New and experienced climbers over 50 # 25

My pops played in softball leagues into his late 60's before he hung em up.

Hi Guyzo, I lurk here occasionally when not at the WF site.

Hope you are doin well,

Cheers!

The  primitive Biathlon that i do has a crazy division 16 to 60. now I am in the 60 to 70 category except i shoot pistol which has no age category. only thing that saves me is that there are no young kids competing. 

Randywrote:

I do occasionally race Cross Country MTB -- which races have multiple age (and racing level) categories. "Masters" can mean whatever the organizers decide, but should be old enough to account for the effects of time (age) on performance, yet capture a large enough group to make it worthwhile. Maybe 50+?

I'm sure you've seen it... those 50+ categories in MTB races can be uber competitive and have some of the strongest riders of all the categories.

Greg Oplandwrote:

I'm sure you've seen it... those 50+ categories in MTB races can be uber competitive and have some of the strongest riders of all the categories.

There are absolutely some 50+ monsters in cycling…sometimes to their detriment. In 2013 my teammate (a decent cyclist, but not a “monster”) won the 50+ state crit title. He attacked with half a lap to go, and the really strong riders just stared at each other, waiting to see who would chase. By the time they started their chase/sprint, Cal was practically over the line. 

Greg Oplandwrote:

I'm sure you've seen it... those 50+ categories in MTB races can be uber competitive and have some of the strongest riders of all the categories.

Yeah. I have a theory about cycling. It's where the best athletes from OTHER sports all end up after 50 when their knees can no longer take the pounding. I know so many amazing 50+ riders. 

Isa and I just got back from a week road trip that had 5 days of climbing. I started it with two days with my friend Steve so I got six consecutive days and 7 total. Isa Is pretty gimpy with her knee but was able to follow up to 5.9 and even did some leading later in the week. we called ourselves Whimpy and Gimpy.  For starters we cruised over to Mt Forest NH and climbed some run out slab.

It was so nice and our first time at the crag that after camping on forest circus land we came back the next morning and did two more routes. Ran into Judy and joe Perez who are still climbing and putting up new routes in their 80s. 

after a night in wall mart lot we hit up Barret's Cove ME for some spicy trad. We did a nice 3 pitch rig that had a dicy start. perhaps it was because i don't carry tri cams anymore but seemed like no real gear for the first 50ft. a sideways #4 micro stopper and a 3 lobes of an offset cam at about 40ft got me to a decent micro cam placement and upwards. the next two pitches were steep and fun. 

after lobster, steamers and a swim we head north

northern Maine is desolate in spots. After checking out Cloud Nine  Motel 

another beautiful day and we find limestone sport in a secluded cove in St John NB

Isa even tried an easy lead. 

after a nice private swim in the cove we head twords the bay of Fundi and crash on top of a mountain on some sort of work road. 

lots of wildflowers and some wild raspberries. As i am takeing pictures of the flowers I see what I think are hundreds of acers of blue flowers. to my pleasant surprise they are not flowers.

after a picking spree and breakfast we check out the bay of Fundi. apparently it has the largest tide change in the world at 21ft. Prey wild place.

The fisherman can only go out and come in at high tide. 

it was low tide when we walked out into the bay but when the tide came in it happened so fast that we got surrounded by water and had to boogie for a bit. 

an investigation of Prince Edward Island was in order. we ended up in Thunder bay

The weather looked good again in St John so we went back to the limestone cove. 

I led some fun routes

Isa led an easy one at the end of the day. 

another swim

breakfast on a dock in the bay of Fundy at low tide

Lots of birds

a swim below a waterfall with more eagles

and then a dreary day and a half drive through Rangely ME  and Erol NH in the rain. 

Greg Oplandwrote:

I'm sure you've seen it... those 50+ categories in MTB races can be uber competitive and have some of the strongest riders of all the categories.

This is so true! 50+ is rife with former pros and elite riders.

Fortunately, the races I have done recently have both 60-64 and 65+ (and some have 70+) categories. While there are a number of super strong guys in the 65+, it isn't so bad that you can't feel somewhat competitive.

Looks like a great trip Nick. Excellent pictures. Fundy is a pretty unique place. Blueberries look pretty good too!!!!

Alan. I will have to ask Isa what the name of that crag in St John was. its a relatively flat hike of about a mile? and perhaps 25 routes 5.5 to 5.12

That trip looks amazing Nick! How many miles did you rack up? I’ve never spent any time in the NE. It’s on my need to do list. We lived in Ontario for several years and did a lot of climbing on the Niagara enscarpment (all limestone trad). Wish we’d had time in our lives back then to explore more. Glad Isa’s knee allowed her to climb some! 

Hey Nick, not sure that gimpy is the proper adjective for Isa after looking at your pictures!

