Climbing Stoke

[AKbruin]

Thanks, guys. I ended up with the Mythos. I'm about a 12 in street shoes but got the 10 1/2, which is snug but was comfortable enough yesterday for 30-45 minutes at a time. They were a little pricey but seem like a good all-arounder for a new climber and a decent shoe to have in an potential climbing-shoe quiver.

[christoph benells]

We climbed liberty crack (V 5.10 C2F 1200') a couple weeks ago.

Highly recommended climb! Washington Pass has great alpine rock climbing!









Trout Creek is also a great place to climb (cracks)

[ex-powderbroker]

damn dude, that is a really nice crack. wish i didn't suck at them so bad, i need to get a book or the wide boyz training lab or something.

[hutash]

Thanks, guys. I ended up with the Mythos. I'm about a 12 in street shoes but got the 10 1/2, which is snug but was comfortable enough yesterday for 30-45 minutes at a time. They were a little pricey but seem like a good all-arounder for a new climber and a decent shoe to have in an potential climbing-shoe quiver.

Great you are getting out more, give me a shout anytime you want to do some things on the east side. As for shoes, comfort is king for long trad routes, especially at the level you (or I) are climb at. I bought some nice shoes for sport climbing while in Italy since I didn't bring my rock shoes (it was a ski trip that morphed into some Italian limestone sport climbing), and while the shoes were great, my feet were miserable. I love my lace up 5.10's for all day trad routes. I had to slip the heel off at each belay in Italy, which makes me nervous since we were right above the Mediterranean Sea, and a dropped shoe would have been washed way.

[AKbruin]

Did my first multi-pitch trad climb yesterday. Surrealistic Pillar (5.7, 270') to Corrugation Corner (5.7, 300') at Lover's Leap.

[cdubski]

Lovers leap is great. Love The Line.

Took my 9 yr old twins on their first multipitch in eldo yesterday:

[hutash]

Did my first multi-pitch trad climb yesterday. Surrealistic Pillar (5.7, 270') to Corrugation Corner (5.7, 300') at Lover's Leap.

Excellent, and a well deserved reward.




I never climbed at Lover's...didn't realize there were routes that long.

[hutash]

My nephew has just started climbing and has become somewhat of a gym rat, and even built a home wall. He asked me to take him out for his first time on real rock and got spanked pretty good. "Where are all the holds?" I told him he wasn't in the gym anymore with color coded climbs. After a couple tries he got the hang of it pretty well and was totally stoked on real rock. So, I couple months later he asks me to take him out again. He had been leading a few gym route and wanted to try it on rock.

I had him follow me on a couple of easy routes, then handed him the quick draws at let him loose. This is Echo Cliffs in the Santa Monica Montains.

This was his first lead, and he flashed it. 5.7 I believe


He led a few more single pitch sports routes 5.6 to 5.8 with no problems.


A couple weeks later I get a text that he is going out for the first time on his own and wants a few pages of my guide book copied for him. I get a text back the next day that he ticked a bunch of 5.7-5.8 routes but did a 10a as well, so he is super stoked.


The little fucker will be out climbing me in no time (if he isn't already...ahhh! to be 16 again.)

And just to show it is never too late, he is my 50ish wife cleaning a 5.7 route. She started climbing a couple of years ago.


Now my nephew, and wife are so stoked on climbing that we are booked for the Grand in August (we will see the total solar eclipse from high camp.)

Note to AKBruin, still openings on that date if you want to join us (Chad is going as well.)

[AKbruin]

Took my 9 yr old twins on their first multipitch in eldo yesterday

Very cool. I'm curious as to how that worked. Did they belay you while you lead climbed? Or did you basically solo each pitch and then belay the kids?

I never climbed at Lover's...didn't realize there were routes that long.

