Week 10

Monday
   - Yoga

Tuesday
   - 8x800m
      Distance: 7.05
      Pace: 7:59

   - Climbing
      5.7, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11 (TR), 5.12 (TR - Fail)

Thursday
   - Tempo
      Distance: 6.39
      Pace: 8:04

Saturday
   - Long
      Distance: 18
      Pace: 8:31
      Elevation Gain: 1,010

Week 10 of my marathon training and first week getting back to some kind of normalcy where I can integrate yoga and climbing in the week. Yoga was very difficult, indicating its time t get back to it because I am very stiff. Climbing was better than I expected.

My long run today was the longest I ever ran. The program called for 15 miles, but since I only did 15 last week when I was supposed to do 18, I decided to do 18 today. It actually felt very good, probably because of the cool temperature.

Surviving

Distance: 6.75 mi
Avg Moving Pace: 8:42 min/mi

After a cold that knocked me out and some traveling, I am trying to get back to training (unfortunately my next half is very soon...). I went running with Tomasz who was visiting for a few days. We did not go fast, but I was still surprised I could survive that distance.

In the evening I went to the Cliffs. After warming up on an 8, I passed my lead certification. Then I did: 8 (the test) and three 10s. None of it was pretty (or clean), but its good to get back to leading.

Two Stars

There were two stars at BKB tonight.

First, E did her first V3. Congrats. After only a few weeks of climbing, not bad at all.

Second, the amazing Sasha DiGiulian showed up. Although I thought I recognized her, the absence of pink threw me off a little. Maybe its NYC getting to her because she was all in black.

E and I did V0, V1, V2, V2+ in the front. Marco joined us at some point after working out in the back on his own and did V0, V1, V2.

E then worked a long time on a V3 which she finally sent. After that she worked another V3 where she could make it almost all the way (2 moves from the top) but could not finish.

I then did V3, V4, V4, V4, V5, V4. The last V4 was fun with a huge dyno to start.

Marco worked on a V3 then went back to the beast I believe.

P.S. On Sunday K, E, S, and I went to TRC to climb some ropes. It was fun to change it a little. Lead climbing there is definitely more fun.

Going Disco on the Rock

K and I were headed for the Gunks this weekend.

It rained all night Friday, and so we postponed our 5:30AM wake up time to a leisurely 11AM departure on Saturday. It was still a bit wet, but most of the rock was dry, and the place was almost empty: sweet! We did 2 classics on day 1:

P1 of Yellow Ridge: traverse into a burly offwidth

Guillaume about to go wide

Linking pitches up high

Thin traverse starting out on P2

Arete to crux


Yellow Ridge 5.7: I did the first 2 pitches in one go as described on Mountain Project. I certainly made the offwidth as ungraceful as possible and I got so pumped that I thought I would peel at any moment, including when it was time to put pro in at the top. The rest of the climb went well although I was not super comfortable on the belay. K took the last pitch, awesome lead up a slippery slab after a traverse (which made me uber nervous as I could see his shoes slowly sliding down the rock...) and then up a big roof. Very nice varied climb.

Ticket to Disneyland


Disneyland 5.6: Kenway lead both pitches in one go. Impressive job. The face climb to start is not trivial. Then the mantel is hard! Really no feet. After that you are stuck on an awful ledge with a roof right above you which means you can't stand up. After that it goes up an open book and up a roof. Stellar lead, tiny feet, job well done.

This was followed by too much food at the Guilded Otter.

On Sunday we opted for another late start. The day was beautiful, and although the parking lot was not full, the wall certainly was. We opted for two short fun single pitches on day 2:

Sente: three bolts and the truth

Fingertips and foot smears


Sente 5.9 (see also http://themonkey.club/2013/03/march-madness.html): We waited as there was a party on it. Then I lead the fun sport-trad combo, putting in a piece before the first bolt and one after. The moves are delicate and you need to commit to your feet, but its all there. Kenway followed, and then I did it again on TR.

Double Clutch 5.9+ (see also http://themonkey.club/2012/03/horseman-double-clutch-and-ballnut-2.html and http://themonkey.club/2012/02/snow-days-pro-days.html): Kenway did the traverse with no protection until the piton: crazy! He put in a couple more pieces and then tried the move over the ledge, but the traverse had drained him too much. This meant it was my turn to try, I add a piece early in the traverse because I am afraid of dying... then reached the point where K had stopped and took a rest. On the next go, I used the heel hook, went for it, blind as my face was turned into the rock, barely got the tip of one finger to reach, and slowly managed to bump my hand in position! Really fun move. The rest of the climb is easy. Kenway did it after me and found a very different sequence I have never heard off but it worked very well for him.

I then dropped him off at the Mohonk Mountain House where he is staying for a fancy conference in the coming days. Great weekend, super classic climbs, a bit of everything: slabs, overhangs, offwidths, cracks. Pictures coming soon.

Route log:
Yellow Ridge (7)
Disneyland (6)
Sente (9)
Double Clutch (9)

Good Monday night session at BKB, working both lead climbs and bouldering. Still a little beat from the weekend at the Gunks, but felt like we put in good work.

lead: 5.9, 5.10, 5.11(f)
boulder: V1, V2, V3, V4, V5(f)

The 11 went up and under a small roof to the top of the arch, the moves felt there but our endurance is still lacking - could go with more juice. The lead head is slowly coming back, which helps. Bouldering felt good afterwards, being already warmed up. G knocked off the V5, which involved a move from two vertical pinches to a high horizontal sloper pinch, followed by a subsequent identical higher hold.

Getting ready for rock season

Kenway, Jess and I headed to BKB for a third time this week (a first in a long time). K and I lead the first four, and J top roped. We did 9, 10a, 10a/b, 10d (F). Then we went in the back and all got on TR. We did 12 (F), and 10d slab.

The first 9 was a poor choice for leading (bad position for clips and close to ground fall potential). The 10d was also strange, but the lime 10d was fun, under the arch, good sections of horizontal climbing, great holds, just nice. The 12 was super hard, very sloppy. the white 10d slab was kind of fun with two big mantels and hand to foot match.

This weekend we might head to the Gunks. Sweet.

Roping up

Since ice season is undeniably winding down - snow outside my window notwithstanding - it's time to get ready for rock season. G and I agreed to start incorporating more TR/lead climbing into our biweekly sessions. Started tonight at a quiet BKB:

lead: 5.8, 5.8, 5.9
boulder: V4(f), V6, V3

Gotta admit, even the 8s and 9s felt like work. The routes at BKB are short and generally have non-ideal clipping stances, but nice to get the practice in.

Leaving the rocks wetter than you found them...

My two days climbing in Yangshuo were sweet. I will definitely be back... however, I would suggest not coming in July or August... maybe november! I was drenched in sweat before I hit the rock. The worst was my opening lead on day two where at the crux I had to swing out from inside a crack and up over an overhang. The clipping position for the bolt just at the top of the overhang was a huge sloper. The problem was that the only clip below was just above a ledge and the fall would have been bad. Having been off climbing for a few weeks, I was tentative and in the first two attempts to clip before going up and over the overhang I had completely covered the sloper in a mix of sweat and chalk that left it like grease. Yuck. Luckily it tried quickly in the sun, but it meant that you had to do things in one move or you might have to wait... at least if your not asian. Compared to the german and other american I was climbing with, they didn't seem to be nearly as bothered by the humidity.

Oh, and the location is spectacular—if suffering from the fate of most chinese tourist destination... :-( I'll post pictures soon. Day 1: Baby Frog (morning): Frogmarch, 5.8/4+ (top-rope, then lead) Liar, 5.9/5+ (lead) Frog's Traverse, 5.10c/6a+ (top-rope) Wine Bottle (afternoon): The Miracle of Lankou, 5.9/5 (top-rope, 26m) Summit No. 1, 5.9/5 (top-rope) Shu Ba Jie, 5.10a/5+ (top-rope) Day 2: Swiss cheese morning): Spam the Chinese Ham, 5.8/4+ (lead) Captain Kirk Eats Bruchetta, 5.10b/6a (top-rope) Da Xue Pao, 5.11d!/7a! (top-rope, failed between 1/2 and 2/3 up the climb)

