on climbing

My primary objective for my visit to Hueco was to fill out my climbing resume. Having spent little to no part of my climbing career with a focus on bouldering, I lacked a respectable catalog of problems in my personal database. Wanting to change things, I decided that it would be best for me to put together at least three problems in every grade from V0 to V8, with a secondary focus on flashing as many moderates as possible. While I could have spent the majority of my visit chasing numbers and burying harder climbs into submission, I thought that deversifying my portfolio of problems would ultimately make me a better climber.

I firmly believe that within climbing a correlation exists between performance and experience. The more experience you have (i.e. the more climbs or moves you have done or even attempted), the more prepared you'll be to execute similar climbs with unwavering precision. Furthermore, I think that experience breeds confidence, and climbing with confidence is the fine line that sets talented climbers apart from the rest.

As I mentioned in my previous post, after a disappointing start in Hueco things began to turn around. In the end I was able to get relatively close to my goal- having sent 45 different boulder problems in 10 days with at least three in every grade up to V7. Due to some complications with our East Spur tour, I was unable to try any of the V8s I had hoped to bag before my time in Hueco was up (Better Eat Your Wheaties and Mr. Serious). On the flip side, I was able to send the only V8 I attempted during my stay.

[ Favorite problems from my visit (some of which are featured in the video above) include Seka's Specialty (V2), Sign of the Cross (V3), Bloody Flapper (V4), Dragonfly (V5), See Spot Run (V6), Babyface (V7), and Ultramega (V8). All five star climbs in my book. ]

I'm definitely glad that I spent the months of December and January honing my skills as a boulderer. While the gains in strength are a bit difficult to tack down, I'm certain that I successfully rewired my brain and reformed my approach to climbing. Retooling your brain is a difficult task, one that requires intention, awareness, patience, and discipline. Often times realistic gains in climbing performance come down to flipping the switches in your head, making clear decisions, and fully committing to those decisions.

This notion was inspired during my stay in Ontario with my friend Bonnie. During a session at the Halfway Log Dump boulders, Bonnie pointed out that "trying hard" was a skill set that my climbing repertoire lacked. Now, I think most people would have been put off by a criticism of this nature. I mean, no one wants to be told that they aren't trying hard enough. Right? But, having great respect for my friend and a natural inclination to learn, I listened. 

And she was right.

Always wanting to be in control, I spent years shaping my style in order to make climbing an effortless endeavor. I've often said that the appeal of climbing lies within the ability to make the seemingly impossible seem effortless. In a sense, I trained myself to climb at my limit by putting in just the right amount of effort- no more, no less. While I still think this is an important approach, it's only one side of the coin. Having the ability to flip the switch and to put the kung-fu grip down is a viable strategy- one that I had lost sight of during the last two years.

I'm looking forward to applying what I've learned on the boulders this winter to the vertical world. The weather is shifting, and luckily the transition into fitness climbing is much easier for me being that fitness is my only natural strong suit. That being the case, I figured I could get away from fitness training until the last possible minute.

So, after a considerable break from sport climbing, I'm back at it. Any and all days that I've had off work have been spent in Southern Illinois. More recently I was lucky enough to score four consecutive days off work and headed to Eastern Kentucky. (Hence the delay in updating the blog.) On the whole it was a good visit; one in which I was able to repeat old favorites and onsight/redpoint some routes I had previously overlooked.

In addition to putting in vertical mileage, I was able to kick it with my friends from Toronto- a fantastic surprise! But now it's back to the grind. The weather's completely switched gears and the rain's moving in. All signs point to keeping to the city. The next few days will be spent at the store, the gym, and the yoga studio. But I'm not sweating it.

John Oungst, The Glitch 5.12c (February 2009)

 10 days to Vegas.

on hueco

I spent my formative climbing years watching videos, flipping through magazines, and dreaming about visiting Hueco Tanks. The nature of the climbing was by and large unknown to me, but what little I could glean from videos like The Road and Sessions was compelling enough. I was sold. I wanted to go to Hueco.

The reality, however, was that during the early stages of my personal development as a climber I lacked both the resources and the knowledge to make such a visit possible. And so, the thought of climbing in Hueco remained just that- a thought.  Over time that thought slipped my mind entirely, and I spent subsequent years maniacally devoted to growing my skill sets as a sport climber. I had completely forgotten about Hueco.

That is until I returned from The Red River Gorge this past November. While I was busy skitzing out about projects in the Gorge, several friends of mine had been putting a trip to West Texas together. Even though I had spent 2010 exclusively sport climbing I knew better than to let a great opportunity pass me by. It is, after all, much easier to explore a new venue with a motivated crew than it is to go solo. So, as my friend Jaime had advised me to do, I pulled the trigger and booked a flight to El Paso.

On paper, Hueco appears to be a logistical nightmare. Restrictions on park access, strict park hours, and mandatory reservations all seem like too many hoops to jump through just to go rock climbing. An article in the August 2006 issue of Climbing Magazine titled "Seven Reasons Why Joe's Valley is Better Than Hueco" even used these access restrictions in the thrust of its argument. 

