New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #39

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I get it. that was a stay off my lawn comment from someone who really does try to  be inclusive.   there are certainly people soloing to get attention and that's a terminal condition called WMS. Anyone pushing their grades without a rope is on a death wish weather they admit it or not.. Folks who solo lots of miles on stuff they have dialed and or is well below their onsite level are experiencing a freedom that most folks simply can't fathom.  Fritz Weisner soloed into his 80's . Peter Croft is almost certainly still soloing and enjoying life. Donnini was soloing regularly in his mid 70's if not later.  It can be done for meditation without trying to get your name in the glossy rags.  Certainly in cold weather where slow partners and belays can freeze you into a coma soloing is quite liberating.  I suspect that most of what Alex solo's these days  is stuff he has dialed or stuff that is in his comfort zone. I think he is a good person and hope he can dial it down to sane levels and stay alive.... 

Right, I didn’t intend to insinuate that soloing is dumb, it’s the adrenaline junkies that should stay off  soloing.

Still, I don’t think I’d be doing it again. I don’t necessarily feel any better soloing a 5.8 or whatever is easy for me versus roped up something nearer my limit.

Agree with Emil, that it’s complacency that takes lives not the act of doing something that could be dangerous.

It’s interesting how all our perspectives are different, but we all climb. As long as we enjoy it, That’s all that counts.

And we all get in cars almost daily while putting our lives into strangers hands. I'd bet the odds of dying on the road in a car is similar, if not more dangerous than Honnold soloing a building.

The odds change quite a bit when you are injury prone and over 60. 

M Mwrote:

The odds change quite a bit when you are injury prone and over 60. 

That describes most of us, the first part depends upon how   

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I get it. that was a stay off my lawn comment from someone who really does try to  be inclusive.   there are certainly people soloing to get attention and that's a terminal condition called WMS. Anyone pushing their grades without a rope is on a death wish weather they admit it or not.. Folks who solo lots of miles on stuff they have dialed and or is well below their onsite level are experiencing a freedom that most folks simply can't fathom.  Fritz Weisner soloed into his 80's . Peter Croft is almost certainly still soloing and enjoying life. Donnini was soloing regularly in his mid 70's if not later.  It can be done for meditation without trying to get your name in the glossy rags.  Certainly in cold weather where slow partners and belays can freeze you into a coma soloing is quite liberating.  I suspect that most of what Alex solo's these days  is stuff he has dialed or stuff that is in his comfort zone. I think he is a good person and hope he can dial it down to sane levels and stay alive.... 

I have to agree with Nick.  When I was climbing a lot, at a fairly high level (for me, at least...). I really enjoyed climbing, without a rope on: "stuff they have dialed and or is well below their onsite level.."  Believe me, I'm not bold or have any sort of "death wish," but the sense of freedom from this sort of climbing is just sublime.  

Yes, it's not 100% safe; but, nothing is.  It's a cliche, (but true...) driving to the crag may be more dangerous than climbing.

I don't recommend it to anyone, but won't criticize it.

And, for me, bouldering can have the same experience.  Perhaps, it's a freedom of movement thing.  Although, looking down with nothing but air between your feet; 100' off the deck, is pretty addictive.

ed "getting hurt or dead, is a really bad idea..." e

ps:  100+ white bread (but, very well received) Bhan Mi sandwiches..

"The climber Rich impersonates is important in the history of the sport. Who is he and what kind of needle did he climb?"

Alan Rubinwrote:

Haskett-Smith? If so, Napes.

Bingo. H-S was a fine athlete at Trinity College Oxford, and took up rock climbing in 1881, in the Lake District, at the age of 22. He was more athletic in his approach to climbing than was usual at the time, and when he made the first ascent of Napes Needle - as exploratory free soloing - in 1886, he received accolades in the press and made the public aware of this new "sport". Over the years he became referred to as the "Father of Rock Climbing", 

As for an emerging interest in bouldering, he had this to say: 

. . . in his description of Bear Rock in "Climbing in the British Isles", the reader divines a subtle poke at the new pastime of bouldering: "a queerly-shaped rock on Great Napes, which in the middle of March, 1889 was gravely attacked by a large party comprising some five or six of the strongest climbers in England. It is a little difficult to find, especially in seasons when the grass is at all long." (Wiki)

John Gillwrote:

. . . in his description of Bear Rock in "Climbing in the British Isles", the reader divines a subtle poke at the new pastime of bouldering: "a queerly-shaped rock on Great Napes, which in the middle of March, 1889 was gravely attacked by a large party comprising some five or six of the strongest climbers in England. It is a little difficult to find, especially in seasons when the grass is at all long." (Wiki)

(may or may not be the Bear Rock mentioned)

So, I live fairly close to Napes Needle (it's less than 50 miles from my house) and there is a little confusion going on here.

The crag with Napes Needle is called Great Gable (there is no Great Napes) and Bear Rock is actually called "The Sphinx" or "Cat Rock". The first ascent description in the 2007 FRCC Gable & Pillar guidebook reads; "1889 Mar, The Sphinx or Cat Rock - WP Haskett Smith and "five or six of the strongest climbers in England" " So, I think It's that, that is being referenced 

I'm not a 100% on the included pics actual location, but I think it might be "Dancing Bear Rock" at Brimham. We don't have much Gritstone in the Lake District so it definitely isn't here either way.

Bouldering absolutely has the flow but it's too short.. got to keep the flow going. 

My latest project. Isa,s new canoe. 

Nick… what a guy!  That’s beautiful work there! Beautiful canoe.  Has she seen it yet? 

Not related to climbing or anything else but I’m reading a debate on whether these photos are the real deal or AI generated. Huntington Beach 1962.  I was in HB a lot in 1968-71. I don’t recall ever seeing surfers hanging out on their longboards like this but maybe…and if so how’d they do it? 

I remembered to look for the Gunks pin, to add to Rich Ross’ contribution!

phylp phylpwrote:

I remembered to look for the Gunks pin, to add to Rich Ross’ contribution!

Nice dead Kennedy and black flag pin!   A good part of my intro to punk was by nyc climbers in the gunks in the early ‘80’s .many crashed at houses I lived in.  
I think the only time I was ever thrown out of a new paltz bar was because the bartender wouldn’t play my friends new black flag tape and he got mad, some mugs may have gone flying (the thesis). I believe the protagonist may now live in bishop.

The thesis and chez joey, rip!

I do have shirts 

Southwest Slots at Morrison.
Climbs like a finger crack surprisingly.
The left wall is off. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I get it. that was a stay off my lawn comment from someone who really does try to  be inclusive.   there are certainly people soloing to get attention and that's a terminal condition called WMS. Anyone pushing their grades without a rope is on a death wish weather they admit it or not.. Folks who solo lots of miles on stuff they have dialed and or is well below their onsite level are experiencing a freedom that most folks simply can't fathom.  Fritz Weisner soloed into his 80's . Peter Croft is almost certainly still soloing and enjoying life. Donnini was soloing regularly in his mid 70's if not later.  It can be done for meditation without trying to get your name in the glossy rags.  Certainly in cold weather where slow partners and belays can freeze you into a coma soloing is quite liberating.  I suspect that most of what Alex solo's these days  is stuff he has dialed or stuff that is in his comfort zone. I think he is a good person and hope he can dial it down to sane levels and stay alive.... 

I think for regular climbers, Alex’ “comfort zone” is incomprehensibly difficult.

That said, we all can probably relate to tripping unexpectedly, or stubbing one’s toe on flat ground. If that can happen, even “dialed in” stuff can awry, especially when one considers all the unknown variables in the vertical world - rockfall, weather, and animal encounters, to name a few.

I say this as someone who lost a loved one who was rope soloing, on a route fully 3 numbers below his limit. And he wasn’t a social media star, but a retired climbing ranger with hundreds of rescues under his belt. 

Permabetawrote:

I think for regular climbers, Alex’ “comfort zone” is incomprehensibly difficult.

That said, we all can probably relate to tripping unexpectedly, or stubbing one’s toe on flat ground. If that can happen, even “dialed in” stuff can awry, especially when one considers all the unknown variables in the vertical world - rockfall, weather, and animal encounters, to name a few.

I say this as someone who lost a loved one who was rope soloing, on a route fully 3 numbers below his limit. And he wasn’t a social media star, but a retired climbing ranger with hundreds of rescues under his belt. 

I'm sorry to hear that. I think I may know who you're talking about as one of my partners was also a friend of his. Climbing gives us so much but can also take so much from us.

