Category: Climbing

Of things related to climbing rock, ice, snow, mountains, cracks, faces, slabs, trees, or buildings.

September 30, 2023 / / Climbing

Climbing vernacular is pretty ubiquitous at the crags. Most climbers are aware of it from the first several times they go climbing and then begin to develop a working knowledge…

June 30, 2023 / / Climbing

Editor’s note: I haven’t done a lot of recreational writing as of late. This past winter most of my writing has been technical, professional, writing. In the process a co-creator…

February 14, 2023 / / Climbing
January 25, 2023 / / Climbing

The sun spills into the small dining/sitting area as it rises above the distant mesa. The sky is void of clouds and blends seamlessly from grays to periwinkles and salmons…

December 25, 2022 / / Climbing

“I’m skeeerd” I say. A twinge of over the top whininess tries to mask the actual fear behind my humor. I don’t climb a lot of overhangs, so, in addition…

February 20, 2022 / / Climbing

Any time my friends and I end up at Del Taco in Las Vegas at midnight, there has got to be some sort of story. “Well, what do you want…

July 31, 2021 / / Alpine Notes

I have no tattoos.  That story is one of lazy summer days, friendship, and happenstance.  But it is not for here.  Here is where I tell you what tattoos the…

December 24, 2019 / / Climbing

“Do you think the Creek has changed?” Matt asks, from his perch on a pointy boulder. Above him cracks of all sizes soar upward from the black, varnished stone into…

September 27, 2019 / / Alpine Notes

As per usual, nothing quite went as expected. From the start we opted for the “easier” option of not schlepping sleeping bags or cook stuff up to the cirque.  The…

July 28, 2019 / / Climbing

“I’m willing to bet that the drive and the walk will take more time than the climbing will, even with three of us.” Above us lay 200 feet of granite…

June 30, 2019 / / Alpine Notes

June 1997 — We spent the overcast and wet day practicing skills.  Placing snow protection, clipping through fixed pro, traveling on a rope team, ice axe use and self arresting. …

April 23, 2019 / / Climbing

  “Well, this moment sure seems to have the makings of a blog post” I think, quite distractedly, to myself as I fumble with the rope, trying to get it…

February 19, 2019 / / Climbing

“You can leave the draws on, I’ll lead it.”  Just saying that was a victory for me.  A step in the right direction.  The day prior had seen me ordering…

January 13, 2019 / / Alpine Notes

(Author’s note: here is a piece I wrote about six years ago.  I may have published this before, but… whatevs.   My mind always wanders to this place, particularly this…

September 25, 2018 / / Alpine Notes

“Lets run the Petzoldt”, I joke as we regroup from our last down.  Anna is the quarterback and in this pick-up game of football, that makes the rest of wide…