Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Cragbaby Crushes -“Up the Down”(V0-)

Focusing on his footwork...

Just because I’m stuck in a boot and restricted to three-limbed toproping doesn’t mean Cragbaby is taking it easy.  In fact,  this past Saturday he’s taken his projecting to a whole new level!  C had been working on the down climb from the free-standing boulder at Inner Peaks off and on for a while now, but at best his motivation could be considered sporadic.  His usual modus operandi was to get a couple of feet off the ground and then announce that he was “All Done.”  He would then go back to his other favorite climbing gym activities – brushing off holds, tightening them down, and stacking the crates over by the training area.  But this week was different, for reasons unbeknownst to me.  All of a sudden he seemed to have an intrinsic motivation to get to the top (don’t we all?).  I’m not sure whether he wanted to be just like his “friends” on the climbing team, or whether something clicked developmentally that gave him the confidence to try it, but each day he would make it a couple of moves farther before leaning back into our arms or downclimbing. 

On Saturday morning we arrived just as the doors were open, this time armed with our video camera.  C made a beeline for his project right away, but at first was frustrated that he couldn’t make it very far with half a granola bar in one hand (which he INSISTED upon keeping).  After snacktime was over though, C got down to business – again and again!  His first send was with a very close spot from Daddy, and an encouraging Bennett (aka “But-butt”) at the top.  On subsequent sends however, he topped out like a champ all by himself (but still with Daddy’s strong hands only inches away).  C was thrilled to explore the whole new world on top of the boulder, although I’m not really sure why considering that the walls are too tall for him to see over.  When it came time to come down however, Cwas anything but a happy camper.  We didn’t think coercing him into downclimbing was a great idea, nor did it seem safe for the Daddy to downclimb with a squirming, determined toddler in his arms, so we got creative.  Since C was already wearing his harness, we simply tossed a rope over the bar at the top and set him up on rappel.  Daddy still more or less carried him down, but that way if by freak chance he fell, C was still safe and secured to the rope. 

He made quite the spectacle, and showed off for anyone who was willing to watch all morning.  He was so adrenalized about his latest sends that he spent the majority of his naptime singing. It seems like he’s already dreaming of his next project…So without further adieu, here’s Cragbaby’s latest video. Oh yeah, and C wanted to make sure everyone knew that while Daddy was indeed spotting closely, he did all the moves by himself…

Cragbaby Crushes “Up the Down” (V0-) from Steve Lineberry on Vimeo.

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15 Responses to “Cragbaby Crushes -“Up the Down”(V0-)”

  1. Benito

    It’s all about getting savage on the wall.

    Reply

  2. I hate to put my snacks down in order to exercise as well! 🙂

    Reply

  3. Joy

    oh man, that was so sweet. this will be awesome when you’ve got footage of him crushing like crazy in the years to come 😉

    Reply

  4. Nice send! Boy’s got skills. Saw some nice high steps and a mantle in the beginning. 🙂

    Reply

  5. Addy

    How old is C now? He’s a rock star!

    Reply

  6. Oh that was so darling! He’s really got the right idea there! Won’t be long till he’s the rope gun! 🙂

    Hey, out of curiosity, as other climber parents, what are your home rules for climbing things other than rock walls? Baby-Gabey, now 16 months old, has discovered that he really loves climbing up the backs of chairs and fronts of bookcases. And up the stove and into the dishwasher and onto the back of the couch. And I feel a little hypocritical saying “Don’t climb!” when we go to the gym later in the day and I climb all over everything myself.

    Reply

    • Erica

      Addy – He’ll be 2 in just a few weeks (its hard to believe!)

      Kate – That’s a great question that actually might warrant a blog post in the near future! Offhand we haven’t had a ton of trouble – if its not dangerous we let him climb away. If its dangerous I’ll say something specific like “Shelves are not for climbing,” rather than “Don’t climb.” I’ll be brainstorming more over the next couple of weeks and turn this topic into a post! 🙂

  7. Benito

    The future is mine. The future will be mine.

    Reply

  8. Awesome!!! He’s really going for it!!! What a brave little guy 🙂 Congrats on crushing it C!

    Reply

  9. I’m so proud of the Bean! Can’t get enough of the video:)

    Reply

  10. April Mafturak

    Will now have to make Sam create a new bouldering project at the gym just for C!!

    Reply

  11. I think Eli is responsible for about 90% of these “plays:” http://cl.ly/Eyao

    Reply

  12. This is incredibly awesome!! I LOVE climbing, but I’m a single parent of two young kids (almost 2 and 4) so I only go when I can find a sitter. I have wondered if they were old enough to try. I discovered an indoor climbing gym in Austin and I have been thinking about taking them- after seeing this, I just might try this weekend! 🙂

    Reply

    • Autumn – I’ve found that to most kids climbing is intuitive – its grown-ups telling them to constantly “get down” and “don’t climb that” that makes us grow out of it. I bet they’ll have a blast!

  13. Brian

    Erica – Just watched C climbing! That is great! He’s a special little boy!

    Reply

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN