brooklyngoilnnp

“you go the distance, you never thought that you could” – Cheap Trick

This past summer I turned 41 years old. On the night of my birthday after going for a long run and getting a massage, I began looking through my closet for the perfect outfit for a birthday dinner at the Mountain Brau. As I tried on top after top I came to the realization that I no longer fit most of my dress clothes. As I stared into the mirror I felt a familiar mind body disconnect. I felt bad about myself. No longer proud of the 5.9s I floated up the day before or the 9 miles I ran earlier in the day I began to fill up with self hate.

One thing that keeps me sane in moments like this is speaking out. And this loud mouth shanty irish italian from Flatlands has no problem with speaking out. When I talked to my friend N. another female climber about my birthday outfit crisis she was supportive and said, it’s time for new cloths. You’re an athlete. I know there is no shame in this. Having a supportive community of women climbers, feminist activists and athletes is essential. In my previous job working in marketing for the women owned sex toy company, as employees, we worked a lot on body image challenging sexist behavior, fat phobia and homophobia. Having a positive self image is critical to not only a healthy sex life it’s critical to happiness. Babeland was a transformative place to work. I try to take these experiences into my climbing world.

Still many women climbers are afraid to work out. We’re afraid to lose some feminine quality and no longer be seen as attractive. We don’t eat enough protein to recover. We tone when we need better strength and conditioning. We’re reading about Ines Papert’s FA in Climbing magazine one day and reading about the latest Cosmo diet the next.

Having a healthy body image is hard though when I try on cloths from the different top brand outdoor manufactures and there size XL is a size 12 (and a small 12) I feel defeated. When I see other tall women wearing gaiters cause none of the manufactures in the US make cloths for tall women I get pissed off. And when some companies and stores don’t carry any XL’s well I can find my way to the door. There’s no shame in being a size large nor a size XL and if outdoor companies want to see there bottom lines rise in this tight waisted economy they better start listening to the power of the woman shopper cause we are a vastly under utilized market. Fortunately Mountain Hardware and Marmot are making some great tops for women who are bigger, busty, and tall while both could use some tall sizes the Marmot scree pant works for me. In the meantime check out New Hampshire’s Wild Things LLC. They will make pants for you sized to order for a small additional charge and have a quick turn around time. I highly recommend there mountain guide pant.

And on a somewhat related note I am getting a little tired of gay jokes in the sausage heavy (aka mostly male) climbing scene. It would seem the number of gay jokes increase proportionally depending on how few women are around and how many bare chested beer drinking boys are. Saying something is “really gay” in a room full of straight people is ….really bigoted. Ditto the snide shaming comments about all the “bromances” in the climbing scene and god forbid male alpinists spooning for warmth and survival followed by knowing laughter. Words count my friend. And words said on a blog or climbing event are an action that sets the tone for how others interact in our community. Make sense? Moving on.

Crossfit Workout Update

I’m on week four of crossfit. This week I went 4 times using the suggested xfit method of 3 days on 1 day off. I’ve hit a new PR for rowing 500m. My new record is 1:53. This is big progress since I started last month and was at 2:04. I’ve also seen increases in my pull up capacity. On Friday I did 150 pull ups in 5 rounds of 30. It was a crushing workout. 5 rounds of 500m row followed by 30 KB swings followed by 30 pull ups. I have a long way to go but I feel like I am making real improvements. It’s a great program and I am pysched.

Additional Tips for the Upcoming Ice Season

1) It’s a mental game. In an August 2008 interview with Muscle and Fitness magazine noted alpinist and fitness trainer Mark Twight said, “The mind is primary. Physical training is easy, especially if you only do what you already do well. Psychological training is hard.” I truly believe the mental game is key to climbing harder. We know we can get that 5 whatever.

2) have goals but have fun. Often times when I met friends or clients at the beginning of the day or for the first time I say my primary goal for the day is to have fun. And I mean it. I want everything to flow from my desire to have fun even when I also have a tick list of hard climbs jotted down in my diary.

3) Part of working on my mental game is I try to keep a climbing journal. In this journal I note all of my climbs but also how I was feeling mentally. Did I have any breakthroughs or break downs.

