Video update

To recap my day at Rocktown I'll start by saying it was absolutely beautifully perfect out.  Shit was crisp!  Anyway, Kit did The Orb five or six times, but not really.  Bummer.  He'll stick it though.  Caleb was out for his re-intro to Rocktown.  I'd say it went well.  As for myself, I tried Blackout and managed to send My side of the mountain.  This problem is pretty sick.  Lowball?  Yeah.  Pure and aesthetic?  VERY!  Go do it......if you can find it.  From there, we went on to rendezvous with Kit after our detour to the Big Bad Boulder.  I tried Blackout, and tried and tried again.  My lock off skills need to be honed to pull this one in.  We ended up at the Sherman Roof, where, sure enough, Trevor and his dog Futa brought enough psych for us to unroll the pads and strap up just as we were leaving.  Cool.  He did his first V6!

Here's a video.

Sweet.


Later.

Instinct video

Here is the video of me sending Instinct sit.  This problem is super clean and pure, one way out no questions asked.  I got psyched to put some effort into this one last weekend.  In the years prior, I had always gotten totally shut down on this boulder.  I never even did the stand start until last Saturday.  Anyway, I am so stoked to have done this stand out boulder problem of the highest quality.

Moving on,


Cheddar

Lately

Things have been bumpin around here recently.  The last month really.  Temps are getting really good and the rain has held off making everyday a potential climbing day.  The sport climbing around town has been in full swing as temps dipped into the 60's and 70's.  I've been able to do the hardest routes of my life, a few of them, and many other test pieces quickly.   To keep fit, I've also been bouldering here and there whenever the wind blows me in that direction.  It always seems to workout no matter what I do.  Plans change for the best sometimes.   For example, I got totally hosed by someone who bailed on me Friday morning.  I was in the pits man.  I called everybody trying to find a partner and nothing worked for me.  It was 70 degrees outside so sport climbing was the objective. I knew I could go bouldering, that's a given in this town.  My sights were set on heading to the Concave.  Yet, I had no choice.  I had to do something with the day.  Flying solo, I left the house around noon heading for Little Rock City.  EVERYONE was there.  It was such a fun day.  I totally forgot how casual and social the approach to bouldering around here is.  With no agenda for the day I ended up at Instinct.  After doing the stand start I got to work figuring out the sit.  Ok. Beta burns were complete and the links began.  Falling repeatedly at the lip I vowed to return the next day to send.  The new day dealt us some overcast skies and warmer than expected air.  Not cool.  My skin was sweaty and so were the boulders.  Also, not cool.  Carrying on, Anthony, Amanda, and I rallied through the boulderfield trying almost everything we walked past.  Momma and Poppa Escandon showed up around 3 or 4 that afternoon, just after Caleb, adding a new dynamic boasting powerful encouragements to our crew.  My efforts on Instinct this day turned out to be heartbreaking.  I was sticking the lip and pulling the next moves before juicing off the face.  WHAT?  I did not expect to fall here.  A few more similar burns emptied my tank and wrecked my skin.  Totally trashed.  Although I didn't send, I got to hang out with a lot of friends I don't usually see at the sport crags.  All in all the weekend was really fun and refreshing.  I look forward to the bouldering season.

Here's a video.

Boulderave

Ok.  So, Friday, October 22 Urban Rocks hosted the first ever Boulderave.  The idea was to put together an event that would be bigger and better than anything the climbing industry has ever done in Chattanooga.   To do this, we needed help, and we got it.  Rock/Creek stepped up and hit a home run.  Vendors such as Five Ten, Evolv, La Sportiva, Petzl, Black Diamond, Bluewater Ropes, and Good Dog all had tents set up outside creating a town square sort of feel.  The event was now an industry night on top of the cosmic climbing party that was going on inside the gym.

The gym began to fill around 7 that evening.  Attendants strolled along "Vendor Alley"  trying on shoes, checking out gear, and eating Good Dogs.  The lights and music were in full effect as we had at least 10 different lights activated by the sound system we had borrowed from Ron Nance.  Events on the agenda for the night included speed climbing, raffle, costume contest, and a dyno comp.  All were extremely entertaining.  Yes, even the raffle.  Benefiting the Chattanooga area food bank and supplied by Rock/Creek, those who played the raffle did not hold back on playing the odds for a chance to win big. We raised $250 and gave out day passes to Urban Rocks, head lamps, climbing shoes, ropes, harnesses, and many more prizes from local sponsors.

