Tooting The Proverbial Horn

Our one and only semi-regular installment "Weekly Sends" is being discontinued after just three posts.  I don't know if it's the weather, that I'm injured and not climbing, or the fact that no one really cares..but it's over.  We had a good run.

Rock Cricket was created to foster a climbing community in our little nook of the climbing world.  Part of that is letting people know what's been going on in the area, but I've tired of writing up our meager achievements.  THAT IS WHY ALL PONTIFICATING ABOUT UBBER HARD V3 SENDFESTS MAY NOW BE DIRECTED TO THE FACEBOOK PAGE!  I encourage, and know that I myself will keep up with posting the scour reports, notable sends, and downgrade stump dab madness..but let's do it on the good old social network.  I mean, what better a place to brag about stuff, take shirtless pictures of yourself in the mirror, and creep on climbing babes (are there any climbing babes around here?).

You may wonder, "what is going to be on the website?".  Just wait and see, we's gots some plans (sorry, my grammar not so good, grew up in Canaan).

-Ryan

Weekly Sends - III

Well it's that time we've all been waiting for..the third installment of WEEKLY SENDS!  The weather's been back and forth - leading us on with a glorious day here and there, interspersed with cold, wet, miserable hell.  Luckily we've been able to fill in those gaps with some sendage..

Per usual, Andy (asshole), has been hiking the projects of others and wreaking havoc on his own.  He started off with a flash of Fatass V3 and then ran up the hill to finish his longstanding bout with Remedy V8.  We then gathered around Wasabi V5 where a group effort on beta deconstruction allowed Lund the send.  On top of all this he managed to pull off Mad Squirrel V7 a couple days later.

Alex must have been schwilling off Andy's half finished Busch cans because he too assembled an impressive ticklist - grabbing a send of Fatass and Wasabi as well.  Topping off his week was a lap up Spak Attack V4 - let's just hope his shoes don't start smelling like ass (a tell tale sign of crushing).

The psyche on Wasabi stayed strong as Dawson was also able to pull off a send.  He's still waiting to hear back from Jesus about those Lapis brushes..

Strange helicopter flybys over Wasabi

Ryan (I figure I'll stick in the third person), is still laid up with a finger injury and is doing his best to not act like an angsty teenage bitch.  Despite his condition, he put in a solid scour effort at a "new" area north of the Res.  During this session he cleaned and sent two problems - Seventeen Regrets and Four Legged Lawn Mower.  Both of these are lowball right to left traverses on good rock, with the majority of the holds being open handed (kind on his digits).  He's not offering up grades until more people get on them.  After a couple sessions at the Res he has realized he needs to lay off the rock and spend his efforts scouring and cleaning until his fingers feel better.

In other areas of the state Shane and Kyle have been busy searching out new rock.  Kyle has been telling us about a couple of cool boulders down south - Alex went out with him and confirmed their radness.  Shane was with Ryan while putting up his two new problems and was able to flash Seventeen Regrets - nice!

SCOUR REPORT:
***I thought I'd add a little section of Weekly Sends dedicated to recent development.  Not necessarily individual routes (as mentioned above), but new areas being explored, uncovered, or revived in our region.***

Let's start off with this "new" area I mentioned before.  Apparently Scott and Jake have been climbing this spot for a while now, but not too too many problems have gone up, let alone visited since.  The area consists of at least two large sectors, the one I've been heading out to, we'll call "The Tracks", has an immense amount of rock: including a flat open boulder field, countless highball cliff bands, and giant blocks.  In the two times I've visited this sector I have seen evidence of only four problems, each on a separate piece of rock (this is definitely not to say that these are the only things sent).  There is a ton to explore in this sector alone, that may continue farther down the ridge than I have gone.  AND, we haven't even hiked the back side yet.  The other sector is also riddled with steep blocks and short cliff bands, with more evidence of sent problems, but not many.  I am willing to say that the area as a whole (both sectors), as well as adjacent rock I'm sure we'll find, has almost, if not, as much stone as the Res.

Andy and I were also lucky enough to get a tour with Cal of another new area in the Berkshires.  This spot has rock of incredible quality with very fine vertical grains and diamond cut edges, reminiscent of some areas in Northwestern CT.  The quality vastly outshines the quantity in this area, though there is the possibility for a couple dozen quality lines, including some burly test pieces.  However, nothing as of yet has been cleaned or sent.

DON'T FUCKING BOTHER IT'S ALL BEEN SCOURED!

-Ryan

A Climbers Guide To Climbing...Kind Of

Well ladies and gents its tuesday night. Typically a tuesday night for the Rock Cricket crew means very  casual schwilling of cheap beer or whiskey, and throwing ourselves at a very steep wall of plastic...but mainly talking alot of shit and laughing as much as possible. This isn't a typical tuesday though. Ryan injured his figures last week at TNB therefore he isn't climbing. Andy has holes in all of his fingers and is working to re-grow  them with some liquor. Dawson is dining and whining, and Alex and Kyle are slaving away for the man.

Speaking of laughing, that brings us to the point of this post. CLIMBING!
Climbing is a funny game of push and pull. you have strength vs. injury. Frustration vs. success. Pain vs. pleasure. Terror vs. focus. Technique vs. burl. having a great time vs. being a pissed off asshole. And being hung over vs. climbing well. Granted theres probably alot more involved, but no one cares.

In my mind climbing has a very clear definition (go climb rocks, have fun with your friends, hang out in the woods, enjoy weird movement, push your limits, scare the shit out of yourself, and always leave with a positive attitude because what you just did is awesome). I've found that  is not what climbing means to some people though. Its the same as any sport, people are always going to take it to the next level and make it into an aggravated shit show of who can pull the hardest move. Like turning a simple game of 'Tag You're It!' into football. I mean, whatever gets your twinks hard, but i don't believe thats where the origins of climbing started. Its an ancient animalistic outlet of artistic-ness. Don't get me wrong, i'm a total psycho when im working a project. Out in the woods screaming, shaking and slaping the rock. But its not only from frustration, its because im there with my friends raising the energy to another level. Who cares if you can't go home with a video of a hard send to post on DPM. The climbing world is quickly turning from a joyful community into a biast jury. WATCH OUT!

Well, we've got the arrogant rant out of the way so here is some more bullshit.

Smoking, Drinking, General debauchery and Climbing:

Wake and bake, drink too much Busch, roll your rollies, be a total dirt bag piece of shit, work hard, drink hard and climb harder.

Dawson often asks me what the secret to climbing hard is....well, refer to the prior.
Here is a quote from one of the best competition climbers in the world, Killian Fischuber. "Women, never had. Alcohol, don't like. Friends not many. Climbing, everything." To me that is fucked. Thats not what climbing is about. These robots train their lives away 365 days of the year for what? to say they're the best. Why? Look at Dave Graham. He never touches plastic. Those who train 7 days a week couldn't touch what he does, and he's always psyched! Killian just seems like a broken man. So whats your choice? No, im not saying you should be a drunk asshole dropping trow in the woods, and shouting about stump dabs and scouring....BUT think for a minute about what climbing means to you.

Also don't be surprised if one the Rock Crickets hikes your project with a cigaret  in his mouth and down grades it with no remorse.

Be psyched! Climb whats hard to you! and keep Scouring!

-Andy

Weekly Sends - II

I know, I know, it's been more than a week.  But I'm sure no one has been on the edge of their seat waiting for the latest installment of WEEKLY SENDS.  Here it is..

Dawson's been on a roll, ticking off a number of problems.  He started off by putting away Burly Girly V3, a line that has been a long time coming for him.  After this he quickly dispatched VCrux V4, a possible, though unlikely FA that Andy got a little while ago on the boulder to the left of the Erkanan.  To wrap things up, Dawson sent Fatass V3 and in perfect "DY Style" downgraded it to V-Sub Fun.

Shane came around for the weekend and got a proud send of Rubix Cube V3, his hardest to date (just getting into climbing a month or so ago).  He's been scouring the lands to the East while at school.

Alex has been coming up regularly and was able to tick off Burly Girly and Ed and Elliot's Articulated Flower Dance V3.  The other half of the South Conn climbing contingent (Kyle) hasn't been up in a while.

Ryan had a pretty good week, starting off with the FA of Bumashtee V3 on a boulder 200 feet uphill from The Egg.  The problem is the lone line on the boulder (though it awaits a few more possible problems), starting on a left pinch and high right pocket, up to a right gaston and a big static move to a sidepull match to the top.  To Ryan it felt around the V3 range, those under six feet tall might find the crux reach move much more difficult.  He also was able to put away Trainspotting V6 after working out the beta the previous weekend.  Lastly, he got the FCA (First Cigarette Ascent) of Ed and Elliot's Articulated Flower Dance.  For those of you unfamiliar with the coveted FCA, it is when one is the first person to climbing a problem start to finish while smoking a cigarette.  Some may argue, more impressive than the first ascent itself.

Ryan on Trainspotting

Andy, as usual had a string of sends.  After taking some time to work out his own beta for Bumashtee he was able to get the second ascent.  Later that week he procured a send of the rarely climbed Deny The Force V5 on the Gravity Bomb Boulder.  On the Erkanan he got on the extended version of Trainspotting that stays low and goes out the blunt compression feature.  He felt it was harder than the regular finish but not hard enough to push it into V7 territory.  Lastly, Lund was able to send his long standing project, the extended finish to Trespassers Will Be Shot V8 at an illusive boulder in the Northwest hills of Connecticut.  Also, while tromping around in the region he may have come across at least one quality boulder in a new area.

It's been rainy, so much so that in the last week we have seen only one dry(ish) day of climbing.  Crappy weather means time for exploration however, and getting lost in the woods - no great news on the development front, though everyone's psyched for this fall at the Barracks Mt. area (and many others).  Rain is also a great excuse to get inside and climb at the Canaan Valley Bouldering Barn.  Rock Cricket celebrated its 10th Tuesday Night Bouldering with whiskey, Busch, and finger injuries (nothing major we hope).  Keep climbing and KEEP SCOURING!

-Ryan