What is so cool about first ascents?!? I’ve been pondering this question as I put words to my Forth of July climbing trip. Adventure, first ascents and the going into unknown all require work, frustration and a willingness to fail. It is easy to go to the gym every week or to look at a [...]
It’s no secret that mountain trail running has quickly become a big part of my life over the last year. I know the idea of intentionally running ridiculous distances instead of going rock climbing on a lovely summer weekend in the Sierra is pretty foreign to a lot of climbers. But they are a lot [...]
I have not been climbing a lot outside recently. Between running, a wedding, and school/research work, I haven’t had any weekends where climbing was really an option. The rain hasn’t helped either. But magically, the psych has returned. I’m suddenly feeling strong, confident, and not anxious in the gym again, leading probably just as hard [...]
Labor Day weekend was coming up and it was long past time for a Lizzy and SK adventure. We had been wanting to do a nice long Sierra alpine route together and, after discussing our options, we decided on Clyde Minaret. The Southeast Face of Clyde Minaret (5.8 IV) is one of the 50 Classic [...]
Being a climber in NorCal in the summer is much better than being in SoCal, and this is because we have easier access to alpine climbing in the Sierra. The long days mean lots of daylight in which to climb and it’s great to get out in the cooler, high-elevation air of the Sierra during [...]
As the summer heat reached near record highs two weekends ago I found myself shivering in the cold shade of the Northeast Face of Langley Peak. This summer I have taken a bit more time to explore the Eastern Sierra and this weekend was one of the most adventurous yet. The goal was to establish [...]
Although Luke had already climbed on the Incredible Hulk twice with his friend Konstantin, he wanted to go back with me so I could experience the wild alpine granite and so we could do Positive Vibrations without getting lost. I was a little nervous, but I’ve done some alpine climbing before – in Tuolumne and [...]
Most of the time I think of myself as a sport climber but I really enjoy being high above the ground. Mutli-pitching takes one beautiful places but it is usually reserved for trad climbers. Two weekends ago we indulged and brought only quickdraws and slings while climbing Cathedral Rock at Mt. Charleston. Despite the many [...]
I thought I knew what alpine climbing was about. I thought that Dark Star would be a walk in the park surrounded by hours of hiking. Boy was I wrong!! The description for Dark Star includes around 17 pitches with a bunch of 4th class and only two pitches of 5.10. While the base of [...]
Snow crunched under my feet. Where had I gone, the morning had been brisk but this was the desert. The snow was wet, the temperature was above freezing. I went further up the gully, crawling around and through a hole to surmount the final chockstone. Everything was covered in snow now as I went hand [...]
After serious sport climbing for the past two weekends I needed a bit of break from small crimps and powerful moves. An early afternoon departure on Friday started the long trip to Tuolumne and the High Sierra. Three accidents coupled with Labor Day traffic delayed our arrival until 11:30 pm. Eight hours on the road was a bit [...]
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