This last climb I made some nice moves probably in the 11a section in the first third that had me feeling ok, given my lack of climbing and gym practice. I failed at the beginning of the crux, a bump to a small right-hand crimp while balanced on the right toe with a big move out to a nice pocket for the left hand. However, on top-rope there was a bit of a swing when I failed and after a couple of goes I gave up. After that move it was balance-y and required good footwork but I probably could have made it (according to the guy who opened it) if I wasn't pumped and three-weeks out of climbing.

Thanks Ashui, Seth, Soizic and Clemens for a great couple of days climbing... Get a sense for the climbing at: http://www.climber.me/2009/02/09/beginners-guide-to-rock-climbing-in-yangshuo-china-2/ http://www.yangers.com/Yangshuo_Rock_Climbing.php#goto3 http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/Asia/China/China_Proper__South_/Yangshuo/

Oscar and Charie on a horse

To take advantage of the warm weather predicted for Saturday, G and I stayed at his house by the Gunks on Friday night and got up before the crack of dawn, at 5 AM. We didn't quite beat the sunrise to the Trapps, but did beat pretty much all the climbers, arriving at an empty carriage road.

Friday night entertainment

Alpine start on the carriage road

G was generous enough to give me first lead of the day on Horseman (5.5), a climb I've been eyeing for a while and one that G led the last time he was here. Extremely fun lead and a good start to the day, Horseman goes up a huge right-facing corner to a small roof where you can exit out via a solid traverse to the left. There's an optional belay there of two old pitons, but I strung it out through the face above into one long pitch. The first part in the corner is solid and thoughtful, requiring some stemming on imperfect footholds to the right. Good place for a big cam on the way up (BD #4). Leaving the optional belay requires a few funky moves including a highstep, but once you're on the face above it's easy cruising on good holds up to the ledge.

Laid back start

In the initial Horseman corner

Jedi belay

Midpoint, at the optional belay

We headed over with the aim of doing Shockley's Ceiling next, but as expected the crowds were queued up - two parties headed up via Shockley's proper and another party of 2 headed up the start of Oscar and Charlie to cross over to the ledge below Shockley's roof. We decided to wait it out and do Oscar and Charlie (5.7) in its entirety instead, which is a fantastic link up of the best parts of three climbs: p1 starts out with a left-facing corner (Oscar variation), p2 rejoins Strictly From Nowhere and to go through the pumpy Strictly roof, and p3 joins Travels With Charlie on the face above.

G led up the first pitch, which is a tricky left-facing corner with small gear close to the ground and a bulge crux. Nice work on delicate protection and funky moves, requiring insecure stemming and finger-locks in the corner seam. G even got his #2 ballnut slotted solidly on the way, and set up his gear belay past the pine tree rap station at the top of the corner, up and right on the large Strictly ledge. I geared up for the short but adrenaline-inducing second pitch, which goes up and a little left from the belay towards the overhanging left-facing corner of the Strictly roof. I found the pro a little sparse, and ended up fiddling in two cams into a downward-facing horizontal crack at a steep section right below the corner. Probably could have gotten another piece in once I was up and stemmed across the corner, but I could feel the pump clock ticking so I climbed through up and right to the hanging belay chains. Good solid jugs at the crux, but I wish I were more level-headed about the protection.

G leads up the p1 corner of Oscar and Charlie

You talking to me?

G follows p2, Oscar and Charlie

In the crux

Showing off the guns

G was nice enough to take the last pitch, where the route-finding was the hardest part. Williams says to head up the face and traverse 12-15 feet left to join the end of Travels With Charlie, but I think we ended up exiting the overhang a little to the right, which might be the end of Strictly From Nowhere. G did an admirable job of sussing out the different possibilities, which were not clear at all. Either way, good climbing and we made good use of the double ropes (which also got us back down to the ground in one rap from the GT). Nice climb, I think we might go back and swap leads on the pitches - you can also link up the first two pitches up to the hanging belay, as long as you have the juice and mental focus for the pumpy moves at the end.

