Mike making the move round the roof in Franklin, WV. It was cold.
January 11, 2013
June 3, 2012
(me absailing The Fiamma)
So, havn’t had tons of climbing adventures of late. This is mainly a product of time/money/weather, or rather their effect on my priorities and/or psych. Hopefully I will get a long weekend in the Carolinas later this summer, but who knows. Where I will not be going, sadly, is either the Alps, the Lakes, Snowdonia, Cornwall, Pembroke, or the Peak. Given I will not be back climbing on that side of the pond for who knows how long, I decided to do a round up of longer posts about my climbing ‘over there’
Sucking at climbing in Anglesey
April 3, 2012
In honor of the Obed, the summer, and the south. Y-12. Greatest summer crag on earth.
March 31, 2012
The Obed, by Kelly Brown with Photography from Mark Large
Just picked this up from RSO in Knoxville and it’s a gem. As well as providing all the beta one needs for a fun trip, Kelly and Mark capture what makes the Obed special- its combination of climbing and characters. Buy the book. It’s worth it, and go to the Obed, it’s more worth it.
Sample pages can be found here
January 11, 2012
One Last Burn (by zach.stone)
May have shared this before, can’t remember, anyhow, this is one of my favorite 5.10a’s ever, ‘Pillar of the Sea’ @ Kastilli on Kalymnos. It finishes at a castle. And is above the ocean. And has a really fun roof pull sequence. So yah, it’s pretty good.
January 2, 2012
Alpine Adventures
(if you can climb 5.9 you can climb this)
As my climbing related posts seem the most popular, and Tumblr is positively jammed with unrealistic ideas about real rock climbing, I think I will gradually post reports of various adventures. It should be noted that I am not a good climber. Statistically I may not even be an average climber. Certainly not by continental sport climbing standards (8a is the 6a, right?). Happily, though, this means my stories and pictures will consist of real people doing real routes making silly mistakes. Before I am accused of false humility, my current lead grade are as such:
Onsight:
Boulder: V1
Trad: 5.8- or VS 4b
Sport: 5.9+/.10a or 5c/6a
All time red point
Boulder: V4 (was VERY height dependent and I am a lanky ass b***h)
Trad: 5.8+ (was a ghetto chimney thrash in which I was quite literally too big to fall out)
Sport: 5.11a i.e. 6b+ (90 feet of 5.10a with one radically height dependent .11 move that felt .9+ to me)
See, I am not a rock star. Anyhow, I have been lucky enough to climb all over the the place and have good partners rope-gun (or as they say Zach-haul) me up routes. I pay them back via me unique ability to memorize an entire guidebook, collate and memorize online beta, and procure such information on command. I also take good FB profile pix. Anyhow, I have noticed several beginning climbers following me, and noticed their complaints about progress, snobby pro climbers, etc., and I hope these posts encourage them that climbing can be a fun, rewarding activity even if you can’t flash 5.12, i.e. warm up at Rifle or the Lode.
December 12, 2011
One Last Burn (by zach.stone)
It’s cold and I hardly have time to climb these days, so I like to relive the warms days on Kaly when we climbed 24/7. Sorry the sensor was real dirty. I am too lazy to fix it via photoshop. This was the end of 20 pitch day. The route is ‘Pillar of the Sea’ at Castelli, I think its 6a+ or something like that. 5.10ish in US grades if I recall. Anyhow, Kaly is perfect. Great climbing, the Aegean, Greek food, Mopeds, etc. Oh well, end of nostalgia.
November 20, 2011
Fall fun (by zach.stone)
Torrent is great. First time there since the new managment, and while getting a pass is a pain, the crag is very pleasent as it is never overcrowded. Still, though, a somewhat sad testament to people’s inability to live by simple rules. Anyhow, I am really really weak now. Anything vertical feels REAL steep. Which is no good.
March 31, 2011
Hanging out (by zach.stone)
One of my favorite climbing destinations ever, Kalymnos, Greece. Spent 2 weeks in the spring of 2007 there. Was brilliant.
March 30, 2011
Jeremy Lowering (by zach.stone) An old one from Portland.
RSS feed: http://zachstone.tumblr.com/rss
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Un buen día en Montserrat! La temperatura fue perfecto y la roca fue cool! El estilo allí es más dura, pero me gusta mucho!
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SOLO MISSION: BEAR AND BACK
Note to self: 100+ mile rides are highly more enjoyable in good company. Longest solo ride to date. Won’t do that... -
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Instagram Roundup, It’s been a lot of cycling.
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Anonymous asked: You are the reason people have fantasies about librarians while spending inordinate amounts of time in the stacks.
BUMMER.
If a person is stuck in the stacks fantasizing about librarians, I’m assuming it’s because they can’t find their book and need help real...
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By request.
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It takes an ocean not to break.
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“Poetry must resemble prose, and both must accept the vocabulary of their time.”— William Butler Yeats on modern poetry in a rare 1936 BBC recording.
