http://pullharder.org A Culmination of Experiences Earned in the Pursuit of Climbing Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:55:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Terminal Impatience    As the airplane banked to the east, my small window framing the freshly encrusted Rockies faded to scenes of flat expanse and then night.  Several feet above me in the overhead compartment, a 60 lb. cacophony of gear slept peacefully in my cary-on pack after surviving scrutiny from dumbfounded ... http://pullharder.org/2010/03/10/southern-accents-part-1-brazil/ Nate and I found a day without rain a while back, and decided to hit the Mt. Woodson boulders.  We only tried a few problems that day, but three of them were absolute classics and we shot a little video.  There was Silk Banana, the obscenely strenuous lieback, which neither ... http://pullharder.org/2010/02/26/pullharder-vs-woodson-bouldering/ Check it out: http://ngadventure.typepad.com/blog/2010/02/readers-choice-adventurer-of-the-year-the-votes-are-in.html Adventurers of the year.  That's right. http://pullharder.org/2010/02/25/adventurers-of-the-year/ Bad weather in the mountains and at the crags, schedules coalesce, and it's time for a saturday morning thrashing. Three rounds of: 5 laps 7 bleachers with 7 pushups atop each bleacher Then: Pullup Pyramid to 10 and back down Totals: 15 laps, 21 bleachers, 147 pushups, 100 pullups Attendees: Josh Kostas Nate Roberto Colin Dan Jalo [nggallery id=127] http://pullharder.org/2010/01/23/gym-kostas-the-return/ Information we could have used beforehand. Transportation from Geneva The absolute best way to get from Geneva to Chamonix is to go to chamexpress.com and spend 25 euro on a van ride directly to where you want to go.  They speak english, and you can schedule a pickup time and place online. The ... http://pullharder.org/2010/01/23/chamonix-beta/ June 2009, Chamonix Kostas, Scotty, and I chose the Frendo Spur as our first route in the Alps. Of course our "real" goals were the Petit Dru and the Walker Spur, being California hotshot rock technicians and all. [singlepic id=2687 w=320 h=240 float=center] We relaxed in Chamonix, drank $6 Cafe au Lait, ... http://pullharder.org/2009/12/29/the-frendo-spur/ Fall in the air, and the isotherm dropping A week in New York full of eating non stopping Had left the young lads of which there were two Yearning for adventure, be let out the zoo. So up to the Park, away did they drive and bivied that night in Gil's sweet ride Early they rose, if I recall it ... http://pullharder.org/2009/12/08/north-face-of-notchtop/ With my work trip to Antarctica quickly approaching, Friday Nov. 6 became Konstantin’s and my goal to climb Dark Star (V 5.10c) on Temple Crag. Watching the weather the weeks prior, we knew there would be a decent amount of snow up high, but we were disappointed to see ... http://pullharder.org/2009/11/25/dark-star-the-siberian-alaskan-way/ A couple of weeks ago Luke and I drove into Yosemite with the intention to check out Free Rider -- kick its tires, try and get its general idea. Things went better than expected and we ended up climbing up 1/2 of El Cap free in a day. So we ... http://pullharder.org/2009/11/16/french-free-rider/ The long awaited 2nd installment is finally here.  That's right, last month I got the itch again, sent out the e-mails, and this time an even bigger crew went up for punishment on some of the more heinous offwidths at Mt. Woodson.  Round 2!!!  This time we tried Right Long's ... http://pullharder.org/2009/11/12/pullharder-vs-woodson-part-ii/ I hadn't been on a really long hard route for a while and I wanted to test myself.  This year I've started training a little more intelligently and it was paying off.  I was strong, but did I have endurance?  Not really sure how hard I was climbing when it ... http://pullharder.org/2009/11/06/rainbow-country-success-or-failure/ Rainbow wall is ridiculously well protected with a ridiculously small rack.  I've been on the wall 3 times now, and the rack has shrunk each time.  There is great gear, the crack changes sizes, and there are bolts protecting many of the cruxes.  