Wandering on p3

We took off a little before 2, as the crowds were starting to fill the popular routes and we had to get back to the city. I loved the early start, it was great to get some climbing in before things heated up (temperature- and crowd-wise).

Full set of pics here.

Ticklist:
Horseman (5.5)
Oscar and Charlie (5.7)

On ropes

K and I headed to TRC on Sunday. The place was mostly filled by kids celebrating birthdays. We had not been on a rope in months. We lead a 5.8 in the front. Followed by a 9 just in front of the cubbies to put your clothes in. Another 9 under the arch coming out opposite the cubbies. After that we did a 10- on the other side of the arch that came out at the apex of the arch on the vertical part. Finally we did a 10b/c in front.

Overall my sequencing was bad and my clipping was nervous. K looked better and he was comfortable clipping. The second 9 was long with a good section overhanging, which kind of gazed both of us a little. The second 9 was difficult for me, turning around the corner out of the arch I was dynamic whereas K did it static. The 10- was really interesting but clipping on the chains under the arch was a bit tricky. The final 10 was quite challenging, balancy, with difficult tiny handholds. As a results we both needed a few takes.

No plastic ice? Then lets climb plastic.

Kenway and I headed toward TRC for the first time in a long while.

We warmed up on TR with a very nice, bur far from trivial 5.9.

We then roped up for a lead, a long slightly overhanging 5.9. The gym was packed with parents and their kids, and it seems like all eyes were on K. Right before the end there he needed to rotate above a slight roof and he peeled for a good long fall (partly because I jumped up). I looked around and he definitely impressed the crowds. I roped up and although I finished it, I really got pumped doing it.

We then roped up on a 10 in the section with the 2 successive roofs. It was a tough lead with a long sideways last move which Kenway managed to static, but I did dynamically. We both needed to take a few times.

The next one was a long 11 under the arch with a difficult change of body position under the arch which required you to cut the feet. The start was difficult as well, involving tough clips and crimpy holds. I thought this was a really interesting climb, and its the climb I would like to work on more than once if we went more often.

To finish, we led a long juggy 9 we had done a few months ago when we last came.

It was nice to be back.

Liability anyone?

Went to MurMur with Muriel. It is on the opposite side of town when compared to Antrebloc. We were trying to figure out where we were when we cam outside of the Metro, when someone said: "are you going to MurMur?" Thank God, he saved us as this is another place we would never have found.

Very nice gym, with some uber long overhanging routes. At the entrance they asked us if we were autonomous. Autonomous? Sure we said, so they make us pay and in we go. You can lead anywhere in the gym. There are ropes on the ground everywhere for you to grab. There are orange ones (for the shorter walls) and blue ones (for the higher walls). So there we are, and Muriel doesn't know how to lead. No problem, I just taught her. She did great. She climbed a 3, a 4, and a 4c/5a; as well as some 5s on top rope. I climbed some 5s and 6s on lead, and I finished with a great 6c super long slab on TR.

BTW as if its not dangerous enough already, the ground is like in a school gymnasium, not mats, hard as rock... Its a miracle there's not one death a week at that place.

Last Climb

K and I went to TRC for my last climb for a while. We started on TR with a 5.9 and 5.10 in front of the cash registers. The 10 was difficult, K needed a few tries around the middle, I could not even do it. Bad start...

Then we led an 8. Straightforward, nothing special. Things are improving...

Back to TR with an 11 black on the other side of the arch. I really enjoyed that climbed (and benefited from seeing K climb it first). Involved some nice technical-balancy moves. Things are looking up...

We then did a 9 on lead, close to where the 8 was. Again, a no frills kind of climb. Starting to feel like climbing...

Jumped on an 11 lead under the arch to finish. We both made it a few clips into the climb. It was fun and we both started to look like our old selves again. Now you're talking...

