In honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to write about one of the most INFURIATING things about rock climbing: dating another rock climber.

At first it seems so perfect, right? You meet, probably in your local climbing gym.  You go on your first date, probably in your local climbing gym.  You spend your spare time thinking to yourself, "I am so damn lucky to find someone who loves climbing as much as I do."  And that's when it all goes awry.  Little by little, you start getting frustrated with your loving, and usually patient, significant other during your climbing outings; and vice versa.  Before you know it, a seemingly innocent workout at the gym has turned into a full-fledged, Hurricane Katrina-esque, Battle of the 'Biners.

There are ways to avoid this... or at the very least, minimize the frequency of these fights.

- DO compliment your partner on great technique.  If you have a hard time remembering to do this, it pretty much follows the same rule as when asked "Do I look fat in these jeans?" - in which case the answer is always "No baby, you look SO fine." Even if your partner fell all over the route (especially when your partner fell all over the route), always greet them at the bottom with "Don't worry, baby, your technique looked SO solid."  Another good one is "DAMN baby, your core tension was so tight through the crux."  Feel free to think outside the box on this one.

- DO motivate your partner to be the best climber they can be!  But know where the line is.  Push them to climb a little harder than they think they can.  If they are two moves away from the top, don't lower them right away.  Push them to get off TR and stick to leading as much as possible.  But use this power wisely.  If your partner yells "TAKE", you have two options.  You could say, "Stop being a little BITCH" - or you could say "Go for it, baby, I'll catch you!" See how a subtle change in your reaction might elicit a more positive climbing environment?

- DON'T ever ask your partner, mid-climb, "Ummmm THAT'S the beta you're gonna use? I mean, good luck."  Boom, you're in the doghouse.  We all know that great beta for one person might be dogsh*t for the next.  Especially when it comes to men's beta vs. women's beta.  I speak from experience that it only translates about 65% of the time.  Another good rule of thumb, only supply beta if it's been requested.

- DON'T brag about your on-sights, redpoints, pinkpoints, and whatever else, to your partner who just got off the same climb.  A) If they finished it, then it's their time to shine; and B) if they didn't finish it.... well, modesty goes a long way.  Home-cooked meals and flowers also go a long way, just FYI.

- REMEMBER that climbing is an emotional sport.  Most likely, your partner's love for climbing is just as intense as your love for climbing.  However, everyone loves climbing for different, and usually very personal, reasons.  What I'm trying to say, if you can weed through all this ranting, is that climbing is supposed to be FUN - don't ever forget that!  

If you follow these few basic points, I promise your climbing relationship will be so much stronger!  Together, you and your partner can smirk as you watch other couples quibble about beta and whether the arete is on or off.  You two are SO above all of that.  Congratulations, victory is yours.

It's Tuesday and I'm having withdrawals.  I miss seeing the stars out at night.  I miss walking outside in the morning and seeing snow-capped mountains.  Alas, responsibility continues to get the better of me, and I was forced to return to L.A. to feed the cats and pay the bills.  Needless to say, the trip was wonderful and I'm already thinking about my next visit....

DAY 1:

Steve and I left Los Angeles around 3:30 p.m. and made it into Bishop around 7:30 p.m. - our normal 4 hour drive time.  We checked in to our teeny little motel and headed straight for Wilson's.  I've said this in previous posts, but it really is a magical store.  If you haven't been to Wilson's, make it a priority for your next visit.  After our obligatory trip to Wilson's, which ended up being the first of four visits for the weekend, we stopped by Las Palmas for dinner. They have pretty decent Mexican food, considering that we were 366 miles away from the US/Mexico border.  Steve swears by the burritos (any burrito) since they are the size of a pickup truck.  I had the chimichanga, which I argue is the best thing on their menu.  Um, helloooo, it's a FRIED BURRITO.

DAY 2:

Saturday morning we made our second obligatory trip to Wilson's, but not before visiting Schat's Bakkery on Main Street.  They were out of cheese pockets, which I was not thrilled about.  Luckily, everything they make is delicious and Schat's was soon forgiven for their lack of cheese pocket. 

