Blog of Mark Champion

It was awesome !! I had met a couple of new friends that really wanted to learn to climb, and finally, schedules gelled and was able to go on Saturday. I went with a guy named Brian, and just started teaching him right away. He had climbed before, and was actually quite good at the basic techniques of climbing rock. Unfortunately, the people he had gone with before taught him nothing about what goes on before, during, and after. So, I started throwing the book at him - and he soaked up every bit of it. Hell, I think if we had enough time, he could have learned more!

So...we're going again this weekend, and I think I have a few other things to show him before we can move on to Trad climbing - where it's really at for me. I think it's where it's gonna be at for him as well. He's an intellectual, and I think he likes the more technical aspects of the sport. This is refreshing to me, as it is hard to find someone that is "right" to climb with on a higher level than simple top-roping. I am going to try to upload pics of our first climb out.

It was a beautiful day, and then out of nowhere we got hit with a monsoon. It was awesome. If nothing else, he got to see first hand what a little pressure feels like. I gotta say, I am still reeling from the buzz!

Now....if I can only get him to monitor his hydration and body temps...not like you get to bring bottles of water and gatorade with you on extended, pumpy climbs. But hey, one step at a time, you know?

Stay tuned for further updates to the adventures of our climbing. We also have to get one other guy out there as well, so be looking forward to those adventures in the coming posts.