Brett Merlin's blog

I high five my buddy in the middle of the lightning, rain, and hail. Sure I am shivering a little bit but this is what makes a climbing adventure well... adventurous. Mount Meeker less than a mile away looks like it is getting hammered with weather.

"Dude, even on the brink of an epic we manage to have a good time" I say to Eric, my climbing partner.

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After a long arduous roadtrip from Boulder to Fayetteville and back I am exhausted. Having never been to "The New" I was in for quite an experience. A couple things I learned about climbing in the deep south...
-Its not uncommon to climb with domesticated squirrels
-Hunting through a maze of woods can give you flashbacks from the Blair Witch Project
-Locals are extremely friendly to everyone, just don't get between them and desertapalooza
-Be prepared for a little bit of cigarette smoke here and there
-HUMIDITY and POLLEN!
-Spiders the size of your head, put us western climbers running for the hills

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After entering the ABS Regional at the BRC this past Saturday I learned one important lesson, you have got to play by the rules:

Rule #1. The competition routes are prize possessions created by a highly skilled group of route setters. These routes are so important that they will be completely ruined (or spontaneously combust) if they are viewed before the designated climbing period.
Rule #2. Isolation is an integral part of the competition scene. Being the absolute last person to climb is not the best position to be in. Also, isolation is designed to be as boring as possible (should have brought my ipod or a copy of the Rock Warriors Way). No cell phones, VIDEO CAMERAS, or any contact with the outside world. If you enter isolation too early or violate any of the rules you will be isolated to a tree outside (see pending video).

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In preparation for the Boulder Rock Club USA Climbing Regional Championships many people have been asking how to train and get stronger by Saturday the 12th of May. Hence, I give you "Crushing 101".

Lets first look up the definition:
Dictionary.com- Crush (verb): to press or squeeze with a force that destroys or deforms.
Climbers definition- Crush (verb): to send a route so well as squeeze the pure life force out of the stone.

In a sentence: "Kris is crushing right now, she just sent The Debilitator".

How to Crush:
1. Try harder. Try the hardest that you possibly can.
2. Wear a beanie without a shirt or a backwards hat without a shirt. Headwear has been shown in laboratory settings to dramatically improve crushing capabilities.

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One week in Yosemite, not nearly enough. My last visit was two years ago. At that time I felt pretty green to the Valley. Training for this past month, I wanted to feel strong re-entering one of my favorite climbing destinations. A day cragging at the Church Bowls was entertaining, but a bit crowded for me. It always takes me a day or so to get used to the subtleties of the Yosemite friction.

A couple of days later we head to the Rostrum. Both our second time on the route. I only have one pitch in mind, #4, the crux finger crack. I seconded it last time and it felt fairly desperate.

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Its that time again for the infamous fall roadtrip. One more time to head out before winter sets in and work overwhelms my life. Today I head to Moab to meet up with some friends and tomorrow we head out to Yosemite for a week. My last trip there was unbelievable. This trip will be nothing short of amazing. After training for about a month, I feel good and ready to face the big stone that the Valley has to offer. On the way back I may stop by the Creek (pending on funds). If any of you all are out there feel free to say hey. When I return I will have some seriously good photos from the roadtrip.

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Number of cams dropped: 1
Number of nuts that pulled out at crux: 1
Number of items that got completely smothered in hummus from my sandwich: 4

Normally, stats like this would lead to one bad day of climbing. But all of this stuff did happen to me and I had one of the best days in Eldo ever. My friend and I decided to go out and climb the Naked Edge. Everyone that has done the climb has raved about it for good reason. Pitch 4 was the technical crux of the route. My lead... I watched the party before us to get a sense of the beta. It looked pretty straightforward. A couple of dicy finger locks to a jug. Then to a sidepull where I could clip a pin and back it up with a Green Alien. Move left to a finger slot plug a tiny piece and you are in the bombay chimney. From there move right to a sidepull and positive crimper to pull around the next roof to the next set of anchors. Pretty simple...

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Honestly I was a little intimdated at first. I heard that Rifle was filled with strange sequences, hidden holds, and long routes. Three things that make onsights and quick redpoints virtually impossible.

-Day one of Labor Day weekend was spent getting to know the place and checking out what the canyon had to offer. Warming up was a constant battle. If you can't warm up on 12a you are pretty much stuck with the rest of the whords of people trying to warm up on one of a handful of 10+ or 11-. Got psyched on a bunch of stuff to try and project. There is so much to do! Got on my project of the trip and sussed it out. After falling a little and getting a full "spray down" on Cardinal Sin I decided to wait for the next day.

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