Rock Climbing Blog by Derek Rippe
Archive for August, 2009
Two weeks until the big trip – Atlanta 2009: The Beta, featuring Looking Glass Rock
Aug 13th
It has been confirmed by all parties involved, Aug. 28th – Sep. 5th will mark the big climbing trip of the year, “Atlanta 2009: The Beta”.
A2:TB will consist of multiple excursions to climbing areas across the southeast U.S., but the highlight of the trip is going to be Looking Glass Rock in North Carolina. We will be climbing the Nose Area, which is a 500 ft., four-pitch climb ranging from 5.7 to 5.9. My cousin Chris will be leading the expedition as he has made the ascent twice to date.
I believe we will also be making a trip to a crag in Alabama called Sand Rock, which is supposed to be a great place for lead, trad and bouldering for all skill levels.
I will post up more information as I get it. Look for a HUGE photo album when I return from the trip as well. I plan on having my camera on me at all times.
The Climbing Plateau – How far do you push yourself?
Aug 12th
I’ve reached an interesting point in my climbing and I haven’t quite figured out how I feel about it or what it means.
I’ve been an athlete most of my life, and I’ve always been very driven when it comes to sports, both recreational and competitive. I’ve always wanted to be the best, and I usually push myself to the very edge in order to be (or appear to be) at the top of my game.
But let’s be honest, that was a lot easier when I was 16 years old. Now that I’m 25, I find that I’m not quite as determined to be the best, and I certainly don’t feel like pushing myself to the edge in order to keep up with some of the other guys/gals at the gym (people who clearly devote a lot more time to climbing than I do).
Now, this doesn’t mean I’m growing tired of climbing – that couldn’t be further from the truth! I’m just really satisfied and content with what level I am climbing at. I am able to onsight most of the 5.11s that go up in the gym, and I feel very comfortable and relaxed when climbing 5.10s and 5.11s – it’s where I feel “in my element”. I have climbed a couple of 5.12s at the gym, and while I can usually get through them (eventually), I find they require enough extra physical exertion to take them out of enjoyable realm and make them kind of annoying (albeit satisfying when you do reach the top).
As I said, I don’t really know what all of that means for my climbing. In the last 8 months I have come a long way in climbing. I’ve worked my way up to climbing 5.12s, I’m bouldering v5s (although I don’t boulder very much after my tendon injury), I’ve learned great climbing technique from instructors and other climbers at the gym, and I’ve learned to lead climb. I’m looking forward to getting even better – I’d like to take a few more of the classes at Sportrock, I want to learn trad (which I will be doing in a couple of weeks, more to come on that later!), and I want to increase my climbing endurance.
But I don’t have any desire to be pushing myself to the edge, because I’ve realized that climbing is purely recreational for me and I don’t want to risk ruining that by pushing myself to a point that offers little reward.
Moving into the 5.12 realm
Aug 3rd
Just a quick update, as I’m really tired after tonight’s session.
I had decided in advance that tonight I was going to push myself pretty hard. I would warm up on a 5.9, and then climb nothing less than a 5.10. Ended up climbing several 5.10s and 5.11s extremely successfully, and not feeling too worn out.
My brother has found a 5.11 that he is quickly turning into his strongest route. After climbing it once (and making it look easy), he decided he wanted to see how quickly he could climb the route. I took the “under 2 minutes” guess. He knew the technique and moves for the route, and flew up the wall. One minute, ten seconds later he was at the top. Not bad for a 5.11 on a 40 ft. wall!
I wanted to finish up my evening on a 5.12 I had climbed a few times prior. I knew the route pretty well, and knew the most difficult move was three from the top – a really nasty pinch that most people struggled to hold onto (especially after all the small crimps that lead to that move). I was able to take a good rest on a couple holds down, and mentally prepare myself for that small pinch. Surprisingly, I made the move with little difficulty (was even able to bump with the other hand while holding that pinch), and sent the 5.12 flawlessly for the first time. I did give out a little yell at the top, between the adrenaline rush and the onset of fatigue, but I was so stoked to finally send that 5.12 (which I hadn’t seen anybody else do that evening).
There are a few other 5.12s I would like to hit in the gym, but perhaps it’s time I start playing around on some of the 5.13s??
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