I am participating in a fundraising event on April 28 called “Climb for Cancer” – an event hosted by First Descents that challenges rock climbers around the country to reach the goal of climbing 70,000 vertical feet, while also raising money to give young adults with cancer a First Descents Experience. 

A First Descents experience is a free outdoor adventure experience for young adult cancer fighters and survivors. It is designed to empower these young adults to climb, paddle, and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same.

I am pledging to climb one foot of a route graded 5.10a or harder for every dollar that I raise!  Rockreation Climbing Gym's walls are 25-feet-high. So, if I raise $300, then I have to climb a minimum of 12 routes (5.10a or harder) in the span of four hours. 

If you have the means, I would love your help!

My Fundraising Page: http://climbingforcancer.firstdescents.org/2012/cfc/rockreationlosangeles/MonSend/

Thank you!

Just a quick recap of yesterday's first day of training....

I reconfirmed two things about myself: A) I'm a total weakling; and B) my head game sucks.  What kind of self-respecting rock climber can't do a single pullup?

While I don't want to give away Steve's whole training regimen, we worked on leading and taking falls, lock offs, downclimbing, campus board (I totally called it!), and deadhangs on jugs, crimps, and pinches.  While it wasn't the easiest two hours spent in the gym and I can definitely feel the painful results of my efforts, it wasn't the worst experience either.

Let's take a moment to be realists: while the human race is very superior to other living things in many ways, we are definitely not the strongest nor the most graceful creatures on this beautiful planet we call Earth.  Because it's Friday and I'm feeling less-than-lucid, here are some pictures of animals climbing things (I bet they have awesome head games):

Oh, you heard me right.  I said bUIldering.  According to Wikipedia, the most reliable Internet source around, buildering is the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures.  The word "buildering" is a portmanteau, combining the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering".  On a side note, I just learned a new word: portmanteau.  A portmanteau is a combination of two (or more) words or morphemes into one new word. Morpheme...? Christ, this could go on all day.  And trust me, you don't even want to see the definition of morpheme.

What you should take away from my vocab tangent is that buildering is the act of bouldering on buildings and walls.  The notion of buildering has been teetering at the edge of my thoughts ever since I moved into my new apartment.  There is a brick wall right beside the gated entrance that has half-inch deep slots between each brick, where the mortar resides.  These virgin brick ledges, ripe with texture, are perfect single-pad crimps and are uniformly dispersed vertically and horizontally.  The catch is that the wall is only about 6 feet high and a top-out would require an uncomfortable encounter with barbed wire.

Let's talk for a moment about my little "buildering" escapade. Here I am, climbing the gate to the parking lot of my old apartment complex.

I'm not sure if climbing gates and tall fences count as buildering, but I included this picture for the sake of feeling included in the buildering community, if there is such a thing.  Please note that I'm not trying to be "cool" or "dangerous", I simply forgot my keys.  I suppose that makes the picture a lot less interesting, but it is what it is.

I fully intend, from this day forward, to be much more aware of buildering opportunities in my every day routine. 

Finally, there is the very odd/incredible climbing wall that was built on the arch dam Luzzone in Switzerland (as seen below).  It's definitely not "real" rock climbing, it's not indoor climbing, and it's not quite buildering either.  What is it, other than really fucking awesome?

I'm not sure if there is an answer to the question of it's identity, but I can tell you that the vertical distance is about 165 meters long, made up of 650 plastic holds, and the first holds start a few meters off the ground to deter casual visitors from climbing on them.  Like I said, really fucking awesome.

"Everyone wants to be the best.  If you don't keep training, you're going to be left behind." - Daniel Woods

I started climbing in September of 2010.  Since then, my relationship with rock climbing, and more importantly, my climbing mantra, have changed quite a bit. Initially, I was in "Sponge" mode: I just absorbed all the information possible and then tried to determine what to do with this knowledge while climbing.  I didn't realize it at the time, but my focus was mostly on technique.  I've never been a strong person, and my only advantage was to learn really good technique in order to become a better climber. 

