NEW BLOG

As of a couple months ago Sarah and I have a joint Blog at sarahcbain.blogspot.com ENJOY!!

Maple Canyon!

About a month ago me and sarah had plans to go up to the Red for three weeks, gain some endurance there, and hopefully send some harder routes. That was the plan when we set out to the red with our friends Joey and Daniel Bakos and Tanner Ayers, but sometimes things don't turn out as planned. We were at the red for a week and the conditions were absolutely horrible. The humidity was outrageous along with rain every other day if not every day. After a week of being there we hiked up to the motherload one overcast day and were not psyched at all. We did not want to be there, but Sarah had a wonderful spontaneous idea. Lets drive to Utah. We thought about this for about thirty seconds and decided to go through with this new and amazing idea. We got in the car, drove to Miguels to take down our tent and we were headed to Utah were we would stay for two weeks.

We stayed in salt lake city and were able to do so much climbing within our two weeks!! We went to little cottonwood to boulder one day and also hit up big cottonwood but mainly spent our time at maple canyon. The pipe dream cave!! We were able to climb there about six or seven times before we headed home, and we sent more in these conditions that we would have ever in the red. At the pipe dream cave the average weather was in the low 80s with no humidity and the psych was super high!!! Sarah was able to do many new 12s including some flashed and sent her first 12c!!! I also enjoyed our time out here and was able to send:

Super Spunk 13a
Beyond Fitness 13b
La confianza 13b
The Diggler 13b
Ego Boost 13d
Mexican Rodeo 13d
Wyoming Sheep Shagger 13d

This was my first time climbing lots of routes with my Rock Pillars and they were amazing. The pearls can pull really hard on small feet on extremely overhung walls and roofs and at the same time I can trust them to stand up on shitty feet on a delicate face climb, they are simply an amazing and impressive slipper! We had an amazing time, and though we wanted to stay longer we were happy to come back to climb at Stone Summit!!





Fifteen minutes from where we were staying! Beats the summer heat!

Sarah warming up in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Far left side of pipe dream

Left side of the actual cave

Psyched Sarah!!

Me on Super Spunk

Also, I forgot to ever put this up. A little more than a month or so me and sarah went to little river canyon when it started getting warmer out to go water bouldering. We just played around a bit and I ended up putting a really cool FA up!! I called it temper tantrum. It took about an hour for me to figure out all the moves and send it but I ended up doing this amazing power problem. This problem is so good! You start on a slot jug go left hand to a bad side pull edge that turns ok when you campus to the next side pull, get a right foot high in the jug and bump big to a good slopey hold and go big out left to a small edge, heel hook your right hand and grab a good hold. From there you just traverse left to a huge hold and drop off. I am really glad that I had the Rock Pillar Pearls because with that shoe I can really pull with my toe and for the heel hook this slipper actually stays on your foot! The pearls are amazing because they are comfortable and amazing when it comes to fit, comfort and performance!! I was psyched to have done it but I believe that in the winter it would be a V8ish, Super cool but time will tell the grade...



Setting up for the big bump "crux" move

Move out left to the edge

Lately

I have been so busy the last few months, but I can now focus on climbing. I just graduated high school and have just been training indoors. Mostly at adrenaline rock gym in Suwanee. This gym is really sick due to its vast amount of features and angles and the chill atmosphere. I think that so far this gym is the best in atlanta for bouldering. In a week I am off to the Red for three weeks! I am so very psyched and have my eye on many climbs. Expect many updates from here on out!

Stay Psyched!!!

Post Red...

About a week ago I got back from the red and I already miss it. This was my first real chance of the season to climb on some routes and get my mind off of things in atlanta. Me and sarah went up to T-wall for a few hours the prior weekend and I ended up sending psychopath 13b and she crushed curb sandwich 12a, we called it a day after that and headed out to eat. Going to the red was more of a vacation than an attempt to send as many routes as I could, although I had been hearing about how amazing Ultra Perm was and wanted to send that one and ended up being successful!! Me and sarah drove up friday, met up with a huge crew from the gym, and left nine days later with a little more endurance than we came with, and much better lead heads. I was glad that I had lots of power to compensate for my lack of endurance, because I found my self easily bolt to bolting lines, but trying much harder to link the whole climbs. I am planning on heading back in about seven weeks and cannot stop thinking about what new climbs I want to get on. I am also planning to stay for three weeks, so hopefully I can send some harder lines! Here are some of the amazing climbs I was able to manage to send:

40 oz- 13a
Taste the rainbow- 13a (Hold Broke on the Onsight!!)
Dirty Smelly Hippy- 13b
Cut Throat- 13b
Paradise Lost- 13b
Ultra Perm- 13c/d

I was happy about doing a small handful of new climbs and jumping into routes and starting out the season with some fantastic lines. I have a list of so many climbs I would love to send on my next trip up, and hopefully I will be able to send the majority of them!

