Get After It

"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Sir Winston Churchill

This holds true for a variety of situations, especially climbing trips. We invest a lot of time and energy into the planning and training for a climbing trip and if I’ve learned anything from past October trips it is to be ready for the weather to throw a monkey wrench into your plans. Let me explain: almost every year I take a trip out to the Front Range of Colorado to climb and hang out with my friends that still live there. Last year, my main objective was a climb in Eldorado Canyon SP that was intimidating for me. I thought I would wait till the second half of the trip so that I would be acclimatized and settled in, which was stupid. The first half of the week was great, and then unseasonably cold weather came out of nowhere and ruined the second half of the week. I did not get to do the climb I wanted in Eldo. I was pissed at myself and swore I would never put off a climb I wanted to do for any self-defeating reasons, like ‘uhh, I’ll wait till I’m rested’ or ‘lets do it tomorrow, I’m a little tired’.

So that brings us to the present and another October trip to Colorado. Guess what, the forecast showed the weather for the first half of the trip to be great and the weather for the second half to be unseasonably cold. So, right off the plane we headed to Boulder Canyon to climb what the D’Antonio guide book claimed was the best 5.9 sport climb in the canyon, called Wrinkles in Time. It was great, albeit a little soft for a 5.9. The second day I headed back to Eldo to do a link up of ‘Emerald City’ to the second pitch of ‘Over the Hill’, a sustained 5.9 link up, one of the best climbs I have done so far. As forecasted the rest of the trip’s weather was less than optimal with mixed rain and sleet. Which wasn’t great, but I felt liked I had accomplished something and could relax for the rest of the trip. We did get out again, I took my girlfriend Lauren up her first Flat Iron climb. We climbed the Royal Arch in near winter conditions; the cold zapped my camera batteries, so I’m sad to say I didn’t get any pictures. We also went up to Jones Pass on our last day and skied above tree line in what ever tele-mark gear we could throw together.

So let’s review. The moral of this story is not to procrastinate because the weather doesn’t care about your plans. Get out there and get after it……NOW!!!

JW

Photos from Kapanya Kitaba

You may remember Kapanya Kitaba's slideshow a few months back.

It was awesome, and he was really cool, and you should have been there.

Regardless, he just sent us some pictures from the top of Kilimanjaro. Check them out on our facebook page.

A Climber's Companion

Today I thought I would talk about gear. I do, after all, work in a gear shop.

When I think of climbing in October I think of crisp temps and changing foliage, but I also think about incremental weather. You know what I'm talking about, it is freezing on the hike up, then it is warm under the wall, then as you reach the first belay the clouds roll in and you are left sweaty and shivering. If you have ever experienced this then I recommend you get your hands on Marmot’s Dri-Clime Windshirt (men's, women's), which we carry in the shop or one of the other models that uses the Dri-Clime material that we can special order for you.

What Marmot's Dri-Clime does, in a nutshell, is it uses your body heat to move moisture from the inside of the garment to the outside where it gets spread out over the outer fabric where the wind can evaporate the moisture quickly. It is also highly breathable. So when you reach the belay sweaty and the wind and clouds roll in you are dry in seconds. I have even been caught in a heavy rain in my Dri-Clime and it wetted completely out, I found shelter and within a minute or so the inside of the jacket was dry again. Combined with a wicking t-shirt or long sleeve T like a Capilene 1 it is a great combo for stop and go activities, such as multi-pitch rock climbing, as well as aerobic activities like trail running. It is also very light weight so there is never an excuse for leaving it behind.

I recently put the Catalyst Dri-Clime jacket through its paces in North Carolina and Colorado and highly recommend you get one for your next adventure, whether it is down the street or across the country.

JW

Joey Recounts Hounds Ears

As promised: a blog about my visit to Hound Ears in North Carolina.

