Rockman Sezs

Rockman Has Moved

2011-02-17T22:11:00.000-06:00

If you would like to keep up with Rockman check here.

What if..

2010-06-10T10:50:00.002-05:00

Rockman's son always asks "What If....". These scenarios usually involve a multitude bizarre circumstances about tornadoes, floods, flying bicycles, monsters or radio active alligators. These scenarios don't really have any application to the sport of climbing, however, when you stop and think of all the "what if's" in the sport of climbing it can make you head spin. Black Diamond does a great job of testing their equipment watch this video and see if you makes you wonder or answers your "what if's" about carabiners.

Black Diamond Carabiner Testing Video from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

The times are a changing

2010-05-25T16:38:00.001-05:00

Rockman started climbing in 1990. A lot has changed in the sport in the past 20 years. Back in the day people wore spandex pants and you were something if you could climb 5.12. Climbing gyms and manufactured climbing holds were just making their way into climbers hands and people were having ethical debates about "sport climbing". These were good times. One constant in these last twenty years, in Rockman's mind, was a employee own climbing gear company called Black Diamond.

Black Diamond was purchased from it's founder (and founderer?) and climbing pioneer Yvon Chouinard. Chouinard (a blacksmith by trade) made and sold some of the best pitons in the country starting in 1957. Always a being on the front of a trend, he revolutionized the sport by introducing "clean climbing", using removable protection from climbs instead crack-damaging pitons. He did this in 1974 the same year he patented the Hexentrics. In 1989, after facing several lawsuits for manufacturing climbing that wasn't defective but lacked sufficient warnings about the dangers of climbing, Chouinard sold the company.

Black Diamond Equipment has gone on to set the standard in climbing equipment. They manufacture some of the best carabiners, climbing protection and harnesses. Their Camalot (C4) is the camming protection of choice for most traditional climbers. They have helped climbers around the world make bigger, bolder ascents, as well as, allowed regular joes, like Rockman to get some high quality climbing gear at a reasonable price.

On May 10th, Black Diamond announced they were purchased by Clarus Corporation. This news rocked Rockman's world. This great employee owned company is going to be merged with Gregory Mountain Products into some sort of conglomerate company. What does this mean for us the end user? Only time will tell. Better products? More innovation? Quick emphasis on profits and a quick resale? This is what Peter Metcalf, the Ceo of Bd, has to say about the change,

What is not changing? Our commitment to our mission vision and values, and our efforts to help write the stories of the sports and the communities which inspire us. This shared passion is the universal Esperanto that connects us with fellow climbers & skiers no matter where we are. We view this new route in front of us as not only a method to growth, but as a collaborative effort through which we will strengthen and expand the way we do business and our community of fellow users.

The thing Rockman knows for a fact is the times they are a changing. Good luck Black Diamond we have our fingers crossed.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Big Up Productions: The Insiders

2010-05-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

Big Up Productions has been setting the standard for high quality climbing videos. One of their most recent films is The Insiders. This films will help any climber that has been lacking a little motivation get off the ground. Enjoy.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

You may be a climber from Wisconsin if......

2010-05-09T08:47:00.000-05:00

You have seen You may be a ________ if you .... lists about rednecks, dog lovers and lots of other groups but here is our chance. Feel free to add a comment if you have your own additions.

You may be a climber from Wisconsin if........

.....you own more than 100ft of tubular webbing.

......you think 8 hours is a quick drive to go climbing.

......you yell "Rope" regardless of if their is any one around you.

..... you walk (or drive) twenty minutes between Boulder problems

.....you have ever said a hold is "out" on climb outside.

....you think guide books should show you an aerial view of a crag.

...you think is chalk is controversial.

....you care what DFLA stands for.

.... your hexes are your most frequently used climbing gear.

....you have ever seen a man in a pinstripe suit at the crags.

....you have ever traded a bush for a camp site.

...you have a hard time trusting your feet where ever you climb.

Lets keep the list going.

In The Spirit Of Advenutre,

Rockman

Name That Derriere V2

2010-05-02T20:40:00.001-05:00

If you have every taking any pictures of people climbing, it has inevitably happened to you. The "Butt Shot". If you don't remember what color your friend's pants were that day, you may not remember who the climber was. Mostly those pictures are useless. That is why Rockman came up with his new segment/contest Name That Derriere. Here is how it works. Look at the three photos; try to identify the Adventure Rock members pictured. E-mail your answers to rockman@adventurerock.com. The winner will receive a Kreig Chalk Bag, one of these bad boys will fancy up your derriere for sure. All submissions will need to be in by May 22nd, 2010. Winner will be chosen at random from the most accurate submissions. Here are the photos:

All photos taken by Lauren Goodspeed

Now, for the moment you all have been waiting for........

And the winners chosen at random from the hundreds of correct answers are Sarah Brengosz, Lauren Goodspeed and JJ Czaplewski. They will each receive a Kreig chalk bag. Please keep the submissions of Name That Derriere photos coming.

In The Spirit Of Adventure

Rockman

Breaking the Dirtbag Cycle

2010-04-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

When it comes to the world of climbing, the term "dirtbag" gets thrown around a lot. It used to refer to a climber, that sans job, does everything within his power to get by without tapping into his meager savings and continue climbing. The stories of dirtbags sound kinda like a hobo's existence; dumpster diving for food, collecting bottles for deposits, waking up early to move before rangers find you sleeping illegally. The stories go on and on. They are kinda fun and have a sort of romantic, spirit of adventure quality to them. The problem is that idea of being a dirtbag has permeated into the climbing culture. Folks that are weekend warriors with good jobs seem to have "bought" into the idea of being a dirtbag. It has moved away from the idea of scrimping by on meager finances to continue climbing to just flat out being cheap. One example of this was during the open years of Torrent Falls in the Red, Rockman watched many gainfully employed climbers walk pass the $2 donation can and never drop in a dime. This becomes the problem with the dirtbag mentality. Torrent Falls is no longer open to the public. Is it because folks didn't fork over a couple of bucks on each visit? Not entirely, but pulling a wad of cash out each weekend would have payed for the port-o-potty. The examples like this are too many and too frequent to list, but if you don't believe Rockman, just hang out at the front counter of your local climbing gym and listen as people try to talk their way in without paying, or go local gear shop where climbers ask to price match a Spanish website. Listen to enough of these conversations and you will start to understand.

It occurs to Rockman that the climbing industry is really to blame for perpetuating the Dirtbag Cycle. Over the years climbing equipment has become safer, more functional and less expensive. Let Rockman illustrate. In 1990 the average cost of rock shoes was $150. The average cost of rock shoes today is $110. In twenty years have shoes gotten better or worse? What helps bring this price down? Cheap shoes have made all companies cut costs to stay competitive. A Black Diamond Bod harness was one of the least expensive harnesses when Rockman started climbing. It was $50. Now the same harness is still $50 and a host of other harnesses are more comfortable and less than $50. All of this gear safe, useful, light, comfortable and inexpensive. This is good right? Inexpensive gear allows everyone to have shoes and harnesses and ropes and biners, but unfortunately the profit margins are smaller making it harder on the industry. As the costs of these items go down further, climbers begin to expect better and better deals, fueling their cheapness.

What is the big deal with being cheap? The big deal is this cheapness affects Red River Gorge Climbing Coalition, land owners, other climbing advocacy groups, local climbing shops, climbing gyms and other buisnesses that support the climbing community. Rockman can't tell you how many times he has heard a dirtbag climber justify not paying his 2 bucks for camping at Miguel's because he bought a pizza. Now Miguel's has a tag system for tents to make sure you pay $2. Really, 2 bucks. You can't pay 2 bucks? Where in the world can you camp ,that has plumbing, for $2. That is just sad and if you can't pay for camping are you going to give $20 a month to your local climbers coalition, probably not.

