You may not have noticed but I haven’t been on a lead route in more than a year. I’ve also never captured a clean climb on a lead route, ever! The sadness ends today with this 5.8 route at evo Rock + Fitness in Portland, aptly named ‘Rub the Belly.’
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The last time I climbed this route, I was winding down and wasn’t able to climb it clean. This time around, I made it clean, but also realized again at top out that I was not only on the wrong rope, but the rope was also twisted.
This is the same route from below climbed a while ago but this time around I’m climbing for a lead test.
Okay, so I have to be honest, I may have cheated a bit here. You might not see it but let me explain.
Lately I’ve been pulling out footage from the vault of unedited clips. Well here is one from the present. Read more
Dug up another gem from the archive. This one is a 5.10 from March of 2015 at the newly minted evo ROCK + FITNESS in Portland, Maine.
I just started climbing with a new friend that is a few inches shorter than me.
Contrary to the name of the route. This route was totally for us. I’ve climbed it a few times but the great thing that I like about this route is that I almost always forget the ideal path and have to figure out the middle fresh. Read more
This is normally an easy warm-up route but it is a bit more work in the dark finding your feet. It was the first time I’ve been able to climb a wall in the dark. I was at Maine Rock Gym for one but was only bouldering back then. Then I was at EVO Concord for one but was working on a time-lapse for a promo video. So, this is the first real climbing in the dark. I have the auto belay to thank since my partner couldn’t make it.
Podcast: Download (106.1MB)
It has been more than a long time since I have been climbing and about as long since I posted a video.
I was surprised to see the long gap in the podcast episodes so I’ve been digging around in the vault to bring out some unedited climbs. Here is a blast from the past, a clip featuring my former anchor Brandon. Here we are climbing what looks like a 5.8 pink route back in March ’15.
Podcast: Download (305.0MB)
There is a new rock gym opening soon in Portland in Partnership with the Maine Rock Gym in Portland and evo ROCK + FITNESS of New Hampshire. Read more
My wife and I just returned home after watching ReelRock 9: Valley Uprising at the Portland Stage company. Not only did we see a wonderfully made feature-length documentary about the rise of rock climbing counter filter in Yosemite during the 1950’s to present, but we also won some cliff bars at the raffle that followed the screening! This film was (for a rookie climber) a crash course in the last 60 years of climbing culture. It is a definite must watch for everyone to see the progression of the sport and to be inspired by the human condition.