New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #7

Carl Schneider wrote:

Ha ha. Probably.  But have you noticed the reverse is not true it seems?  If you're climbing in a gym and you also climb outdoors it seems you MUST attach things you don't need indoors to your harness, like a prussic, PAS etc just so everyone is FULLY aware you're a way cool outdoors clamberer and not just some wanky plastic puller...

Or... perhaps we could try to pull off Constine’s ‘strike a pose’ move indoors on a top rope route.   

BTW... Ondra doesn’t count. He’s a mutant. 

Just took a hike today.

Lori, I don't go to the gym during the summer. I suppose I might, if it rained for weeks on end, but that hasn't happened so far.

Carl Schneider wrote:

Ha ha. Probably.  But have you noticed the reverse is not true it seems?  If you're climbing in a gym and you also climb outdoors it seems you MUST attach things you don't need indoors to your harness, like a prussic, PAS etc just so everyone is FULLY aware you're a way cool outdoors clamberer and not just some wanky plastic puller...

You don't need a prussic or pas for outdoors lol Slings do all that and then some.

Lori Milas wrote:

Is this your Mount Whitney trip?  Look at you... looking wonderful!  Hope you're having fun. 

Nah. Mt. Langley. Just to the S. of Whitney. 14,045 or so. 

Señor Arroz wrote:

Nah. Mt. Langley. Just to the S. of Whitney. 14,045 or so. 

Has resorted to hiking now lol  but that’s OK I’ve done it as well. 

Heading up to Donner on Saturday... back to the same hidden crags with the 'pockets'.  This time I'll bring tape for my fingers.

Chris said "This time you might want to bring music."  I realize this might be silly... but I've wondered how music would be when climbing.  We'll be in a hidden enough place that we could plug in and let her wail.  

Does anyone have favorite climbing music or playlists or does everyone prefer silence?  Off the top of my head, the first thing I thought of was Little Wing (Hendrix).  Would love to hear that ringing through the forest...    

You go to Climb to be in nature leave the boom boxes and  radios at home .

Carl Schneider wrote:

Look like a nice route.I think it's actually very wise to be comparing one's self to an expert 29 year old climber.  I'm assuming you watch climbing videos?  Like the recent lead climbing world cup?  Alex Megos was great to watch as was Adam Ondra.  I think even though we all have our own style, strengths and weaknesses, body type, beta for a climb etc we can still learn a whole lot from others, and also get enthused and inspired!!

For the smaller among us, there's Ai Mori and Chaehyun Seo for inspiration. They're all of 15 years old.   

Lori Milas wrote: Heading up to Donner on Saturday... back to the same hidden crags with the 'pockets'.  This time I'll bring tape for my fingers.

Chris said "This time you might want to bring music."  I realize this might be silly... but I've wondered how music would be when climbing.  We'll be in a hidden enough place that we could plug in and let her wail.  

Does anyone have favorite climbing music or playlists or does everyone prefer silence?  Off the top of my head, the first thing I thought of was Little Wing (Hendrix).  Would love to hear that ringing through the forest...    

I would not love to hear it.  The forest is for hearing the birds and insects and the wind.  I go climbing to get any from that sh*t. (But I do like Hendrix, if that helps   ).

Lori Milas wrote:
Does anyone have favorite climbing music?...    

My favorite music is made by the birds, the breeze, any nearby brooks or waves, etc.  My own adrenaline-shouts when I send something that's hard for me are pretty sweet too.

Lori Milas wrote: Heading up to Donner on Saturday... back to the same hidden crags with the 'pockets'.  This time I'll bring tape for my fingers.

Chris said "This time you might want to bring music."  I realize this might be silly... but I've wondered how music would be when climbing.  We'll be in a hidden enough place that we could plug in and let her wail.  

Does anyone have favorite climbing music or playlists or does everyone prefer silence?  Off the top of my head, the first thing I thought of was Little Wing (Hendrix).  Would love to hear that ringing through the forest...    

Maybe Chris means bring music to listen to on your headphones while you send.

I'm with everyone else that speakers and amplified music don't belong in the wild. 

Lori..... get some headphones if you wish for tunes while climbing. Personally I like Pantera but lots of stuff works. 

Many don’t like shit at the crags- no dogs, cats or pet birds, no smoking, no yelling, no takes, no bolts, no teaching, no celebration or you even! LOL

It’s great to see that your developing your own style and confidence- go back to your first post and see what I mean.

I think your really ready to go to The Meadows.... maybe get a guide to show you some real slab climbing.

It will open up your mind as to what is possible if you just “trust your feet” and climb and you can get really hi off the deck for a different view of the world. 

Have fun this weekend! We B going to the Meadows- the bugs are dying off finally and The Stoney Tribe is up there for the next 6 weeks or so.

Climb on! 

Guy Keesee wrote: Lori..... get some headphones if you wish for tunes while climbing. Personally I like Pantera but lots of stuff works.

Many don’t like shit at the crags- no dogs, cats or pet birds, no smoking, no yelling, no takes, no bolts, no teaching, no celebration or you even! LOL

It’s great to see that your developing your own style and confidence- go back to your first post and see what I mean.

I think your really ready to go to The Meadows.... maybe get a guide to show you some real slab climbing.

It will open up your mind as to what is possible if you just “trust your feet” and climb and you can get really hi off the deck for a different view of the world.

Have fun this weekend! We B going to the Meadows- the bugs are dying off finally and The Stoney Tribe is up there for the next 6 weeks or so.

Climb on!

Thank you, Guy... and everyone else. Go have a lot of fun!!!  

As for music at the crags, the reason I might try it is because this is an isolated place with no people forever.  Just me, Chris and rock.  I would wear a headset but then I couldn't hear Chris.  (I think we have discussed this.)  

In the bouldering room, music in a headset really gives me energy.  Don't know how it would feel outdoors... but will try it and see how it goes.  My guess is it will be distracting.  

Sounds like everyone is finally getting in their summer climbing groove!  I hope we get reports and lots of pictures.

Carl... have you stopped drinking?    Something's changed, I can't tell what.  You sound like an adult and this worries me.  

Lori Milas wrote:

As for music at the crags, the reason I might try it is because this is an isolated place with no people forever.  

Lori, you may want to consider that your music might be disturbing to the animals of all shapes and sizes in the area.  We people have invaded so many of these once non-inhabited places.  You see the result everywhere - animals of all types flattened by vehicles on roads, extinction of species because their habitat has been destroyed, animals poisoned because they don't know not to eat the flowers and veggies in someone's garden.  Just something to think about.  Just because there are no other humans around doesn't mean that you are alone. Peace, Phyl

Jeffrey Constine wrote:
You don't need a prussic or pas for outdoors lol Slings do all that and then some.

Oh I don't use a PAS anymore, I use a Petzl Connect Adjust, mainly as my safety when I'm preparing to abseil. I've used a sling before but I really love the adjust-ability of the Connect.

Also, I don't currently use a prussic, but used to.  I decided the other day to go back to using one as it's easy to use, takes up very little room on my harness, and there's very few reasons not to use one.

BTW, I don't carry a lot of slings when I sports climb (well, none actually), but will still need a safety (the Petzl Connect) and possibly the prussic.

Lori Milas wrote: ...Does anyone have favorite climbing music or playlists or does everyone prefer silence?  Off the top of my head, the first thing I thought of was Little Wing (Hendrix).  Would love to hear that ringing through the forest...    

Neil Young and Iggy Pop is our normal fare for top roping.  No music from trad or sports, it's (more) important to communicate effectively.  If I'm bouldering it's either Frank Sinatra or Rammstein. A bit of a contrast there I know, but sometimes, for me, I need to get ANGRY when I'm bouldering   

Carl Schneider wrote:

Neil Young and Iggy Pop is our normal fare for top roping.  No music from trad or sports, it's (more) important to communicate effectively.  If I'm bouldering it's either Frank Sinatra or Rammstein. A bit of a contrast there I know, but sometimes, for me, I need to get ANGRY when I'm bouldering   

Carl, I think we would probably get along quite well. May I recommend some Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, or classic Ministry when you have to stoke the fire? 

Lori,

A couple of responses to your posts on gym climbing and dihedrals. My hips don't like dihedrals much anymore. I still do them. I tend to feel some pain during a climb on the harder ones-- for me 5.9s-5.10s outdoors and some 5.10s-5.11s indoors. Little pain afterwards. I have a stretching routine that helps a bit, but if it gets really wide and/or scrunchy, it still hurts. My strongest climbing partner is a former prima ballerina in her 30s who onsights low-12 super-wide dihedrals in the gym with such lack of visible effort that she can discuss literature or some other complex subject, with utter coherence mind you, with me as I am belaying her. Some of the ones we work (and I don't even try the 12s), I have to bail off due to pain. Mind you, we are essentially even on slabs, and I can nearly keep up with her on vertical crimping. Dihedrals (and more dynamic climbs generally) with her though are humbling.

