Sshh! Don’t Tell Anyone

Next Friday, REI has their winter clearance sale. Usually they have super good deals; everything that ends with $.83 in the price, gets an additional 50% off. One year, I got a brand new 50M rope for $70. 

Climbing Overhanging Ice

This is the 2nd place finisher at the recent Ouray Ice Festival. At about 3 minutes into this video, there’s great footage of him climbing overhanging ice.

Sinosauropteryx

Some paleontologists recently figured out the colors of this feathered dinosaur. Cute, huh?

 

 

Kinda like today’s Silver Spangled Hamburg chickens.

Have A Toast

To the recovery of Shackleton’s whisky. 

“Five crates of whisky and brandy belonging to polar explorer Ernest Shackleton have been recovered after being buried for more than 100 years under the Antarctic ice, explorers said Friday.”

The Third Man Factor

I’m reading The Third Man Factor a book about the phenomenon named after a poem based on Shackleton’s story of survival in 1916. Shackleton felt the presence of an invisible person helping his group survive. This book tells the stories of survivors who felt a presence that helped them struggle through life and death situations. Author’s website here. NPR story here.

“One of the most famous instances of the phenomenon took place during Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1916. The team's boat was trapped in ice and they were forced to make a grueling journey across mountain ranges and glaciers to a whaling station in Stromness Bay. Shackleton later wrote: ‘I know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers, it seemed to me often that we were four, not three’.”

Mas Cuerda!

At the end of this video, you can hear Chris Sharma calling for more rope (mas cuerda) so he can take a big fall. This is a mere 15b. It’s probably a soft rating, don’t you think? Maybe only a 15a.

Contact Strength

This is from the “Climb Strong” website.

“Contact Strength is a term unique to climbing. It refers to one’s ability to grasp a hold with maximum strength ‘on contact’…Although we see our use of holds as “static” or isometric exercise, when moving quickly to a hold there is a very slight stretch-shortening event that takes place in the fingers and forearm muscles.”

Tips for Desert Biking

Some tips I learned about biking in the desert.

Biking In Arizona

I biked today by the McDowell Mountains just east of Scottsdale. Near the town of Fountain City. Whose fountain is the 4th highest in the world at over 300 feet tall. Which I could see from a long ways away as I biked in the desert. (You can see the water left of the Saguaro cactus in the photo at left. This photos was taken about 8 miles from the fountain.)

I also saw Jack the Rabbit.

Wednesdays Still Rock

Even though the scout master is away, the gang was all there. Aaron showed up again, and found himself in a wonderful fun filled group of women; Melissa, Lea, Louise, Renee, Jen and me, the den mother. We all dyno'd to holds Aaron could easily reach but he couldn't quite master the figure 4 on the slab.. HA! Jen did it, and Renee pulled herself up over the small roof. YaY!
We also included a rather despondent John Farmer, who found himself worn out from too much ice climbing. We cheered him up as best we could. I ran a couple of miles on the tread mill and called it yet another good day.

Women on the Edge Alpine Ski Day

Just thought I would throw this out there to all. We have a group from St. Andrew's going down to Afton Alps on Friday Feb 12 at 9:00 am. We are getting a great group rate, $22. You can carpool with us or meet us there, but you need to sign up online here so we know how many tickets to get. the fun never ends.

Cross -Training

The irrepressible Richard is spending the week cross training, Mountain biking in Phoenix. Hopefully the sun will bake the cold out of him. He biked this route. I talk to him post-ride, He seem exhilarated! He talked about big rocks , long drops and dealing with speed, he sounded very happy.

He has looked longingly at some climbing areas. including this one too bad he neglected to take his belayer along on the trip!

Ascending A Rope

Tools and techniques for ascending a rope.

Out Skiing An Avalanche

At about the 1 minute mark, you can see the skier starting an avalanche. And then he outlflies it with his parachute. “Doesn’t get much sicker than that” his friend says. 

Happy Valley

I drove up to Happy Valley  outside of Scottsdale AZ this afternoon. If you like rocks, you’d be happy living in these houses as shown in the photos below.