Rockclimbing: An introduction/re-introduction

An introduction to rockclimbing:




Well in my humble opinion, rock climbing is the coolest sport in the world. Not only for its hair raising stunts that you sometimes have to pull to make an ascent but also for the commeradary, the time spent outside and the fact that its all about problem solving. Unlike running or cycling (sports for which I also enjoy), climbing involves more mental stamina than any other sport I've ever encountered. Long story short......it is one massive mind game.





I started climbing as a kid not for the reasons mentioned above but for the simple fact that my mom made me take rock climbing lessons after she found me dangling 50ft up a tree in my backyard when I was 7yrs old. I don't think she knew it would become a lifelong obsession of mine from then on in. In fact, I think I can attribute the cause of a number of grey hairs on my parents heads to my very "interest" and hair raising adventures as a teenager.


In the past 20yrs, I have taught many people to climb and it has taken me to some very beautiful places in BC. I spent much of my time in high school and university mountaineering in the coast mountains. When I was in grade 11, I reached my peak when I climbed a route in Squamish called Hot Cherry Bendover. This route was graded as a 5.13a at the time. The route has since disappeared and so has my ability. You see when I was in grade 11, I was 130lbs and was only about 6% body fat. I have now been articling at large accounting firm in Vancouver for the last two years and until January 2008, I hadn't been climbing for about 3 years and haven't seriously climbed for about the last 8 years.


On to a re-introduction to climbing:


I found myself this last Christmas about 20lbs overweight and spending so much time in the office that I had put on 4 inches around my waist in the previous 6 months. It is for this reason that I cant climb a 5.13 anymore......and I don't have any plans on trying any time soon.

• Still, January rolled around and I decided that my Christmas present to myself was going to be an annual pass to my local climbing gym. This was also part of my token new years resolution to get fit again and included in my newly resolved passions was my fiance.
  
  Now she had been climbing once before and the minute I found out that she knew how to belay, I dragged her down to the gym to get her belay test. So my checklist was shaping up fairly well for coming back to the sport after so many years.
• -Belay Betty......Check

-Unlimited climbing even during rainy days.......got it

-Buying my fiance new climbing gear........oh crap

Well, a few hundred dollars later, both me and my better half were set for gym climbing and I had gotten rid of my awesome first generation Arc-Tyrex pink climbing harness (look closely at the pictures. It's hard to pull off awesome moves when everyone is focused on your hot pink harness). The only thing left now was to get strong for the summer climbing season and save our money for enough gear to be able to get out and climb as much as we can.

So join me as I chronicle my climbing trips both big and small and the adventures and successes that come out of them.