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Devin and Casey recently attacked one of CT’s most annoying climbs (says mike d who hates off-widths with passions untold). It was Casey’s first attempt at it, and suffice to say… she rocked it. This is a great video. Enjoy!

Carey Corner from Devin Krevetski on Vimeo.

This weekend was packed.

Saturday was a day of Kung Fu, Taxes, and Homework. Taxes turned out to be a phenomenal punch in the gut as I tried to carefully deduct every receipt that I had for House of Rock repairs in 2007. Too complicated friends. Much too complicated.

So let’s just scratch Saturday as a day of frustration. Sunday however… Sunday was enough to redeem the weekend. It was the ultimate day of adventure.

At 8am Pete and I were at Cathole setting up a few climbs. Pete started with a lead of a 5.6 called ‘elegant monkey.’ It did not feel even remotely like a 5.6

5.6’s should be reasonably comfortable, with plenty of hand holds where you can rest and relax. After Pete lead it, I followed and even with a rope above me I felt really uncomfortable. It was an intimidating overhanging route and required some fist jams and finger jams to get through it. Pete didn’t look concerned at all as he worked through a dicey crux. I have no idea how he pulled it off so smoothly. Despite all the brutal difficulty, it was exceptionally fun. After we finished that route, I jumped on Pegasus (5.8) again.

Pegasus is a very comfortable climb, but I didn’t perform too well. I strung myself out a little too much and had a piece of gear that wasn’t as bomber as I would have liked. I think when climbing I need to make sure to remain patient and not rush gear placement. One thing I’m very proud of is my top anchors. They have progressed considerably from last year.

After Pegasus, I zipped down to Stratford for band practice. We pretty much went through all songs learned to date, and really… they weren’t too bad. Heavens my guitar is fantastic. I can’t even begin to tell you how much joy it brings me. Once our band secures a bassist and a bandname, we’ll be probably about two months of regular practice away from a show.

After jamming, I drove up to Irene’s place for a huge dance dance revolution (the Hottest Party) get together. It was amazing. There were four hours of dancing. FOUR. We had two pads and probably about 6 active dancers. Darcy will probably throw up a review at some point, perhaps even with incriminating video. Check out her blog here.

And now it’s Monday… and I’m starting the week with a Keg of Coffee.

I’d like to see this thing do a dyno.

Here’s a bit of a video montage of us climbing our hearts out on Subline: a 5.10 or 5.11 at Main Cliff. It’s really pumpy and extremely fun.

Climbing at Main Cliff in CT from mikedidonato on Vimeo.

It was a wild day.

On Labor Day Pete and I tried our luck at Chatfield Hollows.

Chatfield Hollows is a park in Killingworth, CT that has a quaint little rock climbing spot notorious for its short tough routes. The walls don’t go much higher than 40 feet or so, so the top of the cliff is just about at the same level as the tops of the trees.

After getting a little lost entering the woods, Pete and I finally found the crag and got started on a 5.5. This would be Pete’s first lead.

In action. Pete places some gear.

Pete’s completed his climb.

Now, this was a pretty good route to get a first lead in. The low height and great gear placement was super safe. Also, in an attempt to get some practice placing gear, Pete laced the thing up with protection. Let’s take a closer look at that last picture. I’ve circled gear in red.

Pete placed a total of 14 pieces of gear in a 30 foot wall. hilarious!

After Pete finished up we went through a few harder routes. Pandemonium, Sirius, and a third that escapes me. They were harder routes… 5.9, 5.9+, and 5.10+.

Overall, I would describe Chatfield hollows as somewhat magical. It’s off the beaten path so for most of the day Pete and I were alone at the rock. It was sheltered and the Gniess rock was a pleasant break from the typical Trap rock at Ragged Mountain.

This labor day weekend was overflowing with adventure. First, Saturday.

On Saturday I went to the Gunks with Andreas. The Gunks is a hugely popular climbing spot in NY and Andreas is an extremely intense German. He led a 5.10c like it was a walk in the park. Completely smooth and without hesitation. On top of that, he was humble about his on-sight achievement.

