Wednesday, October 31, 2012

SPEED! Also known as being wired...

Ueli Steck on the Matterhorn

photo by Robert Boeschhttp://www.robertboesch.ch/

GJ Blog: "What speed ascent stands out? What are you most proud of?"





Steck: "I think my climb on the Grandes Jorasses. It was an onsite climb. I used my technique learned from the Eiger."



http://gearjunkie.com/ueli-steck-climber-interview



In this case coffee isn't going to help as much as having it wired instead of being wired.



I've spent a good portion of the blog talking about lwt gear and going fast. Here is a well known and well used techniquethat is easily ignored or just over looked by those unaware.



For the vast majority of those reading the blog I suspect, like myself, mostare allimpressed by thespeed ascentsof hard alpine routes.



What I'd bet is most don't realise is speed comes from being wired. Hard wired in fact.



Very few climbers will walk up to the Nose on El Cap and attempt a one day ascent. Likely even fewer capable of doing it. If you look at the records set on the Nose the guys thattrade that record back and forthhave also climbed the Nose generally dozens of times or just as likely their partner has if they haven't.



But actuallyclimb the Nose or Half Dome and it becomes obvious to many that a one day ascent might well be within your own abilities with a little extra effort afterdropping some gear. Not 2 hrs mind you but with in 24hr might seem more reasonable.



I am not taking anything away for anyone here. I've mentioned some awesome people and tremendous athletes And the speed climbsare amazingathlete feats.Very cool stuff all around. Just thought it worth making the point for those that aspire to climbs like the Nose in a day or the Eiger in a day. Or for that manner any route that you want to set a personal record on. Be it Rainier or the Nut Cracker. When I gently remind one of my long time climbing partners just how much difference it makes in route finding, gear selection and time ifeven half the climbing team has been on theroute at least one, it can makea huge difference. Some timers he needs the reminder. His common answer is "let it go".



But you also have to possess the additional skill setto go faster with the additional beta. Point is most of us will needboth (skill and knowledge) to go "fast" by today's standards.



But the reason I mention it here....besides the fact it will bug my partner,again, is that those that don't realise what is behind the speed curtain, should be aware of it.



Having a climb wired, be it a boulder problem of a long alpine route makes it easier. We all know that. Few of us haven't taken a buddy out and sand bagged them on a climb or had it done to us. You or they knew where it went and how, we didn't. Makes a difference on a 10 foot boulder problem and makes a difference on 6000 foot face.



No surprise but soloing routes where others are climbing makes a huge physiological difference, just as repeating a route that you have done before lowers the emotional strain. The mind controls the body.



Think about style. It doesn't take much to realise that solo, on sight, is good style.Enough so that Steck points it out in an interview.If you want to go fast the more you know about the climb the faster you can go. TV Mtn videos, guide books, topos all help. But knowing it up front is a good place to start as well.

If you want to go faster...climb it first.

Boulderstash, The No Name Forest photos




The No Name Forest quiet awaits our return




Laura and I had fun bouldering at a local spot the other day... Here's a couple photos






Laura on a clean slabby classic




Laura throwin' down her best
"Goodman on MOJO" impression.




Faster than a speeding bullet... Chipmunk parkour.
Photo by Laura Hahn




Laura working the sloping edge of Pyramid Block




Despite our best efforts the boulders always win the battle!
Until next time... Shhhhh

Monday, October 29, 2012

Our Enchanted Blue Forest

Magic Blue Forest

Every April, some of my bicycle photos feature a background of what appears to be a carpet ofblueflowers. Readers ask all the time what those flowers are and where I managed to find an entire field of them. Funny, until about 4 years ago I do not remember seeing many of these around myself. Then one spring - my first spring of cycling - I was riding around the neighbourhood and discovered a patch of them on a lawn. It caught my eye, because the shade of blue seemed unnaturally over-saturated. From a distance it looked like someone had spilled cerulean paint on the grass! Later I spotted another small patch of the same flowers in a nearby park, and again marveled at the effect. I meant to investigate further, but a week later the flowers were gone.I did not think of them again, until the following April, when they reappeared in much larger quantities. Now the lawn where I had spotted the first patch was covered with them completely. The ones in the park had spread over a wider area as well.




Magic Blue Forest

When I stopped to examine the flowers closely, I saw that individually they were not remarkable or even especially pretty. Scraggly tiny things with long, misshapen, sharply pointed petals. It was hard to find one photogenic enough to photograph on its own, and large enough to capture without a macro lens.




Magic Blue Forest

Their beauty came from growing in clusters. When they cover a patch of soil, all those tiny blooms merge into a quivering sea of blues and greens of incredible intensity. The larger the area they spread across, the more mesmerising and overwhelming their effect.




Magic Blue Forest

By the third year, they'd spread further still - spilling over to multiple lawns all over the neighbourhood, and transforming the small fenced-in park near my house. Finally I learned what the flowers are. Rather unromantically, they are called wood squills. Also known as Siberian squill, orScilla siberica - a "bulbous perennial in the family Asparagaceae." The flowers produce blue pollen, which may explain their misty, hazy quality when observed from afar. Easy to cultivate, they spread by seed and form large colonies in early spring that bloom quickly and disappear by the time the first growth of grass is ready to be mowed.




Magic Blue Forest

ApparentlyScilla sibericacolonies can become invasive, and it looks like our little park has been invaded! Even this year's cold, slow spring has not stopped the squills from covering the entire stretch of the woods in cerulean carpet, turning the park - a popular pedestrian shortcut for locals - into an enchanted blue forest. Walking through here is absolutely stunning. One of those sights that makes you breathe in deeply, squint at the sun, and just feel happy to be a part of this strange, beautiful world.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Lizard in the Trash


My hubby was sitting out on the patio the other evening and heard a strange noise. He finally tracked it down to a rustling in the trash can. When he looked he saw a lizard in the sack that is in a plastic basket type trash container. Poor thing in their with hubby's stinky cigerate butts and ashes. After taking it's photo we released it into the garden. We have no idea how it got there. Did one of the cats put it there? Or did it manage to climb into the container? Seemed an odd thing for a lizard to be climbing if that is how it got there.



Spring Bittern



Spotted this fellow the other night while driving around the backroads of Grand Portage. I consider myself lucky for spotting this guy as we drove by this meadow, as these birds are NOT easy to see when they are standing in the tall grass like this!

The Body Speaks Bike

Royal Enfield Sport Roadster

Those who've spoken more than one language over the course of their life will sometimes notice a curious phenomenon: They will remember events and conversations from their past not in the original language, but in the language that is currently dominant for them. It is as if our mind auto-translates the dialogue. I will remember conversations in English that couldn't have possibly happened in English. And then I must struggle to reconstruct the real dialogue, the actual words used, in order for my mind let go of the auto-translate and restore the "correct" memory. It's just one of those weird, fascinating, disturbing things that the human brain does. And it isn't limited to language.




Last weekend I went berry picking at a nearby farm. Blackberries are in season now, and with a small green basket I headed out to the rows of bushes. Pulling the plump bubbly things off the prickly branches in the afternoon sun, I remembered the last time I'd done this: It was in my 20s and I lived in England. Our small university town was surrounded by miles and miles of meadows, a riverside path winding through them. I remembered in vivid detail cycling through the meadows in the exquisite afternoon light and stopping to pick blackberries along the way. Sometimes I'd be alone, other times with my friend. In summer the blackberries were everywhere and, excited by this discovery, we gorged on them shamelessly - staining our clothing in the process, drunk on the countryside smells and the sheer beauty of our surroundings. In my mind's eye Iseeit all so clearly: The river. The farm gates. Climbing over nettles to get to the berries. And, of course, riding my bike along the path. Except, wait... rewind. I could not have been on a bike. I did not own a bike at the time; I did not cycle when I lived in England.




And so there I stood now, dismantling this incredibly real-seeming memory of myself riding a rusty 3-speed through the East Anglia countryside. And its companion memory of riding together with my friend - both of us astride such machines, summer dresses fluttering in the breeze. In fact we did not cycle side by side. We did not dismount our bikes and toss them onto the grass upon spotting the berries. I suppose we must have walked. But the visceral recollection of walking is vague, buried somewhere in there like the true dialogue of those auto-translated conversations I struggle to remember in their original language. I guess my body speaks bike now.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Bicycles, Time and Leisure

Pilen, Charles River TrailI was outside the post office, unstrapping a bundle of packages from my bike's rear rack, when a woman walking past with a toddler looked at the bicycle and smiled.



Her: That's a beautiful bicycle!



Me: Thank you.



Her: (Whistfully) It's nice that you have time to ride a bike. Wish I did.



Me: Oh, but I ride a bike to get places, so it actually saves me time.



Her: Yeah, but you know. When you're married and have a kid, you have no time for anything and need a car.



Me: Well, depending on where you live, it can be faster to get places by bike.



Her: Maybe if you're a student, but those days are past me! Love your bike though, take care...



Okay, so I've basically been told - albeit in the friendliest way - that I was either a bum or a woman of leisure if I had the time to travel by bike. It is a sentiment I've heard before.Looking at things objectively, I think that it is difficult for those raised in the US to overcome the association between the bicycle and leisure. It follows then, that if you ride a bike, you must have a lot of spare time. For people who like to project an image of being busy and hardworking, riding a bicycle can compromise that image. That's one aspect of it, I think.



