Obscurity Tour: Ralph Machio

Jason Jackson and I headed out yesterday to one of Flagstaff's obscure five star problems. Its located off the beaten path of West Elden and presents a style of climbing that is unlike anything else in Flag. You begin on a sloping rail tick-tacking yourself to the bulge where you make a karate kick (the Ralph Machio move) to find whatever foot hold will allow you to reach up and negotiate with a series of nipple sized "holds" trying with every move to roll more of your weight onto the precarious standing foot that is squeezing to stay put allowing you to finally grab the "Thank you god" hold at the top. Jason dispatched this so quickly I didn't have time to bust out my camera...so your stuck with footage of me. Enjoy, and happy hunting.

Slideshow!!!!

THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT!!!!!

Please come out Sat the 26th to the Vertical Relief Climbing Gym on San Francisco Street in Flagstaff for my slide show on climbing, surfing, and traveling in New Zealand. I'll be presenting Kyle George (my husband) photos and narrating a bit. I'll also be showing a little film that gives a good idea of what climbing in New Zealand is all about!!! This event is free and there will be a BBQ before hand so BYOB and bring something to put on the grill. There will also be a raffle with great prizes from my sponsors including a PrAna outfit, Mad Rock shoes, VooDoo gear, and MORE!! Raffle tickets are only $5. Bring a friend and be ready to see photos of secret crags, private surf spots, high ball boulding, and raising a child in the outdoors of New Zealand is all about! See you there!

Kick'in it Old Skool with John Sherman

This past season I noticed that all the great climbs I had been doing were all put up by John Sherman. I'd walk off the top of one asking, "That was great. I wonder who FA'd it?" The answer John Sherman. Or "Who was crazy enough to come out here and put up this amazing thing?" (The Devil's Butthole, Hueco Tanks)... John Sherman. The list goes on. It seems I had fallen into a path of synchronicity with climbs by the legend known as "The Verm". To my delight he drove his self contained 4 wheel drive Ford Van over to see what Flagstaff had to offer in the hottest months of the year. But I'll tell you, what we got was a lightning and thunder filled day in amongst the ferns and some fun, rarely/ if ever, climbed boulder problems. I followed his lead up line after line, brushing off holds as we went and knocking for loose rock. I learned more about bouldering's bold beginning's in one day with Sherman than I have in 8 years of climbing. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about the relevant issues in climbing today and what the future may hold.
If I came away with anything it's this:
Be simple with your climbing motivation. Be bold but know your limits and risks. Know when to walk away. Don't chase grades but style points. It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

Here is a brief segment from our day. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting.

Forward MOVEment

Hello! We are back in the USA and for all of you who have been following us on surfandstone thank you for your attention. Since our return I've been busy catching up with friends, writing for magazines (coming soon), finishing up a short film of climbs in NZ, and of course climbing! This is just a shorty to let you know I'm back and will be posting on this blog primarily. Thanks for hanging with ME!

New Zealand

We will be traveling through New Zealand for the next 4 months and I will only be posting on
http://www.surfandstone.blogspot.com
Please come and check out our travels!

First Female Ascents

If a woman has already done a climb are you more likely to try it?
In the world of climbing there are ascentionists: first ascenters, second ascenters and so on. The first ascenters are the climbers who envisioned a problem, brushed off the holds, and climbed a problem first. They are named in guide books and written about in magazines. A first ascent is known as an FA, pretty much anything after that is forgotten. But what of the female first ascent or FFA. There are those ladies in our community that seek them out and pour their hearts into them hoping they will be the first female to ascend. There are others who don't necessarily seek them out but find pride in the fact that they are the first woman to do a problem. These ascents are usually undocumented save those in the descriptions of 8a scorecards and personal blogs or diaries. The female that did the climb isn't named in guide books, and usually is only talked about in casual conversation. Is the FFA even relavent?
As a female I usually just assume that a guy has put up a problem, named it, and given it a grade. How that grade applies to me is usually just a number. (I'm 5'1" with an enormous amount of flexiblity which are two strengths usually not possessed in a male.) For me, grades are neither a motivating or a limiting force. I've tried problems that I thought were way easy that have really high grades and I've also had to work really hard for problems that have a comparatively low rating. It's all relative right? It's the problems, regardless of their grade, that bout climbers of both genders that are truly hard. For when you have to work at something isn't it more worth doing in the end?
In the case of the quick trip to a new area, I find that it's advantageous to know where to start. Guidebooks can tell you where things are and what they are rated and whatnot but I often find myself asking friends, who are women, who have either been to the area or live there, not men. If I have heard that a woman did a hard problem in the area I like to find out what it is, where it is and at least try it. If I know a woman has already done a certain hard problem and it continues to bout other women, then I know it's truly hard.
Why don't we talk about FFA's, are they so rare? Why aren't there two ascents listed in the guide book, a sort of democratic court that decides the true grade of a problem. Here we go again with a debate over grades. I like to plead the Sharma fifth here and just say, "I don't do grades." This way I can be innocent of any opinion pushing and grade dropping.
Picture this: A high ball, a classic V5 highball that has sat in your back yard for five years. It's a perfect climb that has always been in the back of your mind of things to try. What if one snowy day you go out and witness a woman, possibly even a woman with a child, send this problem without hesitation her first try. Flashed. Are you more likely to try it?
Knowing that a woman has done a climb and knowing that she isn't 5'9"++, it makes that problem all the more accessable. More within my reach both literally and figuratively. It's an inspiration. And isn't that what we all need, a little inspiration to push us just a bit harder, a bit farther, a bit beyond what w previously thought was possible for us. Isn't that what climbing is about: Discovering what is possible? FA or FFA, both efforts are significant in their own way. Now if we could just see more female FA's!

i don't discriminate

Hueco Tanks. A dumpster for debauchery.
It's the formal park: Hueco Tanks Historic State Park that draws us all to pristine El Paso, TX. It's an amazing outcropping of made-for-humans-who- climb boulders in the middle of the desert. You see more border patrol than po-po's, and the rules of the park are dern strict.
So as it follows, when there are lots of rules, there are lots of rule breakers. Outside of the park it is precisely this.
We rolled in to Shindagger at about 8pm with a party in full force. Ricky O's smoked pork butt, grilled veggies, beer, bonfire, and a booming sound system greeted us weary travelers. The occasion: Bush's last day of office. Farewell You Dog Party complete with a burning effigy. This was like an open door. "Please, come in and be as rowdy as you like. "
The first day was pretty safe. We took a tour to the East Spur where I did a pretty cool climb called "This is your brain on..."(v9) my second try. It was affirming to start my tour this way. I felt like this was going to be THE send trip had waited for. I was only mostly wrong.
Jill was sooo close to doing Better Eat your Wheaties on her 4th day on! Inspiring.
I was forced to then take two rest days because of an accident involving a picnic table and some concrete that sent Ava and I to the ER. Without divulging too much, I will say that the ER does things to your head. On my next day of climbing I felt all in a tizzy. I fell off the last move of The Egg in the East Spur, couldn't touch a problem I had all but mastered the time before...I did do a few classics (Moonshine Roof was awesome!) but more importantly it was this day that opened my mind to CHOSS.
I just don't know what happened? We went to the Sausage Factory (East Spur) which is cold and shady and I needed some sun. So I walked around and found this 4 move problem with really small holds that looked like they were the ear that Van Gogh tore off. It was serene until the rest of the tour showed up to see where Carrie had gone and immediately the sh*t talking began. "What a great problem Carrie. wow...I think two 10 year old's did this thing yesterday." blah blah blah...
So I obviously had to flash it. They were all psyched as I passed through the crux cross move to the worst hold I've ever touched in my life and then spotted as I threw a series of heels to top out. Clapping followed as did more sh*t talking when we found out what it was: "Stubby the Bush Veldt" (v10). HA! This one dude that I had just met seriously considered withdrawing his introduction to me. To him and all other sh*t talker I say, "Don't be a hater." I'll take the v10 rating, I don't discriminate. At least I can say I did it.

The following day we rhomped West Mountain like we were in the military. Hiked up to the Dragon's Pen and found where the mountain lion live. This is me after I fell off the last move of 1969 (v9) my first and only good attempt! What a fantastic problem. Now I have yet another problem I have to go back to!
Since I'm a chossologist, it was only right that I find a choss FA to do.
See, even the choss in Hueco looks good. We escaped the rangers peering eyes by hiking up to Body Snatchers (B.S) at the top of West. A classic 4 star hueco roof with a beautiful view of all of hueco. So after I threw myself at the prime prob on the roof, I decided to break some rules. I spied some holds to the right and started trying a new line. Amongst the poo talk from the peanut gallery who were busy laughing at anyone who made it to the top out of B.S. (which was EPIC at the end of the day. Took me about 3 minutes just to pull the roof and I had to use a calf lock!) Anyway. My project, "i don't discriminate", pictured above, attracted the attention of everyone on the tour including our poo talk'in guide who took more attempts on it than anyone. ps. it's still a project if you can find your way up there.
The night following our west mnt. rhomp was full of 10 oz. filet mignon and patron marguaritas followed by an 80's dance party. This is a picture of the morning after at the Shindagger Ranch. Coffee, leftovers, and a beautiful desert sun. After burning Bush, sending, a trip to the ER, falling, hiking, steak and shrimp, AND break dancing it is safe to say that I left IT ALL in Hueco. It's kinda like therapy.
Self portrait at the top of west on our last day.