New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #31

Lori Milaswrote:

Hey Carl, I’ll admit I didn’t spend a lot of time working on this, but I tried to find a map of Australia to identify the area you live and where you usually travel to go Climbing and this long drive to the Blue mountains. It’s a little bit of a blur. Plus what’s going on there that these days are holidays?

The pictures you posted of this trip are beautiful. Personally, I also love pictures of the wide open country – – kind of like a prairie?  What and who is out there? 

Gosh, just a few years ago you were playing with your brand new rack and getting ready to head out for some triad climbing. You’ve come along way baby!

—-

I was back at King Dome yesterday wishing I would keep better notes for posterity. I have a more clinical eye toward this aging thing. Five weeks ago I could barely make it up a 5.4 route and I thought this might be it for me. But each week of climbing I have regained a lot of the strength and balance that I thought I had lost.

You all have been working on your boulder problems and I have been looking at my wall of rock as one big vertical boulder problem.  It’s beautiful and frustrating at the same time. I rewatch videos of my outings and wish I could move faster. I was deliberating yesterday whether it would be better to hustle and fall (on top rope) or to be as slow and deliberate as I am naturally.  

I suck at GoPro.  All I got was a half hour of hands making their way up the wall. Maybe I have to adjust the angle somehow. So far I think Rich is right – – GoPro footage is not fun to watch. 

Lori, just use Google maps to Google Mount Torrens South Australia to Blackheath New South Wales.

By holidays I mean recreation leave. I get four weeks a year, plus one week retention leave plus long service leave. 

C Miller wrote:

Ha ha! Yep, just up the road from me.

On my iPhone this morning, something to be very grateful for.  Last February, while climbing in Steve Canyon I glanced up to see a climber on Sidewinder.    

Meanwhile, I was making my way up Grain Surgery.  I remember Bob shouting "Get your left foot out there, Lori!  OTHER left foot!"    

A friend called to tell me that he belayed a much younger climber on Dirty Tricks 5.11d.yesterday.    I wish I could find Jan's (FA) description of climbing it... basically "pull down like a mother and climb."  But it caught my attention in a special way... the most perfect smooth rock, impossible-looking route.  This is a reminder to get back to hangboarding... fingers, fingers.  

I wish I knew what was possible (for me).  I had a great time exploring this route, absolutely no chance of sending it, though.  Can I climb ANY of it, ever???  I'd be honored just to climb 1/4 of it.  Or just 'walk away'.  

Fingers, fingers!  

Lori Milaswrote:

On my iPhone this morning, something to be very grateful for.  Last February, while climbing in Steve Canyon I glanced up to see a climber on Sidewinder.    

Meanwhile, I was making my way up Grain Surgery.  I remember Bob shouting "Get your left foot out there, Lori!  OTHER left foot!"    

A friend called to tell me that he belayed a much younger climber on Dirty Tricks 5.11d.yesterday.    I wish I could find Jan's (FA) description of climbing it... basically "pull down like a mother and climb."  But it caught my attention in a special way... the most perfect smooth rock, impossible-looking route.  This is a reminder to get back to hangboarding... fingers, fingers.  

I wish I knew what was possible (for me).  I had a great time exploring this route, absolutely no chance of sending it, though.  Can I climb ANY of it, ever???  I'd be honored just to climb 1/4 of it.  Or just 'walk away'.  

 

Fingers, fingers!  

Hi… the correct thoughts should be “feet,feet” ….

Lori… good for you for getting out. Prime JT conditions going on right now.

So Carl… a 13 hour drive in 8… excellent!!

Guy Keeseewrote:

Hi… the correct thoughts should be “feet,feet” ….

Lori… good for you for getting out. Prime JT conditions going on right now.

So Carl… a 13 hour drive in 8… excellent!!

Ha ha!  Look at those feet Guy!  Did you ever see more perfect feet?  And yet I swear it’s something else that Bob is keeping a secret and I don’t yet have.  Jedi training.  Magic.  Someday I will be knighted and given the light saber and up I’ll go!  

How’s that grandbaby Guy?  

Lori Milaswrote:

Ha ha!  Look at those feet Guy!  Did you ever see more perfect feet?  And yet I swear it’s something else that Bob is keeping a secret and I don’t yet have.  Jedi training.  Magic.  Someday I will be knighted and given the light saber and up I’ll go!  

How’s that grandbaby Guy?  

Lori… the granddaughters are just fine. Lochley enjoyed her 1 month birthday by barfing up a few times- but she gets over “it” quickly. Valia enjoyed her 2nd Birthday and now knows what wrapped boxes are good for. She enjoyed “trick or treat” - but Mom took away the best stuff without her knowing. She isn’t talking yet but she knows how to sign “thank you” in ASL…. Thanks to “Miss Rachel” … (if you don’t know who she is, you’re old) So knocking on the neighbors doors was very fun- but she wasn’t going for the scary stuff at all!

Re feet…. The secret is to not trust that they will stay latched on to the stone but you stand up anyway…. You think “this is impossible to comprehend!” but you stand up anyway… over and over again….

One “trick” to accomplish this is to never hi-step unless you have a great hand hold to pull with.
(forget all that boasting Jan does about “steel fingers” ….) If you don’t have a great hand hold, hang on the best you can and take “a baby step” without getting out of balance and push up on that. Wash the belief that you must “feel secure” out from your mind - you’re not crack climbing - embrace the sketch and everything will be OK.

Keep this in mind- you need to listen to Bob. He is a master at this stuff. Accept the “I’m going to die- but that doesn’t matter right now”.

