Improve my climbing...How?

An often asked question to someone who enjoys the rewards of progression, someone who time and time again throws them self at a problem or problems hoping to reach the top or next move. But how many times do we find ourselves stuck, seems like we plateaued, frustrated with lack of progression. There are countless books on "how to improve your climbing"-"climb stronger now!" but is that the answer, or is that all it takes? of course reading a book on technique or getting pointers at the local crag or gym helps, but despite all the technique we learn we still seemed stumped. We can hit the weights and get stronger but still feel stuck, why? A question I ask myself is why am I climbing? why do I want to climb stronger? what is my real reason to climb at a higher grade? now to climb stronger doesn't always involve a soul searching quest, yet its hard to fight the fact that those who truly love the sport and try 110% not only in climbing but the sport that they enjoy climb harder and seem to achieve grades they set as reasonable goals. The mental side of climbing can often be over looked, a route that can really excite us can sometimes push us to get just a little stronger, the strength we needed to progress. There can be a number of factors to climbing harder but thinking about it can sometimes help find the area of weakness. Who knows.......... maybe we just need to stop climbing, watch football and play video games.

Echo Cliffs

We have planned a trip to explore Echo Cliffs. Echo Cliffs is near Glendale and Thousand Oaks in the L.A. Area. It's nestled amongst the Santa Monica Mountains. It boast some of the steepest and longest climbs in Southern California. We have planned a 2 day trip for climbing there. The number of climbs there is insane. It really is a mecca for sport climbing. The variations of the climbs are perfect for any group of climber at any level of skill and experience. It's supposed to be a little bit of a hike in but worth the trek. In looking at the pictures my palms begin to sweat and my mind starts racing! This will be my first real hardcore sport climbing routes. It should be a great trip. I'm hoping for good weather and good climbing conditions. I cant wait to get out there! Look for the pictures after the trip....

New Evolve Shoes

I got these shoes about a month ago and they're proving to be pretty sweet! I've now become a fan of Velcro straps instead of lace ups. I feel more than enough support and the super sticky and aggressive heel come in handy on some tricky moves. The main rubber has a pretty sharp edge and a stable base that you can trust on when in a precarious smearing situation. The tounge is made of a synthetic cushy mesh which is extremly comfortable. All in all a really good shoe.

New Routes At Solid Rock Top Out Boulder!!!

We just reset all the routes for the top out Boulder at Solid Rock Gym downtown. The routes look amazing thanks to some good setting by Andrew Press, Nate Sharpe and some other members of Solid Rock. I was able to try a few tonight but cant wait till I can really try them out tomorrow.

I would like to use this post to express my frustration for ratings. The ratings vary from gym to gym and vary drastically from area to area. I was recently at Thresh Hold Gym and Hanger 18 Gym in Riverside and the ratings are completly different there! I was able to flash a V3 without a hick up where as in San Diego I can only maybe flash a V1. The ratings always varied by at least 1 1/2 - 2 numbers. I feel like rating something a V3 when in reality it is a V1- is unfair to climbers. This in no way prepares you for outdoor bouldering! Anyone that thinks they are V5 climber by Riverside standards could barely do a V3 outside. I realize that outdoor and gym ratings are always gonna be different but to have such a drastic difference is in my opinion setting climbers up for disappointment. The goal of any dedicated climber that goes to the gym is to train for real climbing so why not adjust the ratings to be somewhat similar? I appreciate the climbers at Solid Rock, who in some peoples opinion "sandbag" the ratings, for preparing us physically and mentally for REAL outdoor climbing! Well that's my rant, let me know what your view is on the matter....

Hi Everybody,

This is a Blog about a group of climbers that want to share their pictures, experiences, advice, outlook and opinions on climbing. Our experience ranges from 6 months - 5 years. We have started to be obsessed with the sport and it has become a huge part of our lives, spending at least 10 hours a week climbing, indoor or outdoor. We train at our local climbing gym, Solid Rock, which is the biggest gym in the San Diego area. We are constantly trying to plan trips to outside climbing destinations so we can experience what SoCal has to offer in the way of climbing. We are also backpackers, hikers and nature enthusiast. The outdoors is all of our escape from the "normal" and its our reset button for our minds. The areas we have mainly climbed in are Joshua Tree, Culp Valley, Mt Woodson, Black Mountain and various other little places. Our love for climbing has moved us to further our range of climbing to sport and lead climbing. We never turn down a invitation to try something new or visit a new place. We feel that being able to climb in such beutiful areas and experience outdoors in a way that most people haven't, has given us much satisfaction in the sport and we want to share it with as many people as we can. We are always trying to get our friends and family to join us in our adventures but few actually follow through. It is always just never backing down from our next excursion. We hope you enjoy our posts and more importantly we hope that it may spur you on to experience what this wonderful sport has to offer.

Enjoy the outdoors and be safe!