Dr. Pepper fixed gear

For those of you that knew me in college, you remember that I was really into bikes.  However, it was all really put on hold when I went into the Army and then lived in El Paso.  In El Paso, everything is so spread apart and there aren't that many places that are nice to ride your bike.  Here in Boston, however, I am riding at least 10 miles a day and really happy about it.  As an ode to my reignited passion, I have some pictures of my bike to put up.

 

I am so glad to be riding again.

 

For those of you wondering, the frame is a 1972 Astra Tour de France that I painted myself.  There aren't really any "sick" components on the bike, rather, just that is is simple and classic.  Just like the taste of Dr. Pepper...haha.  I crack myself up.

Fort Bliss Climbing Wall - El Paso, TX

So, I figured since I left El Paso, it was about time to review what was once my home wall.  The Fort Bliss Climbing wall in the Robert Loeza Soldier Activity Center is the only gym in El Paso.  The wall was only built in August 2012 so it is very new.  Similarly, the staff is also very new and very few (at this point none) of them have any setting experience.  Sometimes that turns out very awkward and silly, but other times it ends up with some really cool moves.

The gym wall is only about 25 feet high, which makes it a little difficult to really train any amount of endurance but we work with what we have.  One of the best parts of the wall, though is the people.  Strangely enough, there is only a limited amount of soldiers.  The wall is rich in locals from the El Paso area, very hyped on climbing.  Up until June 15th, the gym was free to all patron over 18 (the facility does not allow children) but now the fee is 5 dollars a day and something around 150 for 6 months.  The facility is a nice, clean place and the atmosphere is pretty good.  I would recommend stopping by this place if you're in town just to check it out.

Size of Facility:          Poor

Route Asthetics:         Good

Route Climbability:    Good

Route Maitenence:    Good

Training Equipment:  Poor

Staff Friendliness:       Great

Staff Knowledge:       Fair

Grade Trueness  V1-V4: - 0-1  V5-V7: True V8+: True

 

Dyno Rock - Arlington, TX

The Gym closest to Fort Worth is Arlington's own DynoRock Climbing Gym.  It is near the stadium and is pretty easily found.  The cost for a day bouldering pass with gear was 12 dollars and if you were to get on rope I think it was 16 bucks.  One unfortunate thing, however, is that on my wonderful send day at Hueco, I managed to strain my A2 pulley in my right hand pretty badly.  I can only put maybe 10% weight on it, so I may have some real issues for a while.  However, I will give you my review on the gym.

The Gym itself has been open for a long time.  Ever since I can remember, it has been there.  Therefore, it does show a little bit.  The gym uses shredded tire rubber, which some may not be fond of.  I typically don't mind it except that changing shoes in it is miserable.  Other than that, it's fine.  One thing I thought was odd was the lack of a water fountain.  I didn't bring a water bottle with me, so it would have been nice to get a drink.  Another thing that was odd was that the difficulty of the problems was set to about V7 and there were only two of them.  However, unlike Madison's gym, these were more like actual V7s.  There was one V8 and V9 but my finger prevented me from really trying them.  Lastly, I asked to go to their "members only" section.  In my head I thought it was going to be a place where their "sick projects" would be.  In reality, it was a bunch of V2s and V3s.  No problem with that, but it was a lot of space with not a whole lot of diversity.

Size of Facility:         Fair

Route Asthetics:         Good

Route Climbability:    Good

Route Maitenence:    Good

Training Equipment:  Fair

Staff Friendliness:       Good

Staff Knowledge:       Fair

Grade Trueness  V1-V4: True- -1  V5-V7: True V8+: Seemed True

V58

Today was, by far, the greatest day at Hueco ever.  First off, I finally got up before the park was super hot, and went and climbed.  The first problem I went to was Une Bleau de Dans un Hueco, V11.  The problem was super short but really scrunchy.  I didn't think it was going to go, but then I tried some silly beta that actually worked.  I almost fell off the topout though.  Then I headed to the Theatre of the Absurd.