Good luck 

Went back to the Happy boulders yesterday and failed to complete the problem I so very much wanted to and went to bed a little bit down.  Today I went to the buttermilks with my family and my good friend, got up a few problems didn’t get up a bunch more and had a great time all around.   Tomorrow I get to be team daycare provider and my fingers are gonna thank me.

Guy Keeseewrote:

So Carl… a 13 hour drive in 8… excellent!!

No no, I did it in two days, two seven hour drives :-)

I stopped at Hay on the Hay plains overnight.

Great footwork advice from Guy. Now if only I could consistently put it into practice!

Guy Keeseewrote:

Re feet…. The secret is to not trust that they will stay latched on to the stone but you stand up anyway…. You think “this is impossible to comprehend!” but you stand up anyway… over and over again….

Brings back a memory of making the 2nd ascent of Robbin's Queenpin in the SD Needles in the 1960s. How did he put in that bolt?

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/127254723/further-climbing-bans-at-dyurritemt-arapiles-punks-in-the-gym-to-be-chopped-the-

Guy Keeseewrote:

Lori… the granddaughters are just fine. Lochley enjoyed her 1 month birthday by barfing up a few times- but she gets over “it” quickly. Valia enjoyed her 2nd Birthday and now knows what wrapped boxes are good for. She enjoyed “trick or treat” - but Mom took away the best stuff without her knowing. She isn’t talking yet but she knows how to sign “thank you” in ASL…. Thanks to “Miss Rachel” … (if you don’t know who she is, you’re old) So knocking on the neighbors doors was very fun- but she wasn’t going for the scary stuff at all!

Re feet…. The secret is to not trust that they will stay latched on to the stone but you stand up anyway…. You think “this is impossible to comprehend!” but you stand up anyway… over and over again….

One “trick” to accomplish this is to never hi-step unless you have a great hand hold to pull with.
(forget all that boasting Jan does about “steel fingers” ….) If you don’t have a great hand hold, hang on the best you can and take “a baby step” without getting out of balance and push up on that. Wash the belief that you must “feel secure” out from your mind - you’re not crack climbing - embrace the sketch and everything will be OK.

Keep this in mind- you need to listen to Bob. He is a master at this stuff. Accept the “I’m going to die- but that doesn’t matter right now”.

Good luck 

Guy, over the years you have managed to say exactly the right thing at the right time.  So thank you for this post.

I realized that half the time I spend on a route is literally testing each improbable hold and feeling pretty sure it won’t hold, but I don’t see another option, so I carefully step up on it and shocked to discover it held. Rinse and repeat. But with such a sense of wonder. “How in hell am I doing this?”

As for Bob, I think he is saving his best secrets until he decides whether I’m serious about climbing.   but seriously, it has been my great good fortune to have had this incredible adventure – – so totally unexpected at this time of my life – – and to have found Bob as my mentor. I thank him all the time because honestly I don’t know if I could tolerate teaching someone like me. I have never once heard the aggravation in his voice that I would be feeling if I were watching someone struggle on a route.

So I am picturing you and Jan at your secret fishing spot debating fingers of steel versus feet over one of those bottles of fine wine.  You let me know what you decide.

BTW… To distract from election day, I have been listening to a podcast on The Struggle With two scientists who have tested various finger tendon strength methods. To their surprise, they found that long, easy very lightweight hangs worked better than serious loading protocols.  Like hanging for 10 minutes twice a day with feet on the floor, just slow and easy.  

The Abra-hang protocol came out some time ago and in further studies was shown to be ineffective. One of those things that "if it appears too good to believe, it probably is!"

Baar is best known (by me, anyway) for his research into collagen supplements for tendon health. He makes a good case for it, but I've seen others point out some weaknesses in his work.

Carl. Sorry about your access issues. Such a bummer when that stuff happens. People just like to say no. 

John Gillwrote:

Brings back a memory of making the 2nd ascent of Robbin's Queenpin in the SD Needles in the 1960s. How did he put in that bolt?

John, Robbins stood on a big flake to place that bolt.  The flake subsequently fractured and fell off, leaving a bolt that was hard to clip while hanging on, with no possibility of getting hands-free to drill.

I hope your election goes well and you get the result you should get. I hope everyone is safe and things remain civilised. We’re thinking of you as you go through difficult times. 

rgoldwrote:

John, Robbins stood on a big flake to place that bolt.  The flake subsequently fractured and fell off, leaving a bolt that was hard to clip while hanging on, with no possibility of getting hands-free to drill.

Thanks, Rich. On and off over the years I've wondered about that. I'm not sure mine was the second ascent. Renn Fenton (RIP) belayed me.

Brandt Allenwrote:

The Abra-hang protocol came out some time ago and in further studies was shown to be ineffective. One of those things that "if it appears too good to believe, it probably is!"

Baar is best known (by me, anyway) for his research into collagen supplements for tendon health. He makes a good case for it, but I've seen others point out some weaknesses in his work.

Struggle Climbing Show is soon to post an episode about a recent study using this protocol.  From the teaser, it looks like the combination of no hangs and max hangs did better than either separately.  The episode should drop soon.

Carl Schneiderwrote:

I hope your election goes well and you get the result you should get. I hope everyone is safe and things remain civilised. We’re thinking of you as you go through difficult times. 

Thanks, Carl!

Ward Smithwrote:

Struggle Climbing Show is soon to post an episode about a recent study using this protocol.  From the teaser, it looks like the combination of no hangs and max hangs did better than either separately.  The episode should drop soon.

Wouldn't a combination of no hangs and max hangs just be max hangs?