The Red

I have been training endurance for about two weeks now, because me and sarah are going to the red this friday for a bit over a week! I am so very psyched to gain endurance, but sad to stop bouldering. This last weekend we went out to t-wall to go route climbing for the first time in about a year. I warmed up on Curb sandwich 5.12A and found myself a bit pumped at the top, sarah bolt to bolted it and easily crushed it in a few goes. I did it again feeling a bit better and headed over to psychopath. I have tried this route last season and felt as though it was really hard. It starts with chossy 5.5 climbing to the first bolt which is about twenty feet of the deck! From there you climb a beautiful wall of perfect pockets to the crux. It is four bolts of good medium sized holds into a redpoint crux after a difficult clip. The crux is about V6ish and you are a bit tired. I remembered the crux being really hard on link. I bolt to bolted the route and I felt much much stronger than last season, so I lowered, untied, tied back in and sent!! Me and sarah felt accomplished for the first day of routes and our day projects sent so we headed home!

So psyched for the red!!!!

Bouldering season is coming to an end...

The weather is getting much warmer and I am still not wanting to let go of bouldering. I had an amazing season bouldering with good friends and good sessions. Lots of laughs and new people to laugh with. In two weeks the route season will officially begin because me and Sarah are going to the Red for a week, so I hope I can build some endurance there and maybe even send some new climbs!!
This weekend was extremely warm and we had plans to go to Alabama, however the whole crew, which included my lovely Sarah, Joey and Daniel Bakos, and myself decided to drive up to rocktown instead. We left after I got off of work and headed up. I wasn't too extremely psyched to go, but was really exited just to climb on rock. Right as I began to warm up I realized it was extremely warm and route season is coming. I think every one of us realized that. We warmed up in the orb area where joey and daniel played around on the greasy slopers of the orb, but no bueno for either of them. Next we headed down to the vagina area where Sarah tried the Island of beautiful women and Daniel and Joey tried the vagina. Every body came super close but no sends, just lots of grease. Right before we headed down to the vagina area I ran down to see if the little cave that the womb was in was cooler in temperature and surely enough it was. Having done the womb I was interested in seeing if there were any close and similar lines, and found one. I found holds that came out of the middle of the womb, so I excitedly brushed them off, had sarah take pictures and started to attempt the moves. At first they felt extremely difficult! I could hold them but not move off of them but after about thirty minutes of figuring it out I managed to send! The climb felt much harder than the womb but it was a little warm so I estimate it to be V9ish. Assuming it was a first ascent I called it the Discharge. After that we went to the back, I sent the sit to the comet, than climbed on some classics and we all hungrily headed out.


Sarah on the Island of Beautiful Women



Joey on Swamp Sauce


Me trying to figure out which holds to use

Me on the fourth move with a retard looking hand ha!


Checkin out the holds


Video of the Discharge V9?? I need consensus



If anyone knows of this climb or knows if it isn't or is an FA than please comment!!
Peace!

Rocktown

Sunday we had another great day at rocktown. After work me and sarah left for rocktown to finish off what we couldn't do last weekend. After warming up in a crowded bunch of gumbies we were off to our projects. I tried iron claw V10 for the second time and got really frustrated that I made no progress. Fifteenish minutes later, after reworking beta, it wasn't so bad and I sent! After that we hiked over to golden harvest and it still whooped my ass. This was my second real session on it and still no bueno. Sarah managed to crush golden showers v5 no problem and than went on to send blue V6 very quickly!! Strong! After all of that we hiked up to blackout v10 and I tried it for about an hour. It was a while before I decided to change my beta, than I chalked the holds put a tick so i could see and sent!! We were both feeling pretty worked at this point but still got on little bad boulder v5, which is a must do at rocktown!! After this tiring day I managed to send aluminati v9 on the way out adding to the day's psych!

