Friday glee celebrates European climbing (political overtones who me?)

[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: Anak Verhoeven crushes 8c+ (a first female ascent of that route) and 8c+/9a? (warning: extreme drop knees that make my ligaments hurt to watch).

Comments

[emperor]

Ooh, Orgon! I've climbed there (not 8c+, I should add ;-)

[wpadmirer]

Cool.

[rydra_wong]

Cool! What was it like?

[emperor]

It's along a riverbank, a bit overgrown now (I think the guidebook says it sees less traffic than it used it). The grades felt a bit stiff, and the routes were a bit polished. But it was a stinking hot day, so maybe we were just getting cooked...

[wpadmirer]

Pat made me a tool for maintaining grip strength and callouses. It's a take on the old broomstick with a roped weight. It's pvc covered with a fine grit sandpaper with a rope and a weight. And it's thicker - takes my whole hand grip to turn it.

But it is giving me back my callouses and working my forearms hard. I may not be climbing, but I will be ready when I can!

Last weekend we went to Hart Springs here in Florida. There was a company there with a portable wall. Unfortunately I did not discover this until I had been there for over two hours in the sun and heat, and had only eaten a Clif bar. So I did not climb well. But OH! The joy of being on a wall! (Also I had to climb barefoot. That didn't work well for me at all!) (grin)

[rydra_wong]

Pat made me a tool for maintaining grip strength and callouses. It's a take on the old broomstick with a roped weight. It's pvc covered with a fine grit sandpaper with a rope and a weight. And it's thicker - takes my whole hand grip to turn it.

A thick wrist roller? OMG GENIUS. I may have to work out how to replicate that ...

And yes, that will be brilliant for grip strength and forearm endurance. You are going to crush when you get back.

And yay for getting on a wall, even if not under optimal conditions!

[wpadmirer]

It's very cool! PVC is light enough that you CAN roll it with the full hand, and it comes in big diameters. Works great.

[superborb]

Ooh, that sounds really useful! I've always wondered why the wrist rollers only ever came in such narrow thicknesses...

[wpadmirer]

I know. I've only seen them as very narrow. Pat had this idea that one that was thicker would be better, so he built it. It's great, I have to say.