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mother_sheep
Jul 15, 2004, 8:43 PM
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Registered: Jul 18, 2002
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This week has been kihhhhilller!!!! Did my first free solos, 2 of them. Both around 5.4. Lead my first 5.9- and 5.8 trad routes and knocked out another alpine route. PROGRESS IS SOOOO COOOOL and long over due. For a while I was feeling like I was working my ass off and getting no where for it. Then 1 day it all just seemed to click. Even when the going gets tough, stick with it!!!
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calamity_chk
Jul 15, 2004, 11:57 PM
Post #102 of 203
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Registered: Apr 23, 2002
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i've recommitted myself to stopping smoking. i've cut back from a pack a day to 5/day for the past two days and am going cold turkey tomorrow.
wish me luck!
amber
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sarah
Jul 16, 2004, 3:38 AM
Post #103 of 203
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Posts: 75
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Good Luck :righton:
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missedyno
Jul 16, 2004, 12:44 PM
Post #104 of 203
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Registered: Nov 21, 2001
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oh my. quitting smoking? good luck!!
hmm accomplishments... i bagged my first 12 in the gym - on TR of course but hey i could do all the moves so i'm glad about that.
horray for the hand/foot match!
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mother_sheep
Jul 16, 2004, 2:01 PM
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In reply to: i've recommitted myself to stopping smoking. i've cut back from a pack a day to 5/day for the past two days and am going cold turkey tomorrow. wish me luck! amber
You can do it Amber! I know how bad you want to quit. I've seen you pull yourself through some pretty hard stuff. I know what you're capable of. GOOD LUCK!!!!
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jay_climbingchick
Jul 16, 2004, 3:09 PM
Post #106 of 203
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Registered: Mar 12, 2003
Posts: 64
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I just got my first 5.10 led last weekend.
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dalguard
Jul 16, 2004, 5:31 PM
Post #107 of 203
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Registered: Aug 1, 2003
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Hey Amber,
I quit in December. I'm really glad I did and it hasn't been so bad at all. The moment I knew it was all worth it was on a trip to RR when we ran into a minor delay getting up a route. How nice is it to kick back and enjoy the view without jonesing for a fix? I never enjoyed myself on a trip more than on that one, the first one with the monkey off my back.
There's a great newsgroup out there for support: alt.support.stop-smoking. If you don't know how to do newsgroups, you can get there via http://talkaboutsupport.com/group/alt.support.stop-smoking/ They're super friendly people who will help you see that you're gaining, not losing.
Dawn
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janeothejungle
Jul 17, 2004, 6:14 PM
Post #108 of 203
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Registered: Mar 9, 2003
Posts: 26
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My latest accomplishment was finally soloing the tower. I guess the third time really is a charm.....
Went up wednesday the 7th to schlep gear and scope out the waiting list only to discover there was Nobody around. Had a couple of minor freakouts on pitches 4 and 6 (and one really stupid cluster#@*^ on my first haul) but other than that it was great! No rush, steady pace, it was my own little country for 4 days.
Now to find a new challenge........
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mwbtle
Jul 20, 2004, 3:51 PM
Post #109 of 203
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Registered: Nov 22, 2002
Posts: 5891
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got back on the rock after about a month.
and took a self-rescue course...which I'm very proud of because I've been meaning to do it since I started climbing outside.
I can now ascend ropes with my prussiks like a pro...or at least less like a fish.
I also got my first taste of rainy-day aid climbing, and only complained a little bit.
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macherry
Sep 27, 2004, 5:54 AM
Post #110 of 203
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bump^^^
first trad lead on the weekend
yipee
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opheliaascending
Sep 27, 2004, 11:16 PM
Post #111 of 203
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Registered: Sep 24, 2004
Posts: 113
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Well, this is going to sound pretty wimpy to the rest of you, but I caught my partner for the first time on belay last weekend. I mean, REALLY caught him. We've done tests before to make sure I could handle the yank and the wieght (I'm 117 and he's prolly 240+). Anyway, he fell, about 10 ft. and I held him, no prob, babe. I am a cool cat.
Oh, I also got some basic knots down by myself over the weekend....I know, I know. I'm a hardcore proooofffesssional!
I'm buying my first pair of rock shoes this weekend. LOOKOUT LYNN HILL!