Steve and I began our exploration by heading north on 395 toward Mammoth.  Steve was eager to check out Mono Lake, which is located about 25 minutes past Mammoth Lakes.  The town leading into Mono Lake, Lee Vining, was all but devoid of life.  Everything closed down for winter, even though the roads were clear from snow and ice, as they have been all season.  The lake itself was kind of interesting, but Steve and I found more interesting exploits in the two large rocks that were at the entrance of Mono Lake's tourist center.  I'm certain that if the center was open, we would have been reprimanded immediately.  In reality, these weren't two large rocks, these were practically boulders.  And what do we do with boulders? Well we climb them of course. 

After Mono Lake we attempted to enter Yosemite... and failed.  Despite almost perfectly clear roads, we still hit a road block and unfortunately were 9 miles short of being in the park.  Steve was sad.  We also stopped by Convict Lake, which was one of my favorite destinations from this trip. It was also the coldest I had been all weekend, since we were completely hidden from the sun in the little valley where the lake resided.  

Our last tourist stop of the day was in the town of Mammoth, where we had a delicious, and FREE, beer tasting at Mammoth Brewing Company.  You MUST, MUST, MUST stop by if you have the time.  You get 2 ounce pours of 12 beers and the staff is really friendly.  After we finally made our way back to Bishop, we made a third stop at Wilson's and this time we finally purchased something.  After long discussion with an extemely knowledgeable employee, I settled on the lace-up La Sportiva Muira's and a green Mountain Hardwear hoodie.  I spent a lot of money and I was having buyer's remorse.... until Steve and I decided to hit up the Buttermilks before our trip home the next day.

DAY 3:

That's how, on Sunday morning, we found ourselves bumpily driving along Buttermilks Road in my little RSX, a car that was most definitely not built for off-roading.  We spent about a hour playing around with some of the familiar problems, mainly Ironman Traverse, before deciding to make our final stop at Schat's on our way out of town.

I want to mention that I had also purchased a pair of Sanuk's from a store in Mammoth the day before.  I initially felt like a sell-out, until I spent 20 minutes in my new climbing shoes and then slipped on the Sanuk's for relief.  My feet had died and gone to heaven!  Totally worth every penny.

Our final stop of the vacation was in the town of Lone Pine for a quick pic of Mount Whitney in all of it's ominous glory:

Sadly, our trip to Bishop was over and it was time to get back to reality.  Until next time...

Sincerely,
Still Dreaming of Bishop

National Geographic gets, like, 42 brownie points for their database of "Extreme Photos" - which include climbing, slacklining/highlining, snow sports, and so much more.  I've posted a few of my favorites below, but they are all amazing if you have the time to check them out.  You can also click on the pictures below for the background stories.

Drew Ruana on Vicious Fish – Photos by Ryan Palo

This is such a cool video - even though Steve hates climbing videos that have been sped up, I think they can be kind of interesting sometimes.  I understand his distaste for this style of editing; it limits our ability as a viewer to really see the moves and beta of the climber.  Nevertheless, the song, graphics, and filming makes for a fun watch.

In honor of today being "Bishop Day" - the day in which I travel to Bishop - I am posting my top SEVEN desired climbing trip locations.  Seven, and not 10 as originally planned, because I ran out of time and now have to leave for Bishop.  If you follow the climbing scene even a little bit, you've most likely heard about all of these spots.  Maybe you're lucky enough to be seasoned veterans of my wish list.  If so, bravo.  For me, most of these spots will be life-long dreams.  In no specific order (click picture to enlarge):

Flatanger, Norway
I watched a video not too long ago, courtesy of Evening Sends, about this spot in Norway.  It was the first time I've ever had complete and utter LUST over a climbing spot.  You can read the post and watch the video here: http://eveningsends.com/2011/09/norway-yes-way/ 

Vietnam
My handsome and wonderful boyfriend is the one who "introduced" me to climbing in Vietnam.  He was offered a job as a guide and climbing instructor for a company called SloPony.  It skyrocketed to the top of my list after I looked through the photos. 

