The Chalk Bag
Rock Climbing Blog by Derek Rippe
Why, Hello V5
Dec 1st
Had a great two hours at Sportrock this evening. Met up with my buddy Corey, who is a better climber than I am which really helps me reach further and hold on longer in an attempt to keep up. There is a V5 marked by teal-colored tape in the near corner of the bouldering area that I had been working for about a week now, but kept getting stuck on the fourth move over and over again. The hold itself wasn’t bad, as you can get all four fingers planted to the first joint, which is plenty to hold on with. Turned out I was shifting my weight incorrectly to stick the fourth move. After watching Corey do it effortlessly, I realized the error in my ways and nailed it with ease. I was pretty stoked to both finally complete that problem and top out my first V5 at Sportrock. Granted, it was an easier V5… but a V5 nonetheless.
Purple 5.10s
Nov 30th
I’ve been due in for a new pair of climbing shoes for a while now – my old school Five Tens (you remember the purple 5.10s) had little edge left, and the grip was less than ideal. Since I’ve gotten back into climbing on a regular basis over at the Sportrock Sterling location, I decided to go ahead and look at my options and see what today’s technology has brought to the table in the realm of climbing shoes.
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