Welcome to Colorado

Since I am climbing so much with my move to Ft. Collins, I have decided to do more frequent updates on weekend trips and competitions. Here is a summary of a recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The first weekend of the school year I went to Rocky Mountain National Park with Adam Kaiser, Ethan Shaw, and Stephen Small. These guys are pretty much whom I spend all of my weekends climbing.  We are all DFW natives that longed to get out of the Texas climbing gyms and out on to the real rock. For a lack of better words, I will call them the crew.

            We set out as soon as we all get done with class. We all were ecstatic to finally get out on some Colorado granite. We spent the first day at the Emerald Lake area. I nearly died as I attempted to adapt to the elevation and thin Colorado air. We all warmed up doing the Classic V5, The Kind. Adam, who is a sophomore, showed us how to really climb Colorado Granite when he sent Belsars Roof V9. We then all headed over to the next climb, Whispers of Wisdom V10/11. This was the most aesthetically pleasing lines I had ever seen. We worked it for a few hours coming up a little short, because of a soaked top out. We ended the day by unsuccessfully attempting Real Large V9 in the dark.

            The next day was an eventful day. We hiked up to lower chaos to see snow for the first time in 6 months. The area was absolutely beautiful and so were the lines. I first sent Potato Chip V7. It was a very impressive crimp line. It took a little longer than I expected, but the climb was completely worth it.  The next climb was Deep Puddle Dynamics V9. We worked the climb for a little while, but we soon realized that we were pretty tired already. Ethan decided to jump into the lake. He then proceeded to talk us into jumping in also. The water was absolutely freezing compared to the bathtub warm Texas lakes. As we hiked out, I broke a camera lens, my pad buckle ripped off, I strained my bad knee, and hit my leg on a rock causing a deep wound in my shin. All of this misfortune was influenced by the unexpected hailstorm. After the hike Stephen noticed the gash on my shin. We went to the ranger station to wipe it up and see how bad the cut really was. The rangers gave me a hello kitty band-aid as their contribution. A little baffled, we grabbed some paper towels and noticed I really needed stitches.

            I was never more excited to be in a hospital. The warm building, dry clothes, blanket, shower, and women who really cared for me, it was more like a spa day. After settling my mom and girlfriend down on the phone, I left the hospital with 4 stitches. After all the misfortune and really not climbing that well, I was optimistic and just laughed at the whole fiasco. Despite a few bumps, the trip was really fun and it truly gave me a taste of the real Colorado climbing.

Ethan

Whispers of Wisdom

Adam

Adam on Tommy's Arete V9

Stephen on Potato Chip V7

Stephen

Deep Puddle Dynamics V9

Captain Shaw

Adam

Stephen

Rehab

            Seven weeks ago in mid June, I tore my meniscus. Just prior to this injury, I had taken 2 weeks off to help my nagging, sore forearm tendons heal. I came back with fresh tendons, but that was quickly forgotten when I made a simple high step. I was climbing a route when I made a high step with my left foot, then heard a pop as I pushed off. I really did not think much of it. My joints pop all the time. It was not until I tried to stand up when I realized that something was wrong. I iced the knee and headed home. The next day I head to my orthopedic to see what was really wrong. I was told then it was most likely a torn meniscus. They also said that it most likely would be a tear that could be cut out, and I would be back in 3 weeks. Yet they also gave a worst case scenario of 12 weeks if they needed to repair it. He did the  MRI and I patiently waited for the results. The results came back an hour later, and unfortunately it was the worst case scenario.

            I really was optimistic about the situation, so the devastation hit me pretty hard. Nationals gone. World Championships gone. Six weeks in Europe gone. Youth Worlds gone. It sure was a lot to lose, but my optimism came back quickly. I looked at it as just another bump in the road. Sometimes hardships happen, and you really cannot do much about it. The surgery went well the next day. I really did not remember much of it since I was knocked out as soon as I got to the hospital. The next few days were spent between my bed, the bathroom, and the couch. I had an allergic reaction to the Dura Prep that they used to clean my leg before the surgery, and I broke out all over my leg. The allergic reaction really was the hardest thing about this whole predicament. The reaction lasted a grueling 2 weeks. Since then, the rehab has been somewhat easy going. I got off my crutches 3 weeks after the surgery. That is also the time that I really started my rehab. I began to swim, bike, walk, and do physical therapy. Luckily my aunt helped me come up with a therapy routine. I even began to climb one footed. Now,  seven weeks later I am walking without a brace and am cleared to climb tentatively with both feet. My orthopedic said my rehab is way ahead of schedule, and he seemed to be very impressed. We discussed if I could climb in the Youth World Championships in late August. He cleared me to go, but he said I would not be 100% and the intense training and competition would really endanger my knee. At the moment I am leaning towards not going. I really do not want to take another step back, and with that in mind, going to Austria really would not be in my best interest. Most of all, I would also  miss my first week of college at Colorado Sate.

