New and experienced climbers over 50 #37

Out at the remote crag today.  Great weather, 9 out of 10 for June. My brother did this new V1 problem down in the boulders. The younger crew of hard men found our crag, all good people, and one of them beta flashed my 12d 15 bolt route. 

dragonswrote:

I was at the Gunks a bunch in '23-'24, so there may have been overlaps there. I followed City Lights twice, in 2014 and then 2024, so that was likely someone else you met. We were in the Gunks only for a short span in 2019, from Sep 30 to Oct 6.

That was probably it then. It was in June both years. 

What is a beta flash?

A new friend getting a taste of granite 

There goes another hundred vehicles to Nova Scotia at 50mph!

The Cat!

Jan Mcwrote:

Lori, I think that crack is Semi Tough.

Yes. Fun, but short thin crack with crux down low. 

IIRC, Tonic Boom climbs the arete and you make the incredibly long and powerful move right to the crack. Having a positive 4" ape index helped me eventually get the move.

Tic Tic Boom is a much better climb imo, you do the crux of Rainy Day Dream Away, then climb up and left, joining Tonic Boom.

M Mwrote:

What is a beta flash?

A new friend getting a taste of granite 

There goes another hundred vehicles to Nova Scotia at 50mph!

We hope to be aboard the Cat later in August--haven't been up to Nova Scotia to visit Helen's relatives since before COVID--looking forward to the trip.

A 'beta flash' is climbing a route that you haven't been on before, but with verbal information assisting in the ascent ( either a little or a lot and either before starting or while on the climb).

we Love Acadia in the off season. 

Isa and I got out sports climbing today. 

Isa playing with my new fishing pole. 

there was really only one climb there that we have done so far that the stick clip was necessary. 

Isa flashed a 10a which was pretty cool because we have not been climbing very hard since her knee surgery. 

Sounds like they caught that slimeball douchebag in MN. Fuck him, and the ‘smelly dead horse’s asshole’ he rode in on.

Lori Milaswrote:

This goes in the category of “how did he do this?“ And it’s just bothered me. 

Fossil — WOW!  You did this?    Thank you so much! HOW did you do it?   This is impressive!!! 

I sat there yesterday (again!) and stared at this thing and thought what the heck??? Where does it even begin and where is this reach/leap?    So now I have the visual.  

The hardest part about exploring these routes is knowing I will never climb them.  Although for just a moment I thought maybe I could climb Rainy Day Dream Away???   Just one hard 11 jug up and the rest 10 something???  

I’m going to the gym this morning to work on my pull-up, (singular  ) )

Alan Rubinwrote:

A 'beta flash' is climbing a route that you haven't been on before, but with verbal information assisting in the ascent ( either a little or a lot and either before starting or while on the climb).

So I have always thought that a "Flash" was knowing some beta prior to attempting a route and then sending it clean first go.

I guess that you are using "beta Flash" differently here in regards to possibly knowing nothing about the route until you start it and then receiving verbal beta while on it?

I've never heard the term "beta Flash" before.

Buck Rogerswrote:

So I have always thought that a "Flash" was knowing some beta prior to attempting a route and then sending it clean first go.

I guess that you are using "beta Flash" differently here in regards to possibly knowing nothing about the route until you start it and then receiving verbal beta while on it?

I've never heard the term "beta Flash" before.

While I'm no expert on current iterations of the meaning of climbing jargon, my understanding of a 'flash'--is doing a climb first try but with some information about how to accomplish the climb. Such information could come in various forms--for example such as watching someone else climb it--in person or via video. So, to my understanding, a 'beta flash' is a sub-category where the information is conveyed verbally--and probably fairly detailed, at least for some crucial section of the climb that would be very hard to work out on-sight. I could be mistaken, of course, but that is my interpretation.

There are some nice, yet small sport crags around Halifax, definitely not destination quality but 100% fun still. I remember one crag specifically where we had the place to ourselves and a couple came and plopped their baby down right under the overhang I was climbing. I had to let them know that wasn't smart mid crux. It was amazingly stupid! I guess their hit list was overriding common sense?

The political violence is at the highest levels I have ever witnessed , I hope everyone has some contingency plans for when things go fully sideways in this country. It seems as if the president is now openly encouraging violence. Mid term elections, if they happen, are going to be a huge mess. WTF 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

we Love Acadia in the off season. 

Absolutely beautiful 65 degree day yesterday and we had the entire south wall to ourselves until 11am, it was shocking. Town is full as can be too, I can tell by the slow internet and poor connections to the cellular towers. I think everyone is Instagramming all morning.

Glad to hear lots of folks got our to their local No Kings Marches, and sounds like they all had a good turnout!  The one here is Boston also had a good turnout.  It happened to coincide with our Pride March.  I've read comments from others that the mash-up of the two was great, and self-reinforcing.  I hope that's true.  My feeling was that the Pride March completely overwhelmed the No Kings event in Boston.  Mostly in terms of organization, as there were tons of people with Anti-Trump signs, but just kind of randomly milling around through various Pride events.  I left after an hour, feeling like a footnote.

Of course it was raining, as it seems to do every single Saturday in New England, for... what are we up to now, fifteen weeks in a row?  But Sunday was nice.  Cloudy, cool, but *dry*!

I got out with another Dad, on what I guess is now our second annual trip to Hanging Mountain.  We had a full day - I did seven pitches, all new to me, including two back-to-back 12s.  The first one I onsighted, and the second one I came within a hair's breadth, but couldn't quite suss out the moves on the final crux in time for for tired forearms.  Had to hang once, and then quickly sussed out the moves and finished the climb.  Well worth going back for that one, as it's an excellent climb.  Nearly all the climbs we did were excellent, actually, and I left wanting more, as there are other great climbs near the ones we did, that looked just as good.

I climbed, in order: Lost and Found (5.7), Ghost Buddy P1 only (5.9), Radiant Sky (5.10d), Psychedelic Honey (5.12-), Drawn and Quartered (5.12c), Cosmic Justice (5.11-), Transcendentalism (5.11-), all led onsight except Drawn and Quartered which I hung once on.  Came home tired, happy, and looking forward to next time!

Regarding a Gunks get-together - Sounds great - I'm in!  Last one had four of us involved in some way.  Hope to get even more in a next one.

GO

GabeOwrote:

I got out with another Dad, on what I guess is now our second annual trip to Hanging Mountain.  We had a full day - I did seven pitches, all new to me, including two back-to-back 12s.  The first one I onsighted, and the second one I came within a hair's breadth, but couldn't quite suss out the moves on the final crux in time for for tired forearms.  Had to hang once, and then quickly sussed out the moves and finished the climb.  Well worth going back for that one, as it's an excellent climb.  Nearly all the climbs we did were excellent, actually, and I left wanting more, as there are other great climbs near the ones we did, that looked just as good.

I climbed, in order: Lost and Found (5.7), Ghost Buddy P1 only (5.9), Radiant Sky (5.10d), Psychedelic Honey (5.12-), Drawn and Quartered (5.12c), Cosmic Justice (5.11-), Transcendentalism (5.11-), all led onsight except Drawn and Quartered which I hung once on.  Came home tired, happy, and looking forward to next time!

Regarding a Gunks get-together - Sounds great - I'm in!  Last one had four of us involved in some way.  Hope to get even more in a next one.

GO

Dear God!!! Currently Onsighting .12's??? Are you sure that you're in the correct forum?

Well done!

And yes! We should try to organize a Gunks Meet Up like the one in the CoR!

Sounds amazing!!!

Lori Milaswrote:

Fossil — WOW!  You did this?    Thank you so much! HOW did you do it?   This is impressive!!! 

I did not do this, the picture is of your old buddy Russ showing how he did this.

Zoomed in a bit...

Then there is this...

oooooops....

Sorry kids,
that's just me and Russ rap bolting Tonic Boom, after RETRO BOLTING Rainy Day Dream Away.

(Mike Waugh still wants to kick my ass for that....)

Here's Todd Gordon's take on the affair...

That Rap bolting hang doggin' Russ;.....and he has the NERVE to call ANYONE a deatbeat.........once a rap bolter, always a rap bolter......it's like being a little bit pregnant;...either you ARE or you AIN'T ....and it looks like Russ IS.........kiss adventure, fairplay, brass, and tradition out the window.......Next time you want to go new routing, Russ;.....please call up my Granny;...because she can rap bolt too........(I'll even send her over with a fresh pair of lycra, a tank top with a Starbuck's stain on it, and her bent gates.....you Yankee bender.......)........

Fossil…. I’m kinda speechless. I thought you somehow pulled off an AI reenactment based upon my pictures.

This is priceless imo, and I am REALLY appreciative.  

This started as a little wager with a friend.  He said Tonic Boom couldn’t be climbed and that many good climbers have failed.  But I recalled Jan’s story a few years ago, but I thought I might have been wrong. Jan is short and this route required height.  Now Randy shared his experience on this route.  

I have made the little pilgrimage to this rock many times, if only to sit and wonder.  I was there yesterday.  

Bob knows how MUCH I would like to climb White Room… to the right of these other routes on perfect slab. It’s all right there, can almost touch it but can’t have it.  

Thank you so much again fossil!!! A little piece of J Tree history found because of you.    

It is bothersome to me that a special interest group has ballooned itself up enough to expect an entire month of recognition. A day’s recognition for any reasonable group is quite acceptable…even a week. But an entire month? What other special interest group has that much recognition? And how did it gain ‘official’ recognition like that? I don’t recall it being on a ballot somewhere…

I’ll prolly get roasted for even thinking such a thing, but whatever. I support the fundamental premise of the Pride movement as much as anyone here. But the fact that it has expanded to the degree that it has, and winds up eclipsing much more existential issues like the current disaster of national leadership (as apparently happened in Boston, and I’d imagine other places) rankles me.

Lori Milaswrote:

Fossil…. I’m kinda speechless. I thought you somehow pulled off an AI reenactment based upon my pictures.

This is priceless imo, and I am REALLY appreciative.  

This started as a little wager with a friend.  He said Tonic Boom couldn’t be climbed and that many good climbers have failed.  But I recalled Jan’s story a few years ago, but I thought I might have been wrong. Jan is short and this route required height.  Now Randy shared his experience on this route.  

I have made the little pilgrimage to this rock many times, if only to sit and wonder.  I was there yesterday.  

Bob knows how MUCH I would like to climb White Room… to the right of these other routes on perfect slab. It’s all right there, can almost touch it but can’t have it.  

Thank you so much again fossil!!! A little piece of J Tree history found because of you.    

Lori height can make things harder or easier but I've seen a 4'10" woman easily make moves that I thought were too reachy and I'm 5'8". A lot of times there's a way around that big reach if you have the skill, flexibility, power or dynamic movement skills to find another way. And while I've never climbed Tonic Boom the pic looks to me like someone with good dynoing ability wouldn't find it to be a show stopper even if they were on the shorter side.