Another aspect, is that of course it can take longer to do things by bike - for instance in the suburbs or in the countryside, where distances are vast and car parking is plentiful. I acknowledge this as a genuine obstacle to transportation cycling. But it is illogical to apply it to contexts where the opposite is true and where the bicycle can indeed function as a time saver - with or without children.



One thing I found particularly curious, is that the woman did not cite being worried about cycling with a child, whereas I didn't have that issue (which would also have been an assumption, but never mind). Instead, she just kept bringing up time and the difference she perceived in our lifestyles.



Our society has a complicated relationship with time and leisure. Both are viewed as commodities; we seek them out and are envious when others have more than we do. At the same time, we willingly give them up and waste them - be it by watching hours of uninteresting television just because it's on, or by organising our lives around stressfully long commutes for a small difference in salary. I am not critical of the way others live their lives and I make no assumptions about their values and priorities. Three years ago, I did not seriously believe that riding a bike to places could save time compared to driving there, but after trying it both ways I now believe it. I wonder to what extent the bicycle-leisure association is an obstacle for those who would otherwise benefit from transportation cycling.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Crystal Springs ..

Got out on the skinny skis for the first time this season. Jennifer and I were originally planning a trip to one of the MTTA huts but were not able to on short notice due to their archaic reservation system. (That and our hut of choice was already full.) We decided on one day of skiing but where would we go? While the state was already charging to park at Sno Parks, no grooming had actually occurred except on the MTTA trails. I checked with the ranger stationed in REI and he told me the I90 Sno Parks would be groomed starting December 5th. Since this information was not online I took it because it was all we had. Jennifer and I were still going to head that way because we didn't know where else to go.

Meany snow cats awaiting more snow

Signs were good when we arrived at the pass and it was snowing. We continued east and stopped at the Crystal Springs Sno Park. We figured with the snowmobile traffic, it would resemble groomed and be good enough to ski on. To our dismay, the parking lot was not plowed and a high clearance vehicle was needed to negotiate it. So we drove down the highway to Cabin Creek to see what was in store. When we arrived, we saw a few guys digging a spot out in the parking lot so they could park. I wasn't particularly interested in that kind of workout, so we went across the highway to check on the trail condition. It certainly was not groomed. There was a small trail trench in the middle and that was it. We decided to head back to Crystal Springs.

The road

From our earlier trip to the parking lot we knew there was a spot to park just outside the lot where the road was plowed and we would not be in the way. We parked there and geared up. Jennifer was excited to use her new skis for the first time. We skied through the parking lot and onto the trail while keeping a close eye out for snow machines. The snow coverage wasn't great, but we didn't have to ski on dirt anywhere. Once we hit the road, there was low coverage from wheeled vehicles driving on it, so we kept to one side. We decided to head down the road to Trollhaugen as they had run their snow cat on it but did not groom. (That, and it was off limits to snowmobiles.) We skied down that way on what was nice compacted snow from the cat. Once at an intersection, the cat had turned around and we ventured out into untracked snow on the trails there. We made a small loop and returned back out to the road.

Skiing in the untracked forest

On our way out we stumbled upon ski tracks heading into the Erling Stordahl trails and we followed them for a loop. While not quite as nice as skiing on the trails the cat had driven on, it was nice having the track in there for us already. After that loop we called it quits and headed home.

Faster skiing on tracked snow

It was fun getting out on the skinny skis for a change. They'll probably make me better on the fatter skis, because I find it more difficult to balance and ski with them. Jennifer had fun and cannot wait to go back. Unfortunately, the trails will not be groomed until December 5th. Which makes sense to me now that I saw that the coverage probably wasn't enough for a proper grooming. And they wouldn't want to start grooming on Thanksgiving Weekend for obvious reasons. (Although I bet the state could have earned more money if they did.)

Monday, October 22, 2012

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Labor Day Weekend and Beyond...

I swear summer just arrived in the park about a month or so ago and now it already feels like fall. Sure, it isn't fall YET, as the equinox isn't until Sept. 22, but those folks who have spent a day or two up on the mountain recently may argue that fall is in full effect. A quick check of telemetry up at Camp Muir over the past few days shows below average temperatures this week. In fact, the thermometer didn't go above 50 degrees and in addition to the cold, the wind speeds have steadily averaged 30-40 mph, with spikes reaching 63, 66 and 71. Brrr...

Average high and low temperatures for the month of August at Paradise are generally 63 and and 43 degrees respectively. These days, however, visitors on Rainier are donning fleece jackets, wool hats and even a scarf or two - one doesn’t need a thermometer to guess that the temperatures have been closer to our average lows than highs. With Labor Day Weekend ahead, let’s hope this trend doesn’t extend much longer. A look at the extended forecast provides some hope, but we'll see... Perhaps next week will be different?