            I really have gotten the opportunity to experience things that I would have missed out on. I got to spend more time with the people closest to me. I have been blessed to have many supporters through this time from my girlfriend and my family and friends. I have gotten to help at a foster home, spend time with family and friends, and I even rescued at stray kitten with my mother. The time spent at home has really been a blessing.

I am very optimistic about climbing for the end of 2011 and 2012. I always seem to come back from injuries stronger than ever. I also will have a copious amount of climbing and motivation as I move to Colorado. I really want to enjoy outdoor climbing.  Living in North Texas, the outdoor climbing opportunities are not plentiful, but I'm moving to Colorado primarily for an education. I intend on pursuing my higher education with devotion. I am majoring in business with concentrations in finance and marketing. Like I said earlier, my knee is just another bump in the road, and I am moving quickly over the bump with great anticipation and optimism towards what lies ahead.

These are some pictures of me as I was going through the rehab process.

Photos by Claire Edwards

Gear Review

The Petzl Grigri 2

            Petzl has done it again! This item exceeds all the hype. The size, weight, and performance are all significantly improved from the first Grigri. When I first got the Grigri 2 it was in a somewhat large box, and I thought that the box was empty. Come to find out, the new Grigri seemed to be as light as the cardboard box. The Grigri 2 weighs in at 5.9 ounces, and the Grigri 2 is 20 percent lighter and 25 percent smaller than the original Grigri. The size is not the only change. This new device handles better, feeds better, brakes quicker, and lowers much easier. I climb with the Xion 10.1 and the Fuse 9.4 ropes. The Grigri 2 takes both ropes very well. With my old Grigri, the 9.4 used to slip a little, but the new Grigri has no problem with the thin rope. As for the Xion, the fatter rope slides in out of the device like a charm. You cannot go wrong with the new Grigri 2. It is hands down the best belay device I have ever used, and the original Grigri comes in right after its over achieving little brother.

The Petzl Xion 10.1 rope

            I was pretty skeptical at first when Petzl sent me the rope. I was thinking I could use it for some projects and save some use on my Fuse rope. I was wrong. This rope handles better than most 9.8 ropes. Petzl really got it right when it comes to mixing durability and exceptional handling. I use this rope all the time. It feels great and I do not have to worry about taking lots of big falls on it. The durability has really stood the test. I have had the rope for around 3 months, using almost every week in the gym and some outdoors, and I have seen very little wear and tear on the rope. Another cool thing about this rope is that all Petzl ropes coiled in a way that you can cut the plastic and use it right then and there with out having to flake it out. If you are looking for a rope that is durable, but you are not willing to compromise performance, this is the rope to buy.

prAna Stretch Zion Pant

            These pants are no ordinary pants. These pants allow you climb with out having to go through all the hardships that come with climbing in pants. They stretch, breathe, and outperform any climbing pants I have ever known. These pants are also loaded with many other features. They have plenty of pockets and have snaps at the bottom to help you roll up the pants. These pants are great for any weather you run into. I have climbed in them in Texas 90 degree weather and in the cold Colorado winter. They go easy with layers for the cold and roll up and breathe in the heat. I recommend these pants to anyone who wants an all year pant option. These are my favorite prAna product.

prAna Snakebite ¼ zip

            This is another must have product for all weather climbing. Wear it on the cool morning hike and shed it before you hit the rock. Use it as a great layering item for those cold days at the crag. I even climb in this when the cold is just too much. It breaks the wind and stretches very nicely for any activity. I also love to wear this when I am not climbing. It is nice but also has an active lifestyle look to it. I really use the Snakebite all the time. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this pullover. 

