peter puget, billcoe & the rest of you old farts..

[RuMR]

THIS FREAKIN ROCKS!

[billcoe]

Wow, thats great stuff Rudy. I will note that that dude has more muscles in his left arm than I have in my entire body however.

 

Inspirng.

[Peter_Puget]

Yikes. You wrecked my day. I am about to go climbing - worried about pulling on a 5.8 - and now I see this.

[Doug]

Well, 3 more years till I hit 50. I guess if I start working extra hard. Wait! If I climb 2 5.7's, can I claim a 5.14?

[archenemy]

Who cares? Build muscles like that and you'll be able to do what you want. I got beaucoup respect for people who remain active and outdo youngsters!!!

Big

[plexus]

They should test him to see if he's juiced like a baseball player.

[RuMR]

uhhh....why don't you just lift/put the burger down????

[Dechristo]

I've got similar specs as Chuck and I can crush his f00kin' ass...

 

 

...at scrabble, maybe

[JosephH]

Turn 55 this summer and I'm way happy any time I can just get back to solid trad 10 - anything past that is work / family dependent. Bill and I do have a couple of hard projects planned for this year somewhat harder than that but we'll just have to see how the year goes. None of what we have planned will likely be in the teens range if he and I get up them.

[Dechristo]

I start my 53rd year in less than two weeks. I haven't touched an .11 in three years, but only because I receive greater enjoyment (and solo security) on .10s and under.

[Couloir]

I learn more about this crowd everyday.

[sk]

i turn 35 this summer and all i have to say is YO did you see how ripped he is??? can i have one of those???

 

p.s. that is really inspiring. maybe there is still hope for me

[ken4ord]

Hmm this is funny I just going to post something concerning age and climbing hard. RumR is always going off about climbing 5.12 is not that hard, but I am always left thinking, "what hell is he talking about 5.12 is not hard and anybody can do it???". I have been climbing for 17 years and I never been able to pull a 5.12 and I have only managed a single handful of 5.11's. There has been times of being a climbing bum, and still I never seem to progress further than a few 11's sends.

 

So what gives, am I not driven enough? Hell I work out quite a bit, 3-2 hour long bouldering sessions a week, 2-3 mountain bike rides a week. I feel like that is quite a bit considering I working about 50 hours a week and trying to raise a child. I also know I like good food and good drink, is that is what is holding me back?

 

Am I too old? Well manboy's friend is older than I but obviously in way better shape. Is he one of the few mutants out there? Or can anybody get that strong? It impressive seeing that picture and definitely give me some hope of getting stronger. Ideally, well my dream, when I was younger and new to the sport was to lead 5.12 trad, but I am just not seeing it happen. I have been stuck maxing out in 10 land for so long, sometimes I feel like I would be happy to just hold onto climbing at that level, but still dream that I can get stronger.

[JosephH]

What's your height and weight? For me it's always that or not getting the yardage on routes; but it could also be just wanting it, or even possibly the need of a like minded partner.

[ken4ord]

Definetly my weight hold me back, I am bordering Clydesdale weighing in at 195. Even when I was 15 less I still couldn't break into the 11's fully.

[RuMR]

ken...this may sound heretical, but i'd suggest going and just pounding on a single route that is significantly harder than just something between 11/12...more like a solid 5.12or .12+...pick a route that you can do all of the moves on (or nearly all, and just missing a couple) and beat the thing into the ground...don't climb all of your routes this way, but just one...

 

you will find that a.) yes, you can climb significantly harder than you think and b.) your body will become used to a different "standard" and c.) a mental switch will be made...then, return to a style of trying to flash or get routes done in a couple of tries.

[JosephH]

Ken, I'm 5'11" and have to be in the 170's to climb 11's and mid-160's to climb 12's or better. Been quite awhile since I was climbing 13's.

[archenemy]

Hmm this is funny I just going to post something concerning age and climbing hard. RumR is always going off about climbing 5.12 is not that hard, but I am always left thinking, "what hell is he talking about 5.12 is not hard and anybody can do it???". I have been climbing for 17 years and I never been able to pull a 5.12 and I have only managed a single handful of 5.11's. There has been times of being a climbing bum, and still I never seem to progress further than a few 11's sends.

