Sorry for the delay but I have set up a new web site and all info will be posted there from now on.
www.climb2be.com
see ya there - thanks!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Getting Past It
As we get past our superficial material wants and instant gratification we connect to a deeper part of ourselves, as well as to others, and the universe. ~Judith Wright
After a couple of rainy days the sun has returned to Squamish. Got out this afternoon with Cletus, Tim, Moses and Brent. We waited till the rock dried off and got in a solid afternoon session at the Cutting Edge and then down at Totanka. The post break Totanka is still an awesome line. Its said that its a little harder now. I'm not sure - both ways felt hard to me. The first move is still stellar. Tim made it look easy and Cletus almost sent. Solid climbing by all.
Returned to check some emails and came upon this Judith Wright quote that the people at Prana posted up. After a solid bouldering session - instant suffering for a little while - i was totally struck by what JW has to say. So true.
Getting out and climbing with good people on rock in the sunny afternoon, trying hard on routes that are difficult and push us beyond limits, that cause frustration and silence, pain and bliss, always brings me back to the center. There is no material gain, no harm done, no dirty competition or unsavory antics. Just the simple try hard and get it done. The group cheering you on and inspiration to give it one more try. Try to keep the foot from slipping, the fingers from letting go, the hips from sagging, the tips from splitting. At the end of the day we are just a bunch of rock climbers trying to push bouldering and ourselves to the limits. Without care for money. Without the desperation of time. Just being.
No sending today. But thats cool. Maybe tomorrow. If not then, well........maybe the day after.
Monday, September 27, 2010
New lines and down time
Its still raining here in Squampton. Tis the season. Has allowed for some good down time. Went into town and hit up the local gym this morning after checking for something dry out by The Chief. Its all pretty soaked. Today's rain certainly will not help. although, the weather reports are calling for clear skies and sunshine starting Wed. Psyched!
The damp Northwest is still incredibly beautiful. The grey skies offer peace and introspection. Squamish is definitely quiet now. The locals are hitting the gyms and pretty psyched that season is gone and the boulder fields and routes will be much less crowded. Always the case.
Hiked out this morning and had a look at Siddhartha and The Method. Beautiful boulder problems. Classic lines. Another reminder of how much there is to climb here. Bouldering has become all encompassing while here. The cracks on The Grand Wall are soaking wet. The
Grand Wall boulders are also damp (to say the least) but should dry out after a day or two of sunshine. Then its back to projects and pebble wrestling for a couple of days before going south.
Waiting on the weather, on natures slight temperament, is classic in all climbing locations. Enjoying the view of such spectacular climbing and not being able to get on it is frustrating but necessary at times. All part of the process. All us climbers are pretty blessed to end up in places that are so powerful and abundant. A couple of days off the rock - gotta happen sometime........I guess.
The damp Northwest is still incredibly beautiful. The grey skies offer peace and introspection. Squamish is definitely quiet now. The locals are hitting the gyms and pretty psyched that season is gone and the boulder fields and routes will be much less crowded. Always the case.
Hiked out this morning and had a look at Siddhartha and The Method. Beautiful boulder problems. Classic lines. Another reminder of how much there is to climb here. Bouldering has become all encompassing while here. The cracks on The Grand Wall are soaking wet. The
Grand Wall boulders are also damp (to say the least) but should dry out after a day or two of sunshine. Then its back to projects and pebble wrestling for a couple of days before going south.
Waiting on the weather, on natures slight temperament, is classic in all climbing locations. Enjoying the view of such spectacular climbing and not being able to get on it is frustrating but necessary at times. All part of the process. All us climbers are pretty blessed to end up in places that are so powerful and abundant. A couple of days off the rock - gotta happen sometime........I guess.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Plastic Co-op
Its been wet here - lots of rain - so we went down the Grand Wall Bouldering Co-op in Squamish for the afternoon. pulling on plastic.....its been awhile. Awesome little gym and super rad community. membership run, very simple, no taped problems, all improvisation. chill and creative. its certainly nothing close when compared with the Grand Wall boulders and everything in the area but as far as a small town gyms go its very rad. come in, plug in your ipod, pull down. Simple.
as always great to have a good crew to session with. adults and kids running around. any place that climbers come together, commune, is often a good time. when no pretension, everyone just feeding off each other and having a good time, its revitalising and inspiring. some climb super strong, some just trying to get that first move. in the end someone is always cheering you on to get whatever you're working on.