So how do we break this cycle? Easy. The same way Rockman changes his children's behavior. No, not by yelling-Consequences. What if the consequence of buying the cheapest gear meant you might get hurt? Would you buy the more expensive draw set if it was stronger? Cheap gear isn't really that cheaply made, but what if it was? What if cheap gear wasn't as strong or reliable? Would you spend more? If faced with the choice of decking out or spending more money, more money would win out, wouldn't it? Of course this won't happen. It is hard to build a business around substandard gear. Having these consequences might be the cure for dirtbagedness but for now the only consequence of being a dirtbag is more subtle: closed climbing areas and tags for your tent. There still are consequences even if it takes 15 years to realize them. Help Rockman break the dirtbag cycle by supporting your local climbing coalition, paying for camping, buying from your local climbing shop (and not asking for a deal) and buying quality-made climbing gear instead of the cheapest thing that may do the trick.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Not Forgoten

2010-04-16T14:21:00.002-05:00

It may seem like a while since Rockman has posted anything but he has a lot of stuff in the works. First off, he went climbing, crazy hey. More info and a trip update will coming in the next couple of days. Second, Rockman Sezs is in the process of moving. Where to? Adventure Rock's new website which will be going live in the next couple of weeks. Keep checking back to see the progress. If you have become a subscriber or follower, we don't quite know how that is going to work, but with a little patience you should be able to follow the blog. Lastly, there is a bunch of really fun things coming down the line for Adventure Rock.

Gear Swap and MBEC comp on Monday April 19th from 6-9pm. Come sell your unwanted gear and buy someone elses for a great deal.
Adventure Rock's very own Matt Kuehl's Senior Thesis Boreal Exposure will be opening on Friday April 16th at MIAD.
Adventure Rock's Tread-Wall update-The wall is operating again. Thanks to the hard work of Matt Brunell the wall is back in operation. It will take a couple of days to get everything put back together and it will be back in operation. Give us a couple of days and you be able climb for miles.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

You Go Joe

2010-04-02T01:45:00.001-05:00

Rockman, for the most part, usually has a pretty low opinion of professional climbers. Because of the small amount of money that exists within the sport, pro climbers have to almost be omnipresent. They are constantly touting their lasts projects and numbers in climbing mags, blogs and to any person that will listen, in order to eek out a living and continue to climb. After years of being in the sport and hearing about another twenty-something pro climber sending ~~5.12~~, ~~5.13~~, ~~5.14~~ or 5.15, it just isn't that interesting. As a result, most of the climbing blogs, magazines and videos, just don't give Rockman anything to mentally chew on. Every once and awhile Rockman does come across something (Thanks to the NARC) that is compelling to read on a pro climber's blog.

Joe Kinder recently posted an article on his blog Joe Kind Kid that Rockman was psyched to read. The article was about him doing his first bit of bolting routes in the Red River Gorge. Not real big news,but as the article continues he talks about how badly he messes it up. So what? Right. The best part of the whole deal is he fesses up. He does the one thing politicians, professional athletes and other public figures can never seem to do. Admit they were wrong. Joe admits his mistakes and eats some crow and gets the routes fixed (thanks to some RRG locals). In the world of pro climbing where self promotion is almost as important as climbing, that's huge. Check out his post here. Rockman has to say, You go Joe. Everyone makes mistakes and its refreshing hear someone own up to them. (The caveat to all of this is no one decked on his bad equipment. If someone did, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation.)

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Name that Derriere

2010-03-24T11:52:00.001-05:00

If you have every taking any pictures of people climbing, it has inevitably happened to you. The "Butt Shot". If you don't remember what color your friend's pants were that day, you may not remember who the climber was. Mostly those pictures are useless. That is why Rockman came up with his new segment/contest Name That Derriere. Here is how it works. Look at the three photos; try to identify the Adventure Rock members pictured. E-mail your Answers to rockman@adventurerock.com. The winner will receive a Kreig Chalk Bag, one of these bad boys will fancy up your derriere for sure. All submissions will need to be in by April 2nd, 2010. Winner will be chosen at random from the most accurate submissions. Here are the photos:

Photo #1 by Chris Hannes

Photo #2 by Unknown

Photo #3 by Daniel Clifford

Good luck. If you can't get enough of Butt Shots you may want to join the Facebook group Nothing Butt Climbing Pics. Feel free to e-mail Rockman your Butt Shots, he will try to use them in future Name The Derriere posts.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

The Humble 9/16th Wrench

2010-03-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

When was the last time you were out climbing and clipped a bolt that the hanger spun? Or maybe you got to an anchor and one of the quick links was opened just a little bit. You may have thought to yourself,"Self, that can't be good". Maybe you tried to tighten it by hand and thought, like Rockman did, "Someone should do something about this bolt". Rockman can honestly say he was missing something about how things get in the climbing world, to think someone else should do something. The person that needs to do something is the person who sees the problem.

Rockman's epiphany came when he met a climber named Terry Kindred, an outspoken southern climber and member of Team Suck, a group of folks that climbed, played and rebolted routes together. Terry wasn't full of a lot tact, but he called them like he saw them. He was not afraid to come up to a climber and tell them what they were doing wrong. He had a sense of responsibility to the climbing world and he did not want anyone to mess it up (he used other words). Terry and the rest of Team Suck spent a lot of time and money replacing bolts in the Red River Gorge, and still do (without Terry). Replacing bolts is pretty unglamorous, it doesn't get your name in the guide book like bolting new lines does, but when that new line's bolts aren't so new any more most RRG climbers should be grateful for Team Suck. Terry would proselytize almost as much as he climbed or screwed around. The thing Rockman remembers most about his rants was: We are responsible for the world of climbing, not someone else. He would go on about reading kiosks at the trail head, parking in the right area, packing out your climbing tape, obeying closures, following land owners rules and host of other really simple things. Most climbers can't, won't or shouldn't be replacing bolts, but we should do what we can when we can. Thankfully Team Suck does a great job with bolt replacement in the Red River Gorge.

Terry died in 2006, and while Rockman didn't know Terry well, he still felt his loss. Rockman feels as though the climbing community needed some like Terry to give us a wake up. To tell us what should obvious. So as spring draws near and you start putting you climbing gear together, throw a simple 9/16" (or adjustable) wrench in your pack. When you come across a loose bolt tighten it down. Not because Rockman said so, not because Terry would have told to do so, because it is the least you can do for the sport.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

P.S. Terry and the rest of Team Suck have a "How to Climb" section on their website. If you go to their website you can read a lot of fascinating Terryoids (quotes from Terry), report bad bolts, and, of course, donate to the rebolting fund. Rockman just did his part a made a donation to both Team Suck and RRGCC.

Classic Climbing Cinema

2010-03-17T09:57:00.000-05:00

Back in the day Cliffhanger was the best Hollywood Climbing ever made. Rockman loved it. The best part of the film is the opening scene. Rockman and lots of other climbers used the Ol' Black Diamond Bod harness pictured in the scene. As cheesy as it is, this scene is what climbing nightmares are made of (the free falling to death, not hanging out with Sly Stallone). Give the opening a look then check out the parody.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Hints to an effective gym work-out

2010-03-14T21:55:00.000-05:00

Climbing at the gym is fun, for a lot of reasons. Great people, wide variety of changing routes and grades, climate controlled, comfy floor and a host of other amenities. It is easy to see why climbers, while they love the outdoors, still flock to climbing gyms all over the world. Adventure Rock is no exception. Climbing gyms are kinda like bars for active people, lots of camaraderie, laughter, pick up lines and good times. Rockman will often walk through the gym and comment that Adrock is a sitting gym more than it is a climbing gym. This atmosphere, unfortunately, can lead to less working out and more hanging out. If you have been coming to the gym and you don't seem to be getting better or your performance has plateaued, here a couple of hints to a more effective gym work-out.

