Introductions time!

[rydra_wong]

You know what? It's far too quiet around here. I see from the profile page that the comm has quite a few members and subscribers, so let's have an introductions post!

Comment and introduce yourself -- tell us what sort of climbing you're into, how you got into it, what you enjoy most, and/or anything else that springs to mind: dream routes? favourite shoes? sport or trad? slopers or crimps?

If you're lurking because you're not a climber (yet) -- tell us what's interesting you about climbing, what's holding you back, and what you're curious about.

To get the ball rolling: I started climbing a couple of years ago, having been lured in by posts from people on my f-list; before that, I would never have thought of it as possible for me.

I boulder -- indoors only so far, but I'm hoping to get onto some real rock before the end of the year. RL keeps messing with my travel plans, but one day, I'd like to make it to the Peak District or Font.

I fangirl Johnny Dawes and Alex Puccio. I like slabs, bridging, and nasty fingery balance-y problems, and I also like overhanging power problems -- when I can do them. Oh, and I'll talk endlessly about shoes if given the slightest excuse.

Comments

[annalee]

Hi, my name is Annalee, and I'm learning Parkour, which is kind of a cousin to climbing in some ways. It involves that same kind of physical problem solving, and thinking with your whole body. Also it often involves climbing things.

I got into it, oddly, as a byproduct of becoming a babydev. I had never tried to learn programming before because I thought it would be too hard. Once I tried it and realized it wasn't so hard after all, I started wondering what other stuff I was talking myself out of trying. So when I saw parkour videos on youtube and caught myself thinking, "I could never do that," my second thought was, "I bet I could if I tried." I just began intermediate-level parkour boot camp this week.

The thing I probably enjoy the most about it is that it's completely non-competitive. Even when people are showing off and being super-flashy, no one's keeping score. It's entirely about beating your own personal best and finding routes and moves that work for your body.

Right now, vaults are my favorite thing, but once I've got pop vaults/wall runs down, I'm probably going to do them constantly just because I can (that's where you use a step up on the wall to transfer forward momentum into upward momentum, then use your arms muscle up and over the wall. I can get as far as hanging. Pulling myself up has yet to happen).

[rydra_wong]

Also it often involves climbing things.

There's definitely a fair amount of overlap, especially with bouldering and buildering.

The route-setters at the wall where I climb occasionally set problems where you* have to run up the wall to grab the first hold, and then I strongly suspect that they've been watching parkour movies again *g*.

(*For values of "you" meaning "not me", because I can't do that. Yet.)

I just began intermediate-level parkour boot camp this week.

ROCK ON. It's fascinating what happens when you start to think of things as possible for yourself.

Even when people are showing off and being super-flashy, no one's keeping score. It's entirely about beating your own personal best and finding routes and moves that work for your body.

*nods* Yeah, that sounds a lot like the atmosphere with bouldering. Even when I did a comp, everyone was cheering for everyone else.

Pulling myself up has yet to happen

But it will, one day! And that day will be an awesome day!

(Speaking as someone who has taken some time to progress from the "dangling forlornly" stage of any type of pull-up activity, but made it eventually.)

[sophinisba]

The thing I probably enjoy the most about it is that it's completely non-competitive. Even when people are showing off and being super-flashy, no one's keeping score. It's entirely about beating your own personal best and finding routes and moves that work for your body.

This is one of my favorite things about climbing too. :)

[annalee]

this is completely off-topic, but icon love.