The weather looks iffy for the next couple of days but so far so good. Seasons.....
as always great to have a good crew to session with. adults and kids running around. any place that climbers come together, commune, is often a good time. when no pretension, everyone just feeding off each other and having a good time, its revitalising and inspiring. some climb super strong, some just trying to get that first move. in the end someone is always cheering you on to get whatever you're working on.
The weather looks iffy for the next couple of days but so far so good. Seasons.....
Friday, September 24, 2010
climbing and customs
stuck in rainy Squamish. this could take a little while. one road town with a lot of rock climbing is getting rained on like southeast asia in summer. today was 30% chance of showers, and it rained all day. tomorrow is 40% chance of showers. hmmmmm.....see how that goes over. everything is measured in centimeters and celsius so i honestly have no idea what is going on half the time with weather predictions. needless to say its gotten cold and yes, its raining a lot.
best thing to do at times like this is find the nearest cafe or brewery, huddle down with all the other displaced climbers, drink tea and whisky, and wait for the time to go by. lots of smiles, lots of laughs, a little giddy, watching Australian rules football on a screen that is half the size of my truck/home. its bleak. but....its Squamish.
i have checked the weather in every city across the western seaboard. Skaha has 60% chance of showers on Sunday. Leavenworth is averaging about 27 degrees celcius. Salt Lake City is hot. Joes Valley is hot. Bishop is uber hot. not even worth checking Hueco in October. the east coast is, well, its the east coast. love it. far away. Ivan says its still summer. hmmmm.
stuck in rainy Squamish and i'm definatly wet. my pants are wet. my jacket - wet. have'nt worn socks in months. everything is wet. but the waitress is sweet so i can't complain. worse places to be stuck. its not the airport in Las Vegas. its not the bus station in Hollywood.
(my tea just came, that should only cost about $9 dollars.....)
its not the Foodmart in Orangeville. the train station in Pouchipsie. the subway in Times Square. the parking lot in St. George. no - its Squamish stuck. like a mellow fist fight. a lot of love in the room. for sure.
i remember being stuck in Reno for two days while a storm rolled through in January. but they have casinos and bright lights. Squamish - a little bit more subdued. we have rock climbing and cool Mitsubushi vans with the steering wheel on the right side. dirtbabgs and derelicts. pros and pro hoes. cocktail waitresses that climb V11. the busboy is working on Singularity. nursing is the prized profession. everyone quite their job at the gym. everyone is sponsored..........and projecting...........
last night i dj'd an impromptu gathering at a friends house. plumbing. the girl is crashing for a couple of nights then flying to Bishop. everyone goes to Bishop. "Bishop then Hueco for the winter then Joes or......whatever." should probably just follow her. make it simple. she knows who made it over the boarder last night and who got turned back. poor French......nothing is fair in climbing and Customs.
"kept me there for 5 hours then sent me back to Canada. for what?!?"
the forest is still wet and now the caves are seeping and wet as well. its casual. The guys from Ontario are heading out at dawn in a van with Hunter S Thompson painted on the side in red and blue. subtle. it runs though. I wonder if someone will just give me money? not that cash would fix anything. cash does'nt buy sending juice. it certainly makes it look better though. stylin!
thug life.......
my project, a beautiful line that i am still unable to send, is fantastic and yes - wet. with Fred Nicole's core strength i might be able to turn the 5th move. Doyle did it quick.
"that thing is hard" i told him.
