New and Experienced Climbers Over 50 #26

Nimra Shaikh wrote:

First time a bot seems to be at a loss for words.

I would advise using an extra knobby rear tire for overhangs when using a go pro.

RGold, have you considered getting a job at Walmart?    

Having never heard of a 360 camera, I took a peak on Amazon.  With 1938 positive ratings, it seems the way to go.  So, back with the second GoPro, and grab this camera?  

Insta360 X3 - Waterproof 360 Action Camera with 1/2" 48MP Sensors, 5.7K 360 Active HDR Video, 72MP 360 Photo, 4K Single-Lens, 60fps Me Mode, Stabilization, 2.29" Touchscreen, AI Editing, Live Stream

This is one of those items I wonder if I would use much.  The desire for pictures is starting to collide with my free-spirit need to go all natural.  

Watching the video I posted a few days ago of two climbers on Solid Gold... I've been asking about this route for some years, and it's likely I will never see it.  Even more likely that I will never get to climb it.  But the GoPro video was great, showing the rock, the edges, and that second pitch. It was a 'you are there' experience.  

Russ, I feel you have a calling.  I don't know what it is just yet.  Maybe just to make people laugh.  For sure it's to straight shoot situations wherever you see them.  

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I have been struggling with pain in both knees and my low back, ever since I started Torturers Apprentice.  Bob suggested maybe it's time to lay off slab for awhile until they both heal.  THEY'RE HEALED!     Ok... I'm lying.  But they're getting better.  

I've downplayed my penchant for slab... how hard it is.  Bob said it's not what it appears to be... it requires power, powerful fingers, back and legs.  I keep thinking yea, for vertical and overhanging routes, of course.  But these slab routes are not chump change.  And I feel they are my calling.    I'd like to get back to Torturers ASAP.  

Where's Colden?  I'm worried about him.  Vampires are out now... polar bears, ice.  Anything could happen. 

rgoldwrote:

Lori, not trying to convince you of anything, but climbers wear backpacks all the time on routes longer than a pitch or two, and there is the specialized waist strap option as well.  Nothing dangerous about it, especially for a top-roped follower.  One possible awkwardness would be having the pole bump into a ceiling if one has to climb directly under it, but this is a predictable situation so easily avoided.  Another problem might be damage to the camera, especially if the climber falls off, spins around, and hits the wall facing out.  Taking photo gear on a climb always comes with risks to the gear, but as someone who once dropped a pack 1500 feet with a lovely Nikon in it, the financial pain still hurts.

Here is a local guide, (Silas Rossi, IFMG) leading a Gunks 5.5 classic with a 360 degree camera mounted on a backpack-supported pole (and what must be a pretty long pole at that). He manages to get around a ceiling and some trees at the top.

Climbed this on my first visit to the Gunks, October 2021.  At the move shown at 3:40 in the video, I was glad to be following.  

Brandt Allenwrote:

Horseman is a beautiful looking route! The music is nice, too.

I'm guessing the music is by Silas's wife, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, who is a professional musician.  https://www.cbemusic.com/.

Lori, what’s the actual issue with the GoPro? To reiterate, I use mine on its tripod, I don’t climb with it, but I’ve also used it on a mount on my motorbike. 360° camera climbing footage from a helmet mount or other mount look even more horrible than GoPro. The newer GoPros have better stabilisation but you don’t really need that. You don’t need a backpack for it. Buy a chalk bag with a pocket or put the GoPro in a pocket. But if you’re going to do my as well take a phone to take pics of you standing triumphantly at try he belay as that way you also have access to a guide and maybe can phone in an emergency. Having said all that, the only equipment I take on a climb is climbing equipment, maybe walkytalkies if it’s a multipitch. 

A guide leading a 5.5 at the Gunks with a go-pro and an audience, now I've seen it all.

Carl, bless your heart! I really appreciate that. Virtually every time I have had a question here gets answered.   

Watching these various videos and reading through the responses I realize that I don’t want to make a feature-length film. There are just moments when I am climbing that I wish I could capture a minute or two or even a still shot without having to pull a camera out of my pocket and try to make it work while climbing. The things I want to photograph are just incidental along the way. because I’m usually 50 to 75 feet up on a route when the urge strikes and it’s too far away to capture from a ground camera. 

I like taking close-up pictures of the granite here. I would love to have been able to get 60 seconds of my efforts on the thin crack up on Trix just so we could discuss where I fucked it up. There’s a crux move on the torturers apprentice that I would like to view. So really if I could slap a GoPro on my helmet just  to get those few important moments I think it would be all I need.  I don’t need to set it to music and I don’t need to choreograph anything.

That chalk there is my move and I struggled on it. I think there might be another easier sequence! I’d like to film those holds while I am climbing them.

Also, it would be cool if I could capture clips like the below as birds-eye view.  

So maybe it’s a basic GoPro after all?  

Lori Milaswrote:

.......

So maybe it’s a basic GoPro after all?  

Or just get one of your Meth head neighbors to record you with an iPad in exchange for some crack   .

Lori… a go-pro will not help you at all. I think if you want to learn about “what’s wrong” or what “am I missing” using audio visual aids will require some others to help you get the shots. And you will need others to do the climbs also so you have something to compare yourself with.
We do it in go-karting when trying to coach drivers. A photo of someone off-line, pushing the brake pedal early, turning the steering wheel for to long is a great way to teach/show mistakes. We just superimpose video over video.
So I guess what you want to know are answers about technique - crack climbing is better learned on the ground when someone can show you what you’re doing wrong and how you correct it. Or what holds you’re missing or if you need to “go up right hand first” for example.
My recommendation is to get out and boulder with someone who will show you your mistakes and bad tendencies. I’m extremely lucky to have had great teachers like Bob Kamps, Mark Powell and my friends to do the demonstrations.
I don’t know how Brother Bob conducts business but I bet he does more than just belay you.
You may wonder why many of us stress the importance of “mileage”. Mileage puts you into similar conditions encountered- but at a lower grade- that is how one learns the craft.
Keep getting out and trying hard- that’s your path. Look back on the last 4 years and you’ll agree that you have made huge improvements. Especially for someone who is way old.

Guy Keeseewrote:

Especially for someone who is way old.

LOL, Guy.  Thanks for the laugh.

xo Phyl

Guy Keeseewrote:

You may wonder why many of us stress the importance of “mileage”. Mileage puts you into similar conditions encountered- but at a lower grade- that is how one learns the craft.

^^^

This will help you more than you can possibly realize. 

You can then sprinkle in a "project" route occasionally, but it should be 80% or more routes that you can do without falling, and as many as you can do.

Lori Milaswrote:

Why isn’t anyone talking about what they’ve been cooking lately?  Tony made an excellent turkey pot pie for dinner with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and yellow peppers.

I agree:

I haven't been climbing lately, (long, very boring story..); but...

Small portion of 70+ Chef's Salads packed up for a Meals on Wheels program.

Maine steamer clams in garlicky tomato sauce.

Spicy cauliflower tacos from Bent Hill Brewery in Braintree VT... All plant based, and some of the best "elevated pub food" I've eaten...  And the beer is pretty good, also.

I have a Polish cousin, he and his wife came to visit; I prepared a "typical" Polish meal. From bottom to top of photo: kielbasa from a local butcher (absolutely no relation to "Hillshire Farm Kielbasa,") home-made garlic-dill pickles, home-made pickled red beets,  in the small dish in middle there's horseradish made by a local woman, platter of pirogies, (pan-fried with onions in canola oil and butter. The onions are cooked first in butter so they're almost caramelized.) The last bowl is sauerkraut with caraway seeds.  Seems to me, "pickling" is a big part of of Eastern European cooking.

A sausage shop in Wroclaw, Poland. 

Back at my "retirement job..." A less than attractive view of 120 servings of a fantastic lentil soup and 10 serving (in the small sauce pan to the right) of a vegan version...

ed " 'I eat to live'; but 'living to eat, has a strong attraction..'.'' e

ps. A little "head light" chef action...

My goodness, Ed look at you, what a spread! When do we get our invitation for dinner?

My childhood best friend was Polish and her mother spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and was offended if I wouldn’t accept a third and fourth helping of everything. My favorites were a dish called knedle and another dish I called guampke. I think the first was a black plum wrapped in a potato dough and boiled like a dumpling and drizzled with butter and brown sugar and cinnamon. That’s about 2000 cal.   The other was basically a cabbage roll, but oh my what an incredible meal. And after stuffing ourselves with all that food, when I would finally say that I was too full for another serving my friends mom would pout and say “you don’t like it “.

So you just don’t stop! Looks like you’ve spent weeks cheffing.  keep posting those pictures!

Lori Milaswrote:

Carl, bless your heart! I really appreciate that. Virtually every time I have had a question here gets answered.   

Watching these various videos and reading through the responses I realize that I don’t want to make a feature-length film. There are just moments when I am climbing that I wish I could capture a minute or two or even a still shot without having to pull a camera out of my pocket and try to make it work while climbing. The things I want to photograph are just incidental along the way. because I’m usually 50 to 75 feet up on a route when the urge strikes and it’s too far away to capture from a ground camera. 

I like taking close-up pictures of the granite here. I would love to have been able to get 60 seconds of my efforts on the thin crack up on Trix just so we could discuss where I fucked it up. There’s a crux move on the torturers apprentice that I would like to view. So really if I could slap a GoPro on my helmet just  to get those few important moments I think it would be all I need.  I don’t need to set it to music and I don’t need to choreograph anything.

That chalk there is my move and I struggled on it. I think there might be another easier sequence! I’d like to film those holds while I am climbing them.

Also, it would be cool if I could capture clips like the below as birds-eye view.  

So maybe it’s a basic GoPro after all?  

It does sound to me a GoPro would do the trick. Use voice commands. You can just say ‘GoPro take a photo’ or ‘GoPro start recording’ etc. Using voice commands does suck the battery. I’d recommend a spare battery. 

Carl Schneiderwrote:

It does sound to me a GoPro would do the trick. Use voice commands. You can just say ‘GoPro take a photo’ or ‘GoPro start recording’ etc. Using voice commands does suck the battery. I’d recommend a spare battery. 

My goodness, Carl! You have kept your light under a bushel! Now I’m wondering what else you know that you have not shared. 

As it turns out, I had already returned the GoPro 8  and had ordered the GoPro 10 during the discussion we were having here so I figured I would just crack open the box when it arrived and see if it was any good. The GoPro 8 was horrid, so I was really surprised when they GoPro 10 set up in about five minutes with almost no effort on my part. I took off on one of my longer hikes yesterday just to see how it records. It just about used up the whole battery so you’re right that an extra battery can’t hurt.

Of course, I personally think my movie production was so outstanding that Everyone should be waiting with bated breath to see all 57 minutes of my sojourn, including stumbling over rocks and continually looking right and left and behind me.
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What’s everyone doing over this holiday? I’m pretty sure Nick is out there in the ice and snow. I still don’t know what Colden is up to.

I am hoping to get out and try to find some ice  friday. plan on getting fat thursday... 

Lori - Be sure to bob your head up and down a lot so we viewers can get the full vertigo effect.

 

Back home to slushy snow and cold rain.  Made a really big link on the Monolith sit start on our last day of the trip, but no send.  Next time!

Happy Polar Night to everyone! Sun has disappeared below the horizon until the end of January. But we are not plunged into total darkness immediately. There are a few hours of twilight in the early afternoon. Getting out for a lunchtime ride is vital (IF the wind isn’t cranking). Aurora has returned with the increased darkness. Sometimes so close I feel like I can touch it. Or at least fly a kite into it. 

Looking due north from Barrow to the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean. My shadow in the lower left is as close as I get to taking selfies. :)

Hope everyone gives thanks, shares a great meal (or has a turkey sandwich solo) and then gets outside for a fun adventure!! 

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving