The Block

It's been a long time since I last posted. I've been climbing quite a bit but sadly I've come to an abrupt halt in my sending. I don't know what it is or why it is but I can't seem to climb anything.

I don't know if this happens to the rest of you? Or if this is just my mental block.

I will profile two problems: I'll call the first one Problem X and the second Problem Y.

Problem X I've been working on now for close to six months. Coming close to sending in the first week. I have done all the moves and have done large sections in links. However after trying the problem almost every climbing day for two months I had yet to send. So I took a break from trying it when the winter rains kicked in. Sadly while climbing indoors I hurt my finger and wasn't able to try the problem in prime conditions. Now that my finger is back, I went out yesterday and tried the Problem X again. Coming within a move of finishing the hard climbing. My fingers tickled the jug which ends the hard climbing and allows for a bit of rest for the easier finish. After a rest day I headed back to finally send the problem. Sadly it wasn't to be a move I found easy the day before all of sudden became very difficult. I don't know why this is or what the heck is going on.

Problem Y is another problem that is proving to be even more frustrating. I tried this problem with the urging of some friends. I figured it was hard and I'd get nowhere. However after watching a friend climb it and getting a full beta spray down I decided to give it a go. First try my foot slipped off the first move, which is fine that happens to everyone. Next try I climbed past the crux exited the roof planted my foot on little chip and found myself reaching for the last move. sadly I came a little short and fell. So I rested a minute jumped on where I fell did the move easy and jumped off to rest a bit more. In my head I thought this thing is in the bag. It's not too difficult and I should do it next go... Today I sit having tried the problem four days now and yet to get back to that same high point. What the heck is going on? I can do all the moves easy. I just can't put it together.

I'm asking all of you, do you people suffer this same problem? Or am I some freak who has a major mental block?

Duncan!

Howdy!

I know it's been a while since I last posted but I have good reason.

Laziness!

That never works at home but maybe I can pass it off here. I mean what are you going to do stop reading? My mom wouldn't do that.

Quick update.

I haven't given up on the V7 project. The weather hasn't been cooperating. I went up to Squamish last week and found the wettest boulders ever! Okay maybe not ever but it was freaking wet in there. I thought someone had sprayed the boulders with cat food. It was sick in there.

So hopefully tomorrow I'll be back on track.

This weekend I went to the Island to climb. My other friend Tim invited me over to climb up in Duncan.

TD sending a new test piece on the Jackpot boulder.

I've actually been there quite a lot. I think I even heard myself telling someone I'd been there 50 times. Though that sounds like the ramblings of a mad man. More like 20 but who knows I could have blacked out and been there 50 times.

The boulders there are sandstone which is a nice change from the finger tip destroying granite in Squamish.

Saturday morning we planned to meet at Tim's however I was in for a shock. Not only was it Tim but my old basketball teammate Reagan was there along with Liz Mathers. What a surprise. Liz and I used to campus together all the time back when I lived in Victoria. But she moved to the east coast and me to the mainland. So pretty cool.

Regan sending on the pocket problem right.


Sasha, a friend of Tim's, was also along for the trip and was psyched because it was his first time to the boulders. That got me even more psyched because I love the Duncan boulders and it's always awesome to see someone else get psyched on the area as well.

Forty minutes later we made the trip up island and who was waiting for us none other than Squamish powerhouse Brent Mickelson.

Brent giving what-fore on a Duncan problem.

We made the 40 minute hike with little fuss and proceeded to have one awesome day. I managed to do a long time project (stay tuned for Video). And everyone else crushed!

Moving so fast the world blurs!

Awesome day. I'm psyched to go back again this summer and this time take a few more "Mainlanders" over as well.

Back by popular demand!

I'm on a boat!

Wait, what?

Sorry.

What up gang!

I got an email from one of my forest Ninjas with even more updaTed lIst of extra hard probleMs.

I won't give out the name however if you DO a little creative thinking You'lL figurE it out.



