Slightly off-topic, so skip if you're so inclined....... OK, so I don't climb anymore, but I spent many years climbing in the Gunks as I lived about 40 minutes away for a dozen+ years, and I've climbed in NH, VT, MA, CT, ME and the Daks, W.VA., Wyoming, NV, Yosemite. I started climbing in the Quincy Quarries before there was sticky rubber. It was a terrific part of my life -and it still is. You see once you get through the first few years, the first few leader falls, the first few difficult on-sights, the first few route finding escapades, the first few multi-pitch climbs in rain, and/or snow and find that you're rarely looking at a guide book but simply looking at a cliff and finding your own route and no longer feeling driven to climb at a certain grade and are just climbing for the fun of moving over certain features you've joined a tribe -you've become a climber, and that will never leave you. This past October I was on an extended motorcycle trip from New Orleans and I found myself in Joshua Tree looking for a place to camp, but every site was occupied. But I found a site that had a sign that said "happy to share" Turns out that it was a couple who were out there to climb. And the people in the next site to them were also climbers. These two couples, who didn't know each other, adopted this old man. They shared their tent site, and fed me all of my meals; dinner, and breakfast, and they gave me food to take when I left. They both asked for my contact info, and have since reached out to me. Why? Because I was part of their tribe, just like all of you who are reading this, we're part of a tribe, group, subculture, whatever. And once in, you're always in. You've got knowledge, or "beta" about things, and stories to tell, and just generally stuff you know that makes you an interesting person to know. And of course the people you meet will have stories for you that will resonate with you and be of interest to you, and they'll also know about new developments in gear or areas, or whatever that will be valuable to you. So yeah, you may have stopped climbing, but you're still a climber, because just like the epic rides you have made on your motorcycle, those experiences and what you have learned about yourself, and your friends when things went sideways will always be part of who you are.
My climbing days were trad and bouldering. When I lived in California (Navy),Yosemite almost every time we had days off and if only one day than off to Indian Rocks in Berkeley to thrash bouldering. Many great memories one being running out of water climbing Royal Arches Direct and the joy of finding a tiny trickle of water at the end of the final pitch. Oh and then the instructions to get back down. Go left. If you think you've gone far enough left, you haven't, GO LEFT DON"T DIE! After Navy was Idaho and City of Rocks. Again so many great memories. Lots of trips to climb all over the west. I even tried ice climbing but hated it. Gave up climbing when my neck disks gave out. Oh and I still have some gear but could never fit into my harness, haha. My best friend and climbing partner is now dying from GBM. He grew up climbing with Alex Lowe and friends in Montana. Thankfully we got to go climb some of his old routes in the later years. I sure do miss it.
put a prussic or ascender above with a biner, take the ‘brake’ rope side of the Grigi up and through the biner... slide the prussic high, then pull down on the rope. You get a mechanical advantage on the pull-up because you’re unloading the Grigi simultaneously. You can add a foot loop if you need to, but if your feet can touch the wall you can usually do with out. Not a super efficient way to go up, but it’ll work for a short ascent or pinch. {}
went ice climbing for the first time yesterday. That was fun. Been a while since I've climbed outside, so I did route and anchor cleanup for practice. Need to sell the Koflach's I have and find a pair that fit me better. They're a little to big, making it hard to drop my heels with the crampons in the ice.