Sarah after topping out Blue V6!



Me on Blackout V10

Me on Ironclaw V10

Ironclaw

Sarah floating up Blue V6!

This next weekend is prom so it will be just a bunch of gym sessions for twoish weeks and than some more climbing!!

Life... and climbing!

Ever since I have had a job at Dunkin Donuts I have not had much time to climb on the weekends, but I do get to train at the gym on the weekdays with my buddy Brad Weaver and other gym locals. A few weeks ago I made it out to Island Ford, with Sarah, Bobby, Tanner, and someone who actually knows the place really well. I went in order to attempt to snag a few first ascents but mainly about this project I kept hearing about. The Garfuna Project which was estimated to be v11-13. That day I ended up doing 8 first ascents as well as the garfuna project, which weighed in at about V7 after jumping to a jug rather than a gaston crimp. HA! But the day was really cool and the climbs also.

Me on the FA of Right Handed Despise V7ish?

Here is Tanner Ayers on the 2nd Ascent of the Garfuna V7ish?

This last weekend was perfect! On friday I had a fun gym session with Brad Weaver, this kid is so strong and motivated and has been helping me progress significantly in climbing. Saturday me and sarah left right after I got off of work at 12 and had a session at rocktown. Sarah forgot her camera but we both had a good day. After warming up we headed to the vagina area where I sent digital scales V9 2nd go of the day! After that I looked at the womb V10. The holds all looked good so I decided to give it a go and fell at the very top of my flash. I soon sent on my third try after finding better beta and we were off to nitrous oxide V9 where I also sent! Than we headed to helicopter V6 where sarah quickly dispatched!! Psyched! At the very end of the day I tried blackout v9/10 a few times and came close but no send, but I did end up flashing big bad right V8 and called it a day!

The very next day we followed the same schedule but this time sarah brought her camera! Warming up I felt extremely heavy and weak, but after a while felt a bit better. We headed down to the vagina area where I tried the move on speculum. This move is really hard for me off a left handed jug and a right handed crimpy pinchy ok hold and throw to a good little pockety thing. The move at first seemed ridiculous but after a few attempts I stuck it so I decided to try it from the start. It felt really difficult but after about 5-6 good tries I was able to send!!! For the rest of the day we just ran around the boulder feild trying to burn out finish the day off well..

Here are some pics of me rockin the rock pillars on Speculum V9

Island ford

I went climbing about a week ago in a metro Atlanta area with almost no guide so I will be headed up soon with some people who know the area. Here is a quick vid of my short session.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2jY87XM6vY

Fight Club

Video of me doing the FA of Fight Club v8/9. If for some reason this video does not work for you, than go to youtube.com and type in Fight Club V8.

Rock Pillars!

I apologize that I have not been updating my blog lately, but I am happy to say that those days are over. School and climbing have been keeping me extremely busy, but it's all good now. Anyways...

Some of you already know that I have switched shoes to a company from the Czech Republic, called Rock Pillars. At first I was skeptical about the shoes, but after about five minutes of wearing them I realized that the eastern Europeans had narrowed down shoe making into an art. These shoes, not only stick to just about any foot hold, but they are like climbing in socks. Once your foot slips into them they immediately take the shape of your foot. I first tried them while helping host at a comp at Escalade Climbing gym, and they were magnificent! I was psyched. So today I went over near the Chattahoochee River Park to see how they could perform on real rock and I was really surprised. Any foot hold I placed them on, no matter how small, they didn't even budge. Wowawoowa!! Any time I heel hooked or toe hooked they stuck. I am really psyched on them and would love to see more of them out here in the states. If anyone is interested in getting a pair just visit my facebook and tell me, or email me at e_unit_soviet@yahoo.com, but the easiest way would be talking to the U.S. rep who lives here in Georgia, by going to his facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/climbnchase?ref=ts

So far I have tried the Pearl Slipper and the Top Gun(velcros) and am extremely happy!!

The Top Gun


The Pearl Slipper

Today Was the First day I took these shoes outside and ended up sending a really cool, yet a kinda dirty first ascent, calling it Fight Club. Hopefully vid and pics will be up soon. I called it about V8/9, but I really have no idea and would love some consensus!!

Peace