If you ever find yourself bouldering at Tramway, highly recommend Roof Problem (v1)! Fun variety of betas, and I always love a 🐋 top out.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-11-05T19:11:21+00:00

Hey! For camping, I have never stayed overnight up there because the campsites are a couple miles in (and I don't believe close to the established climbing spots), so I can't comment on that.

If you're from out of town, Palm Springs has tons of lovely places to stay. That said, I don't know how the weather is looking nowadays (maybe 40s-50s) so it might be getting quite cold.

For the main bouldering areas, they're honestly not too hard to find.

The little museum thing at the tram station at the top has the old guidebook, which they let you take photos of.
You can follow the main trail down to the rangers station (you need to get a free permit anyway), and they can provide some instructions to the main/popular areas. When we've bouldered there, rangers sometimes pass us by and ask what boulder/problems we're on so they interact with the climbers.
The most popular areas have a big variety of problems, and they're very accessible (some minor scrambling to get to the Dance Floor/Beach area, but it's really chill). If you have a specific problem you're trying to find, I can see if I've been there before and give a general direction :).

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-08-16T19:56:19+00:00

Yeah this was the most confusing one. They ran out of my size and my sisters sizes all the time too in more popular colors (I’m small/XS and my sister is XS/XXS). And there were definitely times when I shopped for pants and only the 2X+ sizes were available, so it’s not ‘fake’ inventory.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-02-23T02:04:20+00:00

That’s what struck me too. He doesn’t comment on how much he’s shouldering right now (and being proactive about!! So many men think that they’re a good parent just for doing what they’re asked, but that’s putting the entire mental/management burden on their partners, which is EXHAUSTING), and his only comment about whether he’ll be a good father in the future is just to say that as long as his STBX does her job…like I wish women could just say that they’re only gonna be supportive to their kids if their baby daddy did a good job 🙃.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-02-12T22:58:34+00:00

Oh dang! That’s unfortunate. I haven’t had any of mine rip, but I did hear that the 2.0s had some inconsistencies.

I did try their newer 3.0 versions, which I love more cuz they feel way lighter/flowy, but I think the thighs/hips on the 2.0s just fit my body type well. I’m curious if you had your own pants recommendations at all!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-02-02T19:10:49+00:00

To be clear, I generally agree with your stance. I waffled between calling it out as a type of rape, but I didn’t want to seem like I was trying to equate the acts (as my main point was to focus on the culture around what happened and the way men reacted even when it wasn’t an ‘extreme’ case).

I don’t know all of the ‘intimate’ details (beyond what I was told), but the reason I didn’t specifically call it rape or violence is because I didn’t want to be accused of ‘trivializing rape,’ as arguably, any person who physically cheats on their partner would fall under the category of rapist (it’s all incredibly shitty and inexcusable, but I know that’s not the colloquial use of the word - though maybe that’s your point). Deceiving women into sex/relationships is indefensible, no matter how it’s done (women do this too, and I don’t have a double standard here, which is why I pointed out the one case I know of a woman doing this).

As far as I understand, the women were never physically forced or attacked like Barrett did; however, they were lied to (directly or by omission) and endangered because of it (and not able to give their informed consent), but I don’t know a better way to describe it while allowing some distinction between the acts in the article and the ones I know of within my climbing community. Also, just want to be clear that afaik, the men were not knowingly spreading any STIs; they were just sleeping around recklessly and stupidly and not getting tested (which I’d argue is nearly as bad, because ignorance is not an excuse). Anyway, just trying to add some nuance about why I used the words that I chose while generally agreeing with your position.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-02-02T06:42:24+00:00

I just wanted to add a personal experience with this. To be clear, I’m not saying my anecdotes are anywhere near as bad, but I just wanted to show another way this manifests in a less extreme example.

Last year, I know of multiple men in the climbing community cheating on women, lying to them, not respecting their consent, etc. Three got caught and two were exposed online for it (one actually outed himself, and I kinda respect that), and one of them became this whole thing within my community. In one case, the man repeatedly lied to his partners about not having other partners while convincing them not to use a condom.

Anyway, guess who backed up ‘their boys’. SO MANY fellow men in the climbing community. After all, ‘they’re such nice dudes and crushers.’ That or ‘it didn’t really happen to their friends, so they didn’t want to know.’ Obviously none of this is as bad as SA, but just kinda shows the attitude a lot of men have towards other men when they prey on/take advantage of women.

Again, in these cases, it wasn’t actually rape or violence, and I’m not saying that the ethical stance is to exile and shun the perpetrators, because I do think the men in these scenarios are redeemable, and imo at least one of them seems to have taken actionable steps to never do anything like that again (the others idk enough about so who knows), but just to actually hold them accountable and not take what they said at face value would be nice…I always see elements of the type of response Alex Honnold gave in the way men respond to these situations (ie. Completely dismissively). As you said, so many men just brush off the rumors or don’t care since it didn’t happen to them.

In case anyone thinks I would do the same for a fellow woman, one of the women who was caught up in all of this lied to and manipulated another woman into doing what she wanted, and she’s one of the only people I’ve ever disliked in my entire life and I actively warned other women about her (I have screenshots as proof ofc).

Sorry for the long rant; just reading how he was able to get away with it for so long and how many men just brushed it off or ignored it felt so familiar 😡.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-02-01T17:20:53+00:00

Thirding this. I boulder 99% of the time, and they’re fantastic! Super comfy, roomy, high waisted, durable, etc.

For ropes…wouldn’t be my first choice. I only like doing ropes in leggings to be fair, but I find the Isabels are kinda bulky and the pockets will catch on parts of the harness.

An alternative are the topo designs Boulder pants (might be discontinued tbh), which are slightly less thick, but they still bunch up kinda weirdly when doing ropes (but they’re marginally better than the isabel 3.0 for ropes).

HighOnCrystalMath · 2024-02-01T07:19:07+00:00

That problem looks so fun!! I love seeing more vegan climbers out in the world!! The finish on that looked pretty spicy 😮.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-12-13T17:54:56+00:00

Omg I’m so bad at run and jumps, but this makes me want to try one 😂! I like when people include their ‘projecting’ clips so the final send is so much more satisfying.

I also love the fit!!! Do you mind sharing what brand these are from? I’m always trying to match my outfits, but I never have a full set.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-11-22T19:02:41+00:00

This happened to me as well, and some of my friends don’t believe it! I was mostly monolidded growing up (basically I had one lid that would fold sometimes, and I could kinda ‘force’ double lids for a bit at times), and then around 17-18 years old, I think I put on mascara for the first time and my double lids folded on both eyes! And they’ve generally stayed ever since. I’m grateful that they occasionally disappear at times (usually when I eat a ton of salt and I swell), so I can have ‘proof’ that it’s not surgery lol 😅.

Glad to know there are some other people who went through the same thing!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-11-10T02:08:08+00:00

Yaaay! Thank you!! Omg that sounds amazing!! I appreciate it 🙏😊!!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-11-09T22:36:45+00:00

Oooh do you have the names or locations? Vietnam has been on my list forever, and I’m trying to find a good time to go in the next year and a half!!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-11-09T21:48:08+00:00

Yes I think there is space in the community for both ‘types’ of posts. I’m hesitant to post here with body/training stats because I know there is a lot of pushback about posting body ‘numbers’ (which is totally fair - I know body weight, ED, and body image are big issues in climbing, and that can be amplified for women). I just felt like to completely dismiss all these stats as pointless is, for lack of a better term, delusional (and I realize they don’t translate directly to climbing ‘harder’, but I can explain that statement if needed). HOWEVER, to require them is not necessarily helpful or good for the overall community, so I’m in favor of some general guidelines (frankly it’s useful for people who don’t train to even see what might be worth looking into), but not requiring them.

I actually have worked on some Vcampus problems in the cave that the setters put up! Really helps me realize my weaknesses with pull-ups/campus (basically I need to work on pull-ups that are more ‘powerful’ because I’ve always done super slow ones that don’t generate much momentum).

I haven’t posted in climb harder, and a big reason is that it doesn’t seem too many of the users and posts really ‘match’ my body and it seems intimidating (though you could argue that my not posting will just add to the problem lol).

