Cragmama

Jan 19 2014

In the past 2 years I’ve been signed on with Trango, one of the things I’ve come to love about this company is their innovation and creativity in product design. They see a problem, and they devise a product to fix it in a practical way. If you want an auto-locking belay device that also feeds rope smoothly, the Cinch is for you. If you want a pair of aggressive shoes that can still smear once you pull over that burly roof and onto the face, the Oasi’s are a perfect choice. And this “problem-solving” mindset is not just limited to the more expensive gear. This year Trango released two new products that, in my opinion, are both perfect solutions for solving “on-the-ground” rope management issues. Keeping the rope out from behind your leg might still be on you, but with these two new rope bags, at least you can trust that your cord will start out nice and neat at the base of the cliff!

ANTIDOTE ROPE BAG:
Trango says, “This fully featured rope bag is the antidote to a dirty, tangled cord, and a progression from other designs.”

Favorite Features:

An large tarp (4×5) attached to the bag that provides plenty of room for your rope as well as other items you want to keep out of the dirt – shoes, rack, draws, etc.
Two tie-off loops so that you can easily find both ends
Two removable, padded straps enabling you to customize your rope bag for multiple carrying options
Tarp window that makes it easy to see which rope is inside, ensuring that you always toss the correct one into the trunk of your car on those zero dark thirty mornings!
Zippered pocket for keys/phone/etc.

Comfy fit even w/a 31 week baby bump!

The Antidote is certainly not the first rope bag to ever have backpack straps, but in my unbiased opinion it’s definitely the most versatile. It’s the only one I know of that can be used both as a shoulder bag AND backpack on any given day, and the bells and whistles are well thought out features rather than just fluff. We’ve used it with 60m and 70m ropes, and with either rope the tarp is plenty big enough and the bag packs down nice and tight. And per Trango’s typical m.o, value is unmatched – it retails for only $34.00!

CORD TRAPPER ROPE TARP
Trango says, “The Cord Trapper is designed to function exactly like a rope bag – minus the bag.”

Favorite Features:

Lightweight – this sucker weighs in at 270 grams, literally HALF the weight of a full-featured rope bag!
Tightening Straps for more ease in packability
One tie-off loop so that you can easily find the end that is “on top.”

Anyone who prefers to always carry their rope in their pack will LOVE this tarp. Inspired by one of the Trango athletes (nope, not me…although I wish I could take credit!), this invention really does combine the best features of a rope bag without having an actual bag. Whereas most dime-a-dozen tarps only roll up, the Cord Trapper’s straps cinch down nice and tight into the perfect shape for sliding right into a pack. With the extra room in your crag pack, making the rest of your gear fit in along with a rope is never a problem! And then there’s the value card…it’s only $16 folks!

Tossing the Cordtrapper in for a short jaunt b/t routes.

While I indeed received both the Antidote and the Cord Trapper at no cost, I can assure you that this review consisted of my honest, unbiased opinion. And I’d love to hear even more honest, unbiased opinions! Which rope bag/tarp do you use? Do you typically hike your rope in separately or in a crag pack? Answer in the comments section and you just might win your very own Antidote or Cord Trapper (winner’s gets to choose!) Make sure you use the Rafflecopter Widget to participate – that’s what actually enters your comment, as well as provides opportunities for multiple entries. Contest will run until midnight on Sunday night, January 26. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pregnancy Update from the Third Trimester (Weeks 27-32)

Pregnancy.

6 Comments.

Jan 13 2014

Layered up for a 28 week run

If you’ve been following this blog for the past few months. you’ve probably read my exercising and pregnancy updates every 6-8 weeks or so. (Past updates can be found here, here, and here.) The purpose of these updates is not to brag about what I CAN do or complain about what I CAN’T do, but rather share my experiences, in the hopes that another mama-to-be out there might find them useful, helpful, or inspiring. That being said, here’s how things have been going in the third trimester so far…

Week 27: Weather has been cold and rainy, so it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to climb outdoors. However in the gym I’m noticing that my abilities are becoming more and more inconsistent. I can onsight .11b one minute, only to not be able to get off the ground on the .10d right beside it. If I have my beta dialed to move efficiently, I can still redpoint within 2-3 letter grades of my pre-pregnancy abilities on vertical terrain. But I’m also finding that certain easier moves are becoming increasingly difficult as my ever-expanding belly forces my center of gravity away from the wall, limiting my reach and affecting my balance.

Week 28: Running is surprisingly still going strong – I’ve even felt so good that the past several workouts I’ve been able to get in all 4 miles without having to walk at all (if you can call an 11:45 mile pace running 😉 ) On the days I don’t run I get in some time on the elliptical – I can still get in the full 40 minutes I would do pre-pregnancy, but just like with everything else, the intensity and speed have dramatically decreased.

