new revamped talons

a couple weeks ago buck at evolv sent me a pair of the new talons and a pair of the new predators to test out. i have to say that they are heads and toes over the previous models. i loved both the others but these new ones are very good. the new heel is deeper and more structured. it really holds your heel down and has great coverage for maximum heel work. the have brought the heel rand farther into the instep to really bring the shoe up onto your arches. this is much improved over the previous models. the new perforated upper which is on the new kaos series and optimus series is great. it really allows the boot to mold to your fee. the full toe coverage on the talon is thin enough to not bind your toes and gives great sensitivity for toe hooks. these both broke in really quick, like right out of the box. and after a few routes, i knew i needed a smaller size, but even still, they were great.
both the preds and talons were comparable in performance as they share the same toebox and last i believe. but they for sure fit a little differently. i prefer the talons for boulders and the preds for ropes, but really, i am an optimus fan right now.
overall, the re-design is great. it gives a much more structured boot. they feel as though they are going to perform very well when sized right.
as always, thanks evolv for the support.

summers gone.

this summed up much of my summer. spending days, what seemed like many days, at qwest or starfire with the fischer-linnetts. dalton, cinni and chris are in london now and amelia is in hong kong. this family made a huge difference in my team and our lives.
we miss you all much. enjoy your time, but come home soon.
the sounders and our team need you back.
this summer was pretty amazing. sounders games and climbing dominated my time. but now that we are back in season and MY time is eclipsed by others time, i realize how important it is to take time for yourself. for me it was very important to take ME time this summer and work on what makes me enjoy life. since 2005 i had worked for USAC and the US national team as one of the coaches. we built a great, consistent program. it was a little scary to step away. but the minute i did, a huge weight was lifted. i actually had that time, for me, for my family, and for what was important to me. it allowed me to become selfish, which i learned years ago, is important, to a degree. my selfishness has allowed me some focus. my selfishness has allowed me some a connection with something i needed. my selfishness allowed me to be better for others.
the rain came today pretty hard, it got me thinking about these things and what it is going to take to keep this feeling rolling. i hope to keep this focus, while not letting the team and what i do slip. but my climbing is what is driving me right now, and hopefully that will translate to the team.

proj sent

i was able to do the flatliner (5.13c) today. this felt good. i really feel i went about this the right way. i did it in prolly 10 go's or less, and i would only try it once a day when i was out there. i really didnt get burnt or mental about it. i took adequate rest days. took adequate training days. i am figuring out how to rope climb and it feels good. it felt really good today. next up?

VW climbing team access fund adopt a crag day

the team and I, along with the access fund and the washington trails association, park rangers and the wilderness society got together out at new halem again for yet another trail building project.
way to get it done kids and parents and all involved.
afterwards the kids stayed for some climbing while i rushed home to watch the sounders and the huskies both lose. great.

big time

even the best have rough days

A bad day of Adam Ondra from BERNARTWOOD on Vimeo.

really, this sort of sums up what climbing can be like, much of the time. but it is all worth it with one good send.

a walk to the crag........again

one its fun to be psyched. havent felt this way in years. bhops is good to get psyched with. he will go anytime it seems. even with the 6:45am pick up he was ready to get more psyched. really this is what it is all about to me right now. going climbing, with a focus. it doesnt have to be a proj necessarily, but it does have to be a mission. i need to go out there with purpose, and pretty much every day i go out, i have some type of purpose. whether it is a proj or just fitness, i need purpose. i need to feel that i am giving my best shot and doing what i need to be strong.
even without the send i still felt successful today. i need to feel successful to continue doing this. otherwise the mental hate starts to come in to play, and for me, that is the death of my motivation.

drew ruana blog

http//www.shortycranx.blogspot.com/

check out drews blog.

back in the day

my first climbing team. this is the season i took over the team in redmond. pretty psyched to find this picture. this squad showed me what was possible when you have motivated kids. each one of them made it to nationals that year with alaina making it to worlds.

from right to left, johnny harkness, daniel kroese, natalie hammerquist, corrine messner, alaina robertson, carl husmann.

all psyched kids who worked super hard for me. they were all the jump off point for what has become what we have today. 45 kids between the gyms now, weve come a long way.

this is what its all about

wow, is this really happening??????

i swear to you that there were 50 people at world wall today. i felt like i was at the gym. sometimes i would say that bothers me, but much of the time it doesnt. i really can appreciate that so many folks are out enjoying rock climbing. for our business, this obviously is good. for the outdoors, it can be looked at as good too. rock climbers tend to have an awareness about proper etiquette in the outdoors. please tell your friends, take them rock climbing, but please understand when you get rolley eyes from some of the locals.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BIG WIN

another big game day...............................

huskies vs. USC
If Washington coach Steve Sarkisian had his way, the Huskies coming off their first win in 22 months and preparing to face No. 3 USC in the Pac-10 Conference opener on Saturday would be the only story line of interest. But that's not the case this week with the unavoidable connections between the Huskies and Trojans. And none is bigger than Sarkisian, the former USC offensive coordinator and whiz-kid, facing his mentor in Southern Cal coach Pete Carrol.