I think it was about 1500 miles. Did a fair bit of meandering.  Bob, her knee is all torn up. Iceing every day and PT etc. 

Great looking trip, Nick!

Nice Nick.

My wife's family are all in Maine and 2 years ago took the van for a 6 week visit.

Lobster and steamer clams are always the gastronomic highlight of the trip.

Hang loose, Tad

Wow, Nick!  Beautiful pictures!  This is a trip that couldn't be nicer.  As I sat scrolling through your pictures this morning, after pouring myself a bowl of wild blueberries... how great it would be to have picked them myself.  That field looks wonderful.  And all that water!  How great that you two could go do this.  Thanks for sharing.

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Well, I don't want to stir up controversy... and maybe I will delete this later... but I can't talk about it anywhere else.  Tony and I were wanting to see a movie, and our two choices were Barbie and Oppenheimer.  For sure, we'll at least see Oppenheimer.  But the controversy around Barbie gets me worked up, because I don't have a single girlfriend who disagrees with the premise--ie. that women have been held back, downtrodden, forced to be pretty and nice and sexy in order to have a seat in the world.  The all-white male establishment rules the world.  

I wonder how you all feel about this.  

It's simply never been my experience.  It has always felt like an advantage to be female.  My thoughts on this began to change when I took a full year of women's studies at UCLA, right at the time of the Women's Rights movement, Gloria Steinem, Simone de Beauvoir, etc.  I was enjoying every minute of these lectures, until I wasn't.  The night before our final bluebook exam, I was up until 3 a.m. reviewing... and had something of an enlightenment moment.  I realized I wouldn't trade places with men for anything in the world.  Not their restrictions in what they could be, do, wear, say.  Not the tight box men had to live within.  I wrote for 4 hours that day, and got an A- on the test iln a class of 200 feminists.

As I had children, and then started my own business, I always felt at advantage being a woman.  Where it was a hard-driving business, at least in my relationships we were far more civil.  My male peers were constantly in battle, showering each other with vitriol and lots of lawsuits.  It was just a kind of animal-posturing that didn't come my way. Had I been a man having to strut in this way I would have had to quit. 

I don't want to ruin it for myself here... (how to say this correctly)... I don't believe I could be rock climbing today if I were a male.  Not this long, with this many questions/concerns/fears and frailties. I would be heckled right out of Joshua Tree.  I think my age works for me, too... sadly.  I am not expected to 'perform' or 'advance' quite as urgently as younger men.  People have been extraordinarily kind, and helpful.  And well-wishing.  I've been able to be playful in a way a man my age could not be (I am assuming).  I've been able to ask for help.  I've been allowed to fail.  And I can wear pink, purple, leopard skin... I can be sexual, or not.

Watching dudes... even Tony-like dudes... there is so much they dare not do or be.  I've just never had that burden to carry. 

So, right now, I don't feel 'me, too' (although I know plenty of women have been actually and really sexually assaulted).  I'm not jealous of the fact that "only" 45% of the CEO's in our country are women.  Maybe I'm just tired of the constant anger, the constant feeling offended about every fucking thing.  

Lori Milaswrote:

Wow, Nick!  Beautiful pictures!  This is a trip that couldn't be nicer.  As I sat scrolling through your pictures this morning, after pouring myself a bowl of wild blueberries... how great it would be to have picked them myself.  That field looks wonderful.  And all that water!  How great that you two could go do this.  Thanks for sharing.

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

Well, I don't want to stir up controversy... and maybe I will delete this later... but I can't talk about it anywhere else.  Tony and I were wanting to see a movie, and our two choices were Barbie and Oppenheimer.  For sure, we'll at least see Oppenheimer.  But the controversy around Barbie gets me worked up, because I don't have a single girlfriend who disagrees with the premise--ie. that women have been held back, downtrodden, forced to be pretty and nice and sexy in order to have a seat in the world.  The all-white male establishment rules the world.  

I wonder how you all feel about this. ...

So, right now, I don't feel 'me, too' (although I know plenty of women have been actually and really sexually assaulted).  I'm not jealous of the fact that "only" 45% of the CEO's in our country are women.  Maybe I'm just tired of the constant anger, the constant feeling offended about every fucking thing.  

The so-called "controversy" about Barbie is 98% manufactured marketing controversy.

I don't think anyone sane is going to argue with the premise that men, and particularly white men, have had and continue to have a disproportionate amount of power and benefits from our society. Sure, as you point out, there are advantages and disadvantages to that, but it's a pretty clear FACT.

I want to be clear I'm saying this without any rancor, but when you talk about attending UCLA and starting your own business etc. I'm sure you realize that is totally built on the shoulders of the generation of women who came before you and fought really hard for you to have the opportunity to study something other than Home Economics, nursing or teaching. And to even attend a great public university.

