Rock Climber Girl - blogging by Sara, a pacific northwest woman who rock climbs

ClimbFind: Find Climbing Partners (and more)...

2009-07-09T19:55:00.001-07:00

I'm totally remiss in not doing a post about ClimbFind earlier. Jonathan, Kevin and Sheila (their uber-sweet van) (and here, on Facebook) came to visit us up here at Kitsap Vertical World. The Aussies were great company, both for climbing and for dinner on the lovely Candace's kitchen floor, and their stay just simply wasn't long enough.

They're nearing the end of their first U.S. tour, but they promise they'll be back. In the meantime, they're hard at work on ClimbFind v.3 -- which promises to be even more full of useful functionality for us climbers who ... you know ... have to find climbing partners (and more).

Bucking my own convention, I'm just plan "sara" on climbfind.com, so come find me and thousands of other climbers around the globe on their world climbing map. Zoom in to Seattle, WA and you'll find me at Kitsap VW in Bremerton.

Stay tuned for much, much more to come from these crafty dudes, who are taking the climbing industry by storm.

Liberty Bell Beckey Route Trip Report, Washington Pass, July 4th, 2009

2009-07-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row, my fourth of July was spent miles and miles from the nearest fireworks in an alpine wonderland. This year brought my first real trip to the North Cascades for climbing. The North Cascades is an alpine playground... more peaks than you can count, beautiful and wild views, and so many traditional routes it takes a series of guidebooks to plan a weekend.

We got in late on Saturday, so spent the first afternoon trying to climb in a way-too-hot Mazama. After calling it a day, we logisticized and packed and pre-fed and pre-hydrated for a long day on Sunday at Washington Pass. I took down approach and descent information, and drew a topo of the routes we were considering, to tuck into my pocket just in case we had routefinding issues the next day.

GR and I were out with friends Tiffany and Randy. Tiffany and Randy (pictured above on the true summit of the Beckey Route) are "real" climbers... they climb mountains, not just rocks. The four of us planned to start on the Beckey Route (II, 5.6) on Liberty Bell's Southwest Face and then had ideas for other routes we'd do if we had time. GR's first ever copy of Climbing Magazine, back when he was an aspiring climber rather than the Gear Rescuer he is now, featured Washington Pass, and alpine routes there are one of his inspirations for becoming a climber. This weekend was our first opportunity to actually get into the area and get a taste of some of Washington's most classic alpine climbing.

We did a semi-alpine start (alarm set for 5am) anticipating another very hot day. We made the Blue Lake trailhead with an almost empty parking lot, which was a huge surprise for a holiday weekend. We did our final packing and adjusting, and Randy (the driver) let us know where he'd put the keys. Offhand, I told my partners that just in case, I had an emergency inhaler in my pack, but we won't need it. As we started up the approach (with roughly 1,500 feet of elevation gain over 1.5 or 2 miles) we moved quickly, with the long-legged boys in front. At just under five feet tall, Tiffany is an absolute champ, and kept up with the guys like a superstar. I fell behind a bit, and caught up with everyone at a rest above the switchbacks in the boulder-strewn, snow-covered-in-parts climbers trail, then had a compelling need to drop pack. My eyes started to well up for no reason, and I recognized the familiar physiological signs and realized... I'm about to have an asthma attack.

I haven't had an asthma attack in years... I can't remember having one in the 4.5 years I've been climbing. I have really only carried an inhaler for climbing partners -- twice, I've had asthmatic climbing partners leave theirs behind and need one, and so have gotten in the habit of carrying one just in case.

Because I haven't had an attack in so long, I noticed the signs too late to head it off -- by the time I realized what was going on, I couldn't breathe. I tried to stay calm, and Tiffany snapped to action to help me get my pack open and fish out the ditty bag. I shook and pumped the not-touched-in-a-year inhaler, hoping it would do the trick, and took a puff. More shaking, more pumping, and another puff. No luck... and no breathing. More shaking, more pumping, and I could smell the familiar, chemical smell of the albuterol finally coming out. I took a couple of puffs and tried a deep breath and could feel my chest loosen and the air flow. My partners, being eaten alive by mosquitoes, waited patiently and calmly as I calmed down and enjoyed a regular flow of oxygen again, asking questions about asthma, and about what they should know and do if it happens again. During our little mosquito-infested rest, Randy asked what happens if I don't have an inhaler and I have an attack. We agreed I'd just keep my inhaler handy... (yay for pants with huge pockets) for the rest of the trip, so that we wouldn't have to find out. After a good rest, and after I'd caught my breath, we headed on up. After awhile, GR took the rope off me, which lightened my load significantly, and we kept up, up, up the approach.

The scramble up to the notch is loose and rocky, and we had parties above us knocking loose rocks and unfortunately despite taking care we did our share of rock knocking too.

Climbers call "ROCK!!!" when they knock loose even a tiny pebble... the mountain goats aren't as considerate, though -- they "goat solo" the approach with amazing grace and speed, and tremendous unannounced rockfall. Just reaching the "notch" between Liberty Bell and Concord Tower felt like an accomplishment, even though I had to offload the rope to do it.

Here's a happy Tiffany, just after arriving at the notch. Our time was about 10am, at that point... not too bad, given the relative drama of the approach.

There was a party of three getting ready to start up the Beckey Route in front of us, which gave us a chance to pack our daypacks, snack a bit, hydrate and get geared up for the route. GR and I'd planned to swing leads on the route and then try to get in a second peak on Concord Tower -- but I was completely wiped from the approach, and GR was up for leading the whole Beckey Route, so that was what we focused on. He made great time up the first pitch and belayed me up; GR lead the second pitch up a 5.7-ish hand crack variation, and I followed, cleaned the gear low in the handcrack, then climbing a narrow chimney with as much grace as possible wearing a summit pack. Randy said that we'd missed the 5.5 chimney the main route follows, but I didn't see any other chimneys -- so who knows. Regardless, we had fun.

Here are some views from the first and second belays:

And, of GR on the third pitch of the route.

The views got better and better as we went up, and after GR lead and brought me up the third pitch, we took in the views from the false summit there at the top of the Beckey Route from a nice, comfortable shoulder where we could hang out unroped. GR's lead was in fine style -- his gear was excellently placed, and he decided not to clip any fixed pro. We had a nice long break to take in the views and snack while we waited for Randy and Tiffany.

Here's a shot from the "false summit" at the top of the Beckey Route, looking out at another climbing party on Concord Tower, with Lexington Tower, and North and South Early Winter Spires in the background:

And, the view through the trees at the shoulder / bivy site at the top of the Beckey Route:

Here's my new desktop background view of Blue Lake, shot by GR from a scramble up above the top of the Beckey Route:

Randy and Tiffany had a bit of drama of their own on the route, thanks to their well-stocked summit pack. They wound up having to leave the pack on the belay ledge below the chimney pitch, planning on a pack retrieval at the end of the day.

When they reached the false summit where we were waiting, they wanted to go up to the full summit. The full summit is an unroped scramble, requiring a reported "5.7 bouldering move" on a slab, unprotected, to gain a ledge from which another fifth class unprotected scramble leads to the summit slabs. Don and Randy bouldered up the slab, then belayed Tiffany and I up.

From the ledge, Randy hip-belayed Tiffany up to the summit, but without communication (wind and distance impaired it) and without my rock shoes, I felt like I'd pushed my limits enough for the day. I wasn't worried about getting up, but I was concerned about getting down. I didn't know the quality of Randy's stance and we couldn't communicate in order to establish that he was solid, and seriously -- I'd already had enough adrenaline for one day. My risk tolerance overwhelmingly asserted its desire for the relative safety of the ledge to the unknowns of the summit, and I opted for safety.

When my friends came back down, raving about the views, it was hard -- of course, I'd have liked to have been up there with them -- but, next time I know to at least have sticky rubber for the summit, and, have a better idea of what I'm in for to reach it. We rapped down the slab to reach the shoulder of the false summit, then packed up and headed for the rappel stations back down to the notch. We had two ropes but opted for single rope rappels, given the reputation of the route as being a rope-eater, and our raps went pretty smoothly, with one stuck rope but GR was able to clear it on rap, without further incident.

By the time we got down to the notch, it was already late in the day (approximately 6pm). Randy and Tiffany retrieved their stashed pack by re-leading the first pitch and rapping off a tree at the top, then faced a stuck rope of their own. After trying various rope-unsticking tricks, they were able to two-man the rope to unstick it, and with much effort, got their rope down.

Our hopes of a second route would have to wait for our next trip up. I knew, based on the difficulty of the scramble up, that the descent was going to be the last crux of the day, so we headed down following descent beta from a group of guides who were out for the day on Concord Tower. The recommended descent path from the notch is to hug the base of Concord Tower until you see the climber's trail on your right. The base along Concord Tower was much better than the loose scramble up the middle of the gully, but when we went right to meet what we thought was the climber's trail, we wound up off of the trail we'd come up on. We kept meeting, then somehow, losing, our ascent trail. Randy and Tiffany are comfortable on such loose terrain from their mountaineering experiences; GR's a skier, so he moves easily over such loose terrain.

I, on the other hand, am not a mountain goat. Again, my less-than-suited-for-the-task shoes were a liability. I had two scary slips on the way down ... Tiffany kept me company even though I was moving slowly, and both Randy and Tiffany tried to coach me on techniques for moving more safely over the terrain. Even now -- in July -- there are snow crossings and areas where you have to watch for postholes around boulders. While crampons and an ice axe may be overkill, I do think the next time I'll be prepared with more suitable approach shoes and snow cups on my poles. The descent was quite stressful for me, though my climbing partners seemed to be having fun, and when we got below the loose soil and talus, and snow, and back onto nice groomed gentle switchbacks, I was one incredibly happy camper. The light got dimmer and dimmer, to nearly dark by the time we reached the car, but the end of the hike was fun and lighthearted despite the man-eating mosquitoes who seemed completely undeterred by our repellents and layers of clothing.

We reached our camp at Early Winter campground between Washington Pass and Mazama, and quickly made dinner, which we ate while nearly asleep at the picnic table. We all crashed hard that night, and slept in late the next morning. The plan was a day trip to Index for Sunday, but that will be a separate blog post.

Logistics and Postscripts
Despite only getting in one route, we definitely ticked a classic, and had an unbeatable learning experience that resulted in four safe and sound aspiring alpinists at the end of the day. Even though I have a very healthy respect for approaches and descents, I underestimated the seriousness of this one -- I'll aim to be better prepared footwear-wise, and, will scout the descent path in way more detail on my way up the approach, to try to avoid the trail-finding hassles we had on our way down. I still have a terrible habit of just following the leader on the descent, which works if we're all equally matched in terms of hiking skill -- but when I'm the weak link, I need to be able to find a weak-link way down. The climbing on the Beckey Route is fun; the approach and descent once you leave the Blue Lake trail are definitely the crux.

The routes were crowded, despite the long approaches and objective hazards associated with alpine climbing. An early start means you have more options if you move fast, and, more daylight if you move slower than expected.

Helmets are not optional. Sunscreen and sun cover is also a must; even with high SPF on, my freckles are now in full glory and my arms and face got a lot of sun.

Also, I guess for me, carrying an emergency inhaler is now also not optional -- much to my surprise. I thought I'd "kicked" asthma through weight loss, improved cardiovascular fitness and conditioning; but apparently not. That was a heck of a scare, actually -- it left me feeling a bit drained of energy and bold! But, now I know to be prepared, always, just in case.

Finally, if anyone has tips for mosquito repelling... please share 'em. The spray I typically use worked for a few minutes, but then the bugs just kept biting. We had all forms of bug spray, from lemon eucalyptus to chemical, and I came home covered in mosquito bites. I'm contemplating some Ex Officio Buzz Off mosquito repellent clothing but am curious to hear tips from other climbers. I used to have success with a solid dose of garlic and B-vitamins, but didn't take those precautions this trip!

How was your fourth? Please tell me all about it in the comments!

For more information:

SummitPost page on The Beckey Route

RockClimbing.com page on The Beckey Route

Washington Pass chapter of Rock Climbing Washington, by Jeff Smoot (with a new edition available now!)
Liberty Bell Mountain (from Climbing Washington's Mountains by Jeff Smoot)

Cascade Alpine Guide: Rainy Pass to Frasier River, by Fred W. Beckey

Weekend Rock: Washington, by David Whitelaw.

The guidebooks we used for our planning are all available from Amazon.com.

Gear I'm reviewing right now...

2009-06-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a bunch of product reviewing lately... mostly for gear that I've purchased for myself for this season's outdoor adventures. For those of you who couldn't care less what I wear or use, I'll refrain from repeating my reviews here on the blog. But, in case you're interested in what I'm reviewing this season, here are links to the various reviews in other places on the interwebs:

Ibex Wool

I have been an Ibex fan for years, since their wool doesn't make me itch, it smells and stays cleaner than synthetics, and their products are exceptionally durable given the abuse I subject them too. I just did a big Ibex order, and have submitted reviews of the Ibex women's Balance Sport Top, Rue skirt and Jacy capri. I love and am wearing the crap out of each piece. If I could live in nothing but Ibex, with a piece here and there from my other apparel favorites, I would. As we speak, I'm in my Jacy capris... and have been off and on since last Wednesday. Even after several days of wear and air travel and sleeping in them, they still look great. I've found the Rue skirt to be a very pleasant surprise -- it's great for camping (stays super cool and is easy to change clothes with a bit more modesty, and ... um ... well ... I'll just say it. It makes peeing in the woods really easy and a bit more discrete than pants).

I know Ibex is higher priced than apparel made with other, less expensive fabrics, but I'd rather have a few pieces I adore that I can wear over and over between washes, and that will last even with hard wear than a closet full of cheaper, less durable clothes. I've recommended Ibex to many friends, and have chatted Ibex with other gear heads, and so far I have yet to hear anything other than thumbs up. Look forward to more Ibex reviews, in an upcoming mountain bike gear special post.

Lole Swimwear and Victoria Tank

Lole is one of my favorite apparel lines, so I was stoked when they came out with swimwear. The pieces I ordered -- two tops and a bottom -- have exceeded my expectations both for swimming and, the tops, for climbing wear. I reviewed the Regatta top and the Coral Triangle Top at Backcountry.com.

For a bonus, I got to review my favorite tank of the year, the Lole Victoria tank. It's a tank I fell in love with trying it on at REI, then it has exceeded my expectations for climbing, bouldering, and for casual wear. I'm thinking I should have titled this post, apparel that's WAY cuter in real life than in the picture, since it doesn't look like anything special in that picture... but on, it looks great. I like the way it shows off my climbergirl back and my shoulders, but it skims the middle nicely so it isn't snug around the waist. It's got an effective built-in shelf bra, but because the outer fabric is a bit looser, you don't get that smooshed look that some sportsbra / tank combos give. All in all, I really like this tank.

Jetboil PCS

My buddies at PembaServes have been advocating the Jetboil line to me since I started shopping stoves, but I was really drawn to the big, old, liquid fuel Coleman stoves. After trying a Coleman liquid fuel, which is a great stove for its purpose, but which is more complication to light than I care for before my morning coffee, I saw a Jetboil PCS on sale and thought about giving it a try. After a quick call to the good folks at Pemba Serves to arm me with comebacks for my liquid-fuel-fan friends criticism of a canister stove, I plunked down the change for my Jetboil PCS, and we've been living in bliss together ever since. Here's the full review at campsaver.com.

Oboz Valhalla

I recently reviewed the Oboz Valhalla (and Bridgedale Ventum Light Hikers) for RockClimbing.com. They look like an approach shoe, and I found them to be a great replacement for my old approach shoes, despite the lack of truly sticky rubber. The full review is here at rockclimbing.com.

KT Tape

The big surprise out of my review pile recently has been KT Tape. It may not be glamorous, but this stuff is awesome. I have a history of patellar tendinitis, so I go through a cycle with my knees of training, injury, rehab, training, injury, rehab. One thing that's really helped is McConnell Taping, but McConnell Taping has distinct downsides. For one, it means packing bandage scissors for cutting the tape required. Two, the tape has a limited "life span," especially in hot weather. Three, the McConnell technique is really "strong" ... it holds the kneecap pretty firmly in place, which is good for healing tendinitis, but it doesn't feel to me like it's good for all the surrounding muscles and tendons, because it's a pretty firm hold.

I first learned about Kinesio taping during my first big round of elbow tendinitis a few years back. My Physical Therapist used Kinesio taping to help with my elbow rehab, and it helped in a HUGE way. The theories are explained on that website, but my experience was that it provided incredibly gentle support, while allowing a more regular range of motion -- it was less of a "hard stop" than the McConnell Taping, and more of a light support. The downside of Kinesio taping is that the tape had to be applied by the physical therapist, and it only stayed on for a day or two before the adhesive lost its stick.