4) Trekking Poles: trekking poles (or pole) rule. They help distribute your weight over four limbs instead of two. They are essential for crossing streams to back country ice routes like Buttermilk Falls in the Catskills or ascending tricky talus fields. Often times I will bring one pole on climbs where I am familiar with terrain, two if I am carrying in a heavy load for an overnight. Grivel has a new Himilaya collapsable pole that is light, and stays together even when folded up. Check local climbing shop www.rockandsnow.com for the trekking version of the Himilaya. It’s sweeeeet.

5) Ice Climbing sucks without good gloves. Right now I am using 2 pairs of Cloudveil’s 2008 version of the ice floe glove for lead climbing. I also bring a pair of EMS work gloves for those summer ice days in the catskills. Kelly Cordes has initiated a great discussion on gloves system for this winter’s climbing here: http://kellycordes.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/glove-article/

http://mountainhardwear.com/Home.aspx

http://www.wildthingsgear.com/

http://www.athenafit.com/philosophy.htm

(check out athenafit. It is ice climber Carolyn Parker's gym here. She's worked with Mark Twight at Gym Jones and has great advice for women climbers

http://crossfitwomen.blogspot.com/

"Strong is Beautiful" -- Crossfit Slogan

Two years I began doing Crossfit twice a week after reading Mark F. Twight's book Extreme Alpinism. Following Twight's fitness suggestions led me to both his website gymjones.com and to crossfit.com.

Unfortunately due to the lack of a crossfit facility in my area and my own desire to focus solely on climbing I gave up crossfit in a few short months.

More recently I've been reading about the workouts done by Exum Guides at Mtnathlete.com as well as the Alpine Training Center in Boulder.

Seeing all these badass women and men, climbers and tri-athletes, some close friends as well as heros messing it up in crossfit inspired workouts motivated me to check out the newly opened gunxs crossfit (http://gunxcrossfit.typepad.com/) in Gardiner.

I've always had a uneasy relationship with my body and athletics. Being 6 plus feet tall can be a blessing and a curse. School gym coaches were always quick to expect me to succeed in basketball while other kids honed there talents in stand up comedy at the expense of my large frame and big feet. As a teen I rebelled hard and refused to play any sports with the exception being an occasional street hockey game where I skated circles around the competition.

When I discuss crossfit with other climbers many are concerned weight training will bulk you up. However we don't often have the tools or the awareness to know what really goes into bulking up nor do we know if we even have a solid foundation of fitness. It would seem many climbers women and men have uneven muscle development even when we are climbing at a fairly high level on the rock.

Right now I am in transitioning from rock climbing (and rock guiding) looking toward a full 4 plus months of water ice climbing in the catskills, daks, NH and who knows? I am planning on guiding ice full time as well as getting out there as much as possible. My goals in crossfit is conditioning my body to perform at a high level over long days and gaining strength and power. I certainly have a lot of core strength but I feel like I need a base level that can take me through a solid 5 plus days of climbing ice with few rest days.

At gunxscrossfit we got an excellent coach, Peter, with an understated style and great taste in music. During my first workout we rocked out to Springteen and Bob Dylan. Peter's coaching isn't a one shot deal where he tells you what to do and then walks away like some commercial gyms. At crossfit your looking at ongoing hands on training and coach. He's got a great group of runners, climbers, tri-athletes and folks coming too. Everyone is cheering each other on.

I am currently going to crossfit 3 days a week. I am not climbing much these days. The days are shorter and chilly so this is what I am doing to prep for ice season. I've actually thought about going more but we'll have to see. I made it out for a run this week and hope to keep at it. I am thinking I have 8-10 weeks of crossfit training to get ready for the full on ice season. Here's a week of crossfit. I will try to keep up my reports and let you know how its going.

Week 3 of Crossfit

1) Monday
pm - crossfit

2) Wed
am - gunxscrossfit strength workout
pm - ran 4 miles

3) Fri
pm - gunxscrossfit conditioning workout

Some Inspirational Links:

http://gunxcrossfit.typepad.com/

http://mtnathlete.com/

http://www.gymjones.com/

A Brooklyngoil's Gear ~ An Insider Guide to my Gear Obsession

They say "light is right" and "every once counts" and I tend to agree. However light also equals expensive and frequently means less durable. While this may not be a safety issue per se it does mean your gear may not last as long. Dynema slings mean be stronger than nylon but certainly get worn out alot quicker. Ditto for the super thin ropes. and caribiners.

