Vegas Baby, Yeah?

After many trips (20+ and counting), I've realized that you're either a Vegas person or you’re not. Theresa and I are definitely Vegas people! We love the ridiculousness of it all, the booze, the gambling, the unparalled people watching, and the plentiful outdoor activities that reside within an hour of downtown.

We recently headed out there to celebrate Theresa's birthday and, the flight out notwithstanding, had a blast. The flight brought up an interesting topic that Theresa and I debated over drinks: should very large people have to purchase an additional seat to accommodate their size? This came up because Theresa was seated next to a very large woman that I would guesstimate at between 400 and 500 pounds. She required an additional seatbelt to accommodate her size and liberally spilled over into Theresa's space, impacting her in-flight experience. During out discussion, I was somewhat torn between the rights of the large woman and the impacted passenger. I had seen her pass on the in-flight snacks so perhaps her size is due to some sort of glandular issue. This was when Theresa informed me that while I slept she pulled out a copious amount of Popeye’s chicken and quickly consumed it. So much for glandular issues! I’m still a little torn but I think the rights of the many outweigh the rights of the few.

Anyway, after a night of playing poker at the Flamingo, we headed to one of my favorite climbing areas, Mt. Charleston. For those who don’t know, Charleston is about 45 minutes northwest of Vegas and has several limestone climbing areas, all lying above 6000 feet. I think it’s one of the best summer destination areas in the US, offering lots of routes up to 4 pitches on excellent rock with no humidity. Our destination was Robber’s Roost, an area that I hadn’t been to before with about 50 routes. The high in downtown was 97 but, at 8000+ feet, we got quite chilly at the Roost even in sweatshirts. Dale and his wife Tiffany(?), Vegas locals whom I met several years ago, happened to be there in down coats and seemed more comfortable than we were. I’m always amazed when climbing at Charleston that we never run into anyone but locals, despite it being a well known area in a super-touristy city. Yes Charleston has some chipped holds but so does Maple and it’s overrun with people. Perhaps it’s the difficult climbing style and solid grades that keep it off the summer road trip map. Another option is that many climbers aren’t “Vegas people”. They dislike the din and visual overstimulation of the strip and think the whole area is like that. I’m curious to hear the thoughts of others about this and to hear what people who have actually climbed at Charleston thought of the place.

That night I took Theresa out to dinner at Gallagher’s Steakhouse at the New York New York. She’s a big fan of steak and Gallagher’s features dry aged beef which can be hard to find. Our meal was excellent, starting with chilled king crab, moving on to our entree of steak with creamed spinach. The creamed spinach was a little too creamy, not in the same league as the creamed spinach at Hal’s in Atlanta. The highlight of the meal, at least for me, was dessert. We shared a molten chocolate cake that has to be one of the top five things I’ve ever eaten. Simple, rich and delicious and served with a small dollop of ice cream and a large mound of homemade whipped cream. We were also impressed by their house wine, a Washington winery named 14 Hands that produces an excellent Merlot.

The next day found us at the pool, enjoying perhaps the last chance to swim before the chill of winter sets in. That night was a more casual evening with a quick dinner with a stop at Max Brenner’s Chocolate by the Bald Man at Caesar’s to try his most intriguing chocolate pizza. Not the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten although still very tasty and quite different. The menu is filled with interesting options so we’ll definitely be back. Our flight home was, fortunately, uneventful and now we’re back at the grindstone.

A Quick Diversion

Here's a little video to keep you entertained for a few minutes.  It pokes fun at internet climbers and new-school grades on trad routes, particularly appropriate to the southeast.

Oh yeah, it's work safe.

The Great Outdoors

In an effort to avoid complete gym-rate status, I’ve braved the heat and ventured outside a few times lately.  Twice we climbed at a newer area outside Chattanooga and then this past weekend I headed to the Red River Gorge. It was nice to get outside, even if it was a little hot, to get back to nature and assess how well the gym training translates into success with real rock climbing.

Overall I’d grade the success of the past couple of month's gym training as applied to sandstone sport climbing as somewhere around a B or B-.  As one might expect, the steep super-jug hauls had poor carryover to outside rock, particular at the newer area where the holds are predominantly good but more slopey.  At the Red, the gym training did perhaps a better job as the holds were positive and better simulated by plastic.  Overall my endurance was only OK, giving a good data point in evaluating training effectiveness and showing what I need to work on and how to tailor my time spent indoors.  Interestingly, my power on steep routes seemed improved which was a pleasant surprise as I haven’t been concentrating on it.

In the end, it was nice to be outside, hanging with friends and seeing some folks I haven't seen in a while.  I always enjoy climbing at the Red and managed to do a few new routes which is always a bonus.  Here are some pics:

Mark on Random Precision

Brent on Mosaic

This guy wasn't on the gym training routine.  The largest copperhead I've ever seen.

Brent on Amarillo Sunset.

Nate on the crux of Amarillo Sunset.

Nate on Amarillo Sunset

Goals for the Season

Hear that faint sound? Yep, that’s fall, quietly starting to knock, ready to sweep out the bugs and snakes and bring with her sticky rock and low humidity. That’s right, temperatures are showing hints of promise with real climbing weather on the horizon. The fall climbing season is about to be upon us and this year I’ve decided to set some concrete goals. Hopefully I’ll revisit these later and assess how good a job I did of setting realistic goals and going after them.

Without further ado:

Major Goal:
The one route that I really want to focus on this year is Psychopath at TWall in Chattanooga. Psychopath is a 13b sport route that climbs some pretty amazing natural pockets and crimps with some difficult moves at the very end. I tried this route several times last winter and found it hard but doable. The route doesn’t overly suit me as it’s a power-endurance route with no rests once you start climbing.  I'm better off on endurance routes, ones with hard moves and good shakes. This fact will make success all the sweeter as I think it’s important to be able to do routes of all styles, not just ones that fit you.

Minor Goals:
I have several minor goals for the season, some close to home and others further afield. Chief among these is to finish up some old projects at Little River, The Word and Stealth. Both of these are routes that I’ve been trying off and on for years without success. Some years I didn’t try them at all, other years I may have climbed on them one or two days. I’d like to get both of these monkeys off my back and move on to other things.

Slightly further away, I have some goals at the Red River Gorge. I want to work on finishing up the Undertow Wall at the Motherlode (Leave it to Beavis, Team Wilson, and Convicted remain) and try to do something in the Madness cave. These goals are predicated on having enough free time this fall to get to the Red a decent amount.

Finally there's international travel and of course I have aspirations. I’d like to get back to Mexico in December and enjoy some time in the sun. In the Potrero there are two routes that would be worthwhile goals this year. I came close on Big Blue in the Surf Bowl last year and feel that I could finish it up fairly quickly this year. The other routes is the second pitch of Mothership Connection on the Outrage Wall. Vinod and I tried it last year but we were repelled by very cold temperatures and high winds (I never even climbed on the second pitch). As with the Red, these goals are predicated on getting to Mexico and finding decent conditions.

So there we have it, some lofty ambitions to be sure but I hope these represent goals that will push me but, ultimately, I will be able to make progress toward completing them. Now where’s that cold weather?

The Dog Days of Summer

For a blog primarily about climbing, there's sure hasn't been much writing about it as of late.  Well here's a quick update and then on to things more interesting.  I'm still gym-bound, waiting out the heat and hopefully getting a little stronger.  Lately I've been trying to boulder more, even though I really don't like it.  The hope is to gain some power which will improve endurance (by making each individual move less taxing).  That's the theory at least, we'll see how my plastic honed endurance and (hopefully) power translate to real rock in a couple of weeks.  Temperatures are slowly creeping down, hopefully summer will fully break after Labor Day and we can venture outside without spontaneously combusting. 

Now on to more important things.  Theresa and I had noticed that Bourbon (AKA the White Dog) had lost weight and seemed to be drinking and peeing much more than normal.  Theresa took her to the vet who confirmed the weight loss (9 pounds) and took some blood and urine samples.  We got the call about results and found that she's diabetic.  The vet wanted to do some more tests so we had to wait to fully learn more about her condition.  Meanwhile, we were supposed to take the girls to Theresa's parents to swim in their backyard pond.  We waffled about whether she would have the energy to play but decided to let her try it out.  Once we got there both dogs put on a show, playing in the lake for more than an hour, only getting out when we forced them to.  We were both very relieved to see Bourbon enjoy herself so much, a story best told in pictures.

Bourbon trying go start trouble with the swans.

Ripley grinning and showing off

Gimme!

No, really, gimme!

Bourbon showing off

Bourbon looking a little dirty.

Who's sick?

Need to work on the entry a bit, perhaps.

 The swans relaxing after the girls left the pond.

...or else she get's the hose again.

The next week we took the girls back to the vet where they confirmed the diagnosis.  The treatment plan is to modify her diet and give her insulin shots twice a day.  This was a shock at first but we're already adapting to it.  Bourbon has been a trooper, not giving us any trouble when we poke and prod here.  The prognosis is good, we just have to take a little extra care of our little white dog.

The new tools of the trade

Bacchanalia!

On Friday night we headed to Bacchanalia to celebrate Theresa's new job.  We had eaten there many years ago and both considered it the best meal we'd ever had.  With expectations high, we got dressed up and headed to the White Provisions building.  Theresa looked beautiful (as always) while I looked decent enough to not kicked out of the restaurant.

To keep things short, the meal was great.  I would rank it in the top 5 meals that I've eaten with the only course not amazing was at least partially due to a choice by me.

Our dinner:

To start, the chef sent out a very light pastry filled with melted cheese.  Simple, a perfect bite and a great way to kick off the meal.

Next up was the appetizer:  I had Bacchanalia's famous Blue Crab Fritter.  I'm not a crab cake guy but I'd heard so much about it that I had to try.  It's ridiculously good, more sweet blue crab fried to perfection than a crab cake.  Theresa had a Yellowfin Tuna Tartare that was acidic and very fresh tasting.  Not as good as the crab but very good.

The chef next sent out another treat, a chilled cream based soup with fresh tomatoes, fennel, and olive oil.  This dish really showcased the skill of the chef, as I don't like fennel.  Really, I hate it.  Black licorice is one of the few foods that I can't stand.  Theresa feels the same way, perhaps even more strongly so.  The soup was very good with many different flavors (including the fennel) shining through. 

Next were the entrees that were the least successful of the evening.  I had grouper from Florida served with roasted corn and a creamed corn puree with bacon and oyster mushrooms.  The corn and mushrooms were great with the bacon fantastic.  The grouper, while perfectly cooked, lacked a strong flavor.  Part of this was a mistake by me as I like strong, oily fish and grouper is very mild.  However, I expect more flavor out of even a mild fish than what this delivered.

Theresa had a wood grilled NY strip that was very good.  The wood grilling imparted a rich smoky flavor to the meat that was almost too strong, somewhat overpowering the taste of the meat itself.  The sides were potatoes and a grilled sweet onion, both were acceptable but not amazing.

For the Cheese and Contrast course we had a selection of cheeses from Star Provisions and a very interesting dish of local cheddar and julienned Ellijay apples.  It's nice to see more restaurants offering cheese plates as we really enjoy these.

Before dessert the chef sent out an apple smoothie with a sugar rimmed glass.  It's hard to describe how good this was, I happily could have ended the meal here with that as dessert.  But there was more eating to be done.

For dessert I had a fig soufflé with chocolate ice cream.  I'm a sucker for soufflés so this was an easy pick.  It was served with a little rich caramel sauce that accented the egg flavor of the soufflé.  This dish was close to perfect and has had me searching the internet for a fig soufflé recipe to try.

Theresa had the Valrhona Chocolate Cake with chocolate ice cream.  This arrived warm and had a molten center that oozed chocolaty goodness.  Five out of five stars!  This is one of the two dishes that are always on the menu (the other is the Crab Fritter) and it's easy to see why.

Service was perfect, I can't remember out waiter's name but he was friendly and very well informed.  His enthusiasm for fine food and wine was obvious and complemented the meal nicely.

Overall, the evening was another great dining experience at Bacchanalia.  Sure, it's quite expensive but for a rare treat it's the best thing going in Atlanta in my opinion.

Stone Summit

When I first heard about a new gym coming to Atlanta I was pretty excited.  I say pretty excited because the location was 20 minutes from my house and I wasn’t psyched to drive in Atlanta rush hour traffic.  As time progressed and I heard more and more about the gym, I began to get more into the idea.  Darren and Daniel, the folks that brought Stone Summit to Atlanta, were doing tons of homework, visiting many other gyms and really looking to the future.  I was able to tour the facility during construction and was totally blown away.  I immediately made the decision to begin training there as soon as possible, traffic be damned.

I was in Spain for the grand opening but I’ve been climbing there regularly for the last 6 weeks.  My overall impression is that the gym is amazing, a great indoor facility.  However, like everything, there are a (very) few things that I don’t love about it.  Details below:


The Good:

1.  The place is huge.  This has been key this summer as the heat has kept many Atlanta climbers inside and in the gym.  Even on a Saturday with the parking lot near capacity, the gym doesn’t feel too crowded.  There can be a slight downside to the size and that's the loss of the intimate, community vibe.  However, I haven’t noticed it at SS at all.  In fact I think it’s brought many of the Atlanta climbers that have been spread out over many gyms into one place which has been really cool.

2.  The routes are very good. Claudiu Vidulescu, the head route setter, is a nationally certified setter and it shows.  Lots of variety in movement as well as many different hold styles (and manufacturers) make for a really nice training experience.  For routes they've opted for colored holds, eschewing tape.  I usually don't like this as it limits the setters but SS was able to get hold companies to produce holds in their colors.  This means that, for a given color, setters have several different companies and sets of holds to choose from.  This eliminates the tedium that can result when routes are set with only one hold-type.

The routes range from very easy to 5.14- with a nice number in each grade range.  The gym features most angles from slab to very overhanging which is great.  I have a couple of small issues with the routes (see below) but overall they’re excellent.  In 6 weeks and sampling many of the routes, I’ve done 1 bad route and 1 not so good route.  Both were left over from the junior national competition in early July so they're not really representative of the gym’s setting.

3.  Bouldering is good.  I don't know the exact square footage of the bouldering area but I do know there's a great deal of it.  Lot of problems at most levels, a pretty good mix of angles (more on this later), and nice tall walls.  No topout boulders but I’m ok with that.

A portion of the bouldering area.

4.  The gym facilities are top notch.  New, modern cardio and weight equipment with a nice view of the climbing walls to keep you motivated.  Towel service both in the cardio area and the locker rooms shows the gyms attention to detail and willingness to provide proper service.  Spin classes and yoga classes have just begun which are included in the membership fee.

5.  The café is cool!  I scoffed at the idea of having a place to eat inside a climbing gym but I was wrong.  The food is very tasty and reasonable, smoothies are very good, and the folks back there are super friendly.

The seemingly ever-evolving menu.

6.  The gear store is great.  Unique Outfitters has to have one of the best selections of climbing gear in Atlanta, if not the best.  Lots of different models of shoes, hardware, and soft goods.  My one complaint would be the lack of Petzl gear.  Plus it's staffed and owned by people who actually rock climb.

The Bad:

1.  The routes have too many huge jugs on them.  Yes, I said it, huge jugs aren’t always great.  This isn’t as much a criticism of SS but a criticism of steep gym climbing and hold companies.  Hold manufacturers need to realize that holds can be good without being absurdly good.  I think this will slowly become less of a problem at SS as the gym gets more holds (they are continuing to purchase new holds several times a year which is great!) and the setters become more comfortable with the steep terrain.

2.  The grades are a little wacky.  Routes and boulder problems both have a wide spread of difficulty for a given grade.  I would say on average, the grades in the gym are soft but not always.  Should it matter?  No, but it is nice to track progression.

3.  This may seem odd for those who have climbed there but I wish the gym had more steep ground, particularly in the bouldering area.  A long 45 degree wall without a break in angle would be a great training tool. 

4.  Evening fitness classes would be nice.   The current yoga classes are only offered very early in the morning which is difficult for some of us to attend.  I heard a rumor that evening classes may be coming soon, I hope so.  It would also be nice to have some evening fitness classes such as core training, P90x, crossfit, etc.

So is it perfect?  I'd say no, but it’s close.  My negative comments are small, almost trivial issues.  My overall opinion?  The gyms is simply fantastic.  I can easily say that I would be a much stronger climber if this gym had been built 5 years ago, and I look forward to getting stronger there in the next 5 years.  Darren and Daniel did brilliant job producing a top-notch, world-class facility.



Full Disclosure:  I'm not compensated in any way by SS, nor do they know that I'm posting this.  I pay my monthly dues like everyone else.