But the reality is that the climbing restrictions in Hueco are mild at best, and incredibly easy to comply with. There wasn't a single day during those two weeks where we were denied access. The park allows 10 visitors without reservations to walk in every day, and guided tours are available with a 24 hour notice. This certainly makes having an agenda difficult, but you're guaranteed to find world class climbing in every zone, on every mountain. It's really hard to be disappointed.

Doug Munsch, Try Harder (V9)

Restrictions aside, what I can say for sure is that Hueco houses the best climbing I've encountered West of the Mississippi. (That's right, I still think the best climbing is in the South East. What of it?) The boulders are big, the holds are sculpted, and the concentration is high. I have never climbed on such perfect features before. Good moves. Good height. Good scene.

After spending two weeks in Texas it became clear to me how heavily this sector has influenced what I consider to be modern bouldering. On the whole, the problems that make Hueco a stand out sector are the ones that feature incredibly powerful moves on relatively in-cut holds in remarkably steep terrain. More often than not the climbing is gymnastic, committing, and not for those who lack mental tenacity. This style has been adapted to the indoor climbing arena in a big way, and has become a staple in every route setter's catalog of movement- whether they are aware of it or not (myself included).

In a lot of ways, the style in Hueco is very much what I have been looking for in my climbing experience- difficult, long pulls between in-cut crimps. It's hard to find that in Southern Illinois, and I certainly haven't seen such climbing elsewhere in my tour of the States. The Red River Gorge is the only place that comes to mind, but the sandstone in the Gorge is far more forgiving than the volcanic granite found in Hueco. I've never bruised my finger tips before! Yikes!

 

Our first day in the park was an interesting experience to say the least. Admittedly, I was quite anxious. I wanted to get a good sense of the climbing ASAP and I wanted to come out of the gates HARD. 

What initially put me off were the serious mob scenes that developed at many of the boulders. While I understand and respect every individual's right/privilege to climb in an area like Hueco, I personally don't perform well in front of a crowd (a personal problem I am now in the process of addressing). The bottom line is that I couldn't keep my shit together on my first day out, and while I saw quite a bit of North Mountain I was disappointed that I let my nerves get the best of me. 

Case in point: I managed to punt off the top of Mexican Chicken (V6)- the proper start to 100 Proof Roof (V3) that adds five moves into its crux. 

That's right. 

I botched the top of Hueco's easiest V3. 

Rookie move.

But by mid-day I started getting a handle of my anxiety, and I was able to put Daily Dick Dose (V7) on the board. After a strange first day in the park I managed to level out. From then on out it was on.

on the whole

Astute and avid readers may have noticed that while I had promised to post during my two week stay in Hueco Tanks State Park, I in fact did no such thing. Although, astute and avid readers probably know by now that such empty promises are a staple of the blog.

This preface is not so much an apology as it is a statement of acceptance. While I had both the resources and the time to post about daily happenings, lessons learned, and general thoughts regarding my stay in West Texas, I chose to neglect the blog simply because Hueco was off the fucking chain.

Rather than farming my brain for an insightful and potentially useful summary, I've decided instead to break up my experience in a series of shorter posts which (if my schedule allows me to do so) will be posted over the course of the next week (or two). Hopefully by that time my friend Vishal and potentially myself will have edited the compiled footage from the trip. Look out!

With that said, I arrived back in Saint Louis two nights ago. I spent my first day back in the city getting my life in order. Being in the desert for two weeks was disorienting to say the least. After working a short but enjoyable shift at the store, enduring an evening of running errands, and generally hating the time suck that follows such activities, I jumped in the car and headed to Southern Illinois.

I lucked out and managed to come back to the Midwest just in time to enjoy a sunny 60 degree day at Jackson Falls. It being a Thursday I was unable to secure a partner for the day, but despite such a small detail I set out anyway. I spent the first half of my day rope soloing all of the routes in The Gallery- all varying in difficulty from 5.10a to 5.10c. The second half of the the day I was able to climb with my friends Chris and Lauren who were also eager to take advantage of the agreeable weather. 

Wrecking Ball, 5.12c (Fall 2010)

 After finishing up at The Gallery we made our way over to Lovely Tower where I enjoyed three world class routes: Fine Nine (5.9/10a), Lovely Arete (5.11a), and Hidden Treasure (5.12a). It was good for morale to have my first sport climbing session go so well. When all was said and done I had climbed 14 pitches, and I had successfully managed to fight the pump! It was nice spending the day solo in my favorite sport climbing area, recalibrating my brain, and getting back in my zone.

The month of March has me working quite a bit, but my hope is to have more days running vertical mileage in Illinois. Having not sport climbed since November, I want to bring my fitness level up to a respectable level before I hit Vegas in April. While I have no particular goals, I certainly don't want to spend a week in the desert punting because I can't hold on.

Chances are good that I'll be able to supplement my visits to So Ill with a short stay at The Red. The only way to get fit is to get out. Period.

It's not too late to get psyched, get fit, and get going on that Spring 2011 to-do list!

Boom!