qualis

day one of the mammut bouldering championships are over. I finished all of the climbs on day one and am going into finals right behind daniel. him and i were the only two to finish all of the boulders today in the mens category. The problems today were a bit technical and hopefully will be a great deal harder tomorrow.

Tomorrow evening is finals and i am looking forward to it! My little brother is back climbing again and he is going to be competing again in his first competition tomorrow and i am very psyched for him! He has only been climbing for a few months and killing it already! i looking forward to seeing how he does tomorrow.

After the comp it is back to Boulder and one last week of climbing before the main event, the vail world cup. I am so excited for the comp and am getting more and more nervous as each day passes. More news tomorrow!



qualifiers 4

NJ Bound

I am about to head to the airport to go to NJ to compete in the mammut bouldering championship at the NJ Rock Gym. It is always fun going home and competing against good friends and being on my "home turf." Its been quite sometime since i have been home. last time home i was just learning to walk again so it will be very nice to go home and be in good shape again and ready to compete! I feel ready and am super excited to get the weekend underway!

Last weekend totally sucked. Alex and i made the trek to Joe's to find it raining and it never stopped. Then we drove to Salt lake where it continued to rain and on monday morning we drove all the way bac to boulder. I climbed on wet rock for 30 minutes and in the gym for 4 hours. oh well sometimes the weekend just doesnt pan out to all it was meant to be.

off to NJ wish me luck!

Summer

Summer has officially begun. My finals went well and i am now taking a few credits this summer in an attempt to reach my final goal of graduation. The weather down in Boulder is heating up a lot and it seems like in no time the bouldering up in the park and Evans will be in its prime! i have a bunch of lines that i am super psyched on and am hoping to find some amazing FA's!

This upcoming weekend i am headed to Joe's Valley for a long weekend of bouldering with Alex. It looks like their are a lot of amazing boulders that have been put up recently and I am psyched to get on! The new line masterpiece put up by Litz a few months ago looks to be amazing and i think i am going to be putting that line at the top of my list!

Besides that i have been working very hard on getting ready for the world cup in a couple of weeks! It is coming up super soon and i am getting very excited! it looks like there will be a lot of strong competitors there! i will get some pictures this weekend in Joe's and post when i return!

1 more day

today is the last day of the spring semester and i am taking a short break from my studying to write this blog post. the past few weeks have been a complete whirl wind for me. i have been studying, finishing final projects, and above all training for the upcoming world cup event in Vail!

Today marks the last day of the semester and i am psyched. after this i will only have one class in the mornings during the week for summer school and then it will be off to the park, evans, or wherever to find amazing new boulders to be climbed in Colorado. very psyched!

with that i am back to studying! wish me luck as sociology is quite the killer and i am studying my brains out in an attempt to pull in a B. ahhhhhhh.

Back In Boulder

The past few weeks have been quite the whirl wind for me. The end of the semester has come around and school has become super hectic! I am trying to get my all of my art projects done as well as prepare for my final exams and write papers.

I got back from a short trip to Kauai with my family last week which was to say the least, amazing! I totally would be living there right now if i did not have climbing in my life. the lifestyle is amazing and i cant wait to go back, hopefully someday soon!

Now that i am back in Boulder, my training for the world cup has truly begun! I am building a really strong endurance base this year by doing lots of routes at the BRC a couple of days a week with my girlfriend. The other days i have been spending climbing at CATS training really hard boulder problems. As the weeks go by i think i am going to start spending more time at CATS not only training hard boulders but also doing intense 40 move power endurance problems.

I feel that last year, my endurance could have been a bit better before the comp so this year i am making sure to be a bit more prepared. I didnt rope climb at all before the comp and i hope to see positive results from getting on a rope 6-8 weeks prior to the competition.

Other than that, i made a quick evening session up to the flatirons with Robyn Erbesfield's son Shawn. He just turned 11 the other day and totally crushed "The Turning Point" on his 3rd day of effort! Very impressive to say the least. I climbed this really nice 8a that i did not know the name of. It felt nice to be outside again. The weather here in Boulder has heated up a great deal and i am hoping the sun stays but the temps will get a bit cooler in the upcoming weeks. There are a few things around here i would like to get on before the summer heat rolls in and it is up to the park and evans to hide from the heat back down in boulder.

Also, a nice video of my ascent of "Psychedelic" on the main page of Dead Point Magazine if anyone is interested!


yes it is hung crooked i know (i didnt have a ruler at the time).

relaxing!

Rocky Mountain Highball Premiere - April 27th Boulder Theatre

Everyone should come out, if you are going to be around, to the premiere of Rocky Mountain Highball at the Boulder Theater on April 27th!!! For more info visit rockymountainhighball.com and get your tickets here www.bouldertheater.com/event_detail.php?id=1067!



Me on Diamonds, V7, RMNP.

breakin the law - check

yesterday was my last full day of climbing for my 09 spring break trip. I decided to check out this nice 14b at the black and tan wall called "Breakin the Law." put up by Dave Graham a while back. The line is about 70 feet tall but the crux is down low followed by a very involved slab at the top. I had a great flash go falling off of the last hard move before the final slab section and managed to do the line a few tries later! it was a very fun route besides the slippery feet through the crux bit!

Today it is off to the Gorilla cliffs again for a first attempt at "The Present" before heading to Vegas tonight and flying back to the snow covered Boulder, Colorado tomorrow morning. Sorry for the lack of climbing photos. Hopefully some will pop up int he next week or so and i will be able to post some up! Let's hope that the weather in Boulder gets good again soon!!

psychedelic - check!

So today was the first day that i can actually say that i have done a legit route! I nabbed the second ascent of "Psychedelic" 5.14d at the gorilla cliffs outside of St. George in Southern Utah! Though the route is only 60 feet tall i really had to give it everything i had to get this thing done. 60 feet is a heck of a lot for a boulderer!

After the send, i went to moe's and made a quick ascent of cloverland, V12. The day was great and i am very relieved to have finished my hardest route to date! from 13c to 14d! back to bouldering!?

St. George

I have made it and i am officially a rope climber for the next couple of days. I have to say my first day at the Gorilla Cliffs was a lot of fun. I warmed up on a nice 11b "adventure" climb i would like to call it. Then it was a few climbs to the right for my initial attempts at "Psychedelic." My first time up the climb i hardly climbed on the route but rather just went from draw to draw putting up those snatchlinks and chalking up the holds. It seems as if some time has passed since anyone has climbed on this amazing route.

After my initial scoping of the route I did the upper sequence on my first go and decided it was time to try the crux sequence. For my first day and it being quite warm i feel as if it went quite well! I figured out the moves and am very psyched to get back on it again! The crux boulder problem is hard! it is just past vertical and very technical on the feet. The holds are small and each one you have to hit exactly right. After the crux boulder problem it is maybe 13a to the top where you end up finishing about 60 feet off the ground. I just wish the weather would get a bit colder because the holds hurt when your skin is soft!

More to come!

Five Ten Treasure Hunt

Back from Hueco

This weekend was the second time I was able to boulder outside since injuring my left ankle back in mid October. It was amazing to be back in Hueco again and climbing at what felt like the best i have ever climbed before!

The weekend started off hot! but the day of the comp came and the temps were perfect!!! I started my day by doing Terre de Sienne and then Diaphanous Sea all with in the first hour of the comp. It was cool to get back onto a climb that had been so difficult for me in the past. After this it was on to what would end up being my hardest climb of the day, Algerita. I had done the climb the year before and booted up and quickly found myself about to finish the climb on the last move that is no harder than v5 and as i crossed over to the final jug i broke a crucial handhold with my left foot and found myself on the ground a split second later. I eventually was able to figure out how to send the line with the broken hold and in my opinion feel like it was the hardest thing i did of the day. Though i do not know if i would call it v14 it is for sure a solid v13 now (probably was soft v12 prior to my breaking of the hold).

Anyway, i then found myself at a nice roof called techo de los tres B. I did it first go and moved on to the last v13 on my list, Diabolique. This climb is one of my favorites in Hueco Tanks and was a pleasure to do again. I hooked it up in a few minutes and was psyched to only have one climb left!

By this point in the day my ankle was in a lot of pain and my tips were pretty much purple but i had to finish strong so it was on to loaded direct. After a few crappy tries falling on the second move, i stuck the crux right hand sloper and climbed it to the top.

It felt amazing to be climbing outside again. though i feel as strong as ever my ankle still seems to be holding me back a lot as i was in a considerable amount of pain through the day. Hopefully with in the next few months i will be able to get back to 100 percent again in my left ankle.



Besides that it was a great weekend with good friends and i am psyched for Spring Break... Psychedelic and Rastaman! Stay tuned!!!

