A kick to the face
Went to an incredibly crowded BKB with Jess and Guillaume, more crowded than I have ever seen it and bordering on the unclimbable - two to three-deep crowds at every wall. Given the lines, we opted for a quick escalation: V0+, V4+, V5, V3 followed by several V3-V4 lines. Felt good to hit the harder climbs while still strong. Started out on an overhanging arete in the back; the V4+ started out low before moving right around the left edge of the arete on small/medium holds, heading up with a left heel hook to get higher, followed by a big crux deadpoint. The V5 moved in the opposite direction, starting right of the arete and traversing left, including funky undercling moves before moving up.
It was kind of a mess, I almost kicked some dude in the head when he started under me as I worked upwards on the 5. Common sense was a bit in short supply, I guess, but most people were cool about it. The V3 that Jess worked for a while was interesting, requiring delicate balance and long step-across traverse moves to the left, felt a lot like desperate trad climbing.
We need to climb a little more regularly, but I can feel the general strength training (squats, DLs) helping out.
A bit off topic given the end to the ice season, but Will Gadd has put up a thought-provoking post about the difference between climbing ice and rock, and the dangers of bringing the wrong mentality to ice climbing. Focuses in particular on a vid of a nasty, long fall someone took up in NH, but he really wants to make a general point.
4 comments:
Nice find with the Gadd post. Harsh, but lots to learn.
I've always thought about the idea of clipping into a tool, and wondered whether it was worth having a flying tool short-slung to you when it popped out...
Yeah, I often wonder about that. I've never clipped a tool (in fact, the setup on my Quarks makes it difficult - I'd have to put webbing or cord through the tiny holes in the spikes, the proverbial "chicken loops").
I think the idea is that you should have a good enough stick to take body weight. Maybe the potential badness of a fall (busted ankle at the minimum) are enough to have the benefit of possibly preventing one when you're pumped outweight the chances of getting an adze in the forehead.
Decisions, decisions...
Wow, that's was hard to watch. This quote is worth reminding myself off "Or, climb it in five-foot sections putting in a screw and hanging; I have FAR more respect for someone who doe that than gets pumped and falls off."
Climbing in five foot sections, and hanging at each screw?
Sounds like my kind of climbing :)
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