Grades

Another confession:

I think about grades... a lot.

The idea of grades is quite interesting if we could expand on them a bit.

I'd like to run some experiments where you test a climbers overall strength along with weight, reach and experience.

It's interesting for me to watch a climber at the gym doing pull-ups, dips, campusing, dead hangs and compare them to another climber who has climbed the same amount of time but who does not spend the time training as above. Sometimes the non-trainer climbs harder grades.

Lets put it like this. If someone can do twice as much pull-ups, twice as much dips, is better at campusing but ends up climbing two grades lower, what is the reason?

Is climbing about grip strength? Does technique matter most?

Or is it a mental aspect that makes grades attainable for some and not others?

I know of climbers who can do one-arm pull-ups but haven't cracked double digits. Seems strange to me because I always felt like finger strength and lock off ability make for strong climbers.

The best climbers in the world are not necessarily the best athletes in the sport.

So what makes a strong climber?

My theory is muscle recruitment. The best use everything at once, they push their bodies to as close to one hundred percent as possible.

Chris Sharma Pachamama 9a+ from Campblog on Vimeo.

Old Video

Found this video on my hard drive.

Thought I'd throw it up to get you all psyched.

I didn't film this, but when I watch this I'm amazed a little man can jump this high!



Be on four.

If you want to know the history of the name of this problem, feel free to ask me if you see me in the forest. It's funny but not appropriate for a family blog...

Ticking Clock

Hueco Tanks is slowly approaching.

I'm leaving for my Christmas break on December 12th for three weeks of some of the best bouldering North America has to offer. I'm a little worried about this trip. The last time I was in Hueco I had one of my best climbing trips ever. I have a ton of expectations.

I haven't exactly made a list of problems I want to do but there is one I'd really like to do.

Most likely completely unrealistic. But I really want to do "Full Service". It was one of the first hard problems in Hueco and the first boulder problem rated V10. There's a little bit of history there and I'd like in a small way to be a part of it.



I have a dream list in my mind of problems I'd like to do before I'm too fat or too old to climb hard.

• Midnight Lightning (Yet to visit)
  
• Full Service (Tried for an hour 4 years ago)
• Ride the Lightning (Squamish's version of Midnight)
• Big Boss (A classic of the big four in Font)

When I was in Font I made a point to climb all historic firsts that I could.
First 5a Digital, first 6a La Maria Rose, 7a Joker, first 8a... ya right.

So over the next two months I'm training harder then I ever have before. Weights four days a week and climbing every other day. Or even two days in a row.

I watch Progression recently and if you haven't seen it well you're missing out. Watching Patxi train is sick. 3 months without a rest day. 2500 moves a day for endurance, campusing, hangs weight belts and a ton of other madness. Got me completely psyched. A new friend of mine told me Patxi increased his fitness by 5 grades by training like this. Amazing.

So it's on. Two months to go. Time to do some situps and dead hangs.

Peace!