Tommy Caldwell Instagram – This summer while in the bugaboos. @sonnietrotter @alexhonnold and myself started a gentlemen’s race to 9a. At the time I hadn’t fully realized the last time I focused on sport climbing was over 20 years ago!
Some things have changed. I haven’t found it as crowded as I thought, but the sport crags (which are all outside of Wilderness) do feel much more industrial. Grid bolted cliffs, fixed draws, and a lot more chalk. Some modern crags feel less like climbing rocks and more like rocks are being made into climbs. The tatics I discovered in my teens now seem common. Knee pads are worn on just about everything and you often meet people at the crag that have been projecting the same climb for 20 or more days.
And now there is a whole new set of tatics. Spray bottles to combat the dry fire, heated rocks in the chalk bag on cold days. Or even dry ice on the hot days. Fans, hangboards at the crag, trainers, nutrition strategies. Most high end climbers take months off touching real rock to focus on strength building.
I feel mixed about some of these evolutions but I am trying not to be a luddite. Overall it’s still a game I love. For me, Progress doesn’t seem to materialize the way it did in my 20’s. But it’s fun to feel motivation and drama of progress. Sport climbing sure is a head game. There is something cool about the lengths climbers go to to find progress towards an activity that has little intrinsic value. Maybe that’s the point. The value lies in the lifestyle it creates. Long days outside, with friends, in beautiful places obsessing about something that ultimately brings friendship, laughter, health and fitness.
Thanks Alex and Sonnie for helping me rediscover something I had mostly forgotten. Time will tell if some busy, middle aged dads can reignite the power of their youth, but this race has brought some extra focus and joy to my winter and I am grateful.
📸 @james_lucas @lasportivagram @team_edelrid @corosglobal | Posted on 06/Feb/2024 22:34:05
