Back on the Pipe

So after 6 months of staying off of the Pipe, on October 16th I broke down. I couldn't handle being off of it any more, the wait was over. I could hear it taunting me, "Get back on the pipe Raff, you know you want to..." And I'm sad to say that I couldn't say no...

I hope you all know I am talking about the boulder problem Pipe Dreams in Farley. For the past 10 months I've been training and climbing with the sole intention of going out to Farley and taking down my nemesis. In the last 8 months I've dropped 20 pounds, been training like a madman, and just waiting for the conditions to be right for the send. The humidity of summer finally passed, and for once it didn't rain on a Sunday. It was a now or never situation considering my wife is ready to give birth at any moment and who knows when I'd be able to make it out again. I wanted to have maximum friction so I left at an ungodly hour in the morning, picked up Alex Enright and headed west. 

The ride out was full of friendly banter about music, climbing videos, upcoming comps and climbs we're psyched on after Pipe Dreams! Finlay (aka. Crag Demon) was crammed in a 1'x2' space between the door and three pads shoved in the back seat of my 'Coroya'. Every now and again she would try to break free into the front seat taking the path of most resistance in between Alex's shoulder and seat belt. But after a few girlish screams and some hard elbows, Finlay was back where she belonged. We continued our journey and our discussions of how after the epic send we'd run up to Stereogram and blow our tendons out on the tremendous pile of hurt (different story all together). One and a half hours never seemed so long, maybe it was because it felt like 3 in the morning, the sun was barely up and the coffee hadn't kicked in yet. But before we knew it, we were in the old parking lot, throwing way too much in our pads, watching Finlay taking a steamer on a nearby bush and heading down the path.

The path to Pipe Dreams

After getting attacked by the local gang of miniature yipping dogs, we arrived at the warm up boulders at the base of the hill where the crest of Pipe Dreams can be seen. Warm ups were excruciatingly long but necessary, I was achy and sluggish. For the first moment I thought, wow I may not be ready for this. Finlay of course found some mud to lie down in and a tree to carry around with her in hopes that we'd be able to spend the day playing fetch rather than doing anything that we wanted to do. Next thing I know, I was chalking up the holds, ticking microbeta that I remembered clear as day and sitting on the pads at the base of the wondrous wave of rock that I had learned to hate and love so much. Now or never...

Keep in mind that everyone has good and bad days, you could be crushing one day and struggling up your warm ups the next. It happens to us all. Maybe it was the expectations that I was going to send first go, the amount of psychtitude (it's a word) that I've been building for the last six months, the gorgeous morning, the bagel with Nutella that was so damn good, or maybe it was the winds of fate. Maybe I should've trained harder on standing on nothing because that's what that f*@#ing foot felt like. I cruised through the bottom crux without wincing and made it to my personal crux every damn time, standing on that high foot and bumping right hand into the slopey side rail seemed to be anything but possible for me that day. I wasn't tired, I wasn't hungry, I wasn't even annoyed with Finlay, I just couldn't purchase on the foot that's been giving me trouble for 10 months. What can you do? There would be no send that day...

Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I angry with the world? I had my moment, I'm not going to lie. My goal was to send Pipe Dreams before my baby boy is born and that will happen before the end of the weekend. I'm going to be a dad by Halloween and that makes me smile. Three things come to mind when I think about my epic journey to send Pipe Dreams:

1. Pipe Dreams will always be there, and I will send it one day
2. That's climbing - it's what I love about this sport, you have to work hard and accept your failures as much as you bask in your accomplishments
3. I am going to be holding my son Logan on Sunday instead of driving west to Farley and I couldn't be happier

For those that are curious, we did walk up to Stereogram and decided that it was a no-go kinda day. So we headed over to Pterodactyl so Alex could try the sit start variation, and we ended up with a few great pics:

 Me on the last move from the stand of Pterodactyl V8

Alex halfway through the sit start variation of Pterodactyl Sit (V11)

More to come...

How the West was Won

I have a confession.... I'm cheating on climbing. It's selfish I know, but it's only for three or four months at a time and anyways, climbing is such an attention whore these days that I doubt I'm missed too much. Besides, this is not some flirtation.

Skiing and I have been quite serious since about the time I became legal... at least that's when it became enjoyable. Anyway, if not for skiing chances are I would have never been introduced to climbing.

Here's how it happened.

As mentioned, I grew up skiing. Family vacations to Vermont have been a regular thing since as long as I can remember. Then in college I founded the Ski-n-Board Club mostly as a way for my friends and I to get the student government to fund some trips up to the mountains. Then it happened, my senior year in college I went out to Crested Butte, Colorado with some friends for a week long ski trip. This was my first trip out west and it was amazing... Colorado anyway.

The trip itself sucked. If you haven't experienced altitude sickness, I suggest you don't. I've developed the AAAAA system as a means for people to remember the ways to avoid it/ speed their recovery:

Avoid going from sea level directly to an elevation of 12,162 feet.
Avoid hydrating yourself with beer and mixed drinks.

Avoid sleeping in double beds with three or more people- rest is key.

Avoid bull-riding. You never look as sexy in the act as you imagine anyway.

Avoid increasing altitude, including chairlift rides up 2,775 feet worth of elevation gain.

Don't make my mistakes.

Had I been fortunate enough to hear about AAAAA before my trip I could have avoided the many ailments of altitude sickness including but not limited to exhaustion, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Plagued the entire duration of my trip I am left with some truly classic memories of blue sky days, powder turns and puking slope side at least twice a run.

Also, though not documented, I'm fairly certain another symptom of altitude sickness is a friend will hook up with a guy you're really into in the living room while you're laying in bed.

Needless to say I wasn't my usual, charming self. While in town getting groceries my friend Greg picked up a box of a medication called Altitude Adjuster and suggested I give it a try. In the bustle of bagging groceries I glanced at the label. My face instantly heated and I snapped, "FUCK YOU GREG!" Startled, Greg slowly pointed to the box and underlined the title with his finger encouraging me to read along.... clearly I did need an attitude adjustment.

After all, I was on spring break in Crested Butte, Colorado with good friends, amazing snow and blue skies ... plus I had lost at least five pounds.

Long story, short, after all of this, that trip changed my life... I knew where I needed to be. After graduation I landed an AmeriCorps position and moved out to Boulder for skiing and adventure. During this time I met my dear friend and roommate Mary, a phenomenal climber who shared her passion for the sport with me... and it's all history from there.

Four years later I found myself back at Crested Butte, only this time during the early summer for the bouldering at Skyland Boulders- a tucked away playground where climbers are energized by light playing in the bright greens and whites of a thick Aspen grove and the wind bringing the trees to life.

As for my tumultuous relationship, I'll sit the two down one of these days and come clean, but until then... what's that rule about different area codes?