Friday glee is all about the mantel

[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: Mina Leslie-Wujastyk on Midnight Lightning

Comments

[wpadmirer]

No climbing this week, which is just as well. I've got a book that I'm determined to finish. (Writing it, that is.)

And next week is Thanksgiving here in the US, so I'll be traveling at midweek heading to Alabama to spend it with a friend.

So I think I'm going to be sorely lacking in the climbing for another week after this. WOE!

[rydra_wong]

Hey, congratulations on the imminent finishing of the book!

[wpadmirer]

Thank you! Yes, I'll be very happy when it's done. (grin)

[emperor]

Another no-climbing week :-s

[rydra_wong]

Woe!

[wwilliam47]

One climbing expedition despite being on travel to a conference, on a paper deadline, and busy as hell in general. 'twas an eye-opener.

Hyper-Local Wall(tm) has inexperienced setters (undergrads) and about 40 feet(?) of horizontal bouldering space, bent around a corner. The space compression means that there are few problems that are difficult due to length; the inexperience means that there are relatively few problems that are difficult due to geometry rather than holds. (At least this is true at my height/wingspan. Most of the setters are 4-6" shorter than I am.)

The wall I visited out in SLC (The Front Climbing Club) has a ton more area, and their v0/v1 problems have holds that HLW(tm) would rarely use for anything above v0, but generally with geometry that I'd expect to see on v2/v3. (Or yes, it is totally possible to set something legitimately challenging re: balance with nothing but jugs.) Wish I had been able to get down there last night for a second session, but alas. Work called.

With luck I can get Sunday/Monday/Tuesday in this coming week before I disappear for family time at Thanksgiving...

[rydra_wong]

Hooray for sampling different walls!

[wpadmirer]

The gym I go to has some very challenging boulder routes that use large, juggy hand holds. When I was bouldering (before I decided the not bouncing well thing doomed me to quit), I could get some very interesting routes going that had nice big jug holds, but required maneuvering in ways I struggled with. I loved it.

[allochthonous]

I went to a women-only climbing session at the wall this week and it was so much fun - everyone was really relaxed and friendly, the instructor was lovely and the exercises she gave us were really interesting. Plus, there were custard creams. I was a bit worried about going as a beginner with most other people there having climbed for years, but they couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. Now I just need to rev myself up to try bouldering on my own...

[rydra_wong]

W00t! As long as you're comfortable falling (try to land evenly on both feet, bend your knees), I can highly recommend indoor bouldering on your own.

It's pretty common for it to end up being fairly social anyway -- speaking as a socially-awkward person, I've found myself chatting with fellow boulderers very easily.

If you're not yet completely comfortable with falling the full height of the bouldering wall, you can traverse, stick to easy things you're sure you won't fall from, and/or practice jumping/falling from progressively higher up the wall. Go to the edge of what currently feels comfortable for you, and play around.

[wpadmirer]

That's very cool. I wish we had a women's only night at my gym, but alas, no.

[fadeaccompli]

The bouldering gym was recently reset by different people, whom I can only assume to be entirely sadists; I can no longer send any of the V1 routes, I fall off half the V0s, and V2s, which I'd just started on, are right out.

But! I did drag myself through a nasty V0 with a serious overhang, which was satisfying in its own way. And there's a really interesting slabby V1; usually I only see those sorts of moves set on top-rope slabs, or on routes rated so high there's no point in my even trying. So I am enjoying the challenge on that part.