chossmonkey.com Blog

The sixth pitch of Desert Shield, Zion National Park.
I’m still trying to catch my breath after spring break. We returned on Sunday night after a fun-filled, quick week on the road. Thankfully, we were busy enough and isolated enough to not have Internet and phones, hence nothing new here. Now, I’m trying to catch up on the mass of emails I received while gone and while also whitting away at my to-do list. Before I have time to make a proper update, check out this interesting article about fixed pins. The topic came up while in Zion about their strength and reliability. Granted, you’ll find a variety of opinions about them but in Zion, you can see many fixed pins that are 30 years old and seem to be doing fine. Meanwhile, there are many examples of bolts that have pulled out of the soft sandstone in a few years. Of course, there are many stories of old pins breaking and holes left behind by missing pins, such is the case on Touchstone Wall right now. Somewhere, I read a more extensive review of fixed pins where they did some testing and they proved to be remarkably strong, although their correct placement is key, which is the same for bolts. I’ll have to find that article again.
We’ve got snow in the Roaring Fork Valley right now and it’s chilly, meaning the skiing is going to be a priority for a little big longer, but I am psyched for rock climbing. I’ve got 4 FAs tallied up this year and I just placed a big bolt order that is making my palms sweat at the thought of all the new projects. Anyway, on to my to-do list!

Also, check out a report of our spring break action at www.mikeandjoy.net.

Check out this great essay from Jake Hjorten on Climbing Magazine online about Rifle Mountain Park in Colorado. I live 45 minutes away from Rifle but the place has never really caught on with me. I’ve spent my time there and projected a few routes but for a variety of reasons I’ve never fallen in love with the place. A lot of it has to do with my preference for stuff off the beaten path, particularly trad routes and I would rather crag 5 to 15 minutes from my house than 45 minutes. You know, that whole global climate change thing has me thinking that us climbers are just as responsible as anyone else when we drive hundreds of miles every weekend for climbing. Another reason why I’ve never caught on to the Rifle scene is just that, the Rifle scene. Read the essay and you’ll see what I mean. It may not always be as bad as he describes it but there’s a ton of truth in his words.

My wife is always asking why I want to go out and climb on obscure, dirty, loose cliffs. All she wants to do is go climb splitter cracks in Indian Creek and do long routes in the mountains (bless her for that!). It’s a good question though, as I’ve long realized that I love exploring and I often prefer to climb at areas that are off the beaten path and less populated, rather than querying up with the masses in areas like Rifle. In the latest issue of Rock & Ice, editor Jeff Jackson, sums it up perfectly. Check it out on page 10 in the January 2008 issue (#166).

Tomorrow I have the day off and I’ll be heading off to the choss by myself instead of finding a partner to go to Rifle or to clip bolts at the Puoux, a local roadside (I-70 to be exact) crag. I know that I’m looking forward to poking around the many crags and side canyons of Glenwood Canyon. Maybe I’ll return to one of the many project areas that I’ve begun work on, or maybe I’ll venture into an area that  I’ve never explored before. Regardless of where I end up, I know I’ll appreciate the choss that I find, and that’s just the way I like it.

Be sure to check out Jeff’s editorial, it’s classic.

Patogonia’s blog, The Cleanest Line, has a great post titled, “Dirtbag Fitness.” I looked at the quiz at Outside Online and realized that I’ve very much in the middle. I do know what my VO2 max is and I race competitively, but I’m also very much on the other side of the perspective. I love getting up early to read and pray before working out in the morning and the whole experience of going climbing is often more important than the moves on some route. It’s funny because I “kind of” like racing and I certainly do a fair bit of it, but I tend to hate training. I’d rather just go play in the mountains and consider that to be my training. It drives my wife nuts because she always reminds me how much better I could do in races if I “properly” trained. But, I also know, that I took a long break from competitive racing because I felt burned out from that life after competing in college track and cross country. So, it’s today that I feel great about enjoying the experience because it keeps me fresh mentally for races because I know I’m having fun – which is what it’s all about. I think the idea of “dirtbag fitness” touches on this and even embraces this idea – it’s not all about campus board workouts, interval sessions, and how many laps you do; it’s about having a good time and getting out the most. I keep a daily workout log of all of my workouts, but instead of focusing on recording how hard I climbed, I mostly keep track of the number of days climbed in a year (115 to date, by the way). I’ve discovered that what motivates me more than anything, is getting out rather than pushing the grade or completing some tick list. Getting outside, exploring, and feeling some exposure is what really fills my tank and gives me the energy in my day to day life.

Patagonia has always been a company that I’ve looked up to for their efforts to minimize their impact and to be as sustainable as possible. In a rather bold and humble manner, they’ve created a great little site that tracks what goes into their products and the impact that each shirt, shoe, or fleece has. There’s some rather shocking things to learn about what goes into the stuff we wear. I’ve long been an advocate of using stuff until it’s dead, even if you don’t look as “stylish” at the cliffs. It’s one of the great ironies and hypocrisies that many of the people who espouse great environmental ethics and a minimalist lifestyle, also have a tremendous impact by driving to climbing areas and insisting that they need a new down jacket or sweat-wicking undergarment. We can all probably take a collective “gulp” when we read this and think about just what goes into some of those buying decisions we make. So, check out “The Footprint Chronicles” and see what you think.

This is a great, insightful discussion between Yvon Chouinard and Tom Brokaw about technology, environmentalism, and general issues about the impact of our lives and actions. Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, has a unique and refreshing perspective on business and the role of businesses in our world. The video is 35 minutes long but well worth the time spent because there are a lot of great things that all of us can think about when it comes to our impact.

This movie looks great. Too bad I missed a local showing of it in our area. I like the concept behind the movie, guys skiing cool stuff but with an environmentally oriented mind. I’ve long believed in the ethic espoused by guys like BJ from SplitterChoss.com, “think globally, climb locally.” Sure, it’s sweet in the Creek in the fall and clipping bolts in Rifle is great, but you start to wonder about the hypocrisy of talking about environmental ethics on one hand, and driving six hours each way for a couple days of climbing on the other. Here, in the Roaring Fork Valley, I could ski in Marble and Aspen all winter long, but I end up spending many of my backcountry days at a little backcountry spot 20 minutes from our house, in large part because I hate burning all that gas for a relatively selfish pursuit. Let’s be frank here, you’re not going to save the world backcountry skiing, no matter how “sick” your line is. Instead, you’re just contributing to global warming by driving longer distances than necessary for your stash. BJ and I have worked hard to promote local crags that are a short drive away in an effort to get people to climb closer to home, rather than making a much longer drive to places like Rifle and Independence Pass.

Anyway, enjoy the trailer. It got me really psyched for the quickly approaching winter season.