tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77333138331733125092024-03-13T21:23:11.545-07:00Alex BialeUnknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-28349170721062003452013-02-05T14:35:00.001-08:002013-02-05T14:35:54.045-08:00For Emma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My friend Emma lives in Louisiana and knows almost nothing about Climbing. The first time she heard about it was four years ago when I made an ecstatic long distance phone call my senior year of high school to tell her I’d started. We’ve been close since then, but despite my bi-weekly rants to her about it, I’ve always had this lingering feeling that I haven’t fully conveyed something essential to her, one of the simple truths that binds me to climbing, and for that I feel like I’ve failed somehow. So I hereby commit this piece to you, Emma, and I promise to do my best to explain why climbing is never just about climbing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For the past four years, I’ve called myself a climber. Other people in my life have begun referring to me as a <i>climber</i>. When my parents talk about me to their friends, they say things like <i>Our son goes to school, he writes, he falls in love, and he’s a climber. No, no, he hasn’t done Everest, we’d never let him.</i></span></div>
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</span>As climbers, we’ve all answered these sorts of questions and we’ve all had to explain to people that Climbing is not really what you see in films like <i>Vertical Limit</i> or <i>Mission Impossible II.</i> We’ve all messed with tourists who ask us questions like, <i>What’s that on your back? Is that your bed? You planning on sleeping up there? Oh you climb, have you ever climbed El Cap?</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I won’t get into the sorts of obnoxious answers I’ve given to these not-so-ignorant questions. I think what people are really asking, and what my parents’ friends are really getting at is, <i>Why climbing?</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I give my Dad a lot of shit because he watches <i>Glee. </i>He also enjoys <i>So You Think You Can Dance</i>. I remember one night, while I still lived at home, I was watching another episode of <i>Scrubs</i> when my dad came downstairs, wordlessly took the remote, and turned on <i>Glee</i>. <i>Why do you watch such an obviously overrated and ridiculous show, Dad?</i> He gave me an answer immediately, but to be honest, it didn’t matter what he said. My mind was already made up: <i>Glee </i>sucked, and my Dad was a loser for watching it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The other night, I was over at my friends Kris and Kati Peters’ house watching <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> after a long training session. When it was over, Kris went to bed and I stayed up with Kati and Alex, and together we started scrolling through the channels. I went to the bathroom and grabbed what was left of the <i>Half Baked</i> ice cream out of their fridge. I was looking for a spoon in the kitchen when I heard it. There was a girl singing <i>Silent Night</i> on the TV, and it was absolutely amazing. Kati promptly changed the channel and landed on <i>Friends.</i> <i>Wait, wait! Go back to that! Who was that? That was beautiful</i>. Kati and Alex both looked at me, looked at each other, then proceeded to laugh uncontrollably. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Why are you guys laughing? That was really good.</i><span style="font: 10.0px Times;"> </span>More laughs.<span style="font: 10.0px Times;"> </span><i>Dude, go back to that! We’ve already seen this episode of Friends. Alex, </i>more laughs,<i> that was Glee. </i>Silence.<i> Dammit.</i><span style="font: 10.0px Times;"> </span><i>Why do you want to watch that?</i><span style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I stood there, pint and spoon in hand, wishing I could take back the last thirty seconds. Then an unusual wave of maturity came over me and I felt compelled to capitalize on it. All my life I’ve been told that I am more like my father than I might like to think, and I’m not just talking about our chiseled facial features. In that moment, standing in front of two people I barely know, I gave the same answer my dad gave me all those years ago:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At first, they continued laughing. I’m not sure if they got it, but I certainly did. It had taken me nearly five years to understand how utterly brilliant my dad was for saying that exact same thing. Apparently, my mom had told him the same thing once when she was watching <i>So You Think You Can Dance</i> and he wanted to change it to watch the news. That’s how he learned his lesson. She’s always been a bit more advanced than us. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Emma, for as long as we've known each other, you've known me as a hopeless romantic incapable of making any logical decisions, someone who routinely finds some random thing or activity to obsess over, at least for a short while. One of the most valuable things you've ever given me is a new perspective. You live your life very differently than mine, and by that I mean, you make decisions differently. You're not a hopeless romantic by any stretch of the imagination. And I don't want you to be. Instead, I want to convince you that <i>Climbing</i> isn't just about climbing, that this time, I'm not just acting on impulse. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For the longest time, I've struggled to find something worth investing all of me into (besides God, family, friends, and all that good stuff). I'm talking about something more individualized and specific to me. Maybe that's selfish. I don't know. I tried soccer, writing, photography, girls, etc. I tried everything. Nothing was sustainable in the ways I needed it to be. I wanted to find something in this universe capable of adapting with me as I grew and sucked and learned. That's when I found climbing. Sure, I'm choosing to see this activity in very naive terms, but it's a subjective sport so I can do whatever the hell I want with it. I think it's awesome that I can pour every ounce of me into something as unique and endless as rock climbing. On any given day, rock climbing can be a venue for literally anything! That sort of endless variety and compatibility is so valuable to me. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Climbing forces me to butt heads with myself and look objectively at why I am the way I am. Without honest self-reflection, there is no progress (i.e. growth) in life (climbing).<span style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Climbing</i> is my medium for said growth. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I choose to climb because it demands more from me than just <i>me.</i> I enjoy climbing the most when I am trying as hard as I can on a beautiful boulder problem. Consequently, the more and more time and effort I put into climbing, the things that appeal to me just keep getting harder and harder. In climbing, growth takes for-fucking-ever. Just because I’m getting physically stronger, does not at all mean that I’m growing. And that’s the best part. <span style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I climb because I am constantly pushed outside my comfort zone into other people’s perspectives, (like the way you force me to look at the bigger picture of things) and that sort of opportunity is really cool. We all need something. For my Dad, it’s making wine and watching <i>Glee</i> with my mom<i>.</i> For Ian, it’s writing short stories and teaching just as much as it is climbing. <span style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Self-growth perpetuates growth in others, and that’s sort of the point isn’t it?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Everyone needs and desires to grow. It doesn’t matter if it’s working in the Napa Valley making wine or working in Boulder making lattes, it doesn’t even matter if you’re in some talus field that no one’s ever heard of scrambling around piles of rocks trying to find one that appeals to you. As long as you’re developing in the way you need to be, it’s all good. <span style="font: 12.0px 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">These ways in which we decide to approach and embrace ourselves are constantly evolving. As long as we’re brave and open to the process, even when we fail, we’ll be just fine. That being said, for today, and probably tomorrow, I choose climbing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/57819959" target="_blank">Month One</a></span></div>
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Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-31932787183293519732012-10-14T17:23:00.000-07:002012-10-14T17:23:12.326-07:00Getting Focused<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These days, routine and structure, things previously foreign to me, actually provide the ability to be consistent. Before deciding to smoosh together all the best parts of my life by moving to Colorado, I had a goal to improve my abilities as a climber, as fast as possible. Since being here, I haven’t had as much time to go outside and climb as I thought. Sure, I get to climb outside more than I did when I was going to school in San Luis Obispo, and the rock I get to climb on is of higher quality, and the problems are more famous, harder, and sometimes more striking. However, after having a discussion with a new friend of mine, I realized that, while climbing V13 is something I want, I’ve been trying to get there too fast, and it’s doing more harm than good.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kris Peters is a climbing-specific trainer who focuses on equipping athletes with the tools they need to attain their goals. Kris is a great guy and I can honestly say that we’ve become good friends. He understands what inspires me and where I want to go. And I honestly think he knows how to get me there. I’ve been training with him and some other motivated individuals in the Boulder community for the past couple months. By sheer luck, I managed to make it into the “pro” group of climbers. Don’t be fooled, I’m not pro, and neither is everyone in this group. But, everyone in this group is climbing very, very hard, and are all extremely motivated to progress. While I might be the weakest link in the group, I also get the opportunity to climb with some very powerful climbers who push me to keep improving. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Training with Kris and that specific group of people helped me understand that in order to get to where I want to go (being physically and mentally capable of climbing V13) I need to stop trying to climb V13. At first, I didn’t understand that. Then, I got injured, not severely or anything, but the tendonitis in my elbow came back to haunt me, along with some bicep pain I’ve dealt with in the past. I’ve been training so hard and climbing nearly every day here in Colorado. Whether it’s inside or outside, all of my spare time is spent climbing. This is a dream come true. Although, I haven’t learned to take rest days, and I haven’t learned to try anything unless it’s at my absolute limit. That’s why, until earlier this week, I haven’t actually sent anything since I’ve been here. I’ve only been trying problems that are extremely difficult for me, without climbing on grades I “know” I can do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That sort of masochistic and obsessive approach to progression and to training has been my game plan since before I moved out here. But after only being here for a short while, I’ve come to understand that it is important to take your time when you’re trying to climb at your limit. I can’t climb V10 or V11 all the time, and I sure as hell can’t climb V12 once a month. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ixUrGcey9IQ/UHtVFxLE7_I/AAAAAAAAAP0/jByrsgUz1Yk/s1600/Topping+out+Free+Basin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ixUrGcey9IQ/UHtVFxLE7_I/AAAAAAAAAP0/jByrsgUz1Yk/s640/Topping+out+Free+Basin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting close on Free Basin (V11)<br />
