Borrowed Time

Us Tor climbers are climbing on borrowed time. It's February, and the rock isn't seeping yet—which it should be by now. As such, conditions were once again great. Elijah looked fit on Atreyu, even though no, he didn't redpoint. He did, however, one-hang Better Than Life, which is no slouch of an effort, especially after not climbing on it for a handful of months. Micah and Bridget also came, as well as Bridget's dog, Bosco, who decided very early in the day that his nose was bound for my crotch. If I wasn't on the wall, or being lowered, I spent my time doubled over, hands defending my nether-regions. I'm sure the pleasure was all yours, Bosco. Maybe next time we can get to know each other first.

Adding some entertainment to the day, a slew of SLO climbers descended on the Tor. Per our usual experience with SLO folk, bizarre and unaccountable activities were observed. We witnessed no less than FIVE ground-scraping or ground-smacking lead falls, as well as several very, very near misses (One guy almost fell with the rope twisted around his neck. Go figure.). Still, they were all nice guys, and besides the safety-poster scenarios, the shredding index was low.

I had my best day ever at the Tor (I know, I said that last week). I redpointed five different routes, and projected The Old Pro Skill (5.12d+). That climb rankles the best of us. I've even heard it rated 5.12d/5.13c (thanks, Bob). Whatever. It's still a great route, and I took some rather sizable whippers off the top. I'm going to have to earn every bit of that route.

Here's the rundown:

The Power of Eating, 5.11d: redpoint
Auto Magic, 5.12a: redpoint
When the Sea Doesn't Want You, 5.12a: redpoint
Hell of the Upside Down Sinners, 5.12b: redpoint
The Natural, 5.12c: redpoint
The Old Pro Skill: clean to the last bolt, then... I got tired?






We're climbing on borrowed time

Thank you Tor, may I have another...

It's not often that the Tor and one's body feel good at the same time. We've all done it: cranked hard during the week, buit up expectations, fostered redpoint hope, and then utterly FAILED at the Tor. And then there are those days where you feel so awful on the drive to Santa Maria that you almost ask Phil to drop you off at In-N-Out so you can whither away the day pounding Animal Style fries. This last Saturday began somewhere in between "blah" and "great". Justin and I arrived at the Tor ahead of Phil and the crew, and we tried to warm up on Power, which was particularly cold after 34 degree temps the night before. The jugs after the ledge were ice-cubes, and I almost fell off the top because my fingers wouldn't kick-start. But as the day progressed, the air grew warmer, and VOILA, perfect conditions: cold rock, warm ambient air temps.

Thus, I redpointed not one, but TWO of my projects, in addition to running 8 laps over the length of the day.

No Skill (5.12c) went down on my third try, and The Natural (5.12c) took two attempts. Thank you, Tor, for not smiting my ruin upon the hillside that day. If anyone knows the proper Tor-oblation, I will gladly oblige.

Here's the rundown of this all-too-rare day:

Power of Eating (5.11d): redpoint
Auto-Magic (5.12a): redpoint
No Skill (5.12c): redpoint
The Natural (5.12c): redpoint
Hell of the Upside Down Sinners (5.12b): 1-hang

Campusing: the purest form of climbing (so says Phil Requist)

It's been a wee while since I last posted. A bought of sickness and slough of work interfered with recreational blogging. However, no news isn't necessarily bad news, and I've had a fun—if not ostensibly productive—couple of climbing weeks. In several trips to the Tor this month, I've gotten on The Natural (5.12c), No Skill (5.12c), and Chips Ahoy (5.12d)—all of which are well within redpoint range. It feels well nigh productive to get on "hard" routes like these and to not flail my way to the top. I at least two-hung all three routes, and could realistically redpoint The Natural and No Skill this weekend. I'm not optimistic about Chips, however, because that route defies all human hope. And it clubs baby seals in its spare time.

In other news, I'm campusing quite a bit, along with Phil and Elijah. I love it; it's so simple, dynamic, and focused. I'm training per suggestions from Mr. British himself, Ben Moon. His website is a treasure trove of training tips and there are ample testimonies from the pasty, freckled English lads who have benefited from those tips. I am drinking black tea and eating a steady diet of scones with the hopes that I can do 1-4-7 on the campus rungs next week.

Every day is Christmas at the Tor

Yeah, it was just a typical Saturday for me on the Central Coast: Jack Johnson himself called me to see what was up, so I gathered some hip, young, earth-loving-funky-dread-wearing-bongo-playing college students and we all grooved out at Jack's place. During the introspective bonfire portion of the evening, Jack and I jammed out on the guitar and Uke, and MTV recorded our live session for posterity. It will appear on television next month. Purdy sweet.

I'm lying, of course.

But I DID see Jack Johnson in front of California Pizza Kitchen with his kids. I didn't talk to him. I think he would have been pissed.

Oh and I also redpointed Hell of the Upside Down Sinners (5.12b) at the Owl Tor. I took me about 4 or 5 days of effort to tick this thing. While not a true epic, Hell was certainly a project, and I fell on THE LAST MOVE more than a few times. Of all the routes I've done at the Tor, Hell has the biggest holds you're likely to fall off of. Justin and Phil also had good days, and Justin pitched off the last throw on Power about 3 or 4 times in a row. Next time, Justin.

The Crag That Time Forgot (or The Crag That Most Santa Barbara Climbers Forgot)

As an appurtenance to climbing at the Tor on Saturday, Micah, Elijah and I often climb somewhere locally on Sunday. Sometimes it's for gits and shiggles, and at other times it's serious cragging. On this particular day, I was amped to be at Green Dome. If you've never been there before, you should check it out for its remote location, interesting rock, and RAD steep routes. The easier climbs don't stimulate the imagination very much, but the steeper stuff is really pretty inspiring, especially for the area. We got on Monsters in the Maze (5.12b), a technical, crimpy, and consistently strenuous journey up a beautiful green-blue wall. The location? Amazing. You feel like you're, well, not in Santa Barbara.

I tried to onsight Monsters in the Maze, and managed to climb into the crux without falling. After that, I pitched. Because of the sharp nature of the rock, each successive attempt worked me. You don't get too many go's at Green Dome before your skin catches up with you. As such, I didn't redpoint, but I got real close. Next time.

Here's me climbing through the crux on my onsight attempt.

Torday

Last weekend, I went to the Tor. I fell on the very, very last move of Hell of the Upside Down Sinners (5.12b), but redpointed Anchor Punch (5.12a) yet again, Auto Magic (5.12a) twice, and Power of Eating (5.11d) for the umpteenth time. Slowly but surely, I'm building my fitness by working through the 5.12 jungle at the Owl Tor. Every week I get slaughtered, but whatever doesn't kill you at the Tor makes you... well, you know. In any case, fun was had by all. Elijah got on Atreyu, which he named partly because he likes the Neverending Story, and partly because he knows Phil will think the name is absurd. Micah, back from his travels in Greece, has been reacquainting himself with the Tor over the last month, and is pulling hard as usual.

Per the picture: no, my stomach is not reacting to my breakfast of coffee and Kefir.

The Tea Fire

Most of Montecito, including the grounds of Westmont College, are currently burning. A surprise wildfire, fueled by sundowner winds, swept down the mountainside into the heart of Montecito, and at last count over eighty homes succumbed to the fires. It's bad. A bunch of my friends just lost their homes.

Here's to the shittiest birthday I've ever had.