Hueco Bound

I am fortunately heading to Hueco for a nice long weekend. Unfortunately we are sitting at the Denver Airport waiting for a plane that is now going to be over 3 hours delayed and won't get A.Kahn or I into El Paso until 2:00 AM, Friday morning... The weather is looking like it is going to be unbearably warm but I am hoping for some coller evening temperatures for another attempt at the Full Sit start to Esperanza. Though with highs in the 80's I am unsure as to how much luck I am going to get.

It has been over a year since i have been to Hueco and i am very excited to get back. Though i wish it were for longer, it will be nice to have weekend in the bouldering mecca of the United States.

wish us luck!

a long 4 months

Sorry for the lack of updates but here is a big one to make up for the past few weeks. My healing has been going great and I have decided to get the screw taken out as soon as I can find a spare minute in my schedule to do so! It has officially been 4 months since I injured myself. Other than that, my limp is pretty much gone, I am able to begin falling on my left foot again as long as it is a controlled fall, and the strength in my leg seems to be growing every single day!



ABS Nationals: Besides being sick (with either the plague or the flu, I have yet to determine) and extremely nervous, I am very happy with my performance. It helps knowing that people are truly cheering you on but it does not take away from the anxiety of wanting to win or at least to perform at your best. As I learned in a SLC comp, it does not matter how strong you are (or how much support you get from the crowd) if you do not read the problem correctly, it is a VERY LONG 5 minutes. I believe that my strength is 100% back, but I still need more time for my overall balance and strength in my leg to fully return. I have been going to a physical therapist twice a week and it has helped speed up the recovery tremendously. The problem setting at ABS was outstanding. I was very impressed with everyones climbing and dedication this year at ABS Nationals. I can definitely see some young guns who will be taking top positions in comps with in the next few years. I better keep training harder than ever!
Now that nationals are done and my ankle is nearly healed, I can start climbing outdoors again. I am going to the Hueco 2009 Rock Rodeo in less than 2 weeks. I will be putting all of my effort into a project. It is the sit start to Esperanza. It starts on on Right Martini and then finishes on Esperanza. It is about 18 or so power moves on a near roof. It is going to be a real test of endurance. I am still a little tentative of a high fall so this project is going to be perfect for my short trip.
After Hueco, I am heading to Saint George and Bishop on March 18th for 11 days (spring break). My main goal is to get the second ascent of DG’s Psychedelic. My tick list below:
Psychedelic, Saint George
Breakin the Law, Saint George
The Present, Saint George
I will then head to Bishop for the rest of this trip. Once again, I plan on working the sit start to Rastaman. This will be my third spring break trying this problem. I know a lot of other climbers have also put effort into this line. I am able to do every move and have come extremely close to linking it; however, the crux move is a long reach to an almost nothing crimp off of a pinch that is barely a hold. If I send it, I honestly think it will be my hardest send to date, and it will certainly be the hardest boulder problem in Bishop; although, I am not looking forward to the top out.
After Bishop, it will be back to school to finish off the semester before yet again embarking on some amazing climbing adventures.
Deadpoint magazine has also asked me for a monthly blog. Therefore, between these two sites I hope to continue to share my experiences. Again, I am very sorry for the lack of updates, time is truly flying! Count on more updates and photos soon!

B-town Stompin'

It has been almost a month since my last update and a lot has happened over that time.

First of all, I am officially “bootless”. The doc has given me permission to “officially” start therapy and training. The only decision I need to make is to keep or take out the screw. There are good and bad reasons for each. I am leaning toward taking it out because it hurts. If anyone has any experience on this issue, please let me know.

In reality, I never stopped training. I feel pretty strong. My overall balance is not back yet but I am sure it will be shortly. I have been climbing a ton with Carlo Traversi and Alex Puccio. we have been doing a lot of sport climbing and i am having a lot of fun with it. It is great to be training with those two and really pushing forward in trying to heal my ankle back to being healed. I have also been climbing at CATS to keep my finger strength in tact.

After 8 months of not being in school the first week was quite intense. I have officially completed my first week and am looking forward to a relaxing four day weekend. I am headed to Clear Creek with Carlo Today in hopes of sending this 14a called Primeval. I tried this route once or twice 2 years ago and look forward to giving it another try today!