Eventually I picked up the amount I was climbing, which naturally exposed me to more varieties of routes, inside and outside.  I didn't lift weights or push myself too hard because climbing is supposed to be fun.  Turning it into work would make it just that: work.  So I knew that I would eventually become a better climber, but at my own pace.  This concept of "natural progression" was what I have been harboring for quite some time now.  While it's a wonderful frame of mind, it is also the main thing holding me back from being a better climber.

This past weekend, a number of small things have given me the desire to become a much better climber.  To my boyfriend's delight, I asked him to start training me.  I'm sure you're thinking what I'm thinking: this is a disaster waiting to happen.  Be as it may, I know if I give myself over to his training regimen, I can become a solid 5.11 climber, and finally move past the 10c/d range that stumps me about 50% of the time.

Our plan is to meet once a week, usually Tuesdays, for "training day."  Like the Denzel Washington movie, but with less guns.  More to come on training day soon.  In addition, once a week we will climb at our limit.  Any other climbing that we do in the week will be purely for enjoyment.

I foresee a lot of campus boarding, overhang climbing, and leading in my future.  I also foresee a lot of bitching in my future... poor Steve. 

FURTHER READING:

Not too long ago I came across this article, which talks about the barriers we set for ourselves in climbing and how to break them down in order to climb the ellusive (for some) 5.12 grade.  It's a really fascinating article because I can honestly say that I am totally guilty of imposing these barriers on my climbing progress.  The main two that I seem to be especially guilty of are: toproping when I could be leading, and not bouldering enough. 

When I first started climbing I didn't know anyone. So when I would visit the gym I would just boulder by myself (that sounds really sad, doesn't it?).  But when I finally started to meet people and got on rope again, I found that I was climbing so much harder than I realized I could.  I need to remember that bouldering is what got me into my 10s, and therefore it can push me consistently into the 11s, and eventually 12s.  And maybe one day 13s?

But the biggest thing holding me back is definitely my tendency to spend my time toproping instead of leading.  Leading is incredible for your head game and trains you to not let go when you feel the burn in your arms.

ADDITIONAL MOTIVATION:

I know it's old... but this 2010 Reel Rock trailer is one of the most inspiring climbing videos I have ever seen.  If this doesn't make you want to be the very best climber you can be, then nothing will.  So even if you've seen this before, I think you should watch it again for a little extra motivation.  Enjoy:

[via Access Fund] "Climbing areas in North Carolina State Parks are threatened by possible winter season [Dec-Feb] closure. The potential closure is in the early stages of the legislative process and now is the best time to voice concern. If North Carolina’s State Parks are important to you—especially those that contain climbing areas—then write your state representatives and urge them to keep them open year round!"

I was born and raised in North Carolina.  I went to college in North  Carolina.  All in all, I spent the first 26 years of my life in this eastern state.  While I didn't pick up climbing until after I moved to California, I am so eager to head back one day and try out the local rock. 

Most people who know me well can vouch for the fact that I dislike, and when I say 'dislike' I actually mean all-consuming-hate, the cold.  So while these potential closures might not affect someone like me too much, since I wouldn't generally seek out a climbing spot in the middle of winter in the NC mountains, I'm sure the closure will negatively affect many individuals.  These state parks are home to hikers, backpackers, photographers, wildlife seekers, and even tourists.  Unlike the big mountains that we are used to out here in California, low annual snowfall allows access to these spots almost all year-round.  The decision to close these parks during the winter season is completely in our hands.

If you want to help out, Access Fund makes it extremely easy to contact local legislators.  Simply click here to be taken to their contact form: fill out your name, edit the pre-written letter if you so choose, and hit send. 

For those of you who don't think that North Carolina can compete with the West/Mid-West mountains.... well, you are right, size usually matters when it comes to mountains.  But what we lack in sheer height, we make up for in color and personality.  I hope you enjoy these pictures from my homeland, areas that are threatened to be closed for 3 months of the year: