New and Experienced climbers over 50 ##24

philip bonewrote:

I've been wearing Murias (velcro) on the steeps. Good shoe for it. I'm looking for suggestions for a similar alternative: maybe a little kinder to the toes, not yellow or all black, downturned velcro, not a bunch of top rubber. Ugly is ok but shaped kinda like a human foot. Oh and cheap . . . I know, I know

I too came from LS Miura's.
If you like laces, Katana Lace or Kataki (softer than KL and Miura).
My personal go to now is Otaki. Stiffer than Kataki but not as stiff as KL. And Velcro!!
Good luck. You really can't go very wrong with Kaana Lacce, Kataki, or Otaki.
Get what fits you best.  None are super painful but I only downsize 0.5 to 1 size compared to x-trainers I wear for work.

Thank you S. I like lace ups fine sportiva too. Maybe another brand to experiment and velcro to offset lace shoes. It's difficult to try on in my immediate area, I've been fairly successful online shopping but it takes research. Input from others helps (older others even). I tried some Ocun laces. They are ok (and cheap). I'm kind of drawn to the garish and weary off yellow LS. All that top rubber is too hot. Has anyone tried Climb Wild? Naw I don't downsize I just pretend my feet aren't expanding. 

S. Neohwrote:

Altho it sounds simplistic, I am leaning towards Nick about too much screen time. Then again, I am "on screen" 8 to 10 hr a day for work and I am far from obese. So, not sure what to think.

I think it's not so much screen time as bad diet combined with LACK of exercise. I think if we're honest with ourselves most of us as kids watched a LOT of TV. But we also got a fair amount of exercise. I had a backyard pool and also did sports in HS, as well as backpacking trips, etc. But we definitely ate utter crap and stared at the TV a lot. 

Lori Milaswrote:
Still no horned worms on the tomatoes.  I’m sure they’ll arrive. 

They are here.  Go look at your tomatoes, and if you see any sized hole in a leaf, turn it over and there will be a teeeny tiny worm.  They are too young to figure out they are supposed to feed at night and early in the AM.  You can get them right now in the daytime.  There could be many waves of these things, so maybe get some BT and a sprayer at Harbor Freight.  The 1/2 gallon one is cheap and good.  

S. Neohwrote:

Good luck. You really can't go very wrong with Kaana Lacce, Kataki, or Otaki.

I have old Katana Velcro, old Kataki, semirecent version of Katana Lace and they all sized differently!  And the Otaki fit didn't feel right.  Thank goodness when I want shoes there are a couple of shops where I climb that have great size selection.  I could never shop online.  Actually the ones I really want are another pair of Katana velcro which I will try to get next time I'm in Italy.

we did not have TV. it was barn chores and playing in the woods.  there is no comparison though with modern age and the 5 channels of TV in the 60s and 70s. now if the kids are not watching TV they are glued to their phone so its literally every waking moment and folks are massively dumber than they used to be. I only remember one obese kid in grade school and her parents let her drink Coca-Cola all day long. My parents did not even let us drink any soda.  maybe a single ginger ale if we were at someone Elses house. 

Thanks Phylp, no LS is not entirely consistant in sizing, even in the same model. The nearest shop for me is Yosemite valley. I never make the time to shop when I'm there. 

I don’t know why im getting 4 posts today, but what the heck. Russ, maybe you’re just being negative. I just examined every leaf on every plant and there are no holes, no bugs.  I think they all skipped my house and went to yours, just to irritate you.    But in case I’m wrong I will take your suggestion and buy the BT and sprayer.  Thank you!  Appreciate the neighborly advice.

Wendy I remember my teenage years about like you remember yours.  It’s true we spent about zero time in front of the tube and in my city there were only 5 stations anyway. No cell phone and no internet so maybe we did have less sitting time but I truly don’t think that’s the whole story (re obesity).  Even if we ate crap (as Andrew mentioned) it was likely not poisoned crap.

Tony’s granddaughter started her period when she was barely 9.  This is now the average age for girls who drink milk and eat meat from hormone-laced cows.  Children start out with a whollop of growth hormone and estrogen from infancy on, unless meat and dairy are organic.  Tony’s granddaughter also has a big weight problem.  I don’t know if you remember last year i was clearing out all the plastics from our house to limit the phthalates and BPA exposure…but young people are hit even harder by hormone disrupting chemicals—young men especially with phthalates (testosterone blocker in most cases).  

So i think that’s another reason young people are so heavy. 

I read one oncologist who said he’d rather treat a 70 year old with cancer than a young person because the younger person carries so much more toxic burden.  How do young people have a prayer?  

Lori Milaswrote:  

Don’t know if this is still the case but the profession with the highest suicide rate is dentistry.  It’s also the profession with the highest concentration of mercury in their brains.  

Do you have a citation for this?

philip bonewrote:

Thanks Phylp, no LS is not entirely consistant in sizing, even in the same model. The nearest shop for me is Yosemite valley. I never make the time to shop when I'm there. 

Is that a decent shop?  Once summer comes you can head to Mammoth and even drop down to Bishop. Mammoth Mountaineering has a good selection and Eastside Sports always has a lot of Sportiva in stock. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

we did not have TV. it was barn chores and playing in the woods.  there is no comparison though with modern age and the 5 channels of TV in the 60s and 70s. now if the kids are not watching TV they are glued to their phone so its literally every waking moment and folks are massively dumber than they used to be. I only remember one obese kid in grade school and her parents let her drink Coca-Cola all day long. My parents did not even let us drink any soda.  maybe a single ginger ale if we were at someone Elses house. 

I love the way people walk across the street holding their phone with both hands eyes glued to it not looking where they’re going. I use my phone on the bus as I ride to work but generally only to listen to music on my headphones. Using your phone while driving is illegal in Australia with quite large fines but people still do it. I see them when I’m riding my motorcycle because you actually sit up higher and can look down in to their car (we don’t have the huge SUVs you guys have). 

I see them from my sprinter van. Stareing at your phone in public is so common now that martial arts instructors use it for self defense scenarios. 

The obesity epidemic, a public health disaster, has had a lot of attention from public health researchers and doctors in the last couple of decades.

The rise in obesity levels started well before the 90s and the widespread introduction of screens and phones. It’s quite hard to measure retrospectively but, in the US and UK at least, overall activity levels don’t seem to have changed much over the last 50 years. Generally speaking, less informal activity including in work ‘exercise’ but more formal exercise.

Probably diet is a bigger issue. Many have linked the rise of obesity to ultra-highly processed food: cheap, tasty but not very filling or nutritious so you come back for a second or third helping…

Meanwhile, on topic, I’m at Fair Head in Northern Ireland. It might be familiar to fans of Game of Thrones. The climbing is amazing and the weather has been unusually glorious. This is Michelle on Mizen Star, about 5.10b.

duncan...wrote:

The obesity epidemic, a public health disaster, has had a lot of attention from public health researchers and doctors in the last couple of decades.

The rise in obesity levels started well before the 90s and the widespread introduction of screens and phones. It’s quite hard to measure retrospectively but, in the US and UK at least, overall activity levels don’t seem to have changed much over the last 50 years. Generally speaking, less informal activity including in work ‘exercise’ but more formal exercise.

Probably diet is a bigger issue. Many have linked the rise of obesity to ultra-highly processed food: cheap, tasty but not very filling or nutritious so you come back for a second or third helping…

Meanwhile, on topic, I’m at Fair Head in Northern Ireland. It might be familiar to fans of Game of Thrones. The climbing is amazing and the weather has been unusually glorious. This is Michelle on Mizen Star, about 5.10b.

That looks extremely cool

Gym climbing today with sore abs because I've been doing kettlebell, rock rings and ab roller workouts. I'm guessing I can sustain the workout fling for maybe a couple of days more, if that, before I slide back in to doing no training, no stretching, no warmups and just climbing.

I was able to finish the roof route I posted a video of me failing on the other day; today there was clapping instead of cried of 'boo, boo' from the crew, so I'm chuffed.  Also chuffed about losing some fat and getting down to 65.1 kilos and 12.9% BF.  

https://youtu.be/tlqQBawTVsM

Phylp ^^ the shop in Yosemite used to be well stocked. I'm not sure anymore. Maybe Mike A. will tell us. He's gotta be over 60. Sorry 50

I got out this morning for some climbing with Bob and wound up sitting in my car for awhile afterwards just feeling floods of gratitude. What can I say about the thrll of learning how to climb these incredible rocks? What an amazing late-life gift.

This overhanging face climbing feels all new to me.  Hips in, trusting feet and not relying on hands and arms.  I kept saying to myself “Save your arms.” I had a mix of feelings… sadness that I can’t bring more to the climbs (yet), joy when I can be bold or get some of it done. By the 3rd route my arms were pumped and fingers losing grip strength… I could SEE the moves but couldn’t hang on to them all the way to the top.  On the other hand what a trip watching Bob climb these routes.  (New Jersey Dome.  Pics by “shoe cam”)

When I got home I immediately checked on my.tomato forest and can certify that there are no bugs—not a single worm on any plant.  So going forward if any worms should suddenly appear I will know that “someone” put them there, probably in the dead of night.  

duncan...wrote:

The obesity epidemic, a public health disaster, has had a lot of attention from public health researchers and doctors in the last couple of decades.

The rise in obesity levels started well before the 90s and the widespread introduction of screens and phones. It’s quite hard to measure retrospectively but, in the US and UK at least, overall activity levels don’t seem to have changed much over the last 50 years. Generally speaking, less informal activity including in work ‘exercise’ but more formal exercise.

Probably diet is a bigger issue. Many have linked the rise of obesity to ultra-highly processed food: cheap, tasty but not very filling or nutritious so you come back for a second or third helping…

Meanwhile, on topic, I’m at Fair Head in Northern Ireland. It might be familiar to fans of Game of Thrones. The climbing is amazing and the weather has been unusually glorious. This is Michelle on Mizen Star, about 5.10b.

+1.  Cheap "junk" food could well be the single most significant factor, among several.

Fair Head looks awesome and big.

Philip and phylp :)

Somehow KL, Kataki, and Otaki all fit me well. All size 39. But I am going to get a pr of siz 38.5 of Otaki as well.
I wear the Women's version of Kataki and Otaki.  No yellow!

Well, as we all know the world is fucked, including the human species. And now we're hearing there's secret programs retrieving non human technical vehicles as they were called in the news snippet. Probably crap but it does make one wonder what sort of human pet the aliens would favour; fat and immobile or active? I think there'll be a market for both, I mean who doesn't like a fat cuddly cat AND a lean active happy puppy?

I'm preparing to be a lean active happy puppy by doing another kettlebell workout today. I'm surprised by my tenacity, maybe I'm motivated by a desire for alien love?

The workout's pretty easy by any judgement but I haven't done any exercise (other than climbing 3 to 4 days a week) for years.  Hopefully I'll keep it up and transition to actually lifting weights again, I miss things like close grip bench presses on the Smith machine, lat pulldowns and EZ bar curls.  

We'd make great pets...

https://youtu.be/mFkRvF8MeYM