Seattle Sounders FC and Chivas USA meet for the third time this season in a vital game for both clubs in the Western Conference race. The teams are separated by just a single point in the standings, and while both hold playoff spots at the moment, it is by the slimmest of margins. Sounders FC won for the second time in three road games last weekend, defeating D.C. United, while Chivas snapped a two-game losing skid with a 2-0 home win against New England. Chivas won both earlier meetings between the teams, each played at their Home Depot Center home.

what it takes

so inspiring. the patxi section in the new reel rock tour big up productions film was one of the most inspiring things i have seen in a while. truly patxi takes it to the next level. the footage showed the work, the payoff, and of course the heartbreak. doing what i do and being around this as much as i am, it was truly refreshing to see coverage of this magnitude. to have that section in one of the seasons most cutting edge films says a lot. very excited. patxi, you will be forever one of the best.

NEW Vertical World Tacoma....first shots!!!

so for a long time now the long time staff has been dreaming of something like this. well Ryan Spence, the head and mastermind behind the Vertical World wall business, has given us something to be psyched on. the new Vertical World tacoma will be a bouldering only climbing gym, just off of I-5 at the tacoma dome exit. this place rules. the walls are like none that i have seen and literally blow most of the gyms out of the water. i have been many gyms in the US and many in the world. this by far is going to be the best training facility i have seen. 16' boulders with long long long walls.seriously, this makes me happy. i cannot wait for this to get up and running. it will be sooner than we think. much by Ryan and much appreciation from us.

get psyched right now.

POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have lost all power. i know where it is, but i have to go get it. moves outside on ropes have started to feel hard, like i have to try harder now. i need to spend a few days with boulders and power. then get back to the routes. people who say you cant have both are wrong. you can have both, you just have to train both. this will happen.

FIRST PRACTICE for 2009/10 season

today was the first day of practice for the 2009 2010 season. boy the team is young. we have had so many years of junior category climbers and so many years with veteran leadership. it is going to be interesting for sure. i had 7 youth D climbers at seattle today. it is exciting, but for sure it is going to be a challenge. but i cant imagine what they are going to be like in 5 years. we will dominate the scene. overall the returning kids look seasoned. they still know how to climb and look to be growing up physically but most importantly, mentally. i love seeing the progression.

im out to little si in the morning with bhops. 7am sesh. gotta get it.

washington rock climbing can be good

rock climbing today was great. bunch of great people getting psyched on steep routes at a steep crag. me and jake and erich ellis drove out this morning and met up with ben shrope and ben carney and danielle, and jeff and john G and erika and marshal and megan and dave thompson, nick rosser and john.

i had a good day feeling strong for the first few routes, but then got blown out on a redpoint attempt.

here is ben shrope and ben carney punching fists.





here is jake going for the redpoint on black magic 12d.











hopefully i will be able to continue climbing this fall. it has been nice not having to run team this summer. but i do miss the kids and the team in general. however, it does take away from my own climbing time.
gotta get more psyched to get more climbing. early mornings and late nights.

mountain little si......world wall

i love this place. ive been climbing here since there were 3 routes up there. craig and I placed bolts there in '90. i have found it again. i really am fiending for this place. maybe its the projz, maybe its the people, or maybe it is just my comfort zone.
world wall has something other walls dont. this summer has seen a great crew coming out regularly, with many "new to ropes" climbers getting the bug. i love seeing that. not sure what to do when it starts to rain. im hoping to make it out there even when its wet. bhops and i got a good sesh in last sunday and there was a monsoon coming down.
either way, the love, the hate, its all world wall. the past couple weeks i have felt unstoppable up there, but today i felt like i was starting over. i need rest. get psyched.

dont forget Huskies first win since 2007 season this weekend. here at husky stadium against U of Idaho. 12:30pm saturday. bark for sark.

seriously.....get psyched right now

ive been climbing a lot. that is about it. i have fully reconnected with why i do this. you forget sometimes when you work in your passion. it becomes something it shouldnt and becomes something you forgot. i have remembered.