The Shins - Port Of Morrow

Listen To - Port Of Morrow

The long waited fourth album by the universally respected and recently reassembled  Shins offer the customary cryptic lyrics layered over airy guitars, familiar folk progressions, and hints of twang.  The album at times can be lulling but never boring, loud but never obnoxious. Producer Greg Kurstin sends specs of Sixties style gold and Nineties indie pop through a folky psychedelic digital blender producing a very drinkable embellished concoction.

 Mercer, lead singer and songwriter, explains "Every single story is a story about love, and with that love comes the give and take." On the stand out tracks "Simple Song" and "Port of Morrow" Mercer and company give the substantial expected amount of "New Slang" sound, satisfying fans and critics alike. These tracks will find their ways into iphones and ipods of climbers, yogis and hipsters with open arms. With all the giving, The Shins also take, they take their audience and fans to poppy twangy places that can test the durability of the average attention span and elasticity of loyal followers. Once put into perspective, the songs trigger clear sentiments of love,appreciation, nostalgia, and general melancholic discontentment. With a few glittery peaks and glossy interludes, obscure lyrics, and mellow dramatic mood,  the album insists on its presence without explanation of where it came from or where its going.

In Conclusion

• The songs are not up beat enough to accompany a hard climbing session.
• Songs are not mellow enough for meditation
• The lyrics are ambiguous as ever which can be both familiar and annoying.
• Well produced sound.
• Replay-ability -  

The Dusty Desert Dream

I had the unexpected chance to climb Hueco Tanks over spring break this past week. I dropped everything, packed up, and set out to find myself in the desert mountains of El Paso. I left the jobs, the gyms, the schools, families, cars, beaches, concerts, traffic, internet, cell phones, and everything in between for a pile of choss and the chance to temporarily live the luscious "dirt-bag" lifestyle. Living in the city is not enough. I had to take from the barren land of west Texas to fulfill my void. My comfortable bed and close local gyms were not enough for me. There had to be more to life.

Dr. Chris, Big Sam, and Keller "the strong one" were my allies on the hunt for more. Twelve hours later we had arrived fully prepared for our stay at the five star hotel "Impala by the Gate". If ever there was a masochistic initiation requirement to touch the sacred native volcanic formations of Hueco, sleeping at the gate in freezing temps was our baptism. Three hours later we awoke fresh and ready with twinkles in our eyes as we sat shivering cold watching the east spur as the sun devoured the horizon. As the rangers allowing access to the park like bouncers at a club approached our car the hope in our hearts immediately sank as we were snaked at the gate by some curly haired old guy who had just pulled up. As he opened his car door and set foot on the soil our hearts arose as we realized who snaked us, the one and only unpretentious Fred Nicole. We would occasionally see Fred throughout the week. Starstruck, giddy and frozen, we watched as our uncanny idol swept by like a mythical bird in the dusty wind.

Sleeping at the gate, parties at the ranch, climbing ultra classic problems and spending a day with friends and pro climber Jason Kehl (who was looking unequivocally similar to a certain dub step DJ  whose name rhymes with skillets)could only be topped off with an aggressive consumption of cervezas and El Pasitos' burritos. That was our agenda for the insufficient five day stay in Hueco.

The unexpected presence of Fred Nicole gave us the focus to forget our egos and climb with self. We threw our hands in the air in praise of those topping out and laid our selves on the line to catch one another. We found the addiction to climbing on another level. If gym life is caffeine then Hueco is Crack.We found our potential and lost limits. We came Loaded with Power, found our Blood Line and barely got out of there alive. Putting the experience down in a readable blog is as tedious as trying to completely climb the copious amounts of problems in Hueco.

As far as grading a place like Hueco Tanks there are many factors to take into consideration.

Pros

• Ranch hands, Park rangers, and locals are friendly and welcoming.
• Local eateries(El Pasitos) are epic.
• High concentration of classic problems and new problems being put up.
• Potential of seeing pro climbers and legends.
• The Hueco climbing community is gravitating.
• The "V" rating system was started here, gauge yourself!

Cons

• Advanced Reservations is recommended as Access to North can be difficult.
• Tours, camping, and day passes combined can be pricey.
• Desert weather is unpredictable
• Can get crowded fast
• Closes at 6 p.m.
• Requires vigorous hiking, squeezing and scrambling to a access climbing areas

So here is the end of a first impression on Hueco Tanks. The only way to leave is to know you will return next season, stronger,fitter, and more prepared to send harder and to temporarily live the dusty desert dream.

  

What Would You Do for a Sharma Shoe?

                                

The Evolv demo at Exposure this Wednesday was a tempered success.  The decision Exposure and Evolv made to present to the gym and its members the opportunity to test the quality of product created an obligation for curious climbers to attend. Having the demo on ladies night and week one of March Madness comp was well played. 

                                               

I arrived in time to catch the Evolve team set up. The four tables were set to showcase the newest and highest rated shoes. From Shamans to Bandits, Rockstars and Vengas, Evolve' spread produced an array of colorful temptation and curiosity. I was most anticipating climbing in the Shamans, Evolvs' newest shoe designed by that one guy Chris Sharma, you've probably heard his name thrown around so I won’t elaborate on his credibility. Matt Dendy, who was working the demo, had helped me with sizing and recommended one half size down from street shoes. With crushing in mind and my I.D. held hostage, I was given a pair of 7.5 Shamans and took to the Prow. 

         

The deference of Chris Sharma can only carry a brand so far without needing to asses the competitive market. The Shaman is Evolvs response to La Sportivas' Solution and 5.10's Dragons by including an aggressive down turned toe and forced last.  Once warmed up, the Shamans fit well and were even somewhat comfortable. The toe boxes were wide and did a good job with reinforcing the arch of my foot. I did not like the heel cup. When heel hooking the bagginess came to fruition; however, take into consideration I have fin shaped feet with a wide forefoot and narrow heels.  After trying on and climbing with every other pair Evolv had to offer I realized the Shaman was the best fit for my climbing style, aggressive demands, and foot shape.  And even then it fell short. The average price for an Evolv shoe is $125. The brand markets a balance of comfort, durability, affordability, and aggression, but fails to fully commit to any of these selling points. 

In conclusion

• Evolv had many styles and sizes to try including the new Shamans to climb in.
• The Evolv team working the demo was friendly and informative.
• The Shaman was the only pair that felt climbable for my particular foot.
• Evolv shoes are a well balanced shoe and come in many shapes and sizes.
• Shoes are subjective to shapes and sizes of feet, style, preference, comfort, and even price. With that in mind go to a demo and try some out.

 

So Far, So Hard

March madness at Exposure is currently underway. The guys over at Exposure are doing things a little differently this time around. Upon paying your five dollar entrance fee to compete you are given a score sheet to record your performance. The sheet divides scores by the four problems and the four weeks of competition. The classes of climbing are Novice (v0-v2) Intermediate (v3-v5) Advanced (v6-v8) and Elite (v9+). The scoring is based on an honor system in which you record your attempts on a problem and have a witness initial. This isn't the most accurate account of performance but it’s a member comp in which fun is the inferred intent.

 After warming up on some unfamiliar none comp problems (the yellow v3 dyno to mantle set by Stan Borodyansky being my favorite) I was eager to get on the actual competition problems set by house setter pro Chris LoCrasto.


Novice and intermediate problems were set well; they were fluid with an appropriate crux. These gave beginner members a challenge while crowding the cave with climbers wanting a flash. The flow of flashing and sending came to a dead halt after attempting the advanced problems. These are as the name suggests, advanced, and can be subjective to height. Frustrated at the sight of taller people sending these height favoring problems I moved on to the Elite problems.  


The difficulty grew exponentially from the previous advanced class. The crimps were smaller, the technicality was harder, and the strength required was exhausting. After attempting the Elite problems in the cave and on the prow numerous times my hands and fingers felt raw, like if I had been climbing outdoors for a day and was in need of Climb On© . This was a feeling that seldom comes when pulling on plastic in air conditioned gyms so I welcomed the pain with a smile.  I'm looking forward to the next three weeks to see what Exposure has in store for its faithful members.

In conclusion:

• Quality of this week’s boulder problems where high, that being creativity and difficulty were main focal points.
•  Subjectivity was an issue in the advanced category and can be frustrating to smaller climbers. 
• Elite class gave the feeling of climbing outdoor.
• This is the first set of four so look forward to the next three weeks if you didn't perform as well as you hoped this week.
• Free beer = we all win!

Storm a-brewin'

The classroom was silent except for the gentle downpour of tapping which crescendo'd into a hail storm of clicks and clacks . Kids to my left diligently typing , a window to my right. Boredom struck me like a bolt of lightning telling me to run to the shelter of Facebook. I saw the march madness post on the Exposure wall, and like a role of thunder, I cracked out a deep and powerful "YES!". I was immediately drenched with unwanted attention as the typing stopped and all gazes flooded my way. 

Design by Lou Rodriguez

March Madness Comp Series hits without warning. The only way to avoid its path of destruction is to climb at other gyms. The devastating impact on the community is second to none forcing  twenties and thirties of climbers out of their comfort zones inducing improvement. This comp will test the limits of how well the members can climb in a disaster situation. The madness lasts Four weeks, while the gym resets problems each week. We climbers need to join together and lend a hand (five dollars) so our gym can recover and rebuild each week. Harnessing the power of this storm and using it to our advantage will better prepare us for problems, indoor or outdoor, climbing or otherwise, that come our way.