Other than that, i am just going to continue to train for the months ahead and am on a crash course in attempts to be ready to compete at ABS Nationals in February! I will be updatin a lot more now that i am officially back home and finally settled in! So stay tuned!

Final Draft: 2009 Tick List

The final days of 2008 are among us and I am beyond PSYCHED to start the new year! I look forward to many amazing adventures and an all around awesome year. As always, check back throughout the year for exclusive blog posts regarding my travels and hopefully keeping on a steady pace of sending the craziest list i have ever come up with! Hopefully i will send all of these this year!!!

2009 list

9a

USA

Psychedelic, Saint George

Spain

Es Pontas, Mallorca

8c

Breakin the Law, Saint George

8b+

USA

The Present, Saint George

8C

USA

Rasta Man Vibration Sit (Project), buttermilks (all depending on ankle)

France

Satan I helvete assis, font-Long’s Vaux

Switzerland

From dirt grows the flowers, chironico
Brione “Bi polar Hi roller Project”, Brione

Italy

Gioia, Varazze

8B+

USA

Suspension of Disbelief, Eldo

France

Gecko assis, font-Les Beaux Quartiers
Kheop’s Assis, font

Switzerland

Never Ending Story, Magic Wood (must have revenge!)
Dreamtime, Cresciano
Confessions, Cresciano

Austria

Bugeleisen, malltatal
Emotional landscapes, malltatal

8B

France

Gecko, font-Les Beaux Quartiers
Fata morgana assis, font-Long’s Vaux
Satan I helvete, font-Long’s Vaux

Switzerland

Shadowfax, Chironico
La prue, Cresciano

Austria

Golden Gate, Silvretta

8A+

France

Total eclipse, font-Cul De Chien
Chaos, font-Rocher Gréau
Big Dragon, font-Petit Bois
Karma, Font
Partage, font

Switzerland

Kirk windstain, cresciano
Collateral, Chironico

But more than anything I look forward to going out and searching for projects around the world! I will continue to keep my eyes open for amazing new lines all over and see what i can find and hopefully climb!

Happy New Year! And good luck with all of your 2009 tick lists!

happy holidays

I have been walking now for a few mere weeks and my ankle seems to be responding super well. It has now been 2 months and 1 week since the injury occurred and it seems as if it shouldn’t be more than one more month before I will be able to wear both my climbing shoes again, on a rope of course.

I am unsure at the moment when I will be getting back to bouldering again but am hoping that with the physical therapy I am going to start in Boulder the healing should go by a lot faster. My psyche is very high and besides my endurance, I feel quite strong. I am really hoping that my return will yield some of the best climbing I have ever done.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and an awesome 2009! Keep a look out for the final tick list for 2009 in the next week or so.

preliminary draft: 2009 ticklist

So here it is. Unfortunately as many of you know my trip to Europe was cut short because of an unfortunate left ankle break in the middle of my trip. But now i am on the healing course and very much looking forward to the year 2009!!! I have below the preliminary list of boulders and routes (:gasp!!!:) that i would like to climb this upcoming year. First off i am sure that i will not only add to this within the next few weeks and will post a final before the end of the year but of course will ass to the last throughout 2009 as boulders get my attention from area to area. As for plans for 2009, I will be doing a semester at CU this Spring and then one month long semester known as "maymester" before yet again embarking on a 7 month journey, with hopefully no injuries or set backs this time around! And for Spring break it seems as if it may be spent rope climbing in St. George, Utah in an attempt to go for the firs repeat of Dave Graham's "Psychedelic," and hopefully squeezed in there a few days in Bishop if my ankle is ready for outdoor bouldering by then. As you can see on the list there is no real summer destination included. I have yet to determine where exactly i would like to go this summer, though i know it will be somewhere in the southern hemisphere, maybe South Africa again or possibly even an adventure down to South America! Anyway, as always feel free to comment on my list and of course if there are any climbs i am seemingly missing, please let me know!

2009 list

9a

USA

Psychedelic, Saint George
Es Pontas, Mallorca (yes!!! so very psyched for Mallorca!!!)