The second pitch of nurse’s aid was rated as a 5.10a… but it was not a 5.10a. At the top there was a “wild hand traverse” which would have been better described as an “insane hand traverse.” Here’s a rough sketch:

Andreas was unsuccessful in his leading of this portion of the climb. He actually had to make a little aid ladder out of gear. He did it, and eventually got to the top.

I was following, and when I got to the hand traverse I did the most horribly sloppy ascent. First I traversed out about 3 feet. Then I threw my left foot onto a chip in the far corner.

Then I mashed my face against the rock.. jammed my wrist into the crack and pushed down to get my body above the crack.

Then I brought my right foot up and kind of slobberly mushed myself higher. slobberly mush is a pretty good adjective noun combo. Other good adjectives noun combos that could be used to describe my motion might be:

sloppily wormed
grovingly smooshed
squirmingly wriggled

Finally I desperately grabbed for the top and stuck it.

After completing the route a group of climbers who had been climbing next to us spoke up.

climbers: You did a great job with that roof!
Mike D: Ugh. no I didn’t. it was just about as ungraceful as you can get
climbers: Grace? grace doesn’t matter in Trad* This is climbing not figure skating.

We had a good laugh. After nurse’s aid, I led CCK a 5.7/5.9 exposed lead. Once worn out, Andreas and I left the gunks and shared some pizza in New Paltz. It was a great experience and I was happy to spend some time with Andreas.

*traditional climbing

This weekend was perfect.

Friday night I had a very important kung fu session and I’m pleased that I went. Sijeh Shannon was running class and critiqued my forms to a level beyond any other. It was extremely helpful.

Saturday Dave Susco and I hit up Main Cliff in the early AM. I started with a quick Broadway lead (5.8). Then Dave led a two pitch route: Jessica (5.8+ R). In actuality we never meant to have him start up an R. I was looking at the book, got confused, and we started up the wrong route. That said, it turned out to be the best climb of the day. The top was extremely tricky, and despite it being an R (this means rare gear placement) Dave threw down 6 pieces of protection in 20 feet. And this was absolutely necessary. He ended up taking a pretty big fall right before topping out. I would guess that he fell about 12 feet. It was wild.

The gear held without a problem. The top ended up requiring three consecutive sharp crimps and some creative footwork. It was a blast.

After eventually finishing that route we headed over to Vector and I led that route without too much difficulty. The crux was a thin off width that required a 4 cam. Unfortunately, I’d already used it so I had to run out about 12 feet of rope (not ideal). But I never felt very nervous… I think I will soon be ready for my first attempt of YMC - Main cliff’s infamous 5.9.

Some day I will be leading 5.10s. And that will be a triumphant day.

After climbing Dave and I shared some martial arts knowledge (he does Bando*… a thailand fighting style). It was fun.

Sunday, Shaun L. and I cleaned out the fridge (it was very dirty), I finished my cleaning of the downstairs bath, and we hit up the grocery store.

Good times. Very good times.

*SEE COMMENTS

My time in Cape Cod was extremely relaxing. While I only spent 2 full days there, I felt like I was able to fully escape the ties to home. I didn’t use a computer and didn’t feel the need to. There were no e-mails or phone calls. It was bliss.

I drove out on Thursday night. Friday was spent on the beach: flying kites, bicycling, reading like crazy, and swimming. Alicia, Theresa, and Alicia’s fiance Dwane were down there too and we were enjoying our bonding time.

Friday night we had fried fish, watched a movie, and then despite Dwane and my general feelings of laziness we were convinced by Theresa and Alicia to hit up Karaoke.

Theresa started our group off with a thrilling version of Son of a Preacher Man. She was classy and reserved. I had forgotten how nice her voice is and I think the local crowd at the Sea Dog was impressed. Alicia followed her with Call me by Blondie. It was full of energy. She mixed her emotions with angst and the result was a firey explosion of umph.