The highlight of the night was the speed climbing comp.  Chris Gibson of Urban Rocks had schemed up a really exciting way to do the speed routes.  The comp went like this.....two routes were set on the lead wall  that were climbed as top rope to the last bolt where climbers had to dyno and smack the finish box, leaving them with no choice but to take the finishing whipper.  Climbers rotated through as they tried to post the lowest combined time.  Very cool.  In the end, Chris Sierzant and Kasia Pietras were separated by two seconds.  In the spirit of putting on a show they requested to do a best two out of three for the final race.  Race number one went to Kasia.  35 ft in 12.5 seconds!  BOOM!  She never fails to impress. Race number two was all Sierzant.  So, it all came down to the last race of the night.  They were neck and neck as the last holds came into view and still as they both lunged for the finish.  Whoa.  Sierzant took the win but their combined times were only two hundredths of a second apart.  Shyeah!

As with every event, all of my favorite people were there.  A huge thanks goes out to Urban Rocks, Rock/Creek, and the Terminal Brewhouse for making this event soooo much fun.

We'll do it again next year.

All photos by Rachel Tucker

Shawing!

Man!  That was one sick ass weekend.  All of the key ingredients were blended with perfection.  The venue, people, and weather could not have made a better combination.  Spirits were SUPER HIGH as everyone knew exactly what was going down this weekend.

I arrived Thursday morning, set up the Evolv and Sterling tents, and took a walk through the boulderfield.  The night prior had dumped a cold winter-like rain on the mountain top.  To my surprise it was really windy and things were drying quick.  I made note of how cold and sticky things felt and thought this would be a pretty sweet day for climbing.  However, the Monday before the event I went bouldering at Little Rock City with some friends and was recklessly trying super crimpy over hangs.  The next day I woke up to a tender and weak sensation in my right ring finger.  BUMMER!  What happened?  I don't even know.  All I knew was that I probably shouldn't be climbing much.  So, with caution to the wind and crisp boulders to be climbed I began evaluating my injury on easy-moderate problems.  With no pain or real tender feeling I thought to myself, "this is going to be reeaaaalllly fun."  The day ended up being absolutely pleasantly amazing.  I was all alone and had found solitude AT HP40!?!?!  Only occasionally was silence broken as locals and arriving vendors made their way into the boulders.  It was a taste of serenity that I need for balance in life.  Soul mended.  At the end of the day I had done some boulder problems that I had never done before, Slabolicious Low and It's a Natural, which is what it's all about.

Friday was really nice too.  As the park began to fill, tents went up.  The sound of climbers heaving crash pads and tires rolling over the gravel road permeated throughout the day.  Adding to the special feeling of the weekend to come was the sleet!  It was three or four in the afternoon when the grey clouds above started dusting the area with sleet as if we were an entree being salted to taste.  Mmmmmmm.  For me though, the day was all about work.  We had a party to throw.  Kurt Smith and I made the necessary arrangements to make sure that the Evolv, Sterling, and Friksn booths were in full affect.  Hosting chips, candy, and beer we were sure to make a few friends over the weekend.

Comp day.  Shwoah.  I was a little tired from a late night around the campfire.  Fortunately, I wasn't climbing with 300 other people or at all for that matter.  The morning of was like a whirl wind.  Between waking up and setting out the demo shoes I somehow managed to eat breakfast, acquire some coffee from The General, and eventually capture some video footage, all the while fitting 30 or so different people in the appropriate Evolv model.  My time during the comp was spent chilling in the sun with the good people representing the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, Lee Means, and others who stopped by to chat.  The kegs were tapped, gear laid out, and competitors began to fill Vendor Square.  Not long after, the sun set, leaving us with only the heat of barrel fires and each other to stay warm.

The next day was kinda sad, knowing that everyone was leaving and I would be too.  The buzz around the booth was all about who is staying to climb.  I was.  Who else?  We broke down tents, lending each other a hand to do this as mindlessly as possible.  We were all frozen, probably hungover, and barely awake.  Around noon the deed was done.  People were peacin' left and right.  That sound of tires rolling over the gravel drive cruched again just as before.  Ok.  So, who's going climbing?  WOOO!!!  Those that stayed were blessed with one of the best days ever.  I personally was feeling good and on fire.  I quickly sent three new problems, which were Landslide, Green Lantern Low, and Trick or Treat.  All are very worthy of your skin.  The camera kind of got neglected due to our enthusiasm and crushing nature as a group.  We never really spent much time at any one spot.  People were sending.  Lunch was on the horizon for me now.  I wanted to stay and finish out the day trying to settle some left over business.  As the others left, I grabbed my book, On The Road, and headed back out to have my serenity once more.  I think I ate too much.  My efforts were slightly less energized than before.  Maybe I had come to terms with satisfaction of the way things had gone down up to this point.  Everything seemed to happen just as I hoped it would.  Anyway, I was the first one in and last one out.

 Here's the video.

I LOVE ROCK CLIMBING!

Cheddar.