When KT Tape asked me to review their new at-home, consumer-oriented product I was stoked. I'm increasing my hiking and biking, which means I need to have a strategy for managing my knees. I was optimistic that KT Tape could be part of that solution and it has.

The tape is easy to apply, without scissors. The strips are pre-cut, and instructions are included for a number of typical injuries. The KT Tape website has videos demonstrating proper application and so far, the KT Tape has been performing great for my knees. I'm curious to try it on my bicep tendons, since there's a "front of shoulder" application video, but I haven't yet. I'll keep you posted, as I continue to use it, on how it performs over time.

That's about it for now... I have a bunch of other reviews in the pipeline, but nothing ready for prime time just yet. If you have a product that you'd like to see reviewed on retail sites or on my blog, please email me!

Boulder Canyon, Outdoor Retailer & a PDX event this week!

2009-06-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, I'm on the road most of last week and this week. Last week was Denver / Boulder / Colorado, and it was absolutely fantastic. I hope to do a more detailed trip report, but for now, you can enjoy a few photos by the talented Ben Fullerton of our Tweetup in Boulder Canyon. I'm incredibly grateful to all of my CO friends who turned out (and, especially, Erika and her puppycats and kittens who shared their home with me).

Today I'm off again, but more on that later.

In the meantime, if you're going to be at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show, and we haven't connected, please drop me a comment or an email. My schedule is pretty booked up, but I still have windows available for appointments. I'll be covering the show here, and on my Twitter feed as media, and I'm super excited to meet even more of my outdoor biz Inernet friends in person.

Finally, this just in from Portland, OR:

If you're in or around Portland, OR, come on out this Thursday, June 25th. Keith Daellenbach will be discussing the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee's 12-year fight to create a public park at Portland's premier rock climbing area, which is currently closed to access.

Learn how YOU can help save this civic treasure and create a new Clackamas County park.

See the Committee's details here:
http://www.savemadrone.org/

Keith will do a Q&A after the formal presentation, and FREE door prizes will be raffled too. Come by the Mountain Hardwear store at 722 SW Taylor Street – the talk starts at 6 pm.

More details are here:

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Events.aspx

Get out and show your support if you're able! Thanks, and I look forward to catching up once this jet setting month is over!

Busy weekends, busy weeks...

2009-06-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

This has to be snappy, since it's late, and I've prescribed myself eight hours of sleep a night to try to help my body recover from a hectic and intense schedule the last few weeks...

First, join ClimbFind.com, and follow @climbfind on Twitter. The guys, and their sweet van, may be coming to a town near you soon (and, they want to make sure you never have another Friday where all your climbing partners have bailed). More on that in a minute...

Despite the necessity of packing for this week's Denver trip (come tweetup with me in Boulder! I decided to do the irresponsible thing and go climbing instead. GR and I headed for Tieton, one of my favorite Washington climbing areas. We had another fantastic day, armed with an ambitious ticklist, at Lava Point. He was on fire, and I was able to tick another 10b on lead, and worked a hard 10c on lead, which are the grades I'm trying to consolidate. I felt mentally ON during the 10b lead, which is something I'm working hard on, so all in all it was a rewarding day despite me not being able to clean all of GR's routes thanks to my still-healing fingers.

This morning we changed plans... original plan was to hit the Bend for some trad climbing, but we were both pretty worked from Saturday, so when our third didn't join us, we decided to join some new friends at the Caldera bouldering area. While we waited for them to show, we scouted the boulders and enjoyed the local wildlife. There are a few worthwhile boulders, and I'd definitely wind up a day out there, but when our new friends from Saturday didn't show, we decided to try again to get to South Fork.

For South Fork aspirants, wait until after June 21. We did the long drive almost up to the crag following the directions in the Tieton guidebook, and the road was closed for a road construction project. We asked a passing construction truck if we could do the approach to the climbing at all, and they said no. They also indicated the road is still snowed in, so we'll have to wait a little longer to sample the routes at South Fork.

The weather was only getting more ominous, and we were only getting more tired, so we turned toward home. Which, actually, worked out for the best!

We made it home in time to catch Jonathan from ClimbFind.com at our very own Kitsap Vertical World. Jonathan is traveling the western U.S. to spread the word about ClimbFind, which allows you to find and connect with climbing partners both close to home, and far from it. There's also extensive information about climbing areas and gyms on there (more information in some geographic areas than others). I joined a few weeks ago (bucking convention, I'm just plan "sara" on there), and have already posted a couple of pictures from Tieton, and look forward to connecting with climbers via the site. We had a great time, GR and I working endurance for the first time in weeks after overindulging the last few months at our bouldering buffets, and Candace and Jonathan leading their way around the gym. Jonathan and Kevin are stopping next in Portland, then heading south to San Francisco, so get out and say hi at your local gym, and they'll be happy to give you the grand tour of their incredibly sweet van.

Now, back to packing. Tomorrow night's the deadline for submitting your most romantic climbing or outdoor stories to enter to win a great gift basket from Kiss My Face... then Tuesday I'm off to Colorado for a week of meeting friends, seeing family, and hopefully a little climbing if I'm lucky!

Wrist schmist, or how to train for climbing without using your arms (much)

2009-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm typing with one hand while the other soaks in an ice bath. I've been rehabbing my left bicep tendon, and my right index finger, for the last couple of weeks. Luckily, neither is serious, but both were overtrained and headed for serious if I didn't back off, get some rest, and shift my focus to rehab exercises, stretching and conditioning.

Luckily, I have friends with stories, who can type with two hands.

Cue the amazing, bad ass Lydia. Read on for her story of climbing injury heartbreak, rehabilitation, and unfailing optimism. Plus, I'm the least yoga'd person I know, so enjoy the tips from Lydia that I could never give you myself! And, allow me one editorial comment... this is an example of why I don't ski! Thank you for sharing your story, Lydia!

About Lydia... she climbs, hikes and designs and loves adventures with her dog Isabel. For more info, check out www.lydiawhitehead.com or follow her on Twitter.

It was end of January and I was just starting to feel the mid-winter blues. I couldn't go outside to climb (unless I wanted to hike through snow and freeze my fingers and toes off, which I did not), so I'd begun a super regular regime of gym climbing and was excited at the prospect of being ready for harder climbs outside in the spring. To help with the winter blues and enjoy the outdoors, I thought I'd try a winter sport. So I went snowboarding for the first time with a friend of mine who's a seasoned snowboarder.

And that's when it happened.

I took a lesson to get comfortable with the basics and at the end, I strapped completely into the board (we'd practiced with just one foot strapped, to get used to the feeling of the board on snow) and proceeded to take a nasty backwards fall down the bunny hill.

Not one of my finer moments.

In the process of taking that spectacular fall (and oh, was it spectacular, feet up over the head and everything), I also managed to sprain my right wrist. Brilliant. My first thought was, Crap, I need this wrist to climb on! I've just been injured in a sport that isn't even one I practice regularly! Oh funny sense of humor the universe has.

The pain was intense for the first hour, but after some ice and immobilization, it waned oh-so-slightly and I thought to myself, at this rate, I could probably be back climbing in a week or so. Optimist, I am.

The doctor had other ideas. The diagnosis was no climbing, no putting any weight on the wrist for any reason, move it as little as possible for 6-8 weeks. Which meant that Super Regular Climbing Regime for Maximum Spring Fitness® was out the window.

What now?

While I was totally bummed, I knew that I didn't want the inability to use my wrist stop me from training for climbing. Instead, I decided I would do everything I could training-wise that didn't require the use of my wrist. This, by the way, was frustrating, because at that point I really wanted to focus on strengthening my upper body. Let's not talk about how many pull ups I could do at that time (pull ups are still a big challenge for me).

So, I put an emphasis on strengthening my core and working on my balance, both important things for climbing. Here's what I did:

Yoga Poses

For balance, I started in Mountain Pose, moved to Tree Pose, then moved to Warrior III Pose. I returned to Mountain Pose and then repeated the sequence with the other foot. As it got easier, I held the poses longer and also practiced them with my eyes closed.

For core work, I held Full Boat Pose and slowly lowered to the floor into Corpse Pose. I then did Dolphin Plank Pose, and from there moved down into Locust Pose to strengthen my back.

Balance Ball Exercises
For back strength, I did something similar to Locust Pose, see here and here.

For core strength, I did ab crunches (on a balance ball, these are much more difficult!)

Aside from the above, I did regular floor crunches with variations, as well as lunges. I added more cardio by running at least 3 times per week (which was difficult to find motivation for, it was winter, remember?)

In training that way, I found that I was happy to be doing *something* to advance my climbing ability and I felt my balance and core did improve. It also made those six weeks seem to go by faster. And it brought me back to running, something I enjoy but had fallen out of the practice of doing.

I've had my wrist back for a few months now, but I've kept most of those exercises in my training schedule. Now that I can climb again, I feel that I'm climbing with a bit more control and balance on the wall. Routes at the gym that were somewhat wobbly for me before the injury are less so now, which makes my heart do a tiny little fist pump and say "Yesssss!" I'm still no climbing bad ass, but I'll take any improvement I can get.

Your results may vary, but this worked quite splendidly to get me through my climbing hiatus and keep me out of the injury doldrums.

What's your most romantic climbing (edit, or outdoors) story? Enter to win!

2009-06-04T20:30:00.001-07:00

Two very dear climbing friends, Sarah and Jeff, are getting married. Sarah is my climbergirl mentor... were it not for her careful nurturing during my formative climbing years, I would not be the climber -- or, for that matter, the woman -- I am today. In the best of relationships, the parties bring out the very best in each other, and that's what I know of Sarah and Jeff together. I'm excited to celebrate with them, and their friends and families tomorrow, and excited to see where their life together takes them.

So, right now I'm wrapping wedding presents and listening to nontraditional love songs. It got me to thinking...

There's got to be room for romance in climbing, right?

With that in mind, I'm pleased to announce the second RockClimberGirl.com contest!

To enter, please send your most romantic climbing or outdoors story to thegirl@rockclimbergirl.com by Monday, June 15th at 8:00pm, Pacific Time. Send pictures, if you've got 'em!

Originally, this was announced as a "romantic stories in rock climbing" contest, but so far there hasn't been an overwhelming response. Maybe the answer to the question posed above is... not so much. As a result, I'm expanding the criteria. Tell me your most romantic climbing or outdoors story, to enter to win!

Thanks to the fantastic folks at Kiss My Face, the winning story will receive a set of the Kiss My Face Suncare line. Kiss My Face is one of my all time favorite skin, hair and sun care brands. Their sun line provides UVA/UVB protection, with high SPF, no parabens, gentle ingredients, and recyclable packaging (and I've used and loved products from their line for years).

I can't wait to start reading, so start writing! And, to the uber-patient @dloo, who's still waiting for his prize from my first contest, I swear, I haven't forgotten!

Option secured to purchase Index Lower Town Walls, preserves climbing access

2009-06-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the hard work of the Washington Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund, an option has been secured for climbers to purchase the Lower Town Wall area at Index, WA. I'd expect an update to go online at the WCC site today or soon...

http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/

And in the meantime, here's the message Matt Perkins sent out earlier to the Friends of Index Facebook group.

On Monday June 1 we actually received a signed “option” from the owner of the Lower Town Wall at Index. Yesterday, the Owner received the down payment and we recorded the option in Snohomish County property records. This document sets the purchase price and gives the Washington Climbers Coalition time to raise money. It also gives climbers the right to climb at Index Lower Town Wall in the mean time. That’s a lot better than a “no trespassing” sign, huh?

And, here's the press release by the Access Fund, when the option was first secured.

Now, get ready to fundraise!

Bicep Tendonitis and rock climbing

2009-05-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already heard that I've been nursing a bit of a shoulder injury. Several months ago, I became a bit obsessive about bodyweight push-ups (as in, not "girl" or "modified" pushups) and pushed them a wee bit too far. After doing a set to failure one night, I felt a twinge in my left shoulder. Being a rock climber, upon sensing shoulder pain, I panicked. Ice, rest, Aleve and massage helped with that acute stage, but even after the pain subsided after a few days, I couldn't return to push-ups. I tried benching, instead, to do something less than bodyweight, but the pain returned. I finally found that dips on the dip bar don't trigger the pain, which still occasionally popped up. My dear massage therapist / climber friend identified the location of the pain as my bicep, not the dreaded rotator cuff, so for a few months I just nursed it, hoping that dips would do enough to stabilize my shoulder that I could avoid it getting worse. Luckily, climbing didn't really aggravate it, but not being able to do bench / push-ups definitely wasn't helping my shoulder stability any.

Then, during my last trip to Index, I had an unusually long, nearly bodyweight hang on a jam on that side while on lead. By nighttime, my shoulder was extremely painful (front, side and back), and panic once again set in. As soon as business hours arrived, I called my family physician and she referred me to a physical therapist.

A nervous work week later, the back and side of my shoulder slowly felt better with ice and rest while I waited for my appointment. The front -- the bicep tendon -- still hurt, though.

I very nervously met John Estes at DaVinci Physical Therapy on Bainbridge Island last Friday. His demeanor was great, and while he's not a climber himself, he impressed me immediately with his above-average understanding of the stresses that climbing places on the body. It doesn't seem all that complicated to me, but I've been to several PTs since starting to climb, and have been really surprised by their lack of awareness of climbing movement and the impact on the body. The first few visits are usually educating the PT about climbing and its physical demands. John was "with it" right out of the gate.

His exam was thorough... I started out really nervous, because I was afraid that the testing would hurt and expose some sort of horrible problem, but each test showed no serious injury, which was reassuring. The final diagnosis is bicep tendinitis, aggravated by extremely weak rotator cuffs and deltoids relative to my, um, well defined trapezius muscles and biceps. More on my traps in a second.

I'm going to count myself lucky that I developed the bicep tendinitis, so that I get this chance to learn about my shoulders and back before managing to get myself in serious shoulder trouble. Had I not experienced this little setback, I probably would have kept on training, neglecting my rotator cuffs and mid-back until I wound up with a serious shoulder injury.

John prescribed an exercise routine (that link will download the PDF), including scapular stabilization, scapular flexion, scapular retraction, resisted external rotation, resisted horizontal abduction, and some stretching exercises to increase my range of motion. The bicep tendonitis is relatively mild, so unless it doesn't improve quickly, we'll emphasize building stability and strength. If the tendinitis doesn't improve, then we'll do more "treatment" of the bicep issue. That approach works for me, since I'm on a tight budget, and I'd rather do exercises at home and go to the PT (which is an hour from home) less often, if at all possible.

I'm astonished at how weak I am at the exercises prescribed, when I look like a freaking tank. The exercises are hard for me to do, so I look forward to getting stronger.

One of the highlights of the whole thing was when John was talking through the results of his exam, and he pointed out my extremely strong Trapezius muscles relative to the rest of me. I do believe he called them "overdeveloped." Even for a climber, my Traps are huge. My climbing partner calls my traps "Hulk Hogan muscles," to give you some idea. John demonstrated two different climbing "postures:" one with his shoulders down and relaxed, and his Traps kicking in to lift the arms only once his elbows were past shoulder height; the second, totally tight and tense, with his shoulders darn near up around his ears, using his traps to lift his arms all the way up.

One guess what my natural / typical climbing "posture" is.

I'd say my natural climbing posture ranges from "tense" to "terrified." John ok'd me to climb at sub-max during my rehab (good move -- since climbers are notorious for NOT stopping climbing when we're told to); but, prescribed climbing with a relaxed posture to let my back and shoulders do the work that my Traps have been doing all this time. I didn't really get a chance to try that out bouldering last weekend, since I really mostly just kept it light since I was sore from my PT on Friday; I'm hoping to get into the gym at least once this week to do endurance work, and to give climbing with a relaxed posture a try. I was really excited about that particular insight he provided -- even as a non-climber, he was able to diagnose one of my biggest climbing flaws... that I'm a totally stressed out, tense climber. I look forward to working on changing that!

I'll post updates as I have new developments or additional insights, and please chime in with your own stories...

Memorial Weekend bouldering, Leavenworth, WA

2009-05-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

The holiday weekend took me to Leavenworth, WA for a mostly-bouldering adventure. Proving, yet again, that there is PLENTY of moderate bouldering in Leavenworth, we hit up the Beach and Swiftwater areas at Tumwater Canyon, and had a kinda short session at the Fridge Boulder in Icicle Canyon, along with some good time on Classic Crack and the surrounding routes. This time around, I'll emphasize the pictures for once!

First stop, as usual, was Leavenworth Mountain Sports (aka, Der Mountain Hausen). Randy, Bounder and Zin all needed shoes. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Support Leavenworth Mountain Sports. Their sale racks are kick butt, their womens' apparel selection is completely out of this world, and they're stocked with essentials for camping and climbing. Shouts out to Kate and Cherly, who put up with our herd of boys cracking dirty jokes each morning while we picked up out last minute "must have's." You ladies rock, and your impeccable taste is matched only by the circumference of your biceps and your tolerance for dirty jokes.

We started out at Tumwater Canyon, the Beach Area, at Leavenworth, WA. It was here that Gear Rescuer (aka, GR) began his tear it up weekend. After sending a tougher variation of The Fin (V2) as a warm up, he made short work of a number of V3s. Here's Jumper (V3).

And, Randy taking a turn...

And then next up was the Wonderkid (aka, Zin, or Zen, or Boo, or apparently his real name might be Mike). He's only climbed a couple of times, and I think this was his first day in his own rock shoes. He was a TOTAL natural, and got a lot of encouragement from us old crusties to stick with it.

From there, we worked around the boulder, with a send by GR of U2, another V3; and then the guys and I worked (and some sent, but I didn't yet) "F*ck the Crystal," a V3 with delightful body tension and footwork required down low, to a slanting rail, with a dyno to the top. Here's GR set up for what was ultimately a successful dyno and topout.

Day two took us to the Fridge boulder to start, in Icicle canyon. I have a V3 project on the Fridge that I still haven't gotten -- I seriously need to work my dynamic movement to someday get Cellar Door done. The guys took turns on Fridge Center (V4) and Fridge Right (V4). GR had a great flash on Fridge Center, and the boys all worked Fridge Right.

We had a pretty quiet morning, which is unusual at the Fridge, where you can always count on running into other boulderers. Sure enough, the quiet didn't last... a bunch of folks from Portland and Eugene rolled in, as well as some friends of friends from Seattle, so after awhile it was a total scene. Every inch of ground was padded, which made for some pretty bold attempts and sends.

After awhile, though, we opted for a more quiet location, and headed for the Classic Crack area, which was busy but not swarmed. Made some new (to me) friends there, running into three of GR's old friends. Randy finished our lead on Classic Crack and since there wasn't a lineup behind us, we all took turns getting to know the route in detail; the most by GR who has a date with her on lead next trip. I took a number of laps, trying to get the crux worked out reliably enough that I can confidently get on, on lead. It's the hardest "5.8" I've ever climbed, but we visit it just about every time I go to Leavenworth, and I'm definitely improving my crack technique (especially for wider hands and fists) each time. I look forward to someday getting on that route on lead.

We were all pretty well thrashed, but before bed perked up enough to decide to head out to the Swiftwater area in the morning for a few more boulders before heading for home.

During a gas stop, Randy and Bounder (aka John) met Sarah and Mary, who weren't sure if their climbing party was going to show or not. We traded introductions and beta on getting to Swiftwater just in case, and then we headed out. We got to Swiftwater and started warming up, and Mary and Sarah and their friends came out to join us. We had a nice, chill day at Swiftwater. We warmed up on the Prey / Schisthead boulder, with Prey, a fun V0 seeing a lot of traffic. Here's me, warming up on the middle of the boulder.

With tons of spotters and a well padded floor, our attention turned to Schisthead (a V2 up the center of the boulder) and its V3 variation (starting from the left). GR sent the V3 onsight, and Randy very nearly topped out, but then his mantled heel slipped on moss and he took a big fall from the top. He was okay, minus a few fingertips, and we kept at it. I flashed the V2, which was really exciting for me.

I usually don't get really sketched by topouts, and even highball topouts... unlike in roped climbing, where I'm a total head case, in bouldering I tend to just know what I have to do and execute. This time, I worked through the route smoothly and with confidence; I got in position for the big push to the top,

and then worked my feet up high. I pushed for the lip and couldn't reach it; I worked my fingers and feet up delicately and reached the lip. I looked at my options for moving my feet up and didn't like what I saw, so the thought "I have to downclimb" flashed through my head. I think my fear of heights actually kicked in to make my brain and body override the instinct to downclimb or come off, since I snapped myself out of it, matched hands on the lip to move my feet up, then carefully pulled the mantle. It was a heart pumper -- definitely the highest and least secure topout I've pulled -- but it was FUN. Shaking with adrenaline, I walked off and was pleased with finishing the problem.

Bounder worked the V3, which added a slightly technical traverse to the start. I'd like to to that link up, too, but after topping out I wasn't sure I wanted to do that mantel again that day!

After we'd bouldered out those routes, we headed down to the Cave. There aren't any rated problems in the book, but there are two lines out to the lip that were tons of fun. I actually did respectably on the right line -- despite being super steep, it played to my footwork and body tension strengths. We worked on it for some time, then the boys' attention switched to the line on the left. GR came close to linking it all up...

and Randy's beta was incredibly productive. Bounder took a few turns, despite bleeding feet from breaking in new shoes...

And GR worked it until he was so tired he had no option but to take a good rest.

After that, we crossed the street with Mary and Sarah and Ian to visit Royal Flush, a stunning roof crack rated V2. With careful padding and spotting, GR and Randy worked it, with some solid attempts. I had a hard time getting off the ground -- the guys were starting with jams loose enough they could move off of them to make progress on the start; I'd get in fist jams good enough to hold my body weight to get off the ground, and then I couldn't get them loose to move on the route! It was a really inspiring line, and one I'd like to come back to, but the landing was scary even with pads and unbelievable spots. GR and Randy worked the unlikely looking Sleeve Ace (V3) which I tried a few times, but couldn't figure out the starting footwork on. I think I was also just plain hosed. My forearms and triceps took turns burning and saying "ouch," and my attempts on Royal Flush had about done in my hands. We were all completely exhausted, so decided to call it a day.

Yet again, it was another fantastic weekend in Leavenworth, and I made a bunch of new friends. Between my bicep tendon which I'm still rehabbing (but thankfully, am cleared to climb on) and the workout from this weekend, I'm EXHAUSTED. I'm looking forward to taking it a bit easy this week, and working endurance in the gym to balance out all the bouldering I've been doing lately!

How was your Memorial weekend?

Index Lower Town Wall trip report, part 2, plus mental training and shoulder health

2009-05-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I have to admit... I'm feeling a little bit adrenaline-d out.

First, on Saturday I had the brilliant idea to go mountain biking solo. Some of you have already heard how that turned out. For those who didn't, here's the short version of Sara and a bear mutually scare each other, submitted as a comment to our local mountain biking blog.

You've also already heard most of the story from our Index trip, but here's a little bit more.

It was a kind of big weekend, despite relatively little climbing, and it's cemented Index as one of the areas that I aspire to be competent enough to tear it up at. I was too busy climbing to take pictures, but hope to spend a lot of time at Index now that I have such warm fuzzies about the place, so will try to get you some eye candy the next time I'm up.

I would be remiss in not linking to the WCC's Index Town Wall update page. In case you've been on Mars, the Lower Town Wall, one of Washington's most beloved climbing areas, is being sold by the current private property owner. WCC and the Access Fund are working on an acquisition plan. Please, bookmark that page, and keep in touch with the WCC about what you can do to help with this process.

I had two goals for the weekend: (1) to lead a pitch on GM, a classic Index 5.9; and (2) to push myself beyond my comfort zone on gear.

Little did I expect, that GM would be our first stop. After a bit of confusion over who was climbing with whom, I wound up as second to Shawn, with Peter and GR in a two party after us. Shawn lead the first pitch, which I'd fallen on last year on toprope, but it felt fun and was pretty relaxed this time around. When we got to the first belay, Shawn looked expectantly at me, I looked at the pitch above, and I decided, what the hell. Looking up from the belay, I thought I could adequately protect the crux moves to keep myself off the deck. I figured it would be a scary, but relatively safe fall, with one of my favorite belayers on the other end of the rope. So, I tried to think positive thoughts while racking up, and then set off.

The second pitch is very short. It's basically up a good crack system off the belay, to an arching shallow roof, with placements underneath the roof that can be reached before you start the no-feet friction traverse out the shallow roof, with good hands underneath. The friction is sufficient that with body tension you can work your way out the roof, so it's more scary looking than it is in reality. Once you get a hand around the edge of the roof, it's a good jug; then it's forearm jams between, or reaching back to edges behind the roof and a huge deep flake to the right. I opted for a left forearm jam, thrown in and jammed securely into the crack. With my forearm solidly and securely jammed, my feet smeared on absolutely nothing, I let go of the jug with my right hand and reached for my #4 Camalot to get a piece in above me.

I then realized the err of my racking ways.

My right hand was free; my left arm solidly jammed; and my #4 was on my left side. I could have moved up by grabbing an edge with my right hand to free my left arm, but the security of such a move was uncertain. I decided, instead, to try to "get to" my #4 with my right hand, which turned into quite the production.

I don't remember making noise, but Peter and GR say I was pretty -- um -- vocal, as I grunted and stretched, and fingered through the cams racked on my harness. I honestly don't know how long I was jammed there by my forearm (which was totally bomber -- enough so that I have a huge swollen bruise to show for it) but it felt like a LONG time. Shawn was encouraging, and calm, and ultimately helped talk me through my gear biner by biner (since I couldn't see my back, where the #4 was racked) until I had my fingertips stretched to the right biner for the #4. Even once I had my fingertips on it, I had a hard time getting the biner off my gear loop. Once I did, I quickly placed the piece, clipped the rope, pulled myself up with my forearm jam and my right hand on the inside of the crack, and got my feet up into the crack. I immediately placed a #5 from the solid stance, clipped it, and finished up the pitch at a much calmer pace. I was happy, and excited, to reach the belay and to bring Shawn up. That was my hardest trad lead to date, and the hardest I've had to work for a trad pitch, ever. I was thankful to my partners for cheering me on, and their efforts to try to keep me calm and on task.

We left the #4 and #5 on the pitch for GR's lead. Shawn lead the (hard) 10b pitch on Heart of the Country to the right of the GM route, then the options for the final pitch were a 5.9 finish on GM, or a 11a finish just to the right of it on Heart of the Country. Since I'd left my big gear for our second party, and had loaned them my #3 for their ascent, I didn't feel I had enough big gear to protect the final 5.9 pitch -- it looked to me like I'd have to run it out significantly, over not-gimme climbing. We eyed, and discussed the 11a pitch, which actually looked doable and we had the gear for it, but I decided I didn't want to get in over my head, when I can come back another time and lead GM ground up as one of my next lead goals. We called it a good warm up, and rapped off, taking a break for Shawn to toprope a pitch he likes, then we headed to the Lower Town Wall proper to see if any of the classic 5.9s were open.

GR got on Princely Ambitions, which he calls "I Wanna Be A Princess," a super long, super exposed 5.9 at Lower Town Wall. I was geared up to lead it but completely lost my nerve watching him work through the crux, a delicate traverse on small crimps out to the right, with a kind of technical gear placement to then traverse way left again. Traverses aren't my strongest suit, and I felt like I'd burned through all of my "bold" on the GM lead, so instead of leading, after GR and Peter had cleaned the gear and rapped off, I toproped the wildly traversing Princely Ambitions.

It was all fun and games until I got to the far right hand crimp traverse, and then my fear of a huge pendulum toprope swing got the best of me. I called down to Shawn that I'd had enough, and wanted to bail, and got an appropriately snarky response, basically, to suck it up and rock climb. I took a few deep breaths and then tentatively worked my way right, terrified of the prospect of that huge swinging fall. I'm lucky -- given how negative my thinking was -- that I was able to pull the moves and didn't fall. I mantled up and then worked my way back left. The route is a series of mantels one after another -- the mantels would be scary on lead; but the traverses were scary on toprope. The best way to go would be to lead the route and then bring up a second with some gear placed to prevent the swinging falls I faced on toprope.

So, note to self, sometimes it's better to just suck it up and lead, than to try to do something "less scary" by toproping.

After that, we headed back to the Country to get on the first pitch (10d) of Cunning Stunt, a classic, well protected bolted face pitch. Peter did a bold lead on it, and we took turns on toprope laps since it was close to the end of the day and nobody was waiting for it. I look forward to working up the courage to lead it -- the cruxes are well protected with bolts nearby, so it would make a great, hard sport project for me.

We didn't get in a ton of pitches, but we did have a fantastic day. As always, I'm thankful for my climbing partners who stick by me even though I seem to be having a fear / bold setback this spring. After this weekend, I have two things to work on in earnest: (1) my fear, which seems to have made a strong comeback after a hiatus last winter; and (2) my left shoulder, which has been giving me a little bit of grief the last few months, but which is really sore after my prolonged full weight dead hang of an arm jam on that side on my GM lead.

I'm open to suggestions on both, please!

First, I'm ordering a copy of The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers, by Arno Ilgner. I've heard mixed reviews of the book, but I've already read the "mental training" sections of the other training books I have, and I need to add additional tools to my arsenal.

Second, I'm incredibly lucky to be a climber who currently has the privilege of paying through the nose for health insurance. Since that may not always be the situation, I'm going to put that insurance to good use and try to figure out how to keep my shoulders more healthy. I didn't injure it climbing -- I gave myself a touch of bicep tendinitis (or is it tendonitis?) doing pushups to try to AVOID a climbing injury a few months ago, and since resting and recouping that injury, that shoulder just hasn't been as strong / pain free / quick to recover as the other. Unfortunately, that has meant no pushups or bench press, although I have been able to keep up with dips to try to keep my shoulders balanced -- but I'm afraid the lack of pushups and bench has aggravated my already out-of-balance shoulders to the point where now, after that lengthy dead hang on that shoulder, my rotator cuff is sore. I suspect that all of these factors ultimately will cause, if I don't do something to reverse course, rotator cuff tendonitis.

I'm resting, icing, Aleve-ing, and am checking around for local medical folks who have experience with climbers, so that I can hopefully figure out how to keep it from getting worse, and strengthen both my shoulders to prevent future injury. My dear family doc just called and gave me a referral to a PT she thinks highly of, so I'll let you know how it turns out. It's also feeling better already just with a day's rest, ice and Aleve, so I'm optimistic that I've caught it early enough to not be too serious.

I look forward to your thoughts on mental training, and shoulder health! I'll keep you posted on both fronts, and I promise, I won't be going out mountain biking solo again any time soon. Take care and be safe out there!

Girl Tested, Girl Approved: Black Diamond Camalot C3 Purple / 00

2009-05-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

Climbing Partner, renamed, GR (short for Gear Rescuer) and I just got back from a fantastic trip to Index, WA, and on the way home, conceived of a new feature for RockClimberGirl.com...

Girl Tested, Girl Approved.

This goes beyond gear reviews, and cool new stuff. An item doesn't qualify for Girl Tested, Girl Approved until I've used and loved it in the field, and it's exceeded my expectations in some big way. The very first Girl Tested, Girl Approved item is the Black Diamond Camalot C3 Purple / size 00.

I still consider myself a beginner with small cams, since I've only been placing them off friends' racks for about two years. I don't personally own C3s yet, but I have a few climbing partners who have the set, so I've climbed on them a handful of times and cleaned them quite a bit. I've seen C3s catch falls in serious situations, and I've read up on them while trying to decide which small cams to go with to round out my own rack, but I just couldn't pull the trigger (tee hee) on a commitment to one line of small cams. I have three Metolius Master Cams (orange, yellow, and blue) and am very happy with them, but for my smallest cams I've been undecided between the various choices. Until now. I'll be picking up a set of the Black Diamond Camalot C3s, thank you very much.

My first C3 placement was on a mixed 10a at Red Rock. The piece -- the purple / 00 -- was marginal to my eye but not tested; it was easy to place and clean, and I found it easier than with some other small cams I've used to judge the placement.

On day two of our most recent fantastic weekend at Index, the first pitch (10a) of Thin Fingers (11a) caught my eye. The pitch is a lovely 5.9-ish crack system ranging from small nut/cam sizes (fingers) to hands (Red / #1 Camalot C4), leading to a 10a crux with very delicate footwork off a large ledge protected by small nuts to the chains.

I was inspired to climb it, despite the grade being a bit above my proven capability, and despite being bruised, battered and tired from Day 1. GR was encouraging, and willing to rescue my gear if I couldn't finish the route, so I racked up and set off.

My first attempt was a no go; I climbed higher than my instincts told me prior to placing my first piece, got scared, and downclimbed off to avoid shaking myself off the wall with fear.

After a solid pep talk from GR, a chat through of the route so that I could see it better in pieces, a few minutes of attitude adjustment by me, I tied back in and set off with a much better attitude and outlook, put on a huge smile, and started climbing. And sure enough, the climbing was stellar.

I cruised up the start confidently, placing a lot of pro from pretty decent stances, which was great practice. After getting in about six closely spaced pieces, I was flummoxed by a section below the crux that would involve climbing above my pro to pull about three or four difficult, delicate and precarious moves, without an obvious stance for putting in additional gear. My last two pieces were bomber nuts, I was at a decent stance, and saw a possible placement for the purple Black Diamond C3 a couple of feet above my last piece. It was a marginal placement to my eye, without textbook lobe contact and the head was behind a tiny flake (which would have ruled out placing any gear without a flexible stem).

Other reviews on some of the gear sites have commented on the stiffness of the trigger on the C3s. I have relatively weak hands, and I'm relatively prone to pumping out while gear leading, and I have absolutely no problem with the trigger on these little puppies.

I placed the purple / 00, and climbed on, a few feet above the piece, then realized...

I was just about to take my first lead fall on gear. And, my high piece was a marginally placed, teeny tiny cam.

I couldn't go up, so called out "I think I'm falling" to GR, and he reminded me to downclimb as far as I could. I made it a few steps down, then let out a blood curdling scream as my feet lost their smears and I dropped a couple of feet onto the marginal C3.

Which held.

Like a champ.

I attempted the moves several more times, each time, falling* on the C3, and each time letting out a blood curdling scream. To the other climbers, and the entire town of Index, and perhaps, most of the Highway 2 corridor, I apologize sincerely for the commotion.

I felt that taking that fall* was an acceptable risk because even if the C3 hadn't held, I would have had two bomber nuts right below it, and I was well off the deck with a good belayer so didn't risk a ground fall.

I realized after the fact that we'd had a fantastic "tolerance test" of the C3 as a result. I always aim for the best possible placement I can make, but, now I know that the C3s may hold under conditions I consider "marginal," which is a useful bit of knowledge for my gear arsenal. The flexible stem allowed me to place the piece despite the little flake that stuck out, and the cam held (without budging) with the rear and middle lobe were on with good contact; the front lobe was slightly less retracted than I'd like. I was pleased that the cam held, and impressed that it held under non-ideal conditions, especially since it's the smallest C3 rated for free climbing.

The grey / 000 C3 is only rated for direct aid. I've seen the grey used as a free climbing piece by partners, but the strength rating on that piece is 4 kN, as opposed to 6 kN on the purple, and -- for folks less acquainted with small cams -- 14 kN for the Black Diamond C4 Camalots green (.75) and up.

Even after multiple falls, the purple C3 cleaned easily, and on inspection, appears flawless.

I'm extremely happy with the purple C3, given the relative ease of judging placement quality, the flexible stem which allows placements a rigid stem unit would not, and its relatively wide range for such a small unit.

As a result, I'm putting the C3s on my wishlist, and I'm proud to award the Black Diamond Camalot C3 my very first Girl Tested, Girl Approved seal of approval.**

For more information:
For full information on the Black Diamond C3s (read and understand before buying and/or using) visit the Black Diamond C3 detail page, including the Tech Tips and Instructions.

Where to buy:

Rock / Creek

Oregon Mountain Community

Backcountry.com

Moosejaw

Footnotes:

* GR quibbles with my use of the word "fall," since he felt that what I did was more like a "take" since each time I was in the process of downclimbing, having backed off the moves rather than committing to the moves and trying upward. We agreed on the language, as opposed to my first gear "falls," that these were my first "weighting of gear with some force" instead. But, that's just too long to type over and over, and, seriously - these were falls, whether I was going up or down immediately before they happened. I was above my pro, I slipped off each time, and gravity kicked in. I'm going to call 'em falls. So there.

** Climbing is dangerous. Read the instructions (a lot of folks don't) and climb and use any piece of gear, under any conditions, at your own risk. I'd rather write fun stuff than disclaimers, so I'll just keep it simple and ask that you don't sue me, please, if your experience with the C3s is different than my own.

2009 Reel Rock Filmmaking Competition

2009-05-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes even I'm surprised at the names that pop up in the From: field in my email inbox. This morning was one of those times.

Abbey Smith is an accomplished climber and writer (how much of an understatement can I possibly make?), and she's getting the word out about the REEL ROCK Film Tour.

OK... I can't wait to see what you creative folks put together. Maybe I'll even fire up my little Canon this weekend...

From the REEL ROCK press release:

The 2009 REEL ROCK Film Tour (www.reelrocktour.com), presented by Sender Films and Big UP Productions is now accepting submissions for the 2009 REEL ROCK FILMMAKING COMPETITION. If you have a camera, computer, and a fresh idea, one of the short REEL ROCK ‘09 films could be yours!

Building on the popularity of the 2008 filmmaking competition — in which tens of thousands of people voted for their favorite Humor/Spoof and Action/Adventure films — the 2009 competition has expanded with new rules and new prizes.

Winning filmmakers will receive $500 in cash and rake in grand prize packages from title sponsors Windstopper and The North Face, gear sponsors Petzl Equipment and Sterling Ropes, and media sponsors Climbing Magazine and Urban Climber. The winning films, one from each genre category — as chosen by voters online and REEL ROCK judges — will be featured on the 2009 REEL ROCK Film Tour in over 100 locations worldwide.

Submission deadline is July 20, 2009.

For more information and to enter visit http://www.reelrocktour.com.

Get those creative juices flowing, fire up the camcorders and laptops, and hit us with your best shot!

For REEL ROCK Film Tour information and to set up a show please contact Joss Corkin at joss@reelrocktour.com / ph. 310-927-7968
For PR information, please contact Abbey Smith at pr@reelrocktour.com

Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Clouds Rest Women's Sleeping Bag

2009-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've been putting some new gear through its paces lately, some of which deserve more attention than a brief blurb. The first "winner" in my new stash is my Mountain Hardwear Clouds Rest Women's Sleeping Bag. I had this bag on my wishlist and planned to purchase it out of my exceptionally small spring gear budget, so was very thankful when Mountain Hardwear was able to provide a sample for review. My first impression after camping in it for a weekend is that I would buy the bag at retail, in a heartbeat. This bag is my vision of heaven.

My Mountain Hardwear Clouds Rest Women's sleeping bag arrived a couple of weeks ago, and it was all I could do to not sleep in it every night at home leading up to the trip. Out of the box, it is lofty, and oh so comfy and warm. The fit and comfort exceeded my expectations -- it's much wider than my old North Face bag, and even in the Regular length, I have plenty of room (at 5 foot 6 inches, I have had trouble in the past finding a Regular length bag that gave me enough length, since my height is on the cusp between Regular and Long for most brands). The bag stuffs easily into its small stuff sack for packing, and fluffs up quickly once pulled out for sleeping.

Features I chose the bag based on: This is my first down bag, and my pacific northwest friends mock me for choosing down when we live in such a wet climate, but my plan is to always pack my bivy so that if conditions are wet I have a waterproof layer (even inside a tent). I chose down because in my unofficial testing the down bags just feel warmer to me than synthetic (I know that sounds crazy and non-technical, but what can I say, I'm being honest about my criteria) and most of my really cold trips are really cold, dry trips during the winter. In addition, I chose this bag because of its temperature rating (5 degrees Fahrenheit) which will cover my camping needs year-round; its women-specific design with extra warmth in the torso and footbox; and because I'd heard great things about Mountain Hardwear bags from my girlfriends who've had good luck with both their down and synthetic bags.

Features I didn't know I'd love when I chose it: the bag features an extra baffle inside, that lays comfortably without constricting around my neck and shoulders, allowing me to keep my head out of the bag without any drafts. I was extremely comfortable in the bag both nights; I was so warm the second night that I kicked off my socks (which I never, ever do in sleeping bags!).

When it came time to tick check the gear post-trip, I appreciated the bag's light colored exterior. I understand why gear manufacturers gravitate toward dark colors because, hey, we're filthy dirtbags. But, examining the exterior of the bag took only a second, because of its light color. I don't care if it gets dirty over time, and even though my personal tastes tend toward dark colors and away from pastels, after spending a couple of hours yesterday doing a tick inspection of my gear, I have a new appreciation for light-colored gear.

One of my climbing partners, Susie, has a synthetic Mountain Hardwear bag that she loves and raved about this weekend; when I included the Cloud's Rest in my gear guide, Lizzie T commented that it's working out well for her except that it feels less warm than a five degree difference from her last zero degree bag. The bag feels substantially warmer than a 15 degree difference from my old 20 degree synthetic (in which I pretty much ranged from cold to freezing, year round), so it may be just a matter of what we're used to, and the conditions we're camping in. Based on my experiences with sleeping bags in the past, I expect a bag to keep me alive down to its temperature rating, but not necessarily to feel warm down to that rating. I'll look forward to posting an update after I take the bag on a few winter trips, to let you know how it does for me in really cold conditions.

When friends have asked me about the bag so far, I just get all wistful, and daydreamy, and can only manage to say... "it's like... heaven." I can see why they named it "Clouds Rest" for sure!

Tieton River Climbing, May 2009

2009-05-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend thrashing myself at Tieton River climbing area, near Yakima, WA. We arrived late on Friday to find our usual abode, the Windy Point campground, closed. We made do; Don and I were in the C-RV so stealth camping isn't usually an issue; friends Susie, Steve and Kari were in a tent and got blown around badly. Despite not much sleep, we had a cheery morning of breakfast and coffee around a Windy Point picnic table.

Saturday: Lava Point & Royal Columns
Day one's plan was Lava Point, an area I've visited and had tons of fun at before. The crag was empty -- I don't believe we saw another climbing party all day.

We started out on Steal Your Face, a fun 10c on the Deadheads wall; Screaming for Rope, a 5.9 with a tricky start; B Weir of the Dead and Artificially Insteminated, SUPER fun 10a's that might be slightly easier for us shorter / smaller fingered types; and Travalava and scoria, two 5.9s that make great warmups and are both get thumbs up. I had my eye on Saint of Circumstance, a 10c that looked like it had great moves up to two challenging roofs, but didn't quite have another 10c lead attempt in me after having to take on Steal Your Face on lead. Don was inspired by Fit to be Tie Dyed, a 5.11a that you can toprope off the anchors of B Weir of the Dead. He absolutely styled it on lead, and I decided to finally indulge in a little "ice cream" (aka, toproping) since I'd been leading so far. The route was FUN. There's one really big move on it that stumped me for a bit, but after trying a bunch of different approaches finally figured it out.

Here's a view of Rimrock Lake from the base of Lava Wall:

And, Steve on lead:

We only saw a couple of ticks on Saturday, which was an unexpected treat since this is the high season for ticks up there.

From there, Colin and Susie wanted to get some time in playing with toys (aka, traditional gear) so we headed for the South Fork area in the hopes of getting up toward Astral Wall. The show stopped us about five miles below the trailhead, so that excursion will have to wait. The walls up there looked AWESOME from the road, so I can't wait to get back when the roads are passable.

Instead, we headed to Royal Columns, which was packed with more climbers than I've ever seen there. There was a big herd at the Bend, as well. Susie got on lead (route unknown, see picture), and Colin and I headed for Twin Cracks, which looked like a fun 5.6 from the ground. I'm not 100% sure what the rest of our party did while Colin and I mini-epic'd on Twin Cracks (#57 in the Tieton guidebook), but Colin and I had a mini-adventure, for sure.

Colin lead, placing great gear all the way up. He reached a point where he could go straight up to the cliff top, or right, exiting out on top of a pillar (where the anchor bolts are indicated in the Guide). He scouted around and didn't see bolts, so headed to the top of the cliff, where he also didn't find bolts. He did a very careful downclimb to reach the decision point, again, and then went to his right to exit on top of the pillar -- still, no bolts. He luckily had enough gear to build an anchor, which he did, then we tried to plan the descent sans bolts. There are bolts down and climber's right at the anchor of Render us Weightless (#54 in the book) but Colin wasn't crazy about that prospect, and since he was on a solid gear anchor we decided he'd bring me up, I'd clean, and we'd walk off. We heard from another party, once he was already anchored and we were trying to sort the situation out, that there was a walk off, so that sounded like the best option. As an alternative, even if we couldn't find the walk off, our gear would be cleaned, and we could use the gear anchor to belay one of us to the rap station on #54, so going up was the best course of action.

The climbing was 5.6 MY ASS. Colin wow'd me with his lead on Classic Crack during our last trip to Leavenworth; I found that 5.8 much easier than this "5.6." The route was uncomfortable offwidth in areas. I actually enjoy offwidth -- but this was a funny offwidth. In between for feet (too big for foot jams, too small for heel toe jams) and small offwidth for arms -- my forearms kept getting stuck in the crack when I tried to move up on my jams. Usually on "easier" offwidth you'll find edges inside that you can grab onto ... if they were there, I sure didn't find 'em. It was a thrashy, desperate jamfest for me, all the while impressed with Colin's lead. I topped out, breathing hard, after grunting my way up. Colin's improvised anchor was great, so we could have belayed over to the rap anchor on #54, but we agreed to try the walk off. I pulled up the rope and butterflied it to backpack it (figuring, I didn't want to drop it, in case we had any issues with the walk off) then we headed up to the cliff top to look for a way down.

After seeing the cliff top up close and personal, I'll reiterate...

Helmets are mandatory at Royal Columns.

I've seen trundled rockfall there before, but the cliff top is extremely rocky and loose in areas. We worked our way up a sandy and rocky lightly vegetated trail (on which we ran into a friendly local rattlesnake) and then cut to climber's left before reaching the very top of the ridge to see if we could make our way. We carefully worked a sandy trail to a point where it looked like were were going to cliff out and sure enough -- it cliffed out right at a site with a couple of options for rap stations. SCORE, and glad we hadn't tossed the rope. We rapped off the anchors for #67 just as Steve reached us on his search party. The sun was setting, we were all on our way down safely, and it had been a full, great climbing day.

Sunday: Dream Wall and back to Lava Wall
After a leisurely morning, we made our way toward Dream Wall. The wall is further climber's left of Lava Wall, but takes a slightly different approach. We hadn't explored the area before, and wound up descending a gully to climber's right of Tick Wall. Don trucked ahead to scout Dream Wall, and the rest of us started to notice ticks. Lots, and lots of ticks. We tucked in what we could tuck in, and picked ticks off of each other, then followed Don to Dream Wall.

The wall really is lovely despite an appearance that would suggest "loose and chossy." I can't vouch for the rock quality since I didn't climb there; instead, I got out my Naturapel and got to (hopefully) tick repelling. Kari carries Jungle Juice, and while I don't usually use DEET-containing repellents while climbing, I did put a shot of hers on each ankle, just in case. We also resorted to the old-fashioned approach of covering up... after Susie found a tick that had sunk in at her waistline, we tucked pantlegs into socks, shirts into pants, and stayed as covered up as possible. Extensive photography was not allowed because we all looked so ridiculous, though I couldn't help but take a picture of me & Susie's rockin fashion. I predict this will be the next big "look" on the runways of Paris, Milan and NYC:

Steve, Kari and Susie all had fun on the PG rated Pickles, a 5.8 that seems to be cleaner than at the publishing of the guidebook, since none in our party mentioned anything particularly scary. Here's a photo of Kari on it:

Don started up a 10a (Lava Sundae, perhaps?) but a few bolts up was not feeling it; Steve started up it later to clean the draws, hit the same point, and was not feeling it either so down-lead to clean the gear. I'll definitely go back to Dream Wall on a day when conditions are better (namely, when it's not literally crawling with ticks)... there are a few routes there and on Tick Wall that looked fantastic, though some were wet this trip.

From there, Steve, Don and Susie crossed the talus to get back to Lava Wall proper; Kari and I decided to head up and over on the trails at the cliff tops since that was a known quantity and we didn't want to risk bushwhacking through tick infested foliage. The report from the adventurers was that the low route wasn't bad.

Back at Lava Wall, we were a bit bummed to find the place covered in ticks. In addition to crawling around down low, they seemed to be falling from the cliff tops, and inevitably in the bushes that our ropes were drawn to. Eeew. Despite the bugs, Don officially stepped into Ropegun Mode and put a rope up on Saint of Circumstance, the 10c I had my eye on the day before. The route is awesome. I should have just gotten on it on lead, but didn't want to try a 10c lead for my warmup, so toproped it. The roofs at the top are hard, and it took me awhile to figure out a sequence for them, but the climbing down low is balancey, delicate, technical, body tension fun. I am finding 10c to be My Grade outside for projects, and am amassing quite a list of 10c projects. This one was no exception, and I look forward to getting back to it to work it on lead. I'm not sure what Kari and Susie got on, but we took turns on the 10c, and Steve started Muted Reality, a bold 11a with a seriously strenuous, difficult section from the third through fifth bolts. Don finished the lead, and Steve and I toproped it. This one is, I think, a bit more challenging for us shorter people -- the crux section for me required really awkward footwork and an impossible two finger gaston with my right hand if I was going to do it statically, which I was just too tired to do. Instead, I shifted gears and went for the dyno approach, which I stuck after a few tries.

We were all starting to feel our fatigue, so after cleaning the routes we called it a day. Susie, Steve and Kari turned back toward Bellingham, and Don and I headed for White Pass to home. We took the cutoff on Highway 7 on the way home which was lovely... off the beaten path, and it spit us out southwest of Mt. Rainier for Buffalo burgers at the Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining Co. We wound our way northward and when we suddenly went from middle-of-nowhere to Spanaway, we both would have traded the bustle and lights and noise of Spanaway for the most tick-infested crag on the face of the planet. Going back on the grid, even after a quick weekend trip, just keeps getting harder and harder.

The Tieton River area is an absolute treasure, and it's quickly overshadowing other Washington areas to become my favorite, partly because of the climbing, and partly because of the beauty and peace of the Tieton river area itself. Enjoy!

Things to know...

Area Overview: Courtesy of Washington Climbers Coalition, with current information about closures (none in 2009, but raptor closures happen here) and efforts by The Nature Conservancy to acquire property in the canyon.

Guidebook: Tieton River Rocks, by Marlene Ford & Jim Yoder

Objective hazards: Despite the ticks, ticks and more ticks we saw this weekend, I've seen as many (or more) on Outer Space at Leavenworth, so don't let them stop you. I have it on good authority (thanks, Andy) that Lava Point and the Cave are the worst for ticks, and their season is March to May. According to Andy, "13 Ticks" got its name when my buddy Matt Perkins took a nap in the grass waiting for Andy to bolt the route. The snakes are no worse (or, even less) than Leavenworth. Use your best judgment, be prepared, and take precautions. Rockfall is a hazard in some areas more than others, so why not just wear your helmet. This weekend, I wore mine while belaying, leading, and toproping. No kidding.

New routes: New route development continues around the area. I haven't found updates to Marlene & Jim's book online yet, but if I do I'll update. From a climber who loves this area to Andy Fitz and the other first ascentionists who continue to spend their free time scrubbing and cleaning routes (not to mention, their own funds on bolts and anchors), THANK YOU.

A few more logistics: If you come in via White Pass, you're out of cell range from pretty much I-5 until you get back to I-5. The peace and quiet is a welcome change from other areas where you routinely hear ringing cell phones at the crags! Plan a communication method with the rest of your party that doesn't rely on cell phones. Camping is abundant, though before Memorial Day many of the developed campgrounds are closed. Also, watch carefully for deer and elk when on the roads. They are EVERYWHERE, and are unpredictable.

And, a final note on de-tickification, since this is news to some outdoorsy types... I take de-tickifying post trip seriously. Here's my approach, please share yours in the comments!

Before I set foot in my house, I strip into a plastic bag. I go straight to the bath for a good long soak, and then the clothes I was wearing (as well as any other washable goods) go straight into the washing machine.

Check yourself, especially unmentionable areas, armpits, waistline, and hairline / scalp carefully for ticks. If you don't have a buddy to help, use a mirror and be thorough!

Empty your gear onto a white sheet one or two pieces at a time. Sort and inspect for ticks and kill any you find. I leave my gear out, on the sheet, for a day or so in case I miss any crawlies ... they're easy to spot moving at their creepy pace on the white sheet. Here's my gear post-inspection:

Places I tend to find them most often in this inspection are sleeping bags, tents, rope bags and ropes. Eew.

Detickify the car. Once all the gear is out, inspect and vacuum thoroughly!

Even with all this, I sometimes find one or two in the car a couple days later. Just be alert, take care, and if you do have the unfortunate experience of a too-close experience with one that digs in, here's advice from the CDC generally, and on removal here.

Regarding repellents... We all got crawled on, repellents or not. Given the number of ticks we saw (and the number that crawled on) and the relatively few that actually bit in, I'll be carrying repellent as a regular part of my crag kit from here on out. We even applied some of my non-DEET Naturapel (thanks again, Frank and Kelly at Adventure Medical Kits) during our gear sort just in case, to feet, ankles and arms.

It takes a village.

2009-05-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

The weekend's weather report looks great for Tieton, north of Yakima. Tieton is one of my favorite Washington climbing areas, and I can't wait to get back out there. I had hoped to take Hana the dog with me this weekend, since she loves camping, and the weather looked moderate enough that she wouldn't overheat, but alas -- the weather report has ticked upward and it's going to be hot. With the Hood Canal Bridge closed, she can't run up to Grandma and Grandpa's in Port Townsend, like she usually does. That left a last minute Hana care scramble, and my girl Candace came to the rescue. I'm going to watch her beloved Coco for her run down to Tieton tomorrow, then she's going to take care of Hana while I'm gone.

It truly does take a village.

Other folks must have the same issue. How do you mix taking care of your furry kids and your outdoor adventure? Please share, in the comments!

My Climbing Life, a climbing-light installment

2009-05-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a funny week. I've been alternating between the highs of meeting fantastic folks in the climbing community and outdoor biz since I've been actively trying to get out of my shell and build those relationships, and the lows of discouraging or frustrating experiences related to some of those efforts. I prefer to focus on the positive, but if this sounds a wee bit down, it's just 'cause this week hasn't been all highs. And, did I mention, the weather report for the weekend -- pretty much everywhere except New Mexico -- sucks? Sigh. I guess it's the universe's way of telling me to wash my freaking dishes and get some rest.

In an example of "saw that coming," a story with me in it went live today on the American Lawyer blog (edit... the blog post has been removed until the editors can agree on how to address the notable safety issue in the original (and print) content. I'm leaving this up, though, since the print version is still out there).

The blog post is the companion to a print story slated for their current issue (which I believe hit stands today, though my local newsstand / magazine shop closed so I'll have to wait for it in the mail). I was shocked when they contacted me about doing the story, since (y'all better get used to this, it seems to be my new mantra) I'm just a normal girl, I don't climb sick hard, and I'm regularly described as "prolific" in my activities (climbing / photography / writing) but without regard to quality. I actually pointed the author toward a bunch of other notable climber / lawyers instead, but they decided to profile me.

I knew not to expect 100% perfection from a print magazine outside of the outdoor industry... given that climbing is a technical activity, with its own jargon, and I talk fast, so I can be a challenging interview subject. When I saw the blog version I thought about just 100% keeping my mouth shut, but since it's public and will get indexed by search engines with my name in it, I wanted to just correct a few things, especially since the moderator hasn't yet approved my comment on the post.

The biggies... I'm not running for Kitsap County Auditor. That was in the Spring of 2008, and I wasn't selected, but one of my favorite people in the whole world, Walt Washington, was. Walt, my sweet -- you don't have competition in the form of me for your next reelection bid.

Second, there's the blurb about Leavenworth:

"Leavenworth, Washington Bouldering and multipitch walls, and spots where she can tie a rope to her car's bumper and rappel down. A plus for Lingafelter: no cell-phone reception."

No cell-phone reception is a big plus in the Icicle, and oh, the bouldering and multipitch... yes, yes, yes. Rappelling off a car bumper... um... nope. In the comment to the blog post that I submitted but haven't yet seen approved by the moderator, I responded thusly...

There's absolutely no situation I can imagine that I would tie a rope to a car's bumper and rappel down anything. I think what I said was that there are areas where the climbing is so close to the road, you can practically belay from your car's bumper. Those are two very different things.

So...

Don't go out rapping off car bumpers and say, "Oh, RockClimberGirl said....." 'cause I didn't.

Little things... my girl Amy M was who first planted the nugget of climbing, not a law school friend... Amy had the good sense to go to Massage Therapy school, and is now an incredibly talented climber / mom / friend / wife / massage therapist. My heart is broken that she and her family are headed for DC... but my loss is the east coast's gain, I suppose, and that gives me an excuse to get out and visit and sample West Virginia and the Gunks and some of the other places I've always wanted to go.

I also don't recall saying the quote attributed to me in this bit:

Both climbing and the law have shaped her worldview, albeit in different ways: "You can seriously hurt yourself in one, and really change someone's life in the other."

But, even though I didn't say it, I'll be happy to claim it as my own. Yes, you can seriously hurt yourself in the practice of law, and you can really change someone's life through rock climbing.

Those are the big things. There are little things, too, like my practice areas... but this post is getting longer than the original, so I've got to draw the line somewhere. Otherwise, they did a pretty good job and got some things right, so that's cool. And, it's fun to see my friend Kari's photo there, also.

Oh, the discomfort of being a fact-oriented former copyeditor and armchair journalist.

In other climbing-light news, last night I went over to Seattle to join in and meet some great new folks and catch up with a few friends at the CascadeClimbers.com annual picnic, organized by my buddy Matt. The picnic is a tradition that started in the 80's, and predates CascadeClimbers.com, but has been adopted by Matt and the CC crew. Matt asked if I'd do a slideshow, and I reminded him that I don't climb sick hard, and I'm just a "normal climber" and his response was "normal climbers need apply," so I ponied up. The other two slideshows were by real climber-slash-photographers... Wayne Wallace and Steph Abell's slideshows were incredible. I kinda furiously edited pieces of mine at the last minute remembering that -- after all, this is the CC crew, so I was worried there may be a handful of hecklers. It went okay, I think, though everybody disbursed pretty quickly after so only a few folks stayed around to clean up and chit chat. Folks were nice, food was good, it seemed that a fun time was had by all.

I arrived home to a name-calling, not-so-nice blog comment from someone who apparently found me via CC ... so that didn't leave the best taste in my mouth. But, that's where my Teflon superpower comes in handy, and I get a whole lot more love than the opposite from my readers and friends and climbing partners, so whatever. Thanks for defending my honor, Darren... I think you get extra heaven points for stuff like that.

OK, that's it. I'm off to have a good healthy dinner (nothing like two fantastic dinner invitations in one night... hard to pick just one!) and then hit the gym for a fun night with friends. For my buddies in New Mexico and Salt Lake, have a great weekend climbing while the rest of us sit home and watch weather.com hoping for better news next weekend.

Just kidding. I'm going mountain biking, crappy weather or not.

CascadeClimbers.com Annual Picnic this Thursday

2009-04-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

The CascadeClimbers.com annual picnic is this Thursday, April 30th at 6pm, at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, Picnic Shelter #6. The plan is food (potluck items welcome), friends, and slideshows from some noteworthy climbers including Steph Abegg and Wayne Wallace, and some not as noteworthy climbers (but really nice people!) like little 'ol me. They're planning a gear swap, too, so it should be a fun shindig.

If you want a little taste of the mayhem that may ensue, just visit the CascadeClimbers.com forum post to get an idea of what we're all in for.

Oh my word, what have I gotten myself into... I'll turn my photo show into a little iMovie afterward and will post it for your viewing pleasure!

PS: For those of you who don't live in slug areas, that isn't a picture of human waste, it's a slug, the state bird of Washington.

PPS: no slugs were harmed in the making of this blog post. That pic is linked to from the Cascadeclimbers.com forum post...

The RockClimberGirl guide to moderate bouldering in Leavenworth.

2009-04-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

No, seriously. There is. I'm not pulling your leg.

I'd been told that bouldering in Leavenworth, WA is no fun until you're at about V4. I've heard it's punishing, hard, and was looked on with skepticism from my bouldering friends when I announced that I was going to start bouldering up there a few weeks ago. Alas -- finding regular climbing partners has been a bit less predictable lately, so I've wanted to get used to the idea of climbing activities I can do solo with relative safety, and bouldering is my pick. Lizzy from Dream in Vertical said at one point that bouldering has been great for her lead head, which I definitely still need to work on. And, I've been climbing routes almost exclusively for the last few months, so my endurance is up, but my power is lacking. For all those reasons, I decided it's time to expand my climbing to include bouldering outside. In four plus years of climbing, I've done precious little outside bouldering; it's time to change that.

The short version, for those of you who just want the ticklist. Here are the problems, and their locations, that I've found fun so far and worthwhile to play on, whether I finished them or not:

The Fridge Boulder: Cool Down (V0-), Cellar Door (V3), Fridge Center (V4)
Barney's Rubble: The Rail (V0), Tree Crack (V1), Fun House Stairway (V1+)
Mad Meadows: The Scoop (V2)
Lower Forestland: Breadline (V0+)
Upper Forestland: Sunny and Steep (V2)

And, now the long version.

Cool thing about bouldering #1: No alpine start necessary.
Last weekend, I kidnapped my buddy Peter for my first Leavenworth bouldering trip.
We headed out from Kitsap about 7 am; not the 5 am or so I'm used to for climbing trips. We took our time getting out to Leavenworth, stopping for groceries and stove fuel, and to stop in to Der Mountainhausen, otherwise known as Leavenworth Mountain Sports, just for fun. We arrived at our first destination, the Fridge Boulder, at about noon.

We left the Fridge Boulder at about 4 pm.

In the intervening four hours, Peter and I, repeatedly, threw ourselves at the Fridge Boulder, in an exercise some might call "insanity." We tried, and tried, and tried problems; trying the same thing, over and over, and hoping for a different outcome. Peter was working "Fridge Center," a classic Leavenworth V4. I was working Cellar Door, a three move V3 that most folks passing through cruised on their first or second go. I have no idea how many times I tried it. The beta: grab starting sidepull / slot (depending on how you want to go), with your feet low on good holds. Move right hand out to a painful crimpy rail, then work your feet way high on a good left, and crappy right foot. Spring up to a sloping ledge then top out. That whole springing up to the sloping ledge is my downfall. That brings me to:

Cool thing about bouldering #2: Some landings, and falls, can be safe.
I tried to spring for that sloping ledge I have no idea how many times. Every time, I came up somewhere between one and six inches short. Over the course of the day, I actually touched the ledge maybe twice, but couldn't hang on. Every time, I'd either fall away from the boulder and land safely on a single bouldering pad (whether or not I was being spotted), or, I'd slide down the boulder a bit, but even that didn't cause any damage. I actually had fun flinging myself at the slopey ledge all day, and it was hard to give up on the problem even though I wasn't making progress. I've got to get a little more confident on my feet to be able to push up to the hold instead of unsuccessfully flailing toward it each time, so this is a project I'll come back to for sure. I didn't finish the crux of Fridge Center, but the starting moves are delicate and fun and fantastic. I look forward to working that one too, once I'm a bit stronger.

After that we moved on to Mad Meadows where Peter worked a host of harder problems including the unlikely-for-me sit start to Drugstore Cowboy (V3) which looks fun after the start, and we spotted but didn't get on the Hueco Route (V1) which looked like fun. I became obsessed with The Scoop, a V2 on The Rail boulder. The problem works up a slopey/pinchy sidepull on the left side of a scoop feature on the rock, to a full extension envelope slot on the right side, with (for me, at least) delicate footwork required to make the reach. From there, it's good holds up to the topout. I tried and tried the start and couldn't reach the good envelope slot. Finally, on one attempt that didn't begin on the start holds, I reached the envelope slot, so then I knew I had no excuse. After a few more tries, I gained the envelope slot after starting on the ground, and then really had no excuse. I had to top out. Oh crap.

Cool thing about bouldering #3: Topping out can be fun.
Without hesitation, I carefully, slowly and deliberately worked my hands and feet up toward the topout, and next I knew I was standing on top of the boulder. I was kind of surprised -- it happened really fast, and I didn't get nervous about the top out, even though I assumed I would. Instead, I just thought, "Well, now I just have to get up there," and I did. It was super fun. If I'd never topped out on anything that day, it would have been a day well spent -- I decided early in the day that I'd rather work V3s (which, really, is very ambitious for me) and not finish a single one, than climb V0s in a try or two all day since I'd learn more. It turns out, V2 is a good sweet spot for me at this point. They're not gimmes, I learn something from them, but some V2s I can finish, so if I get frustrated with a given V3 or V4 I know to try to find a V2 to work for a possible success.

The next day, we were both pretty worked, so the day started out with a roadside pancake making sesh (turns out if you deep fry Krusteaz whole wheat and honey pancakes in canola oil, they taste better than donuts) and then a leisurely migration to the Barney's Rubble area. This brings us to...

Cool thing about bouldering #4: The vibe.
Climbing is fun, but climbing is also stressful. There's lining up enough partners that hopefully, by the time you actually leave, at least one won't have bailed. There's all the gear, all the sorting, the racking, the preparation, the packing. There's the seriousness... the first aid kits, the water-enough-for-the-objective, the food, the planning, the routefinding, the approach, and the who's taking first lead. I love it, and I tie in every chance I get, but I gotta say... boulderers are on to something.