Decide why you come to the gym-If you come to the gym to hang out , Great. If you come to get strong for a trip to the Red, fine. If you come to for fitness, totally cool. What ever the reason you come to the gym it is important for you identify those reasons. It will help you.....
Set some goals-Once you have idea of why come to the gym, you will need to set some goals. I want to climb X grade. I would like to be able to get to the top of the CCC trail without passing out. I would like to be able to do this route or that route. What ever you decide your goal is it will help determine your workout in the gym.
Warm up-Try to warm up slow and on moderate grades. This will help reduce injury and help lengthen you work outs.
Work out-We do call it a gym. Based on your goals you should have some idea of what you need to do. If you are working towards a bouldering trip you shouldn't be doing routes. If you are working to increasing your endurance, stay out of the bouldering cave.
Use your time-Get into the gym an appropriate amount to meat your goals. No more, no less. Coming into the gym to often will cause either ineffective workout or injuries.
Get some help-For whatever the reason once climbers learn to belay they think they don't need any help. There are many places to get help; Adrock offers personal training,there are lots of book out about training, online resources, other climbers, lots of options just don't be afraid to utilize help. Often time a partner who pushes you can make the difference. Your partner doesn't help.....
Lose the dead weight-This could be literally and figuratively. It is easier to climb when you are lighter, however climbers carry around a lot of figurative dead-weight. This weight could be a under-motivated partner, climbing with new climbers that chew into your work-out, trying to mac at the gym, people that want to tell you how to run your business. Lose it all. Tell people you are at the gym to work-out, not talk and try to say no to the doughnut, too.
Know your body-What do you need to do to get a good work out? Back in the day Rockman would have to ~20 route for a good work out, these days its more like 7 or 8. Keep a log if you need to. Once you have a base of what is a good work-out you can keep better track of what you are doing and how you are progressing. Knowing your body pertains to getting a climbing injury, as well, know when your body is telling you to take a couple days off.
Failure is good-When you can't get up your warm-ups at the end of the night, you've done good. Think about it, when was the last time you were so tired that you failed getting up a warm-up? Maybe you should be doing a little more each time your in the gym. Try doing laps on your last route or down climbing your last route or killer hangboard session.

If your goal is just to hang out, ignore most of this. If you want to improve try a couple of these hints, while firing you partner is kinda harsh, most of these things are easy to implement. Give them a try, the nice thing is you can always go back to hanging out on the floor and telling people how to run their business.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

P.S. For all of you faithful readers, sorry for that lack of posts this past week. Rockman's brain stopped working altogether. Hopefully were up to normal functioning now and will posting on a more regular basis.

Parental Guidance Suggested

2010-03-05T08:04:00.004-06:00

Not everyone sees things like Rockman. He understands this. Rockman is no angel. He has said his fair share of inappropriate things and dropped his fair share of less than gentlemanly language. That being said, Rockman thinks climbing should be a family sport. Folks should be able to take their family to the gym or to the crag without a bunch of earmuffs and oxygen masks. For the most part, Rockman has been pretty psyched on how well the climbing community has toned it down when his family rolls up to the crag. It may be a slight buzz kill, but 70% of the climbers get it. The others, well, they may never get it and that's really sad.

Recently, Rockman has been viewing trailers of new climbing videos that are about to be released. It has been amazing to see not only how climbers have improved but how the production value of climbing films has improved. Climbers are making videos that are pretty interesting to watch. Lots of camera angles, great graphics, and editing make for easy viewing. It seems like a great way to make some money in the sport. Unfortunately, it seem as though many of the guys making the videos are part of the 30% that may never get. This video is a great example of how clueless some folks are(Warning:This video has a lot of pointless swearing and other dumb behavior. Rockman has posted it to illustrate a point. You don't need to watch it to understand the point):

Classy.

This particular video is not super high quality, but illustrates the point. The language, the music and the behavior are all inappropriate. Was this movie made for a family audience? One would hope not. Rockman is not suggesting that we sanitize the climbing world to make it family friendly, but the editing process makes it wee bit easier. "Artistic" decisions were made to make these videos what they are and these videos are on the cutting edge of rock climbing. All of the professional climbers in the industry are in them. All of the sport's leading gear manufacturers sponsor and advertise in these movies. Is this what the sport is? Is this what you want the sport to be? Rockman doesn't. Adventure Rock doesn't. This is one of the reasons Adrock doesn't do many climbing movie premieres, because we feel strongly about the family nature of sport. Now watch this video:

If you actually got to the section of the first video with Daniel Woods, you realize how different these two videos are. Why? $$$$$$$. Daniel Woods likes his sponsorship with The North Face. Even though Rockman isn't a huge fan of The North Face, they get it. They want to be associated with the best things this sport offers. They want what Adventure Rock wants. The difficulty of the moves, the conquering of something that was thought to be to hard, "the triumph of victory and the agony of defeat", all of the things that attracted many of us to the sport initially. And, Rockman would add, stuff he would like his kids to be a part of. Climbing: Parental Guidance Suggested-But does it need to be?

In the Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Summit Shots

2010-03-02T13:23:00.000-06:00

The Summit Shot, that all important proof of success. These, often out of focus, poorly composed, photos are some of a climbers most treasured possessions. Rockman totally spaced these from Everest Day. They are great, take a look.

These hold up to any of the Summit Shots, Rockman has seen.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Everest Day

2010-02-25T09:10:00.001-06:00

Anniversary Week is over and it seems as thought the crew at AR is looking forward to a little down time between events. We hope that every one had a great time. Everest Day seems to get the most attention of any of the events we do. Here are are the photos, maybe you can see why.

Thanks to everyone who participated or helped out with all of the events.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Attention Trekies: Captain Kirk climbs the Mountain

2010-02-22T05:38:00.002-06:00

Rockman knows everyone wants to see some photos of Everest Day. Unfortunately, Ice Dancing and Curling are occupying an in-exorbitant amount of time. Here are a couple of videos for your enjoyment:

Hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics. Go USA! Hopefully in 2020, Rockman will be posting some video of Olympic climbing. It's not to early to start training.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

DIY: Liquid Chalk

2010-02-19T20:19:00.000-06:00

Besides the sports bra, chalk is probably one of the most beloved pieces of climbing equipment. These days every climber has a bag full of chalk. Not much has really changed since those hot, humid days at Devil's Lake when John Gill rubbed some gymnastic chalk on his hands and changed the sport of climbing. Gymnastic chalk is pretty much unchanged; put it in a sock or don't, grind it real fine or leave it chunky. It's still just Gymnastic chalk. Until a few years ago when someone came up with the idea of liquid chalk. In Rockmans opinion, it's a pretty good idea for two sets of climbers, the super sweaty and boulderers. This stuff will not replace your chalk bag. All its users will tell you this stuff makes for a great base layer of chalk. It really packs a one, two punch on your hands; removing oil and moisture and replacing it with an even coat of chalk. Kinda cool, hey. The problem is a 4 oz. bottle can cost you up to $11.95. Just on the wrong side of a sawbuck to give it a try. Rockman is here to help. Here is a recipe to make ~8 oz. for $4.00.

Ingredient list:

1-8 oz block of gymnastics chalk ($1.50)

1-16 oz bottle of rubbing alcohol ($2.50)

1-Empty bottle

1-mixing dish

1-mixing stick

1-measuring cup

Instructions

Break up your block of chalk. Rockman uses a fine screen to grate the chalk through; it creates a very fine dust which makes creating a smooth mixture much easier. Depending on how much liquid chalk you want to make, grind about 2-4 cups of chalk. Put it into your mixing bowl. Make sure you measure how many cups you put into your bowl.
Add your rubbing alcohol to your mixing dish at a ratio of 1:2 (1 part alcohol to 2 parts ground chalk). Rockman likes to work in smaller batches of 1 cup alcohol to 2 cups chalk.
Use your mixing stick to mix your mixture until it is really smooth. If your mixture is slightly dry add in small splashes of alcohol until it is suitable consistency.
Add your mixture to its suitable container.
Clean up and head out to do some climbing.

Directions for use

Shake bottle before each application. Squirt a nickel sized glob into your hand. Don't use more, because unlike hand lotion you can't just rub this on your elbows to absorb the extra; it will give you really chalky elbows.