Mommy, C, and baby Z on a hike at 30 weeks

Week 29: More and more I’m starting to notice that 5.11b/c is starting to feel “hard in a not fun way,” so I’ve backed the difficulty down a notch, especially in the gym, where routes are more sustained. Also, lowering in a full-body harness is becoming more and more awkward, so at the gym I’m trying to steer towards routes that have a neighboring route I can downclimb rather than lowering off. Running and elliptical? Still in the activity repertoire.

Week 30: I’m 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy (or more if baby #2 is early like C!) I celebrated by climbing outdoors again (finally our schedules aligned with sunny, dry weather!) That went well, and the trip report can be found here. I also got in a couple of hiking days, as well as a gym climbing session. I ran twice this week, distance still the same, pace continues to slow.

Week 31: My power endurance is at approximately zero when it comes to climbing, and the belly continues to get in the way. But I’m still feeling great and having fun on most 5.10’s and vertical 5.11 terrain. Weather conditions were excellent over the weekend, and I got in 6 outdoor pitches in addition to my normal days at the gym, including a couple of nice preggo-points. My only running session of the week, however, went TERRIBLE. Not sure what happened in just a matter of days, but I struggled and had to cut my workout short. My hips hurt, my back hurt, and the round ligament pain simply wouldn’t let up. Perhaps it’s time to shift mindsets from “running with walking breaks” to “walking with running breaks.” I’m thankful to have made it to the 3rd trimester still running, so the past few weeks have felt sort of like a “bonus” anyway.

A little impromptu creek-jumping on a muddy hike at 32 weeks. (Still rockin’ my Stonewear pants!)

Week 32: While I’ve always been one of those people who climb better outdoors than in the gym, it’s becoming more and more pronounced the later I get in my pregnancy. I think it boils down to the fact that when I climb on real rock we’re there all day, so I can take as long as I want to rest in between climbs. But at the gym I’ve only got an hour to pack in a workout, and belaying my partner doesn’t always give me enough time to fully recover in between routes, especially after harder ones. But even if I only get a few pitches in before calling it a night, it’s still fun, which is the important thing, and I’m thankful that I’m still climbing. Just a couple of gym sessions for me this week due to rain, but they went well – I’ve got several old stand-by’s that I’ve got so dialed I can do in my sleep – most of my harder climbing is now done on familiar terrain as opposed to “projecting” something. Running was MUCH more encouraging (and pleasant!) this week than last. I was extra vigilant about walking at the least little sign of discomfort, as well as shortened my route by almost half a mile. By the end of the workout, I’d run for 3 miles out of 3.6, and felt good enough that I was tempted to keep going, but decided to play it safe. Maybe the week before was just an off day?

My next (and probably last update until postpartum) will be in just over a month at 37 weeks, when I’m officially “full-term.” Woo-hoo! Fingers crossed that the home stretch goes smoothly!

The Mountain Mama by Mad Rock: A Pregnancy Climbing Harness!

Gear Reviews.

12 Comments.

Jan 09 2014

With my first child I was blessed to have a relatively easy pregnancy, and was delighted that I never had to stop climbing. My original plan had been to climb until it became uncomfortable and stopped being fun…but that never happened, and my last session ended up being at the gym less than 48 hours before my son was welcomed into the world! That’s not to say that I was climbing at my pre-pregnancy intensity, or that I didn’t make any changes to my routine. I listened to my body and took it easy when I needed to, and stopped bouldering and lead climbing. And more importantly for the purposes of this review, I switched over to a full-body harness at around 20 weeks.

Why? First and foremost, the tie-in point is above the belly, which eliminates the risk of harness pressure across the abdomen. Secondly, the higher tie-in point as well as the shoulder straps keep a pregnant woman from tipping back too far backwards due to a changing center of gravity.

Back then there was no such thing as a “pregnancy harness,” so I had to settle for a regular full-body harness from CAMP. While it certainly got the job done and kept me safe, it was rather bare bones in the comfort/amenities department. As a rental harness in a gym or with a zip-lining company, it was a great option, but for someone who was in it several days a week for sometimes hours at a time, it wasn’t a good solution.

That’s when Mountain Mama entered the scene. In addition to providing the world’s first-ever technical maternity clothes (click here for my review of those!), this innovative company partnered with Mad Rock to create another first – a harness that not only could be used safely during pregnancy, but was designed specifically with the pregnant body in mind!

So this past summer, when I found out hubby and I were expecting #2, one of the first people that I called was Teresa Delfin, CEO of Mountain Mama, to talk about how I could get my hands on this harness! She generously provided me the harness free of charge in exchange for this review, but I assure you that my opinions can’t be bought, and that everything in this post is my honest opinion!