One last time

Last trip to PG tonight, Jess, Muriel, Erica, and Greg came along. I lost track of what was done, except the highlights for Jess and I. Jess did a 10d onsight and an 11a with 1 take. I onsighted a great 10c on lead that was moving diagonally through an arch and a prow like feature, lots of fun. I also did a long 11a clean on lead. I will definitely miss this gym.

OCD

I went climbing the last 3 days but was too busy (lazy) to post. Today at PG with Jess, yesterday at Mission Cliffs with Jess, Muriel, and Greg, and the day before at PG with that same group. I lost track of everything that has been done.

Jess seems to think I suffer from OCD because I keep doing the same climbs over and over when I fail on them, but today was payback. I finally finished the 11c on lead that I had kept trying 3 to 4 times every session.

I did need to take once. I also onsighted an 10a on lead, and did an 10d clean on lead. I finished the session with a great 11b on lead. I took about 3 times. It was scary and thin off the ground and then became overhanging with big pieces higher up, a great climb.

A for effort, F for results

Jess, Muriel, Greg and I headed to PG tonight. I lost track of Muriel and Greg, but I do know that Greg finished this hard 10b he had tried a few times before and Muriel onsighted her first 10b (way to go Mu).

As for Jess and I we did the following:

JS: 5.9, 5.10c (takes), 5.10b (F), 5.10d (takes), 5.10c.
GF: 5.10b (lead), 5.10c (lead), 5.11c (lead F), 5.11b (lead F), 5.11c (lead 2xF).

The last 10c Jess did was an onsight, so obviously the title of the post only applies to me. The 11c I tried were the same climb, so I tried and failed 3 times on it. The last time however I figured out all the moves and I fell 2 or 3 moves from the end, none of which seemed hard, so I think that climb is within reach. I took a few impressive falls today, luckily none of which resulted in injuries.

Back on the West Coast

Clayton and I went to the Stanford gym. We did the following:

- 25 minutes running
- 40 plank walk-ups
- 15 box jumps
- 20 burpees

Then I went to PG with Jess in the evening. We did the following:

JS: 5.9, 5.10a (lead, 1 take), 5.10d (multiple takes), 5.10c (2 takes), 5.10d (multiple takes).
GF: 5.10a (lead), 5.10c (lead), 5.11b (lead), 5.12b (lead - F), 5.12a (1 take).

Jess worked hard to finish all of her climb. I did my first 11b onsight lead, but I think the rating is not right, it felt closer to an 11a. It is also relatively short, which certainly makes it easier even though it doesn't affect the grade. The 12b was out of my league. I almost lost a finger when I fell on the third clip just as I was clipping and my finger just slipped between the rope and the biner. I unfortunately fell on the last move of the 12a that I did on TR.

Time to give thanks

Last climb before thanksgiving, Muriel, Erica, Jess, Greg, and I went to PG: great session. Here's what we did:

MN: 5.8, 5.9, 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10a
EF: 5.8, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10a
GL: 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10a
JS: 5.8, 5.9 (lead), 5.10a (lead), 5.10b, 5.11a
GF: 5.10a (lead), 5.10c (lead), 5.11d (lead - F), 5.11b (TR - 1 take), 5.11a (lead)

Erica onsighted all climbs!

Jess' leading is getting much better, and she onsighted the 10b TR.

Muriel did well despite thinking she wouldn't be able to climb.

Greg did well, as usual.

I am ecstatic, having done my first 11a onsight lead (a long overhanging route). I also didn't do so bad on the 11d, falling at the crux (a humongous roof).

Happy thanksgiving everyone.

A run and a lead

Went to the Stanford gym for a run. Did 30 min on the treadmill. Then went to PG with Jess. Lead 5.10a, 5.10c, 5.11b (2F). The 11 b was nice, and I almost did it on the 2nd try, falling 2 moves short. I tried to get back on but could never pull that move.

Short session

First at Stanford with Muriel, some pathetic attempts at bouldering: two V3s and some fumbling around. Then climbed up and down a 5.8 three times.

Then went to PG with Jess. Four leads on the long overhanging part: 5.9+, 5.10b, 5.11a (2 takes), and 5.11a (1 take).

Seems like I am not improving much. Can't seem to do 11a clean...