Then I was called up. I had, obviously, decided to perform Journey. I went with ‘Lights’ my personal favorite and a song with which I feel very comfortable. Despite being tired, when Journey starts playing I have a hard time not rocking out. I put everything I had into it and was told afterwards that my air guitar was wild.

Who were these DiDonato kids who took the local karaoke bar by storm? “Are you some sort of theater troop?” asked the Karaoke DJ.

A few more groups went up as we went through the book. Alicia would do Straight Up, Theresa would do some Cher. I got a tap on the shoulder.

A group of girls wanted to sing Summer Lovin’ but needed a guy’s voice. I gladly participated. And if I do say so myself, I think we did a pretty bang-up job. One of the girls, Cherise, was actually a back up singer for a band. She knew all the harmonies and it stepped the performance up a level.

After that, Tree did ‘Busta Move’ while I danced backup. And Alicia did another. The song escapes me for a moment… which is unfortunate because it was the best of her three. Alicia, determined to get me to spend time with Cherise (I must admit my sisters have good taste, she was cute and had a beautiful voice), signed the two of us up for Sonny and Cher’s “I got you babe.”

Unfortunately, neither Cherise or I knew the tune well, but we got up there anyway and did our best.

Outside of that obscure Karaoke experience in China, this was my first real Karaoke attempt. It was a blast and I hope to be able to get out in CT sometime. Apparently there’s a Rock and Roll Karaoke place in Hartford. I’ll keep you updated.

Anyway, the vacation finished smoothly. We ate smores and played Scrabble on the beach. I came back Sunday for some rock climbing with Pete and Irene. It couldn’t have worked out better.

And last night, as we sat on top of Wet Wall, a 5.6 with a dangerous start, the sun setting made the sky look like Orange Sherbet. It was beautiful and a great conclusion to a sweet break.

This weekend was great! Saturday my class let out a bit early so I met up with Devin for some climbing over at East Peak.

East Peak is just a tough location for climbing. It’s plagued with loose rock and heavy shrubbery. Shaun L. helped us out a bit by driving us up to the top (there’s a road… but it closes at 4:45). After a nasty hike to the base of the Ampitheater, we whipped out a few crack climbs on the Shakespeare wall. The Shakespeare wall is a wall where all the climbs are named after Shakespeare’s plays. Climbers may be a feisty bunch, but we’re not completely illiterate.

A few feet up off the ground on ‘Taming of the Shrew’ Devin took a pretty nasty fall. He hadn’t put his first piece of gear in yet and lost a foothold. He only fell about 6-8 feet, but his hand was jammed at the time so he twisted it badly. The injury didn’t stop him though. Devin is a machine.

After that, we worked an offwidth and I led ‘Much ado about nothing’. It was a 5.5 which would have been better soloed. At 25 feet tall, it was more a bouldering problem than a climb.

Exciting new climbing term!!
Trundle: to purposely let loose a rock off a climb, perhaps to prevent a future climber from inadvertently knocking it off during a climb later on.

Sunday I went climbing again, this time with Paulette and Michelle at Pinnacle.

I taught the girls how to set up a toprope and we worked Zambezi (5.7+) and Suffocation (5.6). It was fun and the weather was beautiful.

After climbing we went back to Michelle’s place. Tony met up with us and we shared in delicious BBQ, swimming, and overall great times. I think it was the ideal summer Sunday.

Yesterday did not turn out at all how I expected it to.

We got up early with the expectations for a day of climbing. The climbing was postponed, so I planned to go to kung fu. But THEN, the climbing was re-planned and I dropped plans for kung fu.

Then it started to rain.

So instead, we went to see TRANSFORMERS, the movie.

It was awesome. On Tuesday I read a review of the movie that did not speak well of the giant mechanical beast war, so I walked into the theater with low expectations. The reviewer cast the movie aside with comments on its high level of cheese and low levels of plot. Mr. Reviewer said that the action wasn’t good enough to hold the movie together.

