Spence

He said two cams popped... The cams were not clipped directly to the rope. He had standard long alpine slings on them. ...the cam that held him was at his knee when he fell The math doesn't add up here and conflicts with the belayer's recollection of events which indicated a fall higher on the route well above the two pieces off the belay which stayed put. I'd like to know how you can place two cams with shoulder length slings and a third cam at your knee and generate enough to blow two pieces? When you blow two pieces you can add up mileage fast and on this climb there are definitely some things to hit on the way down. The belayer kept her hand on the rope and reacted the best she could. I saw the belayer's hands and they were not in particularly bad shape. First hand accounts from people involved in a traumatic events are sometimes unreliable. It's climbing and things happen even with experienced climbers. People who study accidents usually identify a chain smaller errors that add up. If you climb long enough you have most likely been in on of these situations. Fortunately most people get away with it. In the end both parties were fortunate and injuries will heal. It is good that the climber was wearing a helmet and the belayer made the catch. Wishing the climber a speedy recovery.

This has been discussed at length on many forums. Here is a link to info on BD's testing and development of the C4 sling configuration: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/all/qc-labreslinging-camalots-and-c3s Similar results were found while DMM was developing their Dragon cam. You can draw your own conclusions. -Ryan

Well I built a Swedish wall on Sunday along with a few climber oriented modifications. I'm excited to put it to use. It will be interesting to see if it is popular. Who couldn't use a bit more core strength and flexibility. -Ryan

We have the official page up and running now with some more photos and some of the specs on the different features: Vertical Club Tacoma It is hard to get an idea of scale from photos but the features are big. To give you an idea the 70 degree wall is about the same angle as the steep flat wall in the upstairs area at Stone Gardens only it is significantly longer and ends with an 8' headwall. It truly is a beast! The "The Shield" and the "Headwall" are 16' tall with the "Font" and Corner Boulders reaching 14'. We should have more photos posted shortly. As a side note the beam that intersects the wall between the "Shield" and "The Headwall" will be removed. We begin paneling the walls this week so things will be really moving from here on out. -Ryan

I am planning on putting one in the new Tacoma gym. Maybe it will catch on. They are great for building core strength and training flexibility. You only really see them in Gymnastic and dance facilities in the US but they are catching on with the Crossfit crowd. They have been around since the 1800s. This is possibly my favorite photo of an old school gym from www.oldtimestrongman.com: [img:left]http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/images4/classic_gym.gif[/img] Looks like a crossfit studio to me. All things old eventually become new again. -Ryan

With Edgeworks(30+ walls) in Tacoma as well as VW Bremerton (40' walls) just down the road I think south sound is well covered. I can certainly understand if you don't think a bouldering gym serves your needs. If you feel that Edgeworks is not meeting your needs as far as roped climbing I suggest talking to them. They have a great staff and talented routesetters that care about providing the best experience possible. My wife and I climb there often and really enjoy it. I admit that I am not that familiar with the Olympia market but there definitely isn't a large enough market to support two full featured gyms in Tacoma. The Bouldering concept compliments what is here and allows us to put the gym in a great location that will serve a lot of people. The bouldering at the VC Tacoma will be different than a lot of places with lots of longer problems in the 20-30+ range. Training for longer routes won't be a problem. We will also have a lot of circuits geared towards route climbers. I think there is a misconception that bouldering gyms only serve boulderers. I am almost exclusively a route climber outdoors and trad routes at that and I have found that a properly laid out bouldering facility is a great way to progress in the outdoors. You never know but you might be pleasantly surprised. The south sound climbing scene is stronger and has more options now than ever. If you want to see bigger gyms then the best option is to help grow the market to support them. Don't forget that Seattle is one of the strongest gym markets in the entire country and hundreds of gyms across the country have closed their doors over the past few years. In the end the best gym is the one that can afford to stay open. The south sound gym scene may not be perfect in your eyes but it has come a long way my eyes. When I built the climbing facility at the University of Puget Sound in 1996 the only option around was Spire rock. I hope you find what you are looking for. If you find a group of investors I would be happy to build the gym of your dreams in your town. -Ryan

I saw the earlier post on our project and thought I would respond here in the Gym forum. We have been working hard on the new gym and while we are working on the official Tacoma page @ www.verticalworld.com I thought some of you might be interested in a quick preview. The design includes nearly 5000 sq ft of bouldering terrain. The layout is very open and the front room has large windows that look out to downtown. The walls have open flowing contours that will accommodate long boulder problems. The bouldering will go to 16' and there will be a section of cracks ranging from fingers to hands. I believe the design will add a new dimension to indoor climbing in the NW and I look forward to meeting many of you in Tacoma. -Ryan Spence [img:left]http://www.flashbackscuba.com/The%20Vertical%20Club%20Tacoma/The%20Vertical%20Club%20Tacoma-Images/0.jpg[/img] [img:left]http://www.flashbackscuba.com/The%20Vertical%20Club%20Tacoma/The%20Vertical%20Club%20Tacoma-Images/2.jpg[/img]

Hint: it's by a lake

Andy Fitz just posted on new route development at Tieton over at the Edgeworks board: http://www.edgeworks-climbing.com/cgi/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1243004157 Hope this helps. -Ryan

Nothing against climbing at Edgeworks. Great gym with friendly staff and good route setting. Andy Davis is one of the best setters around, and I have worked with some of the best in the country. I enjoy climbing there. I even helped Edgeworks with there new training board that is in the works. And you are right about finding partners and having a good time. I like gyms in general and I have been designing and building them for over a decade. But RuMR is right nothing beats a woody for getting strong in a short amount of time. I have limited time and I can get a very efficient workout in my home gym in the least amount of time with the least amount of distractions. It is also easy to fine tune the setting to meet my training needs. I also shape holds for e-Grips and I need a place to test the latest goods. I believe it is always a good Idea to utilize all local resources indoors and out. I teach climbing at the University of Puget Sound and have climbed at Spire more times than I can remember. I also climb in the Vertical World Gyms and at Stone Gardens. But one thing is for sure it's all just training for the real thing! See you around.

I don't think he graduated from UPS. You my be thinking on me, Ryan Spence 99. My condolences to all family & friends. -Ryan

Bump

I am reaching back a few years I know, but I am looking for a set of Straight-Up Yaniro Power Holds & Hang Board. I know someone around here has a set of these classics. Here are a couple of photos to jog your memory. Thanks -Ryan

Here you go http://cgi.ebay.com/Dirty-Daves-Knee-Pads-4-Caving-Rappeling-Rock-Climbing_W0QQitemZ380047864346QQihZ025QQcategoryZ101685QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem -Ryan

Yeah it would be a bit of a drive from Seattle. I do remember driving to Seattle to hit the gym back in the day. If you Seattle guys get one going let me know and I would be happy to lend a hand. You could always move to T-town, The City of Destiny. Discover the magic I did forget to list Cousteau's weightbelt as an asset Hayduke, if you get the bug let me know. We could definitely put that garage to good use. You would have to try not to climb 5.12 -Ryan