I got on Theatre of the Absurd, but got all the moves and fell on the last move three times, so I quit because the last time I was there, I almost sent Martini Roof, V10, so I left and went to martini cave.  I didn't spend much time there because the problem went on the first go!  I laid out my three pads, one at the start, one kind of in the middle and one at the end.

From Martini, I headed up the chains and looked at Loaded With Power, a V10 that I would much rather attempt with at least one spotter.  I continued up the chains to look at Dark Age and Barfoot, but decided they were too much for now and rounded the corner to Dope Fiend Low, V9.  I wasn't sure how to do it, but the hold definitely looked good enough to hang on so I went left hand back and figure-4'd up to the start of the V3.  I thought I was going to fall off the V3 because I have actually never done it and didn't even look at the topout but everything ended up going well.  Right next door to that, I got on Fern Roof, V10.  It actually went pretty fast, about 7 or so goes.  I actually liked it, but I would have liked to have had a spotter for the swing.

From there, I headed down the hill to the Terminator wall.  The first climb I got on was Mcbain, a V8 that my friend Ben recommended to me last time.  I flashed it, but barely.  It was over pretty quickly as it finishes on a jug, so I started working on the V10 to the right, Predator.  This was honestly the hardest feeling problem of the day.  It was really crimpy and powerful.  I worked on it for about an hour.  It was not the prettiest send, but it went.

One climb I wanted to look at was Anal Intruder #10, V11 so on my way out, I went by the New Meadow.  After working Predator, I could barely even hold the undercling so I decided it was about time to go.  It was a great day and I am excited to have done such great climbs today.

Two V11s! (or an 11 and 12)

Yesterday I went out to Hueco with some guys I met at the climbing comp last week.  We went first to the New Meadow where the guys worked on a problem around the corner and I worked on Schwerer Gustov.  After about 5 tries I sent it.  It's a fun problem.  Then, we went to the Army of Darkness boulder and Connor and I climbed this highball problem that was really crimpy.  I liked it a lot but I am still not a huge fan of highballs.  I am not sure what the climb was, since it is just called project in the guidebook but it was really neat.  From there we went to the Babyface Boulders and Connor got PFOS.  It was a good send and I really enjoyed our trip out there, especially ending it with El Pasito.

Today I was able to make it out to Hueco in the morning.  I went first to Diaphanous Sea and got to work.  It was a struggle only because my skin was killing me.  The day before yesterday I went swimming and lost all of the callouses I had built up on my fingers from Boston.  I was ready to give up because everything felt so sharp but instead I threw my chacos to the top of the climb and told myself I wouldn't cheat to get up to them.  On the send, my fingers actually felt much better than the attempts that I bailed off.  I guess that I have needed to just climb through the pain for some time now, rather than let myself think I need to build up callouses.  Anyway, it was a great day.

In sadder news, however, Sport Climbing did not make it into the 2020 Olympics.  It's unfortunate, but it is the harsh reality of the ambiguous nature of sport climbing.  Try as they might to inform people, I still have people ask straight off whether comps are based on time.  Hopefully 2024!

Rock Spot Climbing - Boston, MA

Last night I was able to make it out to Rock Spot Climbing in South Boston.  I would have to say that is was a decent gym.  First of all, they were open until midnight everyday, which is amazing.  That alone wins out in my book.  Second, when you first walk in, the proshop is well stocked and the entryway is clean and odorless.

Like a lot of gyms, you sign in on the computer and it sends the info to the desk.  The girl at the counter was pretty friendly and had no issues letting Alex come in and watch without having to pay.  Once inside, I was a little disappointed.  As difficult as the gym was to find, I expected it to be a little larger.  With the exception of a decent sized bouldering cave, the rope section was no bigger than that of Fort Bliss.  As far as the setting, it was okay.  There were some problems that were beautifully engineered and then others that were awkward and tweaky.  The real issue came with consistency.  There was a V9 that I nearly got, then another that didn't really look possible.  This could have been by nature of some secret beta (which I wouldn't normally mind, except no one was around to bounce ideas off of.)

The whole gym maybe had 10 people in it.  Granted we showed up at 10 and stayed there until midnight, but there were hardly any people there.  What made that fact worse was that almost every boulder problem had a sketchy top out on their wall.  I wouldn't mind most of the time with a spotter, but I'm not breaking my neck just to top out in the gym.