My pack fully loaded with gear and water weights = 20 pounds (25 pound with 2.5 liters of water).All weights are approximates.

This breaks down as the following:

Pack -- Millet Pro lite 35L (size m) (1850grams) -- pack is stripped of all unnecessary do-dads.
hydration system - MSR Dromlite 2.5 liter (5.8 oz)
Harness - Arcteryx M 280 (9.8 oz)
My rack -- weight = 10 pounds

Pro
A mix of BD and DMM nuts 2-10
Set of 4 tri cams
3 master cams (orange, yellow and blue)
2 BD C 3 (red and green)
7 BD C 4 (lil blue to big blue)

Slings
2 4 foot dynema
9 2 foot dynema
5 quickdraws

Carabiners
half BD neutrinos and half BD hotwire (in the winter I switch to all hotwire)

Lockers
1 Petzl Attache (for belay)
5 BD Vaporlock

Cordelettes
2 21 foot 6mm

Assorted other items
BD ATC Guide
2 prussiks
1 Petzl tibloc
1 Petzl spata knife
Metolius nut tool
Petzl chalk bag
Guide book (grey dick)
1 pairs of barracuda rock shoes
Petzl headlamp
small first aid kit
sunblock
extra bars and gu
Helmet -- for the hot weather Petzl Meteor 3 (winter TBD)
Camera

Ropes
1) lead rock -- Sterling Velocity 9.8
2) lead ice -- Sterling Ion 9.5 (and Petzl dragonfly 8.2 half ropes).




Climbing up the Uberfall descent w. Lucy


interview with Donnie Darko and The Box, out this Friday, writer and director Richard Kelly: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42994

Started by alpine climber Jonny Copp, this year's Adventure Film Fest in Boulder, CO. looks very good. http://www.adventurefilm.org/index.aspx

Posted on gunxscrossfit an article linking depression and processed food. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8334353.stm

Some thoughts as we get ready for ice season.

1) Don't sharpen your tools yet. Each year its so much fun to gear up for your first day on ice by going through the ritual of sharpening your crampons and ice tools. This is a great skill and its awesome to practice it to have it dialed. But early season ice is often thin especially in the catskills. Wait to sharpen your tools for your first big project of after you've been out a few times. I

2) transitions are key in the mountains. they enable us to move quicker and safer. Rope management is a critical skill as we transition between pitches or top rope areas. Practice coiling your rope at home so you have this wire when it comes to the outdoors. Expect to always be carrying your rope across your pack in a butterfly coil. Ropes weight a lot too. If your buying a new rope make sure its dry treated and light. Nothing larger than a 9.8. The sterling velocity is a great rope but most brands work well.

3) Train, cross train: The best training for ice climbing is ice climbing but we can't always do that cross train by climbing rock indoor and out door as much as possible this fall. Focus not on the hardest project but mileage for endurance. Climbing with a small pack weighting 8-12 pounds can add to the pump just don't over do it. Hiking stairs with a pack is great too.

4) Get your gear dialed. Get ice clippers (BD or Petzl) and a v thread tool (Grivel or Petzl). Other items you should have in your pack include hand warmers, head lamp, balaclava, neck gaiter and extra gloves, food, water and hard candy. One guide tip I learned from guides buy a pair of cheap work gloves at the local hardware store. they work great for dry-tooling and ice climbing on warmer days.

5) First Aid. Pick up a first aid kit at your local climbing shop. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Add some gloves, advil a few other nic nacs and your ready to get some basic first aid training. A Red Cross First Aid or Wilderness First Aid (WRA) course will give you added confidence. They are offered all over the tri-state area. There is also a Wilderness First Aid course taking place in the Gunks the weekend of Nov. 21-22. I'll be there taking it for my second time. I highly recommend it.



the nightly winter ritual of drying out ice gear.

my new favorite climbing blog: http://themountainworld.blogspot.com/

hey stranger, I haven't seen you in a while. Nope I haven't blogged in like forever. I am hoping, thinking, I'd like this to change. I haven't always know what the goal of this blog is. Most recently I thought of it as a way to keep in touch with friend when I moved upstate. Prior to that I think it was to promote my writing career. Prior to that, I am not sure I can remember.

Anyway I am thinking about using this blog as a component of my one soon to be live website. the website will be a marketing tool to promote my career as a rock and ice climbing instructor for EMS. I would like to cover recent climbs, notes on training, gear, camping and clothing systems. And I'd like to include some of my own short stories, poems, writings on politics and sex. We'll see how it goes.