Rub your hands together,vigorously. When you first apply this stuff you you will think to yourself," ugh, this is totally disgusting." Don't fret, it gets better. Keep rubbing your hands together. One thing Rockman should tell you is this is rubbing alcohol, the stuff you freaked out about your mom putting on your scraped knee; it will burn (while disinfecting) any cuts on your hands.

You will notice your hands will start to get cold. This is the alcohol evaporating off your skin, taking with it moisture and oil. Your hands will start to look chalky.

Voila, liquid chalk. Go send some boulder problems, Sweaty.

If you don't want to make your own LC or if you just want to see what it is like, next time you are in the gym ask one of the friendly desk staff to try a squirt of Rockman Sezs Liquid Chalk. Give it a try and let the staff know if you like it.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

13 Questions With An Adventure Rock Local-Ray Janowski

2010-02-17T08:23:00.003-06:00

What is your Name? Ray Janowski
Do you have any Nicknames? If so, what are they? Poppa Bear
How long have you been climbing? 1 1/2 Years
How long have you been climbing at Adventure Rock? 1 1/2 Years
What is your favorite part of Adventure Rock? The friendly staff and members.
What were you thoughts when you first came to Adventure Rock? It seemed like an intimidating place, but quickly realized it is a cool gym with relaxed people.
What is you favorite climbing area? EVERYWHERE!
What is your favorite route and why? Any crimpy technical route. They are the best because they require more than brute strength to get up.
What is your favorite piece of climbing gear? My hands, they take me where I want to go.
What do you like about climbing? Achieving goals you set out for yourself.
Tell us about your best day climbing? I dominated a crimpy 5.11 that was on the overhang. I was so pumped.
If you could change one thing about the sport what would it be? I would make it an Olympic sport.
If you could name a route what would you name it? Higher Ascent

Thanks, Poppa Bear, for letting us get to know you.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Hard Times

2010-02-15T07:06:00.001-06:00

The other day in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rockman read an article about a indoor play area called Just4Fun. Rockman has always felt that these places are a great idea. An indoor playground. The equipment is easy to find and readily available. The cost for space is relatively inexpensive because they are in warehouse spaces. They are great for adults because they are climate controlled, there is nothing for the kiddies to get into, and they usually have amenities like wifi and comfortable chairs. Usually they charge a very fare price for coming in to play. Seems like win/win all the way around. The gist of the article is that due to the downturn in the economy this place has not done as many b-day parties and, as a result, has fallen behind on rent ($180,000) and is facing eviction, as well as end of their business. This made Rockman think about Adventure Rock and how we are doing in these "hard-times".

The quick answer is Adventure Rock is doing fairly well. Given the state of the economy, we are still doing lots of b-day parties, our classes are filling up, we have more members than ever. So as Adventure Rock is celebrating it's 12th anniversary, why? Why them and not us? There are probably a hundred reasons why Just4Fun is going out of business and Adventure Rock is not. Rockman would like to believe it is his marketing prowess and cut-throat business tactics. Most likely it is not either of those. Maybe it is our stellar business plan. However, we have spoken to plenty of bankers who don't seem to think it is that stellar. So what is it?

It's you. You have a lot to do with it. You and the rest of Adventure Rock's fans, followers and members. You buy memberships, come to our events, let us host your kid's b-day party, let us teach you to belay, let us coach you. You work for us, volunteer for us, recommend us and you trust us with your hard earned money. You make up a community of people that support Adventure Rock, just another small business like Just4Fun.
12 years ago no one thought that we could stay in business for 1 year, let alone 12. They have not been easy years, but we are still here. So if we haven't told you in a while, Thank you. Thank you for your years of support, good wishes and help.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Anniversary Week Line Up

2010-02-12T07:05:00.003-06:00

Come on into Adventure Rock rock for our Anniversary Week (February 15th-22nd) celebration. Each day we have an event that will try to amuse you.

Retro Night MBEC-Monday, February 15th, 6:00pm-9pm

How could we make our MBEC (Monday Bouldering Extravaganza Competition) any better? Add in some retro outfits, of course. We don't care if it is spandex, tie dyed, polyester bell bottoms or woolen lederhosen, bust 'em out and come boulder. $5 to enter. Retro Themed prizes.

Poker Night-Tuesday, February 16th, 6:00pm-9pm

Deal 'em up. Come on in and climb our 7 poker night routes to make your best Five card hand. If you are a card shark, you could win a pair of Five Ten Shoes. No cost for members, everybody else needs a day-pass to play.

Movie Night-Vertical Limit-Wednesday, February 17th, 7:00pm-?????

This nail biting , edge of your seat thrill ride of a movie will give you insight into how hard it is to climb a mountain like K2. Join us for this true to life story of sibling rivalries, redemption and nitroglycerin. This movie will not disappoint. Rated PG-13. No Charge for this event.

Dyno Comp-Thursday, February 18th, 7:00pm-?????

Let's see how big your ups are. Come join us for this leap-fest. Whether you can Dyno or not it will be a good time. A $5 donation to the Red River Gorge Climbing Coalition will get you in the door, it's up to you to stay off the floor.

Free Friday-Friday, February 19th, 10am-10pm

There is no catch, it's just free. Free day passes, free Clip'n Go, free rental. Why? It is our little way to say "thank you " to the community that has supported us and kept us in business for 12 years. Come on in and climb, bring a friend-it's free.

Prearranged programs,sleep-overs,b-day parties or group classes are not free.

Everest Day-Saturday, February 20th, 10am-2pm

Do you have what it takes to climb the worlds tallest mountain? Come find out. Adventure Rock has put together a 10 stage Everest-style obstacle course. Come wield ice axes into our "Khumbu Ice Fall", attempt to ascend the Hillary Step, or set up camp in a wind storm. Curious? We will not disappoint. Any age can come try out this mental and physical challenge. No Cost to participate. Cake will be served after the event. Dress warm because you will be inside and outside.

Anniversary Membership Sale

February 21st-22nd

Individual
Annual
$240

Individual

Clip'N Go Annual
$340

This sale has become an annual tradition for Adventure Rock (that's why we call it the Anniversary Sale). We are selling our annual membership at a significantly reduced rate. Come in either of those days to get this great deal. If you already have a membership, current members can come in any time during Anniversary Week to renew. Tack your new membership on the back end of your current membership to take full advantage of this sale.

$120 for the first additional family member
$60 each additional family member

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Flip Flops In February

2010-02-10T13:25:00.000-06:00

Lots of folks that attended this past Fridays, Midnight Climb have been asking about Flip Flops in February. Almost all of this motley crew at some point have been staff members at Adventure Rock. This band was first affectionately call the Adventure Rock Band (Adventure Rock+Rock Band=Adventure Rock Band, clever hey). The band has grown a lot since those days, both professionally and personally. When AR was approached by the band to put on an event, we jumped at the chance. Flip Flops in February in February, does it get any better? They always put on a fun show and this past Friday they put on a great show. After a long hiatus these guys had their groove on. The band put in a ton of work to make the night run and sound smoothly and it showed. They put on a killer show. The only down side, Rockman didn't see enough flip flops.

Here is the the bands line up:Flip Flops in February – Nick Davis - Bass, Kevin Schwartz -,Strings and things, Andy Miers - Drums, Dillon Mansour – Aux Percussion, and The Josh – Guitar, and Harmonica.

Check out the band's Flog (Yes, Flog). You can read more about the band, set lists and info on upcoming events. Check it out, become a follower and if you see the band give them a high five for great show.

In the Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Friday Night's Freak Out

2010-02-08T07:37:00.002-06:00

One thing that Rockman has come to understand about the staff at Adventure Rock, is if you set the bar high they will bound over it like it was nothing. Friday Night's Freak Out was no exception. It was one of the coolest events that Adventure Rock has ever done. Arock was completely transformed into....well, Rockman can't really describe it, but it was really cool. Check out the slide show.

