The time has come to rearrange my sock droor, shoving the knee-highs to the bottom, making room for the ankle biters at the top.  As another winter comes to an end, so does a successful year of mixed and ice climbing.
Photo by Boone Speed


From one season to the next, it's become a bit of a routine; ice climbing, then rock climbing, then ice climbing, then rock climbing, and so on.  Every year, with the changing of each season, I find myself struggling to let go of either rock or ice climbing (depending on which season it is).  Yet every season, after a bit of a struggle, I manage to find my way back...ready to get after it.

The second rock climbing was hinting at season's end I grew more and more excited about the upcoming mixed and ice climbing season.  More so then not i'm excited but mixed and ice but this year...this year i had big plans.  Whether traveling to South Korea and Europe, attempting some of the world's hardest lines...there was a lot to look forward to as well as keep me occupied.

Spending 3 months solid with training, it was tough but at the same time exciting.  For the entire 3 months my motivation grew stronger to try harder because i knew what was coming: The World Cup of Ice climbing and specific routes that once were impossible, but soon to become inevitable.  Raining, high winds, snowing, late nights...it didn't matter...i was always able to dig deep for a solid training session, preparing myself more and more for my mentioned goals.

Before I knew it i was traveling to places like South Korea, Italy, France, Russia, and Switzerland.  Experiencing this journey was an opportunity of a life time.  Competing on the World Cup circuit was out of this world.  The people, the places, the events, the climbing...there aren't words to do it justice...to how amazing it was.  My goal for the world cups this year was to climb faster and stronger.  I achieved that and was quite satisfied with my results.  Next year...the goals are set higher with motivation to get after a podium spot.  And aside from the world cup climbing, some of the venues we climbed at "for fun" were "top dollar".  World class climbing locations that were once dreams.  Being able to climb at these Mixed Crags was an experience to remember (and hopefully re-live next year).

Packing for big trips like this is no easy task.  Being limited by weight, it takes strategy to fit "what you need" into one bag.  Really? Living out of one bag for three weeks?  Yup, and it was sorta hard.  But I must say, one thing i could always rely on were my socks.  You can never pack too many pairs of socks.  There's always more room to scrunch a couple extra pairs of socks into your bag.  Shirts got stinky, undies had to be turned inside out, pants got dirty...but my socks...my socks stood the test of time.  With the amount of walking i did, they sure kept my feet in sound condition.  No sore spots, no blisters...nothing.  In my competition climbing boots my socks kept my feet from sliding around.  Waiting in the freezing cold, preparing for a climb...my socks kept my feet breathing...leaving them warm and cozy.  Throughout the entire trip, my socks were the one item that kept a sense of consistancy.

Upon my return from the World Cup tour, my goals then shifted and focused on two specific climbing routes.  One was 40 mins from my house with a very short approach, and the other...4.5hrs of driving...with a bit of a longer approach (still very short). Both routes are at the cutting edge of mixed climbing.  And within a month, I had sent both.  Both routes, there were times where i thought i couldn't do them.  Both routes took a toll on me mentally, challenging my mental toughness.  But In the end, I was able to stare them both down and take control, climbing them with authority.

Just returning from a good day of rock climbing (although a bit cold still), thinking back to my mixed climbing endeavors, it seems so long ago that i was traveling across the world, representing Canada at the world cups, or even spending my days in a canyon or worse–a cold dark cave in -20.  It was an amazing season...but I can definitely say I'm happy to be rock climbing again.  But, there's only 4 months until i start training for world cups again...so i guess it doesn't really go away, each season with it's style of climbing...i suppose whether rock climbing or mixed and ice climbing...both remain a constant state of mind.  Always climbing.

Ps. i was happy to be wearing my warm socks today when i wasn't on the rock–There's still snow on the ground!

Stay tuned for more...

The time has come to rearrange my sock droor, shoving the knee-highs to the bottom, making room for the ankle biters at the top.  As another winter comes to an end, so does a successful year of mixed and ice climbing.
Photo by Boone Speed

No matter the conditions, my feet always seem to remain consistent...

Summer seems to be coming to an end.  Now, typically this would lead to great frustration as it's only September...and there's already snow on the mountains, but this time around...my frustration is overpowered by excitement.

It seems as though every year the seasons get cut short due to bad weather.  Summer turns into winter too fast, winter is too short because the snow melts too early.  There doesn't seem to be any consistency anymore.  You can't rely on the weather station as it seems to change every half hour, and of course, everyone has their theory to why "this season is going to be the best...", yet every time, every season plays out its own fate.

The summer temps here in the mountains have been replaced with crisp air, to the point where you can see your own breath in the morning.  Usually this time of year shows up around October...but it's September...early september.  We've had so much rain in the past couple months that we've barely been able to enjoy three days in a row of sunshine.  For a split second this started to bug me...a lot.  But faster then i had expected, my attitude re-focused itself on a more positive note: The upcoming ice and mixed climbing season was closer then i thought.

When my wife and I do the laundary, all the clothes get folded and put away (well, i usually just "lay mine in a neat pile" and pick from there over the course of the week) leaving the socks in a big pile.  For the first time, a couple of days ago, i stared at my socks and found myself grinning.  At that moment I realized that my socks represented something more then just threads woven together–they represented what was coming.  They forshadowed the early mornings– the alpine starts if you will, the long days in the mountains, being 200ft off the ground on a scarey dagger of ice, or even the relaxing feeling of pulling off my shoes on an airplane.  It was as if my socks were telling me a story–one filled with many exhillerating adventures. 

Your socks play a major role in what you're doing out there. Me, my socks need to withstand the brutality I put them through. And they do.

Throughout the winter season I spend a lot of my time trudging through the snow.  My focus and goal: to find new/ice and rock to climb.  This, living in the Canadian Rockies, means a lot of hiking (through a lot of snow I might add).  Over the last few years I've been able to wear and test a lot of outdoor clothing and what i've come up with: thank goodness for good socks.  I don't care what jacket, pants, mitts, sweaters, even long underwear i have on, but what i do care about...are good socks.  (Just for the record, I guess I do sorta care about what iIwear, but not as much as my socks.)

This past winter I had the opportunity to wear wigwam socks.  I wore several different styles in fact and will never turn back.  Whether in my touring boots, my ice climbing or competition climbing boots, my approach shoes, and even my crocks, my socks never let me down.

Every time I go out, I learn something, whether weakness or strength. If it's a new route or a route I've been on a bunch of times, it seems as though something is always revealed. A lot of the time is can be a humbling experience, and sometimes it can be an experience of perfection. These moments vary from time to time...but I guess that's what it's all about...allowing those moments in and using them for the greater good of your goals. And hopefully, someday, at some point, you'll get the opportunity to put to work everything you've learned, all the experiences you've had, to persevere past your limit.

This year has been a totally different year of climbing for me. It's the first year that i've actually tried to climb and climb past my "limit". What a trip this has been. It's forced me into positions that are totally out of my comfort level. During a day of training, my coach began to push me in this area "comfort", as he recognized that my climbing was "too comfortable". The result of this process, me taking a huge whipper off of a tiny icicle falling 25ft top speed. It was cool. The point: to stop climbing comfortably and push past your "safety blanket". We're getting there in this area. If you want to push in your sport, you can't stay at a "comfortable level". You need to put down your blanky and give 'er.

The night before a big comp, or any comp for that matter can be an emotional rollercoaster. At the world Cup in Saas Fee, we had a big athletes dinner, did some “testing” for a UIAA survey, mingled a bunch, had a big dinner, and then went home. (Oh, side note, I played a lot of ping pong and owned the table all night…beating all the euros! Yah!). When we got back to the apartement, I tuned my tools, tried to relax and then went to bed. The problem with bed was that my body still wasn’t used to the time change, so sleeping ended up being sort of minimal. So basically I layed in bed for a few hours, then got about 6hrs of sleep. Not bad, but not great. Sleep is important…especially before a big comp, or anything that requires energy and focus.

Isolation.

The term "It is what it is" relates to pretty much everything in life.  It's simple, yet deep.  To find the mental position of accepting this term for what it is, it can prove to be a great challenge.  Allowing such a term to dominate any given situation that would normally cause frustration and dismay, it takes time and effort.  The term offers relief.  It presents opportunity.  You just need to be willing and focused.

Finding the right direction is something that only you can answer.  No book, video, coach, friend, or parent can help you...but only suggest to you.  At the end of the day, you're the one that has to put one foot in front of the other.  Some days that can prove to be very challenging.  However, what it comes down to...is how deep you're willing to dig in order to keep your feet moving.

A lot of the time it's hard to find the right direction, the one that works best for you. There's so much literature, so many opinions, out there, typically you end up just pulling all your hair out from frustration. How do you know what or who to listen to? How do you know that the new book on the shelf has all the answers, boasting that this new and improved "way" is the right way? Well, put simply...you don't.

Stepping backwards is always a hard thing to do.  Naturally, we just want to keep moving forwards.  It takes patience, humbleness, and hard work to step back for the long run of gaining momentum.  A route that i've been working on for over a year, my nemesis, that's been mentally toiling with me day and night.  A route that caused injury and other such hindrances...there was something different to this route.  I've climbed harder routes than this one, but as i've begun to realize that it wasn't about the number grade, but the journey to the succession of sending such a project.

For more check out: http://www.machavok.com/Climbing