I've only been climbing since July and all of it has been around Tahoe, but I get the sense that Lover's Leap is great. I really dug the horizontal dikes that characterize the place. Not my picture, but here is a Mountain Project photo from the second pitch of Surrealistic Pillar that shows how cool the dikes are:

Now my nephew, and wife are so stoked on climbing that we are booked for the Grand in August (we will see the total solar eclipse from high camp.)

Note to AKBruin, still openings on that date if you want to join us (Chad is going as well.)

Nice job, D! I should make an effort to get the missus out, but it'd be the blind leading the blind at this point.

Man, I'd really love to do the Grand, but I want to do it as a ski descent (maybe through Exum). In fact, it's part of the reason I started climbing this summer. But if you ever want to do an alpine moderate in the Eastern Sierra, Yosemite, or around Tahoe, let me know!

[bodywhomper]

I climbed corrugation corner a bunch of years ago. Sitting into the harness for the last belay station is awesome. Super fun and airy moderate climb.

[hutash]

Two ways to get your wife out climbing...hire a guide and do some easy multi-pitch routes and leave the instruction, and rigging up to him/her (which is what I did for he first big climb), or set a top rope and play on some easy pitches and let her find her way (which I have done several times since, with her and other new/inexperienced climbers.)

I have always dreamed of skiing the Grand, but at my age and ability, it will always be just that, a dream. Which is fine, I don't need to ski things that I could die on. If you change your mind and want to join us you are welcome (if there are open spots for those dates.)

[cdubski]

"Very cool. I'm curious as to how that worked. Did they belay you while you lead climbed? Or did you basically solo each pitch and then belay the kids?"


I soloed it all. I had them on one rope which was a bad idea--next time I'll use two. Second twin got creative and went slightly off route and got scared. She was all smiles thankfully when I helped her out and got her back on route. Definitely needed to do some rescue rope work that could have been avoided. Fun adventure, smiles all around at the end.

Just got back from red rocks and some fun climbs


For planning on the grand, avoid the Owen Spaulding if you can. And if you can move relatively fast, do the less crowded petzoldt ridge. Just about as good as the complete exum and way fewer people.

[grubbers]

Ice season kicked off last weekend in NH.

[hutash]

Beauty, still a little slow here in the west.

[ex-powderbroker]

Watched a buddy wirebrush this nasty thin crack then send it on gear on his second try, five hours ago; he had been trying to take it down since last summer. Still super stoked! 12a! So rad!!!

Mosquitos were out in force though and black flies are coming... might be my last check in here for another month!

Chris Bennels - I saw some pro post pics of Trout Creek on IG this week, damn does that place still look nice to me.

Had a phone pic:

[yeahman]

Let's play name that climb. Gotta be a classic though.

[ex-powderbroker]

Something in Joshua Tree?

This is a gimmee:

[Idyllwild]

Loose lady

[yeahman]

Loose lady

Pinched Rib, but good try. Such a classic right in the Hidden Valley campground at Josh. Everybody turns their body to the right and tries to lay back the dike, but it's easier to turn left and climb it more or less straight on.

ML242, that looks like a classic crack, but no idea what it is. Something in the Southeast?

[Idyllwild]

Damn! So close

[_Aaron_]

Let's play name that climb. Gotta be a classic though.

[auvgeek]

^^No idea, but that looks really, really sweet.

[yeahman]

^^No idea, but that looks really, really sweet.

+1

[berko]

Watched a buddy wirebrush this nasty thin crack then send it on gear on his second try, five hours ago; he had been trying to take it down since last summer. Still super stoked! 12a! So rad!!!

Mosquitos were out in force though and black flies are coming... might be my last check in here for another month!

Chris Bennels - I saw some pro post pics of Trout Creek on IG this week, damn does that place still look nice to me.

Had a phone pic:

Is that Armonk?

[ex-powderbroker]

Is that Armonk?

No, that's a short and sweet climb at Mont Rigaud called 'What About Bob?'.

have you climbed at Armonk recently? I'll be passing through that area but heard there might be access issues?