Rest Day Enlightenment

Rest days (RRG): During my constant struggle to stay occupied in Miquel's dimly lit basement, I was fortunate to run into an equally anxious crew from Burlington, Vermont.  Ben related with my extreme interest in climbing films and urged me to watch "The Wizard's Apprentice", a digital download of Ondra's latest. Rather than ranting about Ondra's try hard tactics and trying to justify/defend his war cries, I simply encourage everyone to check this thing out for yourself.  The film includes interviews from Ondra, family, coaches, and fellow elite climbers. Watching Ondra climb is impressive, but hearing the story behind it all really puts things in perspective.

With a full days rest in me and an adequate "try-hard" lesson under my belt, I managed to complete Spank (5.13a) second go.  This marks the first route of the grade that hasn't taken an excess of 20+ tries to complete. Training and progression is finally starting to make its mark. The remainder of the trip consisted of mileage and heart-breaker finishing moves.


Rest day activities: 

• Excessive Ondra footage
• Six-topping pizzas from Miquel's (Chicken, avocado, chorizo/bacon, pineapple, onion, tomato)
• An undefeated chess record against many University of Richmond business students
• Hobo style coffee: French press Starbuck's (Cafe Verona), stolen sugar packets from local gas stations (stashed in glove compartment), creamer: non-refrigerated chocolate almond milk.  Ale 8 double fist combo for increased caffination and chaser for HSC (hobo style coffee).
• Thinking of ways I could be more productive (showering, email, ect.), but instead, continuing to watch Jonathan Siegrist make the RRG look like a P wall at Peak Experiences.

In spirit of "The Wizard's Apprentice" turning out to be pretty legit, I posted over an hour of Ondra footage below.  Also, I strategically posted "calm" videos towards the top and "louder" footage below.  So, if screaming isn't your thing, stick to the first five. At least turn your volume down to avoid frustration and blowing out a speaker or eardrum.  Enjoy.

What Happens When You Actually Give a **** (Adam Ondra)















Changing the Game in 2011 (Andrew Palmer)
http://direct.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/changing-game