merry x-mas

Happy Holidays from the snowy northeast! i have returned home for the holidays and am crashing at the family farm in upstate NY. things were busy down in the city with the holidays fast approaching but it is good to be up in the peaceful country - reading, writing, catching up with friends, going over training schedules. if all goes well there will be some good ice climbing soon!

southern utah was awesome, and from what i hear the season in hueco and bishop are well under way. lots of things to do. will be good to get down there. the weather looks great and climbers are hitting up everything! Lynn Hill is still sending super strong from what i hear - awesome!

while in the city i stopped off at MPHC and climbed with old friends - great as always. the MPHC crew are solid wonderful people and are always gracious. check in with Cliff and Marco if you get a chance. good living, great problems, perfect music. and they climb hard. great city gym. clean problems. good cave to work and get strong.







NYC is such a trip to any climber that happens into town. everything is super expensive and moving lightening fast - but there is always something to do. can know someone right off their training schedule if not careful. crazy homelands......... great dj's.

after some time up here its back out. the New Paltz crew will certainly be around the next couple of days even though we are snow snow snowed in. more snow coming from what i hear. great for ice, horrible for boulders.

happy holidays to everyone. peace, happiness, and safety this year. give where you can and when you can. the access fund and the AAI are super to support. and check out The Hunger Project if you get a chance. wonderful opportunity to help out where ever you can. wacky days now - we give what we can.

lots of love and peace. safe travels.

place to rest my head

at times the wondrous hospitality of others is all that one has to depend on. for the past week i have taken some time off the road and held up in the salt lake area. hot meals, good gym crowd, training, stoves and warm homes. the kindness of friends and strangers goes the longest of ways after a couple of months on the road. it truly means a lot.

salt lake city is still the same. the strong climbing community is forever in their own element. a wonderful bastion of strength, conditioning and constant challenge. while the city itself is going through its own economic slowdown, as the rest of the country is doing the same, the climbing community is coming together where ever they can, doing their best to support and propel the younger, current, and older generations who move through the greater salt lake valley. the vortex. something about the vortex.

it is a fun town. an outdoorsy town. "i moved here for the boulders." often i have heard that line. with the tricky LCC granite just up the block, and the quartzite in BCC, SLC is the mecca for US climbing. sport, trad, alpine, bouldering, aid, the whole deal. quite impressive. could have better.................., but its cool.

warmth, heat, space, and walls are wonderful things that are easily taken for granted. only after they are gone for an extended period of time does one truly come back to enjoy the depth and opportunity they have been afforded through the simple pleasures.

Stripping The Front

making my best to hang in the snow here in utah. staying with good friends, climbing at the local gyms, seeing old friends, planning next leg of the trip.

last night The Front stripped all its holds in prep for the cruxmas jam. before the strip the front crew was throwing down very hard - making all the right moves as always. jeff peterson was on hand to coach some of the younger climbers - those young kids are super strong! another strong showing from everyone under 5 foot 5. amazing!

soon afterwards the kids began breaking down holds, stripping walls, sawing, sanding, untapping, getting the faces clean and clear. holds being washed, crates lifted and escorted into the washroom. no joke efficiency. chris and malinda ran the show tight and kept everything moving along real smooth. in all the whole place was buzzing. everyone who showed up was super helpful. pizza at the end paid it all off.

shannon and other setters went right to work on putting the walls back together. they are real into their jobs, loving what they do, and keep a tight watch on what goes on. there is no time to spare. getting it all done. thats the name of the game. special posts and shout outs. climbing before the plastic fell. rapid firing as mike beck said. important and physical.

training. all training.

rest day today. mostly library time and chilling with friends. good times. planning the next move. getting it all in order. hope that all is well with everyone out there. there is so much to do. everyone down here is taking it easy and pushing the limits big time. people are on the edge and moving fast before the cold weather really sets in. its a solid time and the air is crisp. special.
before everyone hits the road again there is a lot of planning going on and concentration on hard problems and new development. climbing hard. that is what everyone is doing. solid respect for those who have and continue to put in the time and effort to climb hard and solid. exchanging beta, doing it right. climb hard. thats what people are doing here. thats why people have come to the valley. daryl and paul and claire, they are a new generation of climbers who are in love with climbing and are pushing the envelope hard. love of the area and people and town. thats what they are about. community and respect and accomoplishment.

while the town or orangeville has been great to all of us we continue to give back however we can. support local. be good people. love love love. work work work.