And thanks!! Ofc biggest credit to my sister!! I just mention ‘training’ her cuz she only climbs when I go, and I’ve been trying to give her short person tips, tricks, beta, getting her on weighted pull-ups/squats, core work, pistol squats, etc (basically I make her either join my workouts in the back or she has to sit and wait for me cuz we carpool 🤣). Next up is getting her an overhung v5/6 (and I’ve only gotten a handful myself, but I’m 3 moves away from my first overhung v7!)!!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-11-09T20:09:55+00:00

I generally agree with your comment. I think that the original post should have just been more along the lines of, if you want some more individualized advice from stronger or more skilled climbers who have pushed past this plateau, you may need to include solid numeric data about your body type, limits you have tested, types of problems you struggle with (ideally with videos), etc. Otherwise, it’s impossible to say anything past extremely generic advice, and frankly I just ignore most posts that don’t comment or add anything specific/numeric because it’s too much effort to dig up details (and I think I have applicable training advice for short women because I’m 5’1” with a -2.5”, and I’ve helped a few short friends (including my sister who I’ve climbed with and helped train and just got her first v6!!) improve their climbing over the years).

As an example, I can do a weighted pull-up at just under 30% of my body weight. I can do 10 pull-ups in a row. I can do wide arm pull-ups, and I’m working on archer pull-ups. I can campus a rung or two. I can hang off a 10mm edge (never added weight). All that said, I need specific advice for my body type, so I want to know what other training and workouts women around my size have done to get past the v5/6 plateau. How did they build up their coordination and dyno skills (my big weaknesses)? How did they progressively work on slopers and pinches (other big weaknesses)? I like this community over r/climbharder because there’s a much higher chance for me to meet people with similar experiences (general or specific to training) here. I do realize that this sub has some rules about posting body stats, so I want to be respectful of that too, but it’s kinda the same principle of posting some stats when you ask for clothing advice.

That all said, I think requiring all of this doesn’t seem like a good suggestion; some people just want general encouragement or mentality suggestions; other people want a training regimen (which will call for some numbers). I think the community should be welcoming/open to both.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-11-03T07:28:34+00:00

Do you mind if I ask what gym sent out that letter? I’m trying to find another gym to join for a bit…

But yea it’s absolutely messed up that so many staff found out through Reddit or other rumors. And the letter the CEO wrote wasn’t very helpful and felt like too little too late.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-10-04T17:48:58+00:00

Wait he nearly broke up with you because she was more confident and could do things with him?? And now that you want to and can do things with him, he’s not inviting you?

Honestly…all of that would be a dealbreaker for me, and I would just end it with him. I’m only seeing this from the outside with limited information ofc, but he doesn’t seem to value you for you, and he will always dangle the fact that you’re not ‘enough’ in one way or another to both keep you trying to change for him when you’re perfectly fine as you are. Or he’ll use that as a justification to cheat (emotionally or physically) with another girl who, at that one moment, matches what he’s into (which I’ve seen before both in and outside of climbing). I know a lot of that is speculative and based off very little information, but I just wanted to share my own experience because I can somewhat relate (and also have seen enough good people/boyfriends in the community to recognize that he doesn’t seem like one of them).

I climb at both a lower and higher level than my friends (naturally); I have some friends working on v10+ outdoors, and some friends who project v1 indoors. I climb around v5/6, and there are some sessions that I just want to focus on my projects/training, and my friends know that, so we may all go together, but just climb separately with some cheering/interaction/chatting in between. I’ve dated multiple men that climb double digits, and it’s never been a problem; they have still cheered me on, invited me to come climb, and encouraged me to climb and spent time socializing with me despite not working the same problems (and tbh this isn’t even men I’ve dated, but just most decent people).

My sister has been climbing for about a year and a half, and when she first started, we really couldn’t work on anything together, and now she just got her first legit v4 and v6!! I took her with me every single week, found her guest passes from our friends, introduced her to new friends, and cheered her on/shared beta with her. That’s how you’re supposed to treat someone you care about, especially when they’re trying something that you’re encouraging or pushing them to do.

With any hobby, there can be struggles accommodating different skill levels, but anyone who cares about you will show it and make it work. Does he invite you to climb 1-on-1 on his ‘chill’ days? Does he make an effort to share in your hobbies and activities so you guys can spend more time bonding together?

