A Muerte! - Some Photos from Rodellar



A nice little view of Rodellar



The historical town of Alquezar

The road to Kalandraka




Nadya climbing Juan Y Fran Se Nos Van

 


The start of Juan Y Fran Se Nos Van. 




Brian on Mal De Amores



One of many goats at Las Ventanas.  There were so many!  Kind of scary to be so close.  I was afraid they were going to push me off the cliff.

Los pozones!

Pizza from Casa Jorge with honey.  Soooo goood!

A view from Las Ventanas

Overcoming Obstacles

After this most recent climbing adventure to Rodellar, Spain, I have fallen even more in love with climbing. I know everyone has different experiences, climbs at different levels, and has their own expectations. I know I do. My goal for the trip was to climb a 7c and although I did not accomplish that goal, I think I got something better. I learned that climbing is like being in a relationship; there are highs and lows but it’s worth fighting for. One climb in particular really tested me in my relationship with climbing. This climb is called Aquest Any Si. According to my friend Santi it was the first bolted climb in Rodellar. I had to do it and I fell in love once I tried it.

The route has tufas, underclings, sidepulls, and pinches. It is pretty much my anti-style, but the moves are amazing. I was so used to crimping and downpulling that this climb really tested my abilities. The first time I tried it I went bolt to bolt, but I could do every move without too much trouble. However, I knew the top was going to be the most challenging since there is no true rest on this climb and is very sustained.  

So my first few redpoint attempts were pretty brutal. I would get to the fifth draw and it would kick me off. That happened several times, but I was determined to get past that section. I got some better beta and figured out a better rest for me since I stink at kneebars and it was really difficult to rest at the huge undercling. So I found what would be my rest and I stuck with it. Then came the last two draws which I think were also the hardest moves of the climb. I was now getting to the second to last bolt with no problem but that last draw was pretty difficult to clip. It was close to the anchors and the fall was clean but I was still hesitant to skip it. After many more attempts I was now falling right at the last draw. On one of the tries I was feeling pretty solid and I went to clip that draw but fumbled it terribly. So, I decided that I was going to skip it. I have never skipped draws before but I saw someone else do it and it gave me a boost of confidence.  

By this point I had every move dialed on this climb. After changing beta many times at the top, I was confident in what I had to do. I kept telling myself I had to skip the last draw. And I did, and I took that whip many times. I was still getting shut down by this amazing climb. However, even though I was not sending it, my technique was improving. I was turning, using drop knees and holding things that I never thought I could before. I knew in my head that it was making me a better climber but I was getting a little frustrated by this point because I really wanted to send it. It was getting to crunch time with only four climbing days left. I knew I was running out of time and the temps were getting worse and worse. It was impossible to project in the middle of the day because the heat would just suck all the energy out of me. I was getting desperate. So I did what any other dedicated and determined climber would do. I got up at 4:30 in the morning so I could get to the climb before it got in the sun which was about 8am. This gave me enough time for the hike, to do my warm up, and to give it a few redpoint attempts before the sun came over the mountains.

On the first of these early mornings I felt great. I was coming off a rest day and I felt like I could it. I had gone over all the moves in my head, knew I was skipping that last draw and I knew I could do it. I felt great at the rest, hardly pumped. As my friend Carolina reminded me that sometimes you need the rest more for your head than your arms as it gives you a chance to slow your heart rate and tell yourself that you can do it. I believe my rest was one of those mental rests because my arms felt great. The funny part is that my legs would actually start to cramp up and that was when I knew I just had to go and try to finish it. As I started to flow through the last few moves, my mind was calm, I was breathing well and my arms felt pretty good. I moved past the last draw without clipping it and I felt like this was it. As I went to grab the last bad hold which was a small gaston with my left hand, I thought I had it. The next thing I know I am falling. As I am falling I can hear myself screaming but it was almost like I was not in my own body, but like I was watching somebody else fall. I suddenly slammed into the wall with my back and butt and I found myself hanging upside down. It was the first time I had ever fallen upside down and I hope it was the last. It almost felt like I was in a dream, I was in pure shock of what happened. As I flipped myself back the realization of what happened started to come over me. I think Brian was more terrified than I was. He was the one belaying me and I am sure it looked much worse that it actually felt. We tried to assess what happened and we concluded that I was probably kicking as I was falling and caught the rope with my foot which led to the incident. I did not let that deter me from getting back on the climb. Instead twenty minutes later I tried again, this time clipping the last draw.

