This is post is dedicated to Sandra who, one night could not sleep. In the middle of the night she decided to check out my blog. The next morning she scolded me for not having written anything about my time here in France. Alors, Sandra, cette est pour toi. XX The time between my last post seems so long ago as much as happened and yet nothing of great importance at the same time. I left Italy after Arco, went to Paris for the World Championships, went to Germany for a brief taste of the Frankenjura, saw a bit of Cresiano, embraced the American culture found scattered around Germany and …
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Van Life
When I was a teenager I slept in the basement in a small room that most would consider a cubby under the stairs. I didn’t care about the size. It was small, tight, compacted and most of all, it was my own space. I did what I wanted and played what I wanted. The walls were smothered with images of skateboarding idols and magazine clippings with hair that stood 5 inches above their brows posted far from any other household member. No one could complain and ask me what the hell do you see in that guy. And I didn’t have to respond, ‘don’t you know mom? That’s corey hart!’ Van life reminds me of …
Arco, Arco, county Wicklow…
With only two competitions left after Munich I was looking forward to some rest. My shoulders had taken a hard beating from the very start of this year and looked forward to some real rest as in, no climbing whatsoever. But that had to wait. I was bound for the world championship in paris via a short detour to Arco, Italy for the rock masters international. Note... international, not invitational. One has to actually get invited to the invitational events in Europe and to get invited, one has to place well, real well. Arco was an epic; getting there and leaving... Google maps said it was …
Munich
My spirit was in need of the type of revival that only fresh air, rock and good people could quench. The slovenians had invited us to join them in silvretta, an irresistible invite. As we drove between mountain and sky, thoughts of friends and boulders ran through my mind. Our greeting was a Spanish couple with smiles that extended from one ear to the other. They were as puzzled as i was as for knowing if we were at the right parking spot for silvretta but the near by vans littered with climbing pornography confirmed that for us. My soul felt immediately rejuvenated. i was outside facing a …
Rope comps, epics and plans gone awry.
It seems typical that as soon as the ball starts rolling, something quickly comes in front of it to stop it in its track. From the last blog post, some 3 months ago (!!) i felt i had a good rhythm going with writing and keeping on top of “work like things”. Then my computer broke, i had to leave the next day for Chamonix and I wasn't anywhere long enough to get it fixed until Munich which was two months later. Ironically, a few days after i did get it fixed, someone broke into my van and stole it! Along with my beautiful Canon which was the biggest loss of all. But gone is gone …
british times
Some stories are more interesting starting at the end. Perhaps the beginning wasn’t too exciting or in all probability the end was so recent that the memories and feelings of it are as vivid as if they had just happened and so it is easier to remember and write about. Tonight when I got home I decided to skip a few pages of the book that I have been reading, ‘Thinking body, dancing mind’. Some people have recommended it to me because of my ongoing mental problems when it comes to competitions. Skipping to the chapter on injuries, (Yes… again…) the opening quote said: “The superior man …
The start
Apprehension and nervousness combined with an overall feeling of excitement engulfed me as I embarked on a much anticipated journey to Europe with my daughter Cedar. I have not stepped on European soil in what seems like another lifetime. A lifetime when where I slept and what I ate affected only me. Going on this trip was something that I had avoided for some time now simply because I felt unprepared and incapable of pulling off with a kid. Though the pessimistic realist in me said I was doomed for a quick flight back, the optimist fought its ground telling me a least to give it a go. The …
My first Nationals
It was never my intention to go to the Nationals. They were supposed to be in Alberta and I was supposed to be in Europe. But as life would have it, they were switched to Montreal and I was stuck in Montreal waiting for essential things like passports which arrived only a few days before the comp. It would seem like chicken behavior to escape the comp at this point but regretting not going seemed even worse. And so I went. I paid to go and compete with the intention to give my best effort and keep my focus on the climb in front of me. The after affect: self inflicted torture and suffering I …
Plastic, injuries and awkward situations
For a number of reasons it has taken me weeks, well, many extended weeks, to start this blog. First off all , telling folks about my indoor comp life as of late does not really seem that exciting as does talking about my being plagued by a badly behaving shoulder. On top of that writing about my gym climbing abilities or there of lack of seems somewhat like self sabotage which is not really a healthy habit as some wiser folks would point out. Mind you, this post is just about that. This time of year I am usually walking in the desert sun with fresh air in my face, sore finger tips and a …
[Read more...] about Plastic, injuries and awkward situations
The Dirty South
After four weeks of sport climbing in the Red I looked forward to what was my main objective of the trip: to wrestle the fine southern sandstone found in the dirty south. The last time my feet lay on that soil was about ten years ago in my early years of bouldering. I didn’t know what to expect this time round but I had hoped with my expanded experience and new strengths that I would be able to send the things that I had fallen off years before. Well, needless to say, things didn’t go as planned. The trip was cut drastically short and of the time spent there, only 4 days were spent on the …