It's good to be back.

lots of love, Carolyn




Me and my climbing buddy bill

Back in the 70s I had no idea Clint Eastwood was a more than competent director and filmmaker, I thought he was dirty harry callahan.

The Eiger Sanction is a bizarre little film, Eastwood stars as Dr. Hemlock a retired CIA assassin and expert mountaineer whose boss is an albino ex-nazi who calls him in for one last mission (you read it right. his boss is an albino ex-nazi. think bloefeld from 007). An assassination on the Eiger, one of the greatest mountains in the world located in Switzerland. Add to the albino nazi that Hemlock pretends he's gay during the beginning of the movie and its filmed in SF and later kills another gay man for hitting on him or conspiring with the bad guys and you gotta wonder who the "bad guys" are when your working for an albino nazi. This movie is campy, racist, homophobic, and still pretty darn cool. The Eiger Sanction is considered the most authentic mountaineering movie ever made by climbers. there is no cgi. no stunt double Clint Eastwood actually fucking climbed mountains in the movie. The end sequence of the film shot on the eiger is really freaking hair raising cause they are obviously doing some dangerous shit on the Eiger. Its a definite renter.

Check out the trailer below. it is flatout terrible.

Here's the start of my new blog series. Great moments in climbing in the movies...or not.


Set in the Colorado Rockies but filmed in Italy, 1993's Cliffhanger stars Sly Stallone as a climber dealing with the grief of dropping his best friends girlfriend. Lots of delightful homo-eroticism between the bros Sly and Michael Rooker (always a treat) as they are forced to work together to stop John Lietgow and a cast of international terrorists stealing money.

Cliffhanger's actually a pretty good action flick notable for having the most expensive ariel stunt ever filmed. I like stallone and here is one of his early 90s attempts to be more human action hero. I've watched Cliffhanger a few times of cable and always enjoy it. Its a cut above the decades more medocrie action flicks.

The film is also dedicated to badass climber Wolfgang Gullich, Stallone's stunt double who was killed soon after the film was made.

oh how i love post-apocalyptic movies and fiction. Dawn of the Dead (78) is my favorite movie of all time. I can't wait for the road. And here's carriers a movie i know nothing about but I like what i see.

Kathryn Bigelow is one of the best action directors in Hollywood and you've never heard of her. Have you seen Point Break, her existential take on cops and robbers that put Keanu on the map. Did you see Near Dark one of the most original and best vampire movies ever? A movie so good her ex-husband James Cameron borrowed a half dozen of the cast for a little movie called Aliens. Have you seen her work on the small screen directing classic 5 star episodes of Homocide life on the streets? Or Blue Steel? or Strange Days. Each one of her films are unique and special.

Kathryn Bigelow is the shit. She makes special unique movies that are completely her own vision. She makes smaller films but retains complete control of the end product. she is the godmother of women action directors and one of the best male or female.

This weekend Michael Bay is release a 200 plus million dollar piece of crap called transformers. Bigelow is releasing hurt locker, one of most viserally exciting movies of the summer. What are we going to see? Starting the great Jermey Brenner is guy is a stellar young actor. Every time I see him on the screen I get excited. Here's the trailer. It's the bomb.

I say this without an once of meanspiritedness, cynicism or criticism but I think we can only imagine the ugly truthes that will now emerge with the passing of Michael Jackson. I was never a fan although I've loved dancing to many of his songs. I found his gender and sexual expressions fascinating then soon disturbing. Certainly for over the past twenty years serious allegations of child sexual abuse have tainted his self proclaimed status as the King of Pop. Whatever pleasure I derived from Michael Jackson's music died then as it seemed it had for him too. A fantastic dancer he pantomimed his signature moves until I felt like I was drunken karaoke. His songs lost there passion, pleasure and depth as he seemed determined to prove in his art that he really was a straight guy and adopted the drag of a "reculsive artist." His personal life a farce many times over with arranged marriages and child born and used as props and perhaps worse. And lets not beat around the bush. There is something very ulgy that has been surpressed by MJ and his organization of staff, security, lawyers, record companies and family. We all know it and its an ongoing cancerous sore that eats away at any good will and respect I may have ever had for him. Within hours of his passing reports of Michael Jackson's trusted inner circle enabling his rampant perscription drug abuse. More and more cracks will emerge. I feel a deep sadness for Michael Jackson a great performer, singer and artist. I respect all those who can claim a golden moment with his music before all of tragedies and suffering began to mount and became public fodder in the gossip columns. But I dont know if I can ever find joy in his music again. I am torn on some level as a fan of enabling a fantasy of this young peter pan dancing forever while the horrific stories of child sexual abuse have followed him for so long. A victim of abuse himself and this celebrity machine, this man still lived his life and must be judged by his deeds. We will always have his songs but other voices need to be heard.

TRANSFORMERS' LITTLE BLACK SAMBOTS?

by devin faraci (from www.chud.com)


I am not a PC person. Those who know me in real life will attest that if an off-color, offensive or wildly juvenile joke needs to be made it'll likely be me making it. I think people are too sensitive in the modern world, and I don't think any topic is off-limits when it comes to laughs.

That said, even I was stupefied by what I saw in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's Twins. These new robots, who begin the film conjoined as a shitty old ice cream truck but who soon get upgraded into Chevy concept cars, seem to be the most extreme racial caricatures seen in a movie in decades. The Twins have a simian appearance, with wide faces and huge ears. One of them (full disclosure: I am not sure which is which, namewise. This isn't a problem limited to just these robots in Transformers 2 as I couldn't tell most robots apart, except for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee) has a gold bucktooth. They have a 'playful' back and forth relationship, which includes them talking in some sort of modern day rap-age jive, calling each other 'bitch-ass' or 'punk,' talking with an exaggerated, crunked-up 'street' accent. They appear to be stoned all the time. And they can't read; when asked to translate some ancient Cybertronian language they sheepishly admit they 'don't do much readin'.' To be fair, only Primes can read this language, but even the completely idiotic mini-bot (and Italian stereotype) Wheelie can at least recognize what the writing is. The Twins are completely illiterate, it seems. I was actually surprised that the film didn't find a way to make them wear a Transformers version of baggy pants.

To be completely shocked by this is admittedly kind of foolish. Quite a bit was made of Jazz, the black Autobot in the first film, who did a breakdance move and got killed. But The Twins make Jazz look like a paragon of taste, and they make Jar Jar Binks look like he belongs in a production of A Raisin in the Sun. Simply put they are offensive beyond measure, and if their names were Stepin and Fetchit I could maybe argue that they were a joke or a bit of meta-commentary or anything except horrible, horrible racial stereotypes.

At the press conference for the film I asked writer Alex Kurtzman about the characters. 'I think a lot of what we did was following Michael's lead,' he said. 'Those characters, more than any other, he had the strongest instinct for. Our job was to keep up with him.'

Buck passed! So then it was all Michael Bay's idea to have these shucking and jiving bots, right?

Not so fast. Bay was eager to give all the credit for the Twins to Tom Kenny, the (white) voice actor. 'When you work with voice actors, especially with the twins, they did a lot of improv for their parts. We liked their improv and, from there, we would animate to their stuff. When you're doing character animation and you're building the character, it's not like an actor where you shoot the scene and you've got it and you move on. With animation, you get the dialogue and then some animation and then a bit more of the dialogue and you keep going back and forth and it just builds until you have the shot you want.'

(For the record, Bay mentions a second voice actor while IMDB lists Kenny as the voice of both bots)

Bay went on to say that his vision of the Twins is that he wanted bots with whom the younger audience could really identify, and the funny thing is that I actually believe him. I don't think he set out to make two grotesque caricatures; I think he honestly believes these characters reflect some aspect of youth culture and not just a cartoony, broad vision of black youth. Bay's films have never been all that racially sensitive (and blacks aren't the only group to take a hit in this film; as mentioned above, Wheelie is a flat-out dago, even going so far as to refer to ancient Transformer Jetfire as 'da Chairman of da Board,' and there's some choice Arabic humor in the film as well), but the Twins surely represent an all-time low.

Would they have been as offensive if Bay had gotten a black actor for the voices? There certainly would be less of a feeling of weirdness if Katt Williams had come in for some shucking and jiving, although it would still have been... off. Bay's defense seems to be that Tom Kenny came in and just Sambo'd it up, as if he had no way of knowing what sort of racially insensitive schtick the actor would bring. That's hugely unlikely; Bay isn't prisoner to the whims of his actors, especially not a voice actor.

