OK Homies,
In case you're into crushing some sick routes at your nearest rock gym, then I think I should let you know about nifty little guy called: thesendspot.com.
Has your gym started taping their starts with QR codes? Don't worry, the robots aren't taking over. It's the send spot! The send spot allows you to upload your climbs from a registered gym by either scanning the QR code with a compatible device (your phone!) or by finding the route on the site itself.
"So what now I can use this sorta facebook like blah blah to keep track of my climbs? So what? Who cares?" Well, guy who I'm sure would say this with a Brooklyn accent, the site keeps track of the average number of moves you make per month allowing you to monitor your training a little more closely. It keeps track of the number of climbs you've completed over time, which reveals training gaps. AND FOR FUN, it has a rating system (explained on the site), which allows you to compare yourself to other climbers on the website.
"So how many of dem gyms are even on this site anyway?" Man, you are a curious New Yorker aren't you? There are several gyms, and the number keeps growing! If your local gyms isn't on it, then ask the manager to look into it! I even got the small rock gym at my undergraduate: St. Mary's College of Maryland registered with practically no trouble at all! So, to all the gyms out there, this is an opportunity to connect with a network of climbers. Furthermore, thesendspot provides climbers with the ability to rate the climbs at your gym and express their opinion regarding the difficulty of the climb.
So what are you waiting for!! GET SENDING! [thesendspot.com]
and find me: username: jamesbondthemesong42
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Personal Update
Let's Get Personal! Acadia Trip
I am pleased to write that I have officially bouldered outside, and will be writing a review of my crash pad soon!
For those interested in the adventure:
My wonderful girlfriend Molly (who is responsible for the photos, link to her blog here) and I went to Acadia National Park in Maine staying in Bar Harbor. Hiking, eating, touring were all as fantastic as the East coast can offer. Before the trip, we planned it out with the help of rockclimbing.com and the mountainproject.com. It took some effort, and not all searching was fruitful, but we found some magnificent boulder spots: (Monument Cove, and Gorham). Truthfully, it was a fantastic trip for climbing in a place where bouldering is present, but not the most popular form of climbing. Not to worry though! As I walked with Molly, crash pad strapped to my back, climbers of all varieties would ask "You're bouldering? Where?". Plenty of friendly faces and rock lovers to go around.
Acadia is full of some pretty neato-burrito boulder problems along hiking trails with fantastic views. It also happens to be the only coast climbing on the East coast. The difficulties of the respective problems vary from good warm-ups (V0) to the extreme (V13). You could live a good life full of climbing in the town of Bar Harbor: full of beer from the craft ales of the Atlantic Brewing Company and good food of the Mainely Meat BBQ (located next to the brewery, which by the way offers amazing free tours!).
But seriously... That was some awesome beer and BBQ.
It was a fantastic trip! All of which I owe to my gal and her family. Thanks Molly!
I am pleased to write that I have officially bouldered outside, and will be writing a review of my crash pad soon!
For those interested in the adventure:
My wonderful girlfriend Molly (who is responsible for the photos, link to her blog here) and I went to Acadia National Park in Maine staying in Bar Harbor. Hiking, eating, touring were all as fantastic as the East coast can offer. Before the trip, we planned it out with the help of rockclimbing.com and the mountainproject.com. It took some effort, and not all searching was fruitful, but we found some magnificent boulder spots: (Monument Cove, and Gorham). Truthfully, it was a fantastic trip for climbing in a place where bouldering is present, but not the most popular form of climbing. Not to worry though! As I walked with Molly, crash pad strapped to my back, climbers of all varieties would ask "You're bouldering? Where?". Plenty of friendly faces and rock lovers to go around.
Acadia is full of some pretty neato-burrito boulder problems along hiking trails with fantastic views. It also happens to be the only coast climbing on the East coast. The difficulties of the respective problems vary from good warm-ups (V0) to the extreme (V13). You could live a good life full of climbing in the town of Bar Harbor: full of beer from the craft ales of the Atlantic Brewing Company and good food of the Mainely Meat BBQ (located next to the brewery, which by the way offers amazing free tours!).
But seriously... That was some awesome beer and BBQ.
It was a fantastic trip! All of which I owe to my gal and her family. Thanks Molly!
SHOE REVIEW: Muira (lace-ups) by La Sportiva
The Muira (lace-ups, size 41.5):
A sleek design. A minimalistic feel. The Muira provides comfort and performance in force with this tremendous success by La Sportiva. There is a reason why these shoes were awarded "shoe of the decade" (that's right folks, "decade").
I've climbed in the Muiras for about a year and a half now. I've bouldered, top-roped, and lead in these workhorses and found myself pushing my limits in comfort. They are worn down and in need of a good resole. Even with absent toe and smoothed-away rubber, I can still go big and rock the rocks with little loss of my performance. Well done La Sportiva, well done.
Highlights:
Comfort - How La Sportiva managed to squeeze my toes into an asymmetric point without reshaping my metatarsal bones is beyond my comprehension.
The heel - La Sportiva's new release: the Futura has the body of the Solution with the heel of the Muira for a reason. It's a simple piece, but it runs narrow while tapering to the heel for a snug, sensitive heel.
Narrow - I have narrow feet. I have struggled with getting rid of the dead-space that narrow feet fail to occupy. Wider-footed ladies and gentlemen (particularly gentlemen) may find that the Muira is too tight. However, for those with narrower feel will likely find (as I have) a good form fitting shoe.
Rating (scale of 1 to 5):
Bouldering - 4.5
Sport Climbing - 5
Crack - 4.5
Comfort - 4.5
A sleek design. A minimalistic feel. The Muira provides comfort and performance in force with this tremendous success by La Sportiva. There is a reason why these shoes were awarded "shoe of the decade" (that's right folks, "decade").
I've climbed in the Muiras for about a year and a half now. I've bouldered, top-roped, and lead in these workhorses and found myself pushing my limits in comfort. They are worn down and in need of a good resole. Even with absent toe and smoothed-away rubber, I can still go big and rock the rocks with little loss of my performance. Well done La Sportiva, well done.
Highlights:
Comfort - How La Sportiva managed to squeeze my toes into an asymmetric point without reshaping my metatarsal bones is beyond my comprehension.
The heel - La Sportiva's new release: the Futura has the body of the Solution with the heel of the Muira for a reason. It's a simple piece, but it runs narrow while tapering to the heel for a snug, sensitive heel.
Narrow - I have narrow feet. I have struggled with getting rid of the dead-space that narrow feet fail to occupy. Wider-footed ladies and gentlemen (particularly gentlemen) may find that the Muira is too tight. However, for those with narrower feel will likely find (as I have) a good form fitting shoe.
Rating (scale of 1 to 5):
Bouldering - 4.5
Sport Climbing - 5
Crack - 4.5
Comfort - 4.5
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