The Gym

I have been going to an indoor gym a few times per week this winter to stay in shape and keep things fresh. When I started climbing in the gym (early winter) I had not climbed since summer and it was a totally new experience because I had also only climbed outside before that. I had never bouldered before and the hardest climb I had done was a 5.9. This past week I did a 5.11 YAY!!!! And I have completed multiple V2 and V2+ boulder problems and am currently working on a V3. I can't wait to see what I accomplish by the time the snow melts and I can climb outside. I hope others are just as pumped to climb also.

Progress

I am so siked I just got a climbing training board for my room from metolius! I am really Bad at pull ups though so I am trying hard to build up my muscles so I use it for longer periods of time than a few pull ups and some dead hangs. Does anyone have any suggestions to quicken up the process of strengthening my arms to do longer workout sessions? or any tips on great workouts?  I have also started climbing at a gym near myself once per week (since that is all I have time for at the moment) and I can't wait for spring when the snow melts to see how much I have improved and maybe that climb I was having trouble with this fall, which I mentioned in my "help I'm out of shape" post, will be easy now. Crossing my fingers to see some improvement!

Free Soloing

Free soloing is a type of climbing without ropes, but don't confuse it with bouldering. In bouldering you climb shorter climbs designed not to need a rope, instead you fall onto crash pads. Free soloing is climbing without a rope on bigger and longer pitches that are designed to use a rope. One of the greatest free soloers in the world and a huge Inspirational figure is Alex Honnold. He free soloed the three biggest rock faces in California Park in less than 24 hrs. He climbed Mount Watkins, El Capitan and Half Dome, a total of about 7,000 vertical feet of rock. He climbed for all but about 500 feet of it, without ropes. Here is the amazing video "Alone on the Wall".

How Climbing is Graded

The Yosemite Decimal Rating System is the current system used to grade climbs in the United States.
Class 5 of the system is where technical rock climbing begins. At this class a rope and protection are also needed to safeguard a fall. The climbs range from 5.0 being the easiest to 5.15b being the hardest. In July 2001 Chris Sharma made the first assent of Realization, the world’s first 5.15, in France. Then on October 15th 2011 Sasha Digiulian climbed the hardest climb by any women "pure imagination" (9a which is a 5.14d).
Below is a video of her assent:
This video really inspired me to believe anyone can accomplish anything when they work hard and put their minds to it.

Olympics

I am so excited that Rock climbing is shortlisted for the 2020 Olympic games!!!!!! YAY. The IOC (international Olympic Comittee) announced that it is 8th on the shortlist. The final Decision about which sport will be included will be announced in 2013.
The Original list had 12 sports on it, but the list was shortened to 8, the sports that were included were: wushu, karate, roller sports, softball, baseball, squash, wakebording, and most importantly rock climbing!
The 4 sports that were droped form the short list were: netball, bowling, surfing, and dancing.

Help I am out of shape!!

I just went climbing this past weekend and there was this one move that I was having a lot of difficulty with. There was a thin inch wide ledge where my right foot was, and my left foot was high up on an even smaller ledge. I was trying to pull myself up to a standing position on my left foot but, I only had two very small holds to grasp.

One hold was a tiny pinch hold that I could grab with my thumb underneath it and my pointer and middle fingers on top of the hold. Then the other one was a slanted slope in the rock face that I had to apply pressure to, for my fingers to grasp the rock.
 I was having a lot of trouble with this move, partly because I am a bit out of shape, having climbed only once since august. My arms and fingers were getting tired fast. Does anyone have any good ways to strengthen fingers and the upper body for rock climbing?

Welcome to my Blog

Welcome to my blog about rock climbing.  I have been outdoor climbing for the past 3 years during my summers. I first got interested in climbing when I was at a camp run by AMC. It was a week long camp with hiking, camping, and 2 days of rockclimbing. I instantly fell in love with climbing after my first climb, which went up a crack, using toe and hand jams.
The following summer I decided to follow my love for the outdoors even more and went to a camp out in colorado run by HMI, I did the high peaks adventure. The camp was mainly focused on backpacking, but there was a day of rock climbing and again I loved the feeling of being up on the rock, you almost feel weightless.
For the past two summers I have been climbing in Acadia national park, and Camden Maine with a guide fron the atlantic climbing school, and it has been the best part of both summers. With ACS I learned my favorite climbing technique, which is a layback. what is yours? I can't think of life without rock climbing, and that is why I chose to do rock climbing for my blog, I hope you enjoy reading.