Proudest climbing achievement of 2018?

Francessca, good on you for getting your priorities straight and enjoying da climb. Since I got priced out of the climbing gym, my one day a week performance has suffered mightily. But, I knew that would happen so it's just how it goes.

Tony and s.price, stop getting injured and what the fuck, that cancer thing? Knock that off. Glad you are out climbing as well.

I started bolting a new area with my friend Bob back in 2016, but it wasn't until this year that I actually visited it just to climb and have fun. Took a new friend and had a nice day of it, totally alone on a band of cliffs no one bothered with until recently. Looking forward to finding some other new places to put up routes in now.

Moved to CO from the flat Midwest & couldn't be happier. Getting out & climbing/boarding as much as possible. (however, :( broken collarbone this past weekend will put things on hold for a bit)

Also learned a lot about alpine & glacier travel while attempting both Rainier (April) & Lower Exum (Sept) unguided. Looking forward to getting back to both & doing more climbs of that caliber this coming year. 

Good job everyone! My proudest moment was doing Squawstruck in Provo, UT. 22 pitches of bolted sport through the night, two times! Great route, everyone should get on it.

Made it back to EPC and ticked off Timewave Zero!  It's a goal I've had for about 2 years now, and the process of realizing it was some of the most fun I've ever had.  In addition to that route my partner and I climbed an additional 19 pitches over 4 total days of climbing.   

Like many others I was able to get over 100 pitches in, hopefully double that at least next year!

Biggest one was I did my first wall! SF of Washington Column is for basic bitches I know, but it's been a good stepping stone for what my future projects are!

Oooooh weeeee. So many things.

-Did my first real multi-pitch trad climbs at Red Rocks (Ready for Epi next year)
-Ran my first half-marathon (Brooklyn Half in the rain)
-Did a long planned 'Combo' Hike (Devil's Path and the Escarpment Trail with a 11-mile connector trail, end to end a total of 66 miles, more than 14,000 ft in vertical gain. Love them Catskills.)
-Also did the Devil's Path in a day while training for the Combo Hike (~26 miles in a day).
-Did my first alpine climb on the Northeast Pinnacle on Mount Washington (Those weeks of hiking came very handy).

Looking forward to the challenges in 2019. More Alpine. More big climbs. More adventures.

Edit: Also remembered doing some first real crack climbs at T-Wall early in the year. And got our to Vegas for a 2nd time thanks to work for the sponsorship up Dark Shadows.

I used to manage a kitchen for NOLS, so I had a fair bit of time off and could climb most days. I set a goal of climbing 100 days outside in 2018. I was well on my way to far exceeding that goal, getting 10+ days in January, February and March. In April, I landed a really good job in my field, but it puts me indoors most of the time. With the career change, I'm going to land on about 91 days this season. I didn't reach my goal, but considering how drastic of a life change I had, I'm still pretty psyched on my number. I'm much more deliberate with how I spend my days off now...

On top of that, I broke into a new grade and climbed most of the routes I really wanted to tick off my list.

Brilliant thread!

I finally dusted off my old shoes and went back to climbing after 15 years, and like a previous poster said, I brought my 15 yo daughter and 12 year old son and they have fallen in love with.  

My 15 yo and I have climbed together at the gym every Wednesday night for the last 6 weeks and it has been some of the most special time that I have spent with her in years.  Just lovely.

s.price wrote: I'm with Tony. Glad to have climbed at all. Just over a year ago docs were telling me chances of beating cancer were slim. Actually got up a 5.11 this summer.

Proudest was mentoring a young man and seeing him excel.

Back in August I did my first alpine route and first 14k doing Mt Evans Second Apron Right 5.7.  That was an absolute treat.

Doug18 wrote: With my work schedule and family.
I would have to say just getting out! 

I'm with you Doug. I think  I managed about 85 days (1/2 indoor, 1/2 outdoor) of climbing this year. 15 days of skiing(with a number of powder days, which is odd give the winter of 17/18 here in CO) Climbed ice for the first time in 4 years...and perhaps most proudly, my 2.5 yr old started scampering up the walls at ABC.

Climbed a big wall for the first time! Mostly thanks to an experienced friend making sure I didn't kill either of us. I went from being vaguely interested in aid climbing at the beginning of the year, to leading 9 pitches of overhanging aid on the Leaning Tower and sleeping 500 feet off the ground. It was so cool.

My 13 y/o daughter summiting the south peak of Seneca for her first ever multipitch was a pretty proud moment this year for me!

I gave in and then Started climbing trad in 10/17...
I set out to lead 25 routes.

I lead 64 pitches, 38 different routes with 17 Onsights...
It got addicting to collect routes... awesome 1st year of trad climbing.
I get it now... 

not buying fancy chalk

Nick Sweeney wrote: I was psyched to tick off Liberty Ridge this year.  I've dreamed about making LR my first Rainier route for years and made it happen with some strong, likeminded friends.  Best of all, it felt casual because I was well-prepared.

Nice, I probably did LR before you were born. I was on Sunset Ridge this spring with two old friends (and do mean old - our average age was over 60). That trip was 35 years to the weekend of my first attempt on Rainier. I was pretty happy cause I wanted to do a west side route and it was my second Cascade volcano in a week. A few days earlier I solo'd what turned out to be a second ascent on the north face of South Sister. Gotta love them Cascade volcanos.

I love this thread! Thanks, OP!

We have 3 little ones at home so my goal year over year has just been to climb more than the previous year. This year I got out a lot more than last year, was introduced to some amazing climbing areas, and got to lead my first 5.8 on gear (Pony Express!), which I am still incredibly psyched about. I was also fortunate enough to be on the FA team of a route, which was a humbling and educational experience. It gave me a real appreciation for all the work that goes in to turn a hunk of rock into a climb. I also got to spend a lot more time w/my climbing partners at both gym and crag, which has been really nice since I'm a transplant to the area and basically buried under kids and work when I'm home. Unrelated to climbing, I ran my first 50 miler. I have a dream of combining my love for climbing and distance running into a fun backcountry adventure one day...

Keep the stoke going!

While staying injury free all year, I successfully pushed my Trad and sport grades higher. Started leading 12s even though I am a total Hang-dogger. Made my first Yosemite pilgrimage, and overall made it my priority to get outside more with my friends. It's been a good year.

Got solid at Gunks 5.8 and started sampling 5.9s, and am excited to be working at grades steep enough that it's sometimes safe to fall on lead, so I can push myself more.

Biggest growth was in my lead head--I ticked Psycho Crack Right and onsighted Moonlight both of which were both pretty intimidating to me for different reasons.

And personal growth aside, I got to do some really stellar climbs--onsighted High Exposure after the peregrine closure finally lifted and travelled to Red Rock and Chattanooga.

Nick Sweeney wrote: I was psyched to tick off Liberty Ridge this year.  I've dreamed about making LR my first Rainier route for years and made it happen with some strong, likeminded friends.  Best of all, it felt casual because I was well-prepared.

Doesn't count unless you ski back down it!