The night was filled with good vibes and good tunes provided by Flip Flops in February. The lighting design was provided by our resident lighting,sound and painting expert Dustin Donohoe with help from his minion Danny Clifford who spent three days setting up the light s for the freak fest(lights provided by the folks at Proline Entertainment). The Treadwall was a huge hit with climbers. Alex Nimmer, not quite crushing Devon Wilson in the final round, consisting staying on the Treadwall while it was completely horizontal. The top time just over 30 seconds with the wall running at full speed. Crazy. Rockman had issues with staying on for the required 8 seconds when the wall was vertical. All this while being serenaded by dueling guitars on Rockband for the xbox. The gym was packed, people were having fun and for the most part freaking out. It was a great event. Hope you can make next time we host a Friday Night Freak-Out.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

13 Questions With An Adventure Rock Local-Jim Guamaccio

2010-02-05T08:17:00.000-06:00

1. What is your Name?Jim Guamaccio

2. Do you have any Nicknames? If so, what are they?Jim

3. How long have you been climbing? 1 1/2 years

4. How long have you been climbing at Adventure Rock?1 1/2 years

5. What is your favorite part of Adventure Rock? All of the colors

6. What were you thoughts when you first came to Adventure Rock? This is Isn't going to be Hard.....Arg....I was wrong.

7. What is you favorite climbing area? Belay Bar 5

8. What is your favorite route and why? Usually the blue ones.

9. What is your favorite piece of climbing gear? My broken chalk bag

10. What do you like about climbing? Challenges

11. Tell us about your best day climbing? .....Most of them.

12. If you could change one thing about the sport what would it be? I am too new to complain.

13. If you could name a route what would you name it?Ninjas Only

Totally enlightening. Thanks Jim.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Quick on the Draw-Wrap-Up

2010-02-03T07:43:00.001-06:00

Quick on the Draw has been over for a little more than a week and so begins the sad, dark days of winter. Until Adventure Rock came up with the whole Anniversary Week thing, there was nothing to look forward to until the temps warmed up enough to chip ice out of Rockman's alley. It has taken the crew at Arock the better part of the week to recover both physically and mentally from the comp. The gym is starting to fill up with lots of fun routes and there is little evidence the competition even happened. It is totally bittersweet. Rockman is glad it is over and can't wait until next year. What will we change? What will the shirts look like? What can we do to shake things up for finals? Should we make the routes harder? Were the routes too hard? Rockman will let you in on a little secret. He usually has a plan for next year before this year's comp is over. Here are a couple of the highlight from this year's comp:

Melissa Nimmer continued a fine family tradition of doing well at Q on the D and secured herself a place in finals and a strong 5th place finish.
Three of Adventure Rock's moms earned themselves a place on the podium-Robin Paquette (4th place Women's Recreational), Julie Reuss (2nd place Woman's Intermediate) and Cory Busch (4th place Women's Intermediate)
Gina Suckow volunteering to bump herself out of her division.
Rockman's old climbing buddy Josh Knapp climbing in his first ever Q on the D and making final's for Men's Advanced.
The Local-Joe Miller breaking the habit of fourth place to stand on the top of the podium this year.
The Stalag-tight. Rockman's dream was finally realized. The problem now is that the sky is the limit for what Arock can build. Scary.
The Volumes. How cool are those things? The route that goes onto the brick wall is so much fun.
Adventure Rock's Route Setters. The routes this year were great. Rockman has spent all the previous Q on the D's setting until his arms throbbed. This year, Rockman was given a couple courtesy routes to set, but all of the Arock setters got it done. Hats off to you guys (and girl).
The Volunteers. Adventure Rock almost had more volunteers than competitors. Rockman does not quite get why all of these people come out to help him and Arock out each year, but he is grateful. Everything goes like clockwork. It is amazing. All day belaying and not climbing n does not sound like fun, but people keep helping. Thank You, Thank you, Thank you.
Rockman know this is super lame, but here it is: The Sponsers-LaSportiva, Five Ten, Mad Rock, Evolv, Sterling Rope, Marty's Pizza, REI Brookfield, Laacke & Joys, Skram Media, Metolius, Panera Bread, Clifbar, and The North Face. Seriously, these guys help keep the price of the comp low, provide goodies for registration bags, pay for the awards, pizza and shirts and give some schwag for the volunteers. Rockman really needs to give them props.

This year really was a great year for the comp. There were a few lowlights, like lower attendance. Also some of the hard-men that usually make it had bigger, but probably not better, things to do. These were not really buzz killers though because everyone who was here seemed to have a great time. Here are a few photos:

Melissa Nimmer in finals!

Gina Suckow making this route look so easy.

Josh Knapp styling Men's Advanced Final.

The Local-Joe Miller, good stuff.

Colin Kennedy on the Stalag-Tight!

The Volumes on the slab! Go get it, Papa Bloedel!

Rockman would put up a picture of the routesetters, but no one wants to see that.

One of Rockman's favorite volunteers, Steph Dybul

All in all one of the best Q on the D's in our short history putting on comps. If you competed this year, Thank you. If you helped this year, Thank you. If you didn't do either- What's up with that? Next year don't make it any harder than we have to. Just sign up, cause its fun, cause it's a good deal, cause you don't have anything better to do. Now Rockman can take a little rest until Anniversary Week.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Check Adventure Rock's website for pictures and results

Most pictures courtesy of the Climbing Narc

Adventure Rock Local Ice Climbing Guri (plural of guru?)

2010-02-01T20:16:00.001-06:00

We all know how local news reporting is fair and factual, especially when it comes to anything in the climbing world. Here is a little piece a Green Bay news crew made about The Ice Pit.

For those who don't recognize these folks they are Danny Clifford, Dan Kopperud, Mr Fields. Big props needs to go out to Danny and Dan for putting together the First Annual Ice Pit Ice Fest a couple of weeks ago. They had an awesome turn out and it sounded to Rockman like everyone had lots of fun.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

13 Questions with an Adventure Rock local

2010-01-27T08:00:00.001-06:00

13 Questions with an Adventure Rock Local-Emily Rubin

What is your Name? Emily Rubin
Do you have any Nicknames? If so, what are they? Scmemily
How long have you been climbing? 4 years
How long have you been climbing at Adventure Rock? 4 Years
What is your favorite part of Adventure Rock? Management
What were you thoughts when you first came to Adventure Rock? How can I lie to get a job here.
What is you favorite climbing area? Red River Gorge, of course
What is your favorite route and why? Mercy the Huff, proudest project
What is your favorite piece of climbing gear? My chalk bag, a friend I met in Spain made it for you then sent it to the good old US of A.
What do you like about climbing? The amazing community
Tell us about your best day climbing? Climbing with all of the girls at Funk Rock City!
If you could change one thing about the sport what would it be? More girls
If you could name a route what would you name it?Molasses

In The Spirit of Adventure,

Rockman

Quick Post Until Wednesday

2010-01-25T11:36:00.000-06:00

Rockman knows everyone is waiting for the Quick on the Draw Wrap-up. Rockman is working on it and will have something by Wednesday. Until then here is an instructional video taken from clips of the Hollywood classic climbing film Vertical Limit. Enjoy!

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

The Final Countdown (Part Four)

2010-01-21T19:56:00.001-06:00

For those of you who have been following along may know that the gym finally closed today for final preparations for Q on the D. This makes things a lot easier. The Climbing Narc was in early flexing his muscle when it comes to turning a wrench. The normal crew of volunteers was on hand to get anything Rockman needed done, done. And we got a lot done. If we had to we could have the comp tomorrow. So let's get some stuff crossed of the list.

