To get back to regular blogging, I am going to start reporting my progress climbing. Yes, I have adopted the standard web 2.0 hipster activity as my own. Two weeks ago I took a course at Allez-Up, last week I went back to get accredited, and since then have been three times, trying to make it out there 2 to 3 times a week.

Before my most recent sojourn, I had completed a 5.5, and with encouragement from my regular climbing partner Julien Smith managed to finish one 5.6 and got halfway up another.

Note: everyone should have a partner like Julien; awesome guy as a friend, coach, and internet rock star.

While I am moving on to 5.6s (and many people say that climbs at Allez-Up are rated one level lower then they would be elsewhere), there were a couple of 5.5s that I hadn’t tackled but looked really fun.

The first was a doozy:

There are a few areas I need to work on as a climber, and this wall hit that all.
In summary I need to:

• Develop my arm strength to maintain grip while I swing legs over.
• Trust the wall and use it as leverage for my feet on occasion.
• Go for foot and toe placements that are less “secure” then a flat rest.
• Stop being a pussy!

First time, I totally wussed out when I reached the overhang. Second time, after seeing Julien go for it and fail, I did the same myself, trusting the rope. Third time, figured out the foot placement that Julien was using and succeeded to make it to the next overhang (is that the right term)? My final attempt had me placing my hands on the final hang, but by that point my arms gave out when I tried to lift myself over.

The second 5.5 was MUCH easier:

It was a straight run up, with only a bit of difficulty to get around the overhang. I had to ask for a “take” to do so, but in the end, reached the top. Next time, I am going to try to make it without stopping.

One note; bouldering is fucking hard!

Seriously, I can’t even get started! Any advice?