Today while I was walking to work, I past some guys that were putting up a new billboard. This isn’t one of those new fangled billboards though that they just stretch the advertisement over, they actually have to glue the pieces in place.
Anyways, I couldn’t believe the ropes that they were using. Maybe I’m spoiled with the ropes I use for climbing, but these things were huge. I’d hate to think how much they weighed. I mean, I’ve got a 10mm rope, which by climbing standards is quite thick (typically used as a gym rope because it lasts longer). However, the more hardcore climbers all have 8.5mm ropes.
Now, by contrast the multiple ropes that the workers had were at least double the thickness of what I have. Plus, they looked like they were from the 60’s, and I highly doubt they were dynamic. That means, when/if you fall, the rope doesn’t elongate at all, it just stops. Talk about a painful fall.
And it’s not even like my rope was expensive. I mean, if this is all these guys do, you can surely afford a $150 rope that weighs probably one tenth of what they currently have and won’t rip you in half were you to fall.
On Monday I swung by Hidden Peaks and climbed for a few hours. Now, the pictures that I pointed out in the last entry are a little misleading. It appears much larger than it really is. In fact, it’s essentially just a bouldering cave. I’m not sure how sold I am on it, since there’s no place to really traverse, but it’s better than nothing as of right now.
Also, most of the routes are hard, really hard. There are very few V0s and V1s, and those are on the 45 degree wall. I suppose it’ll get me strong in a hurry though. The only downside, though, is that I’ll end up being a 4-5 move person, and so it will make actual wall climbing that much harder.
Ugh, decisions, decisions, decisions.
Oh, and I ripped up my hand pretty good when I went too. I can tell that I haven’t done any hard climbing in awhile because the pads on my fingers definitely don’t have the calluses they used to.
I haven’t talked much about climbing lately. It’s probably because I haven’t really done much exciting with it. I head to the gym 1-2 times per week, and just work on the same stuff over and over. Whatever, it keeps me in shape.
However, last weekend was the Climbing Club’s callout trip. Normally, I’m not all that excited about them, but this would be a great time to get Erin to start climbing. So last Friday I brought her into the gym and taught her how to tie into the rope and to belay. This way she’d be all set, and wouldn’t have to learn anything while we were down there.
We left Champaign at 5:30am on Saturday morning, and get there around 9ish, just when everyone was starting to head down to the routes. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where anyone was heading, so we just kind of hiked around for a bit. Then we watched some guy attempt a mixed route, but he didn’t know it was mix (always fun hearing someone ask if they missed a bolt). Finally we found everyone and we got our climb on.
Erin was a little nervous at first, which was understandable. However, once she finished with one route she was hooked. She was even doing the harder stuff, which impressed me. However, she did have a hard time on some of the overhung stuff. Figuring out how to get over bulges definitely set her back some, but hell, it was her first time outside, and second time roped up (she did a few easy routes at the gym on Friday). Plus she was attempting 5.10a’s.
On Sunday, we were one of the first groups out of camp (we didn’t partake in the alcoholic beverages, mostly cause we didn’t bring any, and midnight bouldering), and so we headed down to something that would be a little more easier for her, so at least she’d get the satisfaction of making it to the top. Needless to say, since we were the first ones out of camp, and it was already after 9, the route I was thinking about was already taken. No biggie, we’ll just keep walking to Railroad Rock, since I’m sure nobody will be down there. Thankfully no one was, and there is an easy 5.8 there. I setup the top rope and Erin went up. She had a couple problems where she couldn’t figure it out, but still made it to the top. Upon getting to the bottom she informed me that she’ll be doing it again, in order to fix the problem spots. Sure enough, she did, 2 or 3 more times.
I was impressed.
After I cleaned the route, we headed out, since she had 2 tests this week she needed to study for. All in all not a bad weekend. I think she got up something like 6 routes, and I got up something like 7 or 8. Granted, it wasn’t as many as I usually do, but it was still good fun.
This weekend was yet another weekend of climbing. This time, instead of heading south, we went north to the Mississippi Palisades. Talk about a huge difference between climbing down at Jackson. The rock up at the Palisades is limestone, and since it’s been heavily used is very slippery. Also, there is no sport routes. It is completely trad (if you forgot what that means, read my previous entry). That meant that I wasn’t leading anything, which isn’t really the norm. Instead I was top-roping everything. However, I did mock-lead one route (top roped it, but put gear in as I went). That definitely helped me get more comfortable with how to place gear, and what can go where, etc.