Bouldering is pretty freaking chill compared to all that roped-up drama. Peter wasn't really feeling it on Sunday, but heck, we're just bouldering, so we loaded up coffee, shoes, chalk bags and the bouldering pads and headed for the Barney's Rubble area. Peter also brought along a little magic elixir, which he claimed helped him feel better after yesterday's self-abuse... a part-full bottle of red wine. I climbed The Rail (V0) which was fun, including a nice slabby downclimb, and Tree Crack (V1) which was confidence inspiring and great fun. Tree Crack is a nice thin crack for hands to start, up to sections with good holds for hands and some with thinner hands, requiring a bit of foot-trusting. I can't vouch for the landing, since it is a bit slabby, since I didn't come off; I just worked up it and really enjoyed it. It has an easy walkoff, which is also a bonus.

I worked Fun House Stairway (V1+) a bit, but it felt unbelievably hard -- I could hardly get into a proper sit start on the start hold.

Really, though, that first weekend we were just pretty hosed. We visited with a few nice passer-by boulderers, and ran into a buddy from our gym who'd relocated, so Peter had some magic elixir, I climbed a few easy / fun boulder problems and snacked on oranges, and we had a nice, chill time. Overall, the other boulderers we met were friendly, warm and relaxed. Every once in awhile you see whatever-the-bouldering-equivalent-of-tossing-a-wobbler is, but mostly, the vibe is relaxed and fun, and I think everybody's just a little bit happier for not having to hike two hours with 30 pounds of gear.

This last weekend, I went back to Leavenworth, and met new friends Fitz and Becca who shared their campfire with me Saturday night, then the guys rolled in late. Colin lead and I cleaned Classic Crack (5.8) as a warm up on Sunday (fun, hard for the grade, I look forward to leading it someday), then we headed for Barney's Rubble to start the day. The guys worked Alcove Center (V4, with a V5 dyno variation) and I tried it a handful of times, but after missing the first move enough times to bruise my butt to sore, I decided to back off a bit.

I started VERY slow. I was feeling my Classic Crack warm up, and wasn't sure I was fully recovered from bouldering the prior weekend, so was pretty nervous to pull too hard too fast. I worked Fun House Stairway a bit, and felt progress, but have yet to finish it. The problem is hard. When I abandoned the far left side of the sloping start hold which everybody else uses, and just crimped on the edge of the hold that made all the difference in the world. I can now make the first few moves (footwork, including using heel hooks, is key for keeping your weight in) so I look forward to getting back to it again.

Cool thing about bouldering #5: It's fun, even if you don't finish anything.
I really felt a sense of accomplishment just making improvement on problems, even if I didn't finish them. On the other hand,

Cool thing about bouldering #6: It's really fun to actually finish problems.
After everybody had thrashed themselves a bit at Barney's Rubble, we headed for the Forestland area. The approach is lovely this time of year ... bright green leaves, and lots of wildflowers, lining a beautiful trail. I still wasn't super inspired, while the guys worked some fun hard-looking problems, but didn't want to miss an opportunity to do a more achievable problem and fired up Breadline (V0+) which was excellent with a good topout. Again, I didn't even hesitate when I got up high... I just knew I had to finish the problem, and finished it. We moved up to the Upper Forestland area, and while the guys worked some harder stuff, I went a wandering. I fell in love at first sight with Sunny and Steep (V2). Not just because it reminds me of Red Rock, NV... it looked FUN. The start was working up rounded sidepull juggy holds (for my hand size), to get your hands up high on two pretty good sloping ledges, then feet high to push up and left to get a decent sloper; another foot adjustment, then a kind of delicate top out on slopers (it's not identified as a highball in the guidebook, but I definitely didn't want to come off it from up high). Colin sailed up it but found the top out a bit slopey and insecure; I watched other climbers do different top outs that looked more secure. I pondered the problem for a long time which the guys worked Funny and Cheap (V4), occasionally trying, getting to the pretty good sloping ledges (the high point where I felt safe dropping from), but then didn't have the courage to push higher.

I finally started to get cold, and packed up, telling the guys I thought I was done for the day, and was going to head out. I slowly packed up, muttering about "coming back to it," and "too tired," and "don't want to hurt myself," then decided, screw it, I can do it, and now's the time.

With a fantastic herd of spotters and four pads, I started up the problem which by now was preprogrammed to my high point. When I got my hands on my high point holds, I don't remember hesitating, I just remember slapping up and left for the next (not great, kinda more slopey than I was hoping for) hold, and at some point Colin called out just the right beta ("Get your right foot high," which I did) to basically match hands on the more-slopey-than-I-would-have-liked hold, to get my feet up and reach up for the pretty good first hold of the top out. I was a bit intimidated by the top out before I started climbing, but once I was up there I just dialed myself in, moved very slowly and deliberately, making sure to keep my weight forward so I wouldn't pull away from the rock if a particular hold wasn't as good as I expected, and I topped out happily and with a great feeling of accomplishment. I also had a sincere appreciation for my herd of spotters... Once I was up there, I didn't doubt my ability to top out, but when I threw for that not-so-great sloper, I was thankful to have six hands all there to try to keep my head off the ground if I came off.

Then, I was thankful for yet another roadside cook-out, this time in the parking lot of Der Safewayhausen. Don and Peter went razor clam digging on Saturday, so Don fried and we ate more diggers than I could count, sitting on our bouldering pads in the parking lot, to mostly disapproving or unamused looks and only a few smiles and thumbs up.

I've got to take a bit of a break... my fingers and shoulders are pretty worked from all of it... but I'm super excited about incorporating more bouldering into my routine. I know that sometimes I will get scared when topping out, I think I've just been lucky to find problems that I could work through the top outs on, but I LOVE the feeling of confidence I have when I'm working through those top outs... when I know that I just can't fall, so I have to just do it and succeed. It's not like me to think that confidently, but at least so far, it hasn't been forced positive self-talk... it's just been natural confidence, which feels really unusual and great. Lizzie's right -- I do think that bouldering just might be the best training I could do for lead climbing, since if I can muster that kind of confidence and keep calm on boulders, hopefully I can do the same thing on gear and bolts.

I look forward to tasting more of Washington's boulders this year, now that I'm excited to get out and boulder. I'm also happy to know that now I have a good eye for problems that might be fun and safe for me to work on my own, with just my bouldering pad, for solo trips or days out when my partners have their own projects.

Most of all, I'm excited to know that I can find good, challenging projects in the V1 through V3 range. You might have to hunt around a bit if you're a sub-V3 boulderer (like me) but they're there, and they're fun!

Where were you, before climbing?

2009-04-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening, I had a decision to make. Do my dishes, or go play frisbee with some friends on a beautiful, warm, sunny spring evening. I think you can probably guess what I chose.

I'd never played Ultimate before, but I'm surrounded by Ultimate-ies, so really, it was only a matter of time. When I got to the field (late), a handful of folks were throwing a frisbee around. It didn't look too bad, despite the unpleasant memories that seeing a junior high athletic field brought back. Throwing a frisbee turned into a fun game of Ultimate, and I learned fast and had great fun. When the game was over, and I headed for home, I started to think about how far I've come over the years, and about a conversation I had with my friend John awhile back about how I didn't start out "TheClimberGirl."

Let's just say, I haven't always been athletic.

And really, that may be the understatement of the year.

When I was a kid, I got sick a lot. I rode horses, but other than that, was pretty sedentary. In junior high, I tried track (and liked it, despite not being terribly good) and basketball (and hated it, because I was not terribly good). I played a little volleyball (liked it, despite not being terribly good). I cheered for a year. Like yes, cheerleading. It didn't stick.

I experienced a lot of chronic pain during my pre-teen and teen years. My family has a history of Rheumatoid Arthritis, so that was a worry for me. After many, many doctor visits, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and was treated with pharmaceuticals for years.

Somewhere along the lines, I realized that I had more fun with the Knowledge Bowl and Theater crowds than sitting on a bench during basketball practice, and my short-lived youth athletics career was over. During high school I went from small for my age and pretty scrawny to... somewhere on the heavy side of average.

In college I took some ballet classes, but otherwise was still pretty sedentary. I got sick of the side effects of the traditional Fibromyalgia treatments, and decided that I would just mind over matter the thing. I figured, if I lived a happy life, ate well, slept well, took care of myself the best I could, and lived within the limits my body set for me, that gave me the best shot at living a happy and healthy life.

In my early 20s I took up road cycling with a group of friends, but my knees gave out after a long summer of long training rides and an attempt at the Trek Tri Island. During that training, I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma, which I had to treat with three different types of medications in order for me to bicycle. After that, I took another hiatus from exercise.

That hiatus ended when I took up climbing, during my late 20s. When I first touched the wall at the local climbing gym, I knew I'd be hooked despite the many fears that climbing triggered for me. It was like dancing, only better. And, each time I went back, I could feel myself getting stronger, and more confident, and that just made me want to climb more. Unfortunately, I found myself very prone to injury, spending large chunks of my first year of climbing sidelined with tendon over-use injuries. At some point, I realized I would need some professional help if I was going to stick with this climbing thing, and turned to my beloved friend and doctor, Judy Rayl, who referred me to a wonderful rheumatologist, Jennifer Gorman, in Seattle.

Dr. Gorman was an investigator. In my two or three visits to her office, she spent more time with me than any specialist ever had, in years of doctor visits. She took blood, she took family history, she ran tests... and when every single test came back with the same result: "you're healthy as a horse," she got really creative. Rather than just re-christen me a Fibromyalgia patient, she kept testing. During my second or third visit, she had me do some range of motion tests, and after the first one, she got really excited. She'd solved the puzzle. Those tests showed that my joints are hypermobile compared to normal, which makes me prone to repetitive stress injuries. She prescribed physical therapy for the injury I was dealing with at that time, and ever since, I've been able to manage my joints and tendons by careful training, ice and rest, and understanding my body mechanics and not putting my foot on a hold up by my ear just because I could. Where most climbers have to work on their flexibility, I have to work on not being as flexible, in order to reduce my risk of injury.

After a couple years of climbing pretty casually, and slowly building up my fitness and strength, I wanted to climb even more and really got serious about training for climbing so that I could hopefully climb more, with less risk of injury. It's not about climbing superstar sick hard for me; it's about being conditioned enough that I can climb days back to back (if I'm careful), at a moderate level, and keep building my skills with hopefully little downtime for injuries and rehab. For a little over a year, I've been "really training" as in, climbing as much as I can, eating really well, resting as well as I can, and doing climbing-specific strength training and developing my opposing muscles to keep my body in balance. A side effect of all the training is that my metabolism seems amped; I've gotten leaner and more muscly and now have to put effort into keeping weight on during the climbing season instead of the opposite.

Even though I feel fit, strong and healthy, the biggest benefits are that I haven't had an asthma attack or a pharmaceutical for pain in years. The thought of going out and running around a freshly-cut grass field for an hour straight would have been unthinkable ten years ago, even with five different medications. That tonight, off the sofa, I could go run around and have fun and be able to breathe the entire time is a very, very cool thing.

It's a pretty exciting moment when you find that thing that gets you off the sofa. Most of my climbing partners have been athletes their entire lives, but there are a few of us who didn't start out that way, and I'm in good company. The conversation that actually triggered this blog post was with my friend John, one of the folks behind Team Never Stop Climbing. Between May and November of 2008, John lost 80 pounds -- starting by walking 15 minutes a day, every day. John has climbed more stairs than any other human being I've ever talked to, and is getting ready for ascents of three Colorado 14-ers in four days this month. I just climb rocks, and here's John, getting ready to summit mountains after managing to fit a truly amazing amount of training and effort into a very busy life.

I enjoy talking to all sorts of climbers, in all sorts of disciplines, and from all sorts of starting places... but it's really fun to hear stories from folks whose lives and health are so dramatically improved because they've found that "thing" to get them moving. Now it's your turn. Where were you, before climbing?

Edit:
This post is eliciting some fun responses from friends who've blogged about their own "athleticism" in the past, and, some new posts as well. My trackbacks have never worked the way I think they should (eh, blogger) so here are a few links from friends:

Paul, on how his body is like a motorcycle

Katie, with a story somewhat similar to mine, on where she was before climbing

Send me your links, if I've missed any... Thanks!

Jamie Clarke, "Above All Else" Everest Presentation

2009-04-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to make it to Seattle for one of Jamie Clarke's Everest slideshows and presentations at my alma mater, Seattle University. Jamie is a climber (a "real" climber -- like, mountains) preparing for a 2010 Everest expedition, sponsored by Champion.

Though upgraded to PowerPoint, Jamie's presentation is a captivating slideshow of Everest images, woven with the stories that make up his definition of success. From start to finish, all I could think about was how much we have in common as mountain people, and how comforting it is to hear stories from other mountain people, despite the fact that we engage in such different mountain activities. Being a climber has changed my definition of success; I find successes in experiences that others would see as total failures. Jamie's internalized that lesson, as well.

I can't share my favorite part, since it would give it away for those of you who may attend one of his shows, but I'll just say... I'll never look at toilet paper, or potato chips, the same way.

Jamie's currently touring universities, with stops coming up in Denver, CO. Watch your local newspaper for details, but here's the basics to get you started:

April 28, 7pm – University of Denver, Auditorium (corrected date)

April 29, 7pm – University of Colorado, Boulder, Munzinger Auditorium

April 30, 7pm – Colorado State University, Student Center

May 1, 7pm – University of Wyoming, Classroom Building, Rm 217

Safe travels, and safe adventure, Jamie!

When the French say "il pleut à verse" they're not talking wine...

2009-04-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have yet to travel internationally for climbing (not counting Squamish), or anything else, for that matter (not counting Canada) -- but luckily I've got friends to serve as scout party and inspiration for my future international adventures. When Lauren Yant tweeted that she was on her way to Fontainebleau, in part for a climbing trip, I asked if she'd be willing to write a guest post. She agreed, but then when she got back, she was discouraged because they'd had lousy weather and hadn't gotten in as much climbing as planned. We chatted a bit, and my take is... sometimes that's what climbing trips are. So, I'm thankful that Lauren was willing to still write, and she sent the following story and pictures.

Here is the first in what I hope will be a series of international adventure stories from my guest-posting, world-traveling friends... at least until I get my own passport again, sometime soon!

About Lauren Yant
Lauren is an outdoorswoman and marketing professional based in Salt Lake City. She's also the style, brains, and everything else behind Ruthie Pearl, her line of funky, fantastic reusable tote bags. For more information about Lauren, connect with her on Twitter or visit RuthiePearl.com.

Special! Lauren set up a coupon code for rockclimbergirl.com readers. If you use the coupon code theclimbergirl at checkout on RuthiePearl.com, you'll save 20%. Thank you, Lauren!

Now, here's Lauren's story!

Our "climbing" trip to France started on a lazy Sunday afternoon at the Blue Plate Diner in Salt Lake City. My boyfriend, Scott, had always wanted to climb at Fontainebleu. And me? I just wanted to go to Europe. I turned to Scott while enjoying my fry sauce (THE world's best condiment, note), and I said, "Let's do it. Let's book our trip to France." That afternoon, we started searching for flights and finally settled on two tickets at just under $700 each (not a bad deal at the time).

The next few weeks were spent anticipating and planning for our trip. We found an amazing deal on a "gite" in the small town of Trezan just minutes from the climbing areas of Fontainebleu. We were to land at Charles de Gaulle, rent a car, and drive there to stay and climb for one week. After that, it was on to Paris for a week of sightseeing, eating, more eating and enjoying cheap (but delicious) wine.

Upon landing in France, it was obvious that our plans would have to change. It was raining. Not a torrential downpour--but raining. And kind of non-stop. We drove into Paris to find wi-fi and check the local forecast. Rain. Rain for the next week. And then (of course), sunshine for our week in Paris. I was quite distraught--mostly because I knew that Scott had dreamed about this trip for years. We decided to make the most of the situation and drive our car to Luxembourg...after...yes, about 20 hours of travel. We stopped at multiple rest stops on the five-hour drive and took naps. I vaguely remember the drive and our arrival in the city.

For the next three nights, we stayed in various hotels in Luxembourg for around 100-160 euros/night. Not the cheapest, but it was the best we could do on such short notice. We walked all around Luxembourg (where Scott grew up), and we even visited two castles on the countryside. The food was divine, and the scenery was equally impressive. However, I wanted to be the typical American tourist and "rack up as many countries as I could" in one visit. With that, we were off to the oldest city in Germany, Trier (just an hour's drive from Luxembourg).

We stayed in a nice but reasonable hotel run by Days Inn. I would have preferred something more quaint, but at the rate we were going with our spending, it was the best option. For two nights, we enjoyed waffles with nutella, ancient ruins, German accents and vending machine beer. In sum, Trier was probably my favorite city.

After a relaxing couple of nights in Trier, the clouds began to melt. We decided to drive back to France to spend a couple nights in our gite and check out the boulders at Fontainebleu. The gite, just 230 euros for a week, was super. My only complaint was the shower. It had no door or curtain, and the entire floor got soaked every time I used it. Bed linens were also not included in our rent...but these things seemed relatively common throughout Europe (especially the shower thing--they have really weird showers).

