Rock of Love: Why It’s Better To Date A Fellow Climber
By Jeline Guiles.
Fact: As a female, we definitely have an advantage when it comes to dating in the climbing world. With a ratio of 1 female to every 5 males (totally made that up, but close enough), we have the freedom to be picky about which guy we let “belay” us. The following is my list of reasons why it’s better to date a fellow climber. Some may not agree, and others will vehemently stand against it, but a few may find the list helpful in their search for The One. Read More!
JBMFP – Joshua Tree Bouldering
Here is a nice video featuring Mad Rock Athlete Natalie. JBMFP V5- Joshua Tree, California
Select Boulder Problems from Joe’s Valley, LCC, and the Kraft Boulders
Sierra Allen presents us with another video from Utah and Nevada. In this one she climbs Porcini or Portabello V6, Brawny Dyno V5, Michelangelo V3, Mr. Smiley V7, and the Pearl V4/5.
Select Boulder Problems from Joe’s Valley, LCC, and the Kraft Boulders from Sierra Allen on Vimeo.
Rekindling My Relationship with Climbing
By Katie Levy, founder of Adventure-Inspired
I went indoor rock climbing last weekend. I recognize that, to you, dear visitor of a climbing website, a statement like that isn’t particularly unusual or interesting. It’s not an unusual or interesting statement coming from me either; at least, it wasn’t four months ago. Since August, I’ve climbed once. I canceled my gym membership and my Evolv HERA shoes have been gathering dust since, along with my harness and adorable chalk bag. This coming from a girl who ate, slept and breathed climbing.
My hiatus from the sport wasn’t due to an injury or other unpredictable incident, it was a conscious choice. To anyone as obsessed with the sport as I was, it seems unfathomable to stop climbing without a darn good reason, but I had one. When I talk about climbing, I tend to personify the sport. Whether it’s because I’m nuts, or because I take life too seriously, I always refer to the relationship climbing and I have because it’s much more than just a sport. So, as part of that personification, I’m going to liken the break I took from climbing to a break in a relationship.
Climbing and I just weren’t working out anymore. The honeymoon phase was amazing. I was in the gym at least three days a week, scouting websites, choosing a bucket list of routes, and working my way into a community of people who were as in love as I was. But, as in any relationship, that phase passed. Issues arose. Internal arguments became more frequent. Finally, I decided the way I was approaching the sport needed to change. I knew I wanted climbing to be a part of my life, I just wasn’t sure in what capacity.
So, after four months I drove myself to my home gym for a two hour session as part of an event I led for TerraMar Adventures. My first route felt like a dream. With every step and every reach, I remembered why I used to climb so much. The way I feel when I’m climbing confidently and in control is amazing. My arms and legs felt strong, I was confident, and I had a fantastic belayer who made me feel safe.
Unfortunately, as great as it would be to take a climbing hiatus and come back without a fear of falling, I knew it’s wasn’t possible. That fear reared its ugly head on the second route. I was reminded of the sensations I took a break from climbing to avoid. Whatever I was afraid of before was still there. The only way I think I could have made progress on my fear of falling would’ve been to take trapeze lessons, skydive, or do something else that exposed me to that sensation. But even a few bumpy cross-country flights didn’t help.
My second route was a long 5.7+, a route I would have done as a warm-up when my hands and forearms were conditioned. I could feel my heart start to race as crazy scenarios ran through my head, I started over-gripping, tired quickly and had to yell “take” three times before I finished it.
As strange as it might sound, I have trouble letting people I don’t know belay me, even if they’ve proven their belaying competence. I used to think it was because I didn’t trust easily, and that could be true, but I realized a big part of it is pride. I don’t like to openly show fear. For example, the sensation I in my stomach when I’m falling is something I try to avoid at all costs, which is part of why I’m not a fan of lead climbing. If I’ve got someone new belaying for me, I usually tell them not to lower me too quickly and it embarrasses me every time. I’m essentially telling them, “I’m really scared, please don’t make it worse.” It’s a fear I know I can temper with exposure, but that it’ll never go away. Sometimes I’ve got the energy to fight it, other times I don’t, and telling someone I’m afraid is hard.
I felt less of the fear on the third and fourth climbs, but still had to take deep breaths to calm myself mid-route. I can’t imagine leading again for a while, but as soon as I saw all of the new boulder problems I’d missed over those four months, the excitement returned. I found myself sitting underneath a V4 I knew I wouldn’t attempt that day, walking through the moves in my head. Bouldering will always be my favorite climbing discipline, and I’m beginning to believe it’s partially because it doesn’t scare me. Sure, there’s the beauty of the movements, the power, the purity, the social aspects, the fact that you don’t need a partner or a ton of gear, all of these are things I love too. But when I’m closer to the ground, when there’s no safety net (rope) and I’m entirely on my own, I feel stronger.
As important as it is to continue to push our limits, mental and physical, a big reason for my break was the fact that climbing was becoming too stressful. The pressure I’d put on myself to lead when I was panicking, to go high because I felt like I should, it got to be too much. Climbing stopped being fun.
