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June 23, 2011

Natasha Barnes


Check out Natasha Barnes's blog at Louder Than 11, natashabarnes.lt11.com

And while your there, Louder Than 11* is pretty damn rad as well. Check out all the people that are a part of it.

*I know the site is under construction. But rest assured, it will be back up! Be patient!

June 20, 2011

Killing time

Golden Gate encased in fog
I haven't updated in a while. Why? The main factor being: it's too hot for Mortar Rock. And since Yosemite is flooded out with water (not to mention tourists) I figured what a better time to check out of some indoor bouldering around the bay? And by that I mean mostly at Planet Granite in the city.

I normally prefer outside...actually I DO prefer outdoor climbing to indoors. But some one once told me that sometimes, you just got to suck it up (Thanks Chris Boch!) We have been setting at Bridges. It feels like an upswing. After coming in and noticing small yellow Xs on the wall, the mood was almost killed for putting up problems. It looked bad. Even though people loved it, we took it down. If you liked it, sorry. It went through multiple sets, the head route setter didn't green light it, and half of it would have been taken down before the other half if left unnoticed...I digress.

This week, we're setting the top ropes at Bridges. Yes, even a small bouldering gym has top ropes. They get reset twice a year, possibly less. The market for rope climbing is controlled 3 miles down San Pablo at an undisclosed former iron factory where people used to work (that was a ways to say Ironworks). But the parties need it and the teen team do too.

Mike Abell halfway up the 37 move V9 on the ramp
But as for myself (don't know about anyone else really) I've taken the time to get on climbs at PGSF. Previously, I would go twice a year out there because it's pretty far out there, man. But it's a hour there (biking into the wind) and 30 minutes back (biking with the wind). It's worth the ride. The problems on the ramp, which is reminisent of the old Mission Cliffs ramps from back in the day. So fun. Either way, I prefer the problems there right now over Ironworks, or Mission Cliffs. The plus side is an enjoyable ride there. You got the bay, the breeze, crazy ass drivers that you need to avoid. Planet Granite is rad.


June 10, 2011

Skin vs Rock



Today, in the battle of skin versus rock, rock won.

It might have been a blow out from the start. Warming up felt harder than normal. Maybe it was the humidity. Or maybe it was my skin. Or maybe, just maybe, I was finding excuses to cover up the real reasons to why it felt hard. I don't know why it felt harder than normal. It frustrated me. I haven't gotten frustrated climbing...in months. SERIOUS frustration that lasts for more than five minutes. I guess that's pretty good considering that I used to let it get to me easily. I have come a long way from where I was in terms of frustration getting to me and affecting the rest of my day. So in that sense, I'll call it a success. On the climbing front, it wasn't so much a total success but more of a working success. let me explain if you don't understand what I mean.

A) A total success is when you work a problem, get focused and put all of your efforts into one solid attempt where you're going to do your project. There is no question of falling. You will not fall.

B) Working success is what applies to the effort into working out the moves on a climb before you can commence for total success on your project. You do move after move, working the route/problem until you either
  1. have total success as in scenario A very quickly the same day
  2. figure that you can have total success the next time
I almost gave up and walked away because of my frustration. I made it halfway down the street before I saw my friend Sue (the first woman to do Nat's Traverse back BEFORE the v-scale was invented by some Berkeley punk, John Sherman, respect) driving up. I figured, 'Well, there's gonna be pads now. I might as well go back up and give Impossible some goes.' The less than a minute walk actually worked on calming me down. In the past, I have stayed at Mortar frustrated around friends and my frustration just got worse and worse. I have since learned to pack up and walk away. One of the many tricks I have learned, just walk away and come back.

Both of us ended up having a lot of fun flailing around on it, myself not making much progress due to...below average skin upon my tips, but hey what are you gonna do about it? It's outside, and sometimes you forget that when you really want to do a certain route/problem. It's better than being in the gym and getting frustrated over plastic.

Thanks fir reading!