New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #7

Thanks to all that keep this thread going, lots of great stories and photos. Keep it going.

To Wendy Wiess

My wife and I share you KISS moto. Jean will also look at a climb and figure out what gear she needs on lead and only takes that. I usually always carry my normal rack on lead. If we climb at the Voo we take larger gear and when at the creek a lot more cams.

We try to take the lightest possible amount of stuff on multi-pitch so that we can climb more efficiently and quickly. We go early to make sure that we have time left in the day in case we have a problem. A good day is when all of you get back to the car safely.

John

Jeffrey Constine wrote: Thanks to all that keep this thread going, lots of great stories and photos. Keep it going.

Love ya, Jeff.      Of course, your pic is of the thing I want to do... my bucket list, sleep on a portaledge. 

Russ made the ledge im on Lori, still have it works great.

You guys are getting so old you forgot how to spell “experienced.”  I’m ten years away from joinin' ya. Can’t wait.

Russ Walling wrote:

hahahaha!

Could not find my reading glasses, old guy bummer.

Elisa R wrote:

View from Geezer Wall - perhaps appropriate for this thread?   

Love the geezer wall, finally some climbs I can lead. Ok, it took three times there with Barb leading before I got the nerve up to lead, but I did.  LOL, we crossed routes several times on the right hand side,  not bad beta, just poor route finding. P.S., glad we had the long rope..... helps when you get lost. 

wendy weiss wrote:
 KISS.

A little fantasy of mine... to have a thread called "Experienced Climbers over 50".  I've shared the minutea of being a beginning climber totally bewildered by the big climbing world and asking the continual questions of a student--and a lot of us here are new and it hogs the conversation.  I'd love to hear about the trips, the vacays, the stories, of when experienced climbers get together to go do their thing... minus the students and noobs who need so much attention.    Maybe that's why it was so much fun watching Meru, to see how experienced climbers prepare, travel, collaborate and get to their climbing business.  Where do you go?  How long do you stay?

I've only had a taste of this, on a few outings with Nelson, when everyone knows their stuff, knows what they're doing, and can totally immerse in the business at hand.  I hope we can make room for those stories... I, for one, am craving to hear them.  

There Is always new rock to chase down.  
 I'm going to be exploring a whole new area that has been on my radar for 20 years  A sport bolted granite playground, but not gym bolted from the looks of it.
 I made my 1st recon last week, my stoke for the new adventure was high - For the parking & walk-in & outs ? ....not so much...

This is OT, but all us shorties can now feel justified: https://www.climbing.com/people/out-on-a-ledge-the-last-excuse/

Another interesting finding revealed by Randall and Torr is that shorter climbers need the strongest fingers for the grade, with every reduction of 10 centimeters in height correlating to the climber needing to be 2.5 percent stronger. “A taller climber at the taller end of a normal spectrum requires significantly less finger strength than a much shorter peer, regardless of the grade and regardless of weight. If one climber is 20cm taller than another they will require 5 percent less finger strength to do the same moves,” said Randall on the podcast.

I've been having a little conversation with Pat Ament...  saw this meme... I've appreciated his words of safety to me.  However, if this is the definition of skill-level... then I don't have one.   

The jury is still out on gym climbing for me.  But I am SOLD on videoing all climbs now... however vain it appears.  The first time I saw this was at Senor's gym, when a really strong climber was filming his climb up an overhung 5.13 (with the bat hang?).  It made sense to video that, and then watch it later...  of course!

I think I owe dragons the thanks for this, also.  I had an old tripod... bought a $19 fitting, and it's easy to set up with an iphone.  This has changed everything for me.  I could never have guessed how different a climb looks from how it feels.
 
I have taken on a 10d project at Pipeworks these last few weeks... and I felt like the first try was a hot mess.  But on playback... I saw it wasn't so bad.  It was just clumsy, and I was weak.  So, I have projected this route, and gotten the first sequence down, which is the hardest (but not on film)--eventually did the whole route with one hang.  Each time it has gone better.  Now I'm looking at flow, and ease...and stretch.  Watching it is way easier than trying to figure it out as I go.
 
I know this is 'new fangled' and old time climbers would scoff.  I'll take whatever tools I can get.   

Lori..... Pat is wise. Take his advice to heart.

And please use all the tools ya got. And everybody loves to watch themselves climb. 

Guy Keesee wrote: And everybody loves to watch themselves climb. 

Well, almost everybody. Most folks either cringe or hold their breath when I am climbing. As a result I don't wish to be recorded. 

Haven't been here for a while because I'm depressed because I'm broken (bursitis in both shoulders, three tendons with tendinosis on one shoulder, one with tendinosis in the other, haven't been able to climb for three weeks now...
ANYway, decided on a new quite to write on my climbing helm now I'm destined for trad climbing rather than bouldering or even maybe sports. Quote is:

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh

Russ, somebody is bringing your average down: 2 of us today (8 pitches) = 137 years, 79 years climbing.

rob bauer wrote: Russ, somebody is bringing your average down: 2 of us today (8 pitches) = 137 years, 79 years climbing.

Well, there's "annuated," and then there's "SUPERannuated."     

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/116615342/new-and-experienced-climbers-over-50-6?page=43#ForumMessage-117012456

(If this is a "contest" it is a really bad thing to be "winning" at...)

Jeffrey Constine wrote:

Sorry Carl, get better quick!
Was a nice day doing new routes today.

Thanks Jeff :-)