Friday glee is not entirely convinced by that mat arrangement

[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: Ryan Pasquill onsights James Pearson's route "Power of the Darkside" as a highball boulder problem, then gets his finger stuck in the roof. Featuring the mat stylings of Dan Varian.

Comments

Ball, rolling

[rydra_wong]

I flashed a V4 for the first time!

Okay, I suspect the grade may be a bit soft, and it's a problem that happened to play to all my strengths (delicate bridging problem with minimal holds in a corner which let me flip myself around and do ridiculous back-and-footing), but it was a scary delight to do. Chimneying it old school!

[emperor]

I wonder if you have to reduce the E8 bit of an E8 6b you do above mats :-) Ryan obviously has good jamming skills...

My glee is still about limestone, particularly Symonds Yat; I got 5 good ticks on Saturday, and my climbing partner seconded up two Severes, which was pretty good going for their first time outside. The weather looks good for another trip tomorrow. I'm hoping to have a go at Vertigo, because it looks like an awesome view from the top :-)

[wpadmirer]

Today I belayed a woman who was trying to top rope for the first time. She suffered a traumatic injury several years ago and has some weakness on her left side. She hopes that climbing will help strengthen her. I've volunteered to belay her.

It was very, very cool. She climbed the slab beginners wall 3 times and was very excited. I enjoyed it, too. So we're going to see if she can climb twice a week with me belaying.

After that I climbed for myself with Kim and I did the 5.9 route that I've been red spotting twice! I still can't put it all together into one smooth climb, but I get closer each time. YAY!

[tea]

I went (indoor) climbing! For the first time since high school birthday parties! I finally asked my girlfriends if anyone was interested, after wanting to go for oh, three years, and they all said yes. So now I have a Regular Thursday Thing and muscles I didn't know I have hurt in the best of ways.

:D

I think I've seen posts in this comm on good exercises for strengthening climbing muscles, I should go track those down. My grip and forceps definitely gave out first.

[fadeaccompli]

I ended up going top-rope climbing instead of bouldering, and completed a higher grade course than before! I'm not sure if I went 5.7 -> 5.8, or 5.8 -> 5.9, but either way it was a higher grade than the lowest they offer in the gym. It feels like progress!

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I went rock wall climbing for the first time last Monday night.

I haven't had opportunity to go back yet (all of the rock walls are located places where it's not prohibitively expensive to own/lease that much space, but that also means they're places that aren't super-convenient via public trans), but I enjoyed it enough to be interested in going back.