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

Yearly Archives: 2012

Stonewear Designs – A Review Collage (and GIVEAWAY!!!)

Stonewear Designs – A Review Collage (and GIVEAWAY!!!)

All right ladies.  The Stonewear Designs team has just released their Fall Collection, so I figured it would be a great time to weigh in on what I think of this awesome company.  And just who the heck is Stonewear Designs?  I was hoping you might ask…Stonewear Designs is a technical women’s apparel company that has been around since 1996.  Originally filling a much-needed market niche for women’s climbing clothing, they have expanded their product lines to include clothing appropriate for all sorts of active lifestyles – whether it be at the crag, in the gym, or even in the…Read the rest of this entry →

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Cragbaby Gets a Camera!

Cragbaby Gets a Camera!

Ok ok I know everyone is probably tired of hearing about our family’s trip out west. But it didn’t seem fair to end the trip reports without mentioning Cragbaby’s newfound perspective – behind the lens of a camera.  Even though he hadn’t seen her in months due to business travels, C certainly hadn’t forgotten his favorite climbing partner, Manuela, and he stuck to her like glue for the entire trip.  It’s a good thing that she’s a beautiful person and I don’t mind him imitating her, because he wanted to do EVERYTHING that she did – which of course included…Read the rest of this entry →

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Back to the New River Gorge

Back to the New River Gorge

My affair with Ten Sleep Canyon sure was great while it lasted, but like so many good things, it had to  come to an end.  Lucky for me I had the world-class climbing of the New River Gorge to come back to.  And this weekend was not just any old weekend at the New – one of our partners in climb just moved up there a couple of weeks ago, and our crew descended upon his new digs in full force.   Day 1:  Endless WallOrdinarily Endless Wall would not be what I would consider a “go-to” area for summer,…Read the rest of this entry →

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Custer State Park for Non-Climbers

Custer State Park for Non-Climbers

Our whirlwind tour through South Dakota and Wyoming was our first “big” climbing trip with Cragbaby.  And although we definitely maximized our climbing time, we also managed to squeeze in a lot of non-climbing activities as well.  Pre-Cragbaby we would tend to try and climb all day – a good m.o. for us would be 2 days sport, 1 day long (easy) trad, and then alternate from there.  Since we used the trad days as “active rest” days, we could usually end up climbing 7 or 8 days in a row, at which point it was time to go home…Read the rest of this entry →

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Nothing Like the Needles…and Our Moves Like Jagger.

Nothing Like the Needles…and Our Moves Like Jagger.

We  couldn’t have scripted a better ending for our trip than the spindly little spires surrounding Custer State Park, also known as the Needles.  The tiny, airy summits provided more than enough reward and motivation for 4 (and a half…) climbers to get off the ground one more day.  And the long runouts over moderate terrain was ideal at the end of the week when lead heads were secure but our bodies were tired.  The word that best sums up the climbing at the Needles is FUN!  For me, it was an experience with a distinctive child-like quality to it.…Read the rest of this entry →

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