I have wimpy skin. An hour and a half in the gym and I’m desperately looking for crimps to avoid worsening the jug-rash blisters I acquired warming up. After roughly four Pawtuckaway boulder problems–three if I’m in Blaire Woods or stupidly decide, once again, to repeat the sit-start to the crimp problem–and my fingertips are…
Author: Liz Haas
“Training” to Feel Good About Yourself vs. Training to Actually Get Better
I’ll admit: I’ve been doing a lot of “training to feel good about myself” for the past eight weeks. And by “a lot,” I mean doing something about four days a week for at least 10 minutes. Despite the fact that I’ve broken a sweat a few times, these sessions haven’t led to sore muscles or…
The Ten Commandments Part 2: Trad Climbing
1. Thou shalt never fall. 2. Thou shalt not associate with sport climbers; they are wimpy ethic-less bolt-clippers. 3a. Thou shalt run out all easy sections. 3b. Thou shalt also run out all cruxes. 4. Thou shalt not become discouraged by extreme amounts of rope drag. However, thou shalt also not create excessive rope drag….
The Ten Commandments of Sport Climbing
1. Thou shalt think of tufas, training, red pointing, “the red,” fitness, your fingers, power-endurance, and/or clipping no less than 87.6 percent of your waking hours (and in at least 54.2 percent of your dreams). 2. Thou shalt not become a boulderer. Thou shalt only boulder for training and occasional fun. 3. Though shalt not drop thy partner…
5 Things You Should Know About Climbing with a Lightweight
Many climbers seem to be constantly trying to lose those last five or 10 pounds to reach optimal “sending weight.” However, there remain others, like me, who can eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s every other night and still not gain a pound. Here are some things you should know about climbing with those of us in the skinny…
Gear Review: Metolius Rock Rings for Portable Training
I got a lot of weird looks from the Boston TSA personnel when they pulled my green Metolius Rock Rings out of my carry-on. The woman inspecting my backpack simply looked at me with her head cocked and eyebrows squeezed together in confusion. She then beckoned her middle-aged boss over so that I could explain…
Explaining Climbing to Your Mother
My mother is fantastic. She has always been incredibly supportive of my fondness for scaling rocks, even when she didn’t understand quite what I was doing. She bought me my first pair of shoes, my first chalk bag, and my first harness for my 19th birthday without knowing anything more than that I’d joined the…
Protein Supplement Review: Greek Yogurt
I’m sure you’ve heard of this dairy craze that has made its way into everything from salad dressings to cream cheese spreads. Basically it’s just regular yogurt that’s been strained, resulting in a thickened consistency and increased protein content. One cup made with skim milk and live and active cultures (a pretty simple ingredient list)…
Six Tips for All-Day Climbing Energy
You know the unfortunate 3 p.m. slump, where suddenly you go from feeling strong to feeling a strong urge to nap. You’ve been climbing and belaying since 7:30 a.m., but there’s still five hours of potential climbing time left before sunset—Don’t waste it. Your initial thought might be: I’ll just chug a Red Bull. However, if you’re like me,…
The Power of Doing Home Workouts in Your Underwear
Most of us lead what we consider “busy lives.” We have jobs, families, school, attention-loving dogs, and dirty bathrooms that demand too much of our attention. For those of us die-hard weekend warriors who are forever squeezing seven days worth of commitments into Monday to Friday at 4:30 p.m., training at the gym three days a…
Gear Review: Point6 Socks for Odor Control and All-Day Comfort
I have smelly feet. My sneakers usually aren’t too funky; since, I wear socks with them 98.7 percent of the time. But my climbing shoes smell terrible. My comfy multi-pitch/gym shoes are the worst–my sweaty bare feet remain in them for hours without air. To give you some additional insight: my two comfiest pairs smell bad enough that I…
Coffee. Tape. Climb. 