Mr. Reviewer? to your review I say Nay. Nay! The movie was everything I could hope it to be. Giant fighting mechanical beasts? Missiles, helicopters, and military might? Optimus Prime? Yes.

It was Breathtaking.

(and, it was a matinee. three cheers for 6 dollar movies!)

After the movie we went over to Irene’s place for a BBQ. There was a great group of people there, and Irene got her tooth fixed. She had chipped it on Sunday at East Peak when she was defending our group from two fierce mountain lions.

Here are a couple more pictures from Sunday.
Rat Crack 1
Rat Crack 2

I think these pictures do a decent job at showing the impressive scale of the faces at East Peak. That’s Irene climbing and Pete belaying from the top.

On Sunday, Pete and I tried our luck at East Peak again. We got a bit of a late start because of my late arrival back from Cape Cod, but the weather was perfect. The hike to the crag was a solid 40 minute adventure alternating between steep, really steep, and comfortable. We set up at the Merrimere face first to try our luck at Thor’s hammer. Pete and I set up a solid top rope and rappelled down for the climb.

Pete was successful. I tried a 5.11 just to the left of Thor’s hammer and failed miserably. so I ended up finishing the top of Thor’s Hammer. shortly afterwards, Irene and Tony showed up. Irene whipped out thor’s hammer as well.

After Thor’s Hammer, we tried to find the Amphitheater where there are some tough crack climbs. These attempts were horribly unsuccessful. After much frustration we split up. Pete and I traversed a field of loose rock and eventually found the crag. Meanwhile Irene and Tony hiked the top and dropped a rope at Rat Crack a 5.7

I free climbed a 5.1 gully to the top and help set up the top rope. Irene rappelled down and she and pete worked the climb. I took a few pictures with Pete’s camera and as soon as they’re up, I’ll post links here.

Paulette showed up while Pete was working the route. At this point it was beginning to get dark, so we decided to just hike out once Irene and Pete were up. We reached the base at about 8:40.

It was a great day to spend outside, but I would rate the climbing as ‘okay’. So far, our East Peak attempts have not been very fruitful. ahh well. next time.

This week I’m going to be in Houston on business. As such, I can’t promise much for posts. But! who knows. we shall see.

My birthday weekend was pretty spectacular. Below, I’ve included some pictures of Tony and me climbing at Main Cliff in CT.

We only did two climbs as we started a bit late. First I lead Broadway, a CT 5.8 classic. It went pretty well, no real issues. I’m feeling more comfortable leading eights. Provided they have Good gear placement options.

In this picture, I’m just to the right of the overhang.

The weather was ideal for climbing. Just enough of a slight breeze to keep you cool but not overwhelming.

There’s a copperhead snake that has made its residence between two rocks up by the top of Carey’s Corner. we kept our distance for obvious reasons.

We’ve seen it there a few times, so if you happen to head out there keep an eye out for it. It’s not in the actual climb, but instead up past the permanent anchor over the top. Just watch where you step.

As I was leading Broadway I put in my number 1 cam a bit too tightly into the rock. Tony had a heck of a time taking it out. You can see that both sides of each individual cams are jammed against the side of the rock. While the piece certainly would have protected me had I fallen, it was a pain in the butt to remove.

After polishing off Broadway, I gave Tony an opportunity to lead a 5.4. He had no major issues. When setting anchor he dropped a rock the size of a softball down at me, but thankfully gave me enough warning (ROCK! HUGE ROCK!) so that I could run to safety.

We climbed until well after dark. Thankfully we’ve fallen into the habit of taking flashlights with us when we hike into the woods.

It was a really fantastic birthday.

This weekend gets a qualified “eh.” I came in to help with my company’s inventory count on Saturday and Sunday. Most of the rest of my time was spent on a Fluids homework assignment that reaches new levels of obnoxious.