What the whole Twins debacle really reveals, though, is the sheer lack of adult supervision on this film. Transformers 2 is hugely bloated, incoherent, stupid and boring, seemingly all because Bay was free to indulge in his most Bayish impulses. The first film is rescued by the restraining hand of Spielberg; that hand is noticeably gone here. It's stunning to think that anyone in the 21st century looked at the character designs of the Twins or listened to the voice tracks and thought that this was 'okay.'


NOt that anyone needs a reminder but here's the end of Spike Lee's amazing film Bamboozled.

Long gone are the days when people quote Travolta and Sam Jackson's dialogue or Busemi's Mr. Pink's refusal to tip a waitress. Has Tarantino lost his edge? Did pop culture simply move on?

I love Tarantino. I think his later work starting with the underrated Jackie Brown and especially KB's 1 and 2 are Tarantino at his best. Death Proof was a pure marketing disaster with a heaping spoon of self indulgence thrown on top.

I a completely psyched for Tarantino's new flick Inglorious Basterds. Seemingly a b movie jewish revenge story styled like a blacksploitation film from the 70s with lots and lots of boom, boom, bang, bang. There's always more than mets the eye. Shot on location in 4 different languages with a true international cast. Tarantino has gone all the way to make a unique twisted tale that takes place once upon a time in Natzee occupied France. And Pitt is in rare form.

Boy chosen by Dalai Lama turns back on Buddhist order

As a toddler, he was put on a throne and worshipped by monks who treated him like a god. But the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of a spiritual leader has caused consternation – and some embarrassment – for Tibetan Buddhists by turning his back on the order that had such high hopes for him.

Instead of leading a monastic life, Osel Hita Torres now sports baggy trousers and long hair, and is more likely to quote Jimi Hendrix than Buddha.

Yesterday he bemoaned the misery of a youth deprived of television, football and girls. Movies were also forbidden – except for a sanctioned screening of The Golden Child starring Eddie Murphy, about a kidnapped child lama with magical powers. "I never felt like that boy," he said.

He is now studying film in Madrid and has denounced the Buddhist order that elevated him to guru status. "They took me away from my family and stuck me in a medieval situation in which I suffered a great deal," said Torres, 24, describing how he was whisked from obscurity in Granada to a monastery in southern India. "It was like living a lie," he told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Despite his rebelliousness, he is still known as Lama Tenzin Osel Rinpoche and revered by the Buddhist community. A prayer for his "long life" still adorns the website of the Foundation to Preserve the Mahayana Tradition, which has 130 centres around the world. The website features a biography of the renegade guru that gushes about his peaceful, meditative countenance as a baby. In Tibetan Buddhism, a lama is one of a lineage of reincarnated spiritual leaders, the most famous of which is the Dalai Lama.

According to the foundation biography, another leader suspected Torres was the reincarnation of the recently deceased Lama Yeshe when he was only five months old. In 1986, at 14 months, his parents took him to see the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. The toddler was chosen out of nine other candidates and eventually "enthroned".

At six, he was allowed to socialise only with other reincarnated souls – though for a time he said he lived next to the actor Richard Gere's cabin.

By 18, he had never seen couples kiss. His first disco experience was a shock. "I was amazed to watch everyone dance. What were all those people doing, bouncing, stuck to one another, enclosed in a box full of smoke?"

Despite all of the rain this has been a great spring so far. Its been great because I have steady work and I am getting in some great climbing with some awesome partners. This season marks my second spring in NP and it couldn't be more different than last year.

Last year I was coming off the big move to NP and still trying to suss out things with work and build a community of friends and climbing partners. This year I have a job. A job I like a lot. I have lots of climbing partners including many many women. And I have a wonderful community of friends.

Another goal I had last year was to become a guide. This year I am one albeit one who is not working as a guide but that's another blog entry.

One of my dreams for the past two years has been to climb in the Northern Cascades in Washington state. One of the premier alpine playgrounds in the lower 48, the Cascades has stunning snow and ice covered peaks with plenty of exposure, glacier travel, and beautiful alpine rock routes.

This august it looks like my friend B and I will be heading out to the Grunge capital and making dreams come true.

