February 10, 2007 16:54 - Welcome to Climbing News Blog
I just wanted to personally welcome you to my climbing news blog. This is my first entry to this blog and I am excited to share with you my experience and knowledge about rock climbing.
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February 10, 2007 22:38 - Thoughts On Why I Climb
I have been climbing now for just about 4 and a half years. I fell in love with climbing back in my senior year high school gym class where we got to go to the rock gym two days a week. I can remember it as yesterday thinking I was pretty hot stuff back then climbing with my nike shoes on. Oh how things have changed.
Recently I have been thinking about my climbing and really why I do it. Since I have been injured I find myself dreaming of climbing on those sandstone crags of the southeast. And when I am walking around campus or driving through town all I can think about are the buildings I want to climb. I wonder hmm.. is that crack wide enough to jam or could I solo that building.
These thoughts makes me laugh sometimes. You have to admit that it is pretty amusing how we climbers think.
Ok so back to why I climb:
For me I just love climbing. When you are outside with some of your friends climbing some beautiful rock and in some of the most beautiful places on this planet, does it get any better? Climbing gives me that rush of life, it makes me know that I am here still living and living to my fullest abilities.
What else does climbing give me?
Let's see climbing has given me a sense of peace, a sport that I can really sink my time into, a challenge that is worth all the hard work, some great friends, a sense of accomplishment and whole slew of other things.
So why do I climb? Simply put because I want to.
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February 11, 2007 14:23 - My climbing injury and how I could have avoided it
Not too long ago I spent the weekend up in Tennessee climbing at Foster Falls. Fosters is one of my favorite places in the southeast to go sport climbing, plus the warm showers don't hurt one bit.
Here is a picture of me with Fosters classic waterfall in the background.
So a good friend and I were doing some pretty easy 11's and then jumped on 'La Pistola' a fun 5.12 with a bouldery feel to it. So I almost send this bad boy on my first attempt, but fall at the second crux right near the end of the route.
My friend Nate and I both give this baby a redpoint attempt at least 7 times each. I tell Nate ok I am giving this thing one more attempt and then I'm done. I lace up and jump on this route psyched up, but completely pumped out. So I am pulling through the crux and feel some extreme pain in my right hand. I think nothing of it and keep going. When I get to the next crux I push through with all my might and committment, but to no avail I take a huge whipper.
Coming off the route my hand is bleeding and I am in a ton of pain. So I know that it is time to quit and give it a try on my next trip. Nate jumps on it and sends it with style on his last attempt.
Being so pumped I make a not so good decision of giving it one more try. The results not making past the first crux, having to hike up around the climb and rappel down to clean the route, and even more pain in my hand.
So about 2 months later I am still injured because I didn't follow my own advice in an article I wrote called '7 tips on how to stay climbing injury free'.
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February 12, 2007 17:27 - Cardio Training For Climbing
So what have I been doing since I injured my hand? Besides going crazy, I have been training. Training so that when I can climb again I am in the best shape that I can possibly be in.
For me the most important thing has been to really work on building my endurance.
One of the best things that a climber can do is really improve their cardio vascular endurance. And lots of cardio training helps me build and maintain the lean muscular structure that I desire.
The cardio training exercises I have been focusing on are swimming, running, and elliptical. I have found that running can be somewhat hard on my knees, swimming is a little boring, and elliptical well that should speak for itself.
Here is what I do.
Swimming:
500 warm up freestyle or breast stroke 200 freestyle 200 breast stroke 200 kickboard (I hate this) Sprints I do 50's on the minute until I want to throw up Cool down a 400 easy breast stroke and freestyle
Running:
I like to run 3-4 times a week. I run 2-3 light to medium days and 1 day hard.
Light days 2-3 miles Hard days 4-6 miles
Eliptical:
I do this for 25 minutes.
I will always warm up and stretch before and after my cardio workout.
Here is my routine 4 weeks of swimming, 3 weeks of running and then 3 weeks of Eliptical. Once I have completed the routine I will take 1 week off.
Remember this is only what I do. It works for me, but always listen to your body to see if you should push yourself harder or ease up a bit.
Ryan
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February 13, 2007 18:17 - Rands Sends Highballs of Bishop
Lisa Rands has been sending hard all over the world the last few years. We've seen her popping up in the southeast at spots like Horsepens 40, South Africa, on the gritstone, and more. Well not too long ago Rands was sending high and hard at Bishop.
She sent the high ball 'This Side of Paradise (V10) making her send the fourth ascent of the problem in the Buttermilks. The sick strong Matt Wilder established this problem back in November of 2005.
Rands has also climbed Golden Showers (V10) and flashed the very Mesothelioma (V7).
