A Fresh Start

This week was a turning point for many parts of the globe with the opening of parks, and a return to the recreation areas and public spaces that so many of us enjoy. The past few weeks have been a large shift in the day-to-day culture for many of us. For some, this has been an opportunity to relax, reset, and take a pause from the busy structured lives. For others, this has been a period of unrest, as jobs, stability, and mental health have been affected. For better or for worse, I wonder how the events of this pandemic will cause changes in our societies as we seek to adapt to the rapidly changing norm.

Calgary City Center (or is it Centre... I can never remember), snapped on one of many social distance walks during the quarantine. 

  

I, for one, have been extremely fortunate to have a home, job security, and my friends and family to get through this. Accompanied by an amazing home wall setup and good training partners, the past few weeks have been great, and I think I'm making some strength gains!! As far as my job, I much prefer working from home, and have enjoyed the opportunities I've had to relax and focus on other hobbies and passions. Despite this, it is always hard to try to replace the sense of curiosity and adventure that comes from a day of climbing outside, and with the parks and public lands opening up, I was giddy at the chance to get out to my home area of Frank Slide this past weekend.

A quick snap taken  of my new hat (!) on the drive out to the mountains (another weekend). I have always loved the view of the prairies rushing to meet the mountains, and love the anticipation of adventure that rises as you come closer to your destination.

Along with Emilee, I was joined by local power couple Loic F and Kaylee T. With the goal for our trip to limit our impact and presence, we had the idea to check out one of the more seldom trafficked areas of the slide, to check out some of the remote but excellent problems to be found on the Olympus Plateau, namely: Lord of the Flies (V5), Ikigai (V6ish?), The Promised Land (V6?) and a few projects that have been on my mind as of late. Having successfully convinced everyone how short the hike is, we set off to make the march to Olympus. 

Trent H, high on Achilles Woe (V3), on our first visit to the Olympus plateau.

The Olympus plateau is a great area in the slide, if you're not concerned about the lower density of blocs, and a short steep hike. What it lacks for in those areas, it definitely makes up for in exposure, scenery, and overall setting. There's definitely something special about climbing high above the valley and the wide sweeping views that come with it.

As Emilee and I were a bit faster on the hike in, we decided to warm up by cleaning up a funky looking boulder we've passed by many times on the hike. With a bit of time to kill, I started cleaning it up and set up the pads to give it a go. Luckily enough Loic and Kaylee came walking up just as I was about to pull on, and with a bit of a more-jumbled-than-usual landing, I was more than happy for the extra pads and spotters. After a few tries, Loic and I both sent, and Close Contact (V3?V4?) was born.

Loic and I eyeing up what would become the "Second Wave" boulder.

Following a brief snack and a few laps on the new problem for good measure, we proceeded to climb the other lines on the boulder, including a nice traverse that continued up and around the rounded corner, starting on Close Contact. Loic and i both flashed the problem, and then set to work on the short odd problem at the end of the boulder. We were initially stumped by the odd bloc, with a strange high left foot. Once we sussed the beta and figured out a nice toe scum, we both quickly sent (Loic styled the top out, while I beach whaled on top 😉😉😉 ).

Here I aptly demonstrate proper beached whale technique, providing some humor at my expense.

After finishing at the first boulder, we migrated uphill, headed towards the plateau. Following a short lunch, and a bit of exploring, we were waylaid by a snowstorm!!!. With a grim forecast and unrelenting weather conditions, we decided to head back to the cars and regroup. Once back at the cars we decided to check out some close to road objectives in case the snowstorm returned. With quick escapes in mind, I had two Josh B problems on my ticklist that I'd been meaning to try. Powerline (V8) and Blood Simple (V8) are two great lines for those seeking a challenge, without travelling far from your car. Loic and I were keen to try both, while our better halves enjoyed some r'n'r and the welcome sunshine by the river. Blood Simple revolves around a (large!) dynamic move off a sharp left hand sidepull, and after a few tries I managed to send the problem. Still battling a finger injury, Loic decided to save his efforts for Powerline, and instead invested his energy in fixing his pad strap with climbing tape.

Flashed climbing tape also doubles as an impromptu pad strap (in a pinch)!

Powerline proved to be quite interesting. I had tried quite a few years back with a hard left heel, but kept pulling my hamstring each time. Josh B. snagged the FA on the inaugural Tour de Frank day, when we listed it as a project, and he mentioned climbing it more straight on and bumping through the tough slopers. As a former gymnast, Loic was psyched on the straight-on method, which involved pulling on some nasty crimps and a poor left handed sloper. My original beta involved a left heel in the groove and matching the sloper, I soon realized a hard knee scum (with the assistance of a kneepad) might work a bit better, and also help avoid the leg cramp (Hooray!!). Just as we dialed in our beta, the snow/rain resumed, wreaking havoc on the slopey holds. Luckily we acted quickly, taking turns holding the spare pad over the crux holds. Trading burns and 'umbrella duty' we soon managed to claw our way to the top of the boulder! With a sense of accomplishment, we packed up our gear and returned to the car, and made the commute home. 

Brushing the very smooth slopers on Powerline with my Object brush. Trent was kind enough to get one to me, and I must say its one of the best brushes out there! 

Knee-barring my way through the devious slopers on Powerline. Very unique movement! This problem packs a punch!

I've always found driving to be a great time to think and reflect. As I piloted my trusty Subaru home, I thought about how great it was to spend some time outside with good friends, laugh, and challenge ourselves on the rocks. Something I've missed most about my climbing crew back in Lethbridge was the weekly discussions, good laughs, and remembering good times. Although in recent years I've turned to Instagram to chronicle my adventures, it leaves something to be desired. There is a hollowness behind a quick photo and 20 word caption that fails to capture the day outside, and doesn't provide the same creative outlet for me. With all that said, I hope people find something enjoyable in these posts, and at the very least find the beta and the photos useful or entertaining.

Till next time,

-Mark