The goals is to climb 2-3 peaks over 6-7 days. We'll be making our base camp in an area called the Boston Basin. From there we have access to all 3 peaks with additional peaks and routes available to choose from. Sahale, Sharkfin and Forbidden are all classic 5 star climbs within our skill set and level of physical conditioning. I am hoping to practice some glacier travel and crevasse rescue skills this summer as well as map reading and compass navigation.

Here's hoping it works out.

a) Sahale Peak (8,680 ft) via the Quien Sabe Glacier



b) Sharkfin Tower (approx. 8,200 ft) via the Southeast Ridge



c) Forbidden Peak (8,815 ft)

i love this video it's so well shot, edited nevermind the riding and the killer soundtrack.

Micah Dash and Jonny Copp's segment of the sharp end.

So terribly sad. love and condolences to all Jonny's friends and family. Can't think of a better tribute to his life of adventure than his own film longway.

Somehow its not surprising to me that this film isn't sold in magazines nor is it on youtube though it deserves far greater release. Instead its tucked into his website like a long diary entry. It doesnt have a wicked soundtrack or some killer dyno but it does manage to capture a love for alpinism. Thanks Jonny.




http://www.coppworks.com/video/longway/longway.html

**********

American Climber’s Body Identified in China

6/7/2009 3:30:00 PM
June 7, 2009, Boulder, CO—The body found in avalanche debris at 4000 meters on Mount Edgar (6818 meters/22,368 feet), China, has been positively identified as Jonathan “Jonny” Copp, age 35 of Boulder, CO.

“Our deepest condolences and love go to all of Jonny’s family and friends—and that list of people is so long. He will be sorely missed, but we celebrate his inspiring and amazing life,” says Robb Shurr, spokesperson for the search effort.

Jonny was one of three American climbers on the expedition. The search continues for the other two, Micah Dash (age 32), and Wade Johnson (age 24).

The first team of American climbers, Eric Decaria and Nick Martino, have landed in China and should arrive in base camp Monday to coordinate search efforts with the Chinese team already in place. A second team of American climbers, Peter Takeda and Steven Su, are en route to China.

“We are deeply grateful to the Chinese climbers and rescue workers who have been doing everything possible on the ground to carry out the search,” says Shurr.

A blog with up-to-date information and a fund to help assist in search and rescue efforts have been set up at http://adventurefilm.org/

Please do not contact friends and family at this time due to the sensitive nature of the situation.

Jonny Copp

Jonny Copp was born into a life of adventure to Phyllis and John Copp in Singapore in 1974. When Jonny was an infant, the family traveled the world together in a truck with a pop-up camper. After the family settled in Fullerton, CA, Jonny could often be found with friends exploring the desert around Joshua Tree National Park. It was there that he first discovered the joy of rock climbing and spending time with friends outdoors – climbing at first with an electrician’s harness and a nylon towrope from his dad’s garage. Over the years he sharpened his skills as a climber and became one of the best in the world. He was a sponsored climber for many well respected companies and in 2008, he was chosen as an ambassador for Patagonia (the company). He excelled in all types of climbing and was known worldwide for his cutting edge first ascents the steepest walls and mountains around the world, including an unheard of trifecta in Pakistan’s Trango Valley with Mike Pennings and a first ascent on Patagonia’s Poincenot with Dylan Taylor. Jonny inspired people in so many ways beyond his climbing. His award-winning photography, writing and film footage have been featured in magazines, books and movies -- leaving the rest of us with rare impressions of life on alpine walls.

In 2005, Jonny founded the internationally acclaimed Adventure Film Festival, based in Boulder CO, where he and long time friend Mark Reiner created a global platform of exposure for adventure filmmakers, with shows in Boulder, across the U.S. and on three other continents. Jonny graduated in 1997 with a B.S. in Geography from the University of Colorado.

Jonny believed that the summit meant something, but that ascent style was everything. He’s been the recipient of many grants to fund explorations and pursued climbing in the same manner that he lived the rest of his life—with vigor and passion. He was a hero and a cornerstone in the climbing community, inspiring people daily. Jonny was known for engaging with everyone he encountered—greeting all he knew with a ready smile and a hug. He was the embodiment of the Golden Rule, a larger-than-life legend and will be deeply missed.

For the first time in history Sinn Fein is the largest political party in the North of Ireland after yesterdays election. wow. wow. wow. First Obama, then the FMLN in El Salvador and now this!

