March 22nd, 2006
finally made it to a internet cafe
the keyboards are so different. ill list the highlights
first of all everything is great
the weather was awesome for the entire 1st week.
we are living in french luxury in a beautiful rural gite in the country with grit from Germany and her boyfriend manu.
the large city near us is étampes.
everyone speaks french. thanks to grit we made our way through some crazy situations.
we ran into so many people we know from the US climbing scene. we are learning french at a very fast, forced rate. it is awesome.
climing is amazing. each day we go to a new area that is as big as some areas at hueco.
the climbing is very different though. very technical. the turtle shell slopers are RAD!
the wine and bakeries are a part of our daily routine.
went to paris yesterday by metro.
will go back to go inside the louvre.
today we went in the castle of fontainebleau.
today it is raining and we are taking advantage of rest time
hopefully tomorrow it will clear and we can try another ton of new problems that are some of the best in the world.
March 12th, 2006
Yesterday it looked like it was going to rain all day. There were thick black clouds over the Catalina Mts. but for the most part they stayed put. They didn’t drop anything on our house. April and I even got a little cocky and said, “It isn’t going to rain. The clouds are just messing with us. Let’s go running in Sabino Canyon.” So we did and we had a perfect run in nice cool temps.
Yesterday: Saturday March 11th
Overnight was another story. We woke up around 2AM to a loud wind and the pitter patter of rain on our roof. I said, “The mountains are definately getting a ton of snow. It’s going to be awesome in the morning.” Sure enough, I woke up to April saying, “Get up! Get the camera and get out there!”
The Catalina Hwy. is currently closed because we tried to drive up there. Hopefully later we can venture up into the snow and get a few sled rides in or something. Here are a few pics we took.
Today: Sunday March 12th
Click on the Picture to See More
March 4th, 2006
My parents are here! We spent the day in Mexico shopping around and had lunch at a great resturant. Many thanks to our friend Gina. She recommended the resturant “La Roca” and told us how to get there. It was awesome!!!
Click on the picture to see more
March 1st, 2006
Organic is the name. Custom, handmade crashpads is their game.
Ok everyone. No more picking on my old, beaten to a pulp, millimeter thin crashpad (aka “The Napkin”) anymore. Yes, it’s true. Tis a sad day indeed because I am officially….retiring…..The Napkin. Oh yes, you heard me correctly,….retirement. The Napkin will now enjoy a slow-paced, peaceful, relatively calm and quiet existence out in the backyard under the woody with the other old and frail pads. The Napkin will soon realize that it’s youthful energy-filled days have come to a close. It is time for The Napkin to pace itself, take it slow, relax, enjoy the scenery. Sure, every once in a while a little pizzazz may find its way out back to the woody and The Napkin may just happen to be in the right spot at the right time and will relish those glorious, youthful moments when a climber will rip off the woody, unexpectedly, uncontrollably, flaaaailing and come crashing down upon The Napkin’s flattened, flaky cells of it’s old and withered foam. Ahhh, those will be the days that will get The Napkin up and out of bed in the morning. Those will be the days to cherish.
February 21st, 2006
Had some friends over tonight and tried making fondue with our Vitamix 5000. It worked out pretty good. We’ll just have to run about 10 miles tomorrow to burn this meal off…
Click on the picture to see more
February 21st, 2006
I don’t know how many days it has been since we’ve seen a real rain. Matt do you know? You mentioned it the other day. I know Phoenix is counting about 126 days straight. I don’t think it’s that crazy because…uh…we live in a desert!
So, to get my fix for the “winter” of shoveling snow April and I ordered 2 tons of rocks. I can’t say exactly what we did with them because we are keeping every house modification a surprise since my parents are coming to visit soon. But, I will mention that I spent 4 hours continuously shoveling last night. It felt just like a Pittsburgh winter minus the cold, clouds, humidity, gloves, snowpants, heavy coat, and hat. And minus the neighbor who tries to park his car in the spot that you just shoveled snow out of (which is why you put a chair in your spot on the street once you’re done).
February 17th, 2006
How do you like the new banner?
February 12th, 2006
Finally we decided that it was time to take a little break from Hueco and hang out at home in Tucson. We spent the weekend relaxing at home. Relaxing for us means non-stop stuff going on from the moment we wake up to the point at which we can’t keep our eyes open in the night. Friday night we climbed on our woody, Saturday we worked on the house and spent the evening out with our friend Gina. She recommended a really classy, super cool hangout called 58 Degrees and Holding. Today we finished up some projects (secret projects because my parents are coming in a few weeks) and are spending the evening really relaxing. I have to go…the hot tub is probably just right.
Click on the picture to see the photos
February 8th, 2006
I have been the biggest climbing news junkie ever, the past few weeks. I figured I’d share some of my news sources so others can see how the sport of bouldering is getting pushed beyond the current limits, right now!
Cool Sites:
1. Ben Moon’s site
2. 8a
3. Jason Kehl’s site (Rules of Chaos is SICK!!!)
4. Hueco Rock Ranch
At Hueco, some of the best climbers in the world are currently attacking the classics and developing new lines. From my perspective it is amazing to be a part of the sport and be so close to the development of boulder problems that are pushing the limits of the existing rating scale! Fred Nicole claimed V15 on his stand-up problem Terre de Sienne next to Diaphanous Sea, V12. He then linked it from Diaphanous Sea! So, ovbiously it must be rated higher? Right? I thought I read V16 somewhere. Recently Dave Graham repeated the climb (just Terre de Sienne) and disagreed. I think he suggests V13/14 for Terre de Sienne. Unreal! It’s hard to dispute his claims since he recently did Fred’s other V15 testpiece (downgrading it too) and sent Esperanza, V14, in a day!!!
So is “From Dirt Grows The Flowers” the real V15 out there? (Dave Graham developed that one and says it’s the hardest he has done) Or when is Hueco going to get a real V15. We might see it soon when someone repeats the link from Diaphanous Sea into Terre de Sienne.
