Somehow there are rock climbers, people like you and me with real jobs, who get to climb way more than me. Yeah, some were younger when they started and got a lot of pitches and trips under their belts before they got jobs. Going to work really stands in the way of a flourishing climbing career. But others, without such excuses, those WITH jobs and families and lawns to mow, still manage to climb a lot more than myself.

I love stumbling on climbers’ webpages packed with their personal trip reports and pictures and be amazed by the volume of climbing they do in a year. It makes me jealous of and, in a strange sortof way, proud for them because although my climbing resume doesn’t measure up, I can totally relate to the itch to climb and the sense of accomplishment afterwards.

This guy - Mike – is a great example. Look at the number of trips, the locations, and the routes ticked off – especially some of the linl-ups – AWESOME !

Went climbing in Oklahoma last weekend. Two Days of Ticks, Poison Ivy, Cactus, Sandbags, Loose Flakes, and too few Bolts… but – like my friend Kevin likes to say – it’s the best we got.

I was glad to climb some new pitches and climb clean some I hadn’t done before, but I still had to bail off a supposed 5.8 – a ridiculous sandbag !

Now, I’m dreaming of another attempt to make it to the Sandias, and maybe a trip to Yosemite in September.

Okay, time to pick up this climbing blog again. I had almost forgotten it existed.

Next week, my buddy Dan and I are headed to New Mexico to climb in the Sandias ! First climbing trip since Red Rocks, Oct 2008.

#1 on the ticklist is the SW Ridge of the Needle, 12 pitches 5.8, 1300 feet, Grade IV. – Sound like fun?

I have found a number of route descriptions which should help us locate and stay on the route. But it’s going to be a long day. Key to this undertaking will be finding the route at the end of a heinous bushwhack the day before the climb so that we can hike in before dawn. With a 2-hour approach and 12 pitches ann then 4 rappels, I am preparing for a 12+ hours car-to-car day.

There are a few pics of the ridge on mountainproject.com and some pics from the route on rockclimbing.com. I think it should be right up our alley and quite doable if we move fast. Hopefully, I will return with many pics to share and to add to mountainproject.com. The picture above from mp.com) shows the SW Ridge on the left. It looks long and steep but broken up enough to provide good belay ledges and easier pitches between harder ones. Unfortunately, the crux is on the last pitch – # 12 !!!

Here is a link to the west face of Lost Dome in the Wichita Mountains. This face ought ot have some routes on it.

Kevin and I hiked out there a couple of weekends ago after a day of climbing and were surprized to find this awesome face in the middle of nowhere with only 2 documented routes (and manky bolts). I think people are just too lazy to hike out there.

Here is a short tutorial with some fine pictures showing how to stuff your mittens in the crack.

http://www.uoregon.edu/~opp/climbing/topics/cracks.html

When I started thinking recently about another trip to Red Rocks, I decided to buy a better guidebook. Last spring, we came armed with 3-4 different book, each of which had its advantages and problems. Googling around, I found that there is a brandnew guidebook out. When I told Kevin, he already knew – of course. Well, I’ve ordered it and if I am lucky it will have arrived in the mail today. Can’t wait to start reading.

Here is the link to the page where you can order the book: Red Rocks: A Climber’s Guide.

Oh, and we’re planning to stay at the same place, too: the Bonnie Springs Motel. It’s located very conveniently just outside Black Velvet Canyon.

Okay, we’re planning to be back at Red Rocks in early April. I am looking forward to climbing so fun, long routes. The only thing on my ticklist is “Black Orpheus”. I saw some pictures and read about the first ascent, and it sounds like a very cool, long, moderate route - 1500 feet or 8 pitches at 5.9+ with Kevin handling the crux – should be a blast !!!

http://mountainproject.com

Apart from bad weather, crumbling rock, and acts of God, there are for me 3 major fears in rock climbing, and I am not sure whether I should call them fears or dangers. All of them are children of the fear of falling.

1) Fear of pain. I am to this day more afraid of pain than anything else in climbing. I am more afraid of the pain of scraping my knee than of breaking my leg. Stupid ! Another kind of pain I learned this week at the gym when I tried crack climbing till the skin cam off my hands which are all gobi now. That’s probably all due to poor technique, and one reason I haven’t enjoyed crack very much is because they hurt. I’ll try to improve that technique.

2) Fear of run-outs. I am afraid of long run-outs, often times even when I know that the terrain ahead is well within my limits. Runouts mean an increased of chance of falling which might mean pain. But I am getting better, trying to reclimb routes or sections I may have frozen up on the first time. After all, it’s all in the head.

3) Fear of weakness, of running out of energy and simply letting go. This is what I am least afraid of. So far, it’s never happened outdoors that I just couldn’t hold on any longer and let go. That doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen. But I think I am most comfortable on routes that most of all demands strength applied to solid holds.

A friend of mine always talks about shaving weight off his rack. I always wonder how much is easy to shave and how much is hard.

Big Ticket (Weight!) Items when climbing:

- Your Pro
- Your Biners
- Your Rope
- Approach Shoes
- Water

Pro: Take the new C4 Camalots Black Diamond came out with. According to BD, the weight savings are 30%. So here are those cams I normally carry.

One #0.5
One #0.75
Two #1
Two #2
Two #3
One #3.5
One #4
One # 4.5

Total Weight for the new cams would be: Approx. 2100 grams or 5 1/2 lbs.
Multiply that by 1.3 and my weight must be around 2750 grams. Savings of little less than a pound at approx. $ 800 plus tax if I switch to the new cams.

I carry approximately 35 non-locking biners, 12 of them weighing 41 grams, 12 of them weighing 37 grams, the rest (11) are generic ovals weighing in at approximately 60 grams a piece. Replacing all of these biners with the lightest biner there is, the Camp Nano with a weight of 28 grams, would save me:

  12 x 41 492
 +12 x 37 444
 +11 x 60 660
 -35 x 28 980
———
 = 612 grams

replacing only the ovals would save 350 grams !

Right now, I am climbing on a 60M 9.9 mm single, dynamic rope, weighing 64 gams / meter. The skinniest single rope I have seen weighs 52 grams/ meter – savings of 720 grams !!!

My approach shoes weigh about 1 lb 10 oz. Buying a pair of climbing shoes comfortable enough for a non-rappel descent, would eliminate this weight completely.

Lastly, water ! Total possible weight savings so far are: 650 grams, 612 grams, 720 grams, 1100 grams = 3000 grams. This equals 3.0 liters of water (0.75 gallon). Obviously, I’d much rather carry that much extra water rather than the heavy gear. But every quart of water left behind is 2 pounds shaved. So water must definitely always be a consideration.