Friday post of glee

[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 a good time; 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.

To enhance the glee this week: free climbing documentaries! Messner (about the great mountaineer) and Beyond Gravity (featuring Lynn Hill and baby!Katie Brown, among others) can be watched online at Snag Films.

Comments

To get the ball rolling

[rydra_wong]

My glee: weather and brain permitting, I might finally make it out onto some actual rock this weekend.

(Also, I'm working on a V4 roof problem which has some exceedingly badass moves. I still haven't been able to link it, but every time I do a sequence it makes me feel like a superhero.)

[astridv]

I have a whole list of youtube vids bookmarked (just waiting for the time to put together a post). This is one of my favorites: Jyati Raju Free (Solo) Climbing . This guy is incredible.

[wpadmirer]

I've been working an extreme overhang top rope route (5.7)in my gym. I'd realized that I was kind of psyching myself out when I hit the biggest part of the overhang where I am essentially parallel to the ground and 40 feet up in the air.

Today I got further up the route than ever before and only fell off because I went for a hold that simply won't work for me. But I was unphased by my position on the wall! YAY! I figure next time I'll get it.

[pellucid]

I confess I haven't been too gleeful about climbing lately because of some ongoing mysterious medical issues that make me often not able to go and not particularly strong when I do. But today I went despite feeling less than 100%, and I only bouldered for about 45 minutes and was vaguely pathetic, but I went, and, well, I suspect that needs to be my benchmark just at the moment. Therefore, in honour of the new benchmark, woot!

[dira]

I went climbing for the second time today! I just messed around on the bouldering wall and made a couple of tries each on a couple of top-rope routes, but I decided it's not wimping out to leave before I can't actually work my fingers anymore. :)

[be_themoon]

I get to climb for 4 hours or more this Sunday!

[rydra_wong]

Sorry to hear about the mysterious medical issues -- I've had some run-ins with those in the past and find the not knowing the hardest part. But yay for managing to climb a bit anyway! \o/

[rydra_wong]

W00t!

[jumpuphigh]

You need to be gentle with your fingers. Screwed up tendons are not fun.

[rydra_wong]

Is the problem that your fingers are scraped/blistered/sore? It takes a while for your skin to toughen up to begin with, and even then, skin loss is an occupational hazard. We had a hand care post a while back:

http://disobey-gravity.dreamwidth.org/12303.html

But what jumpuphigh said if you ever get any twingy pains or achiness, especially in the joints -- that's a big warning to back off and take it easy on your tendons.

If the issue is that your forearms feel swollen and burning and your fingers have stopped being able to grip things, don't worry, that's completely normal. *g*

[dira]

No, no, just that last one. *g*

[dira]

Duly noted! I have cranky tendons in both wrists, I don't really need the condition to spread. *g*

[rydra_wong]

In that case, congratulations! You have officially achieved your first "pump"! *g*

As your muscles adjust and get stronger, you'll be able to climb for longer before getting to that point. I've found that warming up slowly also helps a lot.

But if you hear climbers talking about being "pumped", that's what it means.

[dira]

I have to admit, I was kind of impressed when I looked down and discovered that an entire other muscle appeared to have popped out on my forearm, Popeye-style. \o/

And, thanks for the lingo tip. *g*

[juliet]

Went bouldering before work twice! Despite the fact that on one of those occasions, the fixie seat post disintegrated halfway up the road (went home, got other bike, went to gym) and on the other, I got a puncture halfway there (it was slow enough to ride to the Arch, then fix it by the front desk once I was done climbing...). Hurrah.

Also I made it all the way up the V2 on the prow that I've been working on since last week! And got very slightly further on another V2 (on the wave bit) and that damn V1 out by the front. Yay.

[rydra_wong]

Also I made it all the way up the V2 on the prow that I've been working on since last week!

\o/ Was that that your first V2 off the slab? If so, extra congratulations!

[jumpuphigh]

Get somebody to show you how to properly tape. You can tape wrists and fingers (usually people just tape the first two fingers as they take the most beating).

Re: To get the ball rolling

[juliet]

actual rock! I have done this once (roped climbing, not bouldering) and it was *ace*. Am definitely planning to do some more next year, but it's getting a bit chilly for me atm :)

(which V4 roof problem, OOI? I really should start doing roof problems in the attempt to become a bit less painfully weak...)

[juliet]

It was! And thank you :)

Re: To get the ball rolling

[rydra_wong]

ACTUAL ROCK! Where did you go? I went to Bowles Rocks.

which V4 roof problem

The swirly one where you hang off the lip of the hole in the big volume.

(OOI="out of interest"?)

Re: To get the ball rolling

[juliet]

(OOI="out of interest"?)

yep!

I saw someone staring at that one this morning. Then he carefully brushed all the spare chalk off the hole. Then he stared at it a bit more :)

I spent my half hour failing to climb assorted V2s. Dammit.

Re: To get the ball rolling

[rydra_wong]

But failing to climb assorted V2s leads sooner or later to climbing V2s! It is an essential part of the process!

Btw, I rec having a go at the pale blue V2 on the wave wall, if you haven't already. I found it friendlier than the V2 on the prow which you've done (especially if you know that the small round blobby volume is in).

Re: To get the ball rolling

[juliet]

I had a bit of a go at that last week but I think got stuck?

Today I was suffering from having climbed yesterday as well & thus ARMS FALLING OFF.

(Also I cannot AT ALL work out the white V2 on the wall on the non-wave side from the prow.) (but I did sort-of do the blue bridgey V2 in the back left corner of that side)

Re: To get the ball rolling

[rydra_wong]

Also I cannot AT ALL work out the white V2 on the wall on the non-wave side from the prow.

That one is weird and tricky, I seem to recall. Lots of grabbing the arete.

Yay for the blue bridgey one!