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New and experienced climbers over 50 #36
Buck Rogerswrote: Actually, he really isn't tough. He had an operation at four years old to remove his humerus and replace it with his fibula. First time it's ever been done. Other option was to amputate. While he still has two arms, one is a lot shorter and smaller than the other. he's also just generally a small person. At almost 18 he looks like he's 12. Imagine growing up as a young person with this little arm? So he almost always tries to cover up. He's so empathetic though. After leaving the cardiologist office he said to the doctor 'enjoy the rest of your day'. The doctor probably thought 'me enjoy my day? that's easy for me, harder for you...' He's watching the Trump show with interest; he despises the guy. He's quite interested in politics. Also very interested in film making, directors, etc. He can tell you everything about movies, who made what, when they made it, etc etc, right back to the first movie ever made, right back to Buster Keaton etc. I tried to get him to do some indoor bouldering once but with his short little arm it's a bit hard. Most times we spend time going to the movies or going out for lunch. He did come to Arapiles once with me but he hated it! |
fossilwrote: I generally agree with what you are saying. You need to have experience enough routes at a grade (and have sent them) to be able to use your experience to grade a route. However, sometimes very experienced climbers can grade a route that's easy for them at a grade that's arguably too low. They basically forget what hard feels like for someone who is climbing way below their current level. This is the same for any skill. You often here 'it's easy, you just do this...' Yeah, easy for YOU! But you have forgotten what it's like to be a beginner. That's what makes good trainers good trainers, they remember the errors beginners can make, and they know they must look out for beginners making those errors and give the student strategies to address them. Often, I'll say in a gym 'this boulder problem is not x grade, it's y grade'. And someone will say, well, yeah, but you're really good at crimps, or you're really strong, a climber who has JUST started climbing x grade WON'T find those crimps easy like you do... And anyway, it's all swings and roundabouts. We all know there is NO absolute definition of what ANY grade actually IS. 100 metres is 100 metres. A grade 21 is just an opinion of how the whole route (or even a part of the route) feels, and maybe what techniques (AKA funky beta) is required. I mean, there's even (apparently) 'fast' and 'slow' swimming pools!! |
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philip bonewrote: Ok Philip spill the beans, that thing to her left looks sweet. |
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A funny little video of me climbing. I always make a lot of funny sounds. |
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The rating is not the climb. Everyone who gets to the top of a line has earned an opinion of the difficulties. NO PERMIT IS REQUIRED. Where it gets tricky is arguing about it in a group. I once witnessed a debate about a route. I have never climbed the route in question, some line at Donner I've long since forgotten the name. I was just an observer in this debate. Long and short of it, friend of mine thought it was a letter grade or two easier than the designation. She made her case and defended it. This went on for a while, all friendly stuff. Then somehow, it got mentioned she's never led the route. The group turned on her, immediately. One guy said rather loudly that her argument was null and void, and she had no more say in the matter. That was pretty much it. She disengaged. And she was resentful over what she thought of as an attack. My take? The rating is not the climb. Everyone who gets to the top of a line has earned an opinion of the difficulties. NO PERMIT IS REQUIRED. Where it gets tricky is arguing about it in a group. |
fossilwrote: You are welcome to your opinion, but I think the difficulty rating of a climb is supposed to tell you how hard the climbing is. I've done many many many climbs where very unique sequences need to be figured out, but once they are the climb indeed feels correct for the grade. Those are rated for the "redpoint". Others are straightforward, and are rated for the "onsight". But truth to tell, both are simply rated for the difficulty of the movement required to send the climb (or pitch). Simplest to leave it at that. Once you realize that, you also realize that a clean TR ascent is just as good as a lead to make a judgement about the difficulty. As for people without technique rating a climb - I agree. While annoying, it's not a new phenomenon, and it's actually baked into a lot of ratings. For example, a 5.11a offwidth at Vedauwoo like Maxilash is miles harder than an 11a o/w at the Gunks like Low Exposure. That's because the Gunks climber has limited OW experience, and so rates the jamming as much harder than the Vedauwoo climber. I'm sure the same is true in reverse of roofs at the Gunks and elsewhere, though I can't think of any examples off the top of my head. GO |
 Anyone know this flower? |
Carl Schneiderwrote: Funny noise story from yesterday…I make a lot of random noises, even just walking. On the hike in to the cliff, my friend and I were talking about seeing rattlesnakes in pa. Everyone I know has seen one, but I have not. So, while hopping through talus below the cliff looking for new things to climb, I apparently made a noise that sounded exactly like a rattlesnake. And my friend jumped like two feet straight up. Whoops. Sorry about that! also, we did try a couple new things, but after I broke a foothold and all the handholds were wobblers in the first five feet, I backed off pdq. |
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So, let me add some of my own words of wisdom here... Fossil makes a lot of good points. Gabe does too. Lori, I have to say you're coming off as somewhat defensive in some of what you say. Toprope all you want and have fun, but your reasons/excuses for not leading fall a bit flat to me. |
philip bonewrote: Desert Peach. |
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Thank you Terry. I couldn’t find it in J M Laws. Maybe because I was looking at flowers instead of shrubs or outside the range of the book. |
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I found myself mumbling, as I was trying to hang onto a very thin face climb on Monday “Doggone that Kris! He climbed cactus flower four times and sauntered over to walk on the wild side and soloed that in an afternoon?“. I quit. I was out of strength and energy that day before I even started. Which is my way of saying the admiration I have for so many of you climbers. Actually, astonishment. So I thought I would go check out this Brain Death on my walk this morning. I didn’t get far. But I was told it’s more on the left side – – all I see very tiny crack topped by a flake. This is a four star 12d route? So many questions come to mind, including who the hell would have hiked back there to find this? This is not an obvious rock. It’s quite imposing the closer you get. 
As to my “excuses” for not lead Climbing…do I need to excuses? I mean, do I have to have reasons that satisfy people? The best reason I have is that I don’t want to! And I could fill a page with why I don’t want to. But that shouldn’t diminish routes that I or anyone else have climbed by top rope if they’re climbed honestly and reported accurately. On the positive side, the best I can say is that I am a 71 year-old non-athlete who has had the surprise of my life. I’ve been given a second adolescence. I’ve been gifted with an incredible mentor who has lead the way in a way that increases the odds I don’t kill myself. But I’ve been able to go outside every day and roam in every direction and daydream, and night dream—my gratitude for this place and this freedom knows no bounds. |
Lori Milaswrote: Excellent! That's a great attitude! |
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Back in the late 1980’s the tv show wide world of sports wanted to feature some sport climbing at Smith Rock. They gathered the finest talent available at the time (Alan Watts, Ron Kauk) and set them to work on Alan’s latest project, what would eventually become the climb “Just do it 5.14c”. Well, Just do it proved to be much too hard to fit into the fast paced time constrained world of tv, with our heroes lobbing off of it left and right, and no one being even close to a send. In frustration they set their sights on the spectacular line of the Backbone up the Monkey’s northwest arete. However, the first pitch of the Backbone refused to be tamed for the time constrained tv world, so our heroes wound up doing what is now known as Sheer Trickery 5.12c for a first pitch. Sheer Trickery starts with the Backbone arete, then steps onto the Northwest corner crack going up it until possible to step back to the arete at a point where it is 5.12- to the anchors. Thirty-six years later that first pitch of the arete still had not been free climbed despite several attempts by strong individuals. The latest Smith Rock guide book describes it like this… Project 5.14+? The entire edge of Sheer Trickery remains undone. There is some debate among elite climbers about whether it is even possible. On May 26th 2025 in an all out effort Kyle Higby did a free ascent of this remarkable line, and I was lucky enough to capture the crux sequence on camera. Here he is at the anchors, very happy.  |
 Yes I top rope now. Lori enjoy your summer! Be careful though, after a long layoff, it’s more difficult to get back to where you were. Trust me, you might discover the truth to the old saying…. “Use it or lose it” Carl…. Good on you. Looking forward to some TR action at COR. I have 2 rope guns signed up to assist me with my efforts. Gabe O ….. you are very wise. Thanks. I hope the amenities are open in Almo this trip. I’m there 6-8 to 6-11, site 63. Stop by, sit a spell, enjoy the whisky. C YA |
Guy Keeseewrote: That's a nice spot. Up the road a ways. I think P&V are up the hill past you. Tell 'em hi. Hoping to make it for a day or three...schedule juggling and we'll see. Cheers to hopefully good weather! |
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fossil, beautiful video! Kyle looks great on that crux. Momentous climb! Guy, thank you always for your friendship. And I will remember to stay/get strong this summer. Although I have a few rattlesnakes to jump over this season... looking forward to it. I'm just posting this here... because not two hours ago I was out admiring Brain Death and wishing I could see it climbed, and suddenly I have been given this video. This is Andrew Burch.
I am jealous I won't be able to attend COR. Just not in the cards this year. I hope you all have an incredible time, and post pictures and stories! |
fossilwrote: Awesome! That move at full extension, at 1:40 in the video, far above his last clip, reaching for a sloper, and presumably pumped out of his mind, must have been very exciting. Dare I say, committing? I'm curious, how tall is he? Looks like that move would not go for sometime any shorter. Edited to add, I looked it up and it seems he's 5'7". So height would not be the limiting factor for most climbers. Anyway, great capture of a great send. Congrats to you both! GO |
Lori Milaswrote: I gave up after almost a minute of nothing but watching him chalking up his hands and shoes. |