8c

Breakin the Law, Saint George

8C

USA

Rasta Man Vibration Sit (Project), buttermilks (all depending on ankle)

France

Satan I helvete assis, font-Long’s Vaux

Switzerland

From dirt grows the flowers, chironico
Brione “Bi polar Hi roller Project”, Brione

8B+

USA

Suspension of Disbelief, Eldo

France

Gecko assis, font-Les Beaux Quartiers

Switzerland

Never Ending Story, Magic Wood (must have revenge!)
Dreamtime, Cresciano
Confessions, Cresciano

Austria

Bugeleisen, malltatal
Emotional landscapes, malltatal

8B

France

Gecko, font-Les Beaux Quartiers
Fata morgana assis, font-Long’s Vaux
Satan I helvete, font-Long’s Vaux

Switzerland

Shadowfax, Chironico
La prue, Cresciano

Austria

Golden Gate, Silvretta

8A+

France

Total eclipse, font-Cul De Chien
Chaos, font-Rocher Gréau
Big Dragon, font-Petit Bois
Karma, Font

Switzerland

Kirk windstain, cresciano
Collateral, Chironico


Rasta Man Sit, Bishop Photo: Jeff Sillcox

the docs

It has been getting harder and harder to sit through the beautiful fall/winter days that keep unfolding before me. But I know that with each passing day my ankle is slowly starting to make its way back to its previous state.

Today was my greatly anticipated doctor’s appointment. X-rays were taken and after what felt like days, the doctor came in to diagnose the healing effort. I was happy to hear that it has been healing very well and properly. I still am in my boot for one more month but am now able to weight the foot 100 percent all the time as well as begin some minor physical therapy exercises. It was a great feeling to be heading in the right direction again!

In one month I will be able to walk without the boot freely as I please and shortly after that I will be getting the screw removed from my ankle and I will be back climbing again in no time!!! The wait has definitely been very mind numbing and days have grown ever so long but it looks like I have gone over that final hump and the end is getting ever closer.

I head back to Boulder in little over one month to start up another semester at the University of Colorado. Until then I plan to continue the training I have been as well as start to gain the mobility and strength back into my left ankle.

training training training

The healing process is going well and a few days ago was the first time that I was able to “climb” in over four weeks. I headed to my local climbing gym, Elite Climbing, to do some one footed top roping. Doing my workouts on my hang board have really paid off! I was a bit apprehensive on how I was going to climb but when I got on the wall, even though I couldn’t use my left foot, I felt pretty good. My endurance was not terrible and I felt like my finger strength was not completely gone. I think with the following weeks ahead of me I will be able to really work a lot of my weaknesses and continue to train on my hang board and go to the climbing gym to top rope before I am able to climb with both my feet again.

A few people have inquired about what I do on the hang board for my workouts. It pretty simple considering there is not too many extreme workouts you can perform on a hang board; use the picture below for reference. So here is a single workout I do (sometimes times a day). I start each workout by hanging on the upper jugs of the hang board for maybe 10-15 seconds or so. To continue the warm up I do 10 pullups on the lowest of pinches (very positive and not tweaky on the fingers at all).

Next it is one arm lock offs on the same pinches. I start with both hands on the pinches do a pull up and let go with my right hand first holding with my left arm in a locked off position for 10 seconds. I then do this with the right hand for 10 second and then again with the left for 10 seconds and then one last time with the right for 10 seconds. Without coming off I campus to the upper jugs do a pullup and bring my knees up into an L hang. I hold that for 10 seconds and then lower my arms to a 90 degree angle and hold for another 10 seconds before finally dropping off.

Next it is more L hangs. I grab the slopers directly below the jugsm do a pull up, hold an L hang for 10 seconds, bring my arms to 90 degrees hold it for ten seconds, and then repeat this 3 more times without leaving the L hang position or letting go of the slopers.

Then it is 10 pull ups on the smallest two finger pockets followed by 10 pullups on the bad pinches on either side of the board. Then I go to my other board and do 10 pullups on the smallest crimps, 10 pull ups on the biggest crimps, and 10 pullups in the middle slopers.

After this it is back to the blue board again. This is the most difficult part to explain so bear with me. I start with both hands on the good pinches down low. I campus first with my right hand to the crimp rail on the middle of the board then with my left hand to the jug at the top. Then right hand to the jug. Hang, then bring left hand to same crimp rail, campus back down into the pinches with both hands and repeat this 3 more times switching which hand goes to the crimp rail first. And then finally I do 10 pullups on the first good pinch and then campus to the jug and do 10 more pullups and by that time am pretty exhausted and can barely crutch back into the house!

If you have any questions regarding this or are completely confused feel free to comment and ill try and answer you the best I can.

