Friday glee unexpectedly continues the podcast theme!

[rydra_wong]

The Friday post of glee is where you get to tell us about your climbing-related happiness this week.

It can be a new achievement or adventure, or just that you climbed and had fun; it can be that your favourite climbing wall is expanding or that you bought new rock shoes or that you found a cool ice-climbing vid on YouTube. No glee is too small -- or too big. Members are encouraged to cheer each other on and share the squee.

N.B. Please feel free to post your glee on any day of the week; the Friday glee is just to get the ball rolling.

To enhance this week's glee: inspired by The Enormocast, the inimitable Niall Grimes has started a podcast, Jam Crack!

There are only a few eps so far, most of which are him reading pieces or chatting to a climbing mate, but the standout is his interview with Tommy Caldwell. Wow. This is the first time I've heard Caldwell talk about his experiences in Kyrgyzstan, and Grimes (who was part of the first group of Western climbers into Kyrgyzstan after that) is probably one of the best-positioned people to draw him into talking about it. It's fascinating, and Caldwell sounds like he's actually having fun and enjoying the interview, which (after all the post-Dawn Wall media attention he's survived) is impressive.

Comments

[emperor]

I had a really good climb this week - got lots of routes round the 6B mark (and nearly one 6c+), and my foot didn't give me any trouble (I mean, beyond still being too swollen) :)

[rydra_wong]

Yay! How's the shoe situation going?

[emperor]

Well, I have the next half-size up now, and on a quick try I think they're going to be OK - won't know until I actually climb on them!

[wpadmirer]

YAY! That sounds wonderful. I've gained weight and can't convince myself that exercising is better than nothing. I hate exercising.

[rydra_wong]

can't convince myself that exercising is better than nothing. I hate exercising.

Can you get any mileage out of the idea of training for climbing and coming back super-strong when the gym re-opens?

[wpadmirer]

It's hard, and works sporadically. The problem is that exercise is boring. There's no mental component to it. It's just repetitious movement. It also does nothing to raise my endorphin level.

It's really difficult. I don't sleep as well, my mood drops, and my body suffers.

I am a very cranky person without climbing.