As the next installment in my ongoing series focusing on “The Climbing Experience Applied to All of Life”, I wanted to take some time to write about how climbing can actually help you learn how to be a good planner and organizer in all of life. I could probably write pages and pages about this, but I wanted to share 3 key points that I believe translate well into personal life and business life.

Read the rest of this entry »

Our first of what we all hope to be annual Climbers Brew, held at Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill NC, took place on Sunday night July 12! It was a huge success. We had a good crowd in attendance, a ton of great beer from Carolina Brewery, and great food as well. Climbers from all over the area showed up. People met new climbing partners, and were able to reconnect with old friends! We had a TREMENDOUS amount of gear donated to support the raffle for the Carolina Climbers Coalition. Read the rest of this entry »

There have been numerous times while out climbing that I have seen a common mistake being made by new (and sometimes not so new!) lead climbers. Often, when trad climbing, the leader’s focus is only on where they can get good protection in so they can be safe, and they forget that they need to keep their second’s (the person belaying / following) safety in mind as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Linville Gorge is one of the eastern United States’ most beautiful locations. Carved out by the Linville River, the 2000 foot gorge is surrounded by massive cliffs in a beautiful wilderness setting.

The climbing at Linville Gorge is phenomenal, and provides opportunities for beginners as well as advanced climbers.

We will be camping at the Table Rock area of Linville Gorge, along the Mountains to Sea Trail. The climbing will vary from single pitch top roping, to some guided multi pitch climbs to the top of Table Rock. There will be climbing for everyone, no matter your experience level.

Itinerary:

Thursday October 8:

Meet at Table Rock Parking Lot at 10:00am. We will set up camp and have a brief orientation for the trip. We will climb from noon until approximately 5:00pm

Friday October 9 and Saturday October 10:

Climbing at Table Rock and other locations in the Gorge

Sunday October 11:

Climbing at Table Rock until approximately 3:00PM, then returning to camp to pack up and depart for home.

For a climbingpacking list, please see the Forms and Resources section of the website.

To sign up for the trip, or for more information, please fill out the following form:

To me personally, Yoga is one of my new found favorite rock climbing training activities. I have noticed significant core strength and balance improvements from it. Here is a great sequence from the Yoga for Rock Climbing Blog. If you aren’t familiar with Yoga, you can look up how to do these poses by going to the Yoga for Rock Climbing Blog and simply highlighting the names of the poses listed below. It will show you a picture. Or just search on Google and you will find numerous sites that list these poses.

Strength-Building Asana Sequence for Climbers:

1) Down Dog

2) Warrior I — press the palms together and take the gaze upwards 5 breaths.

3) Release the arms behind the back, interlace the fingers, lean back, and touch the hands to the back thigh. Lower body remains in Warrior I position here. 5 breaths.

4) Keep the arms and legs as they are, just lean foward and extend the heart out over the front knee. 5 breaths.

5. Keep the legs as they are, release the arms, and then extend the arms forward as if you are reaching out to someone. 5 breaths.

6. Lean into the front leg and slowly stand up right into Warrior III. 10 breaths. Remember to keep this pose active! Extend back through the heel; extend forward through the finger tips. Keep raising that back leg and don’t let anything sag.

7. “Airplane” the arms to the side, and then “barrel roll” into Half-Moon Pose. 10 deep Ujjayi breaths. You may even try to take the bottom hand off the ground and extend that arm forward.

8. Very slowly, lower back into Extended Side-Angle Stretch. The landing here should be light and controlled. Hold Side-Angle for 10 breaths. Again, keep this pose super active. Extend forward through the top arm, and cut the back foot sharply into the mat. Imagine a line of energy extending from the back heel all the way throught he tips of the forward fingers.

9. Now here comes the fun part. 5 rounds of Extended Side-Angle Stretch into Half-Moon, and back again, holding each pose for 2 deep breaths. Remember to move between the poses with lightness and control.

10. End up in Half-Moon. “Barrel roll” back into Warrior III. Just 5 breaths this time.

11. Bring the hands to the floor and come into Standing Split. Hold for 10 breaths. Try to take both hands to the ankle so that your leg is doing all the work in holding you up.

11. From Standing Split, either press up directly into a Handstand or kick up into a Handstand. Alternatively, just come straight back into Chaturanga.

12. Vinyasa. Repeat on the other side.

I’d love to hear your comments on this!

Make sure to sign up for the Ascent Adventure Consultants Newsletter to get more updates like this on a regular basis!

Hey everybody! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday!

Ascent Adventure Consultants has some REALLY exciting things planned for 2009. One of them is the plan for the blog. We will be following a weekly schedule, having each day be dedicated to a different topic. What are those topics, you ask? Here they are:

1. Mondays- Trip Reports
2. Tuesdays- Fitness and Training Tips
3. Wednesdays- Business and Corporate Training Advice
4. Thursday- Climbing Techniques and Tools
5. Friday- Environmental Issues and Advice
6. Saturdays- Miscellaneous Items that We Want to Write About!

So make sure to check back to read what interests you!

THE 2009 ADVENTURE SCHEDULE IS NOW ONLINE! CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT!