Notes from Peaklessburg

Commentary on being a Suburban Mountaineer.

Old, Seasoned Gear, Far Mountains

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

At long last, the weather is more seasonable. Peaklessburg had 11 days this November over 70 degrees (F). Yesterday morning I wore a jacket and gloves and steam rose off my coffee.

I’m already looking forward to my winter getaway later in Vermont’s Green Mountains and I was making a mental list of what I would pack. It struck me that it’s mostly the same stuff I’ve been packing for winter fun for ten or more years, that I bought primarily as body armor for Adirondack ice climbing and that I now employed for snowshoeing and skiing.

There is the long, old-style shell, the ice climbing gloves bought on discount and the fleece insulation with the old EMS logo getting compressed, but not yet stripped at the knees and elbows. I wondered whether a refresh was in order.

This thought struck me because shortly before Thanksgiving I read 36 — that being issue 36 of Alpinist magazine. I really enjoyed it and already reread my favorite articles and sidebars, like Derek Franz’s fiction piece and Joe Josephson’s history of ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon in Montana. It’s enough to get really excited about the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival next week!

I also enjoyed perusing through the three catalog inserts 36 came with from Mammut, O.R. and Bent Gate Mountaineering (BMR). For a moment, I was succumbing to the marketing genius and contemplated buying a three-layer Gore Tex hard shell in some bold, bright new color.

Some of you might remember that the popular color for new gear in the late 1990s and the early 2000s was a muted purple. That bright green — like on the jacket that Jimmy Chin zips up in that populist commercial from The North Face — I don’t think was even invented then.

My gear, minus my original shell, does the job of keeping me warm, dry and protected from the wind as appropriate, so from a practical standpoint there is little reason to make serious upgrades. I bought a new shell a couple of years ago that I am reasonably pleased with, but it is not nearly the hardcore climbing shell my original parka was.

Besides, having signed onto the Common Threads initiative recently — which I take seriously — there is no functional need right now to make big changes to what I am putting in the back of my Subaru for Vermont. Perhaps if I was heading for climbing in the Revelation Mountains or the Cirque of the Unclimbables I would get outfitted with brand new layers. Then again, maybe I would just sew patches on the threadbare areas and play up the old, veteran-of-the-hills look.

So, I could definitely use a bit of a refresh at some point. But I might wait until just before I might embarrass Wunderkind one day; I’ll be picking Wunderkind up from school or skating practice in the future wearing some ridiculously muted purple jacket with patches. Yes, that would be the right time.

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Snow or the Lack Thereof

/ Andrew Szalay / 1 Comment

The other day, Edelweiss and I were talking about the absurdly warm November we’re having here in Peaklessburg. Actually, she talked, I grumbled.

We really don’t get enough snow and my neighbors annoy me when they shun — often vehemently — the thought of the white stuff. Rain could be flooding into their basements ruining their beloved, extensive and valuable collection of classic rock LPs and they would sigh and say, “Well, at least it isn’t snow.”

So Edelweiss, in her endless wit, suggested a very appropos statement to put on my tee shirt:

Let it
SNOW
Dammit

I grew up in snowy Upstate New York, and I probably have an unusual appreciation for snow, even among Upstaters. But for me, winter was always more exciting. Summer existed solely for short-wearing activities: hiking, rock climbing and baseball. But winter was for greater endeavors, including skiing, ice climbing, snowshoeing, snowball fights… And there is nothing quite like Tim Horton’s coffee and a donut on a cold, snowy day! Yes, even on the grey-sky slushy kind.

I’m jealous of anyone with regular access to some mountains and wintry precipitation. Or maybe you’re fortunate to have time to take off and head to Bozeman, Montana for the ice climbing festival (December 9 and 10). Enjoy!

So if you’re someplace cold that gets the flakes en masse, be grateful. There are snowless children at the equator.

Thanks for dropping by again. If you enjoyed this post, please consider following the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. Happy reading and carpe climb ’em!

Climbing Books that Bind Us Together

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

The other day something really interesting happened during my commute to work in Peaklessburg. I actually came  across someone reading a climbing book. Well, I thought that was pretty remarkable, at least.

The crowd around me during my ride to and from the city usually blends and blurs into the tracks, tunnels and sidewalks. I usually read my book or review white papers from work and mind little else. The passengers, including me, rarely interact with one another except to say excuse me unless you are travelling with a colleague or friend.

When I come out of my self-focus and raise my eyes to observe my neighbors, I usually see them with their smartphones, iPods, e-readers, Grisham novels, Wall Street Journals, business magazines and trade papers. I never see anyone with anything related to climbing. But then, suddenly, I did and I struck up a brief conversation about the book on the history of climbing in Yosemite.

For me, these chats are normally confined to the virtual world and the rare occasion I can attend my Section meeting of the American Alpine Club, so the face-to-face was invigorating. It made me really want to go to the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival next year.

Our talk was short so we only had time to mention important points, like how the routes developed, the gear Royal Robbins and Yvon Chouinard used and what people really meant by “dirtbag climbers.” While we had our preferred specialties (rock versus ice and alpine,) we were both sufficiently well read to hold a substantive conversation. After ten minutes, I passed my card for this blog and I got off at my stop.

This reinforced for me why mountaineering nonfiction matters. This includes literature, like Steve House’ Beyond the Mountain, to guidebooks, like Jonathan Waterman’s High Alaska, and the American Alpine Journal. These works are not only the stories about climbers like us or those that we admire and insight into climbing opportunities, they reinforce the platform of where climbing as a sport is today and help us advance what’s possible as well as give us a common language.

Climbing books allow us to see what has been done by others, stare at the   possible and how the impossible later became possible often a combination of innovation, naivety, boldness or arrogance, knowledge and experience, and luck. The knowledge of other’s experiences of all of those factors can enable us to be inspired as well as connect with other climbers better.

Climbing is not truly a spectator sport and climbs are personal things. Their stories — written — give more insight than photos and film. What’s in our hearts and what binds us is captured on the routes we ascend and the stories we share.

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The Market for Unusable Rock Climbing Shoes

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

If you read my most recent entry, you know I got the Bandits from Evolv and was really excited about them. But then I wore them in the hotel for just a little longer than both times that I tried them on in the store. My toes were feeling a little cramped and it wasn’t good.

What I thought was tolerable was suddenly painful. I was then stuck with figuring out what do I do now.

You see, whenever you buy climbing gear today, retailers refuse to accept returns or make exchanges for fear that the product might be damaged or altered in some way. My receipt from Erehwon said so very clearly. If they resold the returned or exchanged item that may have been changed in some way, if it fails to perform the shop doesn’t want to be held liable in any way. This concerned me because my size 11.5 Evolvs were not going to be climbed in very much by me.

So what do you do in this situation? First you try to avoid it by trying on as many rock climbing shoes as possible and you do your homework, reading reviews and such. Then you base your experience by the rental shoes you wore at the gym. I did all this but I think my shortcoming was that I hadn’t climbed in about ten years.

I also read a lot of advice, but I worried that the only way to get a better sized pair of Evolv Bandits was to do what a lot of folks have been forced to do: Sell them for a marginal loss (I hope it’s only marginal!) on EBay or some other exchange.

Since I was on the road, and had more time to obsess about this at night than I would when I’m at home with the family, I surfed the Internet at length for a solution. So I compared the prices of new rock climbing shoes on Ebay to their retail price. The possibility of breaking even seemed within reach, but I’d have to include shipping and there still wasn’t any guarantee. More than likely, I’d take a 20 percent hit.

With the shoes still on cramping my feet, I took them off. Then I put them back on lacing them a bit differently, hoping it would make a difference.

I eventually went to Evolv’s website and Hallelujah, my prayers were answered! Evolv allows customers to exchange new, unused shoes not worn outside the home, within 30 days of purchase. I’ll just have to fill out a form and mail them to Evolv.

Not bad, but my sizing miscue ruined my plan of packing neatly and lightly on my flight home however. I had hoped to ditch the shoe box and squeeze the shoes between my toiletries and my ties. Instead, my shopping bag from Erehwon with the shoe box holding the shoes would be my “personal item” to take onto the airline, in addition to my carryon. Oh well.

Thanks for coming by again. If you enjoyed this post, please consider following the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. Happy reading and carpe climb ’em!

Finally Got ‘Em: Rock Climbing Shoes

/ Andrew Szalay / 1 Comment

 

Well, a little while back I finally made the big purchase. I was stoked. I even thought about buying a rope and scaling the Sears Tower — the midwest’s “high point” — before coming home.

During a recent business trip on an off-duty evening, I made a point to drop into Erehwon Outfitters to spend some time trying on and choosing a pair of rock climbing shoes.

Fueled by a grande pumpkin spiced latte I plunged past the guidebooks, camping accessories and Yakima car cases and into the corner counter with the climbing gear. It was refreshing to see ice climbing gear in stock; you don’t see that in Peaklessburg. That was very distracting for me, but that’s not why I was there.

There were about ten shoes in stock and two models were on sale for $45 US. I started there but only tiny sizes were available; typical. Narrowing in on the men’s shoes, I had them pull down the shoes priced under $100 US in my size — or close to it; they didn’t have anything larger than 11.5 US / 45 EU. So I had two to try, if they fit.

I started with the Evolv Defy. It was comfortable, just as everyone that had reviewed them online had said. The tongue is padded more than the majority of climbing shoes. I compared them to another pair from Evolv, the Bandit, a lace-up model. I didn’t know anything about them but one of the sales peopled climbed in a pair just like these three times a week and strongly recommended them. My smartphone checked the reviews; others were extremely happy with them too. I wondered why these were never on my radar.

The Bandits felt good. I swapped shoes again to compare. The Defy felt roomier in the sides, perhaps because of the Velcro closure. Length-wise and in the toe box they felt the same. But the Bandits felt surer whenever I stood on the edge of the chair to simulate smearing as best I could. The Defys did well too, but the Bandits were doing very well. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why but I sensed a subtly noticeable difference.

I wanted the Evolv Bandits. I could have saved a bit of money and probably could have done fine with the Defys but the Bandits felt like a shoe for a long term commitment, like I was looking for. When I went to check out, I realized why these shoes weren’t on the sonar: They were priced over my budget by about $10 US, though they were labeled $99. I did the cost benefit analysis and my excitement won out.

I hadn’t been this excited about gear since I shopped for my softball mitt. Like the shoes will be, the mitt was a “pricey” investment, took effort to break in, and has provided already a decade of service. I hope these Evolv climbing shoes can do that too.

By the way, Erehwon is nowhere spelled backwards, in case you were wondering where the name came from. I think that’s clever.

 

Unfortunately, my quest for new rock climbing shoes didn’t here, though. More to come in my next entry. So if you enjoyed this post, please consider following the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. Happy reading and carpe climb ’em!

 

 

 

Trying on Some Rock Climbing Shoes

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

I just dropped by one of my local outfitters to try on some rock climbing shoes, with a lot of research and advice from friends and readers like you.

Keep in mind, I don’t climb these days and see that improving only marginally. The whole reason I’m shopping for them is so later I can have the pair of old, broken-in pair dad ought to have when he brings his child to the gym or crag when they older and so I don’t have to keep using rentals. After all, I write a climbing blog… It seems that I’m supposed to own a pair!

So I tried on and compared three all within an amazing 15 minutes. It was that short because I dropped into the shop on a whim while passing the store en route to more important errands, so my observations might have been rushed, but as a trial run to test out some rock climbing shoes it was a well used 15 minutes!

I tried on what they had available in my price range — under $100 US. The Mad Rock Phoenix is probably the most affordable shoe at this shop for men so I tried them on first. Mad Rock wearers either love them or hate them. They fit well. Plenty of room and could tighten them as needed by adjusting the laces.

I liked the Scarpa Thunder lace up the most. It fit my foot well and my toes had room, but I can’t decide if they were too snug in the toe box — I touched the end with a slight curl. Wasn’t intolerable. They certainly felt like a higher quality shoe compared to the Phoenix!

The La Sportiva Mythos was above my limit, so I tried on the Nago with the silver strip instead. That strip looks funny. A friend recommended these to me, so I’m glad they work for him. They were similar to the Thunders in fit.

Unfortunately they didn’t have anything else close to my size in the Five Ten Coyote and they only carried the lace-up model. They also did not carry the Evolv Defy… both of which I was hoping to don.

I tested each of them as best I could by taking a few short steps in them and also standing on the benches’ edge with my toes and insides of my foot. I don’t think that gave me any real solid observations, or at least nothing glaringly problematic came from trying these things.

I then tried them all on for a second time to compare them better and I made some judgments. First off, I preferred the Scarpa Thunders. They were clearly my favorite in this group. But I couldn’t decided whether I wanted a bigger size and I was wearing the largest in stock. I like my toes well surrounded by the shoe, but even that is left to interpretation. The Mad Rock Phoenix suddenly felt not only lesser quality to the Thunders, but also sloppier — at least in that they had more room for my foot to slide around in, even when I tried on a smaller size. The Nago… er… I still think they look funny to me so I’ll evaluate them again later if necessary.

Thanks for stopping off again. If you enjoyed this post, please consider following the Suburban Mountaineer on Facebook or Twitter. Happy reading and carpe climb ’em!

If you’re looking for a new pair of rock climbing shoes and want to check back on my experience, read my last post on this subject by clicking here.