Friday Glee!

[wpadmirer]

Okay, it wasn't here when I got here, and I'm anxious to post, so what the hell!

No video, since that's not my specialty. I hope someone will post one.

But this is space to share your glee about climbing. I look forward every Friday to everyone's posts about what they've been doing. So come on and share!

Comments

[wpadmirer]

My glee this week is that I'm back doing three times a week climbing with my partner Lior. She is endlessly entertaining and pushes me to get better. At 5 feet 1 and 3/4 inches, she climbs incredibly hard and makes moves I failed to making, thus shaming me into trying again. (grin)

On Wednesday when we were climbing we watched two big strong men try to climb a 5.10 that she regularly makes and that I can also climb. They were both struggling and whining and falling and whining more.

It was amusing to both of us to realize they were relying solely on strength, and that the route requires technique. Yes, they could climb some routes we can't climb that require greater upper body strength (though we're both working on that), but they didn't have the skill to do a route that two smaller (and one much older) woman do on a regular basis.

That's what's so fabulous about climbing. It isn't JUST about being strong, it's about flexibility, technique, reading the route correctly, and mentally being able to solve the puzzle.

I do SO love climbing.

[rydra_wong]

On Wednesday when we were climbing we watched two big strong men try to climb a 5.10 that she regularly makes and that I can also climb. They were both struggling and whining and falling and whining more.

Always excellent! *g*

One of the cliches of Font is that you will at some point be hideously burned off by a seventysomething Frenchman who will wander up and, place a small beer towel at the bottom of your project to clean his shoes on (no mat), then style his way up it. As a warm-up.

[wpadmirer]

Oh, I love that! Yep, old climbers are cool. (grin)

[rydra_wong]

I can only aspire to be so cool one day!

(I've mentioned seeing Angela Soper doing a very similar thing at the Women's Climbing Symposium, right?)

[wpadmirer]

NO! How very cool! Thank you!

[rydra_wong]

There were assorted workshops going on through the day of the symposium; I was in the workshop on using awkward and difficult holds, and (while everyone was spready out and working on different things) she wandered up absently and sauntered up one of the problems that had been shutting everyone down. It was beautiful.

[rydra_wong]

Thanks for posting the glee!

I have glee because I did a problem in Font in a way which make me feel my footwork had been almost decent, which is a novel experience in Font.

(For anyone who's predominantly an indoor climber, Font generally makes you feel that you know nothing about footwork.)

[wpadmirer]

I am not familiar with Font. Now I will have to find out about it. And congratulations! Anytime your footwork feels cool is exceptional! (grin)

[rydra_wong]

Fontainebleau, a.k.a. Font, the short version:

Giant forest not far from Paris, full of literally thousands of sandstone boulders. One of the most-developed and biggest bouldering areas in the world. People have been bouldering there since the end of the 19th century at least.

Problems are identified by coloured numbers and dots painted on the rock, so you can follow different circuits in any given area, at your grade level of choice (it has everything from special children's circuits to some of the hardest individual bouldering problems in the world).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau_rock_climbing

Google image search for "Fontainebleau bouldering" will give you some idea.

[wpadmirer]

Cool! Thanks for the link! I've heard of it, but didn't know much about it at all.

[emperor]

Good stuff :)

[emperor]

I have late glee (due to being away this weekend), but last weekend I got out to Wales again. On Saturday, we got a couple of nice multi-pitch climbs at Clogwyn yr Oen in great weather, only slightly complicated by the crag being heaving with climbers! On Sunday, the forecast weather meant we had Tryfan Fach to ourselves, and got one climb in before the rain started, and one that we finished as the weather really started to let rip. Fun times :)

[wpadmirer]

Oh, outdoor climbing is so wonderful!