:lol:
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missedyno
Sep 28, 2004, 5:54 PM
Post #112 of 203
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Registered: Nov 21, 2001
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my latest accomplishment is finally booking some time off work for a 5 day climbing trip. it just finished and i'm looking to book another day or two for another long weekend away. i've been working too hard and staying in the city too much these days. it's an accomplishment for me to reevaluate priorities...
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magpie
Oct 19, 2004, 7:56 PM
Post #113 of 203
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Registered: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: 118
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I think I'm finally getting over the hump and beginning to lose my lead freak-out head. Yes, the head will rear up on occasion, but this past weekend we took a 3-day trip to Smith and all of my leads were calm and just focusing on the moves instead of the fear/fall potential. On a similar note, I also took my second lead fall outside... I think they're directly related.
My mental game is my biggest inhibitor at this point, and I feel like I'm finally getting there! Woohoo!
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iamthewallress
Oct 19, 2004, 9:29 PM
Post #114 of 203
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Registered: Jan 2, 2003
Posts: 2463
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My latest accomplishment was finally getting on a climb that I'd been wanting to do for a couple of years. It was nominally not as hard as other things that I've climbed, nonetheless I'd heard of enough epics on it thatl I had feared would be really burly and humbling for the grade. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was quite comfortable and in control on it. It felt like a graduation present for consolidating some skills this season.
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rockelf
Oct 20, 2004, 1:07 AM
Post #115 of 203
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Registered: Sep 23, 2004
Posts: 35
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This is my first post, so please be patient with me!!!
I have been leading trad for about a year. Always with my climbing buds who are much more experienced. They have been my mentors since I started climbing and have literally taught me the ropes. (sorry could not resist)
This past weeknd we went to the Gunks, and two of the experienced folks teamed up to climb togther. I teamed up with one of my other partners who had taken a bad fall several weeks ago and did not want to lead.
So for the very first time...I was really the lead climber. I lead all three pitches of both climbs that we did. And for the first time without the safety net of my mentors being there.
The really cool thing was, I could feel them with me, reminding me to equalize my anchors properly, watch my placement, and hell...just go for it.
It was an awesome day, a bit draining mentally, but awesome.
I feel like I graduated.
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crackrn
Oct 20, 2004, 4:33 PM
Post #116 of 203
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Registered: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 282
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Last Saturday I did my first lead onsight without toproping it first to make sure I could do it. It was an easy climb (5.8) but it felt so good to be able to do it.
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acacongua
Oct 20, 2004, 5:33 PM
Post #117 of 203
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Registered: Feb 14, 2003
Posts: 657
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Wow! Y'all inspire me!
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tavs
Oct 20, 2004, 5:55 PM
Post #118 of 203
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Registered: Feb 26, 2002
Posts: 303
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My latest accomplishment--I finally gave in and tried aid climbing...and I'm hooked. Generally, I've written off aid climbing because it just didn't seem like something that would interest me: what I love most about climbing has always been the physical movement, the challenge of seeing what I could hold on to, what moves my body could do, what positions I could get into (and out of). So aid climbing just wasn't appealing.
Now, I've been battling back problems for about a year and a half now. Prior to that, I did sport, trad, and bouldering, but sport climbing was my priority. I was getting strong, projecting routes for the first time, amazing myself with what I could do...then the pain started. After a summer off and in physical therapy, I got back into the climbing thing but without the passion for hard sport anymore. The past year has been a general mix of ice, sport, bouldering, and trad, with nothing but ice really firing up my juices. So a few weeks ago I gave into years of cajoling from my boyfriend and took on an aid pitch. WOW. First off, I was amazed at how physical it was. The pitch I did had a roof, so that added to it, but overall it was really hard work. I was SORE afterward, which completely shocked me. And all that gear......I touched on the something in me that ice climbing also hits--I felt so badas*!!! Now I'm looking forward to a trip to Zion soon, maybe the Valley in the spring. I'm also stoked to do more trad as I do more aid, because I'm already gaining more confidence in gear and in my ability to place it. Most importantly, I'm fired up about climbing again. Yippee!! Now if only I'd listened to my bf sooner....I'm getting tired of hearing "I told you you'd like it..."
