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New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #5

Carl Schneider · · Mount Torrens, South Australia · Joined Dec 2017 · Points: 0
Señor Arroz wrote:

If it makes you feel any better, if someone asked me to tie a muenter with a mule knot and overhand loop backup I'd just stare at them like a mule. 

Same here. All I know is a figure 8 and a clove hitch and a double fisherman's thingy what'sit... 

Andrew Rice · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 11
Carl Schneider wrote:

Same here. All I know is a figure 8 and a clove hitch and a double fisherman's thingy what'sit... 

Good thing you've got Velcro shoes...

John Barritt · · The 405 · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 1,083
Señor Arroz wrote:

Good thing you've got Velcro shoes...

Too cerebral apparently.....I gave it a thumbs up tho.... ;)

Lori Milas · · Joshua Tree, CA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 240

I feel life returning. Not to overstate but I didn’t realize how low I’d gotten this winter.  I needed sun and some laughter and maybe a little challenge.

It was a great Day 1 of building anchors and just having a groovy time.  Setting cams and nuts, learning to equalize cordalettes and slings, tethering In with kleimheist, rapping from gri gri. Tomorrow will put it into practice.

If there’s a problem it’s that every single rock in every direction is begging to be climbed. I want to rope up and go.

The instructor, Chris, splits his time between Donner/Tahoe near me, and Josh. I could spend the summer learning the rocks in my own mountains. I think this qualifies as “climbing somewhere besides Joshua Tree”.   

Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191
Lori Milas wrote: I think this qualifies as “climbing somewhere besides Joshua Tree”.   

Welcome to my world.  But in the correct mathematical equation you redefine Joshua Tree as a variable then you get to fill in the name, like Smith Rock, Red Rock, COR, RMNP, Lolo Nat'l forest, etc. etc. etc.  


Having trouble with Barb, she worked her way out of the duck tape, I had to zip tie her.  I think she may be getting better.
Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191
Nivel Egres wrote: Maybe I should sell my gear and call it ...

Or not! One of the great values of Rock Climbing/bouldering is the diversity.  Multi-pitch trad climbers will probably never understand the thrill of winning a gym climbing contest, and vice-versa.  There are many paths to be pursued, the one that you like is the best one. 

Andrew Rice · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 11
Nivel Egres wrote:

I am not planning to give up all-together, it's that I find that bouldering is the best form of climbing for me, both outdoors and indoors. It's convenient (no need for a partner, I got plenty of pads), it's challenging yet easily accessible etc. Simply thinking that my trad gear is collecting dust and someone might use it.

Send it to Lori!

dragons · · New Paltz, NY · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 847
Nivel Egres wrote:Maybe I should sell my gear and call it or I'll regret it later?

Define "later": tomorrow, or 5 years from now? Even if you sold it, it doesn't sound like it would be a serious regret. There are two factors to consider: 1) Would it be nice to de-clutter by getting rid of stuff you haven't used in a year and see no future use for? 2) How much would it cost you to buy your current rack all over again? $1K-$1.5K or so?


If you can fairly easily replace the rack later (like 5 years down the road), then I'd say just sell it.
Jeffrey Constine · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined May 2009 · Points: 674

Just remember bouldering at the age of 50 and older it takes longer to heal a broken ankle or other broken items!  56 I’ll stick with the rope bouldering very occasionally 

rgold · · Poughkeepsie, NY · Joined Feb 2008 · Points: 526

At 68 I ruptured my ACL jumping a modest distance onto a pad.  I jumped from a wide stem, landed with my legs still far apart, my right angle rolled inward a bit, and pop went the ACL.  With operation and rehab, it really took a year to get better, although I was back leading easy climbs after seven months.  I decided that was the end of my bouldering career...

Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191

I have fallen a lot in my life; I fell out of my crib, I fell out of my bed, I fell off my tri-cycle, I fell of my bicycle, I fell off some horses, I fell off of some cows (do not let teenagers get alcohol to soon in their lives),  I fell out of a pickup truck, I fell out some trees, I've fallen off of the swings and slides, I have fallen off of bar stools, I have fallen off of motorcycles, I have fallen while skiing (water and snow). The Army wanted to teach me how to fall out of aircraft but I wasn't buying into that.  

So when it comes to falling off of a piece of rock I gotta say I really like my 34% stretch rope and harness.  I have pretty much given up falling onto hard surfaces as a bad habit.

Lori Milas · · Joshua Tree, CA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 240

Dallas, you both are sounding better! I’m SO happy about this!  