Speaking of next week...The public shelter up at Camp Muir will be closed from Tuesday, September 2 thru September 9th. The closure is to complete historic renovations and repairs to the buildings. Therefore, all climbers should be prepared to camp - all parties will need to bring their own shelter. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Some pros and cons to this colder and also wetter weather:

Pros: There is new snow on the mountain, so things are looking beautiful with the fresh coat of snow. The DC is still in great shape (check out the new conditions report), unlike last year (check out our
archived 2007 DC fall route reports). Remember that climbers had to veer way out onto the Emmons Shoulder and descend below the Cleaver to climb back to Ingraham Flats.

Cons: Alpine Ascent International (AAI) guides reported that it snowed over a foot on the mountain last Tuesday and Wednesday. The drifts were as high as 3 feet too! Fresh snow on the route meant that climbers will once again have to be cautious of avalanches. AAI kicked off a small slab on their descent through Cathedral Gap BUT it wasn't large enough to wipe out a person... Still, we have concern and want you to know.

So everyone, be prepared for cooler temps, rain at lower elevations and snow on the upper mountain. This shouldn't be a problem for those Pacific Northwest souls accustom to this sort of climate, but those visiting from other places (that actually still enjoy summer temps well into September) should be prepared for the wintry conditions.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Athlete by Choice - Duncan Brown



I get attracted to certain characters.

And I go out of my way to meet them.

China is not too far.



I went to China to meet Duncan Brown.

He wasn't there.

No problem, I met some amazing people anyway. (see previous posts)



I line up another trip 3 months later. I read on Facebookthat he's leaving. Crap, I already bought a ticket.

Turns out we crossed over for a coupla days.



So here's Duncan Brown on his last attempt on his long term project on his last climbing day at his favourite crag in his, now ex, home town of Yangshuo.

No Guarantee 513.c







I finally catch him at his going away thrash at Yangshuo's ex-pat climber bar "The Rusty Bolt".

There's a bunch of climbers I've met on previous trips, I know enough people to not feel uncomfortable.

I recognise him, I give him a big hug, he looks accepting, but bewildered. I introduce myself.

He talks intensely. The party goes off. I sneak out.










iPhone selfie

We meet next morning at the grubby bus station headed for Lei Pi Shan, super crag.







He comes across confident. And he is keen to talk climbing. Big picture.









There's no idle chit chat. Duncan wants to know my opinion on where Australian climbing is at.

I pull together a few patchy ideas and speculate about the new breed of young gym-trained climbers rattling the hierarchy.

He delivers a professorial lecture on training, crag development, international climbing.













We are there for one thing. A last ditch effort to send "No Guarantee", and I, to make sure everyone sees it.

I feel it's my duty to make sure Australia knows who's coming home.



"No Guarantee" climbs a full 40 metres straight through that black blob all the way to the trees.


Reference the blob, we'll get back to that later.

Duncan wears: Kailas clothing.


Climb "Paper Cut" 28, pull a harder crux, and keep on pulling for another 20 metres.







The "rest" near the top of Paper Cut.

Then launch into the hard stuff.







The day I turned up in Yangshuo was the first fine day after a long wet spell.

As usual the first thing I do is check the Li River.

I'm suddenly shocked. There's so much water. I instantly think of disastrous Chinese floods. They can do some damage. The sun came out and the rock started to dry out.








iPhone shot from December.

















Duncan jams in a kneebar at the base of the black tufa blob.
















Time to get some perspective here. There's the black blob way down there. There's a climber in blue on Single Life, I think, level with the blob.














Now that's what I went to China to see!




Extensive crag development all around China has brought Duncan's small town Yangshuo Mandarin accent into scrutiny. He reckons the Chinese big city folk take him for a retard.

Something I had never even remotely considered.

So he bungs on a posh big city accent whenever in Beijing. More "ARrrrrr's" apparently.





Lei Pi Shan, just another Chinese roadside attraction.




Walking away from Lei Pi Shan for the last time. The last time for this era, at least.



Without the tick he so badly wanted.

It's a tough crag.

I was there also, three months ago, the day Logan Barber walked away from Lei Pi Shan. Returning to Australia without the send of "Storm Born" he had tried so hard for.




Logan Barber >




I feel kind of privileged to be there that day. A special day in Yangshuo. Bringing to an end an era for such a prominent Australianclimber.

I've searched this photo for any trace of disappointment on Duncan's face. It's not there.

Why? Because he knows he didn't waste any effort. There was nothing he didn't do.

He says he's ready to return to Oz. I sense that's true.

He's got a plan. He knows where he's going. And why.








Too late for buses. On foot to Goatian.


Four years is a long time to spend in a kooky little town like Yangshuo. It's got to change a person.

Maintaining focus and perspective must become a challenge. Some people do it well.





Duncan will be putting his effort behind his fitness and nutrition programs in Australia.

Look out for it.



Welcome home Duncan.














Athlete by choice




jj