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Climbing, Adventure, Gear & Choss
General
Shelter From the Storm
Winter has shown up with a vengenace over the last week or so, and for the next couple of months it’s all about finding what refuge you can in the warmer places you can get to. But even as far south as Vegas the cold fronts are having an effect, and the conditions are pretty [...]
Transitions
Fall is a time of transitions. Recently we found ourselves at a local crag in much colder conditions than we have had in months. We were a bit under prepared, and cut things a little short to retreat to the warmth of pizza and beer at a local establishment. On the drive back I started [...]
The Science of Climbing’s Awesomeness
“Tristan, it’s all about flow! I can totally understand now why you climb!” I doubted this very much. These words were coming from my next door neighbor, who has gone climbing all of two or three times in her life. She had, however, read about something called flow theory in one of her classes, and went on to explain it to me. And I have to admit, I was pretty intrigued.
In Pursuit of the Vertical World
It all started innocently enough, with a 13 year old boy halfway up an obscure, 60′ wall of gneiss in upstate New York. Fast forward a couple years, and that same boy, now 15, could be seen 500′ up a giant slab of rock in the Chapel Pond region. It was on that climb that the boy realized this was something he loved, and so it began.
Confessions of a Tick-aholic
Tickmarks. Something so small, and yet so big, at least when it comes to the emotional response they elicit in climbers. Some folks consider them a fact of life in modern climbing, and others think they rob you of the purity of the experience, but maybe we can find some middle ground.
It’s All About the Pitches
How many pitches do you climb in an average cragging day? A book on climbing training that influenced me heavily this year says that 3 or 4 is a warm up, then hit 3 or 4 onsight or redpoint attempts, and then do 3 or 4 cool down routes. The idea is that one of [...]
Gone Climbin’
SplitterChoss is taking a break this week, to go climbing. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and we’ll see you next week with the usual whit, charm and insight you’ve come to know and love.
The Open Road
What is it about the open road that calls to us? And not just any open road, but the wide open highways of the West, where the landscape fades to the edges of the horizon, where the possibilities are as endless and big as the scenery.
The Lost Art of Nutcraft
We were sitting around the living room, racking up for a weekend of climbing on the Front Range. My friend grabbed a set of nuts, and mentioned how he was excited to get to climb on some granite where he could actually use them. Around here, you see, we don’t get the opportunity often, as we’re either clipping bolts or sinking the occasional cam, so this was going to be a nice change.
The Future of Bolting
In the not-so-distant future, it’s unlikely that climber’s will enjoy the freedoms we currently have when it comes to establishing routes. For a long time we’ve flown under the radar as a self policing community that, aside from a few high profile spats, has proven it can manage itself in a responsible fashion. As the sport continues to grow, however, and more people are putting up new routes, we are coming under increasing scrutiny from land managers. This will inevitably lead to tighter rules and regulations, especially when it comes to the ever controversial bolt.
Popular Climbing Areas Without Guidebooks
The recent warm weather has turned my thoughts to summer climbing trips, and one of the areas I’d like to get back to is Maple Canyon, in Utah. This is one of my favorite sport crags, where the funky cobbles, modern bolting, and unique setting all contribute to a great overall experience. Of course, one of the hassles with visiting Maple is that there is no current guidebook. The last edition is long out of print, though apparently a new book has been in the works for quite some time.
What I Learned About Climbing from a Puzzle
This week I spent four days guiding a backcountry hut trip outside Aspen, and while there, I started a 500 piece puzzle that was among the collection of games visitors have donated over the years. The picture was a beautiful shot of Mt Everest, and it seemed like a good way to pass the downtime [...]
Testing, Testing 1,2,3
Over the next couple of days you might see the site template shift back and forth. We’re working on launching a complete redesign, including the other half of the site which currently isn’t run on WordPress. Bear with us, and please feel free to leave comments here with any feedback. Thanks for your patience!
Happy New Year!
Hope everyone had a great New Year! We spent the last day of 2009 driving (which seemed fitting in a year that was defined by travel for us) and the first day of 2010 we climbed on the brilliant red stone of Red Rocks. Here’s to a healthy and fun 2010!
Vail & Redstone Ice Featured in North Face Athlete Videos
It’s mid winter, might as well keep the ice climbing stoke going! The North Face just released two new videos profiling their athletes Emily Harrington and Sam Elias, with some sweet footage shot at Vail and Redstone. It’s also cool to get some insight into how each of them approaches the sport, as they are [...]
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