"hell yeah its hard" he replied.
not sure if thats encouraging or a holy deterant. either way theres a lot of "i think i can" going on. has gotten me this far......not saying much of course. i did get stuck in Reno once.
stuck in Squamish and the tea is getting weaker. only so many hot water refills a round can take. i'm quite sure it will cost about $9. would be par for the economic course here in Canada. Ramen is still cheap. thank the heavens for Ramen. although the Walmart is bumping the prices. can't prove it but pretty sure. In France we would just sit around and drink wine all day then go climb something in the late afternoon shade. maybe that will work here as well. maybe it will stop raining. maybe the nurse will take me home.
i still heart Squamish of course. just a little damp right now.
best thing to do at times like this is find the nearest cafe or brewery, huddle down with all the other displaced climbers, drink tea and whisky, and wait for the time to go by. lots of smiles, lots of laughs, a little giddy, watching Australian rules football on a screen that is half the size of my truck/home. its bleak. but....its Squamish.
i have checked the weather in every city across the western seaboard. Skaha has 60% chance of showers on Sunday. Leavenworth is averaging about 27 degrees celcius. Salt Lake City is hot. Joes Valley is hot. Bishop is uber hot. not even worth checking Hueco in October. the east coast is, well, its the east coast. love it. far away. Ivan says its still summer. hmmmm.
stuck in rainy Squamish and i'm definatly wet. my pants are wet. my jacket - wet. have'nt worn socks in months. everything is wet. but the waitress is sweet so i can't complain. worse places to be stuck. its not the airport in Las Vegas. its not the bus station in Hollywood.
(my tea just came, that should only cost about $9 dollars.....)
its not the Foodmart in Orangeville. the train station in Pouchipsie. the subway in Times Square. the parking lot in St. George. no - its Squamish stuck. like a mellow fist fight. a lot of love in the room. for sure.
i remember being stuck in Reno for two days while a storm rolled through in January. but they have casinos and bright lights. Squamish - a little bit more subdued. we have rock climbing and cool Mitsubushi vans with the steering wheel on the right side. dirtbabgs and derelicts. pros and pro hoes. cocktail waitresses that climb V11. the busboy is working on Singularity. nursing is the prized profession. everyone quite their job at the gym. everyone is sponsored..........and projecting...........
last night i dj'd an impromptu gathering at a friends house. plumbing. the girl is crashing for a couple of nights then flying to Bishop. everyone goes to Bishop. "Bishop then Hueco for the winter then Joes or......whatever." should probably just follow her. make it simple. she knows who made it over the boarder last night and who got turned back. poor French......nothing is fair in climbing and Customs.
"kept me there for 5 hours then sent me back to Canada. for what?!?"
the forest is still wet and now the caves are seeping and wet as well. its casual. The guys from Ontario are heading out at dawn in a van with Hunter S Thompson painted on the side in red and blue. subtle. it runs though. I wonder if someone will just give me money? not that cash would fix anything. cash does'nt buy sending juice. it certainly makes it look better though. stylin!
thug life.......
my project, a beautiful line that i am still unable to send, is fantastic and yes - wet. with Fred Nicole's core strength i might be able to turn the 5th move. Doyle did it quick.
"that thing is hard" i told him.
"hell yeah its hard" he replied.
not sure if thats encouraging or a holy deterant. either way theres a lot of "i think i can" going on. has gotten me this far......not saying much of course. i did get stuck in Reno once.
stuck in Squamish and the tea is getting weaker. only so many hot water refills a round can take. i'm quite sure it will cost about $9. would be par for the economic course here in Canada. Ramen is still cheap. thank the heavens for Ramen. although the Walmart is bumping the prices. can't prove it but pretty sure. In France we would just sit around and drink wine all day then go climb something in the late afternoon shade. maybe that will work here as well. maybe it will stop raining. maybe the nurse will take me home.
i still heart Squamish of course. just a little damp right now.