Photo by Brennah Rosenthal</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';">So, here’s my new approach: Be consistent and climb a lot of boulders. Instead of trying to climb V13 within a year, I’m going to try and become as consistent with a certain grade as I possibly can. My new goal is to be able to climb V10 in a session or two.... or three. I want to be consistent with V10 like I am with V7. I want to be consistent with 5.13 like I am with 5.12. Yes, I want to climb V13 and 5.14, but that is going to take some serious time and training and experience and PATIENCE. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hopefully, if I somehow manage to stay injury-free, I will make it to a point in my life where one day, I stumble upon a V13 that suits me perfectly. Then, when the time is right, I’ll give every ounce of me to climbing that one boulder. And that process will be enough for me to be happy.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M9XiFRiQSdg/UHtVBj6NGHI/AAAAAAAAAO0/vaLFARRgfcU/s1600/Alex+and+Brennah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M9XiFRiQSdg/UHtVBj6NGHI/AAAAAAAAAO0/vaLFARRgfcU/s640/Alex+and+Brennah.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex and Brennah (BFFs fuh life.. furildoh)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BR9n6cNhNlY/UHtVB408YFI/AAAAAAAAAO8/Tfywb3PVek0/s1600/Alex+on+cave+V10+in+Wild+Basin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BR9n6cNhNlY/UHtVB408YFI/AAAAAAAAAO8/Tfywb3PVek0/s640/Alex+on+cave+V10+in+Wild+Basin.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biale trying some V10 in Wild Basin<br />
Photo By Brennah Rosenthal</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XAAiGHA63dQ/UHtVCp4Ti5I/AAAAAAAAAPE/h1BCpH_S8uQ/s1600/Brennah+on+The+Mini+Dagger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XAAiGHA63dQ/UHtVCp4Ti5I/AAAAAAAAAPE/h1BCpH_S8uQ/s640/Brennah+on+The+Mini+Dagger.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brennah coming SO CLOSE on flashing The Mini Dagger (V5) in Wild Basin<br />
Photo by Elliot Grissom (also my boo)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VxBMc-99btk/UHtVDU-A1XI/AAAAAAAAAPU/WVnrm4xBWUM/s1600/Elliot+on+cave+V10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VxBMc-99btk/UHtVDU-A1XI/AAAAAAAAAPU/WVnrm4xBWUM/s640/Elliot+on+cave+V10.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elliot gettin WEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIRD on some really hard boulder in Wild Basin<br />
Photo by Brennah Rosenthal</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SRMJwYbKupI/UHtVE8NvLlI/AAAAAAAAAPk/Xj6eyCKcfUM/s1600/Germ+Free+Adolescent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SRMJwYbKupI/UHtVE8NvLlI/AAAAAAAAAPk/Xj6eyCKcfUM/s640/Germ+Free+Adolescent.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex topping out the Colorado highball classic: Germ Free Adolescence (V5)<br />
Photo by Brennah Rosenthal</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XrOAEsNGgPY/UHtVFB8-SiI/AAAAAAAAAPs/30DSwQHtXKU/s1600/High+Five+Bro%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XrOAEsNGgPY/UHtVFB8-SiI/AAAAAAAAAPs/30DSwQHtXKU/s640/High+Five+Bro%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex and Ben Spannuth "Top-out.. HIGH FIVE BRO!!!!"<br />
Photo by Elliot Grissom</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSrLYmAVELc/UHtVEGjLozI/AAAAAAAAAPc/5QLSxdVNkQM/s1600/Fro+Yo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSrLYmAVELc/UHtVEGjLozI/AAAAAAAAAPc/5QLSxdVNkQM/s640/Fro+Yo.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Kris Peters fuel with the crew<br />
Photo by Brennah Rosenthal</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YdtSZfZ15C4/UHtVGSX7ZlI/AAAAAAAAAP8/jzutz8GogRE/s1600/Vics+Busser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YdtSZfZ15C4/UHtVGSX7ZlI/AAAAAAAAAP8/jzutz8GogRE/s640/Vics+Busser.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got a job at a coffee shop. No big deal.<br />
Photo by Brennah Rosenthal</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0R7MEJ0C0CQ/UHtVDKNX4mI/AAAAAAAAAPM/kf1-BjkqRwY/s1600/Cards+Against+Humanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0R7MEJ0C0CQ/UHtVDKNX4mI/AAAAAAAAAPM/kf1-BjkqRwY/s640/Cards+Against+Humanity.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rest day activities (Cards Against Humanity)<br />
Photo by Brennah Rosenthal </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-88244718974537603932012-09-10T10:46:00.000-07:002012-09-10T10:46:31.571-07:00To The Girl Reading Gatsby On The Couch By The Window<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Every now and then, I branch out of writing for school, Clmbing Magazine, text messages, and I dabble in poetry. My friend David Hernandez suggested I put some of it on my blog, so, here you go! I might start randomly posting bits of poetry. Some of it will be mine and some of it will be the work of others. But since this is MY blog and I like poetry, you just have to suck it up and deal. Here's one I wrote a little while ago.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To The Girl Reading Gatsby On The Couch By The Window</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is an older woman </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">making Valentines in the corner by the lamp,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and a man bearded with scars he’d </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">rather not talk about playing the piano. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The woman with scissors and red paper </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">listens </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">to his rendition of Billie Holliday’s </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“I’ll Be Seeing You”, and thinks he is playing for her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No, he is playing for us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">See, you sit by the window </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and I see that we are both drinking cappuccino, </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and I think that says a lot about a person.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I can’t pay for yours </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">but I can offer you all the real</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">estate of my right hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You could sip the art off my foam</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and read me your favorite lines.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We could sway our heads </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">to the piano man’s fingers</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and talk about high school versions of our selves.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You could tell me about how God</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">listens to your heartbeat on his iPod,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">how you’ve learned to let it be okay to say,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“I really wanted that to work.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I could tell you about how I learned</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">to flinch before I learned to read, </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">that I’ve learned to give myself </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">permission to be complicated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Older couples would say,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“You two look good together.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I would tap you with my elbow,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">as if to suggest, <i>I agree</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’d make you breakfast in the </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">morning, run my fingers</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">down your spine and ask,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Five more minutes.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If I could find a way to grind my </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">teeth into an “I dare you”,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’d dare myself to ignore the washing </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">machine in my stomach </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and ask you for your name.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">See, I missed class the day they</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">taught us how to be brave,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">but I’ve come to understand that </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">my insecurities are in all the right places.</span></span></div>
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Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-39080154077533602602012-09-05T17:03:00.001-07:002012-09-05T17:03:47.576-07:00The Newness: Life in BOULDAHH!!<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I live in Boulder, CO. I am the editorial intern at Climbing Magazine. I make coffee. I wander around in the mountains. I hang out with some fucking weird individuals. We drink wine, we talk things we shouldn’t be talking about, and we call it a good time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Before moving out to Boulder, some friends that previously lived here warned me about the “dangers” of living in the epicenter of US climbing. They explained that a good amount of climbers here have become completely jaded to the fact that they live in one of the most beautiful places for climbing in America, that they get to live two hours from their life-long projects, that they get to climb alongside some of the best climbers in the country, if not the world, and above all, the fact that Boulder, CO has more Whole Foods per person than anywhere else in the U.S. I expected rampant snobbery and elitism here in Boulder, but I can tell you that this is not the case, or at least, not entirely.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Like any climbing community, there are climbers who are stronger than others, and there are climbers who think that because they are stronger than the masses, they are somehow better and more deserving. Boulder is no different. There are climbers who think they walk on water because they climb V-WHATEVER. But what people don’t talk about, are the climbers who climb V-WHATEVER and are dope as fuck (Billy Elliot, I’m talking about you)! The Boulder climbing community is home to some of the most genuine, motivated, and intriguing people I have ever met. I’ve trained, climbed, and drunk with some of Colorado’s strongest climbers since I’ve been living here, and from my perspective, they’re all pretty cool.. weird, but cool. So, MYTH: DEBUNKED!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The reason my friends warned me about moving out here was because they were worried that if I started climbing with these sorts of people, I might lose my love for climbing and be consumed by the gossip and drama of this community. I recently had an enlightening conversation with a friend from back home (Ian) who helped me understand why I won’t get jaded, ever. It’s the same reason I can listen to the same song over and over and over again. It’s the same reason why I don’t struggle with commitment, why I enjoy watching the same movies dozens of times, why I will never stop climbing, why I will always fall in love with new songs and scream, “This is the best song I’ve ever heard!!!”. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I was in high school, I took a class called “Man’s Search for Meaning”. Pretty cool right? Right. It was senior year and things were changing: friendships were evolving, hearts were breaking and healing, and I finally found climbing. This class revolved around one underlying principle: “Ancoro Imparo”, or, “Know Thyself”. We learned about world religions, music, art, literature, poetry, love, the kamasutra, all the good shit. In that class, I began to realize that our attitudes (perceptions) towards a certain scenario give us a lot more control over our lives than we might think. This concept might seem elementary, and maybe it is, but it helped me understand something bigger, so keep reading. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’m very excited about rock climbing, in every way. I love being up in the mountains with nothing but some rock shoes, a bag of chalk, and a good friend. I cherish the car rides where we occupy our minds with music and dreams and dirty jokes and donuts and inappropriate conversations. I look forward to climbing at the gym with my friends after work, to watching the new Joe Kinder flicks that pop up on my news feed, to reading the sometimes-ignorant and always-amusing comments under certain blog posts, to having short and awkward with my climbing heros out at the boulders. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQmpdavUKLE/UEff6heIjHI/AAAAAAAAANA/PtU7V7QiSQE/s1600/615087_10152075732300313_481746275_o-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQmpdavUKLE/UEff6heIjHI/AAAAAAAAANA/PtU7V7QiSQE/s640/615087_10152075732300313_481746275_o-1.jpg" width="480" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">See, I used to feel like I had to go climbing, like it was my duty to convey this image of “happy-climber-alex”. But that gets old quickly and takes value away from what climbing really means to me. Being in Boulder has given me the opportunity to reignite this drive to <i>love climbing</i>. As soon as I crossed the state line and began to see mountains, something in me, something long-forgotten, switched back on. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I forgot how much I love rock climbing! No, not sending, <i>climbing</i>. There’s a difference. For the past eight months I have been so caught up in and preoccupied by sending “hard” boulders, that I forgot how much I LOVE going out to the mountains and JUST CLIMBING!!!! Since I’ve been here, I have not sent anything worth bragging about (at least not by my own hyper-critical-and-arbitrary-as-fuck-standards), but what I have been doing, is trying really hard on some of the coolest moves I’ve done outside. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">During the week, I work at Climbing Magazine (which is the coolest job in the world), and at night, I go climbing. If the weather is good, I/we even do afternoon/evening sessions in RMNP. Those are dope. On the weekends, we drive up to the mountains, AND WE GO CLIMBING! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">CLIMBINGCLIMBINGCLIMBINGCLIMBINGCLIMBINGCLIMBINGCLIMBING!!!!!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a bottle of Robert Biale Vineyards, some amazing people, and a little creativity, we changed the world with a message in a bottle.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The reason I will never get jaded and I will never stop loving climbing is because, much like a four-year-old, I have the capacity to let things be new. By letting a) the allure of the mountains b) the camaraderie of my friends c) the overwhelming satisfaction of sending a project d) the giddy feeling I get when I see a hero like Tommy Caldwell or Joe Kinder, or even e) that feeling you get when you absolutely crush that ONE move in the gym that you thought would be IMPOSSIBLE, all be just as cool and rewarding as they were the first time I ever felt them, it becomes clear that this love I have for climbing will never cease to make me happy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">“it exists between the dandelions--the same that falls out of fruit trees and splashes out of puddles” </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SxCX5CRANfM/UEffFUHkEmI/AAAAAAAAALo/iGIbxdpvUoE/s1600/Sunseeker+V13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SxCX5CRANfM/UEffFUHkEmI/AAAAAAAAALo/iGIbxdpvUoE/s640/Sunseeker+V13.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My project... Sunseeker V13. This is a picture of Carlo Traversi making the 2nd Ascent. Photo by Andy Mann</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Mask V10. did it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Mask V10!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a picture i thought was sexy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">for ian james walters, he knows why</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-567o5JKU4x0/UEff0RvecKI/AAAAAAAAAMw/gVRyJKG16RM/s1600/Vacation+Shakes-Kind+Coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-567o5JKU4x0/UEff0RvecKI/AAAAAAAAAMw/gVRyJKG16RM/s640/Vacation+Shakes-Kind+Coffee.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IM ON VACATION!!!!! UH, THAT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE DIARRHEA!!! KINDCOFFEE!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHISPERS OF WISDOM V10#COOLESTCLIMBEVER#</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welp, I fell off the last move and hit a tree on the way down. Waiting to heal before I head back for the send... NOT! IM GOING UP THIS WEEKEND TO TAKE THIS BITCH DOWN!</td></tr>
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Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-962545557092452502012-07-27T15:49:00.001-07:002012-07-27T15:49:31.329-07:00Wine Country Boulder Brawl 2012: Review<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’ve spent the last six days in an overheated climbing gym, moving up and down ladders, breathing in chalk, drinking too much coffee, falling off everything, staying up till 3 a.m., and attempting to throw a grassroots bouldering competition for v13 climbers. Saturday night, both local enthusiasts and visiting professional climbers gathered in Napa, CA to compete for a $2,000 cash purse at the second annual Wine Country Boulder Brawl. My goal for this competition is simple: help climbing grow.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Co-Founder of the WCBB, Alex Biale, falls asleep with the master list of problems.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The idea to host a grassroots climbing competition stemmed from the hearts and minds of two local climbers (Alex Biale and Nolan Kloer) who simply wanted to give back to the community that has given them so much. After last year’s event, my friend/partner and I decided we wanted to morph this local competition into a national event. The West Coast does not have any competition series that draw in climbers like Daniel Woods, Carlo Traversi, Rob D, etc., so why not start one? This year’s WCBB was our attempt at hosting a bouldering competition for top tier athletes in CA. (We figured to start in our own state, then work our way towards Mr. Woods). </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I could write an entire piece on the six days leading up to the event, but it would take me too long to write it and it would take you way too long to read it. I learned more about route setting, event planning, networking, marketing, time management, friendships, insomnia, the positive and negative effects of electronic music, how many bottles of wine it takes for me to be able to do three one-arm pull-ups, and even some business savvy in that one week than I have working on any other event. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Head Setter, Jake Novotny, replenishes with some Napa Valey goodness after setting V13</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5eeNh7lZdII/UBMVhfcTiyI/AAAAAAAAAKA/mz_dLW73vPM/s1600/IMG_0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Throughout the week, the gym kept getting phone calls from professional climbers asking things like, “Where is the nearest airport?” and “How much money does Men’s 1st Place get?”. Our crew began to step up the levels of difficulty of our setting as soon as we heard that climbers like Michael and Julian Bautista were coming. After hours and hours and hours of setting, forerunning, tweaking, re-setting, drinking red wine, and more forerunning, we were ready. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On the day of the event, everyone was getting excited, well, I wasn’t. See, a few of my friends from the bay area told me they were coming, and those friends happen to be some of the strongest climbers in the U.S. So, the Wine Country Boulder Brawl did not start, in my eyes, until one of them walked through the doors. Within minutes, Brian Hedrick walked into my climbing gym. Now, if you’re in the know, you’ve probably heard of Brian Hedrick. He’ll hate that I’m bragging about him online, but fuck it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Brian Hedrick (Cuz) is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s strongest boulderers. He also happens to be one of the most humble climbers I know. He’s climbed The Swarm (V14), The Mandala SDS (V13), and made the second ascent of Chris Sharma’s infamous The Impossible Traverse (V13) in Berkeley. Right? Sorry Brian. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And now the name dropping begins...</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This past Bishop season, I met Max Zolotukhin on one of my projects, Xavier’s Roof. I had obviously seen videos and read news articles about things he’s done, so when he and his crew walked up to the problem I was trying, I got all kinds of excited. With style, he sent it first go. I remember his girlfriend and my friend, Natasha Barnes, saying, “That was hot.” I met them both a few more times throughout the season, and the same reoccurring trend kept happening, I would fail on my project, Max would send it immediately, and Natasha would say under her breath, “That was hot.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Natasha and I met a few years ago in Yosemite Valley. I’ve seen her periodically throughout the years at different bouldering locations, and I’ve obviously seen the videos. This girl has been crushing the national comp scene lately, as well as climbing some inspiring lines outside... Drive On (V11) in Yosemite...</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you follow the comp scene, you’ve heard of Michael and Julian Bautista. These brothers come from the L.A. area and are absolute monsters on the wall. These kids walk into a comp and everyone immediately goes, “Well, there goes 1st and 2nd. Maybe I can get 3rd?” I had not met them before the comp, but they both turned out to be some of the most down-to-earth guys I’ve met in this little world of climbing competitions. Humble, positive, and strong as balls. Thanks for coming guys!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last year’s event was the first time I had ever met Giovanni Traversi. Giovanni (G.), brother to Carlo Traversi, hails from Santa Rosa and is just as impressive as his brother on the rock. Watching G. absolutely destroy the competition last year left the Napa crew with enough psyche to last for the rest of the year. His reserved and soft-spoken nature exists in complete contrast to his ability to take complete ownership of every problem he tries. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a powerful climber move with such control. If you’ve seen him climb, you know what I mean. G., you’re a boss. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The point I am trying to make by listing all these climbers and the few times I’ve met them is this: All it took to rally such a solid crew of strong climbers to a local climbing competition was a little bit of prize money and cashing in on some newly-formed friendships. I am convinced that the climbing community is separated by a mere one degree of separation, because with a few Facebook invites and text messages, I had some of the strongest boulderers in our sport climbing at my comp. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To all of the athletes who made this year’s Wine Country Boulder Brawl a show for not only myself, but the crowd and the community, thank you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As for the event itself, it was exactly what I wanted/needed it to be. All the competitors had a great time and continued to compliment the setters on the quality of their problems. This sort of acknowledgment does not go unnoticed. Finals was a blast, especially for the women. Our crew of setters did a perfect job of creating unique problems with showy cruxes for the crowd to enjoy, and their difficulty levels were right where they needed to be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My favorite moment was watching Natasha Barnes flash the last women’s problem, Finals #3. When she made it past the move her predecessor fell on, I began screaming, “Flash this! C’mon ‘Tash, FLASH IT!!” I might have gotten a little too excited. Sure enough, she hit the finish hold, maintained control, and swung high above the crowd for the win. When a finalist is able to flash (climb first try) the last problem in the comp for a win, you know you did something right. Good job Natasha.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On the men’s side, things did not work out as well. Don’t get me wrong all the problems in finals were amazing, they were just way too hard. The three main setters for this comp were Jake Novotny, Jonah Ferohn, and myself, Alex Biale. None of us climb above V11, and very rarely do we ever accomplish that grade. I’m currently dealing with the worst finger injury I’ve ever had which disables me from using my left hand. Jake climbs outside more than anyone I know, and doesn’t necessarily climb in the gym a whole lot, and Jonah sets way harder than he climbs. This is to say, we all know how to set quality problems, but there is no way in hell we can climb the stuff these previously mentioned climbers can. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I found out that G., Max, Brian, and the Bautista brothers were all coming to our comp, I had a sit-down with the setters. We decided we needed to set boulder problems that were much harder. I’ve seen Brian Hedrick piss all over The Mandala (V12) as a warm up. I’ve seen Max Zolotukhin absolutely destroy The Buttermilker SDS (V13). I know what G. can do and I’ve seen both the Bautistas come agonizingly close to beating Daniel Woods in bouldering comps. THESE GUYS ARE STRONG! Logically, Jake and I thought that if we could do every move on the problems with some decent links, these guys could climb them, and potentially flash them. So, after six days of setting and forerunning, every move on every problem went down, either by Jake or myself, we did them all. Sadly, we underestimated our strength and ended up completely sandbagging the male finalists. SORRY! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had an amazing time watching them thrash on our boulder problems, but not one of the male finalists were able to complete any of the three men’s finals problems. This is not what a head setter wants, and neither does the crowd. It was cool for Jake and I to watch strong climbers like Max climb to the same spot as us on the problems, but it was disappointing knowing that we set them too hard, and that no one was topping out on the guy’s side. Oh well, we learned a lesson.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the comp was over, I made a point to talk with each of the top male finalists and ask questions about ways to improve for next year, ways to make finals more enjoyable and more exciting. To my surprise, they all stuck around and offered friendly advice that will help make next year’s event even better. So, once again, thanks guys.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Bay Area couple, Max Zolotukhin and Natasha Barnes, ended up walking away in first place for men and women respectively, both earning $700 in cash. For the full results, visit The Wine Country Boulder Brawl on Facebook.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natasha Barnes and Max Zolotukhin, winners of the 2012 Wine Country Boulder Brawl. Thanks guys!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That was all a very long and drawn out way of saying thank you to our local heros and role models. While they might be friends and fellow climbers, they’re also at the forefront of our sport, which means the rest of us get to look up to them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Wine Country Boulder Brawl started off as a way of saying thank you to a man and community who helped two kids fall in love with climbing. Over the past couple years, our simple thank you has transformed into a dream of one day hosting a bouldering competition/festival that will inspire and rally the climbing community on a national level. Keep an eye out for next year’s event, I promise you, it will be worth the plane ticket.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This event would not have been possible without the support of a small but core group of like-minded individuals. Thank you to our sponsors:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Andrew McDermott, Dwayne Robertson, Robert Biale Vineyards, Prana, Raw Revolution Energy Bars, Evolv</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thank you to all the volunteer staff. Without you, I'd still be stuck on setting Men's #3:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jake Novotny, Jonah Farhion, Craig Cooledge, Ryan Cooledge, Mrs. Cooledge, Mr. & Mrs. Kloer, Andrew Zaslove.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nolan, word. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-16704921841166229562012-07-13T18:07:00.001-07:002012-07-13T18:07:53.393-07:00The Wine Country Boulder Brawl<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A year ago, I organized the first annual Wine Country Boulder Brawl with my good friend Nolan Kloer. The WCBB is a bouldering competition that showcases top California climbers at Napa’s premier climbing gym, Rockzilla. The WCBB was our attempt at giving back to the climbing community that has given us so much. Dwayne Robertson, the owner of Rockzilla (also the man that instilled within me the idea that downgrading a climb is always better than upgrading one), is one of the biggest reasons climbing is what it is for me today. I’ve only been climbing for a little over four years, but Dwaye has been an integral part of each step I’ve taken in my climbing life along the way. Without getting too sentimental, this man is like a second father to me. Organizing this competition to show off his gym was my way of saying ‘Thank you’ to the man that taught me how to downgrade.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last year’s event was a much greater success than we had anticipated. Climbers from all over the state showed up and kept the room filled with that sort of late-night-gym-session sort of psyche. The highlight (for me at least) was when Five Ten Athlete, Giovanni Traversi, walked through the doors. G. climbs at a gym not too far from Rockzilla, and came to Napa to put on a show. And that he did. Watching G. absolutely CRUSH in Finals was the most gratifying thing in the world to me. We did it. We got people psyched, we gave back to Dwanye, and we drank a lot of beer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This year, we’re going hard: On-sight Finals, FREE beer, High Tech Burritos (for purchase), DJ, raffles, Giovanni Traversi, and wine, lots and lots of wine (courtesy of Robert Biale Vineyards). </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The WCBB began as a simple way of showing a great man that we care, and has evolved into something more applicable to the climbing community as a whole. What I intend to do with this event is draw in some of the best boulderers from the state, and eventually the country, in order to bring to the spotlight all the things we here at Rockzilla love about climbing. Spreading our love for climbing with the community is at the forefront of the WCBB’s mission. Every year we throw this event, we’ll grow and we’ll bring in new climbers. In order to do so, we need cash prize. However, if climbers like Giovanni Traversi, Dan Beall, Max Zolotukhin, Natasha Barnes, and Brian Hedrick decide to show up this year, the prize money will come. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you don’t already have something booked and you’re interested in climbing with some very happy and very psyched individuals, please come to Rockzilla’s 2nd Annual Wine Country Boulder Brawl on Saturday July 21st. Comp starts at 5. Beer will obviously be there. Oh yeah, one more thing, <u><b>THE COMP IS FREE.</b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Joe Ramos (master of all things ‘video’) put together a promo vid. Check it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Peace.</span></span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-27675921743276361812012-06-11T11:20:00.000-07:002012-06-11T11:20:48.112-07:00Cal Poly ROOF PROJECT!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier this year, one of my good friends and fellow climber, Joe Maier, discovered a new boulder in the San Luis Obispo, CA area. Unfortunately, we are not blessed with copious amounts of double digit boulder problems. In fact, up until this new roof came into the public sphere, the hardest piece of outdoor rock couldn't even flirt with the idea of double digits. Don't get me wrong, we're happy to have rock at all, but watching those Colorado boulderers find new V12-V15 every week makes us sick! We want some cool, new-wave, overhanging roof project, jam-packed with crazy drop-knees and body-tension-core-lock-off-Daniel Woods(esque) sequences. . . . Oh wait. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/43802480">https://vimeo.com/43802480</a> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Click link for short teaser of Cal Poly's new ROOF PROJECT!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(All Photos by Sam Monsalve)</span><br />
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<br />Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-36698142821283127382012-05-19T13:16:00.000-07:002012-05-19T13:16:29.556-07:00A New SLO Classic<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sometimes I forget how truly blessed I am. I live in an amazing community with a beautiful group of friends. For the better half of my college career at Cal Poly, I have been hanging out with a unique group of people. We climb, we eat, we write poetry, we hang out at cafes, and on occasion, we make it out to the boulders in San Luis Obispo (SLO). The climbing in SLO might be limited, but what we have is fun. The rock can be a bit brittle, but after some cleaning and brushing, the climbs are usually good to go. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Biale climbing Boulder in the Woods. Photo by Chris Bersbach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Biale making the First Ascent of Second Year (V9) Photo by Chris Bersbach</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The climbing in SLO is not vast, but we make do with what we have and enjoy the process of searching out new lines. The rock usually does not lend itself to difficult climbing, but every once in a while, you stumble across something a bit harder the the previously established stuff. I've added a few problems to a few areas, but nothing that stands out. However, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">a good friend of mine, Justin Lawson, established a new climb in the Bishop Peak area. In my opinion, it’s the best problem in SLO. The boulder problem climbs up the steepest and tallest face on the Potato Boulder on the north side of the mountain. Good holds and fun movement lead you up a 25 or 30 foot face above a sloping landing which we have dubbed the “crux” of the climb. Spotting this climb is almost just as hard as climbing it. Weird. Here is a video I put together of my second ascent of the boulder. To be honest, this was one of the most fun days in SLO I’ve ever had. It was the perfect culmination of good friends, being outside, loving climbing, and having a good time falling.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Obsession can be defined as “an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes a person’s mind.” Being someone who is blindly obsessed with this activity of rock climbing, it is hard to remind myself that, while I might be getting ‘better’ at climbing, I am still vulnerable to ‘real’ life. There have been so many moments where I find myself discouraged by the subtle distractions that diminish my ability to perform and execute movement on rock. Things like humidity, injuries, lack of pads, or physical exhaustion, all lead to self-doubt, a lack of concentration, and an overall feeling of incompetency. Why do we let ourselves do that? I’m making a generalization here, but I can say with a certain amount of conviction, that most climbers who take this shit as seriously as I do have felt something like this. And that’s okay. Not only are we allowed to feel weak and defeated, we’re supposed to.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When non-climbers talk about climbing, they use terms like a) gravity b)heights c)courage and d)recklessness. If there was a question asking, “What does climbing mean to you?” and I had to pick between these four, I’d say fuck it and bubble in, e)none of the above. If rock climbing was just about finding rocks and trying really hard to get to the top of them via back muscles and calloused finger tips, I’d be bored. But what keeps me driving 7 hours back to Bishop, what keeps me awake at night, what keeps me restless in the classroom, what keeps me full of focus and fear, is this dark obsession I have with the process that can be most accurately described as: repeated failure followed sporadically by moments of clarity. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By butting our heads up against a pre-established framework and failing repeatedly, whether it be academics, a rhyme scheme, or a boulder problem, we are forced to utilize the more abstract levels of our minds in order to come up with a solution. In a poem, it might mean being forced by a rhyme scheme to use the third or fourth or 18th meaning of a word in order to complete a line, which in turn influences the balance of the entire poem, and could lead you to shocking insights in what you're trying to say. In climbing, it might mean the 'Eureka' moment: "stumbling" upon crazy beta for the project you've been obsessing over for so long that finally makes it possible, or waking up in the middle of the night with the right answer. You don't know why you threw that toe-hook there, and you don't know why it worked, but it did, and now you understand the boulder much better.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What happens when I become so helplessly addicted to this process? It isn’t dark to repeat a pattern of healthy activity, but it is dark when I can’t stop, and there’s a difference there. Until now, I have never really questioned why I can’t stop climbing, or what happens when I do, and where do I draw the line between habit and addiction. The reason I find myself sitting here at this cafe pondering these notions of addiction, obsession, and the ‘darker’ side to climbing, is because of my answer to the following question: If climbing were to evaporate from existence and I could no longer be a ‘climber,’ would I be okay with losing this sort of warped control I have over my life? My answer is, no.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Right now, I am dealing with three semi-serious injuries that are collectively preventing me from rock climbing. I have a broken rib, a fucked up A2 pulley, and a joint that decided it didn’t want to crimp anymore. It’s Tuesday, it’s the one night of the week where I always make it to the climbing gym because both Joe Maier and Itai Axelrad (the strongest kids in SLO and my good friends) can make it. We turn the music up and wreck our bodies on hard movement for hours. And it’s not just the literal act of climbing that keeps me coming back, it’s the feeling of control over my body and my surroundings. I can’t settle into this ‘feeling’ every session, but there are times where I feel like I have the power to manipulate gravity. That is obviously an abstract exaggeration, and I might only be referring to one single shoulder move I did in the cave last week, but if you’re like me and are one of those obsessive-compulsive boulderers who spend weeks trying to understand one move or to climb one project, you know what I mean. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am sitting here wondering <i>why</i> these Tuesday nights are so important to me. It’s certainly not because two of my good friends and I get together and go free-soloing all the classic ‘easy’ slabs in SLO and enjoy the scenery, it’s because of that sense of power and creativity I feel when I push myself in climbing. I have an appetite for and am addicted to this creative and controlling impulse to ‘progress.’ By that I mean, there has not been a period of time that has lasted longer than a couple of days where my primary focus in climbing was to simply enjoy rock climbing. Whenever I step into the climbing gym, or I walk up to The Buttermilks, or I go to a new area, I immediately look for the climb(s) that should be at my physical limit. I might take my time warming up on all the classic, ‘easy,’ aesthetic lines in the area, but I’m going there to try hard. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I know some very strong climbers who have said out loud, “If I could only climb V5 for the rest of my life, I’d still be psyched!” Part of me wants to call bullshit. However, the other part of me wants more than anything to believe them. This is my ‘dark’ side to climbing. If for some reason, I was unable to physically and mentally ‘push’ myself, or, if I was unable to continually obsess over ‘hard’ movement and unclimbed projects, <i>climbing</i> would be less. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xpGQC-8XgeQ/T6G4sU7HVcI/AAAAAAAAAHc/noFVrlRzsnE/s1600/Alex_luminance8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xpGQC-8XgeQ/T6G4sU7HVcI/AAAAAAAAAHc/noFVrlRzsnE/s640/Alex_luminance8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Biale on Luminance. Photo: Jake Novotny</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For those of you who have been asking, I did not climb Luminance. I had one strong go where I fell because I broke off a foot hold. Then the heat and humidity hit and the problem was unclimbable. Luminance will be in the back of my mind, haunting me, inspiring me, teasing me, and even though I will have to wait till next season to try again, this feeling of being completely obsessed and defined by the process is everything to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-62690694684649407672012-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:002012-04-26T14:37:30.729-07:002012 CCS National Championship<br />
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In the context of competition climbing, I’ve never made a mistake that had any real consequences. Sure, I’ve made my fair share of stupid decisions, but nothing major. However, when I arrived in Boston, MA this weekend to compete alongside the top tier of collegiate athletes in this year’s CCS National Championships, I made two. The CCS (Collegiate Climbing Series) provides eager college climbers with a unique avenue for elite and friendly competition. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRLJtrbIL6Y/T5W3xe6ykRI/AAAAAAAAAHE/vErszwhwAwI/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRLJtrbIL6Y/T5W3xe6ykRI/AAAAAAAAAHE/vErszwhwAwI/s320/IMG_0269.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here’s how the comp works: 100 competitors climb for 3 hours (one group in the morning and one group in the afternoon). Over the course of those 3 hours, each climber must complete 3 sport routes and 3 boulder problems. You can complete as many as you would like, but only your top 3 scores from each count towards your overall score. These routes and boulder problems are assigned point values. Consequently, the harder the climb, the more points the climber earns. After this initial Qualifiers round, the top 10 men and top 10 women move onto a Finals round later that evening. </div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">During the afternoon Qualifiers round, I was able to flash (climb first try) the top 3 hardest sport routes and climb 3 of the harder boulder problems which placed me in 3rd overall (out of both the morning and afternoon sessions). I was happy because I made Finals and that was my goal this year. I was not going to Boston to win Nationals, I was going to Boston to try really fucking hard with some of the countries strongest athletes and prove to myself that I earned being here. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Finals round format consists of 1 boulder problem and 1 sport route with 5 minutes on each and a 5 minute break in between. The climbers are given 4 minutes to collectively review the problem and route to figure out a sequence. In isolation, as excited as I was, I knew I was screwed. I had not been on a rope since last year’s nationals and I was still fighting cramps and fatigue from the afternoon Qualifier’s round. That was my first mistake. Competing in the afternoon round was a rookie mistake and I learned my lesson. The competitors from the morning session were all feeling rested and fit while the competitors from the afternoon were all struggling to not pass out. Now I know. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My second mistake happened on the boulder problem. When the group reviewed the boulder, I stayed quiet and went through the sequence in my head. It seemed pretty intuitive. However, some of the other competitors voiced their opinions about how to make the opening roof sequence efficient, and I listened. Their method contradicted mine and I made the mistake of thinking they were right and I was wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When it came time for me to climb, I pulled into the roof and hesitated. There was a quick moment of indecisiveness and I chose to go with the method the other competitors were talking about. I tried this 3 times and failed, not even making it to the overhanging crux of the boulder. With a minute left I decided to say fuck it and do my thing. I am not an efficient climber, I do not like to rely too much on insecure feet, and I sure as hell don’t like having to keep my feet on the wall. Instead of relying on fancy footwork, I campused (climbed with no feet) the roof section, which was my initial method, and made it to the overhang. I fell on the second to last move of the boulder and apparently got the highpoint thus far. I made it up to the same spot one more time before the 5 minutes was up. I gave that boulder everything I had because I knew I could do it. However, because of my first 3 failed attempts, I was too tired to execute the last move. I was exhausted. The judge handed me my scorecard and I was promptly escorted to the sport route. I was so pumped when they called my name, I purposefully fumbled with my knot for a minute to give myself more time to rest. I could barely close my hand. From what others tell me, I made it to the hold right below the hold where the top 4 men fell. Because of my lack of conviction on the boulder problem (and some scoring issues that I unfortunately did not talk with the judges about until after the results were finalized) I placed 6th overall. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Looking back, I did not do as well as I would have liked, but I can say that about almost every comp I’ve ever been in. I am starting to view these competitions less as competitions and more as chances to learn something about myself. Competition climbing is a way of understanding what your body and mind can do when put under immense amounts of pressure. Once you clearly understand what it is that gets in your way of achieving your goals, whatever those goals may be, you can then actively work to remove those barriers and move forward. I learned that I need to trust my gut, even when it might not be the most logical thing to do. Because frankly, I have never been too keen on logic. My barriers stem from certain insecurities I have about the way I climb. I don’t ever feel as strong as I know I can be. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This year’s CCS Nationals was not just about trying to make podium again, it was about testing a year’s worth of mental and physical progression. It was about visiting a new city with my parents and friends. It was about experiencing the anxiety of isolation and learning how to utilize pressure so that it turns into a tool for growth. This year was not about what place I came in, it was about trying my best with some cool individuals and keeping my eyes wide open. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">That being said, this coming weekend, I’m going back to Bishop to try Luminance. If you’re psyched, let’s go climbing.</span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-61412343565928213442012-04-18T00:32:00.000-07:002012-04-18T00:32:02.679-07:00The Right Way Up<div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fact: For the past 4 or 5 months, I’ve been faking it. </span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the moment I began a relationship with Five Ten, I have been putting on this show of what I think a sponsored climber is supposed to be. I have been pushing aside the things I hold dear in order to look like something I’m not. A few nights ago I sat down to figure out how on earth this could be happening, and here’s what I came up with:</span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fact: I did not get sponsored by Five Ten because of the climbs I have done. </span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are 10 year old girls climbing a lot harder than I am. Consequently, I have been struggling with the question,<i> Why did I get sponsored by Five Ten?</i> When I sat down with Kelsey Reddoch, the Five Ten rep in Salt Lake City, I doubt she saw an up-and-coming Daniel Woods, and she definitely did not see someone who makes better media than LT11. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vyU5NyZVWV8/TymlX2J4ulI/AAAAAAAAACM/x6bw5KTArXA/s1600/DSC03081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vyU5NyZVWV8/TymlX2J4ulI/AAAAAAAAACM/x6bw5KTArXA/s400/DSC03081.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what I hope she <i>did</i> see is my sheer capacity for psyche. I hope she saw my ability to give a majority of myself to a certain thing, completely and without hesitation, and how helplessly and utterly excited and proud I am to be a part of the climbing community. And if that is in fact what got me this sponsorship, I guess in a way I’m relieved and very grateful, because even though my climbing abilities have suffered lately, I’ve realized that those other parts of me are still firing harder than ever. After years of being caught up in the glitz of climbing media, sometimes it’s hard for me to stay in touch with my center, especially now that I feel like I have some minuscule part in it. I’m still learning, but luckily for me, I can’t help but wear my heart on my sleeve. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s where my core is, and my abilities, my successes, and my failures are all simply offshoots of that core.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iznnjX3EhU8/T45epB2d65I/AAAAAAAAAG8/WDVsejQ_yks/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iznnjX3EhU8/T45epB2d65I/AAAAAAAAAG8/WDVsejQ_yks/s400/IMG_0266.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For instance, what is it that hurts so badly about watching our friends do the things we want most to do in the world? </span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, my good friend Joe Maier and I went to Bishop, CA over spring break to check out a problem called Luminance. Luminance has an ominous reputation for being one of the most aesthetic and dangerous climbs in Bishop (if not the world), zigzagging up a sharply overhanging wall above one of the most mind-bendingly bad landings I’ve ever seen.</span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But do I have to be physically/mentally stronger to climb Luminance, or to acknowledge the roots of resentment and envy in myself? Honestly, sitting here writing this, I’m not sure which is more difficult. Watching Joe stick the last hold and top out that boulder hurt, bad. And because it hurt, I then felt like a shitty friend and bad person. After the initial relief of Joe being safely on top of the massive granite block, I felt sick. And not because of the adrenaline rushing through me as I stood there, spotting one of my closest friends on a dangerous climb, focusing on his safety with every fiber of my being. I felt sick because now, it was my turn. If you have ever seen Joe climb, you might understand this next question I asked myself, <i>How the fuck am I supposed to follow that? </i></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0jZlrvZ77l4/T45ekY2DuSI/AAAAAAAAAGM/5a6Mt3sruf0/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0jZlrvZ77l4/T45ekY2DuSI/AAAAAAAAAGM/5a6Mt3sruf0/s400/IMG_0260.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At that moment, I was trapped outside myself, like some sort of third party spectator. I was watching myself fall on moves I should be doing every try, and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I was so caught up in thinking about all the people back home who were expecting to hear about me sending Luminance. I was thinking about the fact that Joe just sent it first try that day. I was thinking about how pathetic I felt trying to climb with him.</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I realize now that even then, at my most pathetic, the rest of me felt elated, surprised, impressed, and just beyond fucking psyched for Joe to have made it safely to the top. The rest of me felt inspired and full of an ocean of respect for my friend, because I understand exactly how scary it is to be up there. And it occurs to me as I write this that maybe what I was out there to send was not Luminance at all, but instead to find a way to work through my own weaknesses, to confront the parts of me that I’m not proud of, so that when I do go back to Luminance next time, I can find the right way up. </span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the video that Joe and I put together of his send. <a href="http://vimeo.com/40488430">http://vimeo.com/40488430</a></span></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here is the video of me bailing off the last move after taking a bad fall the try before: <a href="http://vimeo.com/39611735">http://vimeo.com/39611735</a></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you're still watching, here is a video I filmed and put together documenting my Spring Break to Bishop. I hope you like it: <a href="http://vimeo.com/39654839">http://vimeo.com/39654839</a></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Big thanks to Joe, Ian, and Drew.</div></span>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-51493422512466043582012-03-12T16:44:00.003-07:002012-03-12T17:44:42.734-07:00Media. Motivation. Momentum.<div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This week is finals week here at Cal Poly. Cafes and libraries are overrun by sleepless students. Espresso seems to be at the top of the food chain. People are frantic, stressed, overwhelmed, and tired. I have spent the last three days sitting at the same table at the same cafe in an attempt to fill my brain with all there is to know about Classical Rhetorical Theory. As you can imagine, that becomes very old very fast. I spend my “spare” time occupying my mind with music, climbing media, and random plates of poetry. While on my break from studying this morning, I came across a new climbing flick produced by Louder Than 11. LT11, for those of you who don’t know, is the leading media production company in today’s climbing world. They produce the best quality movies with the top climbers. And it’s all free, “Whether you like it or not.” It has become a reoccurring trend among my close friends and I to send each other the latest and greatest flicks via email and correspond for a few minutes about how badly we want to go climbing. I genuinely look forward to these brief online interactions. We share videos, articles, and pictures to constantly remind ourselves how amazing climbing is and what it has done for us. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Anyway, LT11 released a new video about the bouldering anomaly, Daniel Woods. A couple weeks ago, Daniel Woods competed alongside some of the world’s strongest climbers in an outdoor bouldering competition in Hueco Tanks, TX. The objective of the comp is to accumulate as many “V-Points” in six boulder problems as possible. You have nine hours to do this. Let me beak that down. In order to gauge the varying difficulty levels in bouldering, climbers use what is called the “V-Scale” to assign subjective “grades” to boulder problems. The lowest of the grading scale being V0 and the highest standing proud at V15. To put the grading scale in perspective, I can count the number of climbers (in the history of climbing) that have been able to consistently climb V15 on one hand. Well, MAYBE two hands. Anyway, the goal of this annual competition is to get as many of said V-Points as possible in six boulder problems. Here’s an example. My personal best day of climbing looked like this: V7, V10, V12, V5, V7, V6. To a lot of people, this is the beginning of their warm-up circuit. But I’m proud of it. So, if I competed in the Hueco Rock Rodeo against Daniel Woods, I would have a grand total of 47 V-Points. During the 2012 Hueco Rock Rodeo, Daniel Woods was able to acquire 76 V-Points.. in six problems.. in one day. That's two V14s, a V13, two V12s, and a V11 (first try). I hope you can all appreciate what that means. Just in case you don’t, here is the LT11 video of Daniel’s BEST DAY OF BOULDERING EVER: <a href="https://vimeo.com/38347438"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">https://vimeo.com/38347438</span></a> </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NHaAOf8i0nE/TzLhSbBCeXI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/SSjQVPXkcuE/s1600/46584_1588211992092_1439605053_31605324_2456600_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NHaAOf8i0nE/TzLhSbBCeXI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/SSjQVPXkcuE/s400/46584_1588211992092_1439605053_31605324_2456600_n.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I watched this video during my study break, I was at a loss for words. The feat accomplished in this video might be the most impressive piece of bouldering I have ever seen, for lots of reasons. As soon as the video ended, I hit repeat and watched it again. This pattern continued a few more times. Following the initial state of shock I seemed to be caught in, I sent the video to some friends. They immediately responded and we began to talk about climbing. We were like giddy school boys watching Michael Jordan jump over however many people he jumped over while dunking the winning dunk in the final scene of the cinematic masterpiece, Space Jam. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first climbing movie I watched back when I started climbing four years ago was the BigUp Productions' (another leading production company) video of Chris Sharma establishing the First Ascent of Realization, the world’s first 5.15. (Video here: <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-200477265572892748"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-200477265572892748</span></a>) I remember sitting at my computer for hours watching this video over and over again. For some unknown reason, I felt like I was apart of it. I felt like I was cheering Chris on and he could somehow hear me. Weird, I know. But I was moved. Every time I sit down to watch a climbing movie, I feel like a kid again. I have always been taken back by watching people push themselves through whatever is hardest for them. Watching people utilize the deepest parts of themselves to overcome struggle is the most inspiring thing in the world to me. And as cliche as it sounds, watching that journey unfold is a big reason why I enjoy watching climbing videos. Watching individuals manifest their dreams motivates me to chase mine. It might be a bit excessive, especially because I’m talking about a climbing movie, but still. Movies tell stories and if the story is told properly, it can initiate momentum in people’s lives. That’s what happened to me this morning. I’m supposed to be studying and all I can think about is getting strong enough to climb Top Notch (V13) in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. (Top Notch is featured in this video, which happens to be my personal favorite piece of climbing media, at 1:54, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWhNtKTY9e0"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWhNtKTY9e0</span></a> This video follows Five Ten Elite Athlete Carlo Traversi through some of Colorado's most classic problems. Carlo filmed, edited, and produced this video.) My psyche is high and my motivation isn’t going anywhere. I’m ready to pursue the life I’ve always wanted. And I feel like I finally have the momentum to do it. </span></span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-51028506987245678802012-03-04T21:46:00.000-08:002012-03-04T21:46:54.340-08:00The SLO-Op Comp Review<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the past few years, I have been competing in the USA Climbing Collegiate Climbing Series (CCS). CCS is a unique way for dedicated student/climbers to compete in a three-month-long series where schools send teams to throw down for the regional and national championships. This is my third year with CCS and I couldn’t be more excited about it. My first year competing in this series (and first time competing ever), I was able to place 2nd in the California Regionals and 3rd in Nationals. My second year, I took training seriously and did not lose a competition in CA, securing my 1st place finish in the California Regionals comp. Nationals was in San Diego, CA and I found out the day of the comp that there was rope climbing as well as bouldering in this round. News to me. I hadn’t been on a rope in a year and my endurance was almost non-existent. However, after I had completed the boulders I needed to finish, I was able to fight my way up some routes. I don’t think I have ever tried so hard in a competition. It was so great having my family and friends supporting me in San Diego; I don’t think I could have done it without them. I ended up placing 2nd to the Five Ten and Asana Athlete, <a href="http://danbeallclimbing.blogspot.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Dan Beall</span></a>. It was a really great experience getting to compete with such a high caliber of athlete as well as my hometown friends. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfhCoqfDT7c/T1RJ_0TnMrI/AAAAAAAAAFo/GrYdAW3YSrY/s1600/eric+at+comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfhCoqfDT7c/T1RJ_0TnMrI/AAAAAAAAAFo/GrYdAW3YSrY/s640/eric+at+comp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eric Wolff getting the crowd psyched for Finals.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">This is why I think so highly of CCS. I do not compete in CCS to please my sponsors or to win titles. I compete in this series because it gives me the opportunity to climb with some of my closest friends from all over the state and country. We stay at each other’s houses, we cook for each other, we watch climbing movies, we share stories, we drink good beer and climb on hard boulders. Everyone has a great time and each competition is a unique chance for all of us to grow as climbers and as friends. This past weekend, I competed in the San Luis Obispo, CA comp held by SLO-Op Climbing. I knew going into this comp that there were some expectations of how I should do, especially because this is my current home gym. All the setters are good friends of mine and the crowd was going to be filled with all people I see every week. I probably built it up in my head more than I should have, but I definitely felt some pressure to perform well. </span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jld6vy-sy8/T1ROB2yA82I/AAAAAAAAAF4/FyZDWQmsfGM/s1600/mens+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jld6vy-sy8/T1ROB2yA82I/AAAAAAAAAF4/FyZDWQmsfGM/s640/mens+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Biale barely missing the finish jug on Men's #2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fd8vi9dXv6k/T1RKHDSv_DI/AAAAAAAAAFw/b1KWMuhlD7I/s640/mens+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="425" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Biale flashing Men's #1</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The day of the comp was great. Throughout the redpoint comp I got to climb alongside some of my favorite people. We all encouraged each other and had fun with it. After the initial redpoint comp, the top five men and top five women moved onto the Finals round. I was fortunate enough to place for finals alongside Ben Parkin, Adam Monkaba, Alex Borst, and Austin Lim. This was my first time competing in a comp with a Finals round so my excitement was through the roof! I think we were all pretty happy to be there. It was almost as if we weren’t competing against one another. In the isolation room where they kept the finalists, we all shared laughs and cheers as each competitor got called out to climb. As for how Finals went, I could not be happier with the results. I don’t mean who placed what. I’m referring to the fact that after stepping off the podium, I found peace in knowing that I left everything I had on the table. I climbed as hard as I could and did my best. The crowd was awesome, the DJ killed it, and the problems were all quality. There is definitely a new standard for the following CCS Competitions... I ended up placing 2nd overall and 1st in the CCS comp. Ben brought the power and took home 1st while the local climber Adam Monkaba finessed his way onto the podium in 3rd place. All the competitors did a great job and I can’t wait for the next comp. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Figure out what motivates you. Really put some time into this. Once you figure it out, pour yourself into it. A good friend of mine once told me, "There are seasons in life for everything we do. Our job is to decide which season we're in. And then go all in." This message really had an impact on me. For the first time in my life, my eyes are open. I know what season I'm in and I'm going for it. My Dad always tells me that the only thing we have control over in life is our decisions. So why not make the few big decisions count?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All photos courtesy of Itai Axelrad</span></span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-66961241866248051332012-02-21T21:41:00.001-08:002012-02-22T15:03:51.535-08:00New Challenges.<div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This past weekend I went to Bishop, CA in the Eastern Sierras with a large crew of Cal Poly students and good friends. I was fortunate enough to take my good friend Megan LaPlante for her first time! Well, I guess I should say Drew LaPlante (my bestie and Megan’s brother) and I brought her. It was an exciting experience getting to show her around all the problems we constantly talk about, The Mandala, The Buttermilker, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Ambrosia, Checkerboard, etc. It rekindled that childlike desire and curiosity for new things that I used to feel when I came to Bishop. I have been coming to Bishop for years now and it has become a second home. The snowcapped mountains and dry desert landscape that defines The Buttermilks bring a smile to my face every time I step foot out of the car. However, I have been growing more and more aware of my changing attitude towards the climbing “scene” in Bishop. Before I was able to start testing myself on some of the harder climbs, Bishop was just a beautiful place to go climbing and learn about beauty. Now, after being more enveloped by the climbing community, I have realized that Bishop has turned into (and maybe always has been) a hotspot for large crews to come gather and crush. While I used to be able to go to The Buttermilks on a Saturday and enjoy the boulders with a couple buddies and do our own thing, I can no longer walk 100 yards without running into a few dozen people all trying the area classics (a lot of whom I know). I am not a fan of crowds and this past trip really showed me how crowds impact my climbing ability. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7zMwvMMUaHI/T0R6r_6A2YI/AAAAAAAAAFg/l26LKo29jyA/s1600/420531_10150631229624850_694884849_9009874_1518248675_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7zMwvMMUaHI/T0R6r_6A2YI/AAAAAAAAAFg/l26LKo29jyA/s640/420531_10150631229624850_694884849_9009874_1518248675_n.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Haroun and the Sea of Stories (V11) Photo by: Itai Axelrad</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My main objective for this trip was to complete the highball classic Haroun and the Sea of Stories (V11) in The Buttermilks. This power-endurance problem climbs a steep 30 foot overhanging face on sculpted features and incut crimps. This is one of the most beautiful boulder problems I have ever seen and tried. The movement is so precise and effectively complements finesse with power. Going into this trip, I knew all I needed to send was one good attempt with decent skin and some energy. Day 1, I had the skin and I had the energy. After a warm-up go I took a rest and got ready to try it again. Right then, a whole crew of people came up to the boulder and dropped pads and began trying it (all very respectfully I might add). For some reason, this penetrated my psyche and my focus. Before, it was just myself and a few close friends and they were all cheering me on. I do not know why exactly, but this surge in people really got to me and my progress on Haroun began to decline. After a few more sloppy attempts I packed up and walked away feeling defeated and overwhelmed. I let myself down. This boulder problem was all I thought about for months and I was finally able to get back on it with good conditions and a decent amount of fitness. Why couldn’t I piece it together and send? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I took the rest of the day to spot friends and enjoy good company. The following day I felt worn down and unmotivated. I have never experienced this on a climbing trip. I’ve always been able to keep the psyche high and push through almost anything. This setback was unusual and somewhat frightening. After some talks with Drew and Megan and some time alone wandering through the boulders, I decided to head over to Haroun with no expectations and just pull off the ground. I walked over to the boulder with one pad and some headphones. I found a few people standing around and asked to borrow their pads for one go. Graciously, they all agreed. After figuring out some new foot beta for the crux sequence, I put on my new Five Ten shoes and sent. It was such a crazy combination of confidence and serenity. There was no pressure, no crowds, no cameras. Just me and the boulder. The few people that were there were all so helpful and I thank you all for the psyche! Climbing this boulder means a lot to me and I am so happy to have gone through everything I did in order to send. It’s crazy to think of all the different lessons we can learn from something as trivial as climbing rocks. We all have battles and we all deal with them in different ways. My battle is a mental one and I’m slowly learning I have a lot of work to do in order to progress to new places in my climbing. As always, I am thankful for this life I live and for all the amazing people I have met thus far. Continue to thrive everybody!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Here is a video I put together documenting the send of Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I think this video marks a new level in my skills as a videographer and I hope you all enjoy. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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</span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-78663602544263831162012-02-15T13:13:00.000-08:002012-02-15T13:13:49.600-08:00CCS SLO-Op Climbing Comp!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On March 3rd, 2012, SLO-Op Climbing in San Luis Obispo, CA is hosting a USA Climbing CCS bouldering competition. It will use a redpoint format followed by an onsight-elimination finals round. This will be one of the many CCS stops and it is sure to be exciting! These comps are always a lot of fun and a great excuse to climb with friends from all over the state. SLO-Op will have a vendors such as Five Ten, Asana, Sickle, and some local breweries at the event. Come check it out and see if you can make it to FINALS....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a little promo video I put together for it. Let me know what you think!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/36815638">https://vimeo.com/36815638</a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Bq8f4a9nD8/Tzwf2sSWEzI/AAAAAAAAAFY/LNOY_3oefv0/s1600/SLO-Op+Comp+Promo+still+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Bq8f4a9nD8/Tzwf2sSWEzI/AAAAAAAAAFY/LNOY_3oefv0/s640/SLO-Op+Comp+Promo+still+shot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please feel free to contact me for any questions you might have concerning the comp.</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best,</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Biale</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Five Ten Athlete & Brand Ambassador</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">California Polytechnic State University</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Communication Studies Student</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phone:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>707.287.7586</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Email:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:abiale@earthlink.net">abiale@earthlink.net</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-78897856064216588782012-02-07T13:10:00.000-08:002012-02-07T13:10:24.228-08:00Balance.<div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Life is a balancing act. There is no way around it. We all have conflicting aspects of our lives that demand our energy and effort. I am a third year Communication Studies Major at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, CA and for the past three years I have been trying to find that balance between school and climbing. I have so many friends who are either talented athletes or madly in love who are all struggling with this same battle. One option is to drop out of school and pursue climbing. Another is to stick it out and sacrifice getting all As and Bs for climbing trips. I have been trying to find a middle ground and pursue both climbing and school but have come to realize that I cannot excel in one without sacrificing the other. It seems like as soon as I make progress in one part of my life, another more neglected aspect comes to the forefront.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0aS83URt5s/TzGQLuhFteI/AAAAAAAAAE8/0WyJcY__Op4/s1600/IMAG0646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0aS83URt5s/TzGQLuhFteI/AAAAAAAAAE8/0WyJcY__Op4/s640/IMAG0646.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me climbing on Midnight Lightning</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I’m trying not to complain. I love this life and I am forever grateful to have the opportunity to attend such a renowned school while being able to travel for climbing. What I am saying is this: I want to perform at my highest level in both school and climbing and right now that is not happening. I am scraping by in school and I am not performing in climbing. What should I do? Should I take some time off school and move to Colorado and clear my head for a while? Or should I stay in school and continue to push through the chaos? I still don’t know. I don’t want to make any hasty decisions I will later regret so instead I travel on random weekends to beautiful places around California to keep my fire burning. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This past weekend I went to Yosemite National Park with some of my favorite people to clear my head. It was pure bliss. Every morning we made Americanos and breakfast burritos and sat under pine trees while gazing up at the towering granite walls. It’s hard to be unaffected by that sort of grandness. That relaxed inspiration is so comforting and motivating for me. It helps me move forward in my life in a progressive way. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s real. I’m an idealist and I believe in the power of the human will. While life is hard right now, I know I will make it through with my fire still burning. I believe that. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here is a short video I put together that features some of the classic climbs I did in Yosemite over the weekend. Thank you for reading these blogs and watching these videos. I always enjoy input and would love to hear from you. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/36332691" target="_blank">Five Ten Athlete: Alex Biale. A Day in Yosemite.</a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Best,</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">Alex</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;"><u>http://vimeo.com/36332691</u></span>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-74406006961664908832012-02-01T13:24:00.000-08:002012-02-01T13:24:23.045-08:002012 Thus Far<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YvFVmfetEKk/Tymnowsf5PI/AAAAAAAAADE/ToMjA2w9TmQ/s1600/IMG_6273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YvFVmfetEKk/Tymnowsf5PI/AAAAAAAAADE/ToMjA2w9TmQ/s400/IMG_6273.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YvFVmfetEKk/Tymnowsf5PI/AAAAAAAAADE/ToMjA2w9TmQ/s1600/IMG_6273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> lot has happened in the past couple of months and I’m just now taking the time to sit down for a few minutes and talk about it. Last Fall was hectic and I was unable to climb as much as I would have preferred to due to the amount of school work I had. After the quarter ended, I made a solo trip to Bishop, CA for a week before I saw the family for Christmas. This was a unique trip because it was the first time I had gone into a climbing adventure with no plans, no objectives, and no goals. I was in need of some serious me-time and the only place I thought of was the Buttermilks. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2j1W_OzCFs/TymmArWWRgI/AAAAAAAAACs/4nzR_O2Cgpw/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small;"></span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first day ended up being one of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the most memorable climbing days I have ever had. I started the day off by climbing easier high balls to get me in the “Bishop mentality.” My two friends from school met me there and we ended up climbing with Alex Honnold and Sonnie Trotter. After spotting them both on the old-school classic, Transporter Room, I went to work on Rastaman Vibration (V12). This problem was first climbed by Jared Roth back in 2002. Besides Paul Robinson’s recent ascent of Lucid Dreaming (V15/16), the problem had not yet seen a second ascent. </span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At the time of me working Rastaman, I had no idea it hadn't been repeated. I've tried this thing every time I've been to Bishop and haven't felt close. However, the conditions were PERFECT and the psyche was uniquely steadfast. After a day of working the opening crux move, I managed to stick the dyno and take it to the top. Ground up. Questing out the slab on the Grandpa was one of the most intense and euphoric experiences of my life. Rarely do I find myself living completely “in the moment”, but while tip-toeing my way up the grainy and heady slab of this 50+ foot block, nothing else existed. I was freaking out a little bit on some of the more tenuous foot movements, but I managed to find that inner “zen” and make it safely to the top of the boulder.</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nhaPDkbQTmo/TymmK3XjuTI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Rm7BKzGUcsQ/s1600/Xavier's+Roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nhaPDkbQTmo/TymmK3XjuTI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Rm7BKzGUcsQ/s640/Xavier's+Roof.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nhaPDkbQTmo/TymmK3XjuTI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Rm7BKzGUcsQ/s1600/Xavier's+Roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While on that same trip, I managed to also complete some other amazing climbs such as The Aquarium (V12), Xavier’s Roof (V11), Wheel of Beef (V11), Center Direct (V10), and A Grand Day Out (V10). I am very excited to get back to the milks to finish up Haroun and the Sea of Stories and hopefully go out and give Luminance a good effort. I’ll be getting some footage of Rastaman, Xavier’s Roof, Haroun, and Luminance with my good friend <a href="http://vimeo.com/joeramos" style="text-decoration: underline;">Joe Ramos</a> very soon. Joe is interning with Sender Films and is an up-and-coming star! </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5NJCVRPArog/TymnN5XnJuI/AAAAAAAAAC8/WktpnnLSfoI/s1600/IMG_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5NJCVRPArog/TymnN5XnJuI/AAAAAAAAAC8/WktpnnLSfoI/s400/IMG_0235.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">More recently, I started a sponsorship with <a href="http://fiveten.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #2a00ad; text-decoration: underline;">Five Ten</span></a> as an Athlete and Brand Ambassador. It has been a dream of mine to work with this company for quite some time now. I look forward to developing my skills as a climber, writer, and videographer so I can produce quality media for all of you to enjoy while promoting Five Ten. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This coming weekend I am heading out to Yosemite National Park to go climbing with some of my favorite people in the whole world. Despite the gloomy forecast, I think it’s safe to say that waking up next to Midnight Lightning and enjoying some French Press coffee in the morning will make it all worth it. Be sure to check back in for video of the Yosemite trip.</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here is a video showing Dan Beall on the 3rd Ascent of Luminance. Can't wait to try it!</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://vimeo.com/7161940">http://vimeo.com/7161940</a></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733313833173312509.post-8539985292701467712012-01-24T09:26:00.001-08:002012-03-15T22:46:11.705-07:003 Days in CO<div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue Light'; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pn-8x2kz1N8/Tx7pECNg9_I/AAAAAAAAAB0/uzzQG0po-rA/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pn-8x2kz1N8/Tx7pECNg9_I/AAAAAAAAAB0/uzzQG0po-rA/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My name is Alex Biale. I'm a Communication Studies student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California and now a Five Ten Athlete. This past fall my good friend Emett Stone and I traveled to Colorado for a few days to go bouldering with some friends. Our first day we ventured up to the new hot spot, Lincoln Lake. As many of you know, Lincoln Lake sits somewhere around 12 or 13,000 feet on Mt. Evans. We drove to the talus field with no crash pad and no friends to show us problems. The curiosity and psyche was high. After a long day of hiking, exploring, and baguette, we made the treacherous hike back to the car where we sat in awe. We did a lot that day, but the one climb that stands out in my mind that day is Kevin Jorgeson's new classic, Unshackled. This is a problem I had been wanting to get on for over a year now and I was very happy to send. It was perfect. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue Light'; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qIJ1sTH6D5E/Tx7ojm9MvZI/AAAAAAAAABk/WOqDjIbII8A/s1600/DSC02575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qIJ1sTH6D5E/Tx7ojm9MvZI/AAAAAAAAABk/WOqDjIbII8A/s320/DSC02575.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="color: #666666; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That night we stayed with Emett's friend Connor Griffith who was kind enough to take us out to Upper Chaos Canyon the following morning. We got on some good climbs that day, and got close on some amazing lines! Summertime in Colorado often means that humidity and chances for torrential downpour are high. However, this did not interfere with my desire to get outside on rock. I borrowed Connor's one crash pad and headed out to Boulder Canyon. Once again, with no sense of where the hell I was going. I ended up driving until I stumbled upon The Game. It's hard to miss. I walked up to it with a mind full of wonder and awe. This climb is so inspiring to me. After a few minutes of drooling, I wandered around the boulders behind it and ended up arriving at The Hug and The Hug Right. My buddy Ian Walters and I saw this boulder in one of LT11's videos and immediately got psyched. So with my one pad and endless supply of psyche, I went to work. It didn't take me long to complete each individual move on both climbs. However, the 85 degree weather and HIGH humidity impeded a send.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGnsm5WL8Bo/Tx7ozYbGgHI/AAAAAAAAABs/TBF7qUD4kgU/s1600/DSC02652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGnsm5WL8Bo/Tx7ozYbGgHI/AAAAAAAAABs/TBF7qUD4kgU/s320/DSC02652.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 15px/normal 'Helvetica Neue Light'; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Boulder, CO is a hotspot for climbing right now. There is such a high concentration of hard climbs and hard climbers. And everybody wants to get strong. It's hard not to get psyched in a community like this. After a few days of solo trips to Boulder Canyon, Carlo Traversi and I went out to RMNP to work on one of his projects. He was working Hypnotized Minds, an unrepeated Daniel Woods climb. Before he showed me his project, he showed me mine. Veritas is a Colorado classic. It zig-zags its way up a gently overhanging wall on perfect pinches and smears. Throughout the dry(ish) Summer evening, Carlo and I took turns trying both of the climbs. Watching Carlo figure out some of the sequences he did on this boulder blew my mind. Right before it got too dark, Carlo rushed the pads downhill to Veritas and said, "Last go. Give it everything you got." So that's exactly what I did. And about 45 seconds later, I was standing on top of the boulder. I am so happy and thankful to be living this life.</span></span></div>Unknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11210086223645017449noreply@blogger.com1