layton

Whip Sterling

Am I too young to play? Here's me in 1994, my 1st climbing trip ever-Devil's Lake, WI. I didn't climb for 5 more years after this. And to FREAK Jordop out, here he is with his boyhood dog, Flopsy. Yes, Jordop, I'm watching....

Yes....BUT 1st you have to ease into them, 2nd it won't work for everyone. Some people just need orthotics and or super-supportive shoes. It's worth a try, but like I said...ease into it. If your foot is a wobbly flat disaster, you could hurt yourself. Achy feet are ok, but inversion sprains and fractures are not. If I had foot, leg, hip, or back problems and already have been helped by orthotics, I wouldn't bother with these. But if nothing seemed to help or fix the problem, I'd try this: -write the alphabet with your big toe...gradually add ankle weights. -try to active mold you foot into an arch. start by passively forcing you foot into this position, and work your way up to being able to do it while weight bearing. this is called the "short foot" exercise -do a 1-leg stand, then close eyes...all the while doing the "short foot". Progress to a rocker, then a wobble board-eyes open, then closed. -with your heel on the ground, sitting in a chair, curl your toes. Put a towel on the ground and curl it up...then spread it back out. Add challenge by putting a weight on the end of a towel. -Stretch your big toe out (abduction) by pulling towards your other foot on your big toe, and adding counter resistance by pressing in the other way on the head of your 1st metatarsal (the base of your big toe). -Grab things like golf balls with your feet. -strengthen your tibialis anterior muscle. Place your toes under a dumbell or weight, and lift your foot up. This should burn. -Stretch your calfs. Stand on the edge of the stairs facing uphill and drop your heel down. -Likewise, hold some weights and stand at the edge of the stairs as mentioned above, and SLOWLY lower yourself down. -walk around the house barefoot. progress to walking outside in a safe (no glass!) environment barefoot. If you can do ALL these exercises, you will not only fix a lot of foot,hip,leg,knee,back issues, you'll be a ninja master. Remember, this is what I would do. I can't recommend these exercises to ANYONE.

Band-aid brand makes an over the counter version you should check out. My problem is that I put a tube in my chalk bag, and by the time I need it, it's already ruined.

Make sure you get a GOOD, certified personal trainer, PT, or chiropractor not some 24 hour fitness employee. If nothing else, a good pilates video is a start. Just don't overdo it.

The tension of the muscles and ligaments are what build your arch. Wearing arch supports won't force your foot to strengthen. By wearing correct footwear, you're muscles are forced to work. No one ever says, I just ran a bunch and why do my legs hurt. Duh' it's because you worked your legs and they weren't used to it. But for some reason, this isn't so with the feet. It's part of the training process for your intrinsic foot muscles.

yeah, no kidding. that photo is so damn funny

There are some awesome shots in this contest. But I think there are some really bad ones too, I don't wan't to point out which ones out of respect, but come on!

working as a cum sweep in Parumph?

Awesome! 90% of the features on even the most technical running shoes are purely fashion...fashion that screws up your foot. We're not supposed to have arch support, elevated heels, toe springs, and narrow toeboxs. A flat, wide shoes with the toe box being the widest part is the best possible shoe. A pair of chuck taylors with a padded insole is better than anything nike currently makes.

NITRO!

Plumbline, Castle Dome NF and EF are really fun...especially plumbline.

I wouldn't be hooking anything electrical to my back when the spinal cord is more exposed! As for the spondy, is it stable? That is, is there slippage during a flexion/extension or compression/distraction x-ray? If not, then I don't think either are the direct cause of back pain. Same goes with spondy's as with herniations, lots of folks w/o pain, if xrayed, would show a spondy...some so bad the whole of L5 slipped off past the sacrum (spondyloptosis). Lumbar core stabilization exercises would be your best bet to help with the instability.

interferrential (sp?) current. It acts as a nerve block via opiate and gate control mechanisms. It also fatigues the muscles in spasm. A few hundred bucks for a cheap one. There are many different types of electrotherapy, from TENS to mircocurrent, IFC, high volt, low volt-galvanic, russian current, biphasic, etc. You really need to have background in these things to own and operate it. You can really hurt yourself and others with it. Plus there are many settings for each type of electric current. Plenty of contraindications. I highly recommend not buying one yourself.

i agree w/kevbone. Friday night in san fransico is the best guitar album of all time.

dude the vast majority of climbers anywhere are gumbies. this website just makes us famous for it.

E rocking it desert style. Is this it for our high mountain schwackin' hyjinx? Hell, I wouldn't come back! Way to get what ya need!

Trip: Red Rocks, NV - Inti Wantana, Mt. Wilson Date: 4/5/2007 Trip Report: Jay and I climbed Inti Wantana, a mixed sport and trad route up to p15 of resolution arete on Mt. Wilson. It's 12 pitches, crux being 10d, but mostly 5.9 climbing. The "Res" is a much more satisfying route, but Inti Wantana is much better climbing. In fact, it's one of the best rock climbs I've ever done. The 10d varnish pitch is fun as hell. The 5.9 cracks and face are steep, solid and a total blast. There's a couple awesome roofs to pull, and the exposure and views cannot be beat! There's a 5.9 bolt pitch that could be the funnest pitch I've been on. 150' of vertical petina, all holds positive, plenty of bolts but not too closely spaces, and the exposure is mind blowing. 10/10 star pitch 9/10 star route. The approach only takes 1.5-2.0 hours, and it's a rap-off...which in red rocks sucks. I had to re-lead a pitch and down-climb cuz I figured the rope would just get stuck again. Some other beta for other routes. Windy Peak Routes: don't bring a rental car on the road. We got stuck in the sand traps and had to get towed out. Cost us a 1/2 day. Cartwright Corner: Definately not a 5 star route. A couple of terrifying pitches. An AMGA guide fell of the crux pitch (scary!) and broke his ankles. The routefinding is really challenging and we didn't do the last "4th class" pitch to the top since above us was a 8" overhanging offwidth. Still no clue if we were actually on route. Roxanna's and Todd's bullshit topo is way fucked. It is not a continuous corner system. One rope can get you off, but it sucks. Y2k: fun climbing, but the last pitch is a rope drag monster and the ropes get seriously fucked on the rapell since it traverses a lot over horns and cracks. Not reccomended. Next Century: The 10d 2nd pitch is fucking awesome, but really really heady lead. Trust that there will be pro even when you can't see shit. Bring doubles on black and blue aliens (a black protects the 2nd crux!). Left Out: Fun, steep and pumpy, just like the guidebooks says. Chicken Eruptus: Very heady lead, and a hard 10b near the 3 bolts. NO ANCHOR. BRING EXTRA GEAR. I didn't and it got fucked up. Inti Wantana:

Just abused them for 5 days in Red Rocks, and they held up great, hiked great, and climbed great.

To confuse you, Kat, there is also S.O.T. (sacral-occiptial) therapy. Don't know if it's the same thing. Maybe they do it backwards?

Mathew, here's why we all suck. Most of us who ice climb get like 1 trip a year and wind up leading WI5 after we've warmed up. Then we wait 11 months to go again and wind up where we started. Happens to me every fucking year. Then there are those who just are comfortable leading harder than 2s, 3s, or 4s. It's not because they physically can't. It's funny. There are a few climbers who just don't have "the fear" when doing shit like ice-leading or run-out alpine. Like their internal survival desire isn't as strong as the regular population. You're obviously one of them, and it's hard to understand why others don't think like you do. If I wasn't afraid of falling b/c of the random chance of the ice failing under my picks or getting too pumped while placing a suspect screw, I'm sure I'd be leading WI7 after only a few days on the ice.

It may be what you want, Kat. It's super light touch therapy. I don't know who's good though. Google it and seattle. Massage therapists and chiros do it mostly.

Here's the trick about the surgery: After the initial pain from having surgery wears off, lots of people have relief....for a while. Then the back pain comes back and they are back to square one. Finally, the pain gradually goes away. Research has found that in the long run (2-8 years) that adjunct therapy with exercise provides the same long term results as surgery. Of course there are those who are "fixed" by one trip to the chiro, and those that are "fixed" by getting their surgery. Even things like if you have a job or not (no matter how happy you are), if you smoke, and how much education you have seem to effect the outcome of low back pain. Back pain is f'd up! So after I wrote my 1st post I was in screamin' pain. I hooked myself up to a IFC machine and CRANKED it way above what I would a patient, and hung out for about 20 minutes! Of course I'd never do that to a patient, I was just experimenting on myself. After I turned off the machine, all I could feel was the phantom tingle from the electrodes (I didn't burn myself if you were wondering). I knew that my back was finally loose as could be so I grabbed someone in the hallway and had them crack the crap out of my back and pelvis. By the end of my self-treatment, I went from a 8/10 pain to 1/10 pain and 7 hours later still feel pretty darn good (1/10).

Kat, some people swear by it, some think it's complete b.s. It's up to you to decide for yourself. It's relaxing at the very least. It's based upon the concept that the healer can feel a CSF (spinal/brain fluid) pulse and that the bones of the skull aren't fused, but able to move and be changed position. There's no way to really prove or disprove their theory which leaves them exposed to severe criticism, but provides a shield for their theory at the same time. I do know that there are thousands of awesome success stories that people have only been helped by this technique. So, like I said...it's really up to you. Personally, if I thought I needed it, I'd swallow my skepticism and try it.

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