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How do you choose what you climb and what gets you so psyched that you spend days trying to summit a piece of rock?

When I started climbing I didn’t have an answer to that question. I was pretty happy to climb on anything and everything! However, as I’ve spent more time on rock I’ve become increasingly picky on which climbs motivate me. The most important motivator for me now is the line of a boulder problem. I would rather climb a tall pure line that might not be at my personal limit than spend days projecting a roof on the smallest holds possible.

THAT is inspiring!! The ~25 foot Splash of Red 7C+ in Rocklands

As an example, I’m in Hueco right now and I haven’t been too keen on projecting anything super hard but I have had a blast getting on more moderate tall lines and trying to flash as many as I can. Problems like Safety Man, Dark Silhouette, Tall Cool Red One, etc. There are heaps of highballs in hueco to choose from. I’m by no means a fearless climber so it’s a good challenge for me to push through mental barriers on a tall or scary climb. Even if I crank off something at my limit on this trip, my proudest send will probably be flashing Safety Man V9 for it’s second or third ascent. It climbs up a giant 35+ foot boulder with a weird landing that sort of comes up with you.

Safety Man V9. Starts low on the left and trends right to a crux over another boulder that you might bounce down!

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with pushing your limits on a lowball but I do think it’s important to stop and think about what gets you psyched from time to time. Climbing is a personal pursuit so if you’re stoked to crank as hard as possible on anything and everything, then great. If you can’t motivate yourself to climb a dabby or chossy piece of rock, then don’t, move on to the next climb. If you enjoy cleaning rock and figuring out moves on your own, go do some exploring and find some new boulders! You may realize that you want to pursue something different in climbing than what you’ve been doing lately.

If you climb for long enough you’ll get to the point where you’ve forgotten about some of your ascents but others you can remember vividly. It might be worth stopping to ask yourself if the energy, time, and skin you’re about to donate to a climb is worth it.

Since I last posted I quit my job, flew home, and sent my belongings on their way to ATL, Georgia. I’m home for a week hanging out with family and friends before I depart for Europe on Tuesday. Yesterday I headed out to Horse Pens with some good friends. Matt and John went all out toting a crane, several cameras, lenses, tripods, etc out to the boulderfield. We had the whole place to ourselves and the weather was perfect! I enjoyed a stellar day of climbing and we got a lot of cool footage of classic three star lines. The good news is that I felt no pain from my finger so the month of rest paid off! I’m more psyched than ever for font and the rest of the trip!!

I’ll post the Horse Pens video whenever they finish creating it so stayed tuned!

To tide you over, here is one of Matt’s videos featuring three from Little Rock City.

Chris Hale was reported missing on Sunday June 14th, 2009; his body was found in Yosemite the next day near Mirror Lake. I only spent a few days with Chris in Hueco but that’s all it took for him to leave a positive impact on my life. Without Chris, the sends and videos of Crown of Aragorn, Full Service, and Power of Landjager wouldn’t have been possible. He was there for Ian and me as our guide and was full of positive energy to help us send our projects.

After our first tour to East Mountain with Chris we arranged for him to take us to the East Spur on Sunday, the last day of our trip. The private tour was necessary for us to be sure we could get on our projects one last time before making the twelve hour drive back to socal. We showed up outside the ranch at 9AM expecting to see Chris ready for our tour. After waiting a few minutes, we started asking around to find Chris. We were directed over to his white tent where he was still resting and recovering from the night before. Instead of trying to opt out of his duties, he just asked for a few minutes to get ready and grab a snack before we left. We didn’t really have enough room for three people and three big pads in my car but he happily squeezed into the back and held his pad out the window during our drive into the park. Chris didn’t climb that day but was happy to carry his pad around and encourage us on our projects. That day Ian sent Power of Landjager and I sent Crown of Aragorn, two of the hardest problems we have ever done. This wouldn’t have been possible without Chris and his positive attitude. We owe much of our trip’s success to him.

By the end of the season we will have a new classic first ascent at Black Mountain named in Chris’ honor. Chris will be deeply missed throughout the climbing community.

The video below shows Chris sending Ultramega V8 in Hueco Tanks which he had put some effort into before sending first try of that day.