The other totally different thing about the Palisades was that it’s crack climbing. I’m used to face climbing (climbing up the face of the rock). Now, with face climbing, you are looking for protruding features that you can hang on to, but with crack climbing, you are wedging your hands and feet into the crack. There aren’t really any protrusions that you can grip onto, instead you have to slide your fist into the crack, and twist it. You essentially want to lock your hand into the crack, and move up the crack. You then twist your feet into the crack in a similar way, but you don’t slide it in deep like you do with your hand (if need be). There are multiple different techniques of jams, but I won’t go into that here.
Needless to say, it’s friggin hard, and quite painful. The backs of my hands are very tender, and have multiple bruises. However, it was quite fun, and I definitely want to get much better at it.
On another note, I went there with James and Cody. We took Cody’s car, which happened to be a…VW Jetta TDI! This was all totally unbeknownst to me until he pulled up at my apartment, and I heard the familiar diesel engine sound. On the way up, we started talking about biodiesel, and he wants to get into it too! I’m about 10 times more excited now. I also got to drive it around a bit. The roads at the Palisades were pretty steep, and it handled quite well. Granted, it was an automatic, though, so it didn’t handle as nicely as the stick I test drove. It was also the older, 90hp, engine, not the new, 100hp, one. I’m definitely excited about a potential car purchase.
Imagine that, another weekend has passed, and it’s time to talk about climbing!
This was the first weekend Colleen and I have actually been able to get down to Jackson for the entire weekend. It was nice and warm and sunny, etc. It was just about perfect for a good climbing weekend. A lil’ warm, but good times, nonetheless. We headed down Friday after work, stopped for a decent dinner on the way down, then setup camp around 9:30. We ended up taking off a lil’ later then we hoped because neither of us was really packed for leaving at 5.
James and Bill met us down there Saturday at aroun 9. We were already on the rock when they arrived. We started on an easy 5.7 (Jimmy’s Chicken Shack). Both Colleen and I led it for warmup. Then I moved on and setup a top rope on the new 5.9 next to it. This route only had 4 bolts on the route, not including the anchors (Jimmy’s, which is the same height, and easier, has 6). Both the beginning and the end were quite runout (large distance between the bolts, so there’s little protection if you fall). As James put it, it was ballsy. What really was great about the route, was the guy that bolted it (Dave), was climbing with us. Dave’s put up a ton of routes throughout Jackson. He’s a “local” around the area because of the amount of time he’s there. Being retired really helps that for him too, since he arrived on Thursday, and was staying later then Colleen and I were. I then top roped the 5.10b (Venom) next to the 5.9. To redpoint (lead a climb clean on the 2nd or more try up) Venom is one of my goals of the summer.
We then moved on the Express Checkout (10a) which I onsited (lead it clean the first time up). After that I cleaned (removed the gear from a route) Wishbone (11 something). Wishbone was a little above my ability in a few spots. I wasn’t a fan of it. James and Bill then went on to do some trad climbing. Needless to say, I wasn’t about to do any of that, but I did do the dihedral (just an example) that was part of the trad route called Chit Chat.
James and Bill headed out that night, but Colleen and I stayed the night to put in some climbing Sunday. She didn’t want to stay very long, so that we could do some stuff later in the day. So, I decided we should go to the other side of the gorge, and hit up some easier routes that I had done before. Once again Colleen only led one route, because she gets scared so easily. That’s ok though, because I feel more than comfortable leading. She led a very short and easy 5.8, and that was it. I then led a slabby 5.8 and setup top rope for Colleen. Mmm, I love the slab. I then lead (very poorly) another 5.8. It was my first outdoor fall, and thankfully Colleen had it under control. I fell going to the second bolt, and what really made it bad was that I fell while I was pretty much at the second bolt. This means, when I fell, I fell the twice the distance between the first and second bolt, plus whatever the distance the rope stretches. What makes this fall even more scarier, is that you can easily crater (hit the ground) if you fall going to the second bolt, and the ground where you’d fall has a large boulder waiting for you. Like I said, Colleen had it under control though, so I was fine minus a little burn on my left boob where it rubbed against the rock as I fell.
And then we headed back to camp, packed up the tent, and headed home.
Hopefully we’ll get the film developed sometime before the turn of the century, and I’ll post them here.
**Update** Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that I somehow got poison ivy on my face, ear, forehead, etc. Always fun. Thankfully it’s not nearly as bad as I’ve had, otherwise, I’d be going insane right now.
Well, it’s the weekend again, and that means, climbing!! I’m kinda disappointed that I didn’t head down there early this morning, but I couldn’t find anyone to go with me :( What made it even worse, people were going to Upper Limits today instead of heading down South. Crazy people. However, I’m heading down tonight with a 4 other people, so we’ll be climbing hard all tomorrow.