I did not send that day. Instead I went back pretty disappointed.  I try not to let climbing determine my moods or control my life yet climbing is such an emotional investment that it is difficult to let it go. By this point I had spent probably 4 or more days trying to redpoint with three attempts per day. I told myself that I am going to give it one more day before I move on and try something new.

The 4:30 am wake up the next morning was brutal. My body was aching from the fall the previous day. I knew it was going to be a battle. I got pretty pumped on my warm ups even though I tried to not let it get to my head. I still had hope. While Brian put up the draws on the climb, two climbers walked up and I knew that they were going to get on it as well. My heart sank a little because I knew I would not have as much time that day. I was getting so desperate that on my first attempt I went back to my original beta of throwing for the last jug. I fell again. I knew I had to let another climber go ahead of me and I waited as the sun was making its way up the horizon. Of course the climber was taking his time, chatting, moving terribly slow and I was growing impatient. I told myself to let it go and relax so I cheered as the climber began his attempt. Unfortunately he did not send and it was my turn again. This was it. I was going to finish it. I felt more fatigued as I got on the climb but I knew I just had to relax. I felt calm and I let my body take over and all I had to do was keep my heart from racing. Next thing I know I hit that last jug and into the last undercling to clip the chain. It was the biggest weight off my shoulders. I have never been so happy to send. I was filled with relief and excitement at the same time. It was a crazy journey. As much as I wanted to curse that climb for making me suffer instead I thanked it for teaching me some valuable lessons.

I learned that nothing is impossible. With enough determination and confidence, anything is possible. This is not only true in climbing but in life as well. There were times when I wanted to walk away and give up but instead I kept trying harder. I learned that if you really want something you have to work at it. I think that climbing teaches us some valuable lessons. It teaches us to stay calm in a stressful situation. It teaches us to not give up even when things are tough. It also makes us appreciate life and the people close to us. I could not have accomplished my goal without Brian by my side. He gives me so much motivation and support and I could not ask for a better climbing partner. I also could not have done it without Carolina and all the other people who encouraged me to keep trying and to keep fighting. In the end its you and the climb but there are still people along the way who help you in accomplishing your goals. I could not be more thankful for all the people in my life. I think that climbing makes me appreciate life and to live everyday in the best way I can. Climbing is a way of life. I can’t wait to see what else it has in store for me. For now, it's time to train and dream about my next project.

Hueco Tanks, December 2012

Just a few photos from a trip this past December to our favorite bouldering destination, Hueco Tanks.  I'll spare you the detailed trip report, but we had an awesome time once again.  We got to hang out, crush, not crush, freeze to death, run into trouble with the law, and enjoy Christmas (in other words...had a good time)with some of our fellow Ohioans (Aaron, Max, and Dan), their giant friend (Ed), our favorite Canadians (Josh, Regan, Etienne, and the adorable Jade), and a really nice couple that we met from the Atlanta area (Haley and Andrew).  We both sent our projects from last year, and got super close to sending a couple more.  Will definitely try to head back next winter and hopefully make it an annual trip.  Also, I threw together a little video of some of our sends from the trip.  Enjoy!

First Impressions: Mad Rock Shark 2.0

 

Mad Rock Shark 2.0 right out of the box

Climbing shoes are absurdly expensive and it seems like their prices just keep going up.  I'm aware that I could just have my shoes resoled for much cheaper and I actually have had many pairs resoled in the past.  However, after a resole, the shoes just don't feel the same to me anymore.  Maybe I don't give them enough time to break in, maybe it's a mental thing, or maybe the shoes really are a little different?  Well, these days I'm usually too late to have them resoled since I always seem to bust through my shoes mid-season when I don't want to send them in.  Plus, resoling shoes doesn't remove the terrible stink.  So, when the time comes I usually just grab a new pair and give up $150.  Unfortunately, that time has come.  Or maybe it's fortunate since I can try something new?

