A small back story!

Well I got up to Squamish yesterday and it was surprisingly dry. Came super close to sending one of my long term projects only to have the crimp I was pulling on to crumble off while I was slapping the lip. Hopefully I'll get it next time.

I was thinking about projects and I thought I'd talk about a boulder problem I established over 8 years ago. Desire.

Sadly Desire was the only boulder problem to be destroyed with the expansion of the new highway. It was also one of the tallest coolest slabs around at just over 10 meters in height it reached the point where falling going for the lip would have dire consequences.

After spending two months slabbing it up in Fontainebleau the granite crystals seemed like jugs compared to the "poffed" glass foot holds in Fonts' forest. My good friend Brent and Mike went to work cleaning the slab on top-rope. At the time of the cleaning we were all convinced that though we believed the slab would go we also believed it to be quite hard and dangerous.

As luck would have it, turns out it wasn't that hard and with my new found skills I managed to climb it first go. I first named it "Street Car Named Desire" due to the height and the close approximation to the road. But with most things the name shortened into "Desire". That summer Desire enjoyed a slight stint in the lime light. Most enjoyably when I took my good friend TD to the problem and had him yell at me the whole time he climbed it claiming I hadn't climbed it and I was sending him head long into his death.

Now anyone can have a piece of Desire if they want. Just walk past the "Cutting edge" and grab a chunk. I was thinking about making a coffee table out of some of whats left.

Two Minute Abs!

Well it's been a little while since I gave you a training update.

Since we last spoke I've been training hard! Okay not hard compared to you guys but hard for me.

I've been climbing indoors four days a week and doing weights on top of that as well. The biggest gains I've noticed are weighted pull-ups. I've been doing enough weight were I can only do a maximum of three to four reps. But then when the weight comes off.... It's still three or four but they are a lot easier. Anyways the point of weighted pull-ups is not to make you stronger but to make you recruit as close to 100 percent of your muscle fibers. Feels awesome and makes you look like a bad ass in the gym. At least it would if my training partner didn't use more weight then I do. He looks like a bad ass. I just look pathetic beside him... I say short arms, doesn't have to pull as long.

Anyways.

I've been doing this finger board workout that involves taking as much weight as you can handle while holding a 18mm crimp for ten seconds. The gains are supposed to be huge from this work-out. So far my hands just feel really tired.

On top of everything I've given up white flour and refined sugar as well as all dairy. I'm now 12 pounds lighter... and really grumpy... haha!

My good friend Rich went on a surf trip to El Salvador and caught a parasite causing him to lose close to 20 pounds. He told me he feels stronger than ever. So I've ordered a case of their drinking water. I mean sure he's throwing up and can barely hold a meal down. But the guy is looking good on the campus board.


With Hueco fast approaching I'm trying not to rush the trip. For the simple reason that I have more time to go before I get there then I do actually being there. If I rush this next 5 weeks my four weeks in Hueco will fly by as well.

It is self-evident that I'm psyched for this trip. A whole crew for us are going to be down there. As the count goes Tim, TD, Rich, Thomo, Pete, Vince, Sam and myself and maybe Brent. Should be a lot of laughs.

Today I'm thinking of resting a bit but am going to throw in a ab workout. Along with interval running at the Y. I've been challenging people to one on one in basketball. I say if I beat them they have to race me in wind sprints. I'm undefeated in one on one... but 0 and 50 in races won.

My ten years of no running has made me slow as hell. That and bullying children in basketball makes my ego huge!!! Haha.

Hopefully before I go I can have one good day in Squamish. I really enjoy the winter temps and I have a problem I cleaned off to do before any of my snakey friends catch wind of it.

Peace!