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lukem
Dec 6, 2012, 5:08 PM
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Anyone out there ever done a Birthday Challenge? You climb as many routes as the age you are turning, and it only gets more difficult year after year.
Here's some reflections after my first:
http://www.climbingzine.com/...-part-3-the-big-day/
enjoy,
Luke
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dagibbs
Dec 6, 2012, 7:17 PM
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I will say, it helps to have a climactically compatible birthday. December 28th in Ottawa, Canada -- nope, not good for putting in any routes at all, not to speak of 45+.
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marc801
Dec 6, 2012, 8:24 PM
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lukem wrote: Anyone out there ever done a Birthday Challenge? You climb as many routes as the age you are turning, and it only gets more difficult year after year. Here's some reflections after my first: http://www.climbingzine.com/...-part-3-the-big-day/ enjoy, Luke
It's a challenge for the youngsters.
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lena_chita
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Dec 6, 2012, 8:47 PM
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marc801 wrote: lukem wrote: Anyone out there ever done a Birthday Challenge? You climb as many routes as the age you are turning, and it only gets more difficult year after year. Here's some reflections after my first: http://www.climbingzine.com/...-part-3-the-big-day/ enjoy, Luke At some point it's no longer merely difficult, it's impossible. My December b-day is no longer the issue - I've never done 58 pitches in a day. It's a challenge for the youngsters.
With that attitude, it is.
But anyone who does Nose-in-a-day climbs more than that many. Your pitches could be pretty short... And if you adjust the rules to allow multiple laps on the same route, toprope is O.K., grade doesn't matter, falling on a climb still counts as climbing a pitch, etc. etc. then, I think it is doable for sure.
These guys are talking about 100 pitches in a day (I think it is a cumulative number for the pair, so ~50 each)
http://pullharder.org/...ahquitz-send-em-all/
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jomagam
Dec 6, 2012, 8:59 PM
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How about onsight climbing enough routes to have 58 or how many ever bolts on them ? Sounds more fun to me than TR-ing the same route to get the numbers.
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csproul
Dec 6, 2012, 9:00 PM
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lena_chita wrote: marc801 wrote: lukem wrote: Anyone out there ever done a Birthday Challenge? You climb as many routes as the age you are turning, and it only gets more difficult year after year. Here's some reflections after my first: http://www.climbingzine.com/...-part-3-the-big-day/ enjoy, Luke At some point it's no longer merely difficult, it's impossible. My December b-day is no longer the issue - I've never done 58 pitches in a day. It's a challenge for the youngsters. With that attitude, it is. But anyone who does Nose-in-a-day climbs more than that many. Your pitches could be pretty short... And if you adjust the rules to allow multiple laps on the same route, toprope is O.K., grade doesn't matter, falling on a climb still counts as climbing a pitch, etc. etc. then, I think it is doable for sure. These guys are talking about 100 pitches in a day (I think it is a cumulative number for the pair, so ~50 each) http://pullharder.org/...ahquitz-send-em-all/
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lena_chita
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Dec 6, 2012, 10:12 PM
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csproul wrote: lena_chita wrote: marc801 wrote: lukem wrote: Anyone out there ever done a Birthday Challenge? You climb as many routes as the age you are turning, and it only gets more difficult year after year. Here's some reflections after my first: http://www.climbingzine.com/...-part-3-the-big-day/ enjoy, Luke At some point it's no longer merely difficult, it's impossible. My December b-day is no longer the issue - I've never done 58 pitches in a day. It's a challenge for the youngsters. With that attitude, it is. But anyone who does Nose-in-a-day climbs more than that many. Your pitches could be pretty short... And if you adjust the rules to allow multiple laps on the same route, toprope is O.K., grade doesn't matter, falling on a climb still counts as climbing a pitch, etc. etc. then, I think it is doable for sure. These guys are talking about 100 pitches in a day (I think it is a cumulative number for the pair, so ~50 each) http://pullharder.org/...ahquitz-send-em-all/NIAD is more than 58 pitches in a day? Its 31 pitches by the Supertopo. Everything else...I agree with.
Sorry, my bad. I can't even reconstruct where number came from, in my head. The closest I can come up is the recent conversation with some friends about how many feet/pitches Honnold did during his linkup on Mt.Watkins/ Nose/Half dome.
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olderic
Dec 6, 2012, 10:38 PM
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Define a day as 24 hours? then look up some of the records for the 24 hour comp at HCR - seems like more then enough to last for anybody's life time.
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marc801
Dec 7, 2012, 12:13 AM
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lena_chita wrote: marc801 wrote: I've never done 58 pitches in a day. It's a challenge for the youngsters. With that attitude, it is. But anyone who does Nose-in-a-day climbs more than that many. Your pitches could be pretty short... And if you adjust the rules to allow multiple laps on the same route, toprope is O.K., grade doesn't matter, falling on a climb still counts as climbing a pitch, etc. etc. then, I think it is doable for sure. These guys are talking about 100 pitches in a day (I think it is a cumulative number for the pair, so ~50 each) http://pullharder.org/...ahquitz-send-em-all/
Regarding the Nose: about 30 or so traditional pitches. If you look at the speed climbing tactics - leading in blocks with extensive simul-climbing, then it's considerably less. Technically, Florine and Honnold's recent record was done in about 2 or 3 pitches.
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acorneau
Dec 7, 2012, 12:55 AM
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dagibbs wrote: I will say, it helps to have a climactically compatible birthday. December 28th in Ottawa, Canada -- nope, not good for putting in any routes at all, not to speak of 45+.
