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Well a whole month has passed by since I left Boulder. Cali was fun I must say. Even though my main objective was helping my father I still climbed a lot. The Bay is great spot for that city life. Spending my time climbing in Oakland and the rest of the East Bay was exciting. Taking the train to climb and get around was fun. Although Oakland has its problems with crime, like all cities do, Oakland and the rest of the East Bay offer many great options for many great days spent. One of my regular stops out there was The Dungeon. It's a great woody nestled in quaint West Oakland.

I put together a little video of my favorite problems. The Dungeon 7C circuit...

The Dungeon from Phillip Schaal on Vimeo.

Cali Update...

Well, I wish I had some news to update about.

I've been in Cali acting as my fathers caregiver for the past 12 days. Although I've been busy helping my Dad, I've also had some time to climb. I've been training on some boards around the East Bay with my friend Will from Dungeontraining.blogspot.com.

I've also spent some time filming some problems at Mortar Rock, in the Berkeley hills.

There are a few new problems that I'm keen to do. But I'm not sure if I'll have time for them while I'm playing nurse.

I guess I'll just hope for the best and in the mean time, train, train, and train...

I'm Going Going Back Back to Cali Cali...

Yep...

Thas right I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going to miss Boulder!

But I'll be back just in time to get some late spring days in the high country.

What I'm Up To..

I've been enjoying the spring skiing at Eldora. After the last powder day (Eldora got 18 inches)

my appetite has exploded. With the possibility of more snow this afternoon climbing outside is ...... In the mean time I experimented with some home made doughnuts.

I'm also going to be leaving for Cali (East Bay) soon. I'm hoping to climb out side as much as I can but I have a feeling that I'll be training indoors (The Dungeon) mostly.

RRR Recap...

What a great weekend. Over all a complete successes. I think I had one of the best clinics!

Off To Sin City...

Yeah, well its time for the Red Rock Rendezvous and I cant wait to get there. This weekend is going to be great. Meeting new people and checking out new climbing areas is always fun. I'm also going to be teaching some footwork clinics on Saturday and Sunday. So it looks like it's going to be a exciting event.

I was a little bummed that I didn't finish Echale this week.

Hopefully once I get back I'll have some more time on it before I leave for California.

PUNT!

I've been back at climbing for about the last month. Today I felt like I had the same strength I had before my rest. For the most part gym climbing is what I've been up to. Also making sure to get outside a few times a week too. Back in November before I left CO for a few months, I was close to finishing a hard problem in Clear Creek named Echale. All negatives aspects aside, Echale is a stout roof that requires alot of power.

Is Echale chipped?

Yes

Is it glued?

Yes

Is it dug out and a bit low ball?

Yes and Yes

Well there are some pros too. Its not sharp, its very powerful, the moves are fun, and it's easy to climb on without a spot. The rock is good quality too.

I've worked on Echale on and off and have gotten close to finishing it in the past. Today after another few days on it building up the strength I almost finished it again. What screwed me was some clever beta for the hard campus finish (well I thought it was clever beta at the time.)

But today I realized it took effort instead of just campusing and I dropped the last move feeling strong.

Bugger! Well I'm also very happy to have gotten that far which means I'm getting my strength back.

Chipping holds is a bad idea. Good moves on good rock are what I'm about. Add in a safe landing and it's a hard one to ignore.