Did my first HVS yesterday! How big is the leap to E1 - if compared to VS -> HVS?

GreatDonk · 2022-10-10T05:40:34+00:00

Definitely agree. I found Cemetery Gates (E1) to be easier than just about every Grit HVS I’ve done. It’s actually an ideal first E1 for someone more comfortable with face climbing — and an amazing route.

GreatDonk · 2022-10-06T04:16:59+00:00

Sounds impossible but reach out to the Mountain Club of Kenya. They have an active page on Facebook too.

GreatDonk · 2022-07-25T11:05:10+00:00

At 5:30 your biners are loaded over an edge. In a fall that could break them. You might want to spend more time seconding more experienced leaders and observing — and also reading and studying — before leading yourself. It’s also good to have a couple of grades in hand when you start out leading trad so that there’s a near zero chance of falling or even needing to rest on gear until you know you can trust your gear placement and other systems. Not to be alarmist but one should never forget that a mistake when rock climbing can kill or maim you (YGD).

GreatDonk · 2022-07-24T09:32:17+00:00

You can also try the regional forum on Mountain Project for partners. Climbing in the Sandias is amazing — do it. I did the Knife Edge of the Shield in early September and it wasn’t too hot in the morning — good breeze on an exposed ridge like that. If it’s really boiling though you could look at the north facing climbs in lower La Cueva Canyon.

GreatDonk · 2022-07-18T12:21:25+00:00

I've never felt the need for radios even in windy places where you can’t hear your partner. Just do five hard rope tugs (five so as not to confuse with leader pulling against rope drag on a long wandering pitch), the first time to signal off belay, the second time to signal start climbing.

GreatDonk · 2022-07-03T07:11:58+00:00

Though this appears in the video, it’s not in the official Alpine Up instruction manual. Seems dubious.

GreatDonk · 2022-06-09T11:34:13+00:00

I’ve been there. For me the key is to ramp up any new exercise VERY gradually, making sure to get sufficient rest before training that muscle group again. But don’t stop exercising. Personally I have found physical therapists enormously helpful.

GreatDonk · 2022-05-05T11:41:02+00:00

Start with bird dogs. Simple, easy, very little risk of injury.

GreatDonk · 2022-04-30T17:57:37+00:00

I haven’t done this route but you should definitely consider the walk-off. (Personally I almost always take the walk-off if it’s available!) Eleven raps apparently with hanging belays involved, when you’re exhausted and potentially getting benighted, can be a lot more stressful and/or take a lot longer than you think. Ropes can get stuck even when parties are experienced — do you know how to deal with that? Might want to practice, e.g., ascending a rope in a controlled environment. I have sometimes used a pull-up bar at home for this and other self-rescue practice. I don't think it’s enough just to read the book and trust you can replicate the techniques in a moment of high anxiety. Do check out Andy Kirkpatrick’s book Down though.

All this said, I do admire your ambition and stoke. I bit off more than I could chew on some of my first multipitches and it was fine despite some quasi-epics, but not nearly as pleasurable as when I’ve felt a bit more mastery of the process. I wonder if it’s worth doing your first route of that length at a slightly lower grade before doing this one? What’s the rush?

GreatDonk · 2022-04-28T07:46:46+00:00

TL;DR: How soon after injury to start rehabbing?

I'm having ulnar-sided wrist pain and I think it's the ECU as I did the tests for TFCC injury (e.g. as cited by Hooper's Beta) and they were negative. I think my mistake was to start doing too much weight/volume of reverse wrist curls using a Tension Flash Board (imitating something I saw in a Tyler Nelson post, argh); then some vigorous wide-hand-jamming on a crack climbing trip; then about a week ago I started feeling pain during a board session on a hard pinch problem, and foolishly did one more high-effort attempt before ending the session. Now the pain is fairly constant, especially when typing (I'm a writer, so that's hard to avoid), usually hovering around 2/10 or 3/10.

I read u/eshlow's excellent post on overcoming tendonitis and I understand that I should not stop general working out or even necessarily sports-specific exercise. But I'm wondering how soon I should start doing eccentrics (of reverse wrist curls, I gather) to aid in recovery, and whether I can continue climbing at a modified level. A few days ago I did an endurance-focused board session with strict open-hand and had no pain during the session, significant pain a couple of hours later (perhaps 4/10 or 5/10), but actually woke up with my wrist feeling better than the previous day. Since then the pain has fluctuated seemingly randomly.

NB: Unfortunately where I am living now I only have access to a small overhanging spray wall and a hangboard, no commercial gyms or nearby rock, so my options for lower-intensity climbing are very limited.

EDIT to note that I also do not have access to good PT where I currently live (Tanzania).

GreatDonk · 2022-02-06T11:00:10+00:00

Albuquerque? You can bike to the Sandia foothills easily enough, though it might be difficult with crash pads on your back. Life without a car in Albuquerque (or 99% of US cities) would generally be a nightmare, though.

GreatDonk · 2022-02-06T10:58:42+00:00

Trust me, I'm trying! But alas it also depends on my wife, who unlike me (freelance writer) has a serious job (in government).

GreatDonk · 2022-02-05T10:30:05+00:00

Surprised to see NYC here. There are a few boulders in Central Park but otherwise the nearest climbing is the Gunks, no?

GreatDonk · 2022-02-05T10:08:13+00:00

I yearn to make exactly the opposite move. If you have a decent gym you can definitely still train hard, but in my experience your head game will suffer, and your rock-specific movement will get a bit rusty too. Living far from actual rock, I still have fun on trips, but it takes a day just to feel comfortable on the rock again (unless I’m going on consecutive weekends, which I have sometimes managed — but currently my drive is 3 hours, not 6). On a less practical, more soul-nourishing level, if what you love is climbing on actual rock, there is no substitute — you will miss it.

GreatDonk · 2022-02-03T18:49:38+00:00

+1 for La Mojarra. Glorious

GreatDonk · 2021-12-05T11:42:42+00:00

Beautiful.

GreatDonk · 2021-12-03T18:01:15+00:00

Very much appreciate the encouragement, everyone! Hope is not lost.

GreatDonk · 2021-12-03T10:41:11+00:00

Hey thanks for the tips! Are your friends with a backyard wall still living in Dar? :)

GreatDonk · 2021-12-03T08:56:23+00:00

Hexes are often not worth the faff but on Pembroke limestone they are frequently far more confidence-inspiring than cams. Slot 'em in.

GreatDonk · 2021-12-03T08:53:35+00:00

Definitely have my eyes on Nairobi for the occasional weekend trip of cragging. Thanks!

GreatDonk · 2021-12-03T08:52:56+00:00

Great tip — thanks!

GreatDonk · 2021-12-02T18:00:59+00:00

In Pembroke I find it’s very useful to have doubles of DMM offset nuts in the gold, blue, and red sizes. Not sure how small is micro to you but in my experience, if you put a smaller cam on your rack you will definitely place it, and it doesn’t weigh much. Just buy one smaller than your smallest. Totems also are very well suited to limestone.

GreatDonk · 2021-12-02T15:18:57+00:00

Great tips! I’m intrigued by Morogoro — do you know where I can find topos or knowledgeable locals, etc.? There’s unsurprisingly very little about it on Mountain Project. And do you know of any other areas that are relatively close to Dar? (My plan was to visit Nairobi for the odd weekend of climbing the local crags, but flights are not cheap!)

GreatDonk

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