Rands is a fantastic climber and is a trip to watch. Can't wait to see what climbing has in store next for Lisa Rands.
Ryan
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February 13, 2007 23:30 - Gym Etiquette
Have you ever been in the climbing gym and just been frustrated with some people not having common gym etiquette.
One thing that drives me crazy is poor conduct in the climbing gym.
Here are a few things that might seem common sense, but some should have not learned to do.
Roped climbers get priority over boulders on roped climbing walls
Pay attention to who is climbing don't be getting in other people's way on the wall
SPOOTTT! This is serious and not a lot of people (especially beginners) do this
Be courteous to other climbers
Don't hog pads or climbing areas
And finally my biggest pet pieve is beta spray. There is nothing more that I hate than when people are screaming beta at me while I am on a route.
Keep this in mind the next time you are at your local climbing gym.
Ryan
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February 14, 2007 11:14 - Happy Valentine's Day!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day.
In honor of this holiday I am going to be doing a 5 part series on the things I love about rock climbing.
I am going to call this '5 Reasons why I love rock climbing.' Each day I will add a new post with my new reason that I love rock climbing.
Be sure to keep your eyes open the next post will be coming later today.
Ryan
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February 14, 2007 12:05 - Community my first love of climbing
Community the dictionary defines it as 'a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.'
The climbing community is made up of so many unique people with a common interest and that my friends is what makes it so great.
Have you guys ever been at a comp or at your local climbing gym and just taken notice of the climbing community there. The local gym community is what makes indoor climbing what it is. I know that I would certianly not be the same without the great community in which I climb. One of the popular competitions down in the southeast is the Triple Crown Bouldering series. Man when I go to this kind of comp I truly see community. Several hundred people helping one another to have fun, climb strong, be safe, support organizations like access fund, etc.
Did you know that this last Triple Crown raised enough money for Access Fund to pay off the mortgage to Boat Rock?
That is incredible!
Some of the reasons I love the climbing community:
our shared passion for climbing
our shared passion to preserve nature and maintain access to climbing around the world
our desire to help and assist one another
our want to assist people
our desire to make sure everyone stays safe while the climb
and more.
Folks these are just a few things that I love. I ask this of you next time you are at your local gym or crag really look at the community there.
Are you a positive contributing part to your climbing community? If not get take action to making your climbing community better.
We all need community and I promise you climbing with great friends and people is always better.
What is my next love? Find out tommorrow.
Ryan
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February 15, 2007 10:37 - My second love of climbing
My second love of climbing 'Nature'.
This definitely ranks up there as one of the top things I love about climbing.
It seems to me that every place that climbing has taken me is just so beautiful. From Hueco Tanks, to Foster Falls, the Obed, Bouldering all over the Southeast, to Devils Lake, and even to the cliffs of Italy.
Everywhere I get to climb is just breathtaking. It just reminds me everytime of how lucky and blessed I am. These beautiful places take me out of the everyday hustle and bustle of the world.
It is a funny thing about nature the quietness and peacefulness of it all. From our everyday lives of email, phones, cell phones, aim, facebook, myspace, etc. When we are out in nature none of that matters it is just our friends, a beautiful place, and rock climbing.
So that is why nature rings in as my second love of climbing.
Here is a beautiful picture of at the Grand Tetons
Want to know what my third love of climbing is check back tommorrow.
Ryan
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February 16, 2007 19:13 - Friends My Third Love of Climbing
My third love of climbing is 'friends.'
Over the years climbing has brought me some of my best friends.
It's funny where and how you meet some of your closest friends. These great friendships have change my life.
Your friendships are so important and I challenge you to work on and develop your current friendships.
Have a great weekend.
Ryan
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February 17, 2007 15:45 - My fourth love of Climbing
My fourth love of climbing is 'the ability to push myself physically and mentally.'
Growing up I was a pretty big athlete, I loved sports. I played soccer, basketball, and was even a gymnast. However, once I got to college things changed.
I wasn't really into traditional sports competitively anymore, but I really wanted something that I could do to push myself mentally and physically.
Beginning my climbing journey a little before I started college, I decided to get serious about it. I decided that rock climbing would be my outlet. For me one of the best things about climbing is my ability to compete against myself. To improve my mental and physical abilities daily and test them on the rock. Over the years a lot has changed. I can remember what it was the first time I took a sport climbing fall and how scared I was.
How I was able to get over some of my climbing fears and now my ability to control my attitude while I climb.
Climbing truly is a physical sport, but it is far more mental than you can believe. I know what a difference my attitude and mental training has done for my climbing.
I can remember a specific competition a few years ago when I truly realized how important mental training was. During this comp I completely let myself self destruct because I couldn't climb some stupid V 5.