The price, however was the best of any of the gyms, so far.  It was $12.00 for just bouldering, which still does not beat Exposure at $8.00, but we'll get there.

Overall, it was a decent gym but lacked a little in the setting and versatility department.  I think there is a lot of potential there and I would recommend anyone in that area to pay this gym a visit and see what they think themselves.

Size of Facility:          Fair

Route Asthetics:         Good

Route Climbability:    Good

Route Maitenence:    Good

Training Equipment:  Fair

Staff Friendliness:       Good

Staff Knowledge:       Good

Grade Trueness  V1-V4: + 1-2  V5-V7: True V8+: True

Metro Rock Gym - Everett, MA

The night before last I went to Metro Rock Gym in Everett Massachusetts.  I would have to say that I was pretty impressed.  I flashed a V8 that felt pretty much on point with most V8s I have done.  The grades were pretty consistent between difficulty ratings and the lower grades were where I thought they should be. Alex got on one of the V0s (which she flashed) and said it was really nice and made her feel comfortable if she were a beginner, just getting into bouldering.

The facility itself was pretty clean but was a little older looking.  As gyms typically do, it looked a little worn around the edges.  The staff was not very welcoming at first. Between the kid that rang us up and the other guy that was not excited about me asking questions about the gym, they may need some warming up to.  He said it had been open for about 9 years but wasn't too excited to talk about wall building companies.  We did, however talk to a few people in the gym, including Jeremy Balboni, a local Boston climber.  When I was in Madison, I didn't talk to a single person in the gym and this made the second gym in Boston in which I actually climbed a session with a complete stranger.

The only complaint I would have would be the cost.  At $15.00, this is the most I have ever paid for climbing that was just bouldering.  They offered no military discount and could not offer me a student discount because $15.00 was their bouldering only price anyway.  It's $18.00 if I had wanted to be on rope too.

Overall, the gym was nice.  The problems were good and felt true to grade.  The facility is clean with a staff friendliness rating of 6 or so.  I would recommend people in the Boston area to pay this gym a visit.

Size of Facility:          Great

Route Asthetics:         Good

Route Climbability:    Good

Route Maitenence:     Fair

Training Equipment:  Good

Staff Friendliness:       Fair

Staff Knowledge:       Good

Grade Trueness  V1-V4: True  V5-V7: True V8+: True

Central Rock Gym - Worcester, MA

So I am in Boston for the week and I am looking for a job.  However, I also am looking to check out each of the 6 climbing gyms in Boston.  Today we went to the school Alex is trying to get into and on the way back we went to Central Rock Gym in Worcester.  I have to say, it was a much better experience.  I really had a great time there climbing and interacting with the other climbers.  First off, the setting was wonderful.  I would say that it was some of the best setting I have seen in a long time.  The moves were genuinely hard, and not too tricky.  They were clean and taped well, and adequate for the climate.  I would also like to give props to their main setter, Shane, who was not only crushing, but had his ratings right on the money (at least in reference to Hueco).  It was nice to go into a gym and feel like I was working on stuff within my grade, but also feel like I was accomplishing something.  I got on some great problems of all different ratings and felt like they were great all around.  As far as pricing, it was $10 just to boulder, which still doesn't beat exposure, but they at least had a boulder-only price. Overall, I would be glad to recommend this gym to anyone, but would wager a bet that this is the gym I end up calling my "home gym." We'll see though, there are 5 more gyms in Boston and they may each be a force to be reckoned with.

                      

Size of Facility:          Great

Route Asthetics:         Great

Route Climbability:    Great

Route Maitenence:     Good

Training Equipment:  Great

Staff Friendliness:       Good

Staff Knowledge:       Great

Grade Trueness  V1-V4: True  V5-V7: True  V8+: True

Power Balls

While in Madison, I did get a chance to pick up some Escape Power Balls from the proshop.  I will have to say that after working out on them just a little bit yesterday, my forearms are pretty sore.  They really open up a workout and activate all the stabilizer muscles you cannot target on a fixed hangboard. We'll see how they work out in the long run, but I like them a lot for now.