Water
the forest is still super rad, even though its been raining non stop for about 3 days........its not Utah desert right now, but that will come soon enough.
was out early this morning. a wet approach for sure. 2 dry lines in the whole place as far as i could tell. they are rad so no complaints at all. staying busy with them for sure. pulling on semi dry holds.....hmm.......
still a beautiful challenge. no doubt.
was out early this morning. a wet approach for sure. 2 dry lines in the whole place as far as i could tell. they are rad so no complaints at all. staying busy with them for sure. pulling on semi dry holds.....hmm.......
still a beautiful challenge. no doubt.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tidal Waves
"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."
Edward Abbey
The forecast for Squamish is bleak, i guess. Last night Tim stopped by and informed me that a tidal wave of rain if about to hit Squamish.
"But muscle through if you can. There is always something dry to climb" he positively suggested.
True, there is always something dry to climb. This morning i went back out to work on some projects but everything was soaked through already. One night of heavy rain. Makes for good sleeping and lazy days but not enough climbing for sure. Always make do though.
The last couple of days have been sunny and beautiful - we've been lucky. Received a new Organic pad and brought it out yesterday to Gibbs cave and into the forest. Awesome. A full pad - rad colors and super foam. The more i use Organic pads the more of a loyal fan i am. Their product is straight dope. Light pads yet built like a tank. Fine stitching and really easy to latch up. Throw and go. Thanks Josh - keep it up! Makes falling definitely more comfy.
Have been heading out to Gibbs every morning to work on projects there. I often enjoy the rigors of overhanging problems more then technical face climbs. Granite here enables a fine mixture of the two. The climbs can be thuggy but there is always a fine necessity for balance, footwork, subtlety, and patience. nothing comes quick. Its an awesome challenge, especially on more strenuous climbs. When pebbles become giant footholds its hard granite climbing time.
As the seasons shift the climbing areas have become much more quiet. Makes one realise just how busy summer is here. With the intro of Fall - the fog, the rain, the cooler temperatures - the number of active climbers dwindles down to a handful. Its super peaceful and encouraging. Last night we sat out by the river around a fire and watched the clouds roll in over a full moon sky after a long day of bouldering at The Chief. Getting cold, everyone tired yet still psyched. Marsh mellows and stories. Thanks To.
Hopefully the sun returns tomorrow and back to rock climbing.
Edward Abbey
The forecast for Squamish is bleak, i guess. Last night Tim stopped by and informed me that a tidal wave of rain if about to hit Squamish.
"But muscle through if you can. There is always something dry to climb" he positively suggested.
True, there is always something dry to climb. This morning i went back out to work on some projects but everything was soaked through already. One night of heavy rain. Makes for good sleeping and lazy days but not enough climbing for sure. Always make do though.
The last couple of days have been sunny and beautiful - we've been lucky. Received a new Organic pad and brought it out yesterday to Gibbs cave and into the forest. Awesome. A full pad - rad colors and super foam. The more i use Organic pads the more of a loyal fan i am. Their product is straight dope. Light pads yet built like a tank. Fine stitching and really easy to latch up. Throw and go. Thanks Josh - keep it up! Makes falling definitely more comfy.
Have been heading out to Gibbs every morning to work on projects there. I often enjoy the rigors of overhanging problems more then technical face climbs. Granite here enables a fine mixture of the two. The climbs can be thuggy but there is always a fine necessity for balance, footwork, subtlety, and patience. nothing comes quick. Its an awesome challenge, especially on more strenuous climbs. When pebbles become giant footholds its hard granite climbing time.
As the seasons shift the climbing areas have become much more quiet. Makes one realise just how busy summer is here. With the intro of Fall - the fog, the rain, the cooler temperatures - the number of active climbers dwindles down to a handful. Its super peaceful and encouraging. Last night we sat out by the river around a fire and watched the clouds roll in over a full moon sky after a long day of bouldering at The Chief. Getting cold, everyone tired yet still psyched. Marsh mellows and stories. Thanks To.
Hopefully the sun returns tomorrow and back to rock climbing.
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