The annoying part of this homework is that most of the work is just algebra. After figuring out which formula to use, which takes all of 3 minutes, the next hour is spent substituting in variables and simplifying equations.

Not fun.

Thankfully, there were two moments of enjoyment this weekend. Saturday night, at 6:45 Jesse and I decided to sprint up to Pinnacle rock and whip out two climbs. We did 1st and 3rd crack. Finishing 3rd crack as the sun set over the hills. Then, last night Pete, Crystal, Jesse, Irene, Joel, and I decided to save our sanity and get a quick climb or two in at Main Cliff.

I collected my first piece of climbing booty* (a sweet Tricam) on a 5.5 lead then tied into a top rope on Wetwall and some 5.9 face. It was raining by the time I hit Wetwall and the 5.9, so the fun factor jumped considerably.

Overall, this weekend gets a 5.3 toprope rating, more effort than enjoyment.

*a piece of gear that someone else left in the rock, either inadvertently or because they couldn’t remove it.

Whitestone is a beautiful beautiful area by Waterbury CT. It almost feels like something out of a Tolkien novel.

Amazing Whitestone Landscape.

On Saturday, Tony, Paulette, and I went climbing at Whitestone. I started with an easy 5.4 lead and then we did a little toprope action.

After the toprope, I attempted ‘Structures’.

‘Structures’ has an intimidating hand traverse about 40 feet off the ground which capitalizes on the ‘Freak Out’ factor. Once you start, you really can’t stop. If you fall, you’ll take a serious zinger and put quite a bit of stress on your gear.

The first move is a mild reach and then a high step onto a sloped surface.

Then, you reach out with and move your hands further and further along. Notice there’s no solid feet placement along that wall.

Finally, you have to swing your leg up and over a ledge, all the while, hoping that your gear is good and that your fingers have the strength to finish the task.

It was an amazing amazing climb. But, I think that I’m going to hold off on trying to lead any more 5.9’s. At least for the time being.

This weekend was packed full of climbing.

Saturday: Whitestone Cliffs
Highlight: I led ‘Structures’ a 5.9-. Took my first lead fall, struggled through a hand traverse, but finished the route nonetheless

Sunday: Pinnacle Rock
Highlight: Led 5.8 Zambeezy. It was clean.

Monday: Main Cliff
Highlight: Led 5.7 Wishbone. Also clean, but the length of the route made it feel a bit harder than Zambeezy.

Outside of climbing, I hung out with Tony and Paulette a bit, partook in a Roast of all Roasts, cleaned, did some running and lifting with Shaun L, and took a number of naps. Naps, by the way, can not be appreciated enough.

I left work at lunch yesterday because of illness. I went home, slept for 3 hours. Today I’m feeling a bit better.

Let’s do some more weekend wrap up.

Climbing at Whitestone!

Whitestone Cliff is a small little crag just north of Waterbury. The climbing there is short (60 feet max height), but it’s isolated and the scenery is amazing. There’s about a 5 or 6 minute hike into the woods to reach the crag. The rock is Gniess and it’s got a bunch of fun surfaces and cracks.

Tony, Paulette, and I started out on a few slab 5.5’s. I lead one (tony cleaned), and then we set up an anchor on another. After the practice runs, we headed over to Dreadlock. Dreadlock is a 5.8 G (’G’ means good protection). The climb starts off on a comfortable crack that’s about the width of two fingers. I started using a lot of cams earlier on, which made me a little nervous as I was afraid I’d run out later on… but the climb was pretty straightforward so I wasn’t too concerned.

Near the top, there were a series of BIG moves which were very exciting. But the gear was plentiful so danger was minimal.

I got the top, cheered heartily and then belayed for Tony and Paulette. Paulette cleaned the route for me and then Tony finished off.

The whole trip was only about 3 hours long, but it was great to get out to a new crag and get some more trad experience.

This is going to be an amazing summer for climbing.

When you’re setting gear, keep your heels in a ‘down‘ position instead of an ‘up‘ position. It’ll save a lot of energy and will make your calves not hate you.