Gym climbing for me generally is weird. Varies so much due to setter whims and their individual style preferences/strengths. They are all twenty-something boulderer types (in all three gyms here). In recent sessions, I have: 1).Quickly redpointed a crimpy arete considered to be the second hardest route in that gym-- 12+.  I am not a 5.12- climber-- no way. A number of their setters who could make me look like a worn old fool on a bouldering wall effortlessly, can't do it. 2). Failed so dismally on a mid- 11 (couldn't get more than a couple of moves off the ground with the crux still waiting above) composed of giant slopers on an overhang that I quit after two attempts. Then watched a really, really (he was tiny, people!) little kid junior climber hike it. Had one of their strongest setters tell me that a 5.11 slab climb set by their one female setter "desperately needed" an extra foot chip. Cruised it, and thought it the best gym route that I have done recently, w/o that.  Had a different very strong setter worry that a reasonably steep mixed crimpy/pocketed face climb he set was "too hard" for 5.10. Climbed and was thinking really fun 9+ at worst. Same guy set an awkward weird reachy 10 (which he opined was a really a 9). Hate it. I still can't link it cleanly...and failures below 5.11 are fairly rare for me in gyms. I do think this weird spectrum of results is largely an age thing but an informative one.

Mark Orsag wrote: Lori,

A couple of responses to your posts on gym climbing and dihedrals. My hips don't like dihedrals much anymore. I still do them. I tend to feel some pain during a climb on the harder ones-- for me 5.9s-5.10s outdoors and some 5.10s-5.11s indoors. Little pain afterwards. I have a stretching routine that helps a bit, but if it gets really wide and/or scrunchy, it still hurts. My strongest climbing partner is a former prima ballerina in her 30s who onsights low-12 super-wide dihedrals in the gym with such lack of visible effort that she can discuss literature or some other complex subject, with utter coherence mind you, with me as I am belaying her. Some of the ones we work (and I don't even try the 12s), I have to bail off due to pain. Mind you, we are essentially even on slabs, and I can nearly keep up with her on vertical crimping. Dihedrals (and more dynamic climbs generally) with her though are humbling.

Gym climbing for me generally is weird. Varies so much due to setter whims and their individual style preferences/strengths. They are all twenty-something boulderer types (in all three gyms here). In recent sessions, I have: 1).Quickly redpointed a crimpy arete considered to be the second hardest route in that gym-- 12+.  I am not a 5.12- climber-- no way. A number of their setters who could make me look like a worn old fool on a bouldering wall effortlessly, can't do it. 2). Failed so dismally on a mid- 11 (couldn't get more than a couple of moves off the ground with the crux still waiting above) composed of giant slopers on an overhang that I quit after two attempts. Then watched a really, really (he was tiny, people!) little kid junior climber hike it. Had one of their strongest setters tell me that a 5.11 slab climb set by their one female setter "desperately needed" an extra foot chip. Cruised it, and thought it the best gym route that I have done recently, w/o that.  Had a different very strong setter worry that a reasonably steep mixed crimpy/pocketed face climb he set was "too hard" for 5.10. Climbed and was thinking really fun 9+ at worst. Same guy set an awkward weird reachy 10 (which he opined was a really a 9). Hate it. I still can't link it cleanly...and failures below 5.11 are fairly rare for me in gyms. I do think this weird spectrum of results is largely an age thing but an informative one.

Wow, Mark.  Thanks for sharing this.  So... maybe the ballet workouts would help with dihedrals after all.  It's not just the stretch, as you noted, but being able to move up a wall in this position.  My little buddy Jeremy posted this picture recently... so, um... we have some work to do.    

And you are so right about the gym grades.  I've easily climbed a few 11b's in our gym, but haven't finished a couple of 10c's cleanly.  It's the style as much as anything.  The 10c's are overhung, just muscular routes.  The 11's I got were more technical.  

Everyone here seems at peace with gym climbing... I wish I could be.  All it takes is one person to remind me that it isn't 'real' climbing: my veteran friend said last week "throngs of mindless people dashing up and down plastic walls".  Maybe a little like the angst over vinyl vs. cd's.  Some people swear they can tell the difference.  

Yeah, my spasms of hip pain on dihedrals come mostly when I try generate upward movement from those stretched out positions. Cool pic-- looks like a tall guy on a hard trad route. My friend can make her body  into a perfect inverted capital T shape-- no strain apparently, and casually try different grips/presses on the handholds above to determine the most efficient next move. Impressive to watch. Going to devote some extra effort to flexibility training in the coming months, but my body won't get there.

Mark O