Linville Gorge, North Carolina
This one should be a doable trip.  I didn't start climbing until after I moved to California, and I would love to go back home and climb the local rock.  I visited Linville Gorge once as a child on a hiking trip with my family.  It has stuck with me ever since, and I was thrilled to discover it's a great climbing spot!

Red River Gorge, Kentucky
From what I gather, this is an essential climbing spot in the United States if you consider yourself a serious climber.  Even if you're a recreational climber, social climber, recovering climber... Apparently it's the place to be.  It looks beautiful.  And well, Chris Sharma is climbing it.  And we all know that whatever Sharma does is gold.

Yosemite, El Cap, etc
This is a pretty obvious choice.  I'm slightly embarrassed to even include it on this list since it's presence reveals that I have never been.  Don't judge me.  I work, like, a LOT.

Utah
I suppose I can't list out my dream spots to climb without including Utah.  I mean, SO much has happened here. Aron Ralston amputated his own arm and CitiGroup filmed Katie Brown and Alex Honnold climbing Fishers Towers.  Again, I couldn't in right mind leave this one off.

Spain: Majorca, Oliana, and more!
There are so many great places to climb in Spain.  This country has been at the top of my personal travel wish list for a really long time.  I can't wait!

Thailand
This looks like perfection, no?  Thailand is one of the hotspots and I can see why.  Who wouldn't want a secluded, beautiful view like this when you are sending your project. 

I'm sure I left off some really trendy, and possibly famous, locations.  Since it's Friday afternoon, my inaptitude for organized thought and my overall feeling of laziness is going to limit any ability to create a coherent post.  Even that sentence didn't really make sense.  I'm clearly delirious.  Note to everyone in the whole world: Don't work a job that requires you to wake up at 3:40 a.m. 

Sincerely,
Dreaming of Schat's

If I could make a living being any type of photographer, other than climbing/sport, it would be a wildlife photographer.  National Geographic is obviously a great source of beautiful and inspiring wildlife photos.  They just posted a compilation of the best pictures from January, and here the two wildlife pictures:

I can't write a post about wildlife photography without talking about my all-time favorite photogapher: Paul Nicklen.  His specialty is photographing animals from the polar regions.  Essentially, he sits around for hours and days on end, freezing and waiting for that fleeting moment when the animal appears.  I've chosen three of my favorites, a virtually impossible task, for your viewing pleasure.  If you have 20 minutes to watch the video of his TED 2011 talk, I promise you won't regret it.  His story and images will touch your heart. 

Sincerely,
100% Animal Lover and Tree Hugger

Evening Sends blogger, Andrew Bisharat, just did a review of three different climbing shoes.  One little piggy was Evolv, one little piggy was Scarpa, and the third, more superior, little piggy was La Sportiva.  I am unflinchingly, and unapologetically, biased when it comes to La Sportiva.  My first climbing shoes were Nagos and my first approach shoes were the Boulder X. If it ain't broke....  

Anyway, here are the reviews if you are interested:

Evolv Shaman – http://eveningsends.com/2012/01/evolv-shaman/
Scarpa Instinct – http://eveningsends.com/2012/01/scarpa-instinct/
La Sportiva Pythons – http://eveningsends.com/2012/01/la-sportiva-pythons/

I am also on a hunt for my next great shoe.  My love affair with Sportiva will most definitely continue.  And as a reminder to all, I'll be in Bishop in 4.5 days.  Don't be jealous.  Ok you can be a little bit jealous.  In this wonderful town resides a wonderful store, full of magical things and hopes and dreams.  Obviously, I am referring to Wilson’s Eastside Sports.  There I will have the opportunity to try on almost any climbing shoe I desire. 

The local REI only carries three women’s Sportiva shoes: Nagos, Mythos, and Muiras.  My Nagos are an amazing shoe, but I definitely feel ready for something a little more aggressive.  While the Mythos is incredibly comfortable, I believe, without a doubt, that it would be a step backward for me.  I had the opportunity to try on the Muiras, and I really liked this shoe.  My only hold up is that I think I want to try velcros this time around.  The lace-up Muiras are totally sweet with their checkered pattern along the laces.  But the velcro Muiras, for whatever reason, have flowers on them.  FLOWERS.  I’m a grown woman.  I don’t want little daisies on my shoes.  Nevertheless, the shoe itself fit like a glove.