The nearest "town" to Trezan was Malesherbes--so we went there the next morning to get a couple of baguettes and pastries for our day on the rocks. One of our funniest memories was the owner of the local grocery who was so proud of his "English." Every time we would walk out of the store, he would say, "Hello!" in the same tone you would tell someone "goodbye." He seemed so proud of his ability to speak to us that we never corrected him. We just waved, smiled, and filed it in the good memories bank.

The first day of bouldering was mellow. We went to Buthiers, and everything is put up in kind of a "circuit"--you select your level of difficulty, start on #1, and go from there to climb around 30-40 boulders in one workout. I climbed mostly on the orange circuit--probably around V1-V3. Scott worked some harder things, but the moisture on the rocks and our lack of a crash pad made for a bad combination. It should also be noted that there is a large amount of quartzite on these rocks--not a good combo with small footholds and wet shoes. (Think Horsepens slopers mixed with Ibex glass and water = no bueno.)

To elaborate on the lack of a crashpad: yes, there were places to rent pads near the climbing areas. Our decision not to get one was based 1) on the moisture present and not knowing whether we would even be able to climb and 2) our feeling that we should do as the French do...you know, just wipe off your feet and go. This was definitely bad judgment as Scott has about 60 pounds on me...and there's no way I can even spot him. And even though the landings are generally good and sandy, there's nothing like a day of jumping/falling down from 10 feet to make your feet excruciatingly sore for a week.

Anyway, the next day we went to a different, much better climbing area--Trois Pignons. When we set our eyes on this magical playland of boulders, we began to second-guess our decision to spend the next week in Paris. There were plenty of folks around willing to share their crashpads, and the whole scene was simply captivating. From babies to elderly men, everyone was climbing. I began to understand why Americans get so overweight--they don't have places like this to go with their families, and where they do, they definitely don't take advantage of it. It was on that day that I decided I wanted to move to the French countryside. And Scott, of course, was totally down with it..."as long as there's bouldering nearby." And bouldering nearby, there was. Everywhere.

After a sun-filled day of climbing in the 65-degreesish weather, we packed our car and somewhat sadly headed to Paris. Our climbing wasn't over yet, though...

About three days into our French sightseeing (the Louvre, the Notre Dame, the Seine, etc. etc. etc.), we were walking down a crowded street near the Bastille when a curious thing happened. "Salt Lake City! Salt Lake City!" I heard someone yell. I turned to see several familiar faces sitting at a cafe enjoying coffee and a couple smokes. It was some of our climber friends from The Front (an amazing bouldering gym in SLC). We chatted for a while and learned that they had another week or two of climbing and were staying near our original location in Melun. So a couple days later, Scott and I took a train there to get in another day of climbing.

Our third and final day of climbing was somewhat windy and cold...but at the same time, I think it sort of made my trip. I almost finished a problem that I didn't even consider to be within my range (maybe a V4-V5), and we met some wildly interesting people from around the world. Perhaps my favorite was the 70+-year-old guy in the biker shorts (with a hole in the crotch, no less) who was climbing harder than anyone else there. I also loved the large number of kids who could barely walk that were running around in climbing shoes. When these folks do it, they REALLY do it.

We drove back to Paris and finished our trip with some relaxing days visiting the Eiffel Tower, taking the train to Versailles, and climbing the 300 steps to the top of the Sacre Coeur. But the weird climbing coincidences weren't over just yet...

On the train back to the airport to catch our departing flight, we overheard the people sitting next to us talking about their flight to SLC. They were clearly American (as they had their new scarves and berets in tow), and maybe even from Salt Lake. I thought it curious that of all the trains headed to Charles de Gaulle out of France, we would be on the same one. But then, when we got off the train, we saw two more of our friends from The Front. It turns out that we were sitting next to their parents the whole time, and almost their entire family was in the train car with us.

So...an amazing trip. Good bouldering, good food, good wine and good friends. And The Front? Turns out it bring a lot of people together. I guess it's a climbing thing--it truly is a small world, isn't it?

Bottom line: Fontainbleu. Highly recommended. Sort of a cross between Horsepens and Ibex with a French accent. The weather could have been better for us, but we'll be back again--probably more than once.

Get Outside Gear Guide from Rockclimbergirl.com, Spring 2009

2009-04-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

OK, ladies... here's the first annual Spring Gear Guide from yours truly. I've scoured catalogs, stores, and websites to bring you my picks for this season. Some items aren't new, but they're new to me, and these goodies are from all across my climbing life, including crag, camp and miscellany. Instead of just providing the manufacturer specs like some of the other gear guides, I'm featuring each item of gear here because I either have it and love it; or, because I have it on my real life wish list and am lusting after it.

About Me
I'm an avid climber, in it since the winter of 2004. I balance my climbing life with a professional life (private solo practice attorney, environmental policy work for the Puget Sound Partnership, and freelance writing and editing in the outdoor industry). I climb as often as possible -- usually, twice a week or so in the local climbing gym, two or three weekends per month outside around the Pacific Northwest, and I take a few travel trips each year, mostly around the Western United States. I don't discriminate when it comes to climbing -- I like it all. Bouldering, sport, trad, long, short... if it's rock, I love it.

All of this means that I use a LOT of gear. Camping, climbing, travel, and lifestyle -- my apartment looks more like an REI garage sale than a dwelling.

TheClimberGirl's Love It Enough to Marry It List:

Helmets: Petzl
Passive Pro: DMM
Active Pro: Black Diamond Equipment and Metolius
Ropes and Slings: Bluewater Ropes
First Aid: Adventure Medical Kits
Apparel: Mountain Hardwear and Lole

Have It, Love It, Spring 2009

Arc'Teryx R280 Harness
Ibex Balance Underwear and Tanks
End Footwear Trail Thong
Julbo USA Angel Sunglasses
Arc'Teryx Miura 50 Crag Pack
Adventure Medical Kits Women's Edition Outdoor Kit
Sea to Summit X-Mug
Sierra Summits Adventure Tube Sunscreen
and, some additional Honorable Mentions from LEKI, Voodoo Climbing and Petzl on gear you'll hear more about in upcoming posts.

Am Lusting After It, Spring 2009

Mountain Hardwear Women's Cloud Rest Sleeping Bag
Omega Pacific Link Cams
Red Chili Matador
BlueWater Ropes Titan Loop Chain
Lole Swimwear
Kelty Kitchen Sink
Naturally Bamboo Ethical Apparel
MSR Dragonfly or Coleman Exponent Feather Camp Stove

Keep reading, for the detailed reviews of the items on my "Have It, Love It," and "Am Lusting After It" lists!

Have It, Love It
Arc'Teryx R280 Harness
I know I'm late to the ultralight harness party, but I didn't just want to jump on the hype bandwagon. My harness saga has been ongoing, and I just can't find a fit in a conventional harness, though, so recently I started looking at the ultralights. The Arc'Teryx R280 is working out fantastically for me, and it's the harness I turn to first at this point whether I'm inside or out.

This harness gets the highest praise I can imagine for a harness: I don't even think about it when it's on, whether I'm belaying or climbing. After years of ill-fitting harnesses, ranging from semi-uncomfortable to actually drawing blood around my hips, I'm used to my harness being a source of discomfort and annoyance during a climbing day. The Arc'Teryx, on the other hand, goes on and I could almost forget it's there. Whether belaying or taking falls, the harness has exceeded my expectations. Most of all, though, this harness is a perfect example of the importance of fit.

I've never tried on a non-adjustable-leg-loop harness that actually fit me. Usually, even the womens' models are either too small in the legs or too big in the waist. And, with other self-locking buckle harnesses I've tried, I've had to undo the self-locking buckle to get the harness over my hips, in order to have it fit properly around my waist. No bueno.

On the other hand, I was surprised when I consulted the Arc'Teryx size chart and tried the harness size my measurements indicated and it fit perfectly. I didn't have to undo the self-locking buckle to get the harness over my hips, and the leg loops fit closely but are not tight (since I'm at my "winter weight," the leg loop fit will only get more roomy as I get into "climbing shape"). We're all different, but if you're like me, and have had trouble fitting other brands, take a look at the Arc'Teryx line.

Even without the traditional padding, this harness is comfortable. I wore the harness to work my hardest ever redpoint attempt on a sport route last weekend, including hangs and lead falls, and had no discomfort or bruising (I literally don't know the harness is there, except for the fact that it does its job).

Gear loops are adequate for sport or trad climbing, and the drop seat is easy to operate. I got to see a rundown of the technical, design and strength specs on this harness by my friends at Waypoint Outdoors, one highlight of which is that Arc'Teryx has repurposed scrap fabric from its outerwear line for the fabric cover for the webbing "guts" (a nice, "green" touch). My harness advice remains the same: shop for fit, fit, fit and fit. I'm just pleased to have finally found a harness that actually fits me.

More information about Arc'Teryx: http://www.arcteryx.com

Ibex Balance Underwear and Tanks
Boys, just go to the Ibex site and check out the men's underwear. Now, skip to the next item in the review, kindly.

Girls, you've got to check out this underwear. So many of my reviews start with "I was really skeptical that..." and here's another. Growing up, I never wore wool -- my mom is sensitive to it, and I always found it itchy and uncomfortable -- until I found my beloved and trusty Ibex Wool baselayer on clearance from Zappos.com (similar to this top). I have since worn that top on nearly every climbing trip I've been on (first recorded pictures of it are on route during my Joshua Tree trip back in 2006). It's provided a warmth layer or sun layer, depending on conditions, and it's practically a second skin. After wearing out my other synthetic next-to-skin items earlier this year, I decided to give the Ibex underwear and tanks a try.

I'll make a long story a little shorter, and just say -- the Ibex Balance tops and underwear are multiplying like bunnies in my underwear drawer. They're comfortable for long days of travel, climbing, and life... I've lived in the Balance Briefs, Balance Thongs, and Balance Sports Top since the first order arrived. They're the first items I pull out of the "clean clothes" pile after I do my laundry. They aren't a bit itchy, the fit is ideal for active pursuits, and they really do stay fresher smelling than synthetic baselayers even during long, hygiene-challenged trips.

The Balance line hand or machine washes easily, and hangs dry overnight. I've already washed a few of my pieces a bunch of times, and they still look brand new. I know that wool underwear might sound crazy -- but I even have to put in a thumbs up for the Balance Thong, and I'm not a thong girl. Where usually a thong-wearing attempt means coming home to change after a few hours because they're so uncomfortable, my first day of trying the Ibex Balance Thong I actually forgot what I had on... did a whole work day, then a climbing session at the gym, then got home and started to change and was (seriously, don't make fun) shocked that I'd completely forgotten about my underwear. I'm sold, and I'm slowly swapping out my synthetics and cotton underthings in favor of more Ibex items.

More information about Ibex Outdoor Clothing: http://www.ibexwear.com

END Footwear Trail Thong
END Footwear, based in Portland, Oregon, is in their second season of production with an emphasis on road and trail running, light hikers and water shoes. I've had a correspondence going with END since they joined Twitter and have been impressed from a distance with their emphasis on sustainability and environmental impact (and not just as marketing buzz words).

I haven't tried their trail runners or light hikers yet, but I'm in love with my END Footwear Trail Thongs (Men's version also available). I've been wearing cheap, old flip flops at the gym and around the crag for the last few years, but figured out that they seem to aggravate the foot cramps I sometimes get while climbing. When I tried on the END Trail Thong I was impressed... light, comfortable soles with a great fit on the upper. After wearing them almost nonstop around the gym and town, I knew I liked them. They made my "love" list after I wore them for a climbing day at Vantage. They stayed on my feet so well I wore them almost all day; never once did I almost lose a sandal. I even unintentionally hiked a steep, loose scree slope in them (something I usually reserve for my heavy duty approach shoes) and they held, stayed on, and did their job. They've got a nice soft sole, which makes my feet feel like they're getting stronger, and they're great for around the gym, crag, and casual wear.

More information about END Footwear: http://www.endfootwear.com

Julbo USA Angel Sunglasses
I've been wearing the same pair of Julbo Lights for, I think, ten plus years. I bought them from the REI Outlet way back in my first round of road cycling days, and they've been my "active glasses" ever since. They're light, grippy, and sit close to the face, which makes them handy for climbing. When I saw the Julbo Angels, another close-fitting, suitable for small faces frame, I was excited to try them out. First impression was that they may pinch behind my ears, but I have found, in wearing them long stretches in the car and during a climbing trip, that they're actually really comfortable (and unlike my Lights, they stay on, without the silicone pads behind my ears that sometimes catch and pull long hair). They give me a bit more coverage than my Lights, and they seriously don't budge on my face. They feature a thicker, durable feeling frame but are still super light, and they fit nicely even with my helmets. I decided to buck my own convention and love the pink ones, but they come in black, too.

More information about Julbo USA: http://www.julbousa.com

Arc'Teryx Miura 50
I'm a pack connoisseur. My stable is extensive. And the newest addition is the Miura 50. This isn't a backpacker-pack-turned-climbing-pack... this sucker is, ground up, a climb pack. Instead of a traditional drawstring top closure, creating a choke point for stuffing gear, this bag features a wide, roll-top closure that's easy to open, easy to load, and easy to secure. In addition, the bag zips entirely open for easy access at the crag thanks to two full length, heavy duty zippers on the sides. There are two outer front pocket for first aid kit, lunch and miscellaneous other, and two big, reinforced gear loops inside for organization. The Miura also has a feature I'm noticing on the newer packs out this year -- splendidly molded waist belts that are shaped to the curve of the wearer's hip. For a full sized, no-suspension crag pack, this is my top choice and I've recommended it to a number of friends already. The "Short" fits me perfectly (this is a unisex pack, so fit accordingly).

More information about Arc'teryx: http://www.arcteryx.com

Adventure Medical Kits Women's Edition Outdoor Medical Kit
AMK recently released a pack-sized Women's Edition Outdoor Medical Kit, with all the basics from the kits we've used and loved for years, plus those few extras we all wind up stuffing into a ziplock or shoving into our already overstuffed medical kits. Not to mention, the "extras" AMK added to the Women's Edition could come in handy for boys, too (I have more than one climbing partner who is prone to nosebleeds, for example). Tampons, waste disposal bags, and generic "Cramp Tabs" (Acetaminophen plus a diuretic) round out this impressively complete kit, which also includes hand sanitizer, a handbook on wilderness and travel medicine more complete than the kits I've used in the past, basic first aid medications, wound care items, dressings, an elastic bandage, blister gear, safety pins and a "splinter picker/tick remover." AMK "didn't make it pink, and didn't pack it with lipstick & nail files," according to the hang tag. Somehow, they managed to pack more into a smaller package than my current, now retired-to-the-medicine-cabinet kit.

More information about Adventure Medical Kits: http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com

Sea to Summit X-Mug
I'm a little embarrassed to admit the extent of my love for the Sea to Summit X line, but here goes. I eat my breakfast cereal out of my X-Bowl almost every day. When I saw the X-Mug I was a bit skeptical of whether the flexible, collapsible silicone would stay upright and secure enough for consuming hot beverages... in test runs at home and in the field, I haven't had the mug collapse on me once. The X-Mug doubles as a two-cup measuring cup (score), it nests perfectly in my X-Bowl for packing, and the rigid plastic around the top both keeps the cup stable, and, gives you a non-hot place to hold the cup when in use. I also just played with an X-Plate while out shopping yesterday and it's now on my wish list. The X-Plate makes an awesome cutting board, something my camp box has been lacking.

More information about Sea to Summit: http://www.seatosummit.com

Sierra Summits Adventure Tube Sunscreen
Sometimes I get an email from a PR company or rep that catches my attention and merits an immediate response... the inquiry I received a few months ago from Sierra Summits about their Adventure Tube Sunscreen was one of them. I am fair skinned and light-haired, and I was packing for a trip to Red Rock at the time, so was excited to get to try out a sunscreen designed for use at altitude. I was really impressed with this sunscreen. It isn't exactly "disappearing" on your hands -- it is a rub-on application, and it has a bit of slip to it, so I did have to spit-wash my hands and rub 'em on my pants before climbing to get my grip back, but that's acceptable (and I haven't met a lotion yet that didn't require that. I usually use the spray ons to avoid having to touch them, but they have obvious drawbacks too (environment, overspray, propellants + ropes = no bueno)).

