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

Category Archives: Creating a Cragbaby

Tackling issues and obstacles that you might encounter when taking your young folk to the crag.

Gettin’ High (off the ground…) With a Little Help from my Friends

Gettin’ High (off the ground…) With a Little Help from my Friends

The old cliche is true – good friends are hard to find.  This is true in life as well as in climbing.  Sure its not hard to find folks that are psyched about getting out climbing – whether they’re the non-committal weather-stalking types waiting for the last minute to decide if conditions are perfect, the cool to hang out with but sketchy on the belay types, the newbie gym climbers trying to bum a free guide service types, or the “fad climbers,” phasing in and out of super gung-ho and wishy-washy.  Those folks are a dime a dozen.  But DEPENDABLE,…Read the rest of this entry →

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Pilot-Palooza aka Cragbaby: Scene 2

Pilot-Palooza aka Cragbaby: Scene 2

Sunny, highs in the 50’s in February…thats enough to draw a crowd at just about any crag.  We’ve been doing a lot of bouldering recently, but this weekend we decided to rope up at Pilot Mountain.  Incredibly enough, it was the first we’d done any roped climbing since October when we spent several days at the Obed in Tennessee.  Today turned out to be a darn near perfect day – despite how much I enjoy bouldering, I’d forgotten that nothing beats tying into the sharp end of a rope!  We met up with Jan and his wife Crystal in the parking lot. …Read the rest of this entry →

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Creating a Cragbaby: In the Gym

Creating a Cragbaby: In the Gym

In a perfect climber’s fantasy, every day would be sunny with winter highs in the 50’s and summer highs in the 70’s.  Long, pristine multi-pitch, aesthetic sport lines, and world-class bouldering all within a 30 minutes drive.  It would only rain on days that you had previous (indoor) committments and couldn’t climb, and the sun would never set before 9.  Oh yeah, and you’d never have to wait in line for your favorite 4-star lines, even if you overslept.   Sure, it all sounds great, but if your life is anything like mine, sometimes reality goes more like this – You’re an hour away from the nearest…Read the rest of this entry →

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Lights, Camera…FRICTION!!!

Lights, Camera…FRICTION!!!

  My writing focus these days has been mostly on the Creating a Cragbaby series, so I’ve been a little slack on the trip reports…but a couple of  weekends ago we enjoyed yet another wonderful weather weekend bouldering (and I’m glad we were able to squeeze that in before all the cold and rain set in…)  It was the usual suspects – me, Steve, Canaan, Christie…but this time there was a twist.  Enter Jan Balster, a professional photographer / cinematographer.  We’d worked with Jan before a few years ago as guinea pigs for a promo-shoot at Pilot Mountain.  Well, about a month ago he contacted me…Read the rest of this entry →

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Creating a Cragbaby: Weather or Not?

Creating a Cragbaby: Weather or Not?

Just picture it – You’ve been climbing hard all morning, and are one run away from sending your summer project.  You’ve got the crux dialed, the draws are already hung, and you’re totally psyched – all you need now is to refuel, hydrate, and depump for a little bit before tackling your redpoint burn.  But just as you sit down with your trail mix and nalgene, the heavens open up.  What?!?  There was only a 10% chance of rain today!  Or picture this – you’ve got Monday off so you made plans to head to the Obed River for a…Read the rest of this entry →

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