#rockspotclimbing

Q:  How long have you been climbing and how did you first get into the sport?

A:  I’ve been climbing for 5 years or so. Technically, I first got into rock climbing when I was in elementary school through an after-school program at a local climbing gym (I’m from Seattle). When I was a kid, we used to go to these beaches on the coast of Washington that had a lot of huge pieces of driftwood that I loved to climb on. Soon after, my parents signed me up for a climbing program. I only did it for a year and didn’t really climb again until the end of high school when a few friends and I would go climbing every so often after school. When I got to college, I made a few friends freshman year that were really strong climbers. They got me psyched to start to take climbing more seriously and I’ve been climbing regularly since then!

Q:  When you’re not climbing, where can you be found?

A:  Aside from classes, I end up spending a lot of time in lab.  I’ve worked in a research laboratory in the department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard for the past few years.  Our lab studies neurological disorders, and I’ve been involved with a project looking at the neurons involved in narcolepsy (which is a disease that causes excessive sleepiness).

Q: If you could spend the day bouldering with anyone, who would it be?

A:  Hmm. That’s a tough one…non-climber, maybe Bill Gates? Try to do a little fundraising for the Harvard climbing team, you know. And his foundation is doing a lot of interesting work. Otherwise, I think climbing with Jimmy Chin would be really cool – he’s done a lot of crazy stuff, not only in climbing and mountaineering but also skiing.  And I would love to get tips on climbing photography, which I’ve been getting into the past couple of years.

Q:  Do you prefer to boulder or do you enjoy other styles of climbing?

A:  I feel like I would enjoy sport climbing a lot, except I’m pretty bad at it…I’m not good at being disciplined enough to sport climb regularly, so I’m almost never in good enough shape to really feel like I’m sport climbing as well as I could. I love the Red River Gorge though. And I’ve never done any alpine or trad climbing. I’m into ski mountaineering though, not really sure if that counts as climbing.

Q:  What has been your biggest accomplishment in climbing? How about your biggest challenge?

A:  I think the thing that I’m most proud of in climbing is helping to start the climbing team at Harvard. A friend and I started the climbing team our sophomore year in college, and it’s been an amazing experience to be able to see the team grow over the past couple of years. We’ve been able to introduce people to climbing who might not have climbed otherwise, and it’s exciting to see people come together and become really good friends (and to now see the team continue on after us initial members are graduating)! In terms of challenges, I’m kind of bad at just mentally trying hard on climbs – really gritting down and holding on during hard moves. I’m also bad at top outs…I complain a lot about scary top outs. Also down climbs. I do get a little freaked out by heights/lack of protection every so often when bouldering.

Q: Besides the obvious, like staying in shape, how do you feel climbing has helped you?

A:  Climbing has been a great stress release for me. Even if I’m stressed or in a bad mood, I’m always able to relax when climbing – there’s something about being on the wall that makes it really easy to just focus on just climbing and nothing else. Climbing provides a good balance to everything else that’s going on, like classes or papers or problem sets. I think it’s important to have the time to get away from classes or work, or whatever it is, and just climb.

Q: What is your go-to climbing snack?

A:  Definitely granola. I love granola. Pretty sure I’ve tried every type of granola there is at Whole Foods; I’ve been accused of being a granola snob. (Bola Granola is pretty fantastic!)

Q: Congrats on graduating from Harvard! What are your plans for after college?       

A:  Thank you! I’ll be at Stanford next year, joining the Biosciences PhD program in the department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (and will also be climbing a lot!).

Q: What advice do you have for someone who wants to climb in college?       

A:  I think there’s two things that have helped me climb well in college.  First, having a great group of friends to climb with – at the end of the day, we all help push each other to climb harder and reach our goals, and climbing is way more fun with other people! If I hadn’t started climbing with other people that were significantly better than me back when I started climbing (and stealing their beta!), I don’t think I would have been able to improve much over the past few years. Second, for me at least, committing the time to climb regularly, even when I’m busy, is somehow less stressful than just trying to fit it in around other things. I generally like having a somewhat regular schedule, but it’s been really helpful to more or less go climbing at the same times each week, just because those times are already blocked off and I know that I don’t need to worry about whatever things are due or coming up. And when there’s a really bad week, I’ll take the week off, but generally try to stick to a pretty regular climbing schedule aside from that.

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Big thanks to Kevin for taking the time to chat with us! To see more content from B3, check out the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfiFzpAmYZw

It’s hard to compare the grades at HP40 to grades in the climbing gym. The style is so wildly different that people who primarily climb indoors will usually believe the grades are insanely incorrect. This could be because typically a gym climber’s skill set does not apply well to the rocks at the park. People who spend time climbing outdoors and learning how to adapt to new environments will agree more with the grades at HP40.

To really understand what the park has to offer, climbers need to understand it is an opportunity to learn and become a better climber through its challenges. The grades can easily get into a climber's head and interfere with productive thoughts. Positive thinking and staying humble will provide the climbers the best chance to succeed. Sometimes the movement of a climb can be so subtle and precise that it can take hours or days of effort to create a sequence, however once everything comes together, it can make the climb feel substantially easier than it did at first.

Many of our climbers got to go through this process during the trip; they felt the difficulty, confusion, and frustration first hand and persevered! It was amazing to see them sit down, study, and even fight with a boulder, but to not give up. They found successes in the many of climbs they completed, but also in the lessons that they took from the rock itself. Down to the last day climbers were completing climbs that they had tried all week with little to no success. They persevered through failure and were able to stand on top full of those boulders filled with accomplishment.

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Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible! Don’t forget we’re offering technique blocks this summer for kids of all ages. Join us for 3 weeks of youth technique classes and workshops! Classes are available by age or by skill set, ages 4+ all abilities welcome. Weekly classes split by age will allow you to make friends while climbing the walls. Weekly drop-in classes will allow you to choose from a variety of class types and climbing techniques - join one or join them all! Discounts are available for members, but memberships are not required.

We hope to see you climbing this spring!

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Learn more about your local gym’s youth programs here:

http://lincoln.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs/lincoln-ri-registration/  

http://peacedale.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs/peace-dale-registration/

http://boston.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs-booking-bd/

http://southboston.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs/south-boston-registration/

To Learn more about the journey to Horse Pens 40, click here: http://rockspotclimbing.tumblr.com/post/144454083184/horse-pens-40-trip-recap-part-1-the-journey

Early Saturday morning, 16 youth ages 10 to 18 piled into an army of taxis that waited outside of our South Boston location. The air was cold and the sky still dark, but the long awaited journey had begun. Months of planning and fundraising were over; all the stood between the team and HP40 was a taxi shuttle, a quick flight, and a van ride.

A few hours later, a few degrees warmer, and with minds much more alert we pulled into the rustic, quirky, and charming landscape that would be our home for the following week. A week filled with perfect weather, new experiences, laughter, extreme challenges, and euphoric victories. The layout of the property was ideal: a short approach from the campsite and climbs for every ability and style preference. Each morning team members would sleepily stumble out of their tents and head to the kitchen (a rickety tarp-covered pavilion) for a hearty breakfast and to plan out their days. Climbers and coaches would divide up by the climbs or areas they were excited to tackle that day and head off, shoes in their hands and pads on their backs, into the boulder field. Others joined to watch or lingered back at camp to heal their hands and get some rest, often playing cards, slacklining, or napping in a hammock.

Lunch breaks and afternoon rests would pull the group back together at camp to talk about that morning's challenges or victories and to regroup for the afternoon. Large family style dinners would recharge our bodies and minds to tackle some boulders later at night. Night sessions quickly became a favorite way to approach the rock. The cooler temperatures added friction to the rock and relief to the skin. Headlamps and lanterns would line the boulder, illuminating them in a soft and welcoming glow. The nights were still and quiet, but the energy was high and shouts of victory or of struggle could be heard across the boulder field. While you were working and observing one problem, echoes of cheers from across the park would alert you to a victory that you would hear recounted later that night or the next day. Somebody had done it, they had sent their problem!

After 6 days of climbing, adventure, and fun, our week ended much the way it began, a long journey with many layers. Friday afternoon, we piled into the Rock Spot vans, left Alabama, and began our road trip home. The ride was long, but the stories and excitement of the previous week sustained us. We arrived home Saturday night with smiles still on our faces, holes in our shoes, and callouses on our hands. What a success! Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip a reality for all of our youth, it was truly an experience they will never forget.

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible! Don’t forget we’re offering technique blocks this summer for kids of all ages. Join us for 3 weeks of youth technique classes and workshops! Classes are available by age or by skill set, ages 4+ all abilities welcome. Weekly classes split by age will allow you to make friends while climbing the walls. Weekly drop-in classes will allow you to choose from a variety of class types and climbing techniques - join one or join them all! Discounts are available for members, but memberships are not required. 

We hope to see you climbing this spring! 

______________________________________________________________

Learn more about your local gym's youth programs here: 

http://lincoln.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs/lincoln-ri-registration/  

http://peacedale.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs/peace-dale-registration/ 

http://boston.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs-booking-bd/

http://southboston.rockspotclimbing.com/youth-programs/south-boston-registration/

To Learn more about the climbs at Horse Pens 40, click here: http://rockspotclimbing.tumblr.com/post/144557797479/horse-pens-40-trip-recap-part-2-the-climbing