Stay tuned in the next couple weeks I will put up an article about mental training.
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February 18, 2007 22:06 - My fifth love of climbing
So this concludes my top 5 loves of climbing.
First a quick recap of my other loves of climbing:
Community
Nature
Friends
Physical and Mental challenges of climbing
Today I was thinking for quite awhile about what to say here to top off my 5 loves of climbing.
There are just so many things I love.
You know of all the things I love about climbing I decided that I just had to include this one.
So with that my fifth love of climbing is 'joy.'
Now I know that might not be what you were looking for, but my final love is joy. It is this joy that feuls my desire to climb.
You see rock climbing brings me so much joy. I mean everything about it from writing about climbing, to climbing, camping, hiking into climbs, reading books on climbing, climbing magazines, and coaching others. It all brings me joy and to me that is the most important thing.
One of the most important things that I have learned is that everything that you do you should do because you love it. I truly love climbing and I climb simply because it brings me joy.
Bring more joy into your life today.
Ryan
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February 19, 2007 12:16 - News Update 'Climbing Area Closes'
Torrent Falls is now closed to the public.
On the 28th of November the Red River Gorge crag has been closed to the public due to continued and flagrant disrespect of the areas rules.
Myers the owner of the land has blamed the behavior of climbers as the main reason for his decision to close Torrent falls to the public.
Mr. Myers runs a bed and breakfast there and is now allowing only guests at his establishment to climb at Torrent falls.
You can see a full article in issue 157 of Rock and Ice.
Here are my thoughts on the closing.
It is very sad to see a climbing area close. This was a great climbing area that had a ton of classic routes.
You know it is really ashamed because this is something that could have been avoided. If we are not careful and don't follow the rules of those who own the private land we will begin to lose more and more climbing areas. And with all the work that organizations like Access Fund do to maintain and keep climbing areas open it really is ashame.
Please take a proactive role to keep these areas clean and follow the rules that are posted.
Ryan
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February 20, 2007 14:09 - 3 climbers Rescued on Mount Hood
A few months ago 3 climbers died in a bad winter storm on Oregon's Mount Hood. Just this past weekend another climbing trio and their dog were lost on the descent of their climb. However, this group was rescued around 11:00 am PT Monday morning 7,400 feet... (Read Article)
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February 25, 2007 15:14 - Do you Squidoo?
Have you heard of Squidoo?
Probably not, but it just might be the next big thing.
Where were you when Amazon, eBay, or Google came out? Squidoo could be the next big one.
Here is what they say at the Squidoo website "Squidoo: SKWID-OO, n. v., adj., addiction. 1) thousands of people creating a handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online 2) a free and fun way to make your own page and get traffic 3) a place to find what you're looking for, fast."
Rock Climbing For Life just put up its first Squidoo lens today. Be sure to check it out here. Also, when you visit our Squidoo lens be sure to add links to your favorite climbing blogs and climbing sites.
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February 26, 2007 12:22 - ABS 8 National Championship
Now two years in a row Daniel Woods and Alex Puccio are the U.S. bouldering champions. They both repeated there victory at the ABS 8 National Championship about a week ago. This three-day competition up in Maryland determines the U.S. champs for adult men and women. Additionally the comp covers 5 different age brackets of younger climbers.
The comp was a little bit different because in the final round the problems seemed to be less difficult than they were in the qualifiers. Four men and eight women flashed all the finals problems. What??
When I heard that I was blown away, maybe these climbers are just getting too strong. Well since all these climbers sent the promblems like nothing they had to have a superfinal and since three men climbers flashed that route they needed a second superfinal problem. Kinda strange in my opinion.
Since no one could really climb the superfinal 2 problem the judges used the qualifiers to determine final rankings, which in my opinion they should have done in the first place.
All in all turned out to be a good comp and I was excited to see we had a repeat of champions.
Free Climbing to the Public, Saturday, March 3rd from Noon-6pm •Free belay classes every 2 hours •Staffed belays •New auto-belays
Contact: Jill Salva, Media Relations Manager Total Climbing, LLC 303-865-3605 http://www.totalclimbing.com
If you live near the Boulder Rock Club be sure to go and check it out.
Ryan
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February 28, 2007 11:31 - Harrington sends 5.14b
Back in January Emily Harrington took a trip to Sonora, California. There she made the prized second ascent of 'Bringing Down the House a 5.14b that was done first by Justen Sjong.
Harrington attempted the route about 20 times over the course of 8 days and finally sent it on the 27th of January.
With the send Emily becomes only the second woman in the U.S. to send 5.14b. The other powerhouse is Beth Rodden who sent The Optimist at Smith Rock in Oregon.
Ryan
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