Because failure is not an option

I hear so many people say that projecting a route or problem isn't them. It's time consuming and frustrating to not do a move.

Yes. I have been in that mentality before. Getting frustrated sucks. Believe you me...or something like that. But as of lately. And by that I mean since June of 2010. I haven't been giving up on problems as easily as I have before. Granted there are some that I have said no more on due the to fact that I will just become even more frustrated by not executing a move and yelling and swearing. I'd rather not swear and yell than to get frustrated and pissed off at my inability to execute a move.

But the point is that many people get distracted by other climbs and never come back to do something they were close on, simply because they got bored with projecting it. They've done the bottom sequence over and over and over, yet get shut down at one or two moves continuously. If you want to give up, fine. But you're going to be thinking about it until you do the route or problem.

I'm not saying you should ONLY project things to death. You should find things that you want to climb, try them, and if you can't do them right then and there, save your energy and come back the next time and get on it. It's simple. You have nothing else to do.

Failure by giving up and moving on because you got shut down is not an option.

Failure is not an option.

Route Setting Update 10/19

Yesterday (October 19, 2010) the West Wall got a fresh new reset. With the last set being slightly easier than we anticipated, we stepped it up and gave the public (that's you reading this) some challenging problems. Not just one. Not two challenges. How does 35 brand spanking new boulder problems from VB - V9 sound? Yeah, that's right I said 35.


"Stick a fork in it cause you KILLED it". 

Ladders are erected

Long...

...and hard.

Get in and do them.

Dave Graham bitches!

Growing up and reading in the magazines about this guy from Maine and how he and a posse were just tearing through shit on the east coast and Europe and Colorado, Dave has always been a source for finding my own way to do a problem. Some times you forget that  and you get frustrated. Your mind starts to think "Well shit, you're weak. You can not do this move or grab that hold this way." It breaks your confidence and I believe is such an integral part to climbing. If you're not confident you won't do what you want.

Dave Graham might talk a mile a minute but if you really listen, it makes sense (at least to me). This thirty minute discussion is rad.

Route Setting Update 10/12

Some days, route setting is easy. Creative juices are flowing (I may want to rephrase that later....), you feel strong and on top of your game. Then it gets sweltering.

That's when one of the easy days, becomes exhausting.

Today was the North Corridor. With just a crew of five people (Chris, Dylan, Wendy, Cyril, and myself) to throw up six problems each (with the exception of Cyril throwing up eight because he's a beast), the task was set before us. After a staff meeting, we stripped the corridor quickly and swiftly. Stripped hold beware: we will hunt you down and take you out, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

The heat never really hit us until forerunning. What is usually the easiest and quickest section to set and forerun, caught us off guard and tested us. Just goes to show that if this stuff was easy we'd be bored out of our minds,

A total of 31 problems VB to V6 went up today. Nothing too hard just yet.

North Corridor or the Corridor

The short wall.

Mellowing back out

I took a one week trip to Hawaii this year, August 2010. Being mellowed out from just one week was something I had never really experienced here at home. Everyone here on the mainland is always in a constant state of perpetual motion it seems like. Going without stopping, making money and not having time for others. All these things, are nice I find, really FUCK with my system. I can't just go go go all the time. People here are into themselves and if you break the trend of going and being rude, you get weird stares and people are caught off guard.

When I was over on Oahu for seven days I didn't swear.

Uh....what??

It's hard for me to believe my self. I wasn't pissed off. Motivation to do anything was never lost. And climbing with people, who really did not care about the outcome as a lot of people here do, was amazing. I constantly feel that a lot of people have their own agendas in life. Good for you. Get what you want, but don't screw others in the process or make situations about JUST you. Think of others (something I need to keep in the forefront of my head). When I traveled there, I didn't feel like I was a tourist. I specifically distinguished myself from that. I stayed out of Waikiki (except for two times. Once to check it out, the other time to go back to a beach I had been to before). I went to beaches unpopulated near Ka'ena Point and saw the moon rise on the east side of Ka'ena. No bad experiences, no kooks, and the fastest we ever went was about 65mph (MAYBE).

I sincerely miss it and am saving up to go back again.

Route Setting Update 10/5

South Boulder got 30 new problems. VB-V7

After about three weeks off from route setting, we're back. Everyone showed up at 8am ready to go. The difference in the day was that we started stripping instead of diving straight into setting. It went surprisingly fast. It was also nice to have more than four hours of sleep in me. Though it didn't help gravity from trying to take me out. Once with a ratchet to the back of my right knee and about five minutes later, a hold popped off the bolt and down onto my face (in your face or rather in MY face).

Gravity: 2

Wes: 0

This to my face. Washer was still on the bolt...on the wall

Sometimes, we don't have a ladder to our selves. We're typically doubling up on either side of the ladders. One of us on the "right" side of the ladder and another on the side manufactures don't want you using. Oh well. There is no description except we get the job done.

Just another day

We have 30 brand new spanking problems up for you to get on now.

Next week we'll will be setting the North Corridor. Till then, these VB-V7 problems should provide some entertainment for you.

Yellow Thumbs & a Five Ten shoe review

Mortar Rock had pretty good conditions regarding being blasted by a heat wave for the past week. I went up thinking that more people would be taking advantage of the good weather, but found my self alone again on a good day. I don't understand this. Whenever I think the weather is good and conditions are cool enough, Mortar Rock is empty. At least I had a pad with me this time around. The first time I had Mortar Rock to myself, I had no pad. No one was there when I foolishly expected people to be. It has been these two times I have done problems unexpectedly. 

This time I happened to flash a variation of Jungle Fever call Yellow Thumbs. I don't know if it is a proper flash since it shares the first move of Jungle Fever, but I hadn't done the moves on the variation. It was fun (even for a Mortar Rock eliminate).

It also helps when you have a pair of brand new Five Ten 5X handy. New grip really helps. They break in really easy for me. About a hour into climbing and they felt like a glove. The shoe has a heel that fits comfortably and doesn't slip off when heel hooking. The strap helps pull the mid-sole into your foot for a better fit and the zipper is easy on/off. All day comfort is a big commodity that this shoe offers. An instant classic. The 5X is also the second shoe that I found makes toe hooks, which I used to never think plausible for my footwork, easier (the first shoe for toe hooking would be the Mocs). Good job Five Ten on producing a product that is my all favorite non-downturned climbing shoe.