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November 27, 2006
Crack Addiction
Our Thanksgiving weekend was spent chillin' in Utah with good friends, good food, good scenery and most of all GOOD CRACK(s). We maximized our short time getting schooled on some of the most amazing crack climbs in the country. It was awesome and we'll definately be back for more. Click on the photo below to watch a short video documenting our fun adventure.
Posted by Paul at 07:42 PM
November 20, 2006
Standard Update
Just a few updates on some things. Over the past week, Paul and I have made substantial progress toward deciding on our dream car that we'd like to get soon: A campervan! A Sportsmobile, to be exact. The perfecto climber-mobile. For the obscene amount of climbing roadtrips we rack up per year, I think it's the general consensus that we're long overdue on this one. We'll keep ya posted.
Last weekend we actually decided to bail on Hueco (gasp!) and headed up to Flagstaff instead for some Priest Draw bouldering. We left late Sat morning and got up there around 3pm. With only a few hours of daylight left, we had decided to take along some warm clothes and our headlamps with us for a little 'evening session' of night-bouldering. It was quite pleasant - the woods were all quiet, the air was crisp and the stars were amazing. For those of you that have bouldered with us at the Draw over last two summers, you'll be pleased to hear that I finally ticked off Badass. It's about time!! :-) Paul gave some good sending go's on The Receptionist, but was sadly shut down once again - falling after the "answering the phone" move. I again worked Anorexic. I'm able to link up all the moves, but not start-to-finish. If we would just spend a few consecutive weekends at the Draw, I might be able to report some more exciting sends to you. Ah but alas, so many projects, in so many places.
We're running again. Neither Paul nor I had ran a step since the Grand Canyon Adventure . The minute our feet hit the final south rim of the canyon back on October 1st, we jumped head first into climbing-mode and let the running fall by the wayside....the Grand Canyon being our grand finale for the year. But that has now slightly changed. Just slightly though. We're still in full-on climbing mode, but we kinda sorta just want to do some running too. On the side. Like icing on the cake. Little runs. For fun. Cause we like it. :-)
And here are some crazy upcoming plans of ours that will surely knock your socks off. Due to ridiculous airfare prices this year (and our lack of pre-planning), Paul and I will be staying west for the Thanksgiving holiday. We're a bit bummed out by this one. Ok, a lot bummed. Nothing quite compares to spending the holidays with family. :-\ So to cheer ourselves up, we've of course made some sort of climbing plans. That's what climbers do when they have a 4 day weekend and can't go home, right? Now, where to go, where to go.....Hueco?...nah. Joshua Tree?....nah. Flagstaff?...nah. Indian Creek?! WHAT?! Hold up. Did you say Indian Creek??!!!! As in, sandstone splitter cracks? Handjams? Trad gear? No crashpads? Yep.
These two boulderers are going crack climbing this weekend. Stay tuned....
Posted by April at 08:46 PM
November 13, 2006
Good Tour Bad Tour
Paul and I are volunteer tour guides at Hueco Tanks. Back in the late 90's, restrictions were put into place to protect the delicate natural environment and rich cultural history of Hueco. Part of these restrictions include "guided only" areas of the park, which means the only way one can climb (or hike, birdwatch, etc.) in these areas, is to be taken out by a guide. The volunteer tours are limited to 10 people max and they are free (just need to pay the regular $4 entrance fee to the park). Anyone can sign up....just call the park and reserve yourself a slot.
Paul and I have guided many tours over the past couple of years. And people often ask us, 'how is it...guiding strangers...people we've never climbed with before?' 'Are the tours usually pretty fun?' 'Do you ever get any real demanding a**holes that stomp their feet and throw a tantrum cause they can't drag the entire v0-newbee tour participants to their v12 project for the entire day?' Haha, no, no demanding a**holes....yet. However, Paul and I have guided enough tours that it's easy to distinguish, right off the bat, if today will be a "Good Tour Day" or a "Bad Tour Day". And this last weekend, we had both. Saturday, I guided the Good Tour. And Sunday, Paul guided the...well, not so good tour.
The Good Tour Day vs. The Bad Tour Day:
1. A Good Tour Day is when the tour starts off hiking to the first destination and the tour participants are literally on your heels...psyched to get to the boulders and get climbing ASAP....forget the beautiful scenery, forget the wildlife....we've got boulders to get to and projects to send.....being held back only by the guide in front of them. A Bad Tour Day is when the guide actually needs to STOP AND WAIT for his/her tour to catch up. Not once...not twice....not three times....but the WHOLE STINKIN' DAY. Come on people! What the heck is going on back there? Did some birders accidentally sign up for a bouldering tour? This is like trying to walk a kindergarten class to the cafeteria!
2. A Good Tour Day is once we get to the boulders, the pads open up, the chalk is out, and the shoes are on. Stretching? Bah. Too impatient to stretch. This v0 warm-up will stretch me out just fine. In a matter of minutes the climbers are on the rocks and "sick dude" is being uttered at least every other move. A Bad Tour Day is once we get to the boulders, everyone stops, asks if 'we're here', throws their pads down, and then sits. Just sits. And just kinda stares at the rock. And each other. Maybe this is some sort of pre-climbing meditation-type warm-up?.....just sitting...staring...not really saying a whole lot....just kinda sitting, really.
3. A Good Tour Day is when there is a decent amount of heckling going on. Fart jokes, fat butt jokes, puny forearm jokes, big kahuna jokes, small kahuna jokes, etc. All good fun all day long. A Bad Tour Day is when you think one of your tour participants is playing a funny joke on everyone when he decides to sit down, put his head on his knees and pretend to fall asleep under the crux move of this big roof problem the other 9 participants are trying. Only....he's not joking. He's sleeping. Really.
4. A Good Tour Day is when a tour participant sticks the crux of the climb he/she has been working and the crowd goes wild: In unison, "YEAH!!!" Or when the climber blows off the finishing jug that he/she has been so desperately lunging to grasp for the last hour and the crowd goes even wilder: "NO!" The roar is loud enough to scare away small animals and turn the heads of climbers across the mountain to see who sent what sick line. A Bad Tour Day is when a tour participant sticks the crux move and the crowd says nothing. Falls on the finishing jug and the crowd says nothing. SENDS THE PROBLEM and the crowd says nothing. Now if that's not motivation....
5. A Good Tour Day is when the end of the day comes and we all cheers with a beer, head out for some margaritas and mexican food, invite one another over to chill at our campsites, exchange emails/phone numbers, or at the very least find out when the next tour together is going to be. A Bad Tour Day is when the end of the day comes and you mutter to yourself 'Thank God' (with no worries of anyone hearing you b/c they are all lagging way way waaaaay behind again anyway). You wonder to yourself if everyone was just having a bad day...not enough sleep....maybe didn't drink enough espresso shots that morning? Does it really matter? No. Not really. This is Hueco and it's hard to spoil our day in The Mecca. We don't mind. Just as long as none of them sign up on our tour again. ;-)
Posted by April at 12:12 AM
November 06, 2006
A Content Farewell
It's hard to believe that it's been over a month now that Grit and Manu arrived here from Germany. Time flys when you're having fun and now their trip is coming to an end. Manu left for home last week. And Grit is on a final solo tour of more Joshua Tree and Bishop and will head home next week. I think I can speak for them both in saying that they indeed had a great visit. They climbed it all: Hueco Tanks, Joshua Tree, Bishop, Red Rock Canyon, Priest Draw, and even some local Tucson climbing at Milagrossa Canyon. Their tick lists are amazing. Paul and I were fortunate enough to be able to squeeze out some time off from work to join them climbing at a few places. And we all had great times just chillin' here in Tucson - bouldering on the woody, drinkin' Tecate, cooking good food, watching climbing videos, and just plain hangin' out. Paul and I, yes, are a little bit bummed that the Grit/Manu visit is nearing its end. However, at the same time we are still psyched. Psyched because we know the fun is going to pick right up where it left off. Next spring. We have another Fontainebleau, France trip in the works....and guess which two Germans are going to be there....
Awe yeah. :-)
Posted by April at 08:39 PM