This weekend kind of stunk.

Friday I spent some time with Ernie after class making pizza and playing Wii. That was the extent of fun for the weekend.

Saturday I started in on a Finance project, and outside of the occasional guitar break, didn’t stop.
Sunday was more of the same with the added bonus of some studying of Advanced Fluids with Pete.

Pete and I were sick of working and we needed a break. It was 3:30. Jesse, Kay, and Gary were climbing at Cathole and I really wanted to do some leading. So we grabbed our gear and headed over.

Climbing Story
For a fun game… let’s keep track of the good ideas and bad ideas in the following story. Devin is going to LOVE this.

We arrived at Cathole and I decided I wanted to lead 5.8 Saturday Night Special (bad idea #1). I got my gear on and got ready. We went over my plan for setting anchor at the top and reviewed each other’s knots to make sure we were in good shape (good idea #1). Then I started leading (bad idea #2).

The protection was there… but not great. I found a few good spots and a handful of mediocre spots. I wasn’t TOO worried because I was doubling up like crazy on my gear (good idea #2 and bad idea #3 (bad idea explained later).)

Then the wind started roaring and I started freaking out. It was brutal! Here I was, 30 feet off the ground with 70 feet to go, getting forcibly pushed around by chilled winds. I was nervous as all heck. BUT, my gear placement kept getting better, so I kept climbing.

Suddenly I looked down and realized I was running out of slings (see bad #3). Slings are used to connect the gear to the rope, so they are pretty important. Thankfully I had two double long slings left, and there was only about 15 feet left to climb. My cams had wiregates, so if I could find one cam placement, and then use my two slings I could still have gear that was 5 or less feet apart.

I grabbed one of my slings… and found that it was tangled with the other sling (bad #4). I was in a decent rest spot though, so I decided to try and untangle them (bad #5). a SOLID 12-15 minutes later, I was no further along and my left calf was at point of failure. It then started to rain (bad #6).

“Not Good,” I thought. “Maybe I can just use the tangled sling and try to get two cams in later on” (bad #7). I put my one piece of gear in and climbed up a little farther. The rain stopped.

This is where trouble really started. I looked up…. and the crack disappeared (bad #8). As far as I could see, there was no good placement for equipment at all (bad #9). I realized, that when I ‘mock’ lead this previously, I stopped before the top because the anchor was hanging. Without a hanging anchor, I was out of luck.

The wind tortured me some more and then I decided I better down climb (good idea #3 and bad idea #10).

Down climbing is not easy. And it stinks when you know you can’t fall on your gear. But, it was smart of me to bail.

So I started my way down. Thankfully, it wasn’t any harder than a 5.8 so I made decent progress. When I was about 30 feet up, I got into some trouble. I had to climb over a small bulge, and the foot placement wasn’t visible. On top of that, as soon as I put any weight on my calves they went into Typewriter mode, shaking like crazy from being overworked on that ledge.

I was right under a solid cam. And I felt FAR more comfortable about this cam then I did the two nuts that hung below me. I tested the cam again, and decided to lower off the edge (good idea #4)

Pete tightened the belay. That cam was extremeeely solid (good #5). He lowered me down.

I removed the gear below that cam.

Now we were in a new jam. I had left a piece stranded in the wall. I’d have to be lowered from the top to retrieve it. Joel and I hiked to the top. I kept my helmet on (good idea #6).

We get to the top, and Joel lowers me down. The gear, because it had been used, was thoroughly jammed in the crack. It took me awhile to release it.

Joel lowered me down the rest of the way. I reached the bottom and walked a good 10-12 feet away from the hanging rope. Joel shouted “ROPE!” and let go of the top.

It whipped down, as ropes always do. But for whatever reason, it flailed right at me. I crouched down and the rope whipped me in the helmet.

I wasn’t going to try my luck any more. I packed up my equipment and went home.

I’m going to have to ask Irene how the climbing books rate placement of gear on that route. Because I did not find it comfortable in the least. Especially at the top. Yikes.