I would recommend taking the following rack. 0-3 ... http://pullharder.org/2009/11/06/rainbow-wall-gear-and-strategies/ Sike! HAHAHA http://pullharder.org/2009/10/26/new-route-on-keeler-needle/ Reviews for packs (and most other stuff) on the internet suck. Some guy gets something for free and talks about how great all the lame features are, and it ends up being totally useless to somebody like me, somebody who knows what they want and how they will use it. ... http://pullharder.org/2009/10/21/gear-review-cilogear-45l-worksack/ The other day I hatched a plan and started recuiting.  Being surrounded by motivated climbers, I talked four others into my crazy scheme.  We all want to improve our offwidthing so the plan was, head up to Mt. Woodson after work and try some of the more gnarly offwidths up ... http://pullharder.org/2009/10/16/pullharder-vs-woodson/ Last night I checked out Toby's High Voltage Fitness.   Turned out to be pretty sweet.  The resurrection of WYW?  It was similar but slightly more geared toward bodyweight exercises and away from throwing huge stuff around. http://pullharder.org/2009/10/06/monday-high-voltage-fitness/ After bailing after only 1-pitch due to a late start and a heavy pack a month ago during a Whitney-Russell weekend, Lin and I decided to head back to the Direct East Face (IV-V 5.10+) of Mt. Whitney and try it again. However, a Beach Boys concert at Humphrey's ... http://pullharder.org/2009/09/29/being-direct-on-whitney/ Friday Luke shows up at my house, "You ready? *sniff *sniff" he says.  "You sick?" I ask? "Yeah, been sick all week, thought about telling you this morning, but was scared you'd bail." "Shizer", I think " I would have..." Post-pone trip and stay healthy, or go and probably get ... http://pullharder.org/2009/09/25/a-casual-weekend-of-sick-off-widthing/ Shay and I had been talking for a while about heading up to get the first free ascent (FFA) of Pipeline (5.10 A0) on Mt. Carillon.  It’s a 1000+’ route that he and Andre put up a year ago, and the “money pitch” involves liebacking, underclinging and smearing under an ... http://pullharder.org/2009/09/17/wipeout-variation-and-ffa-of-pipeline/ On Friday I emailed Nate asking if he wanted to climb at Tahquitz over the weekend and he replied with a "pass" as he was trying to put together a trip to the Sierra's. A few hours later he emailed me again asking if I wanted to go attempt ... http://pullharder.org/2009/09/12/new-route-on-the-north-face-of-mt-langley-horizontal-thought-movement-iv-5-8/ Last weekend Luke and I went up the South Fork of Tuttle Creek to check out the North face of Mt. Langley.  We were inspired to go back there after seeing the information posted by Doug Robinson on Supertopo and Alois on Summitpost about the amount of virgin rock that ... http://pullharder.org/2009/09/08/checking-out-langley/ After not climbing anything significant for a while due to a certain Mongolia trip, Nate and I decided to jump right into the Sierra alpine season with an ascent of Michael Strassman's If At First (V 5.10+) on the East face of Mt. Whitney. The route was put up by Strassman ... http://pullharder.org/2009/08/19/if-at-first-mt-whitney/ Wednesday morning, 230am (roughly) "dude, I forgot my harness..." Brad and I were inside my shitty tent, bivied at 11500 feet in Glacier Gorge, rain fly flapping in the wind and the sound of alpine streams filling the silence in between gusts.  We had hiked in around sunset and went to sleep ... http://pullharder.org/2009/07/30/rocky-mountain-high-glacier-gorge-odyssey/ Mont Blanc du Tacul, Gabarrou-Albinoni.  III 4+.  500 m.  "La grande classique de la face E du Mont Blanc du Tacul." An alpine route climbed on Monday, March 16, 2009, just in time to sneak into the pullharder.org Winter Club. -The Approach- The Gabarrou-Albinoni has been on my partner's tick ... http://pullharder.org/2009/07/18/wolski-goes-to-franceand-sends/ So, Greg and I wimped out of Sufferfest 2009 – with an epic carry-over up the Emmons, down the DC, traverse to the Kautz, up the Kautz and down the Emmons – instead deciding that pizza sounded much more appetizing than carrying large packs up and over the peak twice. ... http://pullharder.org/2009/07/15/mt-rainier-2009-climb-2-kautz-glacier-in-a-day/ Nate left for Mongolia and my Norwegian buddies were off climbing, so I was stuck in the campground without a partner. Restless, I hatched a plan to solo the "classical route" on Aiguille de l'M, a 190m 5.7. After an initial recon the day before, I caught ... http://pullharder.org/2009/07/05/solo-of-aiguille-de-lm/ After picking up food for a few days on the mountain, Baby Greg (aka “the Kid” aka “the Animal”) and I headed towards Mt. Rainier Tuesday afternoon. Arriving at the ranger station at White River campground, we spoke with the ranger about conditions on Liberty Ridge – the ... http://pullharder.org/2009/07/03/mt-rainier-2009-climb-1/ http://pullharder.org/2009/06/19/update-from-chamonix-part-trois/ http://pullharder.org/2009/06/16/update-from-chamonix-part-deux/ http://pullharder.org/2009/06/15/update-from-chamonix/ Here's something I wrote about soloing Clean and Jerk for the first time a few years ago. There haven't been many trip reports recently, so I thought I would inject some life in the site. Why do I do it, this thing called soloing? What is it that drives me ... http://pullharder.org/2009/06/12/why/ I’ve been meaning to do this for a while so now that I am finally healing up, I figured I write up my accident report and see what feedback anyone had so that something could be taken away from what happened. We (May, Lin, Robb, and I) had begun the ... http://pullharder.org/2009/05/28/and-now-they-call-me-%e2%80%9cmeteor%e2%80%9d/ Every week there's a new post on rockclimbing.com detailing a bigger, more complicated, heavier, more time consuming, and lamer way to build belay anchors.  For example:  http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2137809;page=unread#unread I don't think these people understand that the point is to go climbing, not fuss with your gear all day. Here's the anchor setup that ... http://pullharder.org/2009/05/17/belay-anchor-setups/ Out of all the mountains I have ever climbed, Mt. Lady Washington is definitely the least cool. First off, Its named after George Washington's wife, who probably never climbed a mountain and/or had an orgasm in her life. (she might be wearing a bathrobe in this picture!?) Second, with the ... http://pullharder.org/2009/05/14/martha-and-me-solo-of-martha-ii-56-wi2-m2-on-mt-lady-washington/ I’ve been climbing in J-Tree for almost a decade now.  In fact, it’s the place that I started climbing outdoors.  It’s a magical place for me, the home of my first multipitch, first 5.10a gear onsight, first 5.12a gear redpoint, and so much more.  For seven years now, I’ve had ... http://pullharder.org/2009/05/11/joshua-tree-blitzkrieg-30-routes-510-or-harder-in-a-day/ With the road open Shay, Josh, Konstantine and I returned to King's Canyon to retrieve our gear stash, but also to snag some more of the low hanging FA fruit.  An ominous weather forecast had a couple of us doubting whether we should go, but then Konstantine called us on ... http://pullharder.org/2009/05/06/kings-canyon-again/ Workout: Endurance Stolen in part from one of Shay's old workouts, with a few extra reps worked in here and there... The Work-Out Short warm-up run and stretch. Four enduro circuits. No resting between exercises, and the stations were timed as a whole. P=G Circuit One: 5 Laps 50 Box-Jumps 30 Tire-Flips Circuit Two: 4 Flesh Storms 50 Kettle Swings with ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/30/aa-422/ The plan was perfect.  For almost a year now I had been regaling anyone with a set of ears about King's Canyon, a magical place Lin and I visited for the first time last summer.  In my opinion King's Canyon is an untouched Yosemite, replete with vast first ascent potential, ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/27/kings-canyon/ Workout: Endurance/Power Good job today guys, and way to Pullhard until the end.  Next week it's back to timed circuits again... Warm-Up Run, etc. Stations: 12 X Tire Flip 2 X Sled Pull 1 X Flesh Storm 20 X Spin the Bisquit 25 X Box Jump 20 X KB swing, then 14 X Clean and Press (7 each arm) 1 ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/17/afternoon-annihilation-41509/ Workout: THE KOMMUNIST 2 By: Konstantin, AA for 3/25/09 Sorry for the delay guys... took a while to get this from Konstantin to post... Warm up run Move from station to station, do 2 rotations total if you wait-run don`t fuck around. Station 2. Stalin is back •    (1)  30  push-ups (do less if you are ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/17/aa-32509/ Workout: THE KOMMUNIST By: Konstantin, AA for 3/18/09 Sorry for the delay guys... took a while to get this from Konstantin to post... Warm up run Move from station to station, do 2 rotations total if you wait-run don`t fuck around n to station, do 2 rotations total if you wait-run don`t fuck around. Station 1.  ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/17/aa-31809/ Happy April Fools' Day, bitches. Brought back the timed circuits this week. This was the same work-out we did one year ago. I'm glad we all survived, this was no joke. P = G Circuit #1 One Arm Alternating Kettle Bell (35lbs) swings x 30 Standing Sled Pull (50lbs) ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/16/aa-412009/ Another beautiful weekend in Joshua Tree and a few more sweet routes ticked. After a lazy saturday-morning wakeup Josh and I made it to the park before noon and headed straight for Hidden Arch, an amazing left leaning corner just to the left of Loose Lady. This thing ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/15/joshua-tree-sendtastic-wanger-banger-hidden-arch-father-figure/ This is an exact list of the gear that we took on the Complete North Ridge of Lone Pine Peak, which we completed last January in a 29 hour car-to-car push. Keep in mind, we had a decent weather window and would have booked it out of there had the storm ... http://pullharder.org/2009/04/15/equipment-list-the-complete-north-ridge-of-lpp-in-winter/ "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" Buster and I left the Glacier Gorge trailhead at 330am.  Our skinned skis sounded like laser guns, gliding along the snow which was well packed thanks to the hoards of people who come to the gorge to cross country ... http://pullharder.org/2009/03/25/the-sketchtastic-voyage-big-mac-culuoir-mchenrys-peak/ My friend from "back in the day" (high school), had a condo all to himself in West Vail for a week, and invited me up to stay.  With work being slow, I decided I would head up for a 4 day weekend and get some snowboarding in--courtesy of Pete's season ... http://pullharder.org/2009/03/18/dirtbag-millionaire-ice-climbing-in-vail-co/ I tried to find a partner - I really did, but problem one was that I don't know very many strong skiers in SoCal.  Problem two was that the few people I knew strong enough to ski it, weren't too keen on earning their turns from the bottom up.  Problem ... http://pullharder.org/2009/03/16/solo-ascent-and-ski-of-snow-creek-couloir/ Workout: Operation Annihilation WYW is Dead. Get over it. It’s time to Annihilate.  See you at AA on Wednesday, 5 o’clock sharp. Warm-up: Short Stretch 30 air squats 30 push-ups 30 jumping lunges 30 sit-ups Obstacle course run. Workout: 9 stations, 6 people.  Run lap between each station and stay in order.  If next station isn't available, run another lap. 3 ... http://pullharder.org/2009/03/11/time-to-get-wrecked/ Many of us know Tasmania for one thing: The Totem Pole.  It is a very sought after and coveted ascent in climbing. It consists of a thin freestanding spire of rock 4m wide that thrusts out of the raging ocean almost 65m. The picture of the first free ascent is so ... http://pullharder.org/2009/03/09/insanity-down-under-totem-pole-onsight-ascent/ Good workout everyone, I just want to mention a couple things. Since we have limited time, we can only do a very basic warm up. If you feel that your not getting stretched out and warmed up enough on the basic warm up, then make sure and come ... http://pullharder.org/2009/02/27/wreck-yourself-wednesday-22509/ Winter Ascent of the Complete North Ridge of Lone Pine Peak from the Owens Valley. Climbed by Scott Nelson, Nathan Ricklin and Charles Ince, January 30th 2009. [vimeo]3298671[/vimeo] All we have is two maybe three days, which is pushing it for a winter climb in the Sierra.  Discussing possible objectives, we talked about ... http://pullharder.org/2009/02/20/winter-ascent-of-the-complete-north-ridge-of-lone-pine-peak/ Warm up: 40 air squats 30 jumping lunges 20 side cruches 20 supermans 25 crunches Basic circuit training. Three teams of three. Station 1: Exercises:  Fleshstorm, jumping lunges and box jumps. Complete as many reps as possible while a team member completes a fleshstorm run.  Four rounds. Station 2: Exercises:  Double handed kettlebell swings, tire flips and the Greek Statue (hold ... http://pullharder.org/2009/02/19/wreck-yourself-wednesday-2182009/ Workout: Strength Greek Warm-up: Warmup run (through the tree) 10 x burpee 30 x air squat 20 x leg lift 20 x jumping lunge Station 1 (5 rounds): 8 pullups 10 ring pushups Station 2 (6 rounds): 5 53lb KB Clean+Press each arm 5 Tire Flips Station 3 (4 rounds): barbell complex (6 x deadlift, bent-over row, hang-clean, front squat, push press, back squat, ... http://pullharder.org/2009/02/12/wreck-yourself-wednesday-2112009/ Work-out: Strength Warm-up: 2 x lap on track 40 x air squat 40 x jumping lunge 10 x burpee 30 x leg lift 30 x atomic sit-up 20 x superman Station 1: 4 rounds of 20 x step-up with rock (10 each leg, hold rock in your lap) 10 x slasher-to-halo + 10 x weighted sit-up (with KB) Station 2: 4 rounds of 1 x ... http://pullharder.org/2009/02/05/wyw-2409/ One 82 hour weekend, 29 hours of driving, 4 states, 1 rented mini-van, 4 stinky guys and 1 petite French Canadian mademoiselle, one 30th birthday, one enclosed "natural" hot-springs, copious amounts of booze, and shit-loads of ice to climb.  We left San Diego Thursday night, and after driving through the ... http://pullharder.org/2009/02/03/tooling-in-ouray/ Musical Chairs was the name of the game today. Works like this. Everyone runs an opening lap on the track and then grabs an open exercise station. Since there are 9 participants and only 7 exercise stations, the 2 losers who missed out on a station must keep running laps ... http://pullharder.org/2009/01/28/wreck-yourself-wednesday-12809/ Work-out: Power endurance Warm-up: 40 x jumping lunge 40 x air squat 30 x push-up 30 x atomic sit-up 30 x leg lift 2 x indian-run on track Station 1: 4 rounds of 5 x hang-clean/lunge/push-press combo 1 x modified fleshstorm Station 2: 4 rounds of 20 x step-up on box with rock (10 each leg) 10 x KB slash-to-halo + 10 x weighted sit-up ... http://pullharder.org/2009/01/22/wyw-121/ Its funny (in a sick and twisted way) how often the word "death" gets used as an adjective while climbing..."hey Buster, are you on the death flake?" "Oh man, I can't wait to do the death march back to the car tonight." "That Death traverse was sooooo fun!" ... http://pullharder.org/2009/01/22/471/ Work-out: Grind Warm-up: lunges, air squats, push-ups, leg lifts, atomic sit-ups Station 1: 3 rounds of 1 x modified fleshstorm 15 x box jump with biscuit 20 x thruster with dumbbell Station 2: 5 rounds of 1 x bucket carry (let buckets down half-way, do 5 x hang-clean with barbell) 20 x tire-hit with sledgehammer (10 each arm) 3 x rock ... http://pullharder.org/2009/01/22/wyw-122/ On January 18th, 2009 Charles Ince and Albert Yu-Min Lin woke at 3:30 am to embark upon what may have been the first winter "ukulele" ascent of Mount Whitney's East Face.  The Video below is the story of that climb... [vimeo]2912989[/vimeo] [gallery] http://pullharder.org/2009/01/21/first-winter-ukulele-ascent-of-mount-whitneys-east-face/ Work Out: Operation Destroy Each station is performed as a whole for time. One participant per station at a time. The entire circuit of four stations is completed once. Puking entitles you to skip one station of your choice. Station 1: Heavy KB Swing x 30 Ab Roller x 15 Flesh Storm Pushups ... http://pullharder.org/2009/01/08/wreck-yourself-wednesday-1709/ "Tienen drugas?" "Tienen armas?" These were the questions the Mexican cop asked us as he patted us down with our hands on the side of Buster's Mini-van, The Silver Bullet (TSB). The four of us, my roommate Pete, Jeff, Buster, and myself, had been driving for 23 hours from Boulder, CO ... http://pullharder.org/2009/01/07/el-sabor-del-sur-new-years-in-el-potrero-chico/ Work-out: HOLIDAY MAKE-OVER (extended power endurance) More of last week's work-out with some modifications. A new kettlebell (24kg) and a sledgehammer have been acquired through the newly created WYW fund. Warm-up: 3 min stretching 20 x push-up 40 x air-squat 20 x leg-lift sequence 40 x lunge 20 x back hyper-extension Station 1: 3 rounds of 20 x standing barbell row 20 ... http://pullharder.org/2008/12/11/wyw-1210/ Thanks for coming out and being on time guys.  I think everyone did a great job.   WORK: Station 1 - three rounds Sled cross overs, 16 reps (8 each way).  Pull sled by side stepping and pulling the rope across your chest, repeat. Standing barbell row, 2 sets of 15 with 20 count plank ... http://pullharder.org/2008/12/04/wreck-yourself-wednesday-120308/ Work-out: TAKE IT EASY (strength) Station 1: 5 rounds of 10 x ring push-up 10 x knees-to-elbows Station 2: 5 rounds of Barbell complex 10 x tire-flip Station 3: 5 rounds of Bucket carry 10 x weighted sit-up Greek bonus: 100 x burpee 1. A barbell complex is (don't let the bar down!) : 3 x deadlift 3 x bent-over row 3 x hang-clean 3 x front squat 3 x ... http://pullharder.org/2008/11/21/wyw-1119/ Work-out: MAGIC TEN (strength, density training) An exercise is performed for an extended number of rounds at a relatively heavy load, with limited rest. 10 rounds of each of the following exercises: 1/2 Fleshstorm (sprint to the fire-hydrant, walk back) Bucket Carry (regular) Barbell complex (see below, pick appropriate weight) Pull-ups (pick appropriate number) 1. Teams of ... http://pullharder.org/2008/11/13/wyw-1112/ Workout: Circuit We revisited Operation Destroy, having forgotten how much it hurts. It's amazing how a few minutes of high intensity work can wreck you. Warm-up run, 10min. Three circuits, each circuit for time. Rest between circuits as necessary. Two rounds. Circuit One: 10 x man maker 20 x box jump 1 x bucket carry Circuit Two: 10 x ... http://pullharder.org/2008/11/06/wyw-1105/ Workout: Strength 1) Bench press to maximum (Nate: #225, Dan: #275) 2) Deadlift to maximum (Nate: #425, Dan: #365) 3) Five rounds of: 5x Power cleans, increasing up to #175 7x Military/Push Press #115 5x Weighted Pullups +#35 Notes: Nate PR on deadlift at 2.43 times bodyweight http://pullharder.org/2008/10/27/gym-nate-102708/ Like so many climbing trips and adventures, this one started with an email. It was from Buster, and attached to the email was a picture of someone following The Flying Dutchman's (TFD) crux ice section: While Front Range Colorado has been drifting between crisp autumn days and ... http://pullharder.org/2008/10/20/prelude-to-winter-linkup-on-longs-peak-flying-dutchman-and-kieners-route/ Workout: Strength, power-endurance More of last week's work-out with some modifications. Warm-up run and stretching, 15 minutes. Five stations. Each station is done 4 rounds before switching to the next. No standing around. Station One: 10 tire flips 36lb KB swings until your partner finishes the tire flips Station Two: 10 Burpees Flesh Storm Station Three: 6x Heavy Standing Shoulder Press ... http://pullharder.org/2008/10/16/wyw-101508/ We were aiming to do something a bit more strength-oriented this time.  The idea is to get anaerobic on certain muscles, but then to only allow "active" rest just to mess us up even more. The Work-Out Warm-up run and stretching, 15 minutes. Four stations. Each station is done 5 rounds ... http://pullharder.org/2008/10/13/wreck-yourself-wednesday-100808/ Welcome to the Grind.  After all the running we've been doing the last few weeks it was time to just crank out some reps. This week it was grind-time.  No time, no rest, just complete all the reps. The police intervened yet again because one of our crotchety old neighbors is ... http://pullharder.org/2008/10/06/wreck-yourself-wednesday-10108/ Ben and I hit Woodson today with the goal of doing thirty routes.. BLITZKRIEG DAY!! Here are the rules: 1. At least one person has to send each route. 2. You have to give maximal effort and try at least 5 times, then you yell "BLITZKRIEG!" and run off to the ... http://pullharder.org/2008/10/05/blitzkrieg-day-at-mt-woodson/ Lin and I headed to Tuolumne over Sep 19-21.  On Friday we climbed OZ, a 3 pitch 5.10d.  The third pitch is supposedly the best 5.10 crack in TM, and I'd have to agree.  Afterwards we got totally hosed trying to TR "Galen's Crack", a 5.10c OW next to the ... http://pullharder.org/2008/09/30/harding-route-mt-conness/ I showed up ready to Wreck to find Dan shaking his head and Nate and Charles drinking PBR's and discussing shots.  Jason showed up then left to go for a run, Dan went to the gym, and I started the first Gym Bowie.  