http://chossmonkey.com/blog1 You can always go climbing but you can't always find the choss. Well, here it is. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:19:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last summer I was getting ready for our annual road trip to the Sierras, during which time we spend a lot of time hiking into climbs in the backcountry and climbing walls in Yosemite. Hence, a good pair of climbing approach shoes are important. Always looking to save money and ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2009/01/01/dirtbag-gear-review-approach-shoe-repair/ The Horse and Pony Show (III 5.12a, 400 feet) was my big climbing project this fall, an effort that took several days. My friend and climbing partner Chris Van Leuven wrote a nice little story about our time on the wall for climbing.com. I haven't gotten around to writing my ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/12/27/the-horse-and-pony-show/ Recently, the New York Times had a nice little article about Fred Beckey. The article reminded me of a story about Fred Beckey from my good, old friend Darrell. Darrell is a wild one, to say the least. He's the one who drove straight through from Georgia to Colorado, revved up ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/12/26/fred-f-in-beckey/ Classic laughs and climbing fun with Monty Python. http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/12/26/climbing-with-monty-python/ Drilling away at our project. After a busy fall, life is starting to feel more mellow now and I find myself spending more time reading books by the fire and surfing the net. It wasn't that long ago that we finally finished our project, The Horse and Pony Show, a 400-foot ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/12/17/147/ I've been busy on the choss lately. Yesterday we spent the day pioneering a new 500-foot route on a big face in Glenwood Canyon. I think it will turn out to be a great route with good, solid rock that is well-protected. It won't even qualify as a "choss route" ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/09/21/mega-choss-mega-classic/ Just when I thought I would be back from the busy days of summer, I entered the busy days of school. Hence, I've been spending 13 to 15 hours a day at school with planning time, classes, and coaching cross country. Any spare time I've had has been spent with ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/09/21/time-away/ Anytime you travel to new areas it's likely that you'll encounter a wide range of ethics. In Tuolumne, you'll find plenty of spaced out bolts and never one next to a crack. At a sport crag, you might find something different and sometimes the standard is greatly different. Take Clark ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/08/01/the-lameness-part-2/ A little sign at Camp VI on The Nose says it all. In our annual travels we get to experience a wide range of climbing areas, each with their own feel, culture, and uniqueness. One thing that never ceases to amaze us is some of the lameness that goes on around ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/07/29/the-lameness-part-1/ My summer has been filled with grand peaks, big walls, and outstanding pitches. The Nose was a big highlight, as was Positive Vibrations, and an endless sea of granite in Tuolumne didn't. There are too many great things to list, so go to mikeandjoy.net to see pictures and read stories ... http://chossmonkey.com/blog1/2008/07/28/summer/