"Because it's there."

I just read through this entire thread. What a way to spend an hour or two....

Thanks for all the info about the climbing grades and what the different ratings are for the climbs. I've always been curious about those numbers.

I'm an amateur photographer and I'd love to get some great shots of climbers on the face from a nearby vantage point. Is there any place that has easy-to-access spots that also overlook harder climbs? If I can ever sell my fucking house I'm going to start driving around looking for great pictures and this is something I'd be willing to travel for.
 
Ekserb said:
I just read through this entire thread. What a way to spend an hour or two....

Thanks for all the info about the climbing grades and what the different ratings are for the climbs. I've always been curious about those numbers.

I'm an amateur photographer and I'd love to get some great shots of climbers on the face from a nearby vantage point. Is there any place that has easy-to-access spots that also overlook harder climbs? If I can ever sell my fucking house I'm going to start driving around looking for great pictures and this is something I'd be willing to travel for.

Glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for taking all that time to share my enthusiasm. As far as places to take pics of people climbing, there must be, but I'm blanking right now. Most of the popular climbing areas also have hiking/descent trails, and some of those lead right past climbs. You'd want some big glass, for sure. I think most of the great climbing photogs are generally excellent climbers in their own right. Here's a book you will almost certainly enjoy:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0871563576.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Galen Rowell is arguably the best, most famous climbing/mountain photographer, at least as far as rock climbing goes. For mountain landscapes, I would think it would have to be Brad Washburn.
 
Closeted_ohio said:
NOT HEALTY FOR SLEEP WALKERS I'll BET :D
Heh. Not at all. You generally stay tied into the anchor while sleeping, but still, sleepwalking on a portaledge would be a startling experience.

Oh, and hey, welcome to Lit. Sooner or later someone is going to demand that you "show your bits."
 
Peregrinator said:
Bump for babygrrl_702 who recently completed a project.
:eek:

The greatest thing I think about rockclimbing is the poeple who are in it. So wonderfully supportive. :kiss: Perg.

OK - here goes.

I am in my late thirties and pretty much out of shape - I used to be an athlete (I swam) and while I still have great legs, upper body strengtth has never been something I've ever had.

Anyways.

My son (13) started rockclimbing (gyms) about a year ago. There aren't a lot of gyms here with belayers and he was getting bored with the auto belays - good old Mom stepped up and learned how to belay. Unfortunately for me (or so I thought at first) you also had to climb at these belay classes. I'm terribly afraid of heights. Oh and yeah - I'm lazy - somewhere along the line I turned into a couch potato. Aside from sex, working insanely physically at something just wasn't my idea of a good time.

I've been going once a week to a ladies class now pretty steady for about 4 months, I can handle a 5.7 (the lowest project in my gym) not easily, but it has been coming more efficiently as of late. I belay for my son once a week, and do a couple of auto-belays in that session - but at his gym the AB's are 5.9+. I make it about 2/3rds of the way.

I'm getting stronger, fitter. I still have a nasty office desk gut, but each time I go it feels better. It comes easier. I have the most beautiful, defined triceps and my chicken wings are almost non-existant now. I kiss the bicep I have just met. *grin*

Two weeks ago my instructor gave me a project. He like me coming around because I am very entertaining - I grunt, squeal, scream, laugh hysterically - depending whether I am on the wall, going up, coming down, or kissing the mats. Last week he made a special 5.6 run especially for me to warm up on, instead of the babybelays.

The project he gave me is on an angle - WHAT??? A 5.8!!!! The first time I did it I got a third of the way. The second time that night, I got two holds higher. Last week my first run got to the same place as before. The second time, I got two holds from the top! DAMMIT!!!

Wasn't good enough - soooooo close! I did my 5.6 preactice run again, then sat down on the couch for a bit and watched the beautiful ones as they crawled in ballet over the walls.

OK - meditation over. I went back to it one more time and got to my 2nd hold from the top - stuck again, dammit!! But Rawkgawd touched me and I put my hand on the wall and pushed - I made a MOVE!!! Twisted, reached the second to last hold, as if by magic or Rawgawd placed a big stone at my other knee, push - AAHHHHHH!!!!! I DID IT!!!!

I wish I'd discovered climbing before I discovered drugs - my life would have been much easier. :rolleyes: The high is pretty much the same. I come down to the ground shaking, terrified, exalted - and one thing I never got from drugs (clean almost 10 years now) - self esteem.
 
babygrrl_702 said:
:eek:

The greatest thing I think about rockclimbing is the poeple who are in it. So wonderfully supportive. :kiss: Perg.

OK - here goes.

I am in my late thirties and pretty much out of shape - I used to be an athlete (I swam) and while I still have great legs, upper body strengtth has never been something I've ever had.

Anyways.

