2014 Yangshuo Climbing Festival

     This November, I had the honor and the pleasure of attending one of the coolest climbing festivals I've ever been to, the 2014 Yangshuo Climbing Festival, presented by Kailas. This was Kailas' fourth year heading up the festival, and it was set to be a big one. Myself and some other Kailas athletes from the US were invited to represent their international team at the festival, each of us representing some of our talents and sharing our passions for the multifaceted sport. This was my first trip to China, and I was thrilled to spend a few nights in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Yangshuo!

From our first night out in Yangshuo. For a little town, the festival really brought in a buzzing crowd.

The bus! Full of eager climbers and event staff.

     From the US, Amy and Miles, a big wall couple from California, taught rope access clinics to help introduce beginners to safe climbing practices. Brian Huang, of Boulder, CO and Brendan Mitchell, a fellow climber from Dallas, TX represented some of the youngest in our group, and rose the the challenge in the outdoor climbing clinics and bouldering competitions hosted during the festival. Brendan ended up placing third overall at the competition, giving the Chinese national team a run for their money! As for me, I was one of the four route setters in the bouldering competition. I have been route setting for about five years now and this was my first experience with international competition, and I was thrown right into the middle of it!

A view looking out from our place in Yangshuo.

A look down into Yangshuo from Moon Hill as a storm comes through.

     The route setting was particularly fun and challenging in all new ways. With only a slight language barrier, the communication was pretty easy, which was a relief. The head route setter, Acheng, has over ten years of setting experience, the last four years being with the IFSC's World Cup circuits. He was thoughtful and creative with his movements, visualizing a bold competition for the climbers. Most of my days in Yangshuo were spent setting to prepare for the comp, and I must admit, I think we had a hell of a show. James Kassay, Kailas athlete from Australia and fellow Evolv athlete as well, took first place overall at the bouldering comp. But it wasn't without a tremendous effort against his stacked lineup of finalists. With unforgiving climbs, we really dragged it out of our competitors in order to get separation from such a talented group. It was exciting to see everyone perform well, and I really hope I get the opportunity to do more international route setting!

The route setters: Danny, myself, Acheng and Andy

Johannes sticking the dyno in Qualifiers

Three of the four walls used in the competition.

     But the festival wasn't the only spice in my visits to China. Those of you that know me have certainly seen my foodie side. I was so freaking excited for this trip because I am a huge fan of trying authentic foods, especially from such a famous location of culinary influences as China. I was eating everything they could offer, stuffed bamboo, toasted melon seed kernels, all sorts of soups and fish. Two of the most interesting foods, and actually some of the tastiest, were chicken feet and snails! I am now on the hunt to find these in the US.

Yangshuo outskirts

     This trip was certainly a highlight in my international adventures and will always hold a place in my heart as my first experience in the amazing country of China. I would not have had an experience such as this if it weren't for the generous help of my Kailas family. Their continued support of climbing community in areas all over the world shows how much they believe in climbers and want to enable us to continue to follow our passions. I'm proud to be a part of such a supportive family!

Some of the Kailas athletes from their China team. Such a rad crew!

Flashbacks and Foresight

Earlier this year, I hit some pretty interesting climbing goals. Much of the progress stemmed from long term plans I had laid out for my climbing, so it was super interesting to experience these accomplishments and reflect on them over the summer.

As for difficulty, I climbed my first two V10 boulders. The first boulder actually went hand in hand (or hand-foot matched) with another accomplishment, my longest completed project to date. I spent just a couple weeks short of two years working on Dean's Journey, in Hueco Tanks. For me, this boulder was one of those problems that just absorbed my being. I fell in love with the line the moment I saw it, I didn't even know its name or grade or anything. Not only was its appearance aesthetic, but I super enjoyed the style of climbing. It reminded me of what I sometimes call "the good ol' days" of climbing in North Carolina. My teammates from Underground Climbing and I would spend hours in the gym doing dynamic moves and going big. This climb made me go big. I returned to this climb for a total of nine or ten days over the next two years.

This past season, I also accomplished my longest climbing trip to date. In late March I hit the road for about three weeks. I realize it isn’t all that long of a trip, even more so since I didn’t stay put. I actually visited Hueco Tanks, Joe’s Valley and Flagstaff for a week each. I knew people from Arizona moving back and forth between each location at the time, so I hit all of them. At the time, I hadn’t lived in Phoenix for two years and it was so awesome seeing friends again on these trips. It wouldn’t have been possible without you, Rick, Jeremy, Jason and Shantelle!

Not a great shot, but here is me on Dean's Journey.

These achievements were great to reflect upon after the season ended. I spent my summer doing this as I prepared for some changes in my personal life. It was actually on a climbing trip in Colorado in June with my friends Ander and Chris that I psyched myself into some new goals while talking with them.

Chris and Ander were familiar with my style, goals and personality and it was of great benefit to discuss what I should focus on next. The big talking points came out and I found myself constantly approaching three ideas. One, I wanted climbing to be more consistently focused on. Two, traveling to climb, domestic or international, is of growing importance as I progress. And three, I want more strength than what one climb has to offer.

Consistency in my climbing is something I have often lacked since I moved out of my home state of North Carolina in 2011. There has never really been any absence of climbing more than seven to ten days, but the lack of training for extended periods was not only halting my progress, it actually led to an injury once or twice. Fortunately, my fingers and elbows have been pain free for over two years now. But what I really mean in a more consistent focus is to have my training and performance cycles really nailed down so that there aren’t gaps in between. Train, Perform, Recover. Too many times I have I let recovery mold into a state of lethargy where I let a month or two of solid effort turn into a holding stage of just keeping my strength rather than growing. This is wasted opportunity cost, and it will delay my next goals if I continue to do it. So it is time to get organized.

Having a streamlined climbing cycle goes hand in hand with taking trips. I have never lived in a town where there is extensive climbing in my backyard, so I travel to climb like many others. I’ve had some great crags within two hours, but that turns into a day trip on weekends, not morning sessions before work. I enjoy day trips, but what I really crave is longer trips on the road. At some point I’d like to do a month in Hueco, Rocklands or Squamish. These trips are what I will move toward, although probably infrequently.

The last goal I’m setting for myself is to climb stronger than what one climb requires. What I mean is I just want to send more V8 and V9 boulders. Sure, I want projects in the V10/11 range, but I also want to get more mileage under my belt. Several days at the crag are spent burning a couple moderates in the V4-V7 range, and then projecting a V10. I want to start racking up more sends because it is a good training strategy for climbing, and of course it will put me on even more great problems. Time to do a bit more climbing and a bit less grade chasing!

So the season has begun, it is mid October now and I have many days of bouldering lying ahead of me. I actually just returned from a weekend in Joe’s Valley, my first return to the crag. It was a fun, little trip. I was craving some outdoor camping and Joe’s never disappoints. This trip was particularly exciting because I finally got to break in my first pair of Nexxos from Evolv. The shoes kicked ass, I mean I was so stoked when I tried them on several weeks ago but to finally climb in them! They performed super well, with a clearly improved last that really molded your foot to an aggressive position of precise power. Toe hooking had really improved, too! I also broke in a fresh pair of Bandits. This has been my technical shoe of choice since I lived in North Carolina, I absolutely love how comfortable the shoe is and yet the performance it holds from slabs to overhangs is phenomenal. These shoes will be with me for the season as I tackle new challenges and old foes, so stoked! A big thanks to Evolv for providing such a great product to the community at large, it has been awesome climbing with their shoes for years and years.

Taking a lap up Chips in Joe's Valley the other week. 

Speaking of travel and a season begun, I’m headed to China! This year, Kailas is hosting their annual Yangshuo Climbing Festival at the end of October. Yangshuo is incredibly famous for its primitive and beautiful landscapes, with steep, mountainous spires all around. The festival is one of China’s largest climbing celebrations, and will play host to an extended weekend of dry tooling clinics, highlining, sport climbing jaunts, and an epic concert. There is also going to be a bouldering competition and I am so unbelievably excited to announce I accepted an invitation to route set for it! I have been free-lance route setting for about four years now, and this will be my first international experience with it. I cannot properly express my thanks to Kailas for inviting me on their adventures and hosting me while I take my first trip to China. Look back here in a couple weeks for a recap of the trip, I leave on October 27^th!

How to Climb This and That: Shaping Your Approach to Climbing

TL;DR After two years of climbing, I went to Hueco Tanks where I began to learn how to be a rock climber…

My first trip to Hueco Tanks State Park was unlike most climbers’ introduction to the world renowned crag. It was early June in 2011. I was moving from North Carolina to Arizona and thought, “What the hell.” I camped for two nights in the back of my car to get two days on the rock. It was 105° F both days and I’ll never forget just how empty the park was. There wasn’t even another car there besides mine. I picked up one of the vague ‘Dr. Topo’ maps at the check-in station and began to trudge my way around the park. After a day of chasing shade and losing myself at every turn, I finally called it quits. Having only finished a half dozen V0-V2 climbs, I was beat. Even my midday nap couldn’t offset what seemed like a defeated day. One climb in particular stuck out in my head as I crawled back into my car. A painful taste was left in my mouth as I recalled how much I had flailed on it. Frustrated, I simply resorted to stuffing Clif Bars and fell asleep as the desert air quickly cooled off. The next day rang out the same tunes: scorching heat, emptiness and unforgiving boulders. But I was determined to climb something. This was Hueco Tanks. I had heard stories of this place for years. I was not going to be defeated.

Late the next morning, I found myself back underneath the same short, sharp climb that Dr. Topo threw a V4 on. It wasn’t my style; it was crimpy on a steep overhang (typical of Hueco). But as I drew blood on the first moves, my motivation skyrocketed. I was nothing short of manic to finish this problem, this V4 that scoffed at my previous outdoor experience. Which, to be honest, was not much experience anyway.

Growing up in North Carolina, I got into climbing when I was 17 and had enjoyed a handful of weekend trips to Boone for some outdoor bouldering. A few months before moving to Arizona, I spent a week at Rocktown, in northwest Georgia. There I finally managed to grab some sends closer to what the gym rat in me “thought I should be climbing.” Yet here I was, lying under a V4 in the middle of a sweltering day. I was alone with my thoughts, alone with my own abilities, my own limitations. My mind soured at the thought of the permanent sting the rock would leave on my fingers. I was not about to be dwarfed by this climb.

But, doubt still clouded under the rock. I struggled with the lack of inspiration this climb yielded. I wasn’t even impressed with the problem. An average V4, it deterred my psych and pelted my motivation with embarrassment. This climb would hold no mantel place on my tick list if I finished it. I didn’t even like the movement. The thought of it poisoned my mind for hours that day. I was thrown off the wall, chewed up and spit out, as if the problem could taste my ego and detested the rancid flavor. But as I kept at the problem, my determination grew. Movement, progression, each connection was drawing the poison from my veins. I visualized myself sinking the mini jug on the lip. I had never fought this hard for a climb that I would have claimed meant nothing to my tick list. I was one attempt away. I took a deep breath, pulled off the start holds and connected the moves. Suddenly, I was on the last holds and made a clean move for the finish. An easy press and moments later, I was done. It was all over. I sat on top of the rock, took a deep breath and looked around me. I was alone. There was no spotter to cheer me on. There was no teammate to high-five. There certainly wasn’t another plastic pusher to fist bump. An unwatched send felt weird. It was not a glorious fanfare, not a monumental epiphany but rather a simple question that formulated in my head: Why did I just work so hard for that climb?

I don’t mean to say “its not about the grade.” Shut up. Of course the grade matters, to a large amount of people. It’s a measurement of progress. I set expectations and I measure that success by a number of factors, with one of the easiest to quickly identify being grades. But do I let grades rule my life? Not anymore. And this was the first time I truly began to believe that. When I first started climbing outside I was four, count it, four grades below my indoor climbing ability. I was a pissed off, whiney, gym rat. I craved to be outside to get the next send. Eventually, I found myself sending within three grades. Over time, two grades. Then one. I was almost humble enough to let it go at that point. But I wasn’t quite there yet. Everything my ego had learned in the gym told me the number makes the climber. I might even argue that one of my biggest motivations to be outside was to reach my indoor grade.

But not everyone is a grade chaser. Throughout your climbing you meet these people, the ones that tell you to forget grades. I have met several of these climbers but one of them stood out in particular to me. A good friend and, naturally, an avid outdoor climber, he took me on trips that shaped my attitude when climbing at the crag. He watched me and told me to ignore the numbers, to climb what I wanted and never ask what the grade was. His advice worked for a bit; I found myself more relaxed under the boulders. I could shut out the idea of failure and focus on completing movement that still felt so new to me. But it left me hungry. I felt like I put my psych on a diet, I just couldn’t fill up my appetite. I still yearned for bigger numbers. It wasn’t to say I didn’t try hard things nor did I become aware of the grades. Of course I did. But there was something different to the approach of no grades versus grades. It was a different way to climb and I just don’t think it sustained me. Everyone has his or her own method, and everyone tries to tell you how you should approach it. So here I am, no different than them, about to tell you how to approach it.

Climbing is not a fast food meal. It’s not Six Minute Abs. It’s not something that just works for people. It’s a tough piece of wood and you have to carve it out one layer at a time. You start with a block. Some people throw the block away. Some people are so excited that they jump up and down and buy a pair of shoes after their first day.

For the long-term climber, we shape this block. We find our own methods at first, but we begin to rely on tools we have thrown at us from the community. Rocks and Rocks magazine interviews pro climber Rocky Hard who tells you how to train for the hardest sends.  At the gym, a gear slinger tells you pulling plastic is only to prepare for the outdoors, while they top rope with half of a trad rack on their waist. A local damn-bro grunts so loudly on his project that he doesn’t even have to say what it means: I rock more than you. Everyone is effectively telling you how to carve your block. But the fact is, climbing just isn’t the kind of activity where one approach suits everyone.

I was an indoor climber for over a year. It shaped the base of my climbing. Everything I knew was based on what I adopted from indoors, but my lessons didn’t have to stop there. My ungraded friend taught me a valuable lesson; a completely new approach to climbing but his style couldn’t be mine. It didn’t fit me. However, I adopted tools from him. He helped shape the climber I am today. Then Hueco taught me something about myself, the feeling that I can find strength in many styles of approaching my climbing. I can chase grades. I can ignore them. I can hate the movement. I can beat my anti-styles. I found success that day in Hueco, not just in a climb, but also in myself as I walked away feeling truly accomplished with a climbing goal like I never had before. It was enlightening. A new feeling of capability overcame me as I continued to adapt my approach to climbing.

            It takes time to shape your block, to craft it into something we never would have imagined. This carving cannot be done for everyone by any one method. Outdoor monogamy is not for everyone. Training to get double-digits is not for everyone. And thankfully, being a damn-bro is not for everyone. Go start shaping your block. You might surprise yourself.  

Photo Journal

Check out some cool photos from the past year! To see more photos recounting my adventures, check out my Instagram: c_love_92

Here is Stone Moves, a gym in Houston where I received my first USAC route setter's certification. Gym owner, John Muse, has been a great mentor for route setting and I'm thankful for the opportunities to set with him. Head route setter and good friend, Phillip Symons, and his crew are always a great team to work with! -Houston, TX 10/2013

Local strong man Sam Latone exploding for the finishing hold on Celestial Mechanics, V7 in Stone Fort. This sandstone crag holds some of the southeast's best boulders. I had the privilege of climbing here a few times this last season. Although I didn't see the entire crag, I hope to return here soon to continue to explore the area. -Chattanooga, TN 11/2013

Beautiful clouds rolling in over Queen Creek. Much of this crag sits on property owned by Resolution Copper, and for many years there was a lot of friction between climbers and mining lobbyists. In 2012, the Queen Creek Coalition entered a Recreational Use License, ensuring rock climbing and mining can co-exist for future generations. -Queen Creek, AZ 11/2013

Young gun Michael Whitley at ABS Regionals in late 2013. Michael and I started climbing around the same time in 2009 in North Carolina where we joined Team Underground and began competing together. Still in his youth eligibility, Michael had his best year yet, finishing 4th in ABS Nationals and joining Team USA. Great job, gecko! -Planet Rock, Ann Arbor, Michigan 12/2013