April

April has been a very eventful month for me, from traveling to Boulder for Adult Nationals to having Senior Prom. Since I have been so busy, I am putting all my adventures into this one post.
The first adventure was to Boulder, Colorado for SCS Adult Nationals. This was my second time to compete in this event. Last year I did surprising well as I ended up in the finals. I felt that I could do just as well this year. I trained for a little less than a month, and I felt confident. My father and I traveled to Boulder on Thursday. We got in later that night and crashed pretty quickly. In the morning we headed into downtown Boulder. With time to kill we walked around the prAna store, met up with some friends, and got some sushi for lunch. Knowing I still had to climb, we headed back to the hotel to rest. After watching some March Madness, we headed to Movement Climbing Gym. It was truly humbling to get to warm up with people such as, Matt Segal, Emily Harrington, Paige Classen, Sasha Diguilian, Sam Elias and many more. The warm up went well, and I was ready to go climb. My first climb was a pretty long climb that started on vertical, then into a steep section, and at the top flattened out a little. I felt really well on the climb. Not feeling very pumped, I got to the crux and unfortunately my heel blew, causing me to fall. It felt premature, and I was pretty disappointed. Trying to put the last climb behind me, I continued to the last climb. The competition was set up where there was no rest in between climbs, but you had 8 minutes on each route. You had to strategize how long to rest before attempting the next route. The last route lingered in my head as I climbed the sustained steep route. I ended falling about half way up. I let the previous route get in my head, and I did not perform as well as I would have liked. In retrospect, I fell pretty much where everybody else fell on the 2^nd climb. I knew that I had a slim chance at making finals. I was upset, and I felt that I should have climbed better. I ended up missing finals by one spot. That is just how competitions play out sometimes.



Adam

Instead of letting the competition get me down, I went to Boulder Canyon to do a little lead climbing. My friend Adam from Ft. Collins took Joe Gifford, my dad, and me to an area he knew. My dad enjoyed seeing me outdoor climb for the first time. He almost didn’t make it though. He nearly passed out on the way up, and he ended up laying on a rock for 20 minutes before he could continue. Then as soon as we got up to the crag, he cracked open a beer that I carried. The climbing was not too difficult, but I was still humbled by the technical vertical climbing. We hiked out later, and went to watch the finals. The finals were run very well, and the competition was very entertaining. A big shout out to the junior climbers, Josh Levin, Shane Puccio, and Alex Johnson who faired very well against the stiff competition. Overall the trip was really fun and I look coming back in the fall to compete in the American 
World Cup held at Movement.



Insulter 13b

My next adventure was to a somewhat local area in Texas. It is a hush hush area located on the Nolan River. I had really wanted to go, and I finally got a person who knew the area to take me out. I went with my some friends from the gym, Colin who knew the area and Mario who was also psyched to see the place. After a little bit of bush whacking and getting a little lost, we found the climbing. I was really surprised to see this amazing rock in Texas. The limestone was surprisingly really solid. Pretty much all of the climbs were man made drilled pockets. Even though there was only a few natural lines, it was really nice to get on fun climbs that were close to Dallas. The climbs were very impressive. The warm ups like Black Rain 12a and Aqua Lung 12b to one of the few natural lines, Mariner 13a and the power climb, Insulter 13b. They all had something about them that made them unique and enjoyable to climb. We spent the whole day climbing these lines. I ended up sending all the lines but Insulter, where I came up a little short on my flash burn. Overall I was really happy to get outdoors, and I am very grateful that Colin showed me around. We left the area and finished with some home cooked barbeque. I look forward on going back out to the area in the near future.
The next two weekends I was out of town in Oklahoma City and Atlanta. I went first to Oklahoma City where I competed in a local Rocktown USA Climbing competition. This is always my favorite local competition of the year. The people are always extremely nice, the grain silos are interesting to climb in, and they always have a theme that everybody dresses up for. This year it was 70’s theme, and everybody pulled out their jean shorts, old trad gear, wigs, and tight fitting clothes. The volunteers really went all out on the outfits and the competition in general. Everyone is very helpful and glad to welcome you there. Route setters Billy and Aaron did an amazing job. I cannot imagine having to set vertical all day, and the walls are also 100 ft. tall. One of Billy’s routes took me about 16 minutes to complete. The climb went up and down, back and forth, but the time was worth it. A big thanks also goes to John Conti, for taking some really spectacular shots. I recommend this competition to everyone next year, it is truly a fun competition. Afterwards, I went back for Prom, where I had a great Senior Prom with my beautiful date Claire Edwards.



Claire and I

My last trip was to Atlanta to participate in a full weekend of training. It was a training camp led by US Team coach Claudiu Vidulescu. We first landed in Atlanta Friday night. We wasted no time as we headed straight to the gym. We climbed at the new state of the art Stone Summit Climbing Gym. We climbed for about 3 hours before heading back to a clubhouse to sleep. The next day we climbed for 7 hours. The 7 hours really took a toll on me since the walls were 60 ft. tall. Claudiu had me working mostly on my tempo. I started to improve my tempo when I started to climb faster. After the practice I got the privilege of having dinner with my Grandparents who live in the Atlanta area. It was really nice to catch up with them, since I do not see them very often. The last day I continued to work on my tempo, but this time it was a lot harder since I was worn out. I really felt that I learned alot from Claudiu. I hope to continue to work on tempo and other small things to help improve my climbing.



My father about to die on the hike.












Adam







Colin and Mario





















Joe

Horseshoe Canyon- Pebble Wrestle 2011

Orbital MechanicsV8

It was only a few weeks ago when I had no plans for spring break. I knew that I wanted to go climbing, but my plans just were not materializing. I finally decided to go to Horseshoe Canyon for the first weekend of the break. I traveled with my team members and some of their families. Before we left, a friend of mine told me that they were holding a competition the same weekend I was going. Always being a competitor, I felt that the competition would push me to climb harder. I signed up for the competition and then left for Arkansas. The trip went pretty quickly, and we were able to make it in around sunset. We ate dinner then decided to go for a little night bouldering session. My friends and I headed to the Idaho boulders to do a few climbs. We warmed up, and then headed off to work on Glass Bowl V10. This climb is a very beautiful line that consists of dynamic movements into a core intensive mono move near the end. I ended up sending it in about 30 minutes, and my friend Addison came up just short of sending the problem. I hiked back feeling happy about the send, but I knew the task had to be done again in the competition.

Glass Bowl V10

            The Pebble Wrestle competition was set up in a redpoint format. This meant that the score would consist of my top ten climbs. Ten boulder problems is a lot for one day, but I was up for the challenge. After the rules meeting we were set free to go climb. My friend Addison and I first went to the areas we were the night before. We warmed up on a few problems, and then continued to an arête V8 named Numerical Methods. Addison got it first try and I got in a few tries later. The next climb we headed to was Glass Bowl. I was a little worried that I would not be able to send it again, and eventually end up wasting some valuable energy. I luckily sent the climb first go, and we were then on our way to the Far East Boulder. I made quick work of a few climbs there, consisting of Jeff’s Prow V9, African Arête V7, and Traumatic Lunch V6. While climbing there, we met some nice guys that told us about a boulder that had hard fun climbs on it. We were excited to hear the news, and they thankfully led us to the boulder. This boulder had a big overhang with pockets all over the place. The boulder was very unique for the area.  The first climb we did was named Undertow V10. I onsighted the climb, and Addison did it soon after. We both agreed that it probably felt more like a V8, but the guide book and the score sheet said V10. We then did another V7 that was named Hang Ten. At this point we were completely wiped out, so we headed back to camp to get some food and rest for a little while. After some lunch and an hour of rest, we headed back out to get our last few climbs. We first stopped at the climb Orbital Mechanics V8. I knew that my energy would only let me have few goes on it so I had to make them really count. I got it on my third try, but really struggled the whole way. With limited energy I decided to finish off with attempting some V7’s. The first one I went to was Leather Face. The climb was really not too difficult, but I was having a hard time topping out the problem. After numerous failed tries, I finally topped the climb. I wasted a decent amount of energy on the climb and knew I would have to do my last climb quickly. I was fortunate to flash my last climb named Butt Plug V7.

Nico on Dig Dug V4

After the most physically exhausting competition I have ever done, we turned in our scorecards and continued to enjoy the company of the 80 competitors and have some food.  The competition was put together very well and had a very fun atmosphere. Dynamic Earth held the event and did an amazing job. The raffle was one of the largest I have seen, plenty of Fat Tire for those over 21, and plenty of friendly competitors and spectators. Following the food, they announced the results. I knew that I climbed well for me, but really had no idea how my score would stack up against all the other climbers. When they announced my name as the winner there was a slight silence as people looked around. I walked up to get my award, and then everybody started to clap. The majority of the people were from Missouri, Arkansas, and a few other states. I guess they did not recognize my name from any of their climbing groups. Luckily my friend Addison gave me a loud cheer. It was not too long until the competitors and spectators started to embrace me and congratulate me. I really did not take it offensively and took of it more of a compliment that I came out of nowhere. I was happy to reach out to a climbing community that I really had no knowledge of. We headed over to the barn after the results and raffle. They had a pretty cool band that played a few Black Keys songs (my favorite band). It was really nice to mingle with all of the different climbing communities and hear about their groups and climbing stories. The competition was an overall success, and I am really happy that I went.

I now am turning my attention to SCS Adult Nationals. I am building up my endurance, and I plan to be very competitive in Boulder.

Addison on Jeff's Prow V9

Numerical Methods V8

Canon 

Fraziac V6

Glass Bowl

The Team