The down Time

Making money changes the game, I would love to be traveling and climbing everyday, but I have to afford myself. So the name of the game is landscaping. For a few weeks four or five times a year, I get my hands dirty working here in da bay, ripping peoples front yards out and putting in new fancy aesthetic designed landscapes. I guess they could be gardens, But I don't want to imply anything like a veggie garden or garden beds, We strictly put in an aesthetic variety of plants, dirt, rock paths and walls. The bay is a great place to do this. There are many rich people constantly wanting to upgrade there status. And since there isn't much climbing here in the bay the rich have built something like 7 rock climbing gyms, of these gyms the newest is the best, it sits on the edge of crissy field San Francisco, from the plastic you can gaze out of ceiling high window to the grassy fields and beyond the grass, the misty fog blankets the golden gate bridge and Alcatraz island.

DOn't be fooled by the appearance of this cliff

it doesn't look steep until you get under it
and look out at all the suspended draws

I have been climbing in the gym a lot, I bought a month pass so I feel like I should take advantage. But yesterday I went to Donner summit at lake tahoe. For those who haven't been there its a beautiful granite paradise with large domes hosting classic trad lines and technical sport routes. Although there is one wall that is different, sporting a handfull of 12's and 13's including the infamous 'steep climb named desire 14a' Star wall is tall and very overhanging for granite, with many positive holds. I tried this climb 'Taste the Pain' 13c, I had got on it two weeks ago on a trip up here with my buddy Nikolai. I had been climbing all day and was tired when I got on it, so it was nice to try it fresh. So I warmed up at Snow Shed wall, did two arete climbs, both techy but very fun. Then we went up to Star wall. I got on this climb 'Bronco' 12d. It starts out climbing this dihedral, then the dihedral hits a small roof and you have to pull over it and throw in your knee bar rest. my foot slipped trying to pull the roof. Damnit I might have been able to flash it. but maybe not it was still pretty hard. So after getting very warmed up I belayed my friend Kush on 'Warp Factor' 13a. In my opinion this climb is a pile. But for some reason people are always getting on it. It climbs a crimp ladder of incut small grips this is actualy good but the holds stop and you then hit a horizontal crack and you traverse right for about 20 feet to another vertical section that goes at 14a.

This is a picture of Ethan Pringle tasting victory,
flashing 'Taste the Pain'
I stole it from his blog, hope you don't mind Ethan!
His left hand is in the heinous finger lock.
the line of draws inbetween him and the crack to the right is warp factor

On the other hand taste the pain is an amazing climb with a full value rock climbing. You start out on some really juggy holds. Make a couple of tension moves on big jugs and side pulls, you then pull into a right hand pinky jam and make a clip, high step your left foot and lay back the crack reaching high to a good edge, you then swap your feet and get another good edge out right, set up your feet and throw for this 45 degree slot that slightly bottle necks, you catch it in a hand jam. Its bomber once you get it, but getting your hand to make a fist and stick into the slopey slot all in one motion. This move is not supper difficult just low percentage, I need to work on it more. I did stick it after many attempts. Throw a heel hook above your hand jam and swing up to a horrible flaring crack that you get bad finger lock in step your feet threw and toss out to the right for another side pull. Its just as bad but now you can squeeze the holds together. From these two bad side pulls you make a huge dyno to a good jug. This part I did first try. Except for the damn first finger lock I thought the crux wasn't so bad. AFter this you make one more streinous move from the jug to an undercling. with some yelling a managed to pull threw this section first try. So after this attempt I rested it up and tried getting the hand jam throw more solid. It didn't feel more solid. Kush tried warp factor again, and mike finished off the night with a head lamp burn, he had been skipping the clip before the crux and this time he took a huge fall cool to watch the light fall through the air.