Friday glee. And LYNN HILL.

[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 this week's glee: Lynn Hill on free-climbing the Nose, with footage:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

I have glee this week because a friend got me the Best Present Ever (no special occasion, she just found it in an Oxfam and thought of me): Climbing in Britain, published in 1946 and compiled by the newly-formed British Mountaineering Council. It is wonderful.

Now I know how best to have the hobnails in my boots arranged, the proper use of chockstones, why these new-fangled rubber shoes are untrustworthy in the wet, which mountaineering clubs admit women, and that "dried eggs can be served at almost any time"!

Also, I have glee because Steve McLure was guest-setting at the Arch, and I was very good and did not embarrass myself by squeeing audibly.

(I love the fact that he climbs so absurdly hard while making these mournful self-deprecating little comments about how he's weak, a complete wuss, no good with fear, it's all "a bit taxing," etc..)

[juliet]

Which bit did he do?

I have glee because when I went to the Arch this morning, John let me go through to see the new bit! The tunnel bit (SO COOL) is already set! And the front is all painted! And it is extremely exciting with exclamation marks! I also have glee that they're replacing the mats in the old bit, because they really are getting a bit knackered.

And I climbed that orange blobby V1 (after *totally* failing to get the first move earlier in the week; it took me several goes this time) and you're right, it is pleasing. Thanks for the rec!

I can do all but the last move of the dark blue V2 in the front; *nearly* made the last move twice (hit it but couldn't quite grab), and then on the third attempt failed one move before because my arms were giving up, so stopped. MONDAY MORNING. YES. I AM THERE.

While I'm here: has anyone got any advice about getting better at dyno moves? Both that one, and the final one of the light blue V2 on the overhanging bit out the back, have a dyno finish, and I am really struggling with both :(

[rydra_wong]

ZOMG you got to see the tunnel! I haven't seen the tunnel yet! It sounds so exciting!

Steve McClure was setting some stuff in the new bit (in fact, I think he was setting the tunnel stuff), but then Yann nabbed him to come and re-set the wave wall as well. There is some really evil stuff on there, including the most bloodcurdling V3 I've seen.

Re: dynos -- I dunno, as I tend to struggle with them too. You have to have enough hand strength to be confident you'll be able to stick the hold when you get it, and then it's a question of oomph and going for it (not my strong points).

There's the zero gravity deadpoint thing -- do you know that?

[juliet]

It is very exciting indeed!

Aha, I have already encountered the evil wave wall. There's a very nasty yellow V1 on there as well (nastier because I don't like the wave much anyway, I expect, but *still*). Gave up on it today after falling heavily twice. Next week!

I do not know about the zero gravity deadpoint thing, no. Explain?

(I think oomph & going for it are not my strong points either :/ )

[rydra_wong]

I do not know about the zero gravity deadpoint thing, no. Explain?

Okay. *is not sure if I can explain* You know how if you're swinging on a playground swing, there's that moment at the high point of your arc where you're suspended, "weightless", before gravity pulls you down again?

That moment is what is known in climbing as the "deadpoint".

The idea is that with a swinging or leaping motion like a dyno, you aim to land your hand on the hold in that split-second of weightlessness, just before you would start falling down again. If you time it right, it makes it much much easier to hang onto the hold.

Does that make any sense? It's one of those things that clicks as soon as you experience it.

[juliet]

That very much makes sense; thank you. I shall experiment next week.

[astridv]

Thanks for digging up that video, that was pretty amazing. Funny how even though the title gives it away I was on the edge of my seat for that final climb. 22 hours. Wow.

At a few points I had to think, 'disobeying gravity', indeed. It looks like she's climbing in some kind of low-gravity environment, the way she sticks to that vertical wall.

I have glee because I bought a monthly membership at the climbing center so I've been climbing twice a week instead of once. And I've started to explore the bouldering cave, which opened up many new possibilities. :)

[rydra_wong]

I fangirl Lynn Hill so hard. And she's still at the top of her game -- she climbed V12 a couple of years back!

Yay bouldering! My theory is that bouldering is the espresso of climbing: it's condensed and thus very economical with space and time. *g*

[pellucid]

Any day with Lynn Hill is a day of glee!!! *fangirls her SO HARD* Thanks for posting that video!

[rydra_wong]

I was so excited when I found it online!