This is just flat out mind blowing. To realize 20-25 years ago SF was polling 2% of the electorate. That they weren't allowed to be interviewed on TV because they represented terrorists. To realize that Sinn Fein's agenda of a united, democratic ireland may actually happen after generations of war. Its so beautiful and inspiring. They're doing it from the armalite to the ballot box and beyond.

The future just got a little, just a little brighter.

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Though the counting of the European Parliament elections will not begin until Monday in Northern Ireland the sensational result is already evident.

Sinn Fein will end up with the largest vote of any party in the North according to exit polls and an unofficial tally of votes when the boxes were opened and the votes sorted in anticipation of Monday's count.

Sinn Fein will end up with a far higher total of votes than either of the Ulster Unionist parties for the first time in history, as well as polling far better than their nationalist rivals the SDLP.

This extraordinary result came about because unionists in this election voted in far fewer numbers than nationalists. The overall poll was only about 42 per cent of eligible voters but Unionist turnout was estimated at only 34 per cent in early projections.

The other reality is that the DUP party of Peter Robinson polled very poorly because of a dissident vote that went to Jim Alistair, a sitting European MP who left the DUP party because of their decision to enter government with Sinn Fein.

The DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party will end up battling for the two seats left after Barbra de Brun of Sinn Fein is elected. Some insiders are saying that Alistair could pull off a sensational result by taking one of the two seats and that the SDLP may even be in the running if the votes break the right way.

The result is an incredible boost for Sinn Fein and their peace process strategy. During the IRA campaign the party usually registered at about two per cent in the popularity meter. Now they have pulled off a major coup in heading the poll.

Though the combined votes are not yet counted the result may also be the first time that the nationalist vote outpolls the unionist vote -- another sensational outcome if it happens.

Suddenly the Sinn Fein strategy for a united Ireland may not look so far fetched after all. If nationalists regularly begin outpolling unionists in Northern elections it will certainly put the issue on the front burner.

Gerry Adams will arrive in New York this week with a fair wind behind him after this result. He is here to push for a united Ireland strategy and this result will be an incredible boost.

Tomorrow is gay pride in the hudson valley and while I feel very gay I will not be going. I am working as I do every weekend so I'm going to miss the march down Main Street of New Paltz. With intentionality I will be skipping the post-march dance party extravaganza. I don't know if I can do a dance sober. I dont know if I want to. I don't know I want to do pride here with my small handful of gay friends here. I also dont know if I can go to any of these events with the woman I was dating.

I love pride. I always have but in my last years doing pride I was most satisfied, not when I was partying and making out with strangers but when I was doing events at Babeland. Connecting with the community and using our resources to share our positive energy nad mission with the broader community. Going back to pride as a spectator now seems kind of empty to me. I dont think marching or going to a dance party is going to do anything for me.

I feel gay. But work and climbing trump all these days. So while tonight I took a rest day today. I feel compelled to climb (or run) tomorrow. The thought of letting days go by without activity make me restless and sad. I spent much of May running often in the rain while climbing seemed impossible due to the shitty weather. I have committed to making the best of June and climbing whenever I can as much as possible. If this means a few hours on a rainy day I am doing it. If means a couple of hours before dark I am there. I got out 4 times this week - 4 out of 5 days and feel so much more confident on the rock.

Climbing is not like riding a bike. You dont do it you get soft. You muscles remain strong but your mind body connection with the rock feels less organic and whole. You need to keep you "lead head" strong and sharp. You need to keep you body limber and strong. You need to keep growing and developing your skills and applying yourself especially since my goal is t0 be a guide.

There is also a deep love and respect I have for what I am doing too that needs to be satisfied. Every day I climb I feel lucky. Every climb I do I feel proud of. Every partner I rope up with I feel love for.

The past two days have been great as I shared the sharp end with queer friends from BK. It was great to hang out and have some many interwoven layers of connectedness. It was also great to share some of my knowledge and experience, teaching them some climbing skills.

Today I feel wonderful at work doing things i love and lucky to have an amazing community around me. I also feel love and sadness on a day like today when two climbers I have never met go missing in China along with a videographer. These guys could be me or my friends. I feel for them. Pray in my own not religious way for them. And also for there friends and family at home in Colorado. I am thinking of friends in Alaska right now and getting ready for there next climb in the morning. I want them to have fun. be safe, be strong and have lots of fun.