The Red
Well I guess it could be said that a picture can tell a thousand words and so I am going to post mostly photos on my Red experience plus this 700 words. The Red was such an amazing time for me. I liked it so much in fact that when it came time to leave I was 1 of the 2 cars left in Miguel’s parking lot. The other climber’s seeking one more route remained scattered among the random roads of the Kentucky landscape. The weather was crisp, sunny and cold in comparison to the rain and warmth we experienced when first arrived. But my time there was done. I felt the pull to go elsewhere. So to …
Colo-Rad-do
The air was warm, fresh and clean as were the roads and transpiring landscape. The trees were increasing in density and the size of the mountains was steadily rising as we headed south from Wyoming. We had finally arrived in Colorado after a long drive from Squamish. It was the first time I left Squamish in the summer for an extended amount of time and it was the first time I had been to Colorado. I had little expectation on what to do while there but I did know that I wanted to experience something new, something different from my normal day to day activities. I knew little about the …
Squamish Days
I know summer in Squamish is long past and I am a little slow at getting certain things done, rather, slow at getting lots of things done, well I even tend to move and climb kind of slow but that’s another thing though I guess all related... My point is that I had wanted to put together a little something in honor of this past summer in Squam-town which was most enjoyable as usual. The summer, although brief, was overall entertaining despite the irrational amount of rain and inability of any sort of summer to come when it was called. The Americans migrated north which is always a pleasure, …
The Mysterious OR show
The bi-annual trip south that many a sponsored climber or wanna be sponsored climber take each year to the Outdoor Retailer show has never been on my to do list. The idea of wasting my own money to go and “work it” has had very little appeal to me despite the efforts of friends telling me the importance of personal meetings and that I should view it like going to a conference and that really, it would be in my best interest. In my opinion it was the math and time that mattered and thus I didn’t see the point. Besides, if a resume is handed out it should speak for itself. The little will and …
Journey South
It was not the first year I had told myself that I would go to Colorado. No matter what happened, I would make it and every year, I bailed. This year when I returned to the horrendously wet and depressing spring in Squamish I told myself the same thing, Colorado in August, I’d make it happen this time, for sure. After a few months, surprise, surprise, I talked myself out of it. Squamish had slowly been improving and the spring climbing no one got this year was hopefully to be had now. Besides, I was getting into work, the market and well, truth be told, I am a little intimidated by the …
A Circuit for you
Below is a circuit that covers the Easy Chair to Animal Magnetism area. This is one example of some of the circuits I made up last year for the grand wall boulders in squamish. Feel free to print it off if you feel up for a good day out. feedback is welcome. thanks to peter michaux for the topos and sundev of the climbingcollective.com for his computer wits!Please stay on trails, respect the plant life and pick up yo' trash! thanks from the trees.This way works for a larger photo: possible link to circuit!!Circuiting is Awesome!Stay on da' trails and pick up yer' trash! …
a little story
A while ago my phone rang and well, when my phone rings I think, do I really want to answer this. My decision would be biased free since I don’t have call display to discriminate with. It is just that I find answering the phone, any phone, is sometimes a bit of a chore but I thought optimistically that perhaps I could handle it. The lady on the other line asked for Thomasina Pidgeon, while I thought do I say yes to this question? They are using my last name and that could be serious. Also, if I say yes, I likely would have to be on the phone for longer. If I say no, well, then my chance of …
squamish rain
It’s been a long uneventful month in the homeland, many a wet dreary days that feel never ending. When it was sunny, we rejoiced and danced, running from boulder to boulder looking for the dry ones or at least half dry. The day ended and a new one came with skies of an omniscient grey that poured droplets the size of small peas. My heart sank. I wondered if the cloudless sky the day before was merely a dream. It has rained so much here this month. So much in fact, records were broken and it feels as though all anyone talks about is the rain. When the clouds start to part and blue sky …
end of trip
I am writing this pretending that today was yesterday and that I am still on the road feeling that feeling that accompanies one when something is about to come to an end. But alas; nothing last forever and an end to something means a beginning of something else.Our stay in Bishop lasted a week longer than expected. Yosemite was wet as was the rest of the western states and Canada for that fact. So for the remaining of our stay we played on the boulders aiming for mileage and trying to do as many new problems as possible. That lasted for a few days until Mike Wickwire came along and told me he …
Gibberish
After three weeks in Bishop, I am leaving; rather, I want to leave... Yosemite beckons me but the weather there has not been so cooperative there to the monkey clan. So until then, if then, I await in Bishop perhaps one more week and either chance it in the valley or head up north. The grand USA grants the Canadian tribe 6 month stays and I am almost at that limit. I must leave this country early April, without or without a return to the Valley; otherwise I am considered an alien. I do not wish to find out how the US border treats Aliens so I will not entertain the chance staying here much …