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

[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.