Haffner is a small canyon near my home. Really small-about 40 feet high, but with at least 20 mixed routes worth doing. I've been hitting it for almost ten years; it's close, has a lot of fun routes, it's close, etc...
Yesterday was my first time in there for a long time. Last year I didn't climb much between the fall rock season and the spring ice season as my elbow was tweaked; no new mixed routes, no 50 days or more of scrabbling on the rock and dangling icicles I so love. Yesterday reminded me of exactly why I love mixed climbing. It's brutal, aggressive, mental, tenuous, annoying, satisfying and downright engaging. No other form of climbing combines so much emotional response in such a short period of time for me. I've done some more alpine climbing this fall, and love that too, but mixed climbing just distills all that I like about climbing into one rope length of giving it.
It's so hard at first; every season I'm definitely a novice for the first few climbs. I don't trust my tools, get super pumped on "easy" terrain, my feet blow and it takes everything I have to not melt down into a quivering pile of mental mush. Then it gets a bit better by the second or third pitch, and usually by the end of the first day I forget about all the mechanics at least for a few moves and simply climb. I find mixed climbing requires a much stronger mind than rock climbing, at least for me. On rock I just climb, but on mixed I've got to get through this mental barrier before I can truly move. I've got to get over the fear of the tools, rock, my feet don't work naturally. But when I finally get that mental boulder off my shoulders it just feels so good...
Then there's just being outside in winter. We had to break trail up to the Haffner Cave, which was a bit arduous for me as I tweaked my knee kite-skiing the other day (not a good idea to launch big when you don't really know what you're doing). I always like hiking through that burned but still standing stark black forest, watching the big peaks, and just being out there with friends. I can get the same experience ski touring in a way, but ski touring doesn't have the same mental "ambush" for me as mixed climbing. I know I can ski, I'm never sure I can mixed climb, and often can't until things get moving again... All climbing is mental, but mixed climbing is definitely more mental than any other form of climbing for me.
Yesterday I flailed on routes I used to do laps on with a weight belt. But by my last go I was linking big sections, and climbing with the pump instead of pumping out instantly. My hands were suddenly warm and my body relaxed instead of frozen and tight. I'm back on the curve, and can't wait for tomorrow, when we'll do it all again. Game on
As always, there's no point to this but damn is mixed climbing fun! I hope everyone is getting out...
Yep, that silly contrived, "convienient", sport mixed climbing is pretty much pointless - but damn it's not just fun, it's fully addictive. It's kind of funny how being 3ft out with them metal spikes feels big, summer rock, you just would not notice or care. I am glad that someone punched a trail into the cave and got on the rigs, gave them some love ... Yeah game on - getting psyched this season - the main Haffner area has been good to get fit - could use some re-bolting or at least a wrench on a few bolts.
ReplyDeleteAt beer a few weeks ago this one guy made the typical comments on balls and sport mixed - but you know when on "Shag" at the start of the season, the bolt before the ledge is a ways below you when your tools are ripping through the dirt almost as fast as you can pull up onto the ledge - then you manage to clip the "last" bolt which is about 5ft left of any holds and the verglass to get to the ice about 5ft beyond, with not nearly enough ice to hold a stubby - then it feels very balls'y; yeah sport mixed is pretty mug 'fag' climbing ...
PS: what's up with a Subaru?