William Shatner is the man, or, rather, he is a man who knows what’s up. It was Shatner’s futuristic vision that led him to open Star Trek V (1989) with Captain Kirk free-soloing El Capitan – a feat that has yet to be accomplished (though likely will happen soon, perhaps by this guy? no pressure, Alex). Pretending to be a climber for a day or two on a movie set gave Shatner a unique insight into the mind of the climber – this wild animal that eats “one meal a day.” His description of our motivations should be revived as the new mantra for rock warriors everywhere. I for one am anxious for Prana to unveil a t-shirt bearing the godfather’s visage and the words, “Make Love to the Mountain.”
I hadn’t been back up to The Wasp since sending it last summer. After such a long separation, my knees and calves were getting nostalgic for the uphill boulderfield/talus slope approach and subsequent descent. So when my buddy Bronco told me was psyched to give it a run I told him I’d be his belay bunny for the day. Let’s be honest, even if all you do is the approach, there are a lot worse ways to spend a day than at 9,000 vert in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Although I did give it a lap on toprope, and felt surprisingly good, exciting since I have a janked finger and 4 week post-op ankle.)
Bronco is a strong son of a gun, so we both thought he had a chance at the flash. I gave him the gear, some beta for where it counts – ex. “Don’t drop the #1 or your effed” – and off he went.
This one is for all the left-wingers out there who love to whine about how conservatively biased Fox News is. I konw that journalists are typically supposed to remain “neutral” in their reporting and moderation, but every once in a while its nice to see them lose their cool in the name of reason and righteousness. I’ve had my doubts about ole Shep before, but no longer.
I know this may be old news for some of you, but a few years ago this fella Matt Weddle, of Obadiah Parker, came out with a unique cover of Outkast’s hit “Hey Ya.” I recently heard it for the first time, and I can’t stop. It’s amazing how the new musical context of the lyrics paints them in such a different, mournful light. Its super innovative and has some real power behind it.
This edition of great monologues comes from possibly the greatest television series of the ’90s: The X-Files. Known as the Cigarette Smoking Man, this character was responsible for everything from the JFK assassination to covering up an imminent alien invasion. Needless to say, such experience brings with it a hearty helping of wisdom with a thick, creamy cynical swirl. So tune in and turn up as this dark mystery man gives us his take on life as a box of chocolates, a la Forest Gump – minus the simplicity plus a heap of despair.
Everybody wants to be a rock star, but not everybody wants to put in the effort to learn an instrument, form a band, and become famous. There is no better evidence of this than the runaway successes of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games. I can play Rock Band for hours, and leave with the same fulfillment as though I’d just found the cure for cancer. (My forte is drums, in case any console-based bands out there are looking for a man who’s solid with the sticks.)
Friday night I teamed up with fellow Hoya Mike Sacks (pictured at right) to rock the Read more…
A few year’s ago I was hanging out with Em and her family in Vail, CO. One night we went to one of those free weekly concerts resort towns have a penchant for sponsoring. The featured artist was this nineteen year old kid named Trevor Hall. I’d never heard of him and, given my skeptical attitude when it comes to new things, wasn’t expecting much. Read more…
This last Saturday I drove down to the Wichita’s to meet up with a cadre of midwesterners who had retreated to them thar hills for the weekend. After wandering around the refuge for a few hours in vain, I finally caught up with them down in the boulderfield. Apparently Jeremy Collins had found this roof crack a while back, and was psyched to work it. I told him I’d give it a few goes, and here is the awkwardness that ensued (note the “futuristic” start and “inventive” belay technique):
I recently pulled my head out of the sand about my nagging finger, did a little self-diagnosis, and pretty quickly concluded that I’ve got a strained A2 pully on my middle finger (Dave Mcleod has a good explanation here). Translation: bollocks.
In order for that bad boy to get a chance to heal, I’m supposed to lay of climbing (climbing hard, at least) for about six weeks. That will probably have to wait until I get back from Colorado in a couple of weeks, but nonetheless I decided that the six week window would be a great chance to try something I’ve had my eye on for a while: Parkour. Parkour is the art of quick, efficient movement; not to be confused with its cousin, freerunning. If you still don’t understand, and are too lazy to click the link and read about it, here is a video of David Bell – one of the founders of the sport – doing his thang:
In order to reach my goal of leaping tall buildings in a single bound, I signed up for a 6 week Parkour Boot Camp at Primal Fitness. Primal is a Crossfit affiliate just up the road from GULC, and its the headquarters for American Parkour. Our first class was pretty introductory and relaxed, but I’m sure we’ll pick up the pace and be tic-tacking up walls in no time!
Here’s a little video from back in the day. Made a few Spring Break trips with the fam to Cabo San Lucas and explored some of the rock down there on Lover’s Beach.
Diagnosis: Not a plethora of routes, but some really fun granite cracks and boulder problems. Take your shoes if you’re bookin’ it to the Baja.
form a band, and become famous. There is no better evidence of this than the runaway successes of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games. I can play Rock Band for hours, and leave with the same fulfillment as though I’d just found the cure for cancer. (My forte is drums, in case any console-based bands out there are looking for a man who’s solid with the sticks.)
A few year’s ago I was hanging out with 