I’ve been eyeing the Katanas for a couple months now.  I have yet to try them on, but I think it could be true love.  From what I can tell, they are slightly less aggressive than Muiras, but definitely a step up from the Nagos.  I wonder which shoe I will choose!? The suspense is hardly bearable, it must be killing you as well!

Sincerely,
It's time to go shopping! yayyy!

It was July 2011 when I was invited on my first real climbing trip.  My first rock climbing classes weren't on rock at all, but on plastic in a gym.  It was a great way to learn, but for the first 8 months of climbing, I only went outside on three separate occassions.  It was a completely different experience each time.  

First, I went to Stoney Point on a REI guided class.  Next, I went with a group of new friends to Point Dume in Malibu... because of the nature of the trip, which was celebrating a birthday, I only climbed one easy route and then it was time to go home.  Finally, I went to Red Rock Rendezvous, appropriately named since the event took place in Red Rocks, Nevada.  You might consider that event my first real climbing trip, but it was aimed more at the celebration of rock climbing versus spending all day on the rock.

Up until mid-2011, I considered myself a rock climbing hobbyist.  I really enjoyed climbing, but only spent 1-2 days in the gym every week.  When I met my now boyfriend, Steve, that all changed.  He invited me to come with him and a group of his friends (and fellow gym rats) to Bishop, CA.  From that point on, rock climbing played a much more significant role in my life.  Now, I knew someone that could show me the ropes.  To this day, he pushes me to be a much better climber.

But this post isn't about my climbing self-discovery.  My weekened in Bishop would eventually be followed by another trip to Bishop in the Fall of 2011.  In one week, Steve and I will be going back to Bishop for a "6-month-versary" - if you will.  

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Bishop.  I climbed in Bishop, I loved in Bishop, I made friends in Bishop, and I found a new calling, photography, in Bishop.

Below are some of my pictures from the two weekends spent in that little town at the base of the Eastern Sierras.

Sincerely,
Dreaming of Bishop

Steve and I decided to hit up Stoney Point this past Wednesday.  I had worked 9 hours already, but somehow, playing with my camera around real rock sounded perfect.  We only spent two hours in the area, but I had the opportunity to focus on learning the shutter settings mode (Tv) of my camera while Steve worked the moves on Powerglide (v7).  While it wasn't a send-day, I was able to capture Steve sticking the first crux of the problem.  Now he just needs to commit to the last move...

I know I shouldn't care about grades.  But when you've been projecting a route for 2+ months, and not only do you send it, but it's the hardest route you've ever sent, then it's almost impossible not to shout it from the rooftops.

Sad to say, this 5.11b/c wasn't on real rock, but in my local gym.  I like to call it my "blue route", which was aptly named since it uses beautiful, bright blue, textured holds.  I classify this route as "big moves to big holds."  I never knew this was my style, but why deny it?

Steve recently set a 5.11a at our gym.  I on-sighted it, with beta, and immediately told him to downgrade it.  Steve argued that I'm not giving myself enough credit.  I do agree that there is a tendency to assume a route is sugarbagged simply because you can climb it and it's a harder grade than you can normally send.  Nevertheless, after some debate, Steve agreed to downgrade his route, called "3,500 miles to Gaia", to a 5.10d.  If it's really a 5.10d, then that's my hardest on-sight to date.  I should be shouting that from the rooftops, but instead I still secretly think his route is only a 5.10b/c.

But why argue about such a subjective topic? I should just enjoy it, so that's what I'm going to do.  :)

Sincerely,
Your 5.11 Climber

PS - On a side note, I'm really proud of the 5.10d route that Steve set, modeled after the famous route, "Gaia", in the Black Rocks area of England.  His creative process began by mapping out the route in his climbing journal to determine how it could translate in a gym.  A couple hours later it appeared on the wall.  Here is a video of climber George Ullrich attempting to flash the real thing...