"As I had children, and then started my own business, I always felt at advantage being a woman. Where it was a hard-driving business, at least in my relationships we were far more civil. My male peers were constantly in battle, showering each other with vitriol and lots of lawsuits. It was just a kind of animal-posturing that didn't come my way. Had I been a man having to strut in this way I would have had to quit."

I think you are mixing up traits that are about you as an individual vs. you as a woman. Plenty of women are hard driving and contentious. I also know lots of men in business (including me) who aren't constantly in battle, showering vitriol and lawsuits. I think you would have done great in business if you had been a man. 

Andrew Ricewrote:

The so-called "controversy" about Barbie is 98% manufactured marketing controversy.

I don't think anyone sane is going to argue with the premise that men, and particularly white men, have had and continue to have a disproportionate amount of power and benefits from our society. Sure, as you point out, there are advantages and disadvantages to that, but it's a pretty clear FACT.

I want to be clear I'm saying this without any rancor, but when you talk about attending UCLA and starting your own business etc. I'm sure you realize that is totally built on the shoulders of the generation of women who came before you and fought really hard for you to have the opportunity to study something other than Home Economics, nursing or teaching. And to even attend a great public university.

"As I had children, and then started my own business, I always felt at advantage being a woman. Where it was a hard-driving business, at least in my relationships we were far more civil. My male peers were constantly in battle, showering each other with vitriol and lots of lawsuits. It was just a kind of animal-posturing that didn't come my way. Had I been a man having to strut in this way I would have had to quit."

I think you are mixing up traits that are about you as an individual vs. you as a woman. Plenty of women are hard driving and contentious. I also know lots of men in business (including me) who aren't constantly in battle, showering vitriol and lawsuits. I think you would have done great in business if you had been a man. 

Thank you, Andrew!  My mother was one such woman.  But no matter the struggle for me, getting into college, starting that business, and BEGGING for money to get that first XP computer at $7k... I never felt held back because I was a woman.  I felt held back because life was hard.  I think it's hard for everyone. 

I don't know if you bumped in Bill Maher's post on Barbie.  I thought it was spot on. 

"OK, "Barbie": I was hoping it wouldn't be preachy, man-hating, and a Zombie Lie - alas, it was all three. What is a Zombie Lie? Something that never was true but certain people refuse to stop saying it (tax cuts for the rich increase revenues, e.g.); OR something that USED to be true but no longer is, but certain people pretend it's still true. "Barbie" is this kind of Zombie Lie.

Spoiler alert, Barbie fights the Patriarchy. Right up to the Mattel board who created her, consisting of 12 white men! The Patriarchy! Except there's a Mattel board in real life, and it's 7 men and 5 women. OK, not perfect even-steven, but not the way the board IN THE MOVIE - which takes place in 2023 - is portrayed. And not really any longer deserving of the word "patriarchy." Yes, there was one, and remnants of it remain - but this movie is so 2000-LATE.

At one point the Barbies have to win over the Kens, and they are told to do it by pretending to act helpless and not know how to do stuff. Helen Gurley Brown called, she wants her premise back. Yes, that WAS a thing.  I saw "Barbie" with a woman in her 30s who said, "I don't know a single woman of any age who would act like that today."

I know, I know, 'How could I know about the patriarchy, I AM a man!' That argument is so old and so silly. Of course, none of us can know exactly what others go through life, but I can see the world around me, and I can read data. The real Mattel board is a pretty close mirror of the country, where 45% of the 449 board seats filled last year in Fortune 500 companies were women. Truth is, I'm not the one who's out of step - I'm living in the year we're living in. Barbie is fun, I enjoyed it - but it IS a #ZombieLie. And people who don't go along with zombie lies did not take some red pill - just staying true to CURRENT reality. Let's live in the year we're living in! Hi Ken!!!"  

Lori Milaswrote:

Thank you, Andrew!  My mother was one such woman.  But no matter the struggle for me, getting into college, starting that business, and BEGGING for money to get that first XP computer at $7k... I never felt held back because I was a woman.  I felt held back because life was hard.  I think it's hard for everyone. 

I don't know if you bumped in Bill Maher's post on Barbie.  I thought it was spot on. 

I did. Here's what I wrote to Bill back.

"Oh no! A movie about plastic dolls coming to life that doesn’t hew perfectly to reality! Next I want to hear your feelings about the realistic air combat flying in Top Gun!"

Nick, I think it’s great that you have the bandwidth to take so many great photos when out on your adventures. Especially solo!  I almost never take photos when I’m out climbing with one other person. Two days out with my friend D- not one photo. Yesterday there were three of us and at the very start I remembered to take one photo, then after that, put the phone away and promptly forgot to take more. 

Nick - looks like a nice use of the time.
Freewheeling fun!