On January 4, 2015 the Maine Rock Gym closed its doors for the last time. The gym has been open for twenty years and has grown to mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Read more
Tag: Top Rope
5.6 | Scott vs. Arthur on Mirror Mirror (MRG)
This is kind of a cool part of MRG. There are two routes side by side that are just about mirror images of one another.
5.9 | Purple (MRG)
This is the first attempt on a new route and what a fun one it was. It started out with a left lean on one of my least favorite holds. Its three small holds to the first solid jug. Read more
5.8 | Routeless (MRG)
This unmarked route starts a bit tricky but it is smooth sailing all the way to the top after the first two holds. This was as much fun the first time around as it was the second. A great warm up if ever there was one.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:27 — 197.6MB)
5.9b | Purple (MRG)
This route quickly became known as the jerk route. The name fits because it is right next to the white witch route with similar attributes and frustration. It probably took 20 attempts before I “nailed” this one down. Read more
5.7 | Cafe Au Lait (Rumney)
The more I climb outside the more respect I have for outside climbers. It is way harder than it looks and it is a lot harder than climbing in a gym where you can easily spot all your placements. Read more
5.11b | Black (MGR)
Even though this route is likely over rated, I’m still calling it my best ever for the time being. Read more
5.8 | Mickey Mouse (FWL)
Noah, Brandon, and I all raced to Fort Williams from work and made it in before they close at sunset. This was the maiden voyage of our new Camp Tricam Evo cams that we had to wait a week to use. Read more
5.10c | Green (MRG)
This 5.10 is my most difficult climb to date. I practiced the beginning a few times but was never able to get my right hand on the small yellow to time out the rest correctly. The result is a wacky hang change above the transition. I was surprised I made that honestly.
Podcast: Download (287.0MB)
5.9d | White (MRG)
You may have noticed a few videos starring Brandon. Well for weeks now, we’ve had a nickname for this white route. This is a clean show, but lets just say it is five letters and rhymes with ‘the twitch’. Time after time we both tried it and both failed. Usually in the same spot. Last week, this route broke Brandon’s new beaner. Well he has since defeated it, but until today, I hadn’t had a chance to send this mean old bitty.
Podcast: Download (264.0MB)
5.9c | Arthur Page (MRG)
This route is a tough one in the back corner that requires a lot of wall play and lateral movement at the bottom. Once you get up to the transition, it’s a quick grab of a few small chips and then you’re at a solid top hold. For about a week, Read more
5.9d | Arthur Page
This was a bit of a technically tricky clip. I succeeded on the fourth attempt but the beginning part of the video was corrupted so I had to borrow footage of the first three holds from a before failed attempt. You should notice a different belayer at the end from the beginning (Thank you Scott and Brandon). At 975 (5.9+), this is to date the technically most difficult climb that I’ve attempted.
Podcast: Download (305.7MB)
5.4 | Easy as Pudding
This video was shot on Easy as Pudding located on Humpreys Ledge at the Geriatric wall area. This was an easy route once the top rope was established. The only hard part is finding the holds the first time around. All in all it was a good route and a great introduction to outdoor climbing!
Podcast: Download (1.1GB)
5.8 | Marathon (MRN)
This route is one of the best I’ve ever climbed. It was a winding and difficult route spanning a doorway then climbing above it. It snaked back and forth like a river up the wall. I assumed from my initial look that it went straight up but as soon as I placed my hands on the starting point I realized why they call it Marathon. Thank you Metro Rock North for this gem!
Podcast: Download (549.0MB)