Climbing Hardman (5.11b) at Rocky Face Park at 31 weeks

What I loved:
Padded Leg Loops: If the uncomfortable webbing from my last full-body harness could be considered a functional sedan, the padded leg loops on this harness would be a cadillac! Though hanging/lowering in ANY full-body harness is not going to be the most comfortable endeavor, just due to the nature of the position it puts you in, all the padding definitely went a long way to make the process better.
Red “Inside Out” Marks: Because there is no padded waist as with a regular harness, a full-body harness doesn’t hold it’s shape very well, especially the first few times it’s worn, which can cause a tangled conundrum when you’re trying to put it on. This harness has a giant red stripe going down the inside of the webbing, which was VERY HELPFUL in getting it on and off quickly (ie, less stress during all those bathroom break moments at the crag!)
Plenty of Room: This harness is extremely comfortable for a growing belly at all stages. No pinching or squeezing in unwanted places!
Side Webbing: The webbing comes in at the side very low (around where your waist “would” be if you had one at this point!), which means that despite the fact that you’re sporting straps out the wazoo, you’ve still got plenty of range of motion to reach high when you need to.

What I Would Change:
Gear Loop: Having one is DEFINITELY an improvement over a typical full-body harness (which has none), but I really wish this one had one on each side. Since I wasn’t leading, I didn’t need to carry any gear up with me, but because of that I often ended up going up last on cleaning duty. Not only would I often fill up that one gear loop when I was only halfway up, but having only one side to rack gear on made for some awkward cleaning stances at times. My guess is that there’s not a matching gear loop on the right side because that’s the side that has all the adjustment buckles…but if a loop can’t go on the side, a decent solution might be to add a gear loop on the upper chest area of the shoulder straps?
Buckles: All the buckles are the quick-adjusting kind that don’t need to be doubled-back. While this makes for quick and easy adjustments, they tend to loosen up a bit after each use. (I personally find this to be true with ALL quick-adjust buckles, not just the ones on this harness.) It’s not a big deal – I just end up having to tighten the leg loops every so often throughout the climbing day.

Overall, I would fully recommend this harness to any of my pregnant friends. The price tag is not cheap ($120), but if you are looking for the most comfortable experience possible during prenatal climbing, this harness is by FAR your best option. What about all the other mamas out there? What harness did everyone else use during pregnancy, and how long were you able to continue climbing? . Here you can check in details which gadgets you are needed while climbing. These gadgets make your journey easier and comfortable.

Climbing Mantras From a Toddler

Climbing. Reflections.

3 Comments.

Jan 06 2014

Sometimes as climbers it’s easy to get bogged down with training philosophies, number chasing, or even just overzealous trip planning. All of those things have their place, but too much focus on any of them can lead to burn-out pretty quickly. Every now and then it’s good to take a step back and remember the basics of climbing…

1. Climbing should be fun. If it’s not, pick a another route. Or do something else different entirely.
2. Sometimes climbing is easy. When it’s easy, relax and enjoy it.
3. Sometimes climbing is hard. When it’s hard, you have to try hard. If you don’t feel like trying hard that day, refer back to #1.
4. Practice makes perfect. If something feels hard, trying it over and over again helps make it feel easier. But try it too much and it sometimes stops being fun. When this happens, refer back to #1 again.

These mantras at first glance might seem very basic. But the ironic thing, however, is that I know a lot of experienced adult climbers that haven’t figured this out. Or what’s probably more accurate is that they once knew them, but have forgotten or abandoned them after a period of time.

But you know who has it all figured out? My 3 year old. He only climbs when he wants to, and he stops when something else seems more desirable. When he wants to try, he tries hard, but when he doesn’t, he has fun taking it easy. And while the practice thing can be a hard pill to swallow for a determined little boy that wants to be able to do everything perfectly on the first try, he’s starting to figure it out.

It can be all too easy for experienced climbers to get sucked into the myth that they always have to be performing at their best. If they have an off day or heaven forbid have to take a break, it’s like the world is ending. I don’t say this to judge, I’ve certainly had moments where I’ve bought into that lie before. But thankfully, I’ve got a cute little climbing partner whose unbridled enthusiasm is contagious and keeps the whole family in check. How do you find balance in your life with regards to your recreational pursuits? Did you perspective change once you started a family?

If climbing doesn’t make you smile, don’t do it!

2013 Year in Review and Climbing Hit List for 2014

Climbing. Reflections.

6 Comments.

Jan 02 2014

Stretching tall on Flash Point (5.11d)

This time of year in my climbing journey always involves a lot of reflection. I look back on how well I accomplished my goals for the past year, and I look forward to setting new goals for the upcoming year. But as soon as I saw two lines on a pregnancy test last June, it’s fair to say that my list of climbing projects got put on the backburner. Pregnancy is obviously not the time to explore your limits. That being said, I “failed” miserably at crossing off even half of what I set out to do on my 2013 Hit List – although I put “failed” in quotes because while growing a little miracle inside my body feels like a lot of things, failure is NOT one of them!