Funny you should mention a dynamic rope. I now have instructions to go pick up a static rope for anchor making and semi-static rope for top roping. I learned a hard lesson when trying to project a short crack in the Sierras on my stretchy rope and every time I fell off that crack I’d list on down to the ground. I felt like I was on the other end of a rubber band. It was so frustrating to loose the few painful inches I had gained and have to do it all again. So next time a static rope for short toprope projects.   
So more ropes for me and now a rack. It was seriously too cool to have two full days of close instruction to rig up everything from tiny vertical cracks to boulders...and now everything looks like something to tie up.  What I didn’t know was that each of us would have their own style...their own eye for what to rig and how to pull it off.  
Bob called last night and he said maybe I’d like to just move on into the lead class today, skip climbing with him. I thought this was a no!  He has not encouraged this for me at all. But the truth is I’m saturated with information and was looking forward to some pure climbing time.  I’ll be back soon and ready for the next step.  Funny my emotional take on Bobs call was one of sadness. Is he pushing me out into the big world?  I don’t want to lose him or any of the folks I’ve come to know and bond with. I enjoy the salmon sandwiches and talks almost as much as the climbing.   

Lori Milas · · Joshua Tree, CA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 240

I have found someone who splits his time between Truckee/Tahoe in the summer and Josh/Tahquitz fall thru spring.  It settled something in my soul....

First to know someone who has that same equal love of mountains and desert and has found a solution. And, to have a friend who knows the Sierras like the back of his hand.  He swears there are many single pitch toprope climbs in Tahoe but also...he knows I’ll be ready for more. He taught the anchors class here.

The missing piece for me has been my family. And water. When I think of a life in the desert I think of losing these little girls. When I think of a life in the mountains I think of desert sun and granite and chuckawallas. I’m finding a middle path... a solution I can live with. 

Lori Milas · · Joshua Tree, CA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 240

I was convinced that Black Diamond Ultralight cams were the best way to go to cut down weight. Guy in Nomads said no—and showed me BD cams that are stronger than ultralights but still lightweight. He also pulled a completely different set of offwidth stoppers off the wall and said these work much better on Josh granite. Everything he showed me was actually cheaper.  So...what’s the deal?  

John Barritt · · The 405 · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 1,083

Sometimes cheaper is better........

Jeffrey Constine · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined May 2009 · Points: 674

Off set stoppers lol Lori!!

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374
John Barritt wrote: Sometimes cheaper is better........

My 15 year old library card scrapes frost off my car mirrors better than any dodad I ever purchased. Baking soda is better than cleanser, on and on.

Lori, remember, so long as it is an actual climbing gear company, all the stuff is safety ​equipment. It all has to meet certain standards. Don't buy your climbing rope at Home Depot, eh? After that though, it's almost entirely personal choice. Any thread on anything will have a zillion different answers as to why one is "better" than the other.

Re Bob? And the others? IMO, whatever the relationship is at the moment (that's your business), I'm pretty sure you have wandered into the friend category. What a huge treat you must be, as a client! Look at it from the other side. Eager, thoughtful, dependable, mature in the ways that matter.....and just plain fun. Anyone who has ever taught anything loves students like you.

I'm sorta in the same boat, with my friend who chose to mentor me in the boulders. I have a hard time with my great good fortune with people who have helped me, but I am indeed very, very grateful.

Oh! Great day climbing yesterday....we left just as the rock was warming past optimal for making anything stick. T-shirt weather!

It was so good to get hands on rock again. Get back on the horse, so to speak. Roped climbing in a few days.

Best, Helen
wendy weiss · · boulder, co · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 10
Dallas R wrote: I fell off of some cows (do not let teenagers get alcohol to soon in their lives

Started my day on the right foot.

Suburban Roadside · · Abovetraffic on Hudson · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 2,419

No, he's not pushing you, it's just that everyone falls for Bob.... (hahaha)
Do you need new gear?   I think if you check it out with 'Big G' & some of those here(there)
They will agree; used gear is fine to learn with.
 It offers you an affordable way to learn; it is more resilient/sturdy, versatile, sticky in ways that teach...
&  you figure out what you want.
 old school ridged stem friends are as lightweight & can be bought up for $10 - 25 a piece,
& often they are almost new old gear, kinda like.....some of those here

!  I'm, So Jealous of Da coaches & the coached
mmm, , So Jello !  
Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191
Lori Milas wrote: Funny my emotional take on Bobs call was one of sadness. Is he pushing me out into the big world?  I don’t want to lose him or any of the folks I’ve come to know and bond with.

Climbing builds strong friendships quickly. Being nomadic like we are we are constantly leaving friends and family.  What I have discovered is that good friends are for life regardless of distance and time.  We are looking forward to climbing again with the lad that led Barbara up Monkey face, haven't seen him in 5 years.  Ditto a lady that coming to climb with us next who we met in Squamish. Our New Zealand climbing buddy is already talking to us about Thanksgiving.  

All this to say you never lose folks that you bond with, they will always be with you. (Particularly if you are a half decent cook).

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