I feel like the healing process is going great! My foot has more and more movement every day and I am able to start to put small amounts of weight down with my left foot while crutching around. I am hoping that my next doctor’s appointment on December 5th will end with some great news. But until then I will continue to do my workouts and top rope at the local climbing gym!

continuation

The days have been going by and my ankle is feeling a great deal better. The pain has subsided greatly and the swelling has gone way down! I got my stitches out on Friday and have my next doctor's appointment in a few weeks.

The Garage has turned itself into a small training facility for myself. My dad put up another hangboard on the other side of the existing one. Its a huge one and made by Etch. I am now able to campus from one board to the other pretty easily and get in quite a good workout. The workouts have been pretty simple so far, just lots of pull ups on the crimps pockets and slopers that the boards have as well as L-hangs, one armed lock-offs, and of course a little bit of campusing from one board to the other.

I think that within the next few weeks i will be able to start top roping with one foot at the local climbing gym every once in a while. I need to make sure to not put any weight on my left leg during the beginning of the healing process. I am very much looking forward to the day that i will be able to lace up both of my climbing shoes again and enjoy a nice bouldering session with friends. Until then it is going to be a lot of training to hopefully make a comeback and be stronger than ever when that day eventually comes.

Thank you all again for all of the kind words and support, it is greatly appreciated!


The Riverbed from Garrett Koeppicus on Vimeo.

This was shot two days before i broke my ankle and two days afterward. crutching was so painful in the beginning. The riverbed is a phenomenal boulder in Magic wood and after having had fallen at the end of Never Ending Story the previous weeks, i thought it best to build ups some fitness on this before heading back to NES again. I hope you enjoy the film. Shot and edited by Garrett Koeppicus.

The Training Begins

After sitting in bed for about 1.5 weeks i could not take the lazy life anymore. Since i am not allowed to put a single ounce on my left ankle my set up has to be very simple for a while. My dad and I picked up a hang board and he constructed me (Thank you!) a nice low to the ground set up to train on in the garage until i can start putting some weight on my left foot again.

The set up is very simple but it should do the trick. I don't think that it has been up for 12 hours yet and I have already done 3 intense sessions on it as well as my daily push up and sit up routines. Push ups are a bit harder when you can only use one foot. I am excited to build up my workouts on my hang board and look forward to possibly adding a board above it to start working on once my ankle starts to heal a bit and maybe some screw on crimps around it to campus around on. As for endurance, i think that once i am able to put a small amount of weight on my ankle in a few weeks, i will start roping up and climbing 1 footed. I hope in the next few weeks as well i can start to campus at my local climbing gym.

Here is what i have so far! yes, verrrrry simple but am very psyched to be back training again!

Thank You All!

Hey everyone, thanks so much for the kind words at the end of my previous blog post. I am now currently back in New Jersey after a 9 hour plane ride from Hell. But the pain and suffering was definitely worth it to be back home with my family, in a comfortable, bed, and have home cooked meals all the time!

I am still unable to do any sort of physical activity due to my inability to move my leg what so ever without shooting pains coming directly from my ankle. I am hoping with in the next two weeks this may subside and i can start to do some push-ups, pull-ups, and maybe a small amount of campusing. But for now it is the bed for me :(. Lots of sitting around, sleeping, and just trying to pass the time until i will be able to start some physical activity again.

Unfortunately it has been quite an epic trying to find a foot specialist to see me after getting home. It has come to my attention that doctors don't really want to work on helping people get better if they did not originally do the surgery to begin with. It does make sense but unfortunately it has been quite a problem trying to get a good foot specialist to take over where the hospital in Switzerland left off. I believe that i may have an appointment tomorrow with one tomorrow in Philadelphia if the doctor ever ends up calling us back. I can only hope that they will!

Anyway, thanks again for all the kind words. they were greatly appreciated and have helped a ton! Hopefully my next post i will have done something besides laying in a bed all day. Until then, thanks for all the support out there!

bad news at the bruno bloc

It is quite crazy to think that you can be at the top of your game and in my case coming so very close to sending the never ending story and then only a few days later emerging from bed that I couldn’t physically get out of and not being able to make it to the door only 10 feet away on my crutches.