~~Hang the volumes~~
~~Re-tape the routes~~
~~Check in with the designer about shirts and booklets~~.
~~Touch base with the handful of sponsors that haven't turned in artwork or sent their promised goods~~
~~Check in with the cleaning crew for Friday and Saturday~~
~~Drum up volunteers for Thursday,Friday and Saturday~~

~~Find some one to pick up bagels on Saturday~~
~~Find someone to Pick up coffee~~

~~Turn a Stalag-Might into a Stalag-tight~~ (no longer a Stalag-might, it is a Stalag-Tight)
~~Send out a Facebook reminder about pre-registration ending~~
~~Make a closed to the public sign for the door~~
~~Print scorecards~~
~~Gather the schwag for the registration bags~~

~~Make up registration bags~~

~~Set 10 more routes~~(We cranked them out today)
~~Have plow driver come to clean up snow taking up valuable parking spots~~
Check in with status of our awards
~~Order food for volunteers~~
~~Stuff registration bags~~
~~Strip and clean holds~~ (Thanks to the Narc and Tony B who probably complaining on Facebook about muriatic acid)
~~Fix lock to route setters closet~~

Mr. Nimmer doing the hard work.

So whats left? We will spend most of the day, tomorrow, tightening, testing and tweaking routes. We will be making sure the routes are the right grade and that they are fair for everyone. We try to finish early about 7:00pm so we can go out to eat and to blow off some steam. Rockman is getting old he needs to get to bed early so is sharp during the comp. His jokes are funnier that way. Rockman wants to give a big shout out to all of the folks that come out to help our fiasco of a competition run so well. Thank you,Thank you, Thank you. When you see one of these guys give them a big pat on the back for all of their hard work.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

Final Countdown (Part Three)

2010-01-20T10:05:00.000-06:00

Here is a couple of pictures from yesterday's progress.

Adventure Rock is in full comp mode now. We have stripped both of the caves and have most of our boulder problems set. Wednesday is the hardest day of this week. We want to be done with the duct tape and we just want to start cranking down holds. Tomorrow, however, Katie bar the door. We will really get 'er done then. Lets check in with the list thus far.

~~Hang the volumes~~
~~Re-tape the routes~~
~~Check in with the designer about shirts and booklets~~.
~~Touch base with the handful of sponsors that haven't turned in artwork or sent their promised goods~~
~~Check in with the cleaning crew for Friday and Saturday~~
~~Drum up volunteers for Thursday,Friday and Saturday~~

Find some one to pick up bagels on Saturday
Find someone to Pick up coffee

Turn a Stalag-Might into a Stalag-tight (last coat of paint goes on soon)
~~Send out a Facebook reminder about pre-registration ending~~
~~Make a closed to the public sign for the door~~
~~Print scorecards~~
~~Gather the schwag for the registration bags~~

Make up registration bags

Set 10 more routes(Only 6 left)
~~Have plow driver come to clean up snow taking up valuable parking spots~~
Check in with status of our awards
~~Order food for volunteers~~
Stuff registration bags
Strip and clean holds
Fix lock to route setters closet

The list is shrinking and growing at the same time. As folks get more tired throughout this week everything gets a little more frustrating. Adventure Rock is a great place to work and Adventure Rock has a great crew but It has not gone unnoticed that Rockman might have other, less stressful, options.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

The Final Countdown (Part Two)

2010-01-19T11:22:00.000-06:00

Arg....... More of that impending doom. Yesterday did not go as well as Rockman hoped. The whole MLK day and the influx of phone calls shackled this guy to his desk. Lets get a quick run down on Q on the D to do list from yesterday.

Hang the volumes
~~Re-tape the routes~~
~~Check in with the designer about shirts and booklets~~.
~~Touch base with the handful of sponsors that haven't turned in artwork or sent their promised goods~~
~~Check in with the cleaning crew for Friday and Saturday~~
~~Drum up volunteers for Thursday,Friday and Saturday~~
Turn a Stalag-Might into a Stalag-tight (it is getting there, cross your fingers)
~~Send out a Facebook reminder about pre-registration ending~~
~~Make a closed to the public sign for the door~~
Print scorecards
Gather the schwag for the registration bags
Set 10 more routes(maybe not today,but soon)
~~Have plow driver come to clean up snow taking up valuable parking spots~~
Check in with status of our awards
Order food for volunteers
Stuff registration bags
Strip and clean holds
Fix lock to routesetters closet

Hopefully Rockman will be able to check back tonight with some photos and video of today's progress.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

The Final Countdown (Part One)

2010-01-18T10:04:00.000-06:00

Coming into the gym on a Monday before any major competition can be scary. Rockman has a mixture of excitement and impending doom. Excitement for all of the really cool things that are going to be coming down the pike and doom for having to get the cool stuff done. This years Q on the D is no different. This Monday, Rockman came into the gym to find;one less route than he expected to be set, lots of duct tape ripped off the wall(to be expected), a lot fewer than expected pre-registrations, and lengthy list of short term problems that need to be solved. So we start off with a to do list for the day:

Hang the volumes
Re-tape the routes
Check in with the designer about shirts and booklets.
Touch base with the handful of sponsors that haven't turned in artwork or sent their promised goods
Check in with the cleaning crew for Friday and Saturday
Drum up volunteers for Thursday,Friday and Saturday
Turn a Stalag-Might into a Stalag-tight
Send out a Facebook reminder about pre-registration ending
Make a closed to the public sign for the door
Print scorecards
Gather the schwag for the registration bags
Set 10 more routes(maybe not today,but soon)
Have plow driver come to clean up snow taking up valuable parking spots
Check in with status of our awards
Order food for volunteers
Stuff registration bags
Strip and clean holds
Fix lock to routesetters closet

That's the short list for right now. It seems pretty do-able, however there is a catch. Adventure Rock is open to the public and it is Martin Luther King's B-day, meaning lots of people have off and will be looking to climb. This is the delicate balance running facility and running a competition. How do we make the event fun but keep our regulars happy for the days prior to the comp. Arg..... More doom. Rockman will check back in tomorrow to let you know how it is going.

In the Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

What's With All The Duct Tape?

2010-01-15T05:38:00.001-06:00

If you have been in the gym over the last couple of days you have seen a lot of this.....

And this.....

And this..

And lots of people doing this....

You may have asked yourself,"Self, what is with all the duct tape?'' Well, Rockman will tell you it is for....

In just over a week, Adventure Rock will be hosting our 11th annual Quick on the Draw (aka Crick on Drawr, Buick on the Draw) climbing competition. In order to make this a spectacular event we spend a lot of time in advance setting the routes for the comp. Just to make it fair (and keep the holds clean) after we set a route we cover it with duct tape. This makes the route virtually invisible. Rockman does not recommend buying shoes right before the comp, but what does he know. Check back in on Monday for The Final Countdown, a rare look behind the scenes of everyone's favorite climbing comp.

If you are not signed up click on the right to download a registration form. Pre-registration ends Monday, so don't wait.

10 Weaks to Climbing

2010-01-13T11:40:00.001-06:00

Several years ago the guru of rock climbing training Eric Horst came out with an article named "Ten Weeks to Better Climbing." The article was great, it helped Rockman and lots of other climbers get into great climbing shape. Rockman is not in great climbing shape. Here is the new training program for people who want to stay out of shape.

Weak #1-Get a job at a climbing gym-Nothing will ensure your success at failure more than working around climbing all day. After eight hours of answering phones, questions, putting out fires and explaining how things work, the last thing you want to do is step onto the blue carpet for another couple of hours of training. Often Rockman gets the comment, “Man, it must be nice working at a gym and getting to climb all the time.” Rockman usually responds with a sarcastic “Yes that would be nice.”

Weak #2-Get Injured -If anyone reads the Climbing Narc’s blog, you will understand how nagging injuries will keep you from getting strong. If Rockman climbs in the gym more than once a week, his shoulder feels like it will explode and he can’t sleep at night because of the pain. You will have achieved Weak #2 when you can spout off Physical Therapy jargon as much you can spray climbing jargon.

Weak #3-Get Old-This Weak seems to elude some folks (Mr. Nimmer for one) but it tends be an underlying trend in the sport. This sport tends to be dominated by folks in their twenties and early thirties. While age alone will is not a single determining factor, it tends to tie many of the Weaks together. The best part of this Weak is, you just have to wait for it.

