Trip/Life Report - Since I've Been Back to Utah
It’s been about a month since I
made another trip from Ohio to Utah and I have been keeping busy. Since then, except for working, I have been…
Climbing in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
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| Classic 5.9 Hollow Man. Belayer Josh Riggins |
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| Short (30ft) but fun 11b - Winky and Waxman Go Bolting |
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| Riggins pulling through the crux of Winky and Waxman Go Bolting |
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| This move was really fun to do, thought it would look cool, kind of doesn't. |
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| Sun setting on Challenge Buttress |
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| I always promised myself I wouldn't climb at night again... |
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| Climber left, Me on right. |
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| A job...done. |
Bouldering in Little Cottonwood
Canyon (and got my ass kicked). I
unfortunately have no photos as I normally do it by myself. The problems on LCC's slick granite are no joke and are notorious for being much harder than what they are rated. The finger cracks are no deeper than a segment without a lip on them. So basically, your "bomber finger crack" is no different than a sloper. To make it even tougher, the feet are slick, forcing you to work near perfect feet. It can get frustrating but I will continue going up there to boulder because it's helped improve my technique immensely, since it requires such precise footwork and body movements. Still sucks to come off a problem to find your hands are completely torn apart.
While in LCC, I have met a plethera of people. Met some people from Alaska, lifer Utahns, and climbed with a couple under the stars. Yeah I was the 3rd wheel on that one but it was cool to conquer problems in the dark; especially when it's been damn near 95+ degrees during the day everyday.
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| Bouldering at White Pine (Courtesy of ryanwedemeyer.smugmug.com) |
Went to the Outdoor Retail Show.
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| Montbell's 1.6 oz jacket that can fit in your pocket. |
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| Met some of the #ClimbChat crew! |
Met some very cool peeps/went
climbing with from the #ClimbChat community.
After OR we had all decided that we were going to hit up one of my favorite places in Utah - American Fork. It's so unique with it's Limestone overhangs, bomber hand pockets, and classic routes. I always get psyched on coming here and this time was no different. The only thing difference was that I had a crew of 9 people with me. Good times.
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| Punishing myself on Suicide Blonde (11b) |
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| Katie Bouè taking her chances on Suicide Blonde |
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| The crew. (Courtesy of Andrew Bradbury) |
Been trail running; up to Donut
Falls and attempted to finish the Red Pine Trail (only to realize later that
it’s an 6.5 to 8 hour hike) I'd like to continue this trail running kick as it seems to have been helping me in other facets. Plus, I think I am actually starting to enjoy it...weird.
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| Running partner Gina Bègin on Donut Falls trail. |
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| Being stupid under Donut Falls. Feel free to caption it in the comment box. |
And to top it all off, I will be
heading to the Uinta Mountains for some hiking/climbing this weekend. I have never been there (as I haven’t covered
much of Utah yet) but am really stoked to see this place. Plus, it will get me out this heat wave
that we annually have in the Salt Lake Valley.
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| Uinta Mountains, Ruth Lake, Utah (courtesy of SummitPost.org) |
Overall, life has been good. Been busy with the typical work schedule but I always find myself in the mountains after doing something. I feel like I'm on a constant vacation to be perfectly honest. I only take days off when I literally can't move and my body has told my brain, "you need to stop." I'm looking forward to more trips in Utah (Moab) as I have some planned with friends coming soon in the Fall. Stoked!
Thanks for reading!
Most of the photos are done by Gina Bègin unless specified.
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Meet the Author:
Steve W Weiss: Snowboarder, Climber, Beer drinker...oh and Blogger. Cleveland-native who moved West to Utah to fulfill a life of mountain fun. Keep up with me on my Twitter or Facebook!
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2 comments
Thanks for the cameo shot, dude! :) I had a blast out in SLC with everyone, glad you've been enjoying yourself back in Utah. Kudos on the trail running, I've always wanted to try it - but I'm just rubbish at running.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I'm not a great runner either, but like anything else, "practice makes perfect". Looking forward when you make it back to SLC!
ReplyDelete