Dean's Journey. This climbs will always have a place in my heart. I came across this climb in 2012, and immediately fell in love with it. I didn't know it's name, the grade or even the correct path on the rock. I just knew I had to climb it one day. Here I am, sticking the crux move for the first time in January. A month later, I returned to Hueco Tanks for the send, completing my first V10. -El Paso, TX 01/2014

Nothing like a like disc in the snow! Ian and Sunni share a game of toss in between classes at NC State. -Raleigh, NC 01/2014

 Ms. Sunni Utt and I exploring around the Bay area on a sunny winter day. San Fran proved to be a wonderful area with many opportunities for fun and adventure. -San Francisco, CA 02/2014

Anneyong-haseyoooo! Melissa Merrick (thumbs up) and I made a comeback to our worldly travels with a visit to Seoul, South Korea to see our friend Hannah who was teaching English there! Korea was full of new and exciting adventures for us as we plowed through street food and language barriers. Cannot wait to return to Asia! Safe travels, Hannah. -Seoul, South Korea 03/2014

I cannot get enough of Hueco Tanks. Seriously, this is my favorite crag. Here I am setting into the crux sequence of Ten-Ten, a super fun, core tension line where you fight to keep your ass off the ground. Wrapping it up for the send was a matter of just squeezing everything for as long as I possibly could. My second V10, I was psyched when I put this one away only a month after Dean's Journey. -El Paso, TX 03/2014

Feels Like Grit. This slab climb will get you eight V points but it won't do much for your skin or your shoe rubber. While my Evolv Bandits were holding some good friction that day, my hands weren't doing much. Seen here at the crux, I fell from that right hand rail about 6 times that day, just unable to really grasp it. My only visit to this boulder during my stay in Joe's Valley, I was a bit bummed when I left the crag and realized I hadn't gone back to finish this one. There is so much climbing at Joe's, I cannot wait for another season to return so I can go back for the donuts (and the climbing). -Orangeville, UT 04/2014

Jeremy, Jeanette, Logan and myself. Oh, and can you spot Jason in the background? This neat little group braved biting winds and frequent snow to come climb in Joe's Valley this year. It was unseasonably warm for the time, but we enjoyed rocks a plenty. -Orangeville, UT 04/2014

I can't lie, it was annoying and astounding to be caught in this white walled snow storm in Arches National Park in Moab this past month. Jason and I stopped in Moab for a day on the way back to Arizona and tried to hike all the Arches in one day. The snow storm came through about midday and was unrelenting, sort of. It held up for about 3 hours and without any proper hiking gear (think short sleeves) we had to call it quits around late afternoon. But of course as we drive out of the park, the weather clears. Oh well, we were beat and turned in. Next time! -Moab, UT 04/2014

Returning to Arizona brought Jason and I straight through Flagstaff where we decided to stop and climb a bit. Here is Wife Beater at Priest Draw. A fun sloper problem, this one stacks at eight V points. I hadn't been on this climb in about two years until this day, and it felt nothing short of awesome to cruise this line three times. You know, to make sure I had it. I definitely felt like my training over the last two years had paid off. -Flagstaff, AZ 04/2014

 The route setting continues! inSPIRE Rock, in Houston, TX invited me to come set some ropes with them one weekend. Being a sales rep for a climbing hold manufacturer, I was enraged to see additional hold companies besides my own. I only set with Three Ball Climbing holds!!!! Haha just kidding. Big thanks to Paul and Nicole at inSPIRE for coming up with this clever little promo picture for the gym that day. -Houston, TX 04/2014

Back to Stone Moves! Here I am with John and Phil, the setters I mentioned from the first photo in this blog post. Quite the fun group, I enjoyed coming out and setting with these guys while I was in town. Stone Moves has a strong community of climbers and we make sure to keep their psych up with a variety of fun styles and challenging movements. Get psyched! -Houston, TX 04/2014

Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this little collage of pictures from the past few months! I'd like to thank Evolv for sharing my passion for rock climbing and helping me along my journey. Stay tuned for an upcoming article explaining some of the things I've learned about how to approach your climbing. Cheers!

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