Lori. Isa found that really beat up cedar canoe on marketplace. Dropped it off at my shop with instructions to strip it and refinish. Pretty involved process.

@Lori, this morning, we’ll likely driven in from Irvine at 8:00 getting through West Entrance 11:00-ish and hit Hemingway. We’ve got a bunch of rock newbies so not sure I’ll get to play on Heart of Darkness until deep into the PM. Hope to see you there. I’ll be wearing a shirt and green bandana.

Marc

I bumped into this yesterday and went a little nuts over it.  If this is what AI is doing, I’m ok with AI.   

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Lori. Isa found that really beat up cedar canoe on marketplace. Dropped it off at my shop with instructions to strip it and refinish. Pretty involved process.

It’s wonderful that you’re doing this. Seeing your canoe brought back a special memory. A book I was given maybe 15 years ago happened to be the right message at the right time called Younger Next Year.  It was really about getting into shape and staying that way until the day we die. I took it to heart.  

One of chapters talked about finding something you could be passionate about, that you would actually WANT to do and at that time I couldn’t think of a thing.  But this description of a woman in a canoe lit my imagination:

“Talk about the beauty of being in great shape… Wow! The three of us chatted for a minute, and then she gracefully swung this 20 foot boat up over her head and easily walked down toward the mountain lake at the end of the road. Broad shouldered, narrow hips, strong thighs… I stared at her out of sight. Try it, ladies.”

We had a lake nearby and I couldn’t stop thinking about buying canoe, but ultimately decided it was going to be too difficult for me to haul it around on the roof of my car and maneuver it down to the lake daily.  But it was the impetus to get me to search for an outdoor adventure I could sustain which ultimately wound up being climbing.

So you guys have been 10 steps ahead the whole way and that Isa is a lucky woman. 

Good afternoon!

Just catching up after a great day hiking a few more of the Catskill 3,500 footers yesterday.  I managed to steal the car (mine's still in the body shop after losing the fight with the deer) and Dragons will probably kill me as I chose to hike instead of climb and she's been the best partner EVER but I am always torn between climbing and hiking at this time of the year!  Spring and summer you can have your hiking with all of it's humidity and bugs but in the fall, it is just so amazing around here to hike!  

I have a great friend who grew up near here (Gunks area) and climbed all the time at the Gunks in the '70's and '80's and I remarked that I was doing the Catskills 35 Club and that he had probably done them all but he said, "No, never.  I was always climbing every single chance I got".

I imagine that a bunch of you are like that.  It's just that I love both so much that I end up splitting the time between them!  My favourite thing of all is hiking into a remote, easy (.7 and down) multi-pitch climb and then I get the best of both worlds!

As for catching up:

Ed:  What were all of those amazing looking sandwiches for?

John: Looks more like "Bear POOP Rock" to me (but also just looks AMAZING to boulder)!

Nick:  What a find!!!  That's is going to be one gorgeous old canoe when you get it fixed up!  Any idea of the original maker?  Is it an "Old Town"?  So cool that you know how to do that!

Mark:  Like I tell me wife when we see some buff dude sans shirt, and it applies to you, if I looked that good without a shirt on, I'd never wear one, too! ;). 

As for free solo'ing, I have absolutely no problem with it unless they try to pass me when I am leading something or even following something.  That pisses me off.  Okay, seriously, do your own thing but if you fall and become a 150+ pound meat crayon and hit me or my partner, I will not be happy, or even possibly alive!

Anyways, Climb On and Hike On and Be Kind!

Lori Milaswrote:

I bumped into this yesterday and went a little nuts over it.  If this is what AI is doing, I’m ok with AI.   

Superb. Just riveting. Cover is striking as well.

Cool pics, Buck! Where did you hike? Hopefully we will climb together again before the season ends.

I've done a lot more hiking in the last couple of weeks due to a lack of partners, myself. I like hiking, though I always prefer to climb if I can. And I'm training for Henderson, so I really do need to get in some rucking. It's difficult to get in enough of an elevation change locally, so I might wind up in the Catskills eventually, myself.

The one thing I don't like about hiking in the fall is all the leaves on the trail. The footing is awful, and I have to be especially careful on the downhill, which slows me down. In the northeast, the leaves are often soaked, too. Not this year though!

Here's my pic from my hike earlier this week, along the Millbrook Ridge Trail (above the Nears). I believe those are the Catskills in the distance.