Hey, December 28th here too! (Sucks, don't it?!?)
I did 35 for my 35th five years ago, but it was in the gym. I'm hitting the big four-oh in a few weeks and thinking about trying it again.
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dagibbs
Dec 7, 2012, 4:15 AM
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acorneau wrote: dagibbs wrote: I will say, it helps to have a climactically compatible birthday. December 28th in Ottawa, Canada -- nope, not good for putting in any routes at all, not to speak of 45+. Hey, December 28th here too! (Sucks, don't it?!?)
Yes, yes it does.
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lena_chita
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Dec 7, 2012, 4:40 PM
Post #14 of 21
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marc801 wrote: lena_chita wrote: marc801 wrote: I've never done 58 pitches in a day. It's a challenge for the youngsters. With that attitude, it is. But anyone who does Nose-in-a-day climbs more than that many. Your pitches could be pretty short... And if you adjust the rules to allow multiple laps on the same route, toprope is O.K., grade doesn't matter, falling on a climb still counts as climbing a pitch, etc. etc. then, I think it is doable for sure. These guys are talking about 100 pitches in a day (I think it is a cumulative number for the pair, so ~50 each) http://pullharder.org/...ahquitz-send-em-all/Well, sure, if you're going to throw in all that wiggle room and tricks and really bend the concept into submission, then of course it's possible. I'm talking about real climbing and real pitches, not overgrown boulder problems, multiple laps, TRing, or hangdogging.
Of course you can define your own rules for your own birthday challenge, however you want them to be.
The rules I pointed out are the rules many people who do these birthday challenges actually use -- including the OP.
IMO, even with the 'bending' of rules and all that wiggle room, it would be still a challenging day of intense physical exertion, and something you could be proud of.
But I agree, it would be a much more proud report to say that you did 58 pitches in 24 hours for your birthday, all of them different routes/pitches, all of them on lead, all of them clean sends, no pitch shorter than 80 ft, and none of them easier than 5.12.
Maybe Alex Honnold will do that for his 58th birthday. We'll just have to wait a bit over 3 decades. 
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kappydane
Dec 7, 2012, 5:42 PM
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For each birthday I have done:
58 - 10 x 5.8
59 - 59 routes lead with two laps allowed any grade
60 - lead 60 unique routes in under 12 hours
61 - 61 tr and leads in a gym at least 5.9
62 - Mt Charleston 18+ mile loop in 5hrs 1 min then 62 tr laps in the gym 5.10 minimum
63 - this year - lead 63 pitches of 5.10 allowed 5 leads on 5.10a but 10 leads on anything 5.10b or harder. The 3 laps were on a 5.10d (Crimp Scampi) after 48 laps - all under 12 hours.
I like to move up the bar each year but it is getting harder.
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cracklover
Dec 7, 2012, 5:56 PM
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I did one for my fortieth b-day. The rules were:
- 40 unique routes.
- Each one must be led cleanly (some took a few tries before I could count them, and one I never got clean and just had to move on).
- In a day
- Mix of trad and sport (wound up being about 1/3 trad, 2/3 sport).
It was a fantastic day, and I had a lot of friends come out to help belay and cheer me on at the end of the day. And then drink!
GO
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cracklover
Dec 7, 2012, 6:02 PM
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I didn't do any B-day challenges for 41 or 42, but I've one planned for this year.
My challenge this year is to have done 43 5.12 routes by the time I turn 43. That's lifetime routes, not just this year. So far I've done about half that many. So... we'll see. If it comes down to the wire I may start asking around for who knows any soft 12s in my area!
GO
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marc801
Dec 7, 2012, 6:29 PM
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cracklover wrote: If it comes down to the wire I may start asking around for who knows any soft 12s in my area!
;-)
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oldsalt
Dec 7, 2012, 6:47 PM
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My birthday challenge this year is not climbing oriented, although I did get in one pitch at Sand Rock (AL) last month. I turn 63 next Saturday and I am recovering from a severe leg injury at work. I live in Florida, but I have a good gym. As I close this, the most stressful year of my adult life, I rejoice that my wife and I are alive and happy.
We both dodged medical death sentences, hers from cancer and mine from a misdiagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer's. I celebrated victory over the injury and the bad diagnosis by race walking the Savannah Bridge 5K (over a tall 3.1K suspension bridge), and finishing 18th out of 36 in the 61-64 age group. I have renewed my climbing gym membership and returned from a 2 year hiatus from climbing. She has fully recovered from major surgery.
I have done two 8 mile walks and many 4s this year, but those don't help the muscles I use on a rock face. The trip to Sand Rock was worth sharing a small climbing area with about 4,000 Boy Scouts, just to be returning to adventures.
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healyje
Dec 7, 2012, 7:09 PM
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Would be pretty hard to do at this point, but I had hoped to take a shot at the Diamond for my 60th before work and a family medical crisis more or less shut down the year. Will have to see how the coming year pans out.
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Shanna
Dec 7, 2012, 8:57 PM
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I have done 2 challenges:
40: I did 40 unique pitches, 5.10a and harder/ no falls. The weather was crappy, so they were all in the gym.
41: One year challenge with 41 New to me climbs graded 12a or harder. All were redpoints/flashes/on-sights.
42 and 43: Not climbing-related, but geared towards weight lifting.
(This post was edited by Shanna on Dec 7, 2012, 9:00 PM)
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