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mmeyers

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Posts posted by mmeyers

    Bouldering is over

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    there are a lot of easily accessible options these days for training plans, if that's what you're looking for.  powercompanyclimbing.com, latticetraining.com, trainingbeta.com, and more.

    If you only have access to a hangboard, there are many protocols to use.  I prefer the simplicity of Steve Bechtel's stuff (climbstrong.com) and his Hangboard Manual is pretty accessible imo, but there's also the Anderson's Rock Climbing Training Manual and Horst's Training For Climbing.  A science-y explanation of when to use what sort of protocol can be found in Eva Lopez's site (http://en-eva-lopez.blogspot.com/). 

    as for hangboards, that outdoorsly list is good.  wood is nicer on your fingers if you're going to use it a lot.

    If you're looking for more overall fitness, not just finger/forearms for technical rock climbing, then check out some of the plans at https://mtntactical.com/.

    Alpine Dads wanted

    in Climbing Partners

    Posted

    I could have written this post.  I *should* have written this post years ago.  I'm 45 too, and I have a little more time than I used to, as my kids are older, but yeah, I really appreciate climbing with other parents (no offense to my other non-parent partners that read this - I swear I love y'all!).  

    Hit me up if you're looking for a partner sometime.

    cheers.

    Mountain Hardwear Direkt 2

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    I have one and have used it twice, early spring conditions (ie, lots of snow on the ground, temps below freezing), but there was no active precip. As you would expect, condensation can be an issue, as it has minimal ventilation.

    I wish I had the vestibule.

    Having also spent time in a BD FirstLight, I'd say that it's almost the same thing. except red.

    Slesse Access FYI

    in British Columbia/Canada

    Posted · Edited by mmeyers

    With the above average snowfall, cool and somewhat wet conditions the pnw is experiencing I bet the pocket will be there for most of the summer.

     

    Interesting. I had speculated the opposite, since the high snow accumulation was higher than the glacier, and it was a really warm spring. As it's been a little more wet lately, I figured that would help it slide off. (but what I lack in experience I make up for in wild speculation and theory, so there's that).

    Knee pain on descent

    in Fitness and Nutrition Forum

    Posted

    Don't know your history. asking for medical advice on the web, you get what you pay for. ymmv. etc etc.

     

    some things you want to learn about knee pain:

    1) often, knee pain comes from pelvis misalignment. I've been told that IT band issues can also arise as a result of pelvis misalgnment (I don't have IT band problems so can't comment on the veracity of that)

    2) there is a proper knee alignment that lots of people don't use, and if you're lifting weights you'll screw your knee up really quickly if you're not doing it correctly.

    1) + 2) means that posture and alignment are everything!

    3) there are some stabilizer muscles that keep your knee in alignment.

     

    I highly suggest you see someone professional (or multiple professionals) about your pain, and to discuss your posture and positioning. they might be able to point you at some exercises to keep you aligned so you don't injure yourself more.

     

    M

    ice climbing MLK weekend

    in Climbing Partners

    Posted

    I'm looking for a partner for ice climbing over MLK weekend. My partner had to bail. We had planned to go to Hyalite, with the intent of getting as much mileage as possible, ie I'm relatively inexperienced but competent and safe. Open to going almost anywhere (Lillooet, etc).

    I can drive (or fly depending on distance/cost), I have the gear and the time, looking for a partner (or 2 or 10). Anybody interested? Happy to belay lots.

    [TR] Snow Creek Wall - Outer Space -- LOOSE FLAKE on traverse pitch! 9/22/2015

    in Alpine Lakes

    Posted

    Trip: Snow Creek Wall - Outer Space -- LOOSE FLAKE on traverse pitch!

     

    Date: 9/22/2015

     

    Trip Report:

    I'm posting this as a warning, and in case someone more experienced than me might be able to check it out and determine if action needs to be taken.

     

    This was my first time up Outer Space. Leading, I noted that one flake/block near the end of the traverse pitch, right before you move up to the belay, was flexing a little. It had plenty of chalk on it, so clearly it's being used. I skipped it and moved along.

     

    My partner, who has climbed the route numerous times, also noted that it was loose, and said that it has never moved on him before.

     

    It seems to me to be a potential safety issue, especially since there are so many inexperienced climbers on the route. I'm not equipped to assess the safety of it, nor do anything to fix/remove it - hopefully someone else can determine if it's really a problem.