Boulders - Madison, WI

Alex's sister's wedding shower was this past weekend and we made a trip up to Madison, Wisconsin to visit and take part.  The in-laws and many of their friends were there and it was nice to see trees and grass, if only for a few days.  While we were up there, we went out with friends, saw some local attractions and did family bonding type things.

As is the norm on any vacation, I made an attempt to go climbing.  For this locale, it was the local gym, Boulders Rock Gym.  After climbing there, I came to some interesting conclusions about gyms.

First off, gym prices are outrageous.  First off, I had to pay $14.00 just to boulder.  I was maybe there 2 hours at most, and no climbing is worth that.  I paid $70.00 for my parks pass and about $7.00 in gas to get out to Hueco maybe costing me a total of $10.00 or so per trip, and I STILL think that is high.  At a lot of gyms, if you want to boulder only, you can pay a discounted fee.  Of course this is hard to regulate, considering you can't always ensure the climbers will stay off rope, but $14.00!

Anyway...rant over, the next thing I noticed has to do with setting and rating.  I understand that in a gym that is in Madison, Wisconsin, you can probably set things pretty slopey. But...when it gets to be 80 degrees outside and you don't turn on the A/C and your gym is nearly 90 degrees, you have to consider that none of those "sick" sloper problems are going to be any fun.  I understand that you can't always predict the weather outside, but you go to a gym to train first, then if you want to set a nemesis and climb all day on one problem, go for it.  The gym had a good number of good boulder problems, but everything had a slopey pinch on the left hand for the crux.  Not just a pinch, an inverted wedge on a roof slopey.  I was getting spit off of V5s based solely on one hold.  Which leads me to my next point.  Rating.

I have been to and worked at a lot of gyms.  Every place has a different setting, rating and climbing style.  Whether they may have big juggy throws, or crimpier is synonymous with harder, or slow static movements, the ratings vary greatly depending on the style.  However, this is the first gym I have ever been to that gimmicky was how they based their ratings.  Granted, I almost fell off a V3 because it was so dang hot and humid, but there was this V7 that had these slopers that were just not to be grabbed.  Each problem had a move in it that was just too tricky to get every time.

Some may read this and say "Oh, Eric, you are just bitter you got spit off a V7" or "It just sounds like you need to get on more sloper pinches" and that is fine.  My issue is not that I didn't get a problem, or not even about a grade, but rather that this is someone's home gym.  I can only imagine that there are guys that do climb these boulder problems and are super frustrated with their ability.

At our gym on Fort Bliss, they have for a while now, not rated the problems.  That is fine, except people are going to want to know regardless.  Their justification for it is that they don't want kids (by that I mean Soldiers) climbing a "V4" in the gym and then going out to Hueco and getting hurt.  My philosophy, however, is quite the opposite.  If I climb a V4 in the gym, I would be more accurate in judging my abilities before I tried the throw on T-Bone Shuffle with only one pad; maybe saving my ankle.

I can't say there is any danger to sandbagging at a gym, but the main reason to rate accurately is to measure progress.  If the V7s in the gym are the hardest thing...and they're actually V7s-V10s what is the use of rating them at all?  You are better off rating back in the B Scale. I have got to be sure that there are climbers there, fully capable of bouldering double digits but to them they aren't pulling harder than V7. As well, when people visit your gym, you want them to be able to walk up to a problem and know if they are even going to want to spend time trying it.  Especially if you only have a few in their ability anyway.

Overall, it was a good gym and the setting was also good and this is in no way a knock on Boulders or its setters.  The gym was wicked sandbagged, but to each his own.  That is why there are consensus ratings outside.

If you have any comments, feel free to share.  I would like to know if people prefer ratings in gyms or not.

Size of Facility:          Good

Route Asthetics:         Good

Route Climbability:    Fair

Route Maitenence:     Good

Training Equipment:  Fair

Staff Friendliness:       Fair

Staff Knowledge:       Fair

Grade Trueness  V1-V4: True  V5-V7: + 1-2  V8+: N/A