Now, I’ve been hearing from some of you, Nick, that when I talk about climbing I leave some of you in the dust; especially with some of the terms I use. Well, this next section is for you! I’m going to go through some of the terms I’ve been using so there won’t be as much confusion. If there’s something else you want me to explain better, feel free to shout out in the comments.
Bouldering
Sport
Traditional
I hope that clears things up for you guys, and like I said earlier, if there’s something I haven’t mentioned or talked about that you want more info about, let me know in the comments section.
Damn, talk about a great weekend to go climbing. This weekend was the “call out” trip for uiuc’s climbing club (damn that’s a hot website). My friend James and I headed down to Jackson Falls at 5:30AM on Saturday. It takes around 3.5 hours to get there, so we met up with the people who left on friday or earlier around 9 at the camp site. Needless to say, they were still eating and getting ready. James and I were ready to climb, not sit on our asses and wait for people. We head out in the gorge, looking for easier places to climb for the beginners. However, since it was already after 9, all the easy routes already had people on them (good thinking there club). So, we kept hiking until we got to a place called railroad rock. Our warmup was a 5.10a/b (don’t remember which nor what it was called). Already this was off to a typical outdoor climbing experience with James, warming up on something that I’d have some trouble with normally. Plus, this was only my second time outdoors (the other time, was around a year ago and we warmed up on a 5.10a/b called Venom).
We left our only dynamic rope up on the 10a/b and moved around to another face of the rock and James jumped on an 11. However, we only had a static rope for this climb. Now, for those of you that don’t know the difference, a dynamic rope has a lot of “play” in it. Therefore, when you fall, the rope stretches to reduce the instantaneous force. Now, a static rope is what you normally use in the gym for top roping because you’re not falling as far as when you lead a route. Now, if you fall on a static rope for any distance, it feels like smacking into pavement; a very short and abrupt stop. Now, the real kicker is that all the force is directed to your harness which is right around your crotch. You really don’t want to take a large, or small, whipper (fall while leading) while on a static line. It hurts both you and your belayer like crazy. Thankfully James didn’t have a problem with the 11 and setup the static rope for top roping (so others could use it). I then scrambled and pulled myself up that one after him.
Feeling totally dejected after the 11 (a little bit beyond my ablility), I lead and setup a top rope on a 5.8 for some of the other people. That definitely helps get your confidence back, eventhough it was a retarded easy climb. I love big jugs!
Back by the 11, there was a new route that nobody knew what it was. It had a nasty overhanging bouldering problem as the start. Think, wedging your leg into a crevasse, hanging upside down, doing the splits and then doing pullups, and you’ve about got the first move. James wanted to lead it. However, he couldn’t get passed the 3rd bolt no matter what he tried. And let me tell you, he tried about everything. He took probably 10 whippers off that route. Thank god for the grigri. So, he came back down, but since he didn’t make it to the top all the gear was still on the bolts, MY brand new gear. Another guy that we met there gave it a try, but also couldn’t get passed the same spot. However, he setup this this sling with the rope, so that he could clean all the gear, tie the sling into the bolt, feed the rop through the sling, and then when he pulled the rope through the sling (once he was at the bottom), the sling would slide through the bolt. I was more than impressed.
One of the other guys (Nate) saw that there was a biner and a sling up on the anchors at the top though, so he hiked around to the top of the route then rappelled (rapped) down to grab the booty. While he was up there James told him to setup a top rope. While Nate was setting up the top rope, I went and lead another 5.8 further down and setup another top rope for others to climb. When we came back, James jumped on the top rope and climbed it. I sat around and watched the other scramble thier way up after James. We then headed back because it was getting dark.
Yesterday we headed to the other side of the gorge. Before we setup the first route, one of James’ friends (Bill) showed up. Apparantly he called James’ wife and found out we were down here. Warmup was once again a 10 I believe (Cherio bowl). I should’ve gotten it onsite, but I made a few stupid moves which got me off course. Bill also wasn’t a fan of his ascent of Cherio Bowl, so we went off and did some 5.8’s by ourselves. It was much nicer because we didn’t have to wait for anybody, and it was just the two of us. He lead 2 and I lead 1. We each cleaned each other’s routes (my first time actually cleaning a route). We were just finishing up with our last route, when James came around looking for us. Apparantly everyone else had taken off and left him. So, we headed back to where Cherio Bowl was and climbed a “5.8,” according to James, called Captain Kangaroo. I was REALLY pissed that I didn’t onsite that one. One stupid move, and I had it. I actually had the damn move, but I couldn’t hold on to it.
All in all, it was a good weekend. 9 routes, 3 leads, 3 cleans. Hopefully the weather holds out for next weekend, because we’re heading back down! I just can’t get enough. It’s so much better than climbing in the gym.