Two more Exams to go til SUMMER 2009 !!!

It goes without saying that I am psyK'd for the summer. Most noteably I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Washington state that I've sacrificed spending time with lately to be here in DC in nursing school. I am also VERY pleased with the prospect of climbing lot's, enjoying good living with some new friends, $aving lot'$, and just chill'n, hopefully. Till then... studies and training continue:

(click pics to enlaRGE)

My beloved Dojo in the carport: Moon hangboard, jump rope, running shoes, yoga mat, & ...


Iron Gym "pull-up thingy" (if you're wondering why I don't have it set up on a door frame like it's advertised for, it's out of respect for my grandparent's house which is from the 13th century A.D.) lol

Recently I got two pairs of discount climbing shoes :

$39 bucks. Madrock Maniac (I'm hopeful these'll perform similar to the 5.10 Moccasym)


$34 bucks. Five Ten Zlipper

Note:

My Evolve Es Pontas need to be resoled...the rubber on 'em is still good, but they've both got a small hole- down to fabric- on the top of ea. big toe (if anyone has a recommendation please let me know). On the subject of Evolve, did you notice that you can now customize your shoe on their website!:

http://evolvsports.com/flash_app/index.htm

(for the fashion conscious climber or the climbing girlfriend that wants to be color coordinated it's PRETTY COOL, though not the $145 price tag)

Three of my main sport climbing objectives for this summer are...

"Mr. Big" 5.12a/b

This airy, gymnastic route begins inside a 12meter tall cave. After traversing the entire cave's lip you pull a couple more strenuous overhanging moves before the chains at the top of the cliff band. "Mr. Big" is actually a 5 meter bouldery extension of the route "Giant 5.11c." I flashed "Giant" a couple years back; no single move on the extension is really a problem for me neither...now I just need to put it all together from the ground up. Very fun. I look forward to the encore.

"Chronic" 5.13b

This route is a gem. Arguably the most popular hard sport climb in Washington state, "Chronic" is more than the sum of it's parts. In terms of sheer difficulty, I've been told no single sequence is above v4; the redpoint crux is the stamina due. I've worked the first third of the route (while working its coveted variation- "Californicator/Californication" 5.12d/13a- a route I also plan to climb this summer). Some of "Chronic's" moves I got pretty dialed last year, however, I am not expecting it to be linked easily; the climbing is crimpy, has various lock offs & compression moves, and its steepness is subtlely burly (i.e. you get pumped stoopid w/out realizing it!). The rock quality is excellent, it's got a good history (e.g. Lynn Hill got the FFA on it), and the route's difficulties are matched by it's pure enjoyment factor... last year I caught myself laughing on it as I would fall off!

"Propaganda" 5.12c

The only thing suspect about this line is why I haven't focused more time on it...I must've been brainwashed! The 20meter deceptively vertical line follows a black streak up the wall on a very sustained series of slopey crimps, tension moves, technically demanding & balancy footwork, few shake outs, and a pumpy, heartbreaking, dynamic finish. Proud for the grade.

Y'all know who you are...see you out there soon.

P.S. Props to Jesse, my buddy up in Seattle who just sent "The Practitioner" v11/12 @ Leavenworth, WA!

4.4.09 session @ EarthTreks

Took the redline metro to Rockville, MD today for a solo sesh...I was envisioning tUning out to my iPod and just having some zen time.
However, the day @ the gym turned into a cool mix of productive bouldering with some folks and a lil toprope route climbing thrown in with this cool kid I met there named Eduardo (from Spain...he's actually one of the 34 Spaniard citizens who are not professional climbers!)

On the boulder's the "highlights" were:
I flashed a soft v7 that would've been a v5 outside.
I sent 4th go a LEGIT v8 that had a heinous right hand bump to a crimp at full extension + dyno finish.
A 1st-go repeat of a cool v7 (see video footage below of a past attempt)

It was a bummer... a young lady in the gym broke her ankle off a boulder problem today...she missed the mat ):
...
I managed a [desperate] roof v6 @ the end of the session too...proud send.

On the toprope routes (Eduardo isn't certified for lead climbing):
I warmed up on a flash of a really neat, long, sustained, just-past-vertical .11a
I sent 2nd go a .12c/d that felt really just like a two-move v3 and a two meter v4 boulder problem, w/ the rest feeling like .10a climbing; very good stEEP climbing up the "wave" upper headwall section...good for the ego fo sho : )

I look forward to climbing more often during the summer.

NM

P.S. Jimmy and Lisa, the Chulich Siblings, aka "Children of the GYM" aka, "Teen-Grade chasers", aka "the Playa n Diva of WRG"(sorry Dom 'n Laura) have been enjoying the God-given gifts of their anti-gravity genetics! Okay, sorry. I'm a little too psyKed. But hey...

Lisa just sent her first 5.12a ON LEAD (nice one girl!)
+
Jimmy's well on his way to making Micah, Dom, and I jealous this year with his meteroic rise on the ropes ...in less than a month: Chain Reaction .12c, three .12a onsights, .12a,c, d (his 1st 7c route) in a day! WOW. Good job.