SEIClimbing.com

Thanksgiving day was beautiful and therefore a bouldering session was a must. I went out there to check out the problems Eric B. has been cleaning.

It was so nice I ended up changing from a long sleeve shirt to a short sleeved button up. I almost ended up changing into shorts. The rock was perfect and the friction was high these are the kind of days we love. To bad my skin wasn’t in shape – I ended up with sore tips!

Though the lines are not very high they are a fun, perfect for getting used to topping out. Check out the videos below.

.

It was fun learning how to make the videos, let me know what you think in the comments section.

Earlier this fall Dean Lords found a new crag that boasts a myriad of nice cracks. Though the wall is short the routes are fun. Dean was kind enough to put together a little photo guide of the area for SEIClimbing.com. This guide is in the Guide section. Go check it out, there are some cool photos of the routes as well.

Thanks Dean for all of the beta and route development!

Check out Dean Lords’ mini guide to The Midget Widget Wall.

Heather Lords on Widgets are for Kids

I cannot recall how I first met Chuck Odette but one thing I do remember is that I was impressed with his passion for climbing, a passion that persists to this day. I remember thinking “this dude was strong – machine strong.” This has been proven again and again as Chuck put up hard routes at Massacre Rocks, Blackfoot Canyon, and other local crags not to mention sending 5.14 as a ‘seasoned climber’. I seem to recall watching him do training laps on all the hard routes at Heise. Chuck is an inspiration for anyone who hails from South East Idaho and wants to climb hard for a long time.

Chuck Odette shaking out on Millennium 14a

I was lucky to bump into Chuck at this years Outdoor Retailer summer show as he was helping man the booth for Petzl where he is the Event and Sponsorship Coordinator. There Chuck agreed to do an interview for us, so on with it…

SEIC: How did you get into climbing?

CO: I was inspired by the fictional Disney movie Banner in the Sky when I was in the 2nd grade. I told my 2nd grade teacher on “career day” that I wanted to be a Mountain Climber when I grew up. She told me NO that’s not a career and sent me home with a note to be signed by my parents that I was “disruptive in class and non-goal oriented”! There’s no better way to motivate a 2nd grader then by telling them NO they cannot do something!!! When I turned 21, I took a six week Wilderness Use Education Assoc. course (WUEA) offered and instructed by Paul Petzoldt in the Teton mountains of Wyoming. Similar to the NOLS courses offered there today.

Read the rest of this entry »