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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Feb 11, 2019 - 05:32pm PT
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And then there was that crazy Brit BITD who did a popular route in roller skates.
IIRC it was a 5.5 or 5.6.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 11, 2019 - 06:50pm PT
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Rudder, nice job on the cam.
Took me back to when I hadda wait on people to finish what I couldn't lead.🐭
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Feb 11, 2019 - 08:04pm PT
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I'll admit to a bit too much glee when the young talented gym climber had to hang on the first pitch of After Six. I'm not proud of my unenlightened mind but I'm proud that I can climb After Six. I am a longer 5.6 climber
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Feb 11, 2019 - 08:34pm PT
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Seek out what truly motivates you and your will to take your somewhat reluctant body into the beautiful and mysterious vertical world will be there. It’s a beautiful world where few live and it is even difficult to visit.
Sage advice from JD.
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Feb 11, 2019 - 08:39pm PT
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Rudder,
I hope you are still climbing 5.6! That is possibly the best of the YDS grades there ever was. Always remember, Charlie says: "ratings don't mean shit".
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Zoid
Trad climber
Turkey Rock, CO
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Feb 11, 2019 - 08:45pm PT
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5.7 or 5.6...yeah that’s about right.
I can still belay 5.12
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Omot
Trad climber
The here and now
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Feb 11, 2019 - 11:24pm PT
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I think the main message from this thread is get out and climb while you have the health and fitness to do so. I also remember thinking as I age I'll just start doing all those easier alpine rock climbs on sun-drenched granite in the Sierra, as most of the time one is just hiking anyway!
I semi-retired from climbing when I became a family man and got more responsibility at work, but always figured I could get in shape in 2 weeks when the opportunity arose. Ha! That might have worked in my 20's, but I found it not so easy in my 50's, with 30 extra pounds on my frame. About a year ago, I started trail running and hiking again, with my daughter, now 14, in the lead. I was getting in shape a bit, until the chest tightness and dizziness started when trying to push it a bit. A quicky doctor's appointment, or so I assumed, turned into a hospital stay once they saw my ECG results. And after the angiogram, it was a few more days of hospital bed rest, heparin shots to the belly (burnin!), then bypass surgery. The big heart surgeon's medical team assured me my heart would be good as new! I was looking forward to be able to run up steep hills again, finally take the time to do the SHR, and get to those nice alpine rock routes in the summer.
Well, I'm now 10 months post-op, have lost those 30 pounds (yes!), did cardiac rehab, and...have plateaued at about 4 miles jogging on a treadmill. Some days I even can do 9 minutes miles for a few minutes and get my heart rate up to, oh 120 bpm (and I'm not even on beta-blockers). After the last couple of 10 mile hikes with 2000 ft elevation gains, I've needed a week to recover. No one told me that! So now the SHR is looking out of reach if I don't improve over the next 6 months (but I'm going to keep doing the treadmill and hiking assuming I'll slowly get stronger - I'm hopeful).
All that said, I'm very happy: to be alive, to have a wonderful family and a job I truly like (that doesn't require physical exertion to perform). I've had incredible experiences climbing, giving me wonderful memories and solid friendships. Couldn't ask for more.
So you youngsters (if any are reading this old climber's lament), get out and climb as hard as you can for as long as you can and enjoy that wonderful adrenaline buzz. And don't take for granted your ability to get your heart rate up when needed. It won't last forever!
Tomo
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Feb 12, 2019 - 07:09am PT
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My advice to any young climber would be to assemble a list of the climbs you really want to do and spend the next 10 years doing them. If you think "I can do this later" at some point the body doesn't work quite right and you have missed the window of opportunity.
The people I know who still climb well in their 60's and 70's never:
had children
got hurt bad in their youth
stopped climbing or training for long periods in the past
The only benefit of aging is discovering the 5.7 and 5.8 climbs that used to be too easy to bother with.
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Aeriq
Sport climber
100-year Visitor
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Feb 12, 2019 - 07:55am PT
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Sorry for the aside, but the thread title struck me. This was the direction I was expecting to go 3 years ago when I got injured, but I got seriously focused on my core strength, since everything seemed tied to that...
Weirdly, between 55-57 I have gotten gradually stronger, and my climbing level is about where it was in the late 90's.
I was working .10+ and barely getting .11- FA's two years ago, and now I am regularly putting up solid 5.11 to 5.11+ climbs.
I know it won't last...
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Feb 12, 2019 - 10:32am PT
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Talent wise, I've always been a mediocre climber. That I have managed to remain a mediocre climber for 46 years I count as a small victory. Looking forward to the coming season and making some plans.
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Nick Danger
Ice climber
Arvada, CO
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Feb 12, 2019 - 11:28am PT
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To Off White and Tomo
WORD, brothers!
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter
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Feb 12, 2019 - 04:18pm PT
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Let Lana lead?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Feb 12, 2019 - 04:25pm PT
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Yeah, I am a 5.15c belayer! Forgot to mention that. Though I'm hoping to break into 15d.
heh
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Rudder
Trad climber
Costa Mesa, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2019 - 05:45pm PT
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Rudder, nice job on the cam.
Took me back to when I hadda wait on people to finish what I couldn't lead.🐭
By cam do you mean camera? Yes, pretty good since it was a zoomed in cell phone. :) It's amazing the quality of a zoomed in cell phone video, and in low light. I was trying hard not to shake as it was zoomed in and that makes it tougher and I was also very cold. haha
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Rudder
Trad climber
Costa Mesa, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2019 - 06:20pm PT
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@ Rudder
I remember climbing Deflowered
with Don O'Kelly around 1973.
I still think it's the stiffest 5.6 in JT.
I've always thought so! Here's me leading it for the first time OS, after an 8 year lay off from climbing. I had been busy getting married, having kids, and starting a business. Got nice and fat, and thought "I'll go climbing and get back in shape." I figured I'd start with an easy 5.6 warm up. haha
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Rudder
Trad climber
Costa Mesa, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2019 - 06:23pm PT
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Notice the FISH chalk bag, and FISH swami with leg loops... with webbing tie up connection point. The swami had velcro for desperate placements. :)
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Rudder
Trad climber
Costa Mesa, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2019 - 08:27pm PT
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@ Rudder
Hand Jammies? :)
Busted. ;-)
I think they were "spider mitts". I had been out for eight years, but they might have been the first?
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Aeriq
Sport climber
100-year Visitor
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Feb 12, 2019 - 10:09pm PT
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ElCapinyoazz and I did a "5.6 and under" solo circuit in Joshua Tree for about 4 days.
Deflowered was one of the memorable ones because we just looked at each other after hiking out there and were like:
"That slab transition solo? No way!"
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