Weak #4-Gain Weight-Rockman often asks folks when they ask about weight in climbing, "What’s easier climbing a ladder with one brick or twenty bricks?" You can climb a ladder in either case, but it’s just a lot easier with one brick. Rockman used to say it putting on weight is Hyper Gravity Training (another of Eric Horsts training methods) but it only works if you can remove the weight before performing. This is the tastiest of all the Weaks, butterburgers and custard will do just fine. Is that a Kringle…

Weak #5-Talk about the sport-Rockman spends a good deal of his life promoting the sport of climbing. Letting people know how great the sport is, how healthy it is, how safe it is…..Blah.blah,blah. At some point, you just want to turn it off. No talk about grades, routes, gear, jacked top-rope set ups. You know you have reached success when you have told the same climbing story fifty to one hundred times. Following Proclimbers on Twitter is part of this Weak.

Weak #6-Start a Climbing Blog-Rockman thinks the Narc will agree with me that Weak # 5 and Weak #6 go hand in hand. Those that can do; those that can't blog about it. The Narc can still on-sight some hard stuff though. Maybe Rockman should blog harder if he wants to get stronger instead of weaker.
Weak #7-Become consumed with outside influences-Yard work,house projects, family functions,car repairs,what's for dinner, grocery shopping, and the list goes on and on. If these things are regular topics of conversation or reasons for not going climbing you are on Weak #7.
Weak #8-Start another hobby-While Rockman's long board building is really cool, it uses much of the space under his woody. That really helps justify the non-use of his home climbing wall. Almost anything can work for this weak. However, if you want the best results, try to combine it with other weaks of training. Rockman likes anything he can do while eating Jalapeno Crunchers.
Weak #9-Have Kids-Rockman loves his kids. Rockman could not imagine life without his kids. Kids may be the demise to more climbers than any other thing. Many well known climbers such as Lynn Hill and Mr. Nimmer have not fallen into this Weak, but for us mortals it is a big one. This fall when Rockman took an old man trip to the Gunks, Rockman's kids got the swine flu. Rockman is still paying for that one.
Weak #10-TV-Jersy shore, CSI Miami, Castle, American Idol, Bachelor 2-elecric buggaloo,Survivor, Lost, Leno, 24's season premiere, the Tour De France, Desperate Housewives, the list of hours of lost climbing time can fill your 47" flat panel T.V. until your desire to do anything melts away into your fat rolls. What would the Situation do?

Like any training strategy none of these things done in isolation will get the results no climber desires. Start putting one or two together and you will get some amazing results. You will go from climbing 5.12 to 5.9 in a matter of Weeks (Weaks). Rockman sees no change in his training stratigy anytime in the near future. Rockman's only hope is JS has a new episode on Thursday. Good Luck.

In the Spirit of Adventure,

Rockman

13 Questions with an Adventure Rock Local-David Mortier

2010-01-11T09:33:00.001-06:00

What is your Name? Dave Mortier
Do you have any Nicknames? If so what are they? Super Dave!
How long have you been climbing? 6 Years
How long have you been climbing at Adventure Rock?6 Years
What is your favorite part of Adventure Rock? The new bouldering cave and the hot babes.
What were you thoughts when you first came to Adventure Rock? Holy Crap!
What is you favorite climbing area? Red River Gorge
What is your favorite route and why? Jesus Wept, it has everything-bouldery moves.technical, vertical, and it is long!
What is your favorite piece of climbing gear? The Big Bro-Cause of its name.
What do you like about climbing? Everything-The climbing, the friends, the whole experience.
Tell us about your best day climbing? They are all great.
If you could change one thing about the sport what would it be? More girls
If you could name a route what whould you name it? Short man's revenge

In the Spirit of Adventure

Rockman

Ice Pits First Annual Ice Fest

2010-01-08T09:13:00.000-06:00

For many of us living in Wisconsin we have never experienced the hidden treasure in De Pere, WI called the Ice Pit. Here is your chance. Rockman's friend Dan Kopperud has put together a super fun event and opportunity for folks to come out and try some ice climbing. Here is your official Invite.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

The First Annual Ice Pit Ice Festival & Demo Weekend on January 16-17, 2010

Climb all weekend for $10 (cash only, please)

The Ice Pit is located a few miles west of Green Bay, in De Pere, WI 54115. Map

Check out our massive private ice park and try awesome gear from Marmot, Osprey, Scarpa, Petzl, Sterling Rope, and Black Diamond.

We’ll also have Kind Bars, Point 6 Socks, SOLE Footbeds, Little Hotties, Red Bull, Yaktrax, the Access Fund, the American Alpine Club and more!

After the climbing is over on Saturday come to the Ramada Inn, for a slide show from Dean Einerson, an awesome door prize giveaway and a party in the indoor waterpark.

Stay at the Ramada Inn and ask for the special Midwest Ice Climber rate. Leave your car there and take the free shuttle to and from the climbing.

Before you can climb, you'll need the following forms (which can be found by following the links on the menu to the left:) Click on "members only", click on "forms & info", click on "member forms"

1. Liability & Release Form (#1)

2. Ice Pit Orientation Rules & Regulations Agreement Form (#2)

If you have any other questions or information about this event please contact Dan Kopperud.

Sticky Rubber

2010-01-06T09:10:00.002-06:00

Over the years, Rockman has had to listen to many climbers debate about which climbing shoe company has the "stickiest" rubber. The thought being that if the rubber on your climbing shoes is "stickier" you will somehow thwart the power of gravity and send any climb with ease,style and/or grace. Rockman has always been a sort of buzz kill during these discussions because Rockman does not think it makes that much difference. Rockman has always believed that a properly fit shoes is way more important than the rubber. Yet the debate continues.

Doing a quick Google search for "stickiest rubber," Rockman found several interesting things. Rockman found lots websites talking about how a specific brand of shoes is the "stickiest." Apparently other rock climbers have chosen to bring the debate to the internet (who would have thought the internet could be used for such a thing). That brand has sort of built its reputation and ads around being the "stickiest."

Another thing Rockman found out is that people who like to make their cars go real fast, real quick, also like to debate
"sticky rubber." These guys have also took to their debate to the internet. The most interesting thing Rockman found was a study sponsored by Spadout. In this article a scientist from the CERN actually devises a test to measure the "stickiness" of climbing shoe rubber. The article uses words the Nimmer boys would really love like "coefficient of friction." They also have equations, so it must be legit.

Click here to see the study.

After all of their testing climbers still commented about how the test and the results were flawed because x,y or z brand didn't "win" in the study. Oh well, the debate continues.

This is the real question climbers should be debating. What climbing shoe company makes approach shoes that do not leave black marks all over Rockman's wife's clean kitchen floor? There is no debating that one, she gets ticked.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

13 Questions with an Adventure Rock Local-Mellisa Giuffre

2010-01-04T09:09:00.002-06:00

What is your Name? Mellisa Giuffre
Do you have any Nicknames? If so what are they?
How long have you been climbing? 7 Months
How long have you been climbing at Adventure Rock? 7 months
What is your favorite part of Adventure Rock? Meeting other climbers and .......Climbing!
What were you thoughts when you first came to Adventure Rock? Pure Awesomeness!!
What is you favorite climbing area? The Main Gym
What is your favorite route and why? Bloods vs. Crimps. It was the first 5.8 I could do and it's super fun.
What is your favorite piece of climbing gear? My harness, can't top rope without it.
What do you like about climbing? The rush when you get to the top of a climb. Physical and mental chalenge
Tell us about your best day climbing? The day I did 3 5.9s, for me it was pretty amazing.
If you could change one thing about the sport what would it be? Nothing, I think climbing rocks!
If you could name a route what would you name it? Mellisa Giuffre's Fancy New Route

And their you have it, another one of the great people who make Adventure Rock such a great place to hang out at.

In the Spirit of Adventure Rock,

Rockman

Quick On The Draw Arm Twisting

2009-12-30T09:12:00.002-06:00

This January 23rd, 2010, Adventure Rock will be hosting it's 11th Annual Quick On The Draw climbing competition (Q on the D). It is Adventure Rock's largest and most fun events. Each year the competition grows and we have approximately 50% of the climbers return from one year to the next. Rockman attributes the competition's success to several things: fun routes for all ages, sizes and abilities, clear and fair rules, consistent judging, great t-shirts and the great value you get. Every year we still have to twist the arm's of the other 50% of competitors into competing. Here is a list of my typical responses to why you should do the comp:

It is only $30.
For $30 you get a T-shirt, chalk, drink, cliff bar, stickers, a magazine, dinner (or lunch) and to get first crack at the best routes we set all year.
I know you don't think climbing should be competitive, but it is, every time you come into the you are competing to send a route. At Q on the D it is the same thing except you are doing it with lots of people in a similar skills as you.
You have plans that weekend? That's funny because ______________ just called and said that they canceled that weekend and you should make other plans.
You will have a blast. It so cool, you walk into the and it is totally different place. You will look around and get butterflies in your stomach cause you are scared even if you climb here four days a week.
It will be the best work out you get all year. When you typically come into the gym you do a few routes and chat, maybe do a couple of boulder problems. At the comp you get a list of routes you have to do. You will have to do 7 routes and 5 boulder problems at least once. You will be so fried you won't even be able to open your car door.
It is January in Wisconsin, what else are you going to do?
You will climb harder than you ever do because you are forced to climb things you don't know the grade of. A week after the comp you will come into the gym a say "whoa, I sent that in the comp and it is a an ___a/b."
You will not look like a fool and you are good enough. We have divisions for all abilities and you compete with people of the same difficulty so you won't look folish.
I know you can't climb an ____a/b, we award points for any part of the route you do. Even if you only get to the second hold of a route you still get points.

Don't make me go through this. Do you know how hard it is to convince 100 people to sign up? If people would just listen to Rockman and sign up, I would spend a lot more time and energy on making the comp more awesome.

Click here for the registration for with details.

Visit the Climbing Narc to see photos of past Q on the D.

See you on the 23rd of January, you should have no real compelling reason to be absent.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

13 Questions with an Adventure Rock Local-Joe Miller

2009-12-28T08:35:00.003-06:00

In an effort to get to know the Locals of Adventure Rock, Rockman Sez's new feature 13 Questions with an Adventure Rock Local.

What is you Name? Joe Miller
Do you have any Nicknames? If so what are they? The Local
How long have you been climbing? 10-12 Years
How long have you been climbing at Adventure Rock? 3 Years
What is your favorite part of Adventure Rock? Every single darn Thang
What were you thoughts when you first came to Adventure Rock? Sweet
What is you favorite climbing area? Adventure Rock
What is your favorite route and why? ???????
What is your favorite piece of climbing gear? Nice Simple Shoes
What do you like about climbing?
Tell us about your best day climbing?
If you could change one thing about the sport what would it be? That Adventure Rock was closer to my home.
If you could name a route what whould you name it? Blank

I hope this was insightful for you I know it was for me.

In the Spirit of Adventure,

Rockman

More than a dirtbag

2009-12-25T07:04:00.001-06:00

One of Rockman's pet peeves about the spot of climbing is: Dirtbag climbers. The sport of climbing is in its infancy. The sport tends to be dominated both indoors and out by twenty-somethings. Twenty-somethings, who normally in college, tend to be a little cash strapped. They tend to want deals on everything, memberships, gear, camping, pizza, access and any number of other things. As someone who is trying to advance the sport and the business of climbing, this bugs me to no end. That is not the topic of this post.

In late fall a friend of Rockmans had her home was broken into. A couple meth-heads broke in looking for drugs, money or other valuables. There is no doubt that having your home broken into is not cool. One of the things these two yahoos took was her digital slr camera. As a semi-avid climber and photographer super uncool. This is only part of this posts topic.

Flash forward to a couple of day ago at Adrock. She arrived in town and stopped into the gym. She was going to meet one of her climbing buddies from Yahooville. When her climbing buddy came in she was brandishing a Christmas present. The long and short of it is that a bunch of Yahoos from Yahooville got to talking about how uncool the situation and they started taking donations to replace her camera. When the present was opened it actually brought tears to Rockman's eyes. For all of the pooh-poohing I have done over the years about dirtbag climbers this was really cool. It made my Christmas, it turns out climbers have the ability to think about other people. Their is hope for the sport of climbing.

Merry Christmas

Rockman

P.S. I gave them both day-passes

Why Girls Go Extreme - Travel - FOXNews.com

2009-12-23T07:30:00.009-06:00

I was watching a little Fox Six News the other night when they had this video about women rock climbing. The video is called "Why Girls Go Extreme". Even though the title is makes it seem more exciting than it actually is it is fun to see our sport get a little "good" press. Watch the video below:

Why Girls Go Extreme - Travel - FOXNews.com

The piece was pretty basic, but brings up a topic of endless discussion: Are girls better rock climbers than men? In general when climbers start climbing I would say "yes". The muscle bound man in the video also says "yes", because women are smarter than men. While that may be true for the muscle bound man and Rockman, I don't think it is entirely true. I think it has more to do with basic approach to things by the sexes. Men ,in general tend to jump into things, rely on their brawn usually their upper body strength. Women tend to rely other skills to help them be successful. Brains,flexibility, their legs, all of which tend to helpful in the sport. So why at the top end of the sport aren't there more women? That is a topic even Rockman is smart enough to stay away from. I don't no why "women go extreme", but I am glad they do. Women at the crags and at the gym make the sport way more interesting.

In The Spirit Of Adventure,

Rockman

2009-12-21T11:38:00.002-06:00

Recently Adventure Rock has gotten some blog press from a blog name USA Climbing Gyms. Mr. Arthur seems to travel a fair bit and seems to have a good take on climbing gyms. The on caveat is that he seems a little bit of a boulderer. I think he makes a real honest take on Adventure Rocks triumphs and pit falls.

Here is a selection of what he has to say,

"This gym is really good compared to everything Illinois had to offer. It has pretty tall overhanging walls, topropping w/ auto-belays, 2 bouldering rooms, campus boards, hang boards, and my favorite aerobic device so far a revolving wall with variable speeds and angles. The gym also has a full pro shop for anything that you may be missing which includes: shoes, harnesses, biners, trad gear, ropes, guides, chalk, etc... There is also a subway inside the same building and a burger ice cream joint next door. The gym does not offer any other type of fitness devices such as tread mill, ellipticals, bikes, or weight benches. That's ok though since the moving wall and some good problems are all you need for aerobic and anarobic training".

If you would like to read more of this post go to USA Climbing Gyms. Like most of our visitors to AR, he didn't really like the water. You can really blame him for that, it does smell like eggs. I was a little disappointed to see that our climbers friendliness was only a 7 out of 10. Looks like we have some room to improve at making our guests feel more at home. Overall we got a great review.

In The Spirit of Adventure,

Rockman

Another Climbing Blog

2009-12-18T11:38:00.001-06:00

If any of you are like me, I spend way more time in front of a glowing box than doing anything else, including climbing. I spend a lot of time reading about people that get out and do things. I have become a armchair climber. As a result you are getting another climbing blog. So what's the take on Rockman Sezs? My goal for this blog is a couple of things:

Give folks that climb at Adventure Rock a peek behind the curtain of the inner workings of the gym.
Help keep Members of Adventure Rock up to date with what is happening at the gym on a regular basis.
Create a forum for all the glowing box climbers to type in their participation to the sport of climbing.
And like any good blog, rant, specifically about the climbing sport and industry.

If you have stumbled onto this blog and have no clue what or where Adventure Rock is check out or web site www.adventurerock.com. If you are an Adventure Rock regular you should go to www.adventurerock.com. Both groups could learn a lot about what the gym is about. I hope you check back to see what else Rockman sezs.

In the spirit of Adventure

Rockman