     

    Be safe out there!

    Tips for Improving Speed?

    in Fitness and Nutrition Forum

    Posted

    I moved here after living along the gulf coast for most of my life. So I know being a flat-lander. I thought I was in good shape - hahaha. I also have a 9-5+, and 2 kids, and my wife works, and thusly limited time stuck in town.

     

    Your goal is to be able to move at a faster pace, but stay in your aerobic zone so you can extend your duration. You also want to be able to jump into an anaerobic zone to move faster, but you don't want to be in that zone too much or you will be trashed.

     

    Being a flatlander most likely means that you haven't trained the climbing muscles in your lower body to endure that. So, that's where you need to start. Training on flat ground doesn't do squat in the mountains, imo.

     

    There's lots of info online for gaining endurance. Read up about building your aerobic base. there's lots of good info in the cycling world - this stuff is very well developed for road racing. "training for the new alpinism" has some good info and explanations, but imo the audience for that book is people not doing the 9-5 in the city, so I don't recommend the training plans per se. Whatever you do, the key is to use the muscles you use for climbing.

     

    The following is what I think works as a *starting* point. YMMV. It took me years before I started seeing real results:

    Without the time to get outside, what has worked best for me is doing step-ups. 1-2 hours at a time, 2-3x/week, with a pack (yes, it's boring, I watched a lot of movies). (OK, sometimes I'd only do 1 hr 1x/wk. It's really boring.) I used a heart rate monitor to help stay in my aerobic zone, ie below mid zone 2 HR. I'd go at the speed that keeps me near the limit of my aerobic zone. After some time (ie, months), I saw my speed improve a little.

     

    After 4-6 months or so, I started spending time in high zone 2-3 HR (below anaerobic threshold), and went through a sequence of max HR intervals (Tabata-style) running uphill/stairs to supposedly increase VO2 max. Max HR intervals gets diminishing returns pretty quickly, so only 1-2 weeks at at time. Then I go back to mostly zone 1-2, and some zone 2-3.

     

    good luck.

    Solo TR Setups?

    in Climber's Board

    Posted · Edited by mmeyers

    I'm typically trying to work cruxes on overhanging lines: climbing, lowering, climbing, lowering repeatedly on a section. Putting hardware on and off the rope repeatedly while dangling in space seems like a recipe for eventually dropping an expensive device.

     

    I've used a prussik as a backup. It's very cumbersome. If you have a device that can unlock and be used to rap/lower as the top piece you avoid a bunch of extra shenanigans. I use a Cinch. I can lower with the Cinch and Petzl micro, but it may require manually holding the cam open on the micro while the other hand is managing the lowering on the other device. Or remove the micro to lower/rap. I'm still learning best practices and open to suggestions.

     

    For the situation you describe (working a short-ish sequence and want to go up and down the rope numerous time), and also when I'm working a route where there will be more abrasion to the rope when I fall (ie, overhangs), I use 2 strands. One strand has a micro-trax, the other a gri-gri. I generally prefer 2 strands because of the redundancy it allows (ie, though the odds are very low, a rope can fail, etc), but it's especially beneficial when I find it advantageous to be able to weight separate strands to disengage devices (ie, working cruxes).

    M

     

    ----

    In my next post, I'm going to try to use "ie" even more!

    midnight rock approach beta

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Hike to the top of Castle Rock and follow that trail over.

     

     

    from what I could tell, there's only one trail leading up toward midnight rock from the top of Castle Rock, and that's the trail I've taken which led me to the ledge. I didn't see another trail, other than the dead-end spur I think I found. Did i miss something obvious?

     

    midnight rock approach beta

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Can someone give me beta for approaching the lower section and right-side routes of midnight rock. It's reasonable enough to get to Dead end ledge. Is there a lower trail that breaks right that has eluded me? (I did find a spur to the right, but cliffed out) Do/can you approach from the pullout closer to Lworth?

    tia

    Matt

    Car Question

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Would you consider another option entirely?

    I've been in a similar situation for a long time. I finally bit the bullet and bought a 4WD truck. Its +15 years old, +200k miles, and it was cheap. I took my time looking, since I wanted it in good condition.

    So, I kept my small city car, and bought a cheap truck. Overall, it's far less expensive than buying new anything, even if the truck needs a big repair.

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