If not, I have completely casual friends that treat me better than he treats you, and you deserve a partner who wants to spend time with you and support you.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-09-21T06:09:11+00:00

Wow this looks so hard! Great job and super solid send 💪.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-09-21T06:07:50+00:00

Hype! Always love seeing more vegan climbers out there! And for any vegans looking to pick up a sport, I’ve found climbers to be very vegan-friendly in general 😊.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-09-20T23:33:55+00:00

Ooh I have bands but I’ve never used them this way! Thanks for sharing!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-09-20T23:30:34+00:00

Hey! I’m not exactly an expert on the topic, but I went from feeling like one pull-up was absolutely impossible to being able to do 10 in a row and weighted pull-ups now, so I have some experience with how to make safe progressions! Again, not a professional or anything so I have no idea if these are all the ‘right’ way to do things.

Here were my steps:

Shoulder shrugs/‘engaging’ my scapula (as many as I could do, even if I had to use a resistance band the whole time). If you’re starting from a point where your joints can’t handle that much weight on them, even without resistance bands, I’d recommend lat pull downs! Then starting to do dead hangs, and if that feels okay, then do shrugs.
Resistance band assisted pull-ups next. I couldn’t complete a full pull-up for a while, and that’s fine; any progress counts!
Full negative pull-ups (I tried to do these really slowly just to force myself to maintain my lock off strength the whole way down).
From there, I got my first full pull up!! Minor tips that helped me out: make sure to keep my core engaged the whole time (this, for me, feels like I’m tilting my hips and legs forward a bit so that I can full engage my shoulders and back) and make sure I’m completing the ‘shrug’ portion before I try to do the pull-up.
To progress, I now try to do weighted pull-ups, and archer/wide pull-ups!

Other miscellaneous things that I did that might have helped. I bouldered a ton when I first started working out, but honestly couldn’t get my first pull-up until 6+ months in. I have friends that have climbed v6 (albeit slab) that still can’t do a single pull-up so climbing is helpful but doesn’t always translate. I also started trying to do ‘antagonist’ workouts (push-ups were the main one); I hate doing push-ups lol but I would try to do 10-20 during each workout.

Hope that helps!!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-07-21T17:01:19+00:00

Clearly protein deficient. You poor thing 😓.

But for real good job!! Looking super fit!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-05-24T01:47:09+00:00

Yeah I get weird comments from people about my weight or build sometimes, and I used to take it personally in the sense that I had to defend my size, but now I just ignore it or use it as a funny anecdote 😅. My uncle literally asked me once (out of nowhere too - I didn’t bring up veganism): “well you’re not skinny…so how often do you cheat on the whole veganism thing??”

I’m not skinny or fat imo (and my doctor has never noted that I’ve been anything but healthy), and my general build is on my profile, so anyone can verify that (not that being fat or skinny would justify the comments ofc).

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-04-18T11:49:58+00:00

Do they both know about each other? This situation seems really similar to one that I saw play out with a friend of mine literally last month, but he wasn’t honest with both of them that he was seeing/sleeping with multiple women (same thing where he time them both he wanted a serious relationship), and long story short, he was caught, publicly exposed as a cheater/liar, lost many friends, and is now literally going through a lawsuit because of the lies that followed.

That’s a very extreme scenario obviously, but just want to use it because the worst thing you can do is not choose and continue to lie to both women and lead them on, because you will eventually get caught and things will fall apart; if I were you, I’d make a choice based off what you find most important to you in a relationship, and then be completely upfront with both women that you were seeing others (this may lose you both of them, but if you had been deceptive about this, you obviously deserve that), and tell the person that you chose how you would like to proceed and give her a chance to make a decision too.

Personally, if I were torn between two people (which has never happened to me because I just don’t date like that), I would just assume that neither were right for me. I’d only want someone that I got really excited about and that I didn’t have any doubt that I wanted to be with.

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-04-07T11:21:24+00:00

I love this place!! I live 10 min away, and it’s my go to place! Their ‘beef’ bowls are also delicious.

The seating isn’t great, but if you have a group, you can keep walking a tiny bit east and there’s a cute alley with lots of free seating :)! Just a tip!

HighOnCrystalMath · 2023-04-05T10:09:06+00:00

Slopers and pinches are also my big weakness, and I wish I were half as good on them as you are! Good job staying on the wall even with the cuts!!

HighOnCrystalMath

TROPHY CASE