Winter Goals and Southern Slopers.
Week One of the first training phase of the season is halfway behind me, and already I'm anxious to get back outside. I've already come very (agonizingly) close to several moves in the gym that I thought I might never do, and am confident that my indoor "season long" projects will fall quicker than expected. Power is the name of the game, and I only now have begun cobbling together a wish list of outdoor problems for the winter.
I don't anticipate being able to make it down into the Dirty South quite as much this year as I did last year, but I can certainly improve the quality of the time I spend there. FOCUS. Most of the moderates are behind me, so I've only the harder things to train my attention on.
Last winter I was able to get in one V9, my first. This year I hope to do two more, and possibly add a V10. The real goal is to know that I'm solid in the V8 range. I've got a crimpy one, a slopey one, a tensiony one, and a big, tall, sketchy friction SLAB. I plan on doing them all. We'll see what time permits...
Here's the wish list, compiled from problems that have caught my eye. Some I only know of via video and word of mouth, but most have made me stop and stare at some point in time. A few I've even logged a little air time on. All of them inspire me:
V7ish
Right Wing
(Stone Fort)
Deception
(Stone Fort)
Sand Blasting Skin
(Laurel Snow)
V8ish
The Orb
(Rocktown)
The Vagina
(Rocktown)
Helicopter Sit
(Rocktown)
Space
(Stone Fort)
V9ish
Riverdance
(Laurel Snow)
Bedwetters
(Stone Fort) (assuming I have enough pads/spotters)
Bionic Rats
(Rocktown)
V10ish
(several to choose from here... gonna have to find what fits me best.)
The Speculum
(Rocktown)
Honeycomb
(Laurel Snow)
Instinct Sit
(Stone Fort)
The White Face
(Stone Fort)
Golden Harvest
(Rocktown) (No, not to send... just to fondle. It's hard for the grade and stunning... future project)
Jason Kehl on the incredible "Golden Harvest"
Scary topout of "Bedwetters".
The tension of "Helicopter".
Perfect Southern Slopers on "The Orb".
The flawless "Instinct".
Jason Kehl using small holds on "The White Face".
And so it begins...
Kris and Nate discuss the new climbing film, Soudain Seul, and lessons from it that we can use in our own climbing.
Lowball boulders, while not as proud, can still teach us new movement, new ways to utilize tension, and force us into finding new techniques.
I never thought I’d be recommending this, but some of y’all should be putting less effort into becoming technically better climbers.
Does kneebarring hard boulders make you stronger? We're conflicted.
Kris and Nate sit down to discuss some of the perks and pitfalls of climbing in today’s modern mega gyms.
Looking for a winter bouldering destination with endless rock, hosting classic problems of every grade? Look no further than Chattanooga.
Who is stronger: sport climbers or boulderers?
100 Boulders and Mango Tango: Kerry Scott gets after it. Consistently.
Hidden in the desert outside El Paso, Texas lies an oasis for boulderers and wildlife alike: Hueco Tanks.
Useful data for coaches and climbers.
Questions from listeners about home climbing walls and spray walls.
A completely subjective list of the objectively best double digit boulders in the US from Eric Jerome.
Improvement comes from challenges, not from the number they are given. If you focus on being challenged and trying hard, then the numbers will follow.
If you’re lacking psych, and have some extra time on your hands (is this all of us***?) here is a curated list of great content to keep you motivated in the coming weeks.
Bouldering is the best training for sport climbing. Or is it?
When we get geographically close to the top of a boulder, we believe that means we're close to the send. Sometimes, yes. But oftentimes, no.
Dark Horse. Climber's Climber. Undercover Crusher. Whatever you want to call it, today's guest Brian Antheunisse may be it.
We live in an age of fast food bouldering. Gym boulders are turned over more frequently than ever before. You can try 2,500 different V7’s on a Moon Board before you have to move on to V8.
We sit down in Hueco Tanks with bouldering pioneer John Sherman to discuss California Condors, his lengthy list of accomplishments, and his most infamous creation: the V scale.
Peter Bonamici is a midwest bouldering legend.
We all like to call climbing an art form, but very few of us take it to the high degree that Jason Kehl does.
A climber since 1994, Kris was a traddie for 12 years before he discovered the gymnastic movement inherent in sport climbing and bouldering. Through dedicated training and practice, he eventually built to ascents of 5.14 and V11.
Kris started Power Company Climbing in 2006 as a place to share training info with his friends, and still specializes in working with full time "regular" folks. He's always available for coaching sessions and training workshops.
This week we're watching In Sequence: Katie Lamb and the Craft of Hard Bouldering from Patagonia Films!