Category Archives: Climbing

Posts about…you guessed it – climbing! Trip reports, anecdotes, and musings about my favorite recreational pasttime.

Giveaway and Discounts from Medi-Dyne Brands!

Apr 20 2015

Those of you that are keen observers perhaps may have noticed the latest graphic in the “Featured Partner” sidebar on this site. That’s because our family is psyched to have been chosen as ambassadors for Medi-Dyne Brands. And that means great things for us AND you all! Medi-Dyne is a company that offers professional health care products aimed at improving performance and providing pain relief in both the long-term and short-term. Their pre-hab products are designed to keep you outside enjoying the mountains, beach, lake, or wherever it is that you recreate most. So far we’ve had a chance to try 3…Read the rest of this entry →

New River Gorge, Round 2!

Apr 15 2015

Another beautiful spring weekend means another trip to the New River Gorge. And another trip to the New means another great weekend of family, friends, laughs…and of course climbing! This was the second week of my Rock Climber’s Training Manual “perfomance phase,” and after the inconsistencies from the first week, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Here’s how it went… Michelin Man Original Finish (5.12b) – After one-hanging this one last weekend, sending this was my primary goal for this trip. I was hoping that hopping on it fresh as a daisy on Day 1 would feel a lot…Read the rest of this entry →

Performance Week 1: New River Gorge

Apr 08 2015

This past weekend marked the first trip of my “Performance Phase” in my first training cycle using the Rock Climber’s Training Manual. There were a few ups and downs, but overall I am very pleased with how I climbed, and am optimistic about how the next few weeks will go. I’ll start with the downs, so I can end on a good note! DOWNS On the routes I’d previously been on (and thus already worked out the moves for), I got shutdown. I failed miserably on Techman (5.12c), which had been my primary goal for the weekend. The crux went…Read the rest of this entry →

Rock Climber’s Training Manual Part 2 – Power/Power Endurance

Apr 06 2015

A few weeks ago I posted about how things were going for me in first two phases (Base Fitness and Strength) of the Rock Prodigy Training Program. Now that I’ve completed the latter two training phases (Power and Power Endurance), it seems appropriate to share another progress report. Power has never been my strong suit. When I get shut down on a route/problem, it’s generally because I just cannot execute a particular move. On the flip side, however, if I CAN do all the moves on a route, linking them together *usually* comes fairly quickly. Bouldering at the gym has helped, as well…Read the rest of this entry →

3 Climbing Milestones in 1 Weekend!

Mar 31 2015

We finally had an entire weekend free to head up to the New River Gorge, which of course meant it was going to be snowing and in the THIRTIES (after highs in the 60’s the weekend before…). But at least the weather was good in our neck of the woods, even if it did feel more like a warm winter day rather than spring. And even though we had to settle for Plan B, it ended up being a weekend filled with important milestones! The whole family marched up to Red Wall at Crowders Mountain on Saturday morning. Steve had his sights…Read the rest of this entry →

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