My first day back in the gym helped me confirm that climbing needs to be a part of my life. I’m not quite sure how yet – how often I’ll do it, whether more inside than out, if I’ll stick mostly to bouldering, if I’ll try attacking my fear of falling head on, etc. But I sure miss the people I used to see all the time, feeling strong and powerful on boulder problems, and taking leaps of faith when I’m ready to fall.
Climbing and I, we may not be soul mates, but we’re a great team. I’m looking forward to continuing to explore the best way to rekindle my relationship with the sport, and know I’ll find a way to make it work.
Katie Levy is the founder of Adventure-Inspired. From rock climbing to hiking, from mountaineering to mountain biking and everything in between, Adventure-Inspired exists as a place to tell stories and share musings, gear reviews, and anything else related to playing outside.
Kerstin bouldering Carrot Top V3, at the Happy Boulders, Bishop
Kerstin sends Carrot Top (V3) at the Happy Boulders, Bishop, CA
Kerstin bouldering Carrot Top at the Happy Boulders, Bishop from Ralf Reines on Vimeo.
Kerstin bouldering T-Rex V3 Yosemite Valley
Here is a neat little video of Kerstin bouldering T-Rex V3, in the beautiful Yosemite Valley.
Kerstin bouldering T-Rex Yosemite Valley from Ralf Reines on Vimeo.
Bishop Bouldering: Happy Boulders
Some problems from the Happy Boulders in Bishop, CA. In this video Prairie climbs Last Dance V9. This video also features Redrum sit, Serengeti, Morning Dove White, Gleaner, and Acid Wash right.
Bishop Bouldering: Happy Boulders from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.
Rupture V7 – Morrison, CO
Mercedes Pollmeier on Rupture V7. Photo by Jamison Burt.
Like the red beanie?
Rupture V7 is one of the better problems found in the Morrison area. It’s set high on the ridge of the Dark Side (South Side Morrison) but can be difficult to find because its in a crevice.
The Beta:
- Start with left hand in the slot, right hand on undercling, left foot low, right foot smear.
- Big move with left hand to big rounded hold, move right foot up just below starting hold slot. right hand moves to sloper rail, left foot moves to starting hold slot and match hands on sloper.
- Move right hand to next sloper on rail. bring left foot up to rounded hold, press hips up and cross left hand to shallow pocket.
- Right foot finds a small edge out to the right, move right hand to good crimp next to the left hand.
- Left foot heel hook (you need to place it where you can get the most purchase for the next move), right foot on tiny jib. Big slap to sloper (its a bit further than you think, get the hand all the way around the feature).
- I moved my left heel in a bit more so that I could perch for the next two moves. Right hands moves again to the upper part of the side pulling edge. Perch a bit more n the left foot, left hand goes to small crimp on the face.
- left foot turns to a toe, left hand goes to left side of next edge right above you (the left side is not as good as the right side). Switch feet and bring right hand matched to the right side of the edge.
- Right hand extends up to the lip, switch feet, left hand finds a fairly good edge on the left side of the lip. Top out to the left, it’s less sketchy.
Linville Gorge, NC – Developing Boulder Problems
by Lisa Hummel
There seems to exist a sort of incredulous disposition about climbing in the southeast—vast amounts of land harboring equally prodigious amounts of bullet hard rock, that are safeguarded by one or more thwarting groups; the infamous “Billy Bob,” his hound dog and a sawed-off shot gun, a stuffy old country-club member, a state or national park service, or other climbers who fear your big mouth is going to ruin it for them and their secret area. These are all valid arguments, and are integral to why there is no printed guidebook to any specific area. Several boulder fields are access sensitive, and could be closed if high traffic becomes an issue.
Enter Linville Gorge: wild, free, and totally accessible. Linville Gorge is known as the Grand Canyon of the east, which encompasses about 12,000 acres of virgin wilderness. Riddled with rock cliffs and boulder outcroppings, the possibilities are truly endless. For the last five years, give or take, a handful of dedicated climbers have been traveling down to the river bed at the bottom of the Linville Gorge. With a thirst for new boulder problems, what they have found is miles of river, dripping with boulder field after boulder field. This deluge of boulders has, and will continue to quench any thirst for a new and rad bouldering experience. I was lucky, or unlucky enough (in the beginning), to witness and experience it all. Lucky enough because I did not realize at the time, but I was part of the most recent Golden Era of bouldering in Boone, NC. Unlucky, because at first, I was only reluctantly following my boyfriend through labrynths of rhododrendon thickets and free-style walking over sketch river crossings, to scratch his itch.
Yet, I endured. I sucked it up and hiked down into the gorge, and stuck it out with all the “real men,” time after time, year after year. Developing a new area is tricky, especially being a lone wolf female. There are no chalked boulder problems, no guides to revert to, and no boundaries defined. All that existed between this 12,000 acre wilderness and me were two to ten salivating Appalachian Hardmen , with that wild look in their eyes, closing in on one prize line after another. Let me clarify that now and again through the years, a stray female would find herself in the gorge, at the mercy of the pack—I wasn’t totally alone; and the whole pack heard my cries of frustration. But alas, at the end of the day, I could not stop thinking about the perfectly set up boulder problems on the kindest, finest grain metamorphic sandstone, polished smooth by eons of river flow.
While I cannot claim many rad FAs, I did snag a lot of ultra classic FFAs, including “Red Dawn”, “Like Water for Chocolate”, “A Whale’s Vagina”, “Little Scoop”, “Helter Skelter”, “Ephervescent Elephant”, and “Spence Ridge Fin”, to name a few. And I also took it upon myself to name some FAs, where there was a need, such as “Zipper”, “Helter Skelter”, “A Whale’s Vagina”, and “Bull in a China Shop.” All of these problems are truly classic, and don’t even scratch the surface of development that has taken place.
And every heinous hike, every fall into the river, every rainy night camping without a tent was worth it! Developing and test driving the Linville Gorge for the past five years has opened my eyes to some of the best quality and quantity rock climbing out there. And the best part about it, is that is actually super accessible, now that the hard work is done, and wide open and free! So gals, grab your guy and make a real man out of him—tell him you want to go boulder on the Linville Gorge Riverbed. I’ve got all the beta you need.
BETA:
There are several resources to get you down on the river and get some climbing done. First, Linville Gorge has its own maps, GPS, directions, beta, etc., as it is a National Forest and Wilderness area, so check them out online. I recommend www.linvillegorge.net.
You can pick up a detailed black and white sketch of Linville Gorge Boulders at Footsloggers in downtown Boone, NC. Joey Henson, who is one of the main developers, took all of his knowledge and experience and drew a very detailed map of lots of the boulders and problems. You can also check out Mike Stam’s blog at www.movementonstone.blogspot.com. Mike Stam, another main developer, has taken photos and added lines, grades, descriptions, and names to boulders and problems in Linville Gorge. And most importantly, use your imagination, and have an open mind…put up your own problems!
Spence Ridge Trail is the route you want to take on your first bouldering experience down to the gorge. This is on the other side of the gorge from Linville Falls, accessed by 181. Again, look for a smaller brown sign pointing you towards Table Rock, which is on the second Gingercake Rd. Spence Ridge trail pull off is about six miles down the gravel road on the right. The trail is just under 2 miles downhill. The trail is super casual, my grandma has hiked it, but start early or plan to camp on the river bed to maximize your day. Spence Ridge Bridge area bouldering encompasses both sides of the river, upstream and downstream a quarter mile each way from the bridge. Using www.movementonstone.blogspot.com will help you seek out problems around the Spence Ridge Bridge.
I recommend two areas upstream and downstream of the Spence Ridge Bridge. First, Red Dawn area, which is downstream of the Bridge. Hike about 2/10 of a mile once you have crossed the bridge downstream. There are several steep fishermen’s trails that cut down to the river. You want to take the third most obvious one on the left. You will be above the river, so you want to get down to the river. You will see a big blank slab with one hueco above water across the river, and there are a series of small roofs on yourside of the river. Look for these as landmarks. Direclty to the right, or downstream, of the big blank slab is the Red Dawn Roof. So when you get to the river you will be looking directly across the river at it. Essentially, you will have to hike a few hundred yards further downstream to the most accessible river crossing, and then cut back up to the roof. Red Dawn is a classic V5 and tops out. The Glass Rail is the left to right traverse that ends on Red Dawns same topout. From here just hike downstream, back across to the roofs, and upstream to climb.
The second area I recommend will be upstream from the Spence Ridge Bridge. There are about 6 different problems, one of which is “A Whales Vagina,” that I included the Vimeo clip of. Instead of crossing the bridge, continue straight on the path beyond the bridge on that side of the river. You will traverse across rock cliff ledge, and hike the length on top of two fallen huge trees. Further upstream here you will see an obvious huge triangle boulder coming out of the river with a little beach under it. This is the Spence Ridge Fin Boulder: ultra classic V3 all the way up the arête left. Keep skirting the river to a couple of ledges with a fallen small tree. You want to use the tree, and get up over these ledges. Continue approximately 100 more yards on top of the rocks. It should spit you out at the roof with a large platform built of driftwood under it. “A Good Days Work” V8, “A Whales Vagina” V6, “Bull In a China Shop” V8, and many more variants are here.
Don’t’ let the big numbers scare you, there are always boulders to just play around on. Most of all, just get down there and take advantage of this wild and free area!
Lisa Hummel climbing in Linville Gorge from Carl Stam on Vimeo.
Problem in the Gunks – Scrambled Egg V3
Canadian climber Sierra Allen sent us this video from the Gunks. Check out more videos from Sierra in the Beta by Area section of our site. This is a variation on the classic problem The Gill Egg v4.
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