My son (13) started rockclimbing (gyms) about a year ago. There aren't a lot of gyms here with belayers and he was getting bored with the auto belays - good old Mom stepped up and learned how to belay. Unfortunately for me (or so I thought at first) you also had to climb at these belay classes. I'm terribly afraid of heights. Oh and yeah - I'm lazy - somewhere along the line I turned into a couch potato. Aside from sex, working insanely physically at something just wasn't my idea of a good time.

I've been going once a week to a ladies class now pretty steady for about 4 months, I can handle a 5.7 (the lowest project in my gym) not easily, but it has been coming more efficiently as of late. I belay for my son once a week, and do a couple of auto-belays in that session - but at his gym the AB's are 5.9+. I make it about 2/3rds of the way.

I'm getting stronger, fitter. I still have a nasty office desk gut, but each time I go it feels better. It comes easier. I have the most beautiful, defined triceps and my chicken wings are almost non-existant now. I kiss the bicep I have just met. *grin*

Two weeks ago my instructor gave me a project. He like me coming around because I am very entertaining - I grunt, squeal, scream, laugh hysterically - depending whether I am on the wall, going up, coming down, or kissing the mats. Last week he made a special 5.6 run especially for me to warm up on, instead of the babybelays.

The project he gave me is on an angle - WHAT??? A 5.8!!!! The first time I did it I got a third of the way. The second time that night, I got two holds higher. Last week my first run got to the same place as before. The second time, I got two holds from the top! DAMMIT!!!

Wasn't good enough - soooooo close! I did my 5.6 preactice run again, then sat down on the couch for a bit and watched the beautiful ones as they crawled in ballet over the walls.

OK - meditation over. I went back to it one more time and got to my 2nd hold from the top - stuck again, dammit!! But Rawkgawd touched me and I put my hand on the wall and pushed - I made a MOVE!!! Twisted, reached the second to last hold, as if by magic or Rawgawd placed a big stone at my other knee, push - AAHHHHHH!!!!! I DID IT!!!!

I wish I'd discovered climbing before I discovered drugs - my life would have been much easier. :rolleyes: The high is pretty much the same. I come down to the ground shaking, terrified, exalted - and one thing I never got from drugs (clean almost 10 years now) - self esteem.
Holy shit, what an amazing post!

Thanks so much. You've done a fantastic job of showing the uninitiated why we climb. I'm really proud of you!
 
just sitting on a high point, puts my world in perspective......
 
thør said:
just sitting on a high point, puts my world in perspective......
Bathing in alpenglow at the end of a long day, cold air in your lungs, snuggled up in a down parka, thermos of hot sugary tea in hand....
 
Peregrinator said:
Bathing in alpenglow at the end of a long day, cold air in your lungs, snuggled up in a down parka, thermos of hot sugary tea in hand....
I'm going to go today - for the second time this week.

I deserve it. *grin*

Is sugary tea allowable if you climb indoors? ;)
 
babygrrl_702 said:
I'm going to go today - for the second time this week.

I deserve it. *grin*

Is sugary tea allowable if you climb indoors? ;)
Sure, but the cold air and alpenglow are a lot less likely.

Where do you live? You need to get outside and climb.
 
veryblueeyes said:
That looks almost what I would work out at in SF.
I can't imagine that they really would look all that different.

All that stuff I said earlier was BS< BTW - I just wanna look beautiful. ;)
 
Mr_Stingray said:
there is no way I could sleep up there, like that. No way!
There are all sorts of silly stories about stuff that happens on portaledges. I don't imagine anyone gets a lot of really quality sleep on one.
 
babygrrl_702 said:
Vancouver, BC - all kinds of mountains. I think I'll stay inside until it stops raining. :rolleyes:

my son's gym

the kiddy wall where I work on my movement
Nice looking gym.

Yeah, wait until summer. Climbing in the rain sucks.
 
veryblueeyes said:
That looks almost what I would work out at in SF.
They all look more or less the same. There's only so much you can do with a flat surface and a bunch of plastic blobs.
 
Peregrinator said:
Heh. Not at all. You generally stay tied into the anchor while sleeping, but still, sleepwalking on a portaledge would be a startling experience.

Oh, and hey, welcome to Lit. Sooner or later someone is going to demand that you "show your bits."
What gender is it?
 
Peregrinator said:
Beautiful...what range is that? That you in the pic?

It's in the Chugach Range. In Turnagain Pass. Indeed, it is me. About 0°F. A flat light day.
 
thør said:
It's in the Chugach Range. In Turnagain Pass. Indeed, it is me. About 0°F. A flat light day.
Man, I really need to move up there. I thought you were dressed pretty heavy for xc skiing.

Ladies? Is he hot or what? Looks okay to me....
 
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