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mischief8
Oct 20, 2004, 7:13 PM
Post #119 of 203
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Registered: Aug 17, 2004
Posts: 416
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I did my first two leads a couple of weekends ago. What a rush! Can't wait to do some more. I finally got the 5.9 I have been working on for a couple of weekends, what a great feeling. And slowly losing that paralyzing fear that keeps me from leading anything I have not TR about three hundred times
Daniela
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angelaa
Oct 21, 2004, 3:20 PM
Post #120 of 203
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Registered: May 21, 2003
Posts: 598
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Latest. . . .
well, climbed Mt Moran in the Tetons in July!!
Wow was that hard - I think we figured it was 6000 vertical feet (most of it in scree) in less than 5 miles.
going up was hard work, but coming down that last 3000 ft of screen to our waiting canoe . . was scary and painful!!
WOW
it was all in training for our Next Big Trip
Bugaboos in July 2005 . . alpine climbing. . WOW what a rush!
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iamthewallress
Nov 15, 2004, 7:56 PM
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Registered: Jan 2, 2003
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In general I don't like to save climbs for hope of doing it in a better style at a future date(although I'm all for saving things until I think that they can be done safely.) If I have the chance to follow a good climb that I can't lead yet, I think that I'm passing up a learning opportunity if I don't take it. However, there are two climbs, popular ones at crags that I frequent, that I've refused on many occasion over the last few years to follow or to try to lead because for some reason I thought that I should wait and try to experience them when I'm ready to lead them without flailing.
Well..yesterday we were the only people at one of those crags. The climb, which almost always has someone on it, was empty. I figured I'm might not get it, but that I'd saved it for long enough, so, after finally leading another climb that I'd toproped into submission a few weeks ago, I stacked the rope at the base of the mythic saved climb and proceded to onsight it without thrutching, skating my feet, pumping out, over-protecting, or even getting especially scared....all things that I'm prone to at a much lower standard. I guess I saved it long enough. One down, one to go...
After I get up the next one (or bail trying), I think I'm done saving routes. I probably made too big of a deal out of this one, and although I'm very psyched to have sent it, the saving of it made it a little anticlimactic too.
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aniyunwiyaclimber
Nov 16, 2004, 6:23 AM
Post #122 of 203
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Registered: Nov 8, 2004
Posts: 40
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My latest was traversing for 30 minutes straight w/o a break to build endurance and losing 10 pounds!
Oh, and landing the coolest job in the world, where I get to do therapy and train to rock climb outdoors!
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tavs
Nov 16, 2004, 7:42 PM
Post #123 of 203
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Registered: Feb 26, 2002
Posts: 303
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Wallress--so no chance you think saving the climb contributed to the smooth style in which you were able to pull it off (and congrats, BTW)? Just curious; I've definitely had the experience of building up a route to do in a certain style (either a redpoint attempt or onsight). I usually get a full rush of adrenaline and I'm totally bugged out and then, wow, the route just flows. I wonder if the buildup (even though it seems nerve wracking at the start) actually helps in the end.
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iamthewallress
Nov 16, 2004, 8:09 PM
Post #124 of 203
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Registered: Jan 2, 2003
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In reply to: Wallress--so no chance you think saving the climb contributed to the smooth style in which you were able to pull it off (and congrats, BTW)? Just curious; I've definitely had the experience of building up a route to do in a certain style (either a redpoint attempt or onsight). I usually get a full rush of adrenaline and I'm totally bugged out and then, wow, the route just flows. I wonder if the buildup (even though it seems nerve wracking at the start) actually helps in the end.
(Thanks for the congrats)
Absolutley, saving the route made a huge difference in me being able to climb it, but more importantly in the grand scheme not saving a lot of other routes is what helped teach me what I needed to know...either working out unmastered climbing techniques on TR or massaging my lead head on the hang-dog. I've learned a lot this year from leading and following, both technically and in controling my fear, and it payed off.
I guess just for me, it has never happened that I've led a challenging climb that I had previously followed and then been bummed that I hadn't tried to onsight it. I'm always just psyched with the lead. The saved routes can become a bit of an albatross, trying to avoid climbing around them and then never wanting to step up to them because I'm afraid I'll 'ruin' the thing that I was trying to save. For me the performance anxiety can get in the way. Which just shows to go you, different things work for different folks...
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gblauer
Moderator
Nov 19, 2004, 2:35 PM
Post #125 of 203
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Registered: Oct 4, 2002
Posts: 2824
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I quit my job
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