I would describe the climb as a complete failure. But as Jesse pointed out, there’s two types of Failure and I’m totally okay with yesterday’s type.

End tally?
6 Good.
10 Bad.

Sunday we hit up Pinnacle Rock for some climbing. What made this particular trip special was that it was my first time leading anything that was even remotely legitimate.

We got to the crag at about 9am and set up a few top rope climbs. The idea would be to run a few mock-leads and then, depending on our confidence, follow it up with a few real leads.

Leading is significantly different from top rope climbing. For top rope you hike to the top and drop a rope down. Then, you go back down… and climb the rocks using the anchors that you built at the top. For leading, the rope is below you and as you climb you place anchors into the rock using the natural cracks and then clip your rope through the anchors as you climb.

There were six of us who went climbing.

In the picture below (from left to right) we have me, KiteBen, John, and Joel. On the wall we had Irene and Pete (who took all the photos.)

We set up on Third Crack. Third Crack is a comfortable 5.7+ climb with plenty of gear placement and a slight slab pitch. Whoever named it was extremely creative as it sits next to First Crack and Second Crack.

We started it off with some weird mock leading. I tied into both a top rope, and a static line which I dragged up behind me. Irene belayed me from the top rope, Pete from the static. That way, I could “lead” with the static line, but still have the security of the top rope above me. We must have looked ridiculous to any climbers who passed by.

While we worked on the mock leads, KiteBen, Joel, and John were firing away at Second Crack. Here’s a picture of KiteBen on Second Crack.

Irene and I, getting ready for some Faux Trad.

Finally, it was time for some legit leading. I went first. Notice the lack of rope above me.

That huge cam fit PERFECTLY at the top of this climb. It was textbook my friends. Textbook.

Leading went really smoothly. No catch ups, no concerns, no serious mental doubts or fears. After that climb, Joel followed and cleaned the gear, and then Irene gave it a shot.

Irene was also successful, though she scared us all when she ran out 15 feet or so without gear. Next time we’ll probably yell at her more.

We ended the day with a few final climbs… unfortunately I forget their names. There was a 5.10 face climb and a 5.6 corner climb just to the left of first crack.

Here’s Joel on the corner route.

Special thanks to Pete for all the photos. Check them all out at his site: Here.

Last weekend was great. Friday night post class I hung out with Ernie and Keller which is always a good time. I learned a few new guitar tunes and we shared some laughs.

My class Saturday was canceled so I spent the time doing ‘me’ stuff. The day started late. First, I hit up Yoga with Irene and John. Talk about relaxation! I immediately became mellow and cool and all my stress was lifted. I really need to start doing Yoga more regularly.

After that, I got my haircut and had my glasses’ nosepad replaced. When I got home I played some guitar and then went over to Mandy’s brother’s place for a BBQ. Josh has a fantastic smoker which he modified to electric from gas power. The food was great and we had some extremely geeky conversations about science and brownies.

Ernie picked up an old mattress from our place post BBQ. Stupidly, I slid the mattress down the stairs… the mattress hit my glasses (that were resting on a ledge next to the stairs)… which then flew onto the ground where the new nosepad fell off and the screw disappeared.

So annoying.

And Sunday? Sunday we climbed the whole day. Pete took some photos which he will hopefully post soon. As soon as they are available I will make sure to copy a few over onto this site.

The last of my climbing gear has arrived. That’s the missing number two cam along the top, a set of beautifully colored nuts, and four auto-lock carabiners.

Now I’m ready. This weekend? yes.

Last night I went to the Prime Climb rock climbing gym in Wallingford CT and was disappointed to find the manager Mike Couette absent.

Normally this would not disturb me much, but last night things were different. The owner and one of the somewhat regular employees Mark were there and there seemed to be quite a bit of commotion. It just felt different. It didn’t feel right.

After climbing, I called Mike. It turns out, he was laid off.

via e-mail.