Let me recount the past couple of days. Tuesday October 14, 2008 I wake up at around the same time as any day in Claro and decide that I am psyched to climb in the Magic Wood today. Both my friends, Garrett and Ryan were psyched on a rest because their skin was shot from the day before. I was really psyched to get back on Never Ending Story having felt really good on it recently and with the power endurance up. We headed into Magic Wood and it was a bit warm so I just set up all the pads and waited for the cooler afternoon temps. When they arrived I was psyched! I warmed up quickly and gave my first attempt on my project for the day. First go was pretty crappy and I thought maybe today was not going to be the day since I didn’t get too much sleep the night before, unfortunately. But after a nice rest I felt good to give it another try, this try was different from my previous attempt, I did not feel tired, I fired through the crux and was staring at the finishing hold. Right as I was about to do the last v2 move to the final jug my heel hooked slipped out and I was on the ground in no more than a seconds time. I was bummed! I had just practically sent my project but for some reason was standing on the ground without any sense of accomplishment. So instead of getting all upset I told myself next go will be the one and continued to rest for 20 more minutes.

The time finally rolled around for another good go at the line. I chalked up and fired through the bottom and again, like my second go, made it through the whole crux not fatigued and was psyched that this could be the send go. As I neared the top again all felt great and I was psyched but again my foot slipped but this time it was fast and shot me down and to the right. The fall was much unexpected and as I hit the ground my left ankle rolled over top of itself and I knew at that moment something was wrong. I quickly tried to put weight on the injured foot and it just gave out with the weight. At that moment, it all hit me. The 3.5 month dream trip to Switzerland had come to its final halt and that would be that would be the last time I would be climbing for a while. I hobbled over to the river and dunked my ankle into the water while people quickly packed up my stuff and brought it out to the car for me. I would first like to thank an amazing Swedish couple, Micha and Carolina (I am so sorry if I spelled your names wrong! Please comment if I did) and two Englishmen whom I never caught their names. I was practically carried back to the car and from there Garrett, Ryan, and I drove to the closest hospital, Kantonsspital in Chur about 30 minutes away.

Once there it was straight to the ER. From there x-rays showed that yes I had broken my ankle (Tibia bone) and that I was going to need to go into surgery to put a screw into my ankle to connect the tibia and fibula bones together. I was knocked out for the surgery and woke up hours later in a hospital bed with a huge boot on my left foot in great pain. The next morning I woke up the doctor coming in and mentioning not only did I break my ankle but I also tore the ligaments in my ankle and that they had sewn them back together and that the healing was to begin now. After a few days in the hospital and an epic learning how to walk on crutches (They don’t use the armpit style ones here) I have been discharged and am beginning my recovery process! I have hopefully 6-8 weeks or so before my boot can come off and then the physical therapy will begin. It is unfortunate to have ended my trip this way but it is life and you just have to take the punches as they come even if it may be multiple in a single few days period. I know my blog won’t be as interesting as it was the past couple months but I will keep everyone informed with how the healing is going. I obviously don’t plan to stop training; I have never been a super powerful climber so I am psyched to start working on my campusing a lot, definitely very low to the ground of course! So for now I have a few months before ABS Nationals in February. My goal now is to be well enough to compete in this comp! I know my upper body will be ready with the tons of training I plan to be doing I can only hope my lower body will be able to pull through and let me compete on the tall walls of the Spot in February!

As for the healing process, I get my stitches out (10 on the inside and 6 on the outside of my ankle) in about 12 days. I am able to crutch what any healthy human being could walk in 30 seconds in about 10 minutes, and I am allowed to put about 15 pounds of weight on my ankle as I crutch along. I will be flying home within the next few days and have a couch at my parents house with my name written all over it!

Until the training begins, thanks to everyone that helped me out that day it was very greatly appreciated! If I ever see any of you four again I would love to buy you all dinner for the support that day. I look forward to the day I can hike back into Magic Wood using both my legs and show the “Never Ending Story” that I will not give up on it and that I will send it one day when I am all healed up!

Thanks so much to Ryan and Garrett for an awesome trip even though it was shorted!!

Goodbye Europe, the times have been great!

Project Day 2

Today was the true day one on my project. I made some really good progress from my few brief attempts earlier this week. The crux is a 3 move sequence that revolves around some really small crimps. I was able to stick the first of the 3 moves but the other two are so so so hard! I got kind of close to sticking both the other moves. They are both going to take a long time to do and to link them is going to be a whole different story! I am so psyched to keep working on this amazing line!

This project though quite amazing is very sharp! I think that after today’s effort I may have to take two rest days to heal my tips up before I am able to try the line again.