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This morning I went bouldering outside (Bull Creek Park) with the Spider Women of Reimers Ranch. This was my first ever outdoor bouldering. It was about as petrifying as I'd expected. I'm chickenshit enough about bouldering in the gym; falling off real rocks onto other real rocks increases this by an order of magnitude.
On the other hand, the rock there is gorgeous and comfy, all slab with nice pockets. I topped out twice, once on a pansy little climb that doubles as the descent (which is less pansy when you're doing it blind and backwards coming down), and once on a chimney that the booklet calls a V0-. Bollocks, I say to that pamphlet. That was definitely a V0. I like cracks and chimneys, but I did have a moment of panic at the top when I couldn't get my feet up. (It's true that footwork is important in bouldering, but there is a hell of a lot to be said for being able to meathook a rock and haul yourself over it.) I never really got over the adrenaline from that panic. I tried another lovely pockety V0, and made progress each time, but after the adrenaline spike of the chimney-stick, I was all wobbley and Elvis-legged. Next time, Pocket Walk! Next time!
And then I went into work for a couple hours OT, and now I'm finally home. We'll see if I have enough energy left to get Isyllt out of the mess I left her in last night.
On the other hand, the rock there is gorgeous and comfy, all slab with nice pockets. I topped out twice, once on a pansy little climb that doubles as the descent (which is less pansy when you're doing it blind and backwards coming down), and once on a chimney that the booklet calls a V0-. Bollocks, I say to that pamphlet. That was definitely a V0. I like cracks and chimneys, but I did have a moment of panic at the top when I couldn't get my feet up. (It's true that footwork is important in bouldering, but there is a hell of a lot to be said for being able to meathook a rock and haul yourself over it.) I never really got over the adrenaline from that panic. I tried another lovely pockety V0, and made progress each time, but after the adrenaline spike of the chimney-stick, I was all wobbley and Elvis-legged. Next time, Pocket Walk! Next time!
And then I went into work for a couple hours OT, and now I'm finally home. We'll see if I have enough energy left to get Isyllt out of the mess I left her in last night.
