Make the Switch

Ladies and gentlemen, the stars finally aligned for Brian and I to get out climbing together for more than a day at a time. With Brian just finishing school and me getting a freak of nature three days off in a row, we decided that is was time to do some climbing in Leavenworth. Brian's girlfriend, Mackenzie, joined us, and we were on our way! Our first day in Leavenworth was productive, with all three of us making progress on our projects. I also finally put Busted to rest.

Brian working Thunderdome

Me squeezing on The Strainer

Day 2 was a day of sends. I polished off The Strainer, and Brian crushed Thunderdome! After that, we hit the beach to try The Fin, an absolutely amazing compression problem, and Goicoechea. We all felt super weak though, so Brian and I wanted to go try and send some moderates down at the south seas, which I had never been to before. Mountain Home has a spectacular view of Leavenworth, and going up there always means a great time.

On day 3 we were going to try and go to Little Si, but the weather looked a little iffy, so we headed to my old stomping grounds, Vantage. It was a pretty quiet day other than my onsight (and second) attempt of King Connection. A mental faux-pas means that I have to get back to Vantage sometime soon to try and scratch that route off. I have focused mainly on bouldering for about three years, and even though I love every second of it, I realized how much I miss the quiet bond that people share while sport climbing.

I'll also readily admit that I can only take so much of the bouldering "scene", and I'm getting tired of the egos, rookie stripes, and the shirtless/beanie combination. I love climbing gyms (I work in one), and they are very necessary to stay in shape when the weather sucks. But gyms have created a new breed of climber complete with a unique outlook on style (no... tribal tattoos are not cool), ethics, and respect, for both climbers and the places we love to climb. In the end, climbing is all about having fun, but we shouldn't be having fun at others' expense, including nature. I think it's up to the more experienced climbers to help guide the newer climbers so we can all sleep a little more soundly about climbing, and mainly... access. Always remember to pack out what you brought in, and that includes tick marks.

Stay psyched,

Mike