gmak2012

A number of V3 - V5 bouldering problems from Sep 2023, sent at Altitude Gym in Kanata. Just trying to keep my hand in since there appears to be a large difficulty gap between V5 an V6 with the new route setters and rating system. The background song is Leaving my Body by Florence and the Machine.

Doing a Spiderman at Altitude Climbing Gym - crawling on the ceiling to finish each problem. The music is Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues by Larkin Poe.

This is a re-upload with some slight edits for the last problem in the video. Several bouldering problems from July 2023 as I continue the road back to peak fitness and strength. The soundtrack is "Lost"by Jonathan Roy.

Various problems over a course of 3 - 4 weeks. Still trying to get back to climbing fit.

Back to basics. Not only did I put on some "winter weight" (heh), but new route setters changed the rating system for their bouldering problems. The difficulty range is wide enough that it is hard to tell what level the problem presents. Hence, these are just a series of bouldering problems that could be any level from V3 - V8. It's amazing how quickly technical skills deteriorate. My focus is on being able to visualize the solution (how I should move), proper foot positioning, and building my strength to handle the extra weight from muscle as fat melts (hah!). Enjoy my journey back to climbing fit.

Sent at Altitude Gym in Kanata. This is a very long problem with a horizontal traverse into a series of volumes requiring compression against the ceiling. This is followed by heavy core useage to transition to a vertical section where grip strenth and foot placement became paramount.

A "flash" is sending a bouldering problem on the first try. This occurs frequently on the easier problems. For me, V5/V6 are where I have to work a problem a number of times in order to send it, finally. The beginning of this video shows how a rock climber pays the cost to be the boss. It was tough to "get back on the wall" after my right foot failed near the top. The soundtrack is "Far Side of the Moon" by Lena Dixon.

Bouldering at both locations (Gatineau and Kanata) of Altitude Gym. I've noticed that the sends look a lot easier than they actually were. The orange holds problem was quite challenging at the very last move. There was no comfortable placement for the feet, and the overhang on the wall at the top made for an adrenaline-filled series of small adjustments that did nothing to alleviate this. Finally, I just had to go for it. It was quite satisfying to stick that move. Doing rotator cuff exercises with elastic cables and bands helped avoid injury when all my weight went to one shoulder, at times, during several of these sends. Definitely going to keep doing those. The soundtract is "Every Bird" by Larkin Poe.

A series of V5/V6 problems sent at both Altitude Gatineau and Altitude Kanata. The last one (blue holds) is a V6/V7 - the highest level of difficulty that I have managed to achieve. It was at this point that I realized that I had overcome COVID, injuries, lost employment and my own mind. June was a good month. :-) The problem with the purple holds, where I raise my arms in victory at the end, is out front of the employee station. A number of them had been working this problem and were unable to finish the last move. It took me quite a while, but I finally tried "flagging" the right leg to put my center of gravity below the last hold. That, and a bit of core allowed me to hold the finish for the expected 3 seconds. The soundtrack is "Giants" by Imagine Dragons.

V5/V6 -a very long climb requiring pinching the holds hard. The forarms become “pumped” meaning full of lactic acid. This can lead to failure to properly clise the grip as happened on the last hold. I never was able to finish this one problem.😕

V5/V6 with a long traverse using small edges on dual texture holds. Only the edge has a grip for the finger tips.the rest of the hold is slick.

Small crimp-y holds and feet placement.