New and Experienced Climbers Over 50 #18

34° today so I got out early to a shady crag. Led a 16, then TR'd a 22. Tried another 22 but had a bunch of sits. Interesting that looking back I did the pictured move the same way today that I did in about 2016, but with a higher R foot and a drop knee.. 

A little bit fat and lazy today... 

A good deal of discussion at the crag today about my brace of uniceps... 

Todd Berlier wrote:

?

I knew that would get a bite. 

A brace is two. 

A uniceps is a biceps has been. 

I have two uniceps rather that two biceps... 

Carl Schneiderwrote:

34° today so I got out early to a shady crag. Led a 16, then TR'd a 22. Tried another 22 but had a bunch of sits. Interesting that looking back I did the pictured move the same way today that I did in about 2016, but with a higher R foot and a drop knee.. 

A little bit fat and lazy today... 

A good deal of discussion at the crag today about my brace of uniceps... 

I think we Americans need a conversion table. I climbed at Arapiles in the 80s  so I have some idea. 22 is like 11b or so? 

Coming off a mountaineering trip to New Zealand I hadn't rock climbed in .months but had lost weight and was light.  I on sighted Orestes which was given 23 but is probably 22, also Predator (23) a cool  "levitation" trad route (like to hear Randy's story about this technique), Taste of Honey (21) and a bunch of others.  Only climb I fell on was Kachoong (21) but Im using the excuse that it was 95 degrees out.  Great crag.

There was talk in the Gunks in the 70s of using your system, it makes more sense than the YDS.

 it would have been a good day for rock climbing  in sunny southwest faceing wind sheltered aspects  that don't seep here in the north east today....    I spent the day building tool box for my truck. 

Ward Smithwrote:

There was talk in the Gunks in the 70s of using your system, it makes more sense than the YDS.

So who decided there are 4 letter grades?  Why not 3 or 5?  The French grade is another one which is cute.  On Kalymnos, we went back and forth whether F6b+ is .10d or .11a.  Generally felt harder than .10d.  Most F6c+ felt like .11c than .11b.  F7a is def a step up for sure.

S. Neohwrote:

So who decided there are 4 letter grades?  

Jim Bridwell

Sorry to hear about the setback, Randy.  I'm in a similar boat, trying to regain strength without effing up the PT work I've done.  Setbacks are frustrating, but I think I'm making progress again, though this time even slower than before.  :(

Still, progress is progress.

GO

We used to have 5.10-, 5.10, and 5.10+ so 3 grades.  Bridwell and others decided that wasn't enough, so we got a,b,c,d.  Even though the system had broken free from its decimal rationale with 5.10, there was still a very strong sense that to be harder than 5.10+ would require something be way, way harder, and no one wanted to make that claim.  By adding a fourth grade of 5.10, the can got kicked down the road a bit, and by the time 5.11a was admitted as a thing, the a,b,c,d subdivisions had become firmly institutionalized.

On the subject of training in general and rehab in particular, it has taken me 40 or 50 years to finally learn two important truths: Less Is More, and Tomorrow Is Another Day.

Ward Smithwrote:

I think we Americans need a conversion table. I climbed at Arapiles in the 80s  so I have some idea. 22 is like 11b or so? 

Coming off a mountaineering trip to New Zealand I hadn't rock climbed in .months but had lost weight and was light.  I on sighted Orestes which was given 23 but is probably 22, also Predator (23) a cool  "levitation" trad route (like to hear Randy's story about this technique), Taste of Honey (21) and a bunch of others.  Only climb I fell on was Kachoong (21) but Im using the excuse that it was 95 degrees out.  Great crag.

There was talk in the Gunks in the 70s of using your system, it makes more sense than the YDS.

Yeah 11b. I think our system does make a lot of sense... Many of my climbing friends are European so sometimes I try and convert. 

rgoldwrote:

We used to have 5.10-, 5.10, and 5.10+ so 3 grades.  Bridwell and others decided that wasn't enough, so we got a,b,c,d.  Even though the system had broken free from its decimal rationale with 5.10, there was still a very strong sense that to be harder than 5.10+ would require something be way, way harder, and no one wanted to make that claim.  By adding a fourth grade of 5.10, the can got kicked down the road a bit, and by the time 5.11a was admitted as a thing, the a,b,c,d subdivisions had become firmly institutionalized.

On the subject of training in general and rehab in particular, it has taken me 40 or 50 years to finally learn two important truths: Less Is More, and Tomorrow Is Another Day.

Thanks for the history lesson.  Now I know!
For me, it is Don't Get Injured, Tomorrow is Another Day.

I just had a week off from work sick. I spent much of it actually laying in bed..  for the first time in years my foot dosent hurt..   Going to work today and hope the foot still dosent hurt  tonight... 

Looks like I missed the latest Sumo matches.  Fortunately they are taped.  The sumo wrestlers look much thinner this time.  Either they are thinner or I....  oh,shit.   

My only other thought this morning is I want to learn to climb like Kris.  

------------

Nick, what's with your foot?  I'm all ears on feet situations.  So sorry you had to spend a week in bed.  

I was going to post something here on Boron (the mineral)... but hate to draw yawns on a Monday morning.  We also have a town named Boron 125 miles away, and I have talked Tony into taking a special trip just to see that major tourist attraction this week.    

file:///C:/Users/Lori.WEST01/Documents/Health%20Issues/The%20Borax%20Conspiracy.pdf

I am mainly interested in boron's use for bone/arthritis issues, including feet/heel problems.  Interestingly (to me), boron is the one mineral that increases base testosterone levels by 4 fold, and decreases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin--meaning, it reduces the hormone in the body that binds up the major hormones.  There's not another thing that I know of that will do that.  It can also raise Vitamin D levels considerably. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712861/

There are too many good studies on boron to post here, including through PubMed and NIH, that support boron (2-10 mg) for arthritis, tennis elbow, plantar fascitis, and thousands of testimonials of this being the missing mineral in arthritic pain and osteoarthritis.  

What made me think of boron again was talking with Tony's doctor/surgeon.  I asked him what had been causing Tony's pain, and any remaining pain going forward, and he said "It's arthritis" of the spine. Really?  All the fancy terms, and the major nerve work done on his spine, and it comes down to arthritis?  We talked about supplements, to my surprise this doctor was totally supportive about the Living Bone supplements, and boron.   I mentioned the bone broth that is now a staple at our house, and this surgeon really lit up.  

Tony's doing really well.  It's a joy watching him heal.  Tony's lifelong friends and relatives in Chicago are very confused about what is happening to him here... less pizza, more brussels sprouts, and he's talking exercise and diet... it rankles them.     I can assure them he has no plans to climb rocks, he's still a Bears fan, and he still drives too fast.  He's just feeling better, that's all. 

Lori Milaswrote:

Looks like I missed the latest Sumo matches.  Fortunately they are taped.  The sumo wrestlers look much thinner this time.  Either they are thinner or I....  oh,shit.   

My only other thought this morning is I want to learn to climb like Kris.  

------------

Nick, what's with your foot?  I'm all ears on feet situations.  So sorry you had to spend a week in bed.  

I was going to post something here on Boron (the mineral)... but hate to draw yawns on a Monday morning.  We also have a town named Boron 125 miles away, and I have talked Tony into taking a special trip just to see that major tourist attraction this week.    

file:///C:/Users/Lori.WEST01/Documents/Health%20Issues/The%20Borax%20Conspiracy.pdf

I am mainly interested in boron's use for bone/arthritis issues, including feet/heel problems.  Interestingly (to me), boron is the one mineral that increases base testosterone levels by 4 fold, and decreases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin--meaning, it reduces the hormone in the body that binds up the major hormones.  There's not another thing that I know of that will do that.  It can also raise Vitamin D levels considerably. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712861/

There are too many good studies on boron to post here, including through PubMed and NIH, that support boron (2-10 mg) for arthritis, tennis elbow, plantar fascitis, and thousands of testimonials of this being the missing mineral in arthritic pain and osteoarthritis.  

What made me think of boron again was talking with Tony's doctor/surgeon.  I asked him what had been causing Tony's pain, and any remaining pain going forward, and he said "It's arthritis" of the spine. Really?  All the fancy terms, and the major nerve work done on his spine, and it comes down to arthritis?  We talked about supplements, to my surprise this doctor was totally supportive about the Living Bone supplements, and boron.   I mentioned the bone broth that is now a staple at our house, and this surgeon really lit up.  

Tony's doing really well.  It's a joy watching him heal.  Tony's lifelong friends and relatives in Chicago are very confused about what is happening to him here... less pizza, more brussels sprouts, and he's talking exercise and diet... it rankles them.     I can assure them he has no plans to climb rocks, he's still a Bears fan, and he still drives too fast.  He's just feeling better, that's all. 

I've actually been there. I was at Fort Irwin on assignment and had time to kill.  It was probably 20 years ago, but the museum they had there was really cool.  Hopefully, it is still open.

Tim Schafstallwrote:

I've actually been there. I was at Fort Irwin on assignment and had time to kill.  It was probably 20 years ago, but the museum they had there was really cool.  Hopefully, it is still open.

There's a museum?     I was picturing miles of godforsaken sand and boron... 

Fun day out scrambling in the Flatirons with Victor and David yesterday.

Lori Milaswrote:

There's a museum?     I was picturing miles of godforsaken sand and boron... 

Yup.  The Twenty Mule Team museum.  I looked it up and it is still open !  There is also the Saxon Aerospace museum in town.

ErikaNWwrote:

Fun day out scrambling in the Flatirons with Victor and David yesterday.

Had a great time, always good to get up in the Flatirons

SPRING BREAK IN MEXICO

Keith Hadley and I are going to Potrero Chico February 20 to March 13.  We're staying at Airel's Chalet up in the canyon opposite the Mota Wall, and are looking for two additional climbers to share accommodations with us for all or part of this time.  This will be our 5th time there so we've got the travel details dialed. Please contact me for additional information.  BTW, we were in Mexico in November and had no issues with anything.

Lori- Ever hear of Trona CA??? It’s the town where they make the boron! It grows on a huge dry lake - on the edge of the lake are big tallish pinnacles - when movie folks wish to pretend they are on Mars they go there to film.
Cosmic lived and worked there for a bit.
And there is some very decent rock climbing around there.
Hard to find on your own cause you can’t see it.

Happy for Tony! 

Lori. Don't  know what is  wrong with the foot. Did a 9 mile  ridge  hike  in mountain boots  about 8 years ago and the inside of my  foot has  hurt  ever since.