Singularity 14
Zazen V14ish
Black Magic V13
North Ridge V13
Velcro Low V13
The Proposal Extension V13
Unlucky V12
Proposal V12
Pool V12
Swamp Thing V12
Summing Low V12
The Drowning Grip V12
Harry Met Sally V12
Vince Pinch V12
Something Wicked this Way Comes V12
Frontside V12
Agoraphobia V11
Encore Enfois V11
Sharma's Jump Start V11/12 if you don't jump.
Dead End V11
Perfect Cave V11
The Method V11
The Number 19 V11
Lucky Sharma's V11
Stalling Tim V11
Siddhartha V11
The Egg V11
Black Hole V11
One Zen V11
Funeral Arrangements Sit V11
An Hour Late V11
Wormworld Cave Left V11
Send the Pain Below V11
King Swing Low V10
Mo Troblems V10
Lo Troublems V10
Tragedy V10
Sharma's Link V10
Sushi Special V10
Tim's Face Low V10
Backseat V10
Jim Carrey V10
Krishana? V10
Night Crawler V10
Escaping Dilation V10
Mr. Bigglesworth Low V10
Zero Zero V10
Escaping Delirium V10
Black Nails V10
The Other Way V10
King Kong V10
Serpent V10
No Honor Amongst Thieves V10
Wormworld Cave Low V10
Matt's Pinch low V10 (above Fuzz)
Salad Shooter V10
Small Motion V10
Primal Urge V10

Great Escape V10

Great Escape Left V10

Broom V10?
The Seam V10
House of Parliament Sit. V10
Problem to the Right of Resurrection V10/Project sit.
Tyson's V10 by Second Story
SPCA
M11
Bee Sting
Right Of Defenders ?
Muddy Waters
Sid's Secret Life
Blowing Bubbles
Mutual Funds
Project Up
Backside
Disdain
Fuck Hydro
Charmin Ultra
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
The Thief
Coping
Jason Kehls by Nightcrawler ?
Righty
Creampuff Dream sit
Cliffrords on SACP Boulder ?
Evil Onion
Gibbs cave seam ?
Flat Edge face ?
Pot Belly
Left of Pigs in Zen ?

So another 22 problems to get you psyched! Or depressed if your fat and lazy and just ate your weight in wine gums.

Question

I wonder if anyone out there knows anything about climbing fitness. I find I'm only good for three tries on any problem in a day. Then I feel exhausted. I mean shouldn't I be able to climb longer then that? So any of you rock superstars know any tricks, scams or drugs to increase my rock stamina.

The 30 day V7 project is proving difficult. I finally did ATD, then proceed to get shut down by the Hummer Traverse and Golden Boy. I fell off the top of Golden Boy 5 times and fall past the crux of the Hummer traverse twice.

This brings me back to my above question, how do I keep climbing longer?

Or does anyone know some three move problems I can look good on?

Another day in paradise

Yup another climbing post!

There has been some mention that this blog only talks about climbing.

Well that's all I do so... Deal with it.

I could tell you about the latest movies I've watched, the new Punisher movie.

But that movie was freaking terrible.

Dominic West from the T.V. show "The Wire" was in it and still it was unwatchable.

Okay back to more important matters, the V7 project.

Day 2.

It started off well. I did Bali Song first try so I was happy. Bubbles has decide to join the party as well. He made quick work of Bali Song.

It seems likely that Bubbles will do this challenge quite easily. So I say up the stakes! V8 project.

He's going to ruin this for me I just know it. Make my struggle seem laughable...

Anyways he's climbing really well and did four 7's right away. I failed on three others today.

ATD where I couldn't roll the lip, after getting there 5 times, Stinger Direct where my left hand wouldn't allow me to hold on without excruciating pain and Buff where I did the first two moves but couldn't stomach the left hand crimp again. Bubbles made quick work of each of these and passed me in the challenge in one day. Yikes!

But maybe I'll have my revenge tomorrow. Don't hold your breath though.