My first pair of climbing shoes were from Evolv, which were a birthday gift from my cousin who pretty much got me hooked on climbing (thanks Nikko!).  Ever since then I have mainly stuck with Evolv since they seemed to fit my feet pretty well.   I tried a couple pairs of Five Ten's in the past (Anasazis and Dragons) and loved the sticky rubber.  However, the fit in the heel was just terrible for me.  So much air in there and I couldn't heel hook in them for the life of me (although the Jet 7's seem to fit me very well and I actually use them in the gym right now and love 'em, but sadly, their rubber is wearing thin).  Then I got a couple pairs of Mad Rock Super Locos a couple years ago because they were being discontinued and were super cheap.  I loved 'em!  They fit really well, and their rubber wasn't too bad either.  So I alternated back and forth between the Evolvs and Mad Rocks until I put holes in all of them.  Then back to Evolv it was since I knew they fit and I couldn't find a store to try on any of the new Mad Rocks. 

The Talons are my favorite Evolv shoe since they fit pretty well in both the toe and the heel, although I do wish the heel was a little more secure.  In order for the Evolv Shamans to fit, I had to size them down a half size (I believe most size them similarly).  The heel is much more secure with the Shamans, but my toes feel too scrunched and I find that I am unable to toe in as well as I can with the Talons.  Unfortunately I am now starting to bust holes through both of them and I guess it's time for some replacements.  I love my Evolv Talons so I will definitely replace those.  As for the Shamans, I thought about it and almost ordered a pair when for some reason I remembered about my Mad Rock Super Locos.  I browsed the Mad Rock website to see if there was anything that looked interesting and that was when I stumbled upon the Shark 2.0.  I read through all the specs and they looked like a pretty nice shoe, but what hit me was the price tag.  They weren't dirt cheap or anything, but at $120 they were very reasonably priced and I was willing to give them a shot if there was a chance that they would fit my feet as well as the Super Locos did.  I emailed customer service to see how they fit compared to the Super Locos and they said they were very similar.  Sold. 



I received my Mad Rock Shark 2.0's yesterday and so far I have only put them through one gym session warm-up.  My first impressions so far are positive.  They fit really well, almost like a glove.  My toes are comfortably uncomfortable (I don't know if that makes sense?) and the heel is very secure with very little to no dead space.  They are like a cross between the toes of the Talons and the heel of the Super Locos/Shamans.  And that flexible arch thing is really nifty too.  My only concern is with the stretch.  Right now the fit is just about perfect and I am hoping they do not stretch much, if at all.  As for the rubber, I'm not yet sure what to think since they still need some breaking in (and I am not used to wearing a shoe with some actual rubber on the toes...).  I really want to like these shoes but only time will tell.  I'll update this post as I use the shoes more and more and put them through some abuse.  Some more photos of the shoes are below.  Enjoy!
   

*Update (5/21/2013): So it has been a few months since I first posted about the Sharks and since then I have been able to give them some decent mileage in the gym and on some real rock.  I was originally worried about stretch since the fit was just about perfect when I received them.  I am happy to say that the fit of these shoes is still just as good as they were when I took them out of the box and they are still some of the best fitting shoes I've owned.  Although they fit really well, I did notice that my arches had a tendency to ache after wearing them a lot or on very long climbs, which is probably due to the flexible arch and lack of support.  However, I didn't find this to be that big of an issue since I mainly climb single pitch routes and boulder.  

Now the rubber is a little bit of a different story.  To me the rubber seems pretty darn hard compared to my Evolvs and I definitely have not yet broken the rubber in after a season at the Red.  I still don't trust my feet on tiny footholds and for smearing and they just don't stick to the rock as well as my Evolvs do.  The sole is pretty thick and it will probably just need a little more time for me to wear it down to where I like it.  I think I've read of other climbers actually sanding the soles down to solve this problem, but I don't have a sander.  So I'll just have to wear them down naturally.  

The Mad Rock Shark 2.0 is an excellent fitting shoe with so-so rubber.  So far I've only been to warm up and train in these shoes and I have yet to use them on my projects.  I'm hoping that I will be able to wear the rubber down enough that I'll be able to trust my feet and start projecting with them.  Once I do I will post another update.