 

So what gives, am I not driven enough? Hell I work out quite a bit, 3-2 hour long bouldering sessions a week, 2-3 mountain bike rides a week. I feel like that is quite a bit considering I working about 50 hours a week and trying to raise a child. I also know I like good food and good drink, is that is what is holding me back?

 

Am I too old? Well manboy's friend is older than I but obviously in way better shape. Is he one of the few mutants out there? Or can anybody get that strong? It impressive seeing that picture and definitely give me some hope of getting stronger. Ideally, well my dream, when I was younger and new to the sport was to lead 5.12 trad, but I am just not seeing it happen. I have been stuck maxing out in 10 land for so long, sometimes I feel like I would be happy to just hold onto climbing at that level, but still dream that I can get stronger.

I think its possible that some of us just have limits-period. I am not a talented climber. I have a level/grade of climb that I don't think I'll be able to break. I have had this experience in other athletic pursuits that I've focused on for years. At the same time, there are others that I have excelled at and "outdone" other folks who have been at it longer. There just seem to be some things that I am naturally better at than others. I assume that the same may be true for others.

 

But you know that the best climber is the one having the most fun.

 

Frankly, that one isn't me either. But what the hell, it beats watching football.

[AlpineK]

Hmmm. Right now I'm just happy to be getting back to 5.9 at the gym. Even before I hurt myself 5.10 was pretty much my limit; though I'm only counting what I could do on an alpine route. I suppose I could spend more time at the crag, but I only view that as, "training for real climbing." That's just my viewpoint of things. I could see getting to 5.11, but 5.12 seems stouter than I'm ever likely to do.

 

I guess I'm less worked up about grade numbers and more into cool routes on cool peaks.

 

I do have 7 years before I hit 50

Edited April 4, 2007 by AlpineK

[LUCKY]

Not that I could ever climb worth a shit, with a stocky build like mine, I am more suited to mountain climbing, that I was into before the rock climbing thing came into my life at age 40, than when I got close to 50 things started to pull and hurt and now I am over 50.

Not long ago I was watching a thing on TV about the second biggest reason people are seeing the doctor next to the common cold or flue was Boomer ailments people my age or younger over doing it, be it baseball, football climbing or running ect.and it showed a bunch of old wankers like me and the surgerys there were getting. About the same time I was reading an article about a dude over 50 sending 5.14 at rifle, at first I thought there was hope, than the article went on to say how amazing it was after his shoulder surgery.

Now I don't push so hard, I am just glad to be healthy enought to get out and climb and enjoy sending anything and come away not hurt.

My girl friend got busted up a few years ago and has went through several surgerys and will never be back the same and without my sweeties bomber allways there belay it set me back. (thank gods she's back).

Climbing old is not about 5.12 or as Massy used to tell us, boulder to the next level, to me and my sweetie it's about getting out having fun, friends and staying in shape.

Climb smart ,Climb safe, Climb all the time

[Dechristo]

 

I do have 7 years before I hit 50

 

Funny, of course, we all assumed you were older than me when you, Syudla, Crazy JZ, and I met on the King's porch at Bluff Lake, what...almost three years ago?

 

 

[AlpineK]

It's hard to believe it was that long ago.

CrazyJZ...now there's an old dude

[JosephH]

I go back and forth on the fun thing. It was serious in my twenties and then about fun in my thirties and forties, but in my fifties I find I am not done and have things I still want to do so it's been pretty serious this go around...

[ken4ord]

Hey RumR maybe I have to beat to death a route sometime. In the past I have viewed cragging like AK, that it was training for the mountains, though I do really enjoy good cragging days. I always found it hard working a route, mainly because I found it boring mentally and really enjoyed getting mileage in rather pushing myself. Lately though, now that I have a bouldering wall in the backyard, I find myself able to work problems sometimes months before a send, so maybe I am in a better space to work a route. Now-a-days I also find myself maybe racing the age clock like Joeseph and thinking there is still things I want to do out there.

 

I agree that climbing should be fun, which it is, whenever I am out doing it whether it be cragging, bouldering, alpine, ice, whatever, it is all good. To me I am not necessarily chasing numbers, but what I saw early on is if I could climb 5.12 cragging then I could surely get on alpine 11's, which mean way more terrain available to climb. Also the great exposure on hard alpine climbs appealed to me as well.

[TeleRoss]

It's all in your head. Your body can make the moves, your brain just wont let you.