What?!? First off, get some Guts Prime Climb owner. If you lay someone off, do it in person. Second, I don’t know if you recognize what you’ve done. The great thing about having Mike run the gym is that he wasn’t just a gym-rat, he was a climber. A real climber. He took time to show Jesse and me climbing routes in CT. He taught us how to set up anchors on his own time because he was passionate about the outdoors and the sport of climbing.

As for the routes he set in the gym, I can only speak for myself, but I think they were far better planned and technique oriented than many of the others in the gym. His routes were consistently my favorite at the gym.

Mike was also a stickler for safety. He regularly petitioned to have equipment like the gym’s quickdraws replaced.

In speaking to one of the employees, I learned that there are indeed a lot of changes that will be taking place at the gym outside of Mike. To their credit, they are putting up a campus board, extending the lead wall, and closing some of the gaps in the front room.

But it’s hard to replace the guy who knew everyone’s name at the gym. The guy who could give solid gear advice and help walk you through the moves of 5.12s. The guy who, when Sander finally climbed his first 5.10, was willing to change the rating to 5.9+ because “Sander couldn’t possibly climb a 5.10.*” The guy who was really willing to sit down and share his climbing experiences with you. Mike was as much a part of the climber community as he was an employee of the gym.

*this was hilarious

There was one big thing that really stuck out at me while I was there last night: A heavy sense of self promotion. There’s a point to which self promotion is a good thing, but there’s a point where it becomes too much. That point was reached and passed when I heard one employee say:
“gym climbing is where it’s at. Going outside, you can get maybe two climbs in… but indoors… that’s what it’s all about.”
Now, I would consider myself a gym rat. And even I think this is too much. Gym climbing was created to try and mimic, to a certain degree, outdoor climbing. Mike used to say that in order to set a good route, you need to be familiar with good outdoors routes. In describing his route setting technique, he’d often relate specific technical moves to those that he’s experience outdoors.

‘gym climbing is where it’s at’ is not only improper grammar and shameless self promotion, it’s an alarming departure from the fundamentals that make Gym climbing worthwhile. I find it disheartening.

Once my current Prime Climb membership expires, I think I might check out the new Gym that’s opening up in New Haven. When it opens, I’ll be sure to let you know.

This weekend was decent. Saturday and Sunday were average, but Friday was spectacular.

Tony and I hit up the climbing gym right after work. We started climbing at about 6:15 and immediately set out to climb every rope in the front room. There are 19 ropes and we weren’t going easy on ourselves either. I was doing everything I can to keep my climbs at or above 5.9 difficulty, tony was doing the same for 5.8’s.

While we completed the task, it took almost 4 hours and by 10:00pm, my forearms were so destroyed that I feared that they might never revive. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder.

This is supported by the fact that my forearms are still useless… over 48 hours after the fact.

It was a great night of climbing.

So I got my gear. It’s not quite all of it, as the nuts and carabiners are still on the way. That said, it’s still an exciting and impressive rack. Check it out:

Along the top there are my Black Diamond Camalots.

The number four, shown above, is the largest that I purchased. You can get larger ones, and I may get one down the road, but for now this will surely do.

Just underneath those are some Metolius cams for smaller crack applications. To the left is my Petzl helmet, grigri*, and Metolius gear sling,and to the right is my Metolius nut removal tool and adjustable anchor line.

*A grigri is a belay device that won’t slip if you let go. That way my partner can feel confident that I am providing a solid belay no matter what.

Just under that we have a collection of slings, a stray camalot that should have been placed up top, and a swath of wiregates complete with force spec.

The wiregates are handy for clipping to sports routes and to the end of your slings. The gate is made out of… well… wire. So it’s lighter to carry than a typical carabiner.

Finally, beneath all that is my rope and my rope bag. Special thanks to my awesome parents for paying for these. It’s a 60 meter 9.9mm dry rope which should be A+ for lead climbing. The rope bag is a stylish red and black Black Diamond bag.

I am extremely stoked.