I arrived at the Grandfather Mt. Camp grounds Friday night just in time to grab a BBQ sandwich over at the La Sportiva tent, frown at the floating keg, say hello to Norm and register for the comp. The crowd seemed to have thinned but there was still a party vibe in the air, people milled about from vendor tent to vendor tent arms loaded down with swag. The Carolina Climbers Coalition was holding a meeting there on the camp grounds Friday night as well, and I was interested to hear what they had planned for the upcoming year. The meeting was long and I won’t bore you with the details, but there are some good things on their horizon. After the meeting everyone had moved to their tents to get ready for the comp.

The temps were crisp Friday night and there was a slight chill come Saturday morning. The competitors were loading their crash pads in the Uhauls to be taxied up to the boulder field as we arrived. The people themselves were shuttled from the camp ground by volunteers in vans and one slightly comical short green bus. I can honestly say I have never seen so many climbers in one place standing in line so patiently, a real testament to the organization of the Hound Ears comp.

Once all the competitors were shuttled up to the main lot and completely wired on free Red Bull and Cliff Bars, the comp was started. There was a flurry of bouldering activity the likes of which I have never seen. Eighty pound twelve year old girls were flashing highball v3s left and right. Stronger competitors were pooling underneath the larger steeper boulders, grunting and yelling like they were in a karate dojo. I didn’t get a chance to take a lot of pictures of my friends and me bouldering due to the crowds waiting eagerly to jump back on the problems and me not wanting to slow them down. The vibe was great and I meet a lot of really cool people in the process of having them sign off on my sends. I highly recommend checking out Hound Ears next year for those of you who have never been; even if you are not competitive, it is worth it.

That night there was a band and a party at the campgrounds, I hope everyone had fun. I on the other hand had a dinner engagement at the Grandfather Golf Course Clubhouse restaurant. Come Sunday I was sore as it gets, tips were raw but I was hungry to rope up. So, some friends and I headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Ship Rock for my second visit. We each led a climb and then exhaustion set in. Ship rock has a fantastic view of Table rock and various other formations around Linville Gorge. Ship rock also has easy access via the Blue Ridge Parkway, check it out when you are up there. I recommend Edge of a Dream (.7), Boardwalk (.8), and KB Capers (.10).

The day was cut short so I could high tail it back to Atlanta to get ready for a trip to Colorado on that Tuesday, blog to follow.

JW

Ken Kamler Event Pictures

We have a few pictures from the Ken Kamler Everest slideshow posted on the High Country Facebook page. If you have some pictures of your own, be sure to share them on our page!

Fall is Here, Time to Drop What You're Doing and Climb!

As a climber, I try and climb year round, through the heat and the cold but in October, more than any other month, the stage is set for beautiful scenery and great climbing, no static at all. The weather is cooling off, the leaves will soon change and the shadows are growing longer: all signals that it is time to get out there and really get after it. With so many climbers coming in the shop lately, I know they are feeling it too. Hearing everyone's plans for trips to favorite fall crags, the Triple Crown, extended stays in new locals, roping up for that new project with that new partner, has been very exciting and inspiring.

So, let’s talk business. After hearing everyone’s plans I have made a few myself, maybe I can pay it forward and inspire you. This past weekend was the first installment of The Triple Crown; it was at Hound Ears in North Carolina. This was my first visit to this boulder field as well as my first registration in the Triple Crown. The comp is the only day of the year Hound Ears is open to the general public, so not everyone is solely there to compete; some are just interested, as am I, in paying this place a visit. You can find out more about it here. Blog to follow. Also next Tuesday I'm off to Golden, Colorado, the home of Coors, to visit some friends and do a little climbing. Eldo is calling my name and I'm already working on a tick list.

So there it is; what I'm up to. So now you need to come see us down at the shop and get us excited about your plans. While you're here try on some new climbing shoes by La Sportiva, 5.10, Evolv or fill out that trad rack with pro from Black Diamond and Metolius. We also have some sick soft shell jackets from Arc'teryx and Mountain Hardwear to help keep you warm at the belay. And if you take some good photos, we'd love to see them.

JW