I typically apply sunscreen in the morning when I'm getting dressed, then again when I get to the crag, then again mid-day. Because of the nature of this trip, I only had one chance per day to apply sunscreen. Even with one application per day, in tons of sun, I didn't burn one bit (except my lips -- the very first day, I assumed the lip product was sunscreen since the packaging matched the packaging on the sunblock... oops! my lips sizzle fried as a result, but I did use sunblock from another manufacturer on my lips the rest of the time, and found the Sierra Summits lip moisturizer to be very soothing and healing as a non-SPF lip option). My climbing partners, who weren't using sunscreen, were fried after day one -- so it wasn't a matter of conditions.

As a side benefit -- usually, I tend to have a skin reaction to chemical sunscreen. I use them anyway, because the skin irritation is not a long term risk, while sun exposure is. I just assumed that I'd have the same issue with this one given that it contained non-physical sunscreens ... and very much to my surprise, I didn't. My skin did great with it, despite not-terribly hygenic conditions. Once it stops raining here in the PNW, this may become my daily sunscreen.

More information about Sierra Summits: http://www.sierrasummits.com

Honorable Mentions:
The amazingly wonderful folks at Voodoo Climbing (welcome, Lisa Rands, to the family there!) are the U.S. distributor for the Moon Climbing Hangboard (when they can keep it in stock) I'd hang if I owned a place to hang it, they make climbing holds, bouldering pads (and sweet dog beds), and swanky chalk bags. Not currently available on the website, but in regular rotation in my wardrobe, are my beloved Voodoo schwag t-s and hoody.

I'm relying on trekking poles substantially less than I used to since my knees have gotten so much better over the years of climbing and hiking. As a result, I haven't had an opportunity to really put these through their paces yet, but I have retired my old, frustrating trekking poles in favor of a pair of LEKI Wildflower Series Diva Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles. My old poles would come loose (as in, they'd go from compact/packed to expanded) when stowed on my pack while hiking, so I had to stop to tighten the adjustment on them every once in awhile. They were also a hassle to expand and close even though they replaced my first pair which were even more of a hassle to expand and close. The LEKI poles don't budge while stowed, and they have a super comfortable grip, which fits my hands like a glove. They're super light, they seem quieter than the poles I've used in the past, and I'm excited to get them out for more rigorous testing as the summer goes on.

I've also been breaking in a Petzl Altios helmet. I've been climbing in Petzl Elios helmets since I started, and have loved the Elios since going up to a size 2 last year, which is a much better fit for my fat head (and long hair) than the size 1. The Altios performed comfortably for me (and a climbing partner, who also tried it out) during my last trip out, both for belaying and while climbing. The mesh suspension on the interior does keep the helmet in position a tiny bit better than the Elios, and the helmet is lightweight and comfortable when on. The profile is a tiny bit higher than the Elios, so I anticipate I'll crag in the Elios but will use the Altios whenever I'm at a location with a higher rockfall risk, and, for my North Cascade adventures this year. If you've been on the fence about buying or wearing a helmet, check out this year's lineup.

Am Lusting After It (aka, the Wish List):

Mountain Hardwear Women's Clouds Rest
I've been using the same twenty degree synthetic sleeping bag now for YEARS, and the last two seasons the insulation is really showing its age. I have cold spots where there's absolutely no fill, and since I'm 5 foot 6 inches tall, I'm right on the cusp of a regular length or tall length womens' sleeping bag. I tend to prefer regulars now that I'm used to them, so that I don't have too much dead air in the bag, but finding a fit has historically been a challenge. I have yet to snuggle down inside the Mountain Hardwear Women's Clouds Rest bag, but on paper, it's the one I've been looking for in stores to take a closer look at, and I'll post an update once I've gotten my hands on it.

More information about Mountain Hardwear: http://www.mountainhardwear.com

Omega Pacific Link Cams
For two years running, the Omega Pacific Link Cams have been on my wish list -- I've been trying to accumulate micros, first, though, since the Link Cams will be doubling up on sizes I already at least have singles in. This might be the year, though, since I'm still undecided on the rest of my micro acquisitions, and the Link Cams just came out in two new sizes (Purple and Green). The Link Cams appeal to me for their ability to protect flaring cracks, which I run into with alarming regularity on trad routes, and, as "oh, I wish I hadn't left my Yellow Camalot on the anchor" doubles for my Black Diamond Camalots.

More information about Omega Pacific: http://www.omegapac.com

Red Chili Matador
Now, these might be overkill for me. I mean, I'm not climbing 5.14 or bouldering v10. I adore my Red Chili Corona VCRs, and I just had my trad shoes resoled, so I don't plan to rush out and buy any new shoes right away. I'm well stocked with those two pairs I'm happy with. My VCRs, after I can't remember how many trips and gym sessions, are almost due for a resole, so when I started looking for a resoler who uses Red Chili's RX1 rubber, I saw that this new show is coming out for 2009. While the toe down and "new designer upper" are lost on me, I like that these are a synthetic -- while potentially smelly, it makes dialing in fit a bit easier for folks who aren't as familiar with Red Chili's sizing -- and, I love that they've got three velcro straps instead of two. Someday, climbing shoe manufacturers will figure out why they shouldn't make climbing shoes in the color black, but if I *were* in the market for shoes for my bouldering trips in the shade at Squamish, these are what I'd pick up.

More information about Red Chili: http://redchili.de

BlueWater Titan Loop Chain
I never understood the benefits of a loop chain over a daisy until I had to aid the bolt ladder on Eagle Dance at Red Rock. Suddenly, what usually seems like child's play -- clipping the correct, safe, loop on my anchor daisy -- because a completely complicated matter requiring way more attention than my tired and frustrated body had to spare. After two bolts, I made a mental note to pick up a loop chain. The BlueWater Titan Loop Chain is a super light, strong personal anchor option, when used according to the instructions. I typically use two slings as an anchor but more and more am using my daisy and a sling; the BlueWater Loop Chain is what I plan to pick up to retire my daisy.

More information about BlueWater Ropes: http://www.bluewaterropes.com

Lole Swimwear
OK, I know most people don't think of swimwear as climbing gear, but hear me out. I spend most of the warm weather season climbing in swimsuit tops and shorts. Finally, one of my favorite apparel manufacturers is making swimwear for girls like me. I haven't yet gotten to see the line in real life, but some of the tops look PERFECT for my might-be-seen-at-the-crag-when-it's-too-hot-for-a-shirt-then-let's-take-a-dip-in-the-lake days (see, e.g., the Regatta Sweetheart Top, pictured here). I've been a fan of Lole's line for both activewear and work-appropriate wear as well, so am excited to see this line of swimwear for truly active women.

More information about Lole: http://www.lolewomen.com

Kelty Kitchen Sink
I came across this while browsing on a recent shopping trip, and it almost came home with me. I've been using a collapsible bucket for years, but the Kelty Kitchen Sink is a nifty step up. The center storage/sink is the perfect size for transporting my "camp kitchen" when not in use, and holds water for dishwashing. The sides pop out as dish drainers, even.

More information about Kelty: http://www.kelty.com

Naturally Bamboo Ethical Apparel
I haven't yet met a Naturally Bamboo product in person, but I've been keeping an eye on them since getting connected on Twitter. They're gearing up to release a baselayer line at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show in July, and I'm looking forward to seeing the line up. More and more I'm finding myself looking at fabrics other than conventional cotton and synthetics for baselayers, and I love the feel of bamboo fabrics against the skin. I'm excited to see what they come up with in their baselayer line.

More information about Naturally Bamboo Ethical Apparel: http://www.naturallybambooclothing.com

MSR Dragonfly Camp Stove, or maybe the Coleman Exponent Feather. I can't decide.
I've been bumming stove time from my buddies ever since last spring, but I think I've finally decided on the stove I'd like to live with, long term relationship style. I'd actually decided on the Coleman Exponent Feather Backpacking Stove after bonding with my climbing partner's older version of that model ... it boils water faster than any other stove I've tried, and I don't know, there's just something about it I like. It's sturdy, the cooking surface is close to the flame so it's good and efficient, and it's more adjustable (simmer to boil) than some of the backpacking stoves I've tried. I just have a very soft spot for that stove after the time we spent together at Joshua Tree. But, while shopping stoves last weekend, I looked again at the MSR line and the MSR Dragonfly may be calling my name. I like that, unlike the Coleman, the fuel bottle is separate from the stove assembly, so when not in use the fuel bottle can be closed up snug. My climbing partner's Coleman doesn't leak; but my instinct is that I'd worry less about leakage with bottles to close, than with the stove assembly to worry about. We'll see. I may change my mind again... the Coleman just has so much character, and it really does boil water FAST. I'll let you know what I decide.

More information about MSR: http://www.msrgear.com
More information about Coleman: http://www.coleman.com

What's Missing?
I still haven't found climbing pants I adore, though I appreciate all of the great suggestions you've sent in over the last few months. I still climb in my $19 Calvin Klein cords from Costco about 90% of the time, and an ancient pair of no-butt-left GAP jeans the other 10%. I try on climbing pants a few times a year, so will keep you posted if I find the holy grail of fit, comfort, pockets and durability.

The other item I've got to retire this year but haven't found a replacement for are my Five Ten Insight approach shoes. I've worn the traction nubbins down to almost nothing over the last three years, and as a result they no longer have the traction I've come to expect. I'll likely wind up replacing them with another pair of... drumroll please... Five Ten Insights. But, I would like to see more variety in truly sticky, worthy-of-death-slab approach shoe options. Namely, a really well-built, light and fast, well-ventilated shoe with truly sticky rubber outsoles. I've talked to a couple of shoe manufacturers about this segment, and am excited by what I'm hearing in new product development... so will keep you posted!

Finally, I'm still undecided about a summit pack. Summit packs are an area that I've had the benefit and curse of using friends' ... it's nice to get to try before you buy, but then when you really refine your criteria, it makes it harder to pull the trigger. I like a small pack that just barely fits a water bottle or two, two headlamps, two pair of approach shoes, and a couple of granola bars. Easily hookable arm-loops for cleaning gear to are also a key criteria. Nice, comfortable straps and a good fit are a bit harder to come by on these teeny packs, so I'm still shopping.

I've also decided to build-my-own when it comes to quickdraws, after climbing on friends' for years. But, more on that in a separate post, after I actually choose my biners (I'm thinking Mammut, but will keep you posted).

Yawn...
Whew. That was a lot of work.

Thanks, as always, for reading and for sharing your own thoughts. Thanks also to Arc'Teryx, LEKI, Julbo, END Footwear, Petzl, Adventure Medical Kits and Sea to Summit for providing review samples in response to my inquiries; and special thanks to David, Dustin, Jessica, Gina, Larry, Dave, Brad and the Pemba crew, Bob and Jim and the Waypoint crew and (oh, I have to stop somewhere) ... just 'cause you're wonderful peeps who happen to work with way cool companies. Whether retail, pro deal or review sample, you'll get my honest review here, of products I've hand picked -- but the support and encouragement I'm receiving from manufacturers, reps and the industry at large is truly, truly appreciated.

Now it's your turn...
Please chime in on your own favorites (new and old) in the comments, below.

Help preserve climbing access at Lower Town Wall, Index, WA

2009-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Please join the effort to help preserve climbing access at the Lower Town Wall, at Index, WA. Index is one of my all time favorite climbing areas... it's considered by some to be the highest quality climbing area in Washington, among other superlatives. This crag, in particular, is a centerpiece, and the climbing community has a rare opportunity to participate in the acquisition of the crag, which is up for sale by the private property owner. The parcel for sale is approximately 20 acres, and is home to Lower Town Wall, the Quarry and Inner Wall.

For now, please join the Friends of Index Facebook Group to get additional information and updates, and watch the Washington Climbers Coalition website and forums for updates and calls to action. In addition to actively participating in acquisition efforts and providing other support, our behavior as climbers will have a direct impact on this process. If you climb at Index, please regularly check those two resources so that you know what the current situation is, and what's being requested of us as a community, and respect those requests.

Also, this, from the WCC info page on the topic:

"Now, more than ever, we are interested in seeing if we can purchase the property that includes Index Town Wall. Along with fundraising, valuation will be key if we are to discuss any possible purchase of the private property at Index. We would appreciate hearing from those who may know about environmental and safety regulations that would pertain to renewed quarrying on the site, the transport of materials and equipment over the railroad tracks, possibilities for other types of development, and issues related to the management of forest and recreational lands. We welcome assistance with and discussion of raising money for any possible purchase, planning for ongoing management by a climbers group, land trust, or government agency, and the actual conduct of efforts to bring this matter to a favorable conclusion."

Please join in, if you can. Thanks, and I'll post updates here as well...

Fear of falling, part three... taking it outside

2009-04-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a super fantastic day at Vantage (Frenchman's Coulee) here in Washington... it's one of my "home" crags, at only about three hours away from where I live. We got an early but not alpine start, and by the time we got out there around 9am, the place was PACKED. As in, more cars and more tents than I've ever seen there before. But, we managed to find a nice quiet crag that we had mostly to ourselves for the day. There were a few other parties, but we avoided the circus of the more populated areas, which were extremely busy. It turned out nice. The weather was beautiful... my freckles popped out big time, despite sunscreen... and it was nice to get some sun and warmth. The guys and Candace all pulled hard... we had a party of five leaders, and picked up a fun sixth at the crag, so we got in a lot of climbing and solid leads all the way around.

The climbing was fun. We started harder than I usually do, and I had fun alternating between leading projects at my onsight level, and toproping harder ones. One of the harder routes was really inspiring... I finished it clean on my second or third toprope try, then had a snack and rested up to work it on lead.

My first lead attempt was okay... I got up to the crux, which was well-protected by a bolt, and I chickened out. That lead to me tossing a mini-wobbler... partly, I was scared. Partly, my grip had just totally given out, so I knew that moving above the bolt would just mean a fall for sure based on how my hands felt, so I took and got grief for it from my climbing partners who thought I looked strong and on my way to a send.

But, I figured I'd rather not take an unnecessary risk when I knew my hands didn't have it in them to get to the anchors, and took another rest and snack break. I lost track of how many times I tried the route on lead... but I made progress on each go. On my last run on it, I was tired, and my skin was starting to say "enough is enough." I tried to summons enough energy to finish it up... I pulled the crux, clipped the next bolt, and moved above the bolt thinking I had JUST enough juice to finish it off even though I could feel the fatigue. I got to where my waist was a few feet above the bolt, and my grip was gone... I could feel the slight twinge of desperation and the increased fatigue as my footwork suffered, and the animal noises of stress and tension started up... and I did what I used to do in the gym when I knew I was going to reluctantly fall ... I called out "falling" and then hung on as long as I could before my hands slid off the tenuous holds, my grip failing. I let out a blood-curdling scream of fear on my way down... it wasn't more than a six or seven foot fall, but I haven't ever really taken falls outside, so I was super scared. My belayer caught me, perfectly.

I apologized for making so much noise... thanked my belayer for the catch, especially after my wobbler earlier in the day, took a few deep breaths to ward of the tears that sometimes come for just a few seconds after I push to my limit outside... then knew despite being super tired I had to finish it up, so rested long enough until I thought I could get to the anchors and then moved up again. The true crux of the route is clipping the anchors -- I wasn't able to get them clipped on that last attempt in good style, I had to grab a draw.

But... it was still awesome, despite my frustration with myself for getting scared enough to toss a little wobbler with one of my most wonderful, most trustworthy climbing partners on that first belay, and scared enough to make all that unnecessary noise on the last. And, despite the fact that I didn't actually send on lead.

The old Sara would never have tried a lead that hard, under any circumstances... and would never have taken a risk that would lead to even a small fall like that. The old Sara wouldn't have been able to get back on the rock after the first unsuccessful lead go because I wouldn't have been able to calm my fear enough to get my head back on straight, and the old Sara wouldn't have been able to get back on after taking a lead fall. I'm a little bit bummed that I still don't have a perfect sequence worked out for getting the draws up on the anchor and then getting them clipped -- because of the awkward finish, I'll have to have someone get the draws on the anchor for me to try it again. But, even so, I'm excited about the day, and look forward to doing better next time... trying to stay more calm, not let my fear grip me, and to remember while I'm on lead that climbing is fun, and part of climbing is falling on occasion, and my belayer will catch me.

My climbing partner (and other climbing partners who've given me the same advice) are right... working harder stuff on lead (at least on bolts) IS more fun. It's easier to find harder, project-worthy routes that are closely bolted with clean falls, than the easier stuff. It's going to take me awhile to really internalize that -- but yesterday definitely helped prove it to me.

On the hike out, even though it had been some time since that last go, and since the fall, my little brain was still having trouble processing all the conflicting feelings about it. I felt like the fall was a mix of exhilaration, fun, and fear all wrapped into one. I don't really know how to describe it -- but at the moment it happened, and then in retrospect, I had more positive feelings than negative ones, which was cool.

Thanks, all, for all of your contributions and thoughts on the topic... keep 'em coming, and I'll keep you posted on the saga...