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.

Aaron Guiles setting Precedence

If you are a climber living in the DFW area and are unaware of Aaron Guile's passion for climbing as well as his video editing abilities, you've probably been living ABOVE a rock.

 Aaron sending Glassopetrae at Eisenhower state park set precedence for climbers and film makers alike by helping develope, sending, and capturing some of the harder graded boulder problems at ESP. Using Iphone cameras, haunting soundtracks, and creative editing style , Aaron can cram as much drama and emotion into a silent five minute climbing flick as James Cameron with a three hour boat disaster film. With a slew of home made climbing videos and otherwise, Aarons' progression and creativity can be best seen on his latest send of "Tailpipe" , a crimpy, slopey, V10 in the Red Rocks of Nevada. This flick features inovative split screen footage of a seemingly effortless send (which is his hardest outdoor send to date) while incorporating  his friends and family in the photography and editing process. When asked what is more fun, climbing or movie making, Aaron responded " creative challenges,so both". 

In conclusion Aaron Home Brewed Collection of videos is/are/contains

• Great soundtracks
• Superb editing
• First ascents galore by local climbers and friends.

 

Mission

This blog is my embarkment into journalism. I begin with two topics: the world of Rock Climbing and the Role Music plays.This is my attempt to bring the community of climbers together with the universal love of music to discuss, review and correlate. I will cover climbing spots(gyms and outdoor), climbing gear, climbing movies, climbing progression, climbing friends, and climbing competitions. Furthermore, I will share and review the soundtrack that parallels the climbing lifestyle as well as any concerts or festivals I come across. I will try to keep it as local and as informative as I can without being too opinionated. Open your ears, minds, hands, and grab a hold!