Posts Tagged ‘CMC’

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Rock Climbing – Stairway to Heaven (5.3), Boulder, CO

Sunday, May 20th, 2012

Stairway To Heaven Route Beta
Stairway to Heaven follows the yellow line up the top edges of the fins of rock.

On Sunday, after running the Federal Cup 5K, and previously climbing Swanson’s Arete, I co-led a rock climbing graduation climb for 2 of my CMC Boulder’s Basic Rock Climbing students, Jack and Shawn.

Mike, the senior instructor and trip leader, picked the perfect grad climb: Stairway to Heaven (5.3). It is a fun climb with a few mild but interesting challenges. I was excited to climb something new and in a more remote location. On a pretty day like today, there was bound to be scads of climbers on Flatirons 1-5!

Also, I was super happy Andy climbed with us. He assisted with belay transfers, which greatly improved our ascent efficiency. He also helped me to communicate with Mike, who was way out in lead. Thanks, Andy!
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Rock Climbing – Swanson’s Arete, Eldorado Canyon, CO

Friday, May 18th, 2012

On Friday, I led a CMC (Colorado Mountain Club) climb up Swanson’s Arete on the Redgarden formation. Jeffrey and I had now each led the first pitch up the West Chimney. We had it dialed and we were eager beavers for the summit.

The challenge was to take two lucky individuals past the Red Ledge, up the arete proper, rappel to the ground, and back to the car in a safe and efficient manner. Would we make it to the top before afternoon weather? Would our ropes get caught in the Dirty Deed rappel? Would we have to leave gear? Questions were about to be answered! (more…)

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Rock Climbing – Basic Rock School – Flatironette, Boulder, CO

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

CMC Boulder Basic Rock School Heading to "Class" Clare on the Summit of Flatironette
I am an assistant instructor for the Colorado Mountain Club’s Basic Rock Climbing School. Our first outside field trip was to the Flatironette in Boulder, CO. It’s a tiny flatiron rock formation which is situated just in front of the first flatiron. It is a perfect place to take people who are new to climbing. It has very mellow 2 pitch climbs, with no rappel. The only serious issue is the exposure of being up high. Thankfully, none of our students had a debilitating fear of heights!

I Love La Sportiva Approach Shoes!
Everybody had an enjoyable time climbing the Flatironette and I had the opportunity to climb it in my new La Sportiva approach shoes. These shoes are awesome and are my go-to shoe for anything easier than 5.4…the sticky rubber, toe rands, and laces around the ankles are fabulous features. (more…)

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Rock Climbing – CMC Boulder Leader’s Day

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

The summer is coming soon and with it comes CLIMBING season!

In order to get all the rock climbing leaders psyched up, Jeffrey arranged an outing on the First Flatiron. The plan was to climb various routes and then talk about setting up some summer climbs for CMC members. It was a great deal of planning on Jeffrey’s part and I was happy to take part in the fun!

I climbed with Slava and Mike. We carried up some fresh fruit for everybody to enjoy after the climbing was over. On the way up Bakerdango (what I like to call my variation of Fandango-starting at Baker’s Way), we ran into Rick. Rick was climbing with Eileen and her husband Bob. I also ran into Brenda on the summit and briefly saw Jeffrey as he was ascending the summit ridge. Excellent times!

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CMC – Basic Rock School Instructor Review Day

Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Andy Demonstrating How To Pass a Knot
The Colorado Mountain Club, Boulder Group offers a Basic Rock School every spring and fall. It is one of the major training opportunities for folks who want to learn how to climb. I assisted with it in the fall and it was generally a pleasurable experience. I really enjoy teaching people how to climb!

CMC Basic Rock School Instructors Spring 2012 CMC Basic Rock School Spring 2012

Prior to the start of class and field trips, we have a session outside. All the instructors and assistants can spend the day reviewing the techniques, communication tips, and familiarizing each other with potential risks of teaching. It’s a wonderful day and I’d say the most valuable experience for an assistant instructor, as you learn the preferred methods of your senior instructor.

Basic Rock School Instructor Review Day

This Spring, I was paired up with Mike and Andy. Boy was I excited, these two guys are loads of laughs but at the same time totally serious about the art and science of climbing!

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