Glee! (Not the TV show.)

[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.

N.B. Feel free to post your glee in the comm on any day of the week. The Friday post is just to get the ball rolling.

ETA: In today's climbing news:

Goats: more hardcore than you

Comments

To get the ball rolling

[rydra_wong]

I GOT TO CLIMB OUTSIDE ON REAL ROCK FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

And indoors, I have two lovely projects on the go. One is all fingers and heelhooks, and then when my fingers hate me, I can go and work on the second project, which is all slopers and balance. \o/

Re: To get the ball rolling

[silveronthetree]

That is so awesome! How did you find it?

Re: To get the ball rolling

[rydra_wong]

It was wonderful! And slightly silly, because the rock was British southern sandstone, which is somewhere between "rock" and "a vertical beach".

I'm drafting a proper post about it, which I will try to get up shortly.

ETA: I specify British southern sandstone because I gather that US serious sandstone is much more serious stuff. As in, less prone to dissolve if you look at it funny.

Re: To get the ball rolling

[silveronthetree]

Southern Sandstone is so strange, isn't it? I've climbed at Harrison's rocks about once and most of my time was spent getting used to the fact that although the stuff feels like it should be moving under your hands and feet - there is an awful lot of friction. Also I don't think I've ever done so much manteling in my life.

[such_heights]

I have just started bouldering! Last week I was terrible, this week I was still pretty bad but I made it to the top of the wall for the first time. Looking forward to going back!

[rydra_wong]

W00t!

ETA: I wish to add my standard exhortation for you to write a "first time" post! It helps encourage other people who are trying to pluck up the courage to start.

[such_heights]

*makes note* I will do that!

[wpadmirer]

One of my two favorite climbing partners returned from a trip and called me to climb with him! It was an unexpected pleasure, and I had a blast working hard on the deliberate/quiet placing of feet on footholds. This is the toughest thing for me. My "style" of climbing has been self-named as "angry toddler."

[rydra_wong]

\o/ Go you for working on the stuff that's hard for you; it's something I'm trying to be better about.

My "style" of climbing has been self-named as "angry toddler."

*cracks up*

I need a name for my climbing style, now ...

[tevere]

My husband and I used to do this thing where we'd go to the gym and just head straight to the routes that we couldn't finish from the week before. But this tended to (a) tire us out very fast, and (b) increase the chance of sprained whatevers due to lack of warmup. And then we noticed that the experienced people at the gym generally started on the very easy routes as a warmup and worked their way around to the hard routes. So this week we tried that, and it worked a treat! We didn't tire out on the easy routes (as I'd thought), we climbed for much longer overall, and I still finished two routes that I'd had trouble on last week. Success!

[rydra_wong]

W00t! And yeah, that's such a good thing to learn. I've found that I need to spend the first 15 minutes of a session on warming up that way, working my way up from the easiest problems to my current level. Then I'm allowed to hit my projects. It's really helpful for protecting your finger tendons, too.