A Busy Week Ahead

The next week is going to be a bit hectic as classes are going to start Tuesday and I will be making a quick dash out to the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City on Thursday. I plan on talking to a few editors about writing projects and scoping out some of the climbing-related booths in between appointments. I will bring back my impressions of the event for this blog since, if nothing else, OR has become for many an essential part of climbing culture.

Yesterday, I managed to get outside for about half an hour's climbing before it started to rain. For those in less temperate climates, this will sound pathetic, but most Front Range climbers will agree that this winter has been one of the hardest for climbing in recent memory. The snow and ice have stuck around for weeks, not days, and not just in the mountains but on the foothills and plains. That's my primary excuse for not posting much in the way of climbing activity.

Most of that really has been indoors, either at the Spot or on the home wall. The former can prove to be very frustrating at times as the setting typically emphasizes long pulls, sloping pinches, and jumpy moves. I sometimes leave having the feeling of barely dodging a bullet with shoulder injury there. Anyway, there's a lot of winter left yet. Whether I will be able to do much climbing during this time is an open question.

I should complete the review of the Dave MacLeod book, 9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes this week. This is a good and innovative book and worth taking some time to discuss.