But despite the list of un-crossed-off goals on paper, I did feel like I made a lot of progress and grew as a climber this past year.

1. Kickin’ it Gangsta Style: Though I probably wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone last January when I made my list, ticking Gangsta (5.12a) at the Obed was numero uno on the project priorities. I’ve got more emotional baggage tied to this route than anything else I’ve ever attempted, and it taught me a hard lesson about knowing when to respectfully walk away before letting my frustrations get the best of me. It’s also probably the only route that’s made me cry just thinking about it before. (And no, that is not flattering to admit lol!) So having Gangsta go down over Memorial Day weekend (and in turn having it be the last hard thing I sent before getting knocked up) was priceless!

2. Going “Out of Style”: One of my general goals for 2013 was to challenge myself with routes that didn’t cater to “my style.” I made a conscious effort to skip the technical crimpfests in favor of routes that required me to make long reaches or climb aggressively on steep terrain. I made myself a permanent fixture in the lead cave at the gym, and was starting to see dividends of my hard work when Tiggers and Airplanes (5.11d) went second go. And even though both Flash Point and The Whining only officially check in at 5.11d, it’s common knowledge that both are notorious for height dependent cruxes. The crux on The Whining is precarious and low-percentage, and I was delighted to send it rather anti-climactically this past spring, after getting frustrated on it repeatedly the year before. And despite the fact that my 6’1″ (and +3 ape index) hubby swears that Flash Point is his easiest send at that grade, it felt every bit of 5.12b to me – 3 reachy cruxes, each one progressively harder, spread out over 100+ feet of amazing rock. It’s one of my proudest sends to date.

Go Cat Go (5.12b), another route I’d love to have another crack at!

There were a great many other routes on my tick list that are still left undone, however. Some, like Narcissus (5.12a), Depth Charge (5.12b), and Solstice (5.12a), because I never got a chance to get on them. Others, like Lost Souls (5.12a), were attempted too little too late – I was already 8 weeks pregnant by the time I got on it, and with nausea and extra tiredness I didn’t have a prayer of linking it together. Encouraging enough to me however was that I actually got farther before falling than I’d ever gotten before! There were also several routes that I was close to sending on my first few attempts this year, but never got a chance to get back to and try again – Gato (5.12a), Go Cat Go (5.12b), and Likme (5.12a) come to mind right away.

Go Cat Go crux

But considering that I only had 5 months out of my usual 12 to work on my Hit List, I still feel good about where I was at prior to getting pregnant. Hopefully it won’t take too long to get back there after my little girl is born. But even if it takes longer than expected, I doubt I’ll be too disappointed. I’ll get there when I’m meant to get there!

In the mean time, it’s pretty hard to nail down specific goals for 2014 with so many gigantic life changes taking place! But I figured some general goal setting would be a good idea for keeping the pressure low but the psych high as I look ahead to what the next year may bring. So here’s a list of goals that will hopefully get me back in shape without being too ambitious.

Training is going to look like this again…but this time with a 4 year old too!

1. ESTABLISH A TRAINING ROUTINE: It’s hard enough to figure out the logistics of a gym climbing session with one kiddo…but throw a newborn into the mix and it very well may turn into a nightmare! But I’d love to get settled into some sort of consistent training routine, even if it’s not as often as it once was.

2. CLIMB OUTDOORS AS A FAMILY OF FOUR: I’m not going to get specific in the sense of “I want us to get out _____ times this year.” I think quality is far more important than the quantity of experiences. But of course I’d like to get out as much as we can, and I can’t wait to introduce my baby girl to the world one crag at a time!

3. SEND 5.12: My due date is March 6, which will give me almost 10 months to get back on the 5.12 send train. I won’t even put on the added pressure of saying it needs to be a redpoint of something I’ve never sent before. Even a repeat send will still be a great standard by which to measure my progress by…but I’m secretly hoping to nab at least one new tick next year.

I’m tempted to start listing specific routes I’d love to tackle, but as I look down at my ever-expanding belly I know that’s not wise at this juncture! For now my biggest “project” is continuing to develop the happy little miracle growing inside of me! 2014 will be a big adjustment for our entire family, but I know I for one can’t wait to see what adventures will come our way!

What are everyone else’s goals for the new year? Write ’em down and share ’em – otherwise you’ll find yourself unfocused and off the wagon by February!

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

New Offerings From Trango: Antidote Rope Bag and Cord Trapper (and GIVEAWAY!)

Pregnancy Update from the Third Trimester (Weeks 27-32)

The Mountain Mama by Mad Rock: A Pregnancy Climbing Harness!

Climbing Mantras From a Toddler

2013 Year in Review and Climbing Hit List for 2014