As for the rest of you, I ... http://pullharder.org/2008/09/25/wreck-yourself-wednesday-92408/ The Michael Strassman Memorial Route climbs the South Face of Lone Pine Peak following an impressive right leaning dike, dubbed the Super Dike. This prominent feature rips across the otherwise blank wall for nearly 500 feet, offering up some incredible climbing along the way. The first ascent was accomplished on ... http://pullharder.org/2008/09/11/michael-strassman-memorial-route-superdike/ I think we crushed it pretty good. Run approximately 160 meters on the “track” and complete a station, repeat. Keep doing this until you have completed all 6 stations. If you have no stations to go to (cause your done), or one is taken, keep running. If you will notice, ... http://pullharder.org/2008/09/06/wreck-yourself-wednesday-932008/ The trickling sensation of fear and anticipation moved slowly through my body in the days leading up to the climb. Every thing I had done to this point would not compare in shear scale, where we were headed was in my mind the "Mount Everest of rock walls". ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/27/the-nose-epicly/ For various lame reasons, very few people showed up to wreck today, so we drove over to the gym to throw some iron around. The Workout: Two rounds of light barbell complex (we want to warm up, not make this half the workout) Barbell Complex: six reps each in succession of deadlift, bent ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/27/wreck-yourself-wednesday-82708/ Scotty had promised that we would do an FA for our birthdays back in July. Unfortunately the weather had other plans for us that weekend (We were able to do the FFA of Kostas and Nate's route Cleavage Dreamer, with a direct start). A promise is a promise, ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/26/fa-the-nelsonpearson-route-iii-58/ Teased by reports of big virgin granite up the Cleaver Valley, Lindsey, Shay Andre and I found ourselves parked at Whitney Portal late one August evening.  We immediately started hiking up, bivying on the sandy bench above LBSL.  I think this is a useful strategy for mitigating altitude sickness, and ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/26/ffa-cleavage-dreamer/ For strength today with some new exercises utilizing suspension techniques (TRX). 4 rounds, 1 minute at each station, 2 minute rest between stations. Stations (1 minute ea.): suspended reverse rows suspended pushups offset pullups, using knotted rope situps on the big fucking tire (BFT) with the Heart of Stone Flesh Storm (for good ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/21/wreck-yourself-wednesday-82008/ Run and work is the name of the game. Run approximately 320 meters on the "track" and complete a station. Keep doing this until you have completed all 6 stations. If you have no stations to go to (cause your done), or it is taken, keep running. ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/18/wreck-yourself-wednesday-81308/ Workout: Strength 1) Incline bench press to maximum (Nate & Kostas: #175) 2) Deadlift to maximum (Kostas: #373, Nate: #403) 3) Three rounds of: glute-ham 1-arm dumbell press, 40lbs, 8 reps each arm 12 deadlifts at #225 8 pullups Notes:  This was absolutely brutal.  We intended to go for 5 rounds but it just wasn't doable.  Totally ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/15/gym-natekostas-81508/ Workout: Strength 1) Work up to max bench (Nate: #230, Shay: #205) 2) Six Rounds of: Squat Cleans x 5 reps (65, 85, 105, 135, 155, 175) (Shay maxed at 135) Bench Press x 5 reps (135, 135, 175, 175, 175, 175) Push Press x 5 reps (Nate: 95 x2 then 115 x4, Shay 95 ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/11/gym-nate-81108/ Workout: Interval We changed it up to intervals today. Workout: 10 x Tire flip 2 x Sled pull Fleshstorm 20 x Box jump 20 x KB swing, then 14 x Clean-and-press (7 each arm) 1 x Bucket carry Run 2 laps at the start of the round and between stations. If at the end of the 2 laps your ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/06/wyw-08-06-08/ The pipeline is perhaps the most imposing roof in the Eastern Sierras.  Flawless granite extending itself from the wall more than 30 feet.  Andre and I spotted this obvious feature while putting up Sweet Carillon.  This weekend we went up to explore it. The climbing leading up to the money ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/06/exploring-the-pipeline-another-fa-on-carillon/ Workout: Strength [youtube]hkSN3f-a3Ok[/youtube] 1) Work up to max bench press (Nate: #225, Kostas: #205) 2) Work up to max front squat in increments of 10kg (Nate: #243, Kostas: #221) 3) Five rounds of: Front Squat x 5 (Nate: #177 for 3 rounds then #155, Kostas: #155 for 5 rounds) Bench Press x 5 (Nate: #175 for ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/04/gym-nate-80408/ A little core workout to cleanse the soul. The Workout: Each station is done 3 rounds before switching to the next. While one person is doing the exercises, the other is holding the plank or leg-lift. #1: 20 pushups 10 thrusters #2: 20 box jumps 5-5 kettle bell clean & press #3: 10 overhead squats 10 push press #4: 15 pull-ups 15 knees ... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/04/wreck-yourself-wednesday-073008/ Workout: Strength Warm-up: Barbell complex @ 78#, 89#, 111# Workout: (1) Work up to 1RM Bench Press (Kostas: 205#, Nate: 155#) (2) 5 rounds of: 5 x Push press @ 135# 6 x pull-up (3) Dip pyramid: 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2 Notes: We felt tired (too much drinking and not sleeping enough). You reap what you sow... http://pullharder.org/2008/08/02/gym-kostas-080208/ Workout: Power endurance Workout: 5-min rounds of the following (1-min rest in between) Pull-up (36) Push-up (75) Dip (46) Deadlift @ BW (50) Deck squat (30) Box jump @ 24'' (60) K2E (40) Pull-up (27) Total reps = 364 Notes: Worked-out on my own having missed WYW. Still tired from the weekend... http://pullharder.org/2008/07/30/gym-kostas-073008/ Last weekend, Kostas and I went to explore the West Face of Polemonium on the Palisades crest. After a lot of hiking from South Lake and a ton of talus scrambling, we managed to put up a pretty fun route that tops out on Polemonium Peak. After some time/energy costly errors ... http://pullharder.org/2008/07/28/fa-on-polemonium-lecontes-revenge-ii-57/ Workout: Strength & Power This was a repeat of  Gym Nate 7/18/08 Work up to 1RM Military Press (Nate: #160 + #10 from last time) Plenty of rest between sets Then Supersets of Squat-Cleans & Push Press: Squat-Cleans: 5 reps at 85, 105, 115, 135, 155, 175 Push Press: 5 reps at #115 Plenty of rest between sets http://pullharder.org/2008/07/25/gym-nate-72508/ Welcome to the grind. No time, no excuses, just lots and lots of reps. The Work-Out Four stations. Each station is done 10 rounds before switching to the next. No standing around. Station One: 5 tire flips 10 thrusters with 55lb dumbbell Station Two: 10 box jumps 10 overhead squats with 20lbs on each side Station Three: 15 pushups 5 ... http://pullharder.org/2008/07/25/wreck-yourself-wednesday-72308/ There I stood, perched on a small face hold hugging the arete trying to surmount the 5 foot roof that marked the middle of our 3rd pitch.  This was my first look at the wall above it and it looked blank.  Would I be able to downclimb? Was there an ... http://pullharder.org/2008/07/23/fa-sweet-carillon-iv-510/ Workout: Strength Warm-up: 10-9-8-7-...-1 of Push-Up, Pull-Up Workout: Work up to 1RM Bench Press (Kostas: 205#, Nate: 215#) Then 5 rounds of: Max Reps (to failure) of Bench Press 10 x Deadlift @ 225# (Bench Press: 175# for rounds 1,2,3, 165# for rounds 4,5. We never exceeded 6 reps.) http://pullharder.org/2008/07/21/gym-kostas-072108/ This week we did time for reps. i.e. complete as many reps in a fixed time.  Highlights this week include the new slosh bar and the hilariously pro-WYW response of the UCSD police that were called to the workout. The Work-Out Four circuits. No resting between exercises, and the stations were ... http://pullharder.org/2008/07/21/wreck-yourself-wednesday-071608/ Workout: Strength & Power Work up to 1RM Military Press (Nate: #150, Kostas: #155) Plenty of rest between sets Then Supersets of Squat-Cleans & Push Press: Squat-Cleans: 5 reps at 85, 105, 115, 135, 155, 165 Push Press: 8 reps at #115 Plenty of rest between sets http://pullharder.org/2008/07/18/gym-nate-71808/ Nate and I ventured up to the Whitney region last weekend. After gawking at the possibilities, we bagged two new routes: The Cleaver, Southeast Arete (II 5.7). First ascent Nate Ricklin and Scotty Nelson, July 11, 2008. Starts in the gully on the right hand side of ... http://pullharder.org/2008/07/16/plucking-the-low-hanging-fruit-a-weekend-of-sierra-fas/ Workout: Strength Warm-up: Barbell complex @ 75#, 85#, 95# Workout: Work up to 1RM Power-Clean and Press (Kostas: 155#, Shay: 111#) Then (1) 5 rounds of: 3 x Power-Clean and Press @ 85% 1RM 10 x Ankles-to-Bar (2) 5 rounds of: 8 x Bent-over Row @ 115# 10 x Dumbbell Press @ 40# 15 x Goblet Squat @ 55# http://pullharder.org/2008/07/14/gym-kostas-071408/