, the climbing here is slightly different. Slab become overhung, overhangs become slabby and roof climbing is all of a sudden much easier.... over the past month, climbing has become a much bigger part of my life. I have been climbing more than my usual once a week, to now basically climbing 5 days a week. I have become inspired once again by the world of rock climbing. working my way slowly through the 'grades' and I am climbing as strong as I can remember. All of this has come from the excitement of spending 3 months bumming my way through the U.S.of A. trying to hit up some amazing areas if possible. My next goal is to get stronger and get the others in this blog to come and climb with me in areas that I, and perhaps they, have never been...... So, J Tree, Bishop or Boulder anyone?

On the mend... my re-introduction to climbing again.

It began last fall. As I finished my final semester at Northeastern University, I felt the pressure of school and life begin to fade and peel away. Finally, I could really dedicate some time to training, getting psyched, and climbing some of the routes that seemed to, inevitably, loom in my future. These classic routes that begged to be climbed like The Prow at Cathedral Ledge, Welcome to the Gunks (at the Gunks... duh), and Rose Crack at Upper West were desperately in need of being sent. With the winter closing in I realized that many of these routes would be there next season and decided to embracing the winter and work on my ice climbing skills. Then, as may of us who aspire to mediocrity will feel at some point, I incurred a major set back.

While doing some early season snowboarding in PA, and, like an idiot, trying to impress my girlfriend and her family, I wrecked. I managed to slam my elbow into the man made excuse for ice/snow and fractured my arm. As I sat in stoned on opioids at the hospital later that evening, waiting to receive my diagnosis, I couldn't help but think of how strong I had been starting to feel, the incredible ice season that was quickly approaching, and, worst of all, how hard it was going to be not to climb! The doctors response hit HARD. 3 Months till I could touch the rock again. 3 MONTHS!!!! I have known pregnant women that haven't missed that much climbing, and they had a fucken kid! What could I do though, ice season was a total miss, and likely most of the spring and everything I had been working toward. It didn't seem to make sense to get mad about it, but I felt so frustrated. I just wanted to break something... no pun intended.

Before I get all introspective and mushy on you I just want to set the record straight, DON'T BREAK YOUR ARM IT SUCKS! If you do manage to break yourself, I hope you take what I have to say here to heart.

As winter dragged on I managed to review why I loved climbing so much. I quickly came to the realization that climbing wasn't always about the climbing. It is just as much about community as it is about sending. I found my self still hanging out with my climbing buddies drinking beers, belaying with one hand while they trained in the gym and top roped ice, and even helped run and ice festival with a group called VICE (Vertical Ice Climbing Enthusiasts). I realized why this sport had become my life style. CLIMBERS ROCK!!!! This community was there for me, to share a beer, to poke fun at me, and even to listen to my complaints.

Now that 3 months is up, ice season is over, but rock season is beginning again. With my arm and spirit healed I finally feel like I can crush whatever New England can throw at me. To everyone who helped me through this winter. I love you motherfucka's. See y'all on the rock, in the gym, and at the bar!

Pipe Dreams Day 2

So yesterday was day 2 on Pipe Dreams, my project for the season. Another 5 hour day of camping out at the base of it, staring at the beautiful wavelike rock with chalked up holds from the week before. Both weeks there has been quite the crowd of climbers looking for the epic send of this proud climb. After the first couple of hours, the crowd thinned out as people made their way to some of Farley's other classics while me a small crew stayed to lock in the sequence that was spitting me off time after time. So much compression!! It's like picking up a washing machine, holding it at waist height and trying to move your hands without dropping it...awesome.

Sammy Enright squeeeeeeezing!

Amongst the crowd, Vasya Vorotnikov and Neil Mushaweh cruised by after killing it up at Stereogram and Babies with Rabies, two of Farley's best...and hardest. After watching some of us flail like fish out of water, Vasya got on and made a great first burn past the bottom crux, falling at the slippery squeeze towards the top that I don't think he was expecting. After a 10 minute break and some friendly banter, he was back on for an inspiring send that got us all psyched on the problem all over again. Sick send!

As for me? Felt strong but weak...at the same time. Definitely need to spend my time more effectively, and warming up on more than the little chode of a block showing in the bottom right of the picture above. Even though progress was minimal, I'm falling in love with this problem more and more every week. And there I will be, every Sunday that I can.

Hammond Pond 3.14.11

So word was Farley was "less than favorable" due to rain on Saturday night, so proposed day one on the project turned into a great session with Boof and Jamie Dreads at Hammond Pond in Boston. Never been before but always heard it wasn't worth the skin. Turned out to have some fun stuff to play on and even though it was sharp as shit puddingstone, it felt amazing to be outdoors on real rock again.

After warming up on some high ball juggy stuff, Boof led us over to a crazy V5 cave problem. And when I say cave, I mean crawl down into, animal dwelling, home of the hantavirus type cave. But with some sick toe hooks and fancy footwork on top of some gunzy flake moves to a barely there topout, it was a pretty amazing problem. The only problem that I found, other than being out of shape, was that the opening of the cave that you climb out of seemed to be equidistant to the size of my ass so if I so much as straightened by arms I was on the ground. Good motivation to get a thigh-master but did not go at the end of the day.

Boof coming out of the cave

Turned out to be a good session in a new area but still anxious to get out to Farley and start on Pipe Dreams.

At the start