January First 2013

I really have been putting off writing more than I should, though not because I am not climbing. Of course most of my climbing has been on obscure local rocks, the rusty grains of the "Staff" being convenient to anyone tethered by work and family. That said, I had a great session back in mid-December on a freezing afternoon, finally doing a Pat Ament highball (dating from 1967)north of First Overhang that I have wanted to do for years. After a little bit of recon from the side and installing my Organic Big Pad underneath the problem, I found myself perched on the final crimps at about 20 feet up with no worries, no fear, just a moment of pure climbing. I felt like continuing in the same mode on the other formations and filmed them in the video below. I couldn't be bothered to add a soundtrack so pick your own or just watch in silence, which is what it was like that afternoon.





I find that the best conditions for climbing are often between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit on a cloudy winter day. These are days where few others are out on the mountain and more often than not the session is stopped by a vigorous shower of snow coming down from Green Mountain. Though some may chuckle in disbelief, I have numerous uncontrived or minimally contrived double-digit projects up here and am looking for a